New here

[Brodie]

Hello all my name is Brodie, I am traveling in costa rica right now and found this site on the internet. I have been here for about two months and am thinking about staying for a while. I am staying in san jose and am heading to jaco for the second time. Just looking to learn the ropes here. I am also interested to travel to south america.  I see a lot a ot of interest in colombia on this site. Why is that. I am 42 years old and speak decent Spanish. I am from Los Angeles. that{s about it.

[whitey]

Welcome Brodie:


Why Colombia?  Some of the top reasons:


- many people think it has one of the highest percentages of beautiful, available, sexy, interested (i.e. gringo friendly), and "traditional" women in the world, and certainly Latin America (BG and IV accepted of course)


- fast, cheap, and easy to fly to from the USA


- friendly people and interesting culture


- lot's to see, do, many different ecosystems and climates to chose from

[V_Man]

Welcome Brodie,
  +1 what Whitey said.

[QRCAP2012]

I went to Costa Rica thinking I might live there but after 2 weeks decided it just wasn't for me. I didn't like the razor wire on every building and every fence and the guys with machine guns guarding stores and houses and small factories. I also didn't like the hot steamy weather and the dirt and congestion of San Jose and the cost of living is very high compared to other parts of the world.
I have been in Colombia for nearly several months and I find the climate is better, the people are more friendly, the cost of living is much lower and the women are just as beautiful as the ticas if not more so, and there are a lot more of them by a factor of 10. One thing I noticed in Colombia in stark contrast to Costa Rica is that every day there are street sweepers on the streets of Colombian cities whereas Costa Rica streets are littered with trash.

[Ricardo1]

I agree with pretty much all the responses so far...
I have spent a fair bit of time in Colombia (BAQ, Cali and Bogota) and short time in Guatemala, Panama but don't know Costa Rica...
Colombians are in general easy going, industrious, gringo friendly, and public services are readily available in the cities I mentioned, and as has been stated often in this forum,  the women are stunning, approachable, generally transparent, and easy to talk too.. 
I speak fairly good spanish and have always had a great time, and always felt that Colombia is a place I could relocate to and settle in (although I have a preference for the lifestyle and people in the cities of la costa atlantico, Barranquilla, Cartagena, Santa Marta, and I usually tolerate the heat after a couple of weeks acclimation). 
Just my 2 cents....