The Rich Coast Is Not What I Expected
Written: Dec 21 '02 (Updated Dec 22 '02)
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Pros: Beauty. The unexpected at every turn. A wake-up call to the intellect.
Cons: Crime, at lest in the city. Tropical climate in the lowlands.
The Bottom Line: Many types of vacation travel could well use Costa Rica as a destination. Expectations will be exceeded and a great deal learned about many subjects.
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| fhkerr's Full Review: Costa Rica |
Setting the Stage
I hesitated to write another review of Costa Rica. After all, there are already 75 posted for Costa Rica in general and 52 others on specific destinations within the country. The more I considered just moving on to something else, the more that bothered me. Costa Rica is a very unusual country with some truly amazing characteristics. I consider myself well informed, but what I saw there in one full day was the most amazing stuff from our recent cruise. Perhaps my observations have some value to others and are not just piling on.
One problem is, of course, that during recent years most of what we have heard in the United States about Central America concerns political strife, violence, and chaos. We tend to lump the countries together and get confused by their names and specific locations. Whatever you may have as impression of Central America, Costa Rica is the exception.
We docked at Puntarenas on the Pacific side. My wife and I opted for the longest and most general tour. It took us through four of the seven provinces, to the main tourist attractions of San José, and back through towns, the high mountains, and the volcanic central valley. Our good fortune was capped by having a very articulate (in English) and enthusiastic Costa Rican guide who peppered us with facts and insights along the way.
The Countryside
Columbus saw a bit of gold on the Indians and named the place the Rich Coast, but he missed the point then, not to mention what it is today. Costa Rica is a small country with less than 20,000 square miles. That makes it about the same size as West Virginia. The population is less than 4 Million, and it is 48% urban. It’s diverse microclimates nurture 5% of the planet’s known plant and animal species. The country has 10% of the world’s butterfly species, more than in all of Africa. As for birds, how about 850 species? That’s more than in all of North America. Almost a third of the land is protected from encroachment, and 12% is incorporated in a system of national parks.
Leaving Puntarenas, we drove through the coastal flood plains. Jungle plants and animals are everywhere. Prevailing winds from the Pacific moderate the temperature, but it sure seemed hot and wet to us. Sugar cane was plentiful. On the Atlantic side of the country, that ocean influence is less, which makes the climate worse. The result is great bananas, which are raised widely there.
As we began to climb higher and higher into the mountains, everything changed. The vegetation was more diverse, and new vistas of mountain beauty opened at every turn. There were few towns, but the vehicle traffic was heavy, for we were headed from the Pacific ports to the capital, San José.
Entering the coffee growing area, we saw what looked like small vineyards (I am a wine person, not a coffee person.). Costa Rican coffee, claimed by many as the world’s best, is grown in small plots. Not only that, but the guide explained how individual berries are picked by hand and small lots roasted by hand. If that were wine, it certainly would be up there with the very best vineyards!
Then, we heard about the harvest and processing of pistachios. Start with a fruit like an apple with a nut growing onto the bottom. Eat the fruit or juice it and use a little cane sugar to convert it into wine, for the fruit will not keep long. Yes, we tried pistachio wine and found it refreshing and pleasant. Then crack open that nut, remove the poisonous shell, heat the remainder to permit digging out the one edible nut. Then, roast the nut. After hearing all that, those little guys are not so expensive after all.
As we approached San José, we were in the Valley of the Saints, a high, relatively cool zone. The temperature stays at about 70 degrees year round.
The Population
As we pulled into the main square of San José, our tour guide asked what we noticed about the people. Outside, we saw many relatively short dark brown-skinned people, typical Central Americans. Somebody in the front of the bus had been to Costa Rica before, and said that they were not ticos, the local term for Costa Ricans. She replied that they were Nicaraguans, who had come to Costa Rica to find work.
It turns out that the population of Costa Rica is primarily of Spanish origin. Before Spanish colonization, several different tribes thinly populated what is now Costa Rica. It was something of a buffer zone between the great civilizations to the north and to the south. Few of those people survived. They numbered 400,000 in 1535, but only 10,000 by 1611. Today, the culture is very Spanish, including a very strong position for traditional Roman Catholicism.
One of the interesting insights I gained was a different perspective on piracy. Having grown up and been educated in the Eastern United States, I somehow got the idea that the pirates were Spanish. Then, I learned that we commissioned privateers during the American Revolution. That raised some doubts about the morality of the issue. When we got to Costa Rica, we heard a great deal about the notorious English pirates, who sacked and burned the Spanish settlements. Sir Francis Drake, who I had always put in the hero category, was the very worst from a Spanish perspective!
There is no national defense force of any kind, and only a small police presence. Independence came to Costa Rica as a consequence of wars of liberation all over Latin America. Revolutionary ideas arrived, but not through violence. Relative stability has been the nature in the land of the ticos. Their policy not is “perpetual unarmed neutrality.”
Public education is offered through high school, and generous public assistance is available to those wishing a college education. The literacy rate is 93%, one of the best in the world.
Socialized medicine is well established. The infant mortality and suicide rates are low, and the average life span exceeds 75 years.
On the other hand, housing is primitive for the most part. There appears to be a crime problem, judging from the amount of barbed and razor wire we saw in San José. Prostitution is legal and widely available.
Muséo Nacionál
We toured the National Museum, which is devoted to pre-Columbian art and relics. It is housed in a former Spanish fort, and it commands a spectacular view of San José.
It was obvious from that exhibit that some of the native peoples were quite advanced in terms of art and handcrafts. Those interested in jade and gold pieces also found much to admire.
Teatro Nacionál
Our tour highlight was the National Opera, Costa Rica’s national treasure. It faces the Plaza de la Cultura in San José. The exterior included statues of Beethoven and 17th century Spanish playwright Calderon de la Barca. Canara marble columns with bronze capitals and Italianate arched windows got our attention. Then, we walked up the stairs to ornate frescoes showing coffee and banana production. They are not accurate in many ways, but they are beautiful. The opera house opened in 1897 with a performance of Gounod’s Faust. It suffered some damage during a 1991 earthquake, but has been restored.
Dining and Shopping
We stopped at an upscale restaurant in San José for lunch. It was a pleasant environment with clean rest rooms. We had a salad made from locally grown greens and fruit. That was followed by a delicious chicken breast stuffed with a corn-based dressing and served with a tasty sauce. Both wine and Costa Rican coffee were served. The coffee drinkers raved about their drink. It was such a pleasant experience that we intend to try the new Costa Rican restaurant that recently opened in Catalina, quite near out home.
In the other Latin American countries we visited, street venders, mostly selling tee shirts and other cheap items, constantly bothered us. That was not the case in Costa Rica. We stopped at Sarchi, a marketplace for local craftsmen. The most unusual items made and sold there are carretas, very colorful traditional oxcarts. They come full sized or miniature. We didn’t buy any of those, but we did some shopping for our family and ourselves. In general, the quality was good, and the prices were very inexpensive.
Overall Assessment
Costa Rica is an amazing country, little known except to those who have visited there. That alone is a good reason to visit. Beyond that, the natural countryside offers adventure opportunities and relaxation. Students of natural history and geology would find a plethora of interesting activities. The culture provides a wake-up call to the intellect. Quite a few Americans have retired there, although one should check out all the applicable taxes before making such a decision.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime
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Epinions.com ID:
fhkerr
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Location: AZ, USA
Reviews written: 80
Trusted by: 6 members
About Me:
I am retired. Interests: travel, gourmet food, wine, books and film.
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