Survival kit

Besides an umbrella, a newcomer in Costa Rica must pay attention to two essential accessories in his/her survival kit: a compass and a map! In Ciudad Colón, distant 35 kilometres from downtown San José, the streets have no names. If you want to get somewhere, try to memorize the names of the gym place, the supermarket, the barber shop, the ice cream place, the children´s school and the grocery store. In the beginning, it may seem a little awkward, but after a while you get used to it. It is a warm excuse to get in contact with the local people. You always have to ask someone if you are going the right way. My house, for example, can easily be found "de la estación de servicio Los Angeles, 300 metros al oeste y 50 metros al sur. Casa de duas plantas, color terracota con blanco".
That´s how the mailman can also find me to deliver letters from Brazil. Yes, the post office recognizes the address. So, instead of numbers, the addresses have faces and nice people behind them. It used to be like that in any small city in the world, remember?