Has it ever happened to you that, whether you live in Costa Rica or are just visiting, you have found it hard to obtain "normal" directions to go somewhere.
Continue 200 meters to the North, turn right at the corner where there's a big mango tree, go 100 meters more and then continue North again about 25 meters, in front of a house with a black gate where there's a very aggressive white dog.
That's a normal direction in Costa Rica. The truth is, "normal" can be very relative. For an American, a European or a South American, directions are given using avenues, streets and house or business numbers. But in Costa Rica, people find it completely natural to give directions that involve trees, animals - and even businesses that don't exist anymore! A case in point is Pulpería La Luz in Barrio Escalante that is still used extensively for a reference in giving directions but was torn down several years ago.
Every country in the world has its own cultural and idiosyncratic features that make it unique and different from others. Costa Rica is no exception, and one of them is definitely the way people give directions using landmarks and some unusual reference points. Even though directions in Costa Rica can be a real challenge to tourists, they are not that complicated once you learn a few basic principles.
The first and most important of all is to have an open mind and realize that even though you may be accustomed to more conventional systems to obtain directions, that's not the case in Costa Rica and it's better to learn the local system than fruitlessly try to get numeric directions - because it's very unlikely that anyone will be able to give them to you.
With a little bit of patience and good disposition you may even become and expert in "deciphering" directions in Costa Rica. Good Luck!
People and Society 
