Oh, I am soooo envious! I spent 2 1/2 months in Costa Rica last winter- after travelling through four other Central American countries- and I wish I was going back soon. I travelled to many parts of Costa Rica during my stay there, some of which was as a student of the langusge school CPI, which has 3 campuses in different places.
    The central valley, where San Jose is located, is very fertile and has a mild climate; in the winter (Dec. through March, which the Ticos refer to as "verano"-summer) it is dry, sunny and temperate,usually in the 70's. I put on a sweater only in the evening. I stayed in a suburb of San Jose, San Joaquin de Flores, very quiet and lovely. The feria (market)in Heredia and other towns on Saturdays are unbelievable for the variety of produce.. the farmers sell directly to the buyers, and the costs are kept low because of this.
    I also went to the Carribean coast, to Puerto Viejo and Tortugueras, which is more rainy all year round, I was told, but lovely for the wildlife and terrain. Many of the people in this area are of African-Carribean heritage, and have suffered from a long history of oppression,, I read that they were not given the vote until 1948 or thereabouts (same time as women). This is a more economically depressed area.
    I travelled for about a month along the Pacific coast, from Guanacaste in the north to the south near Panama. Guanacaste in the winter is very hot and dry,a big cattle raising area; beach areas very popular with tourists, and much resort type development along the most lovely beach areas.Corcovado National Park in the extreme south of the country is hot and humid, a jungle area that is an amazing wildlife reserve. My favorite area on the Pacific coast is near Uvita, a small village south of Manuel Antonio National Park, but even there the good land is being bought up by Americans and Europeans.
   I spent a week volunteering at a ranch in the mountains between San Jose and Quepos (on the Pacific coast). This ranch is run by 2 Americans, ex PeaceCorp volunteers, who speak fluent Spanish and are involved in the life of their village. It serves to teach sustainable building and farming practices, and provides employment and training to some of the local people who otherwise would have to leave their village to find work. This is a prevailing theme all over Central America, sadly, and even Costa Rica is affected by a disturbing level of unemployment and internal displacement.
    The people of Costa Rica ("Ticos") are gracious, friendly, and helpful. I had no trouble travelling about by public transportation with my limited Spanish. I do have some dreams of returning in the future for a longer period of time.
    Kay-T, if you would like to PM me, I could possibly give you more specific information. Good luck on your travels.