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Local Services

SERVICES IN THE PUERTO VIEJO AREA

We attempt to list the options that are friendly to the community and the environment…Look for our eco-tips throughout the list.

HEALTH TOPICS


ALTERNATIVE MEDICINES:

Don Candido is an indigenous man who knows the “bush medicine” stop by

ATEC office and ask Tirza, his daughter, she can help you make an appointment. Have an open mind.

Veronica at Veronica’s Place Health Food Store and Vegetarian Restaurant on main street in Puerto Viejo, the second floor.

Or ask Rachel at Jardin Escondido, located about 300 meters up the road beside Restaurante Elena’s, she knows bush medicine too.

There are a couple of older women in the community who still know the bush medicine, but they getting on in years, ask at Miss Sam’s if she’s feeling up to talking to you.

DENTIST:

There is an office in Puerto Viejo open Monday through Friday or by appointment. Located in Puerto Viejo across from Hotel Puerto Viejo. Phone: 2750 0149.


Coco

Hangover Cure: PIPAS

A pipa is a young coconut from which one drinks the coconut water. Cool and refreshing on a hot day. Drink this instead of Gatorade to re-hydrate, also a great hangover cure. Throw its biodegrable container on the beach, not in the garbage that is carried to the municipal dump. Mr. Brown sells them in front of Hotel Maritza by the bus stop. Be a Super-conservationist and say no to the straw.

Massage

MASSAGE:

Sondra phone 8822 9523. One hour $50—relaxing, therapeutic and deep tissue comibination massage, located in Cocles

Maria at phone 2750-0216 in Cocles,

Walter in Manzanillo does rolfing, phone 2759-9059

Medical

MEDICAL CLINIC:

  • Clinica Sunimedica at the entrance to Puerto Viejo, phone 2750 0079
  • Clinica Hone Creek--5 kilometers North of Puerto Viejo at “El Cruce”



Pharmacy

PHARMACY:

We now have a pharmacy, in the same square wi

th the post office. “Farmacia los Amigos” is closed for lunch.

SERVICES

BANK:

Banco de Costa Rica is located at the enterance to Puerto Viejo toward Black Beach. It has a cash machine the usually works. Bring your passport and VISA card only if you want to get cash from the teller.

Banco Nacional in Bri-Bri-about 15 km from Puerto Viejo up the mountain.

Lots of other banks and ATMs in Limón—1 ½ hours by bus from PV.

Money Exchange at Cabinas Los Almendros: If you need cash and the bank is closed or not working, stop by Cabinas los Almendros behind ATEC in Puerto Viejo—use your credit card for a cash advance, exchange dollars and travelers’ checks for a fee.

BOOK EXCHANGE:

There are book exchanges at EZ times, David’s books by the the Lotus Garden, Pan Pay restaurant, many hotels, and ATEC has a little one—donations accepted.


CHURCHES:

Baptist: All Services right now are in English:

Puerto Viejo: Sunday School for children 9:30.

Sunday 11AM Service,

Wednesday Bible study 7PM,

Friday Prayer meeting 7PM

Manzanillo

Sunday 3PM.

Thursday Bible study-prayer meeting 6PM.

Catholic:

The first and third Sunday of the month at 3PM in the new big church by Maritza’s cabinas.

7th Day Adventist

Sunday and Wednesday at 7PM bilingual

Saturday 8:45 & 4 PM, more for young people.

Occasional Saturday night games on the beach

There’s also Apostolistic & Evangelic churches.

GarbageGARBAGE:

The municipal government in charge of garbage pick-up. They are scheduled to pick up garbage on Mondays from Manzanillo to Cocles, and Tuesday Cocles, Puerto Viejo, Black Beach.

We recommend you do not put food in the garbage you send to the dump—it decomposes in the yard very very fast. You don’t want to be in Puerto Viejo on Tuesdays when the garbage truck passes—stinky. If we’d all compost, it wouldn’t be so bad.

Remember that we recycle aluminum, glass, plastic bottles, tetrapak, clean tin cans, other plastics that are clean, and newly dry office paper, newspaper, magazines, and cardboard!

HaircutHAIRSTYLIST:

"Jupa House" near the bus stop behind the Bazar.

HAIR BRAIDING--TRENZAS:

Yilda Phone: 2750 0352

Soda Palmer, in Parquecito

Celia’s in Cocles, 100 meters after the football field. Phone: 2750-0691.

LAUNDRY SERVICE:

Café Rico and the Laundry by “My Bar” behind Café Viejo does laundry and they use bio-degradable soap.

MINAET—The Ministry of Environment and Energy and Telecommunications

Call in Manzanillo: 2759-9001

Cahuita: 2755-0060

Gandoca: 8842-8963


Photocopier PHOTOCOPIES

You should carry a copy of your passport with you all the time—just the page with your smiling face and the page with your entry stamp on it. Get copies at ATEC or in the shop by the post office. Lock up your real passport.

Camera PHOTOGRAPHY:

If you still have the old type of camera with film, ATEC has 2 or 4 day film developing.

ATEC also has card readers for digital cameras—better to travel with the cord for your camera though.

NOTE: Don’t snap anyone’s picture with out first asking.

Policeman POLICE:

If you have a problem, call 911 first then call the local police:

Puerto Viejo: 2750-0230

Cahuita: 2755-0217

BriBri: 2751-0003.

Airmail POST OFFICE:

Correos de Costa Rica in the square over by the bank.


For Sale REAL ESTATE:

Lots of folks come to this green coast and fall in love with it and want to buy their own slice of paradise. We strongly recommend that before you do so, come spend some time here. There are lots of nice places for rent. Come spend 6 months or a year or two and get to know the place and the people before you come and develop a piece of land.

Once you do decide that you are really ready to be a responsible resident of Talamanca, you’ll have figured out who the responsible realtors are—and aren’t.

3 Rs RECYCLING:

ReciCaribe is the non-profit, community supported association of Talamanca. They recycle aluminum, glass, plastic bottles, other clean plastics, clean tin cans, tetrapak, dry office paper, newspaper (with no staples), magazines and cardboard! Deposit your recycling in your hotel (if they don’t offer it, suggest they do). Contact the Biological Corridor if you want to donate or question.

SOUVENIRS:

ATEC of course has all Costa Rican Souvenirs (have we mentioned ATEC? It’s a community supporting non-profit association?)

Casa Verde sells fair trade local hand made art.

LuLu Berlu, in the middle of town, by Cabinas Guaraná, has the work of a lot of local artists.

spa SPA:

“Pure Jungle Spa” At Costa de Papito Bungalows, phone 2750 0536.

Spa treatments include all fresh all natural ingredients hand mixed at the time of your treatment. They support local business by purchasing organic fruits (papaya, chocolate, coconut oil) for their products.

There’s also Samsati Nature Retreat up the mountain from the clinic in Hone Creek, they have Spa treatments, massage and yoga. 1 800 563 9643

Tell them that Greencoast.com sent you.

teach SPANISH CLASSES:

Susana Schik, phone 2750 0519 and Ismini Skoulidou 8368-9393 are experienced, patient, and fun teachers and active and important members of our community; $10 an hour—group rates offered.

Ana Piedra is also a local Spanish teacher with 18 years of experience teaching at the San Jose Language Institute. She offers many different options for travelers and even has a cabina at her house for students to stay with her.  For rates and more information contact Ana at 2750.0326 or anamer922@yahoo.com.

Surf SURFING:

When the sea is high you can watch or participate in the surfing at Salsa Brava in front of Stanford’s disco or Beach Break in Cocles. Beginners often test the waters on black beach over by the barge. ATEC can hook you up with a responsible instructor.

Drop WATER and WATER BOTTLE REFILLS:

The water in Puerto Viejo is treated a little, but it’s safer to buy water than drink the public water, buy a 5 gallon jug and refill your small bottle or refill your water bottle at ATEC, it costs half as much as buying a new bottle, reduces waste, and supports this community based association.

yogaers YOGA:

Playa Chiquita at the GAIA Center

OM in Cocles, across from beach break.

Other yoga instructors come and go.

CUISINE SCENE

Beer! BEER:

Costa Rica’s national liquor company produces a few different kinds of quite good beer. The bottles are returnable; you pay a deposit for the bottles at any pulperia, so keep your receipt and remember to bring back your bottle—DON’T THROW THEM IN THE TRASH. We also recommend that you wipe off the mouth of the bottle before taking a swig since there is usually a little rust from the cap that make for a nasty first sip. Most imported beers come in disposable (recyclable) bottles, Go green, try the Pilsen or Imperial! Heineken is also bottled here in returnable bottles. You are often offered a glass with ice cubes with you beer, just ask if it’s “bien fría” if you get a Yes, then say no thank you to the ice cubes.

COFFEE:

We have a locally roasted fair trade organic coffee called “Caribbeans” sold around town or at their own shop over by the bus stop.

groceries

GROCERIES:

There’s a farmer’s market in Puerto Viejo on Saturday mornings, right behind the cultural center/high school.

Support one of Puerto Viejo’s oldest businesses. Comisariato Manuel Leon—also known as “Pulperia el Chino” —is located on the beach named for him, Playa el Chino.

There’s a big new grocery store in Puerto Viejo—Super Old Harbour—run by responsible folks. Specialty items can be found at Pirripli in Cocles and at Duende Gourmet (the gourmet ghost) in Playa Chiquita.

Also in Playa Chiquita is C & J’s Market Place, “C” is a biologist from the USA, they have a “no plastic bag” policy—bring your own bags to this and all pulperias.

Ice Cream!

ICE CREAM:

Mighty Rivers Ice Cream is sold at Caribbeans on the road by the bus stop. It's an organic ice cream made on this coast. YUM. Remember a cone creates less waste than a disposable plastic dish. Say no to the plastic spoon too!

Guaro?GUARO:

Is Costa Rica’s national liquor, it’s made from Cane sugar. It also comes in returnable bottles. We had a hard time listing this under services because, ooo hang over city, go easy.

COMMUNICATIONS

Internet

INTERNET:

The original and Puerto Viejo’s only Non-Profit "cyber service" is at ATEC on main street in Puerto Viejo.

And lots of hotels and businesses have wifi and internet service now.

Note: You’re in the Caribbean, you don’t need Air Conditioning.

If you bring you laptop, watch it carefully, there can be a bit of “sneaky crime” around here.


PhonePHONE CALLING:

ATEC also will make "administrated" calls for you for local or long distance calls, ATEC has a Skype headset.

Phone PHONE BOOK:

You can call 113 for free and get many phone numbers, but they don’t list many of the businesses on our coast. ATEC has a long list and are happy to share the numbers they have, phone 2750 0191.

Phone PUBLIC TELEPHONES:

The public phones now can be used with coins or with Costa Rican phone cards. Cards can be purchased at the ATEC office and at other sites around town. International phone cards not purchased in Costa Rica have traditionally not worked in the public phones here on the coast.

GETTING AROUND

 

banana BIOFUEL:

We’ve just formed a new cooperative for biofuel in Costa Rica, we’re working on indexing the amount of used kitchen oil and converting it for direct use in diesel engines and a more long term project is to develop a mini-plant to produce Klean Air Fuel (KAF) a fuel produced from the leftovers from banana plantations. Both fuels that use second generation waste, do not destroy forested land for fuel production. Check out www.grupoadela.org for more information.

BUS:

MEPE is the public bus line. Phone: 2750 0023. Show up at least 15 minutes before your bus departs, you have to by the ticket in the office now even if you’re just going to Manzanillo or Cahuita. CLICK HERE FOR THE BUS SCHEDULE.

We recommend traveling on public bus third only to traveling by foot or bicycle.

 

GASOLINE:

We highly encourage visitors to travel by bus or shuttles and taxis. Take a break from petroleum consumption, relax and let someone else drive, save some money. BUT if you have to have a car you can get a couple of gallons of gas from Tony, on the corner in Parquecito, or at a couple of shops in Hone Creek. The closest bomba (gas station) is in Hone Creek.

Talamanca has formed a bio-fuel cooperative, soon we’ll have bio-fuel available—made from second generation materials, not destroying forest to produce fuel. www.grupoadela.org

 

Car RENT A CAR:

If ya gotta rent a car, we suggest you take the shuttle to Puerto and rent a car here—more secure, you don’t have to drive down that crazy mountain.

Poas Rent-a-car, phone 2750 0400

 

Taxi TAXI:

Taxis hang out by the bus stop. We don’t have very many official taxi drivers in Puerto Viejo—the drivers offer “transportation services”. The pirate taxis traditionally have been safe, but if you want to be sure try these guys listed below or have ATEC or your hotel call you a cab:

  • Bull, phone 2750-0112, Cel: 8836 8219--cel
  • Luis 8838-3981
  • Delroy, 2750-0132--cel
  • Rene 8879-5033
  • Juni has a van—8824-4671
  • Adolfo in BriBri has a big bus 2756 0059 or 8389-0032

This page last modified 26 Jul, 2010

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