Sep
19

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Cross necklace

Category: Living in Costa Rica Tags: , Leave a Comment

Thursday is my daughter’s 13th birthday and in honor of that I wanted to buy her something she has wanted for a long time.  A cross necklace in gold.  You would think this would be easy enough to find and in the US it is but here in Costa Rica it seemed impossible today.

Of course there is no Walmart so the next best thing for a gringo is to go to the mall.  I searched through every jewelry store in two malls and came up empty handed. Of course if I wanted to get her a $500.00 diamond cross I could but given her track record in keeping up with jewelry I don’t think that would be a wise investment.

I see people wearing them all the time but have no idea where they are getting them.  Of course today when I’m looking at everyone’s neck I passed I didn’t see even one for someone to ask.

In a country that is 80% Catholic you would think they would be on every corner in every store.  The secret I think is to go into downtown San Jose to all the jewelry stores there.  Not only would they be cheaper than in the mall, I would probably have a larger selection to choose from.  The more I think about it the wiser I get.
So tomorrow it’s off to San Jose.  I don’t have a radio to worry about getting stolen so what better time to go.

Aug
15

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Mothers Day

Category: Family and friends, Holidays in Costa Rica Tags: , , Leave a Comment

Mothers Day in Costa Rica is quite an event.  This year it falls on Tuesday the 15th of August but because of the day of the week that it falls on, the day of celebration is Monday the 21st of August.

All of the federal offices, banks and many businesses close for this tribute to the mothers.  Mothers are seen as saints in Costa Rica thus the big holiday. Because of the 3 day weekend, everyone will be taking off for the beach but will be taking their mothers along to celebrate her day.  If your considering taking a trip to the beach, this weekend might not be the time to go as traffic is going to be horrible both coming and going and most of the hotels will already be booked up if you haven’t already made your reservations.

Enjoy your mothers day, and make sure that your special mother knows that she is appreciated and loved.

Jun
17

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Gift Giving

Category: Family and friends, Living in Costa Rica Tags: Leave a Comment

It is common to exchange gifts for many different reasons in Costa Rica. If invited to a person’s home, a bottle of wine, bouquet of flowers or chocolates are appropriate gifts. If giving flowers, avoid lilies, which are used at funerals. I made the mistake of giving lillies (my favorite flower) to a friend for her birthday. Thank goodness she understood that I didn’t understand and was forgiven for my faux paux.