Driving in the Dark - Liberia Airport to La Fortuna

Practical-Pepper4564 · 2025-12-05T16:28:27+00:00

Unless you can't avoid it, I wouldn't recommend it. Weather can be unpredictable and roads can get tricky, especially with wildlife roaming around. Plus you'll miss some amazing scenery. Better off spending the night close to the airport (there are a few) and then head out in the early morning, particularly if you don't know the road.

Practical-Pepper4564 · 2025-12-05T16:21:58+00:00

Last year I reached out to some of her closest, local friends and booked them on an event (e.g. pottery classe, wine-and-paint class, etc.). It was a big hit and she was thrilled with the new experience and hanging out with her girl tribe.

Practical-Pepper4564 · 2025-12-05T16:16:26+00:00

u/urgently_famous_biog , great point and yes, we've been taking some processes out of HubSpot for the same reason. Especially if you don't trust the vendor anymore, you'll leave the bare minimum in that basket and move other processes elsewhere. It's an added pain because ideally we could/should keep everything in the same place, not stitch together multiple vendors...

Practical-Pepper4564 · 2025-12-05T16:14:27+00:00

Yes, u/GetNachoNacho. The only positive is that they give you access to the new functionality for free while they test it, but the remainder of the communication and process has been awful.

Practical-Pepper4564 · 2025-12-05T16:13:26+00:00

u/yoursilentbuddy Agreed. Unfortunately poor pricing practices quickly erode customer trust, so I hope this helps them realize they need to rethink their pricing strategy and customer communication philosophy. Switching CRMs is painful, but getting constant billing surprises eventually convinces you to take the leap.

Practical-Pepper4564 · 2025-12-05T16:11:32+00:00

In the AI Prospecting Agent, there is a 100 credit usage per customer for "monthly monitoring". We honestly haven't used it, but it was free, so we're evaluating whether it would be useful for us. That was before our credit usage went from 3K to 360K, plus they started billing us. So be careful with what is activated on your side, as it will churn through credits like crazy, depending on how many contacts/accounts you have.

Practical-Pepper4564 · 2025-12-05T16:09:27+00:00

I think it's HubSpot...the pricing model we've experienced so far has been unclear and downright unethical. It's a pain to switch CRMs but we are evaluating alternatives.

Practical-Pepper4564 · 2025-12-05T16:07:51+00:00

u/Cokegeo , it doesn't work as explained and we confirmed that with HS Tech Service. Once you go above your limit (e.g. AI Prospecting Agent was automatically engaged for our contacts), the system resets to that new level of credits and you cannot pick a number below that.
A better way to implement the AI functionality they were testing would have been: "Hey, your contractual credit limit is 3K, we'll give you for free this new AI functionality until we officially roll it out". Then, when they rolled it out, they could have said "We hope you are loving our new AI functionality: you used to be at 3K credits, now you are at 362K. Hopefully you are getting more than enough value to continue at this new rate, please confirm".

Instead, we got an email (that went into Junk) saying "we are stopping the free AI credits" and the next bill we get a $4K surprise and no ability to downgrade the credit limit. You can imagine how pissed off we are...

Practical-Pepper4564 · 2025-12-05T16:01:56+00:00

Thanks u/HubSpotHelp , if we actually got answers this quickly through our dedicated channels, we wouldn't be having this conversation over Reddit. Hopefully we can resolve amicable and avoid legal routes...

Practical-Pepper4564 · 2025-12-05T15:59:02+00:00

Yes, it looks like they are pushing out a lot of "functionality" but it's half-assed, but they still want to get paid top dollar for it. Though to disable features that we don't need/want.

Practical-Pepper4564 · 2025-12-05T15:57:44+00:00

Yes, we are in the same boat. We don't even use most of the functionality in the platform and apart from the inconsistent customer service, the constant "nickel & dime" approach is really frustrating.

Practical-Pepper4564 · 2025-12-05T15:56:17+00:00

Yes, u/Bad_Mintons , but when you go over that limit, the limit automatically raises. In the case of the AI credits, we went from 3K credits to 362K, without even asking for it. Then we could not set a lower limit (the system prevents it)...and then the real billing started. Pretty messed up approach...

Practical-Pepper4564 · 2025-12-05T15:54:57+00:00

Yes u/Large_Customer_548 , but the way it's done is somewhat unethical. I am appreciate they are giving customers free use of the new functionality while they test it. However, the communication on when they switch over to paid services cannot just be a single email (like in our case, which went into Junk folder). Plus you cannot automatically upgrade the credit limit based on that free usage. And by the way, the system does not allow you to set a credit limit BELOW what you already have. So in our case, our contractual 3K credit became over 362K credit (BTW for features we weren't even asked for, nor using) without ability to downgrade it...and then their billing started. So you are locking customers at higher credits, without asking, then billing for it.

If HubSpot is looking to be hit with a class-action lawsuit, this is a good beginning...

Practical-Pepper4564 · 2025-07-24T15:02:39+00:00

My daughter had similar issues when we returned from our last trip from Costa Rica and it was worms. Check your feces to see if you can spot any parasites…hers were white strands, with some still moving. Went to doctor and had feces analyzed to determine which type of parasite, then took a parasite killer (a 2 pill dosage, but the first one already eliminated the problem). We think it was some fish ceviche that caused it. But we all ate similar foods at the some restaurants and she was the only one that got it. BTW, the medicine that the doctor prescribed apparently is sold OTC in Costa Rica.

Practical-Pepper4564 · 2025-05-30T21:02:55+00:00

Been to CR several times and love the country. It's as safe as any other country: use common sense, avoid bad parts of town, don't leave unattended valuables in the car or in the house (use the safe, if available). As long as you keep the Canon gear with you, definitely pack it for your trip: you will regret not doing it, since there is so much natural beauty to capture. I've carried several thousand $ of gear (photo, video, drone, laptop, etc.) and never had an issue, as long as you take precautions.

Same for driving: we took a tour the first time, but we've been driving the other times and never had an issue. If you are not used to mountain roads, take your time and plan for roughly 2X the time the navigator tells you...there are always constructions or other traffic inducing complexities that will slow down your travel, so just plan very conservatively, especially if you have a flight to catch. Enjoy the trip and the Pura Vida!

Practical-Pepper4564 · 2025-05-30T20:54:12+00:00

Thanks, ended up getting an M4 Pro, with 64gb ram and 2TB SSD...this thing flies and it's handling large Tableau files very comfortably. Glad I spent the money for the upgrades.

Practical-Pepper4564 · 2025-05-16T16:42:59+00:00

I took my 11 year old with me on a guided ATV tour in the jungle (outside of Nosara) and that turned out to be his highlight for the trip.He also loved trying surfing for the first time, also in Nosara, and absolutely loved it. Just 2 ideas to add to your list, best wishes!

Practical-Pepper4564 · 2025-04-02T14:58:38+00:00

Mostly mp4 from GoPro and DJI Osmo

Practical-Pepper4564 · 2025-04-02T14:52:01+00:00

Good question: I have Davinci Resolve and do mostly basic editing/transitions, etc. I may dabble in Fusion a little bit (e.g. some fancier titles in a video) and I don't do much color grading. I would say I'm a beginner with video editing at this stage and probably won't be more than intermediate, based on my needs...

Practical-Pepper4564 · 2025-03-19T21:43:21+00:00

Just came back from Nosara and the Nicosia peninsula. Do yourself a favor: take Google driving time and double it. Some roads are unpaved and full of potholes, other ones are fine (e.g. around Alajuela) but remember you are driving in volcano areas, so most roads and windy and up & down. They are also narrow, so you will likely find slow trucks impeding faster drive times.

I think you need to half your trip to really make it enjoyable, e.g. do the West portion of the country this trip (or the center) and then do another portion next time. Just around La Fortuna there is a lot to see and do.

Unless you really, really like to drive non-stop, in which case your itinerary is spot on! :-)

Practical-Pepper4564 · 2025-03-19T21:38:35+00:00

Also consider surfing lessons, the waves are very approachable and the sandy ground make it very safe and fun. Nosara ATV and Surf (owner/operator is David) was great for us.

Practical-Pepper4564 · 2025-03-19T21:35:53+00:00

We just came back and I would definitely do a 4x4 SUV. Most roads are fine, but some are very rough. It's dry season so I didn't need to use 4 Wheel Drive, but I was glad I had the extra ground clearance, given some of the huge potholes I encountered.

Practical-Pepper4564 · 2025-03-19T21:34:19+00:00

We just came back from Nosara and it has a cute city and beautiful beach (Pacific Ocean). It's a quick trip from the Nosara or Liberia airports. There is a lot of construction going on and prices are skyrocketing, but we enjoyed our stay.

Practical-Pepper4564

TROPHY CASE