Costa Rica:
Unparalleled harmony of man and nature
Despite the
military green that dominates the landscape of Central America, the people of
Costa Rica, that land of lava located where the oceans meet, live in harmony
with nature in a land ruled in peace.
At the
close of its its civil war in 1949, Costa Rica abolished its Army, making it
the only country in the world not to have a standing military force. For
years, Costa Rica has managed to stay far afield of the military governments so
common in the rest of Central America, and the country exists in an atmosphere
of peace and contentment. While Costa Rica is a virtual paradise of volcanos
and natural parks, its capital city of San Jose, like other large metropolises,
is a scene of noisy and chaotic traffic. This city is the virtual crossroads
for those who want to tour the country,, and with its cosmopolitan structure is
a veritable mirror for the country as a whole. The Plaza de la Democracia is one of the most beautiful places to seek respite in the crowded city, and some
of the other places to visit on a quick tour of the city are the National
Museum, a witness to the country's history, the theater, and the National
Cultural Center.
The crater lake of Poas, an active volcano near San Jose,
peaks out from among the clouds.
A bus from
San Jose takes us to the Poas Volcano, a volcano that ranks as the world's
second largest crater. Since its eruption in 1910 the volcano in the Poas
Volcano National Park has been kept under constant surveillance. A sudden
strong wind will blow away the mist and then the lake crater appears in all of
its magnificence, with ash-like soil devoid of any vegetation and water whose
colors range from turquoise to the color of sulphur. Following the path we
trek from the crater towards Botos. A pristine forest lines the shore and the
blue of the lake merges with the green of the trees.
Cahuita National Park on the Caribbean Shore.
The
following day our stop is at Sarchi, famous for its woodworking and other artisan
crafts. This charming pueblo is a popular stop for tourists who come to buy
the traditional and highly colorful small oxcarts and other handmade
souvenirs. The artisan spirit is also reflected here in the town's
architecture and the decorations on its houses and doors transform Sarchi into
a fairyland.
Sunrise on the Montezuma beach.
The
country's highest volcano is the Irazu, with its 300 meter deep crater. We reach this volcano by taking a bus from San Jose to its national park
setting. The fertile agricultural land surrounding the lake with its pungent
yellow-green sulphuric aroma is also the only region on the continent offering
a simultaneous view of both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. In the native
language Irazu means “shaking place.” Despite the fact that the volcano erupts
once every thirty years or so, there have actually been few serious eruptions
during its long history.
The cone of the Arenal Volcano is
absolutely astounding.
Costa Rica
is a Central American country famous for its natural parks. The Manuel Antonio
Park is one the country's smallest but most popular places. Located on the
shores of the Pacific Ocean, this natural wonderland is a tropical forest home
to hundreds of live species and is surrounded by lagunes and beaches. The
coconut trees here stretch down to the sea, monkeys play in the trees, and
iguanas rest under the sun. Another park that is a paradise of shades of green
and blue is the Cahuita National Park. The path sometimes even takes us into
the sea as it leads to the park's further exit. Here we stop for a rest to get
a better view of the red coral reefs and we dip into the ocean to watch the
parrot fish.
One of the unusual varieties of flowers around the parks.
The
following day we visit Montezuma, a seafront city that is one of the major
tourism attractions. This is the place to watch the sunrise from the sandy
beach, to swim in the sea and then take an afternoon rest in a hammock, and
spend the evenings watching the moonlight play on the water. What else could
one possibly want? As we leave my thoughts still turn towards the seashells I
saw on the beach.
A group adding their music to the “No War” festival
in the capital of San Jose.
Until I
saw Monteverde I never knew there was a difference between a rain forest and a
cloud forest. Cloud forest is the name given to a group of giant trees that
grow only in mountains or other high places and receive the water they need
from the moisture in the air. Rain forests, on the other hand, grow in low,
flat areas. The cloud forest in Monteverde lying to the southwest of San Jose
is the veritable symbol of Costa Rica. The forest is covered in a myriad of
tones of greens of leaves, tree trunks, and rocks.
Wheel of an oxcart, the symbol of the city of Sarchi.
In Costa Rica, a land of peace in what may be described as Central America's
Switzerland, the visitor discovers the beauty that comes when nature and man
live in harmony with one another. Here is a land that prefers the green of
rain and cloud forests to the green of military uniforms. As I leave, the
views of bright red lava and the sights of giant trees seem to merge in my very
being with the turquoise blue of the country's seas.
The new saints of soccer
Soccer
plays an extremely important role in Mezo-American culture and ranks as the
very crown of sports in Latin America. The Maya and Aztec civilizations also
had their own game of football; in this game the hips, knees, head, and elbows
were used to propel a rubber ball through the hole carved out of a stone. The
passion much of the world has for the grass playing field also reigns in Costa
Rica. On weekends the country not only follows the matches of their national
teams, but those of Spain as well. The teams of Mexico, USA, and Costa Rica are
highly competitive with each other. We watched Costa Rica in the 1990 and 2002
World Cups and the country has also won the right to participate in the coming
cup finals in 2006.
Soccer
plays an extremely important role in Mezo-American culture and ranks as
the very
crown of sports in Latin America.
Guide to Costa Rica
Costa Rica
is a land of giant volcanos and deep green rain forests. When the Spanish
conquistidors first entered this land they saw that the native populations were
using decorative items made of such valuable metals as gold and silver. This
convinced the Europeans that they had found a rich empire and a treasure trove
so they called the land 'Costa Rica', meaning 'Coast of Riches.' The riches of
the country, however, did not stop the natives from falling under Spanish
dominion. Following the few futile attempts by the 'white man' to establish
colonies here, the native population succumbed to the diseases brought by these
newcomers, sicknesses for which the people of this beautiful land lacked
immunization.
The oxcarts are all around during the festivals in Costa Rica.
Most Opportune Time - Climate
Costa Rica
basically has two seasons throughout the year: the wet and dry seasons. The
best time to visit are the months from December to April. Even though still
warm in the other months, those times get a lot of rain.
Telephone
Costa
Rica's area code is 506. The country does not have city area codes and all
telephone numbers have a total of seven numbers.
Currency
Costa
Rica's currency is called the Colon (1 USD equals about 400 colon). Visitors
can retrieve money from ATM machines found throughout the country. Currency
can also be exchanged at the airport, hotels or banks. The most widely used
credit card in Costa Rica is Visa but hotels and restaurants also recognize
Mastercard and American Express cards.
Language
Even
though Spanish is the country's official language, English is also used in many
other regions of the country.
Ethnic Make-Up
While the
wide majority of the country consists of ethnic Spanish whites, 2% of the
country is black and 1% is native.
Transportation
Intercity
buses are comfortable and cheap. The Tica Bus Company also provides one-day
trips to other Central American countries. Busses and vans are ideal for
transportation
within the
city.
Shopping
Sarchi is
famous for is wood carving the most popular of which is the beautiful varities
of wooden oxcarts that are the symbols of the country. Other beautiful
woodworking articles to be found here at very economical prices include kitchen
tools and all sorts of decorative pieces.
Helpful hints...
• Costa
Rica food is rich in oils and spices. Many dishes are accompanied with rice
and black beans. The national dish is called 'gallo pinto', a specialty eaten
for breakfast consisting of rice, black beans, and eggs fried in butter.
• Festival
de la Luz: Celebrated during the first week of December, the streets of San
Jose become a colorful stage for firework displays and musical shows performed
by local orchestras. Oxcart Festival : Celebrated in late November, the streets
of San Jose are enlivened with parades of traditional oxcarts.
