Interview With Yeison and Samantha From MyTanFeet

1. Can you start by giving us a little bit of background about yourself and your blog. How did you start traveling? When did you start blogging, and what did you expect readers to get out of it?

Hi Vicky and Dave, first we want to thank you for giving us this opportunity !

We met each other in Nicaragua back in 2010, Samantha was a vet volunteer and Yeison was the team leader of the group so already our passion for traveling put us together. We had to break some rules (all of them hehe) to stay together but here we are, an Asian-American girl (Taiwanese origins) and a Costa Rican with a Korean dad and Latina mom. At the beginning, we did some long distance (it was not fun at all) but we had to travel to see each other outside the states, Yeison doesn’t have a US visa (it’s a pain to get one) but we can go to any other country in the world.

We started blogging awhile after she moved to Costa Rica. First it was just a fun idea and a way for us to document our travels and adventures and Samantha really wanted to share with her friends and family back home what it was like to live in Costa Rica. Our idea developed from that to also providing information about Costa Rica and then the rest of Central America, so that readers can get a real perspective of what these countries are like. In the future we would like to be able to provide our readers opportunities to enjoy Central America.

San Blas Islands, Panama

2. Let’s talk experiences – what has been the best experience you’ve had on the road? The worst?

Best experience so far – When we were kayaking at the Gulf of Papagayo (Costa Rica), we saw a whale pass by very close to us… with her baby! It was the closest experience either of us have ever had with a whale in the wild and it was an amazing sight to see.

Worst experience – We have been very lucky and haven’t had anything terrible happen to us (knock on wood) but there was one time when we were in Nicaragua and after we had dinner, Yeison had a very bad allergic reaction (he is deathly allergic to shrimp). We think they cooked shrimp in the same pan or used the same oil and his throat started closing up but he didn’t have an epi-pen (stupid…) and we had to run around town in the middle of the night trying to find one. Many of the pharmacies were closed but we were lucky enough to find a place that sold Benadryl. He took like 10 probably and he survived, luckily.

3. How did you decide on the name “My Tan Feet”?

One day we were coming back from the beach and we had decided to start our blog but we still hadn’t thought of a name. As we were brainstorming, we noticed that both of us had really tan feet and our tan lines from our flip flops were unflatteringly obvious. Yeison loves Keens so his lines were very weird. So when you live at the beach and in a very hot place, you’re wearing flip flops all the time and your feet get tan. Thus, we thought that mytanfeet would be a good name for a blog about Costa Rica. And it also made for a cute design for the logo.

4. What is the biggest misconception about Costa Rica?

First, Costa Rica is NOT an island (that is the question Samantha gets the most). It seems that people have an idea that Costa Rica is a third world country in the middle of the Caribbean and that people here don’t have access to what is the normal things in life – tv, cars, internet. Costa Rica is actually incredibly more modern than many of the Central American countries – lots of big companies from the States have a building here, everyone has a cell phone, there’s Wi-Fi everywhere.

5. How safe is Central America? Does it vary a lot by country?

As a general theme in life, if you use your common sense when traveling, you’ll more than likely be perfectly fine and safe. If you’re leaving your iPhone on the table at a bar in the middle of the night, something bad might happen to you. You have to use your common sense to travel here and one important thing is to listen to the “good” locals. Safety does vary by country, you can definitely notice security changes. Costa Rica doesn’t have an army and if you go to Honduras or Panama, you will see the military everywhere. There is this taboo that north of Nicaragua is much more dangerous because of the gangsters, which is true to a degree but the news makes it out that any foreigner or traveler will be robbed or kidnapped which isn’t true.

Arenal Volcano Lake

6. If I was planning a trip to Costa Rica, what should I know?

Our address so you can stay with us and we can have a good time! We can have a beer and share experiences 🙂 Other than that, we suggest reading about Costa Rica customs as it is very different from many parts of the world, Ticos (Costa Ricans) aren’t exactly the most punctual people (even in customer services and businesses) and that the weather can change in a heartbeat, so you have to be ready for every type of weather (except snow). Also, Costa Rica is an expensive country to visit, more than the rest of Central America but you will find much better service, infrastructure and products.

7. Culturally you come from very different backgrounds. Does that affect your relationship? How?

We actually wrote about this! . It certainly does affect our relationship greatly. Samantha is more organized and she likes to have everything in order. Yeison is more laid back (it is the pura vida lifestyle) and doesn’t get stressed out easily. Ticos are extremely relaxed people who don’t let things bother them and Samantha is used to a stressful, competitive mindset which is more like people from the states. This is probably one of the biggest issues we have because when we’re traveling, Samantha likes to know where we are going, how long it’ll take, etc. Yeison just likes to see where the day takes us, decide what to do based on how we feel in the moment and that’s where our personalities clash. We find a balance between the two of us by communicating and expressing to each other how we feel. Otherwise, we’d probably just stress each other out and disagree all the time.

8. What’s your favorite local cuisine in Costa Rica?

Gallo pinto hands down. It is rice and beans, the staple and most traditional food of Costa Rica. You can add meat, vegetables, or eggs and you can have it for breakfast, lunch, dinner. There is another version called rice and beans in the Caribbean side where they put coconut milk in it and a little bit of the certain chile pepper.

9. What are your upcoming plans, both travel and non travel?

In the next couple months, we will be traveling all over Costa Rica to see more of the country. After that we are planning on take a roadtrip throughout Central America so that we can have more content and provide quality information to our readers. As for non-travel, we hope to one day settle down (buy a house, a car etc.) but keep on traveling. We’re not married but being on the road and with each other so often it’s pretty much like we are (you know what we’re talking about). Our goals are just to have a happy and good quality life.

hanging bridge, Guancaste

10. Would you like to stay in Costa Rica indefinitely?

Not indefinitely but right now due to one big obstacle (no visa), Costa Rica will be our home. Hopefully in the future, that will change and we can find a way to make a balance between living in the states and in Costa Rica. We know that nothing is guaranteed in life but we’ll see what happens and make the best out of it.