Moving to Costa Rica - Uncommon Tips You Won't Find Anywhere Else (15 Years Experience)

[Music] today we're going to talk about uncommon tips for moving to Costa Rica and other tropical Central American countries from humidity bugs power outages to real dangers we've got a crash course in tropical living to help you get a good start welcome or welcome back salt Travelers while moving to a tropical destination is full of sides there are a few downsides that while very manageable will come with the learning curve if you've always lived somewhere more temperate no this tail posed to strike and I bounded out into the yard butt naked Paradise is ruined so here are a few steps to get you prepared so hopefully you won't learn the hard way although it's all part of the initiation to Life in Paradise I suppose here humidity for you what comes to mind frizzy hair being sweaty oh I'm not worried about humidity I'll be at the beach all day well your possessions have a message for you it is rough on electronics leather canvas rubber metal paper cardboard you name it and even my shampoo bar has turned moldy looks like a science experiment if you are not moving to an air conditioned studio apartment where you plan to keep the AC cranked to high dry all the time one day you'll go into your closet and you will find that mold is starting to take over white black green once it starts the stain is usually permanent even a well ventilated space will be affected during rainy season when nothing really ever truly dries out all the way but there are some things you can do full disclosure I've never really mastered this not letting mold grow on stuff and just keep in mind that if it happens to you it happens to almost every everybody just make it look like you've been there for years I have however learned a lot along the way invest in a few humidity control packs for closets cabinets and small spaces and change them regularly install a little fan in the closet area to circulate air separate the hanging clothes enough so that they are not touching you can store folded clothes in those air suction bags as long as the clothes are clean when they go in they will be fine rotate clothes washing frequently doing small loads instead of waiting for clothes to accumulate a laundry hamper is a prime clothes deterioration station and also a Haven for scorpions just saying and above all make sure they are as clean and dry as possible before storing you'll find a lot of typical houses and tropical places don't have hot water at the washing machine if you're so blessed to even have a washing machine Electronics computers especially have a shortened lifespan in the tropics wet and heat are their mortal enemies consider this if you were in the the market for a new computer and maybe buy last year's cheaper model considering you will be replacing it likely within the next few years anyway you can make a little dry box with an insulated cooler fan and light bulb make sure it is big enough to fit your computer camera Etc your clothes computer and other electronics will thank you corrosion if you have a car quad motorcycle or bicycle make sure to rinse any salt water or even just Ocean Mist off regularly I recommend getting an inexpensive wash and detail weekly and have them apply protective oil coats once a year or so have metal parts Painted with anti-corrosive paint important paperwork get a plastic filing box with a good latch and seal on it and put your most important documents in it cardboard or particle board even if it's decorated pretty becomes delicate and disintegrates most wood rots or can get infested with termites and little bugs easily move in and metal quickly corrodes so although all three make pretty boxes unfortunately rubber made is probably best between the high moisture content in the air and Little Critters looking for stuff to nibble on and stuff to take and make nests with papers are under a double threat which leads us to bugs and critters what can I say there are bugs and you are in their habitat not the other way around a small line of ants coming from who knows where really is not something to worry about likely they're helping clean crumbs and bits and they will leave you alone you can wipe them away spray them away scream at them and they will still come back life is more peaceful when you accept them as a free micro cleaning crew and learn to live harmoniously now the important bug stuff bugs and insects are by and large not dangerous at all the scariest to me are mosquitoes and tick which are certainly Satan's spawn other than that the gigantic spider the scampering Scorpion and even the coiled snake just want to be left alone ticks are very dangerous to dogs in Costa Rica and other tropical places they carry a deadly disease called AIA or something like that that if not treated is fatal this is something to familiarize yourself with if you're bringing your most precious of precious your dog an anti-tick regime is essential and at the first sign of listlessness or loss of appetite take them to the vet immediately they do a simple blood test and the treatment is actually quite simple if you catch it early there are not always symptoms so you really have to stay on top of the ticks okay quick story I was organizing my clothes in my closet and I discovered a scorpion I cried no there are scorpions here Paradise is ruined I genuinely and immensely regretted moving there for a minute at least while it really sunk in that it was not going to be picture postcard perfect I'm glad to say I got over it they will do you no harm I do not pet them or wish to have them crawl on me but I don't get that lingering like eie jeebies you get if I just come in contact with one this is a good chance to mention too it's good to try to retrain your instinct if you think you feel something walking on you don't do that without looking use your eyes first and possibly just blow it off or shake it off but try not to come in contact which might provoke a defensive gesture on the part of the poor bug [Music] I once pulled a dress off the drawing line I put it on I went inside I chopped a banana I grabbed some ice out of the fridge I bent down to get the protein powder out of the cabinet I made myself a smoothie I did some other chores then I went to wash the dishes as I looked down into the sink I caught out of the corner of my eye a little scorpion clinging for dear life onto the front of of my dress I am sure he was terrified but I didn't even have time to think tidal wave of panic came over me I pulled the dress up and over and off which I should have just pulled it down it didn't even have sleeves on it and I bounded out into the yard butt naked in front of all my neighbors after I composed myself I went in and I gingely picked up the dress and shook it out a little and there he fell out onto the ground just startled with his tail posed to strike wasn't sure what to do and I honestly thought that was a close one buddy I'm so glad you didn't have to sting me and I'm so glad I didn't get stung I took the broom and pan and carefully put him outside in a pile of branches and he scuttered away probably very grateful as well I truly believe in bug Karma you treat them with kindness and you will be protected from Pricks in a benevolent Karma aric bubble of some kind other ways to avoid unwanted interactions besides Good Karma if you haven't slept in a bed for a few days check it well before you slide in jump on it Shake It Out throw back the covers all the way just let everyone who might have thought they found the best new Hiding Place know that you're back and coming in on that note I prefer light colored sheets and towels it's easier to see things like scorpions and ticks another good habit if you grab a towel or a blanket out of a closet give it a shake before you just wrap it around your body same goes for pants shirts socks bathing suits dresses and bras bang your boots and sneakers against a post to wake up any Little Critters that might be in there taking a nap if you need to shuffle to the bathroom in the night time use a little flashlight or your phone to help you avoid stepping on something unexpected and don't let your fear of bugs stop you from coming remember there are black widows and brown recluses even in cold climates one of the best things I ever did we Pur just a little Plug andplay Power Station it's like a lithium battery that you plug into a couple of solar panels ready for any kind of power outage or emergency with five different ways to recharge your AC 200 but I'm not a digital Nomad doesn't matter even if you're moving to the Jungle to disconnect when the fans go out at night you won't be getting any sleep unless you have a fan pushing those blood sucking mosquitoes away from you so even if it's just for the 20 some night the power will go out per year I guarantee having a fan blowing away buzzing blood sucking mosquitoes is worth every penny real danger will keep it short and sweet plummeting bowling balls at the beach never lie or sit under a coconut tree seriously and while we're talking about the beach rip tides waves often create areas with a strong current often difficult to see that can pull even the best swimmer out to see the main thing to remember is not to panic this is something that is very very dangerous and the solution is so so simple first of all don't panic and I know that's a lot harder done than said but just remember the trick to getting out of a rip tide is to swim parallel to the shore so if you feel like you're getting sucked out to sea what you want to do is just pick a direction left or right and start to swim with all your might if you get tired or get a leg cramp you need to relax because it's way better to get swept out than to get swept under so just float wait till the cramp goes away and then resume swimming but swim left or right not towards the beach if you try to swim against the Rip Tide you'll waste all your energy and it will probably win I did get stuck in a Riptide before there was this voice in my head saying you're probably swimming right towards the center of it you're probably swimming right towards the strongest part but I knew that I just had to to pick away and go and it was truly truly scary but I got out of it and I just want everyone to know that it's really simple if you don't panic we'll end on a lighter note mangoes I bet you're going to be so excited when you get to your new place and you have a mango tree in your yard just keep in mind that the white milky substance that comes when you break the branch or you take the mango off the tree is poisonous and it will leave you with red welts wherever it touches you so once you pick all your fresh mango be careful of that white milky substance and take them in and give them a wash I hope that with this knowledge and then all the other great knowledge out there about theft and medical care and residency that everybody else shares you're going to have an easy breezy time moving to [Music] Paradise that's it for now let me know below if there's anything that you think I should have included or any tips and tricks you've learned from moving to a humid Tropical [Music] Paradise thank you so much for being here take a quick moment to remind you that if you like this content it's free to hit the Subscribe button and it makes a huge difference we put a lot of effort into these we enjoy doing it and you can support what we're doing just by simply clicking the like button and the Subscribe button it's so easy if you're looking for something new to watch check out our Channel Channel pod crew it's more of a vlog style about our life traveling with our [Music] [Music] dogs we've got merchandise and helpful articles over at Salt travel co.com happy travels [Music]

Channel: STCo

Views: 2,253

Keywords:

Id: x0AF58MMZc8

Length: 13min 4sec (784 seconds)

Published: Fri Jan 19 2024