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I was in Costa Rica for several months back in the 70's. It was a wonderful place with equally wonderful people. There were people from the United States living there then. Known as 'pensionados,' they were allowed to live in Costa Rica so long as they made their living elsewhere. I spoke with only a few of them.
The Costa Rican culture was different than that found in the neighboring countries, which I also visited. The Ticos (what the Costa Ricans call themselves) are mostly of a fair complexion. And they pronounce the rolled 'r' very differently. It almost sounds like an American English r, followed by a faint zh, with a trailing American English r. I couldn't believe my ears. I noticed that they tutear reluctantly, hasta entre esposos. They didn't vosear as much as their neighbors to the north (Nicaragua and Honduras), and they used many more dichos:
¿Qué tal?
¡Con toda la pata! or ¡Pura vida! (¡Muy bien!)
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