Costa Rica by Bus

John R. Wood is an engineer, writer, editor, manager, lexicographer, and webmaster whose multi-faceted career with IBM included writing, editing, development of Corporate Standards, managing, and representation of the company at meetings of the ANSI and ISO Computer Standards committees. In his spare time” he authored the 758-page IBM Dictionary of Computing, published by McGraw-Hill in 1994. When he retired from Big Blue” and settled in Costa Rica, his confrontation with inactivity was short-lived. On arrival, he had decided not to own a car. Prices, taxes, and operating costs were high, many roads were unmarked and in poor condition, and the per-capita accident and mortality rates were one of the highest on the planet. Instead, he used the bus system and found that he could travel in comfort, border-to-border and coast-to-coast at minimal cost. But the system was a mystery to most tourists and out-of-towners. Terminals, bus stops, and telephone numbers of bus companies were hard to find and schedules were treated as if they were state secrets, seldom published and often merely scrawled on terminal walls. Travel guides gave no help; they assumed that visitors would rent a car. And so, for his own convenience the author began to collect schedules and other relevant information on his PC. This required a great deal of research, telephone calls, leg work,” and time. As the hard drive of his old laptop filled to capacity, it became clear that legions of budget tourists and residents needed a complete and up-to-date guide that would help them find their way as they explored Costa Rica. No such guide existed -- until now. The author lives with his three dogs, Alfred, Maggy, and ChicoTico, in Atenas, a pretty town just a short bus ride from the nation’s capitol, San José.Wood, John R. is the author of 'Costa Rica by Bus', published 2006 under ISBN 9781589092617 and ISBN 1589092619.