A Tingo is a gringo who moved to Costa Rica and embraced the Tico “Pura Vida” lifestyle. It didn’t happen suddenly but subtle changes began to add up and before they knew it they were laughing at things that used to piss them off.

You Know You’re a Tingo When…

“You realize mañana doesn’t mean tomorrow – it just means not today.” – Bill Briggs

“You realize you’ve begun to point with your lips.” – Letty Anderson

“You call everyone ‘mi amor’ or ‘cielito.’” – Yahoo Costa Rica Living Group

“Your standard greeting is a courteous, ‘Buenos dias! Como esta?’ instead of a hurried statement of what you came to buy from the clerk in the store.” – Rob Rowntree

“You know how to say it in Spanish but forget how to say it in English.” – Yahoo Costa Rica Living Group

“You see the only parking spot for miles, so you cross the double yellow lines, dodge the oncoming traffic and go for it.” – Letty Anderson

“You stop in the middle of the road to chat with a friend and no one honks their horn because you’re blocking traffic.” – Mike Preston

“You calmly accept if someone passes you on a blind curve or cuts ahead in a queue.” – Yahoo Costa Rica Living Group

“You see a car with its back-up lights on slowly backing out of a parking space, and you walk behind it anyway.” –  Rob Rowntree

“You learn to drive around dogs laying in the middle of the road instead of honking your horn and screaming at them.” – Susie Krasberg

This post is an excerpt from Chapter 5 of Evelyn’s book, COSTA RICA TRAVEL GUIDE: Best of Margaritaville 2015, Quepos & Manuel Antonio available for purchase on Amazon here.

Filed under: Costa Rica on August 27th, 2015 Comments Off on The Tingo Trail

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