More things to know...

LANGUAGE: Spanish is the official language, though English is widely spoken in the business community and at many tourist destinations.

TIME: Costa Rica is on the same time as the US Central Standard time zone; Daylight Savings Time is NOT observed.

VOLTAGE: The electric current in Costa Rica is 110 volts (same as the United States) and 60 cycles.

SAFETY AND SECURITY: Provided visitors take some necessary precautions, walking around in Costa Rica could be as safe as most American or European cities. Some robberies have occurred in downtown San Jose. Do not carry more cash than necessary for meals and souvenir purchases and leave your valuables in a hotel safety deposit box or safe. Do not sport valuable jewelry and watch your purse, cameras and bags. Travel in groups or take a taxi; cabs in San Jose are efficient and metered. The loss or theft abroad of a U.S. passport should be reported immediately to the local authorities and the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate. The pamphlet "A Safe Trip Abroad" provides useful information on personal security while traveling abroad. It is available by mail from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402 or via the Internet at http://access.gpo.gov or via the Bureau of Consular Affairs home page at http://travel.state.gov/.

MEDICAL FACILITIES: Costa Rica is one of the most exciting and awe-inspiring areas of the world, and you may be surprised that the medical services there come close to US health standards. There are well-trained, competent doctors, dentists, ophthalmologists and specialists practicing in all the major cities. Many have studied in the United States, Europe or Canada and most speak English. The capital city of San José has numerous modern and well-equipped hospitals and clinics. Costa Rica is a healthy place to live as the government continues a long-time commitment to affordable access for each and every citizen to one of the finest health care systems in the world. Most private and many public hospitals and clinics are equipped with current generation medical equipment, i.e. MRI, TAC, ultrasound, mammography, etc. Even though each and every physician must give part of his or her time to the governmental health care system, many provide private health care services as well.

INTERNET LINKS: You may find some of the following web sites helpful in your search for more information on the destination, culture, history and general travel information on the countries visited on your program.
http://www.tourism-costarica.com
http://www.centralamerica.com/cr/
http://costarica.tourism.co.cr/
http://www.cocori.com/library/crinfo/nutshel.htm
http://travel.state.gov/costa_rica.html
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/cs.html
http://www.lonelyplanet.com
For great information on using telephones and electronics worldwide, as well as many useful links to great travel information sites, go to http://kropla.com/. Particularly helpful is the "Useful Travel Links" section.