Leaving Costa Rica is less of an adios and more of an hasta luego for me.  It feels sort of like home for me because I spent a semester here in college, and I have "family" here.  I'm absolutely charmed by the Tico's way of appreciating life and their respect for their land.  Costa Rica is anyone's paradise with wild animals, dramatic jungles and beautiful beach towns.  Trouble is that Costa Rica is becoming everyone's paradise.

How It's Changed
The changes have been pretty remarkable in the last 5 years, primarily in the tourism industry.  Their goals are mainly money driven, but it really does make the treasures of Costa Rica more accessible - which of course has it's pluses and minuses. 

Occasional private mini-bus services have turned into sophisticated transportation operations with shiney flyers and schedules.  Walking through a greenhouse butterfly garden has turned into a Disney-esque largest-on-earth butterfly factory where the cocoons are lined up waiting to hatch.  We begrudgingly handed over $10/ person each time we entered a national park (except Cahuita), insane prices for Central America, but smart for a country that has millions if not billions of tourist dollars getting pumped into it.  Liberia, a northern city, literally on a "Cancun 2012" plan, welcoming all tourists.

I often fought back that "I can't let go of the past" shock as we revisited places I'd previously been.  We adjusted our itinerary to avoid very developed areas on the Pacific Coast (Playa Tamarindo, etc) partly because the thought of dog spas and mega-resorts taking over beach property where locals used to live really disgusts me and because there's NO WAY visiting there fits in our $66/day budget.  How much locals do it??  They most likely don't.

Costa Rica Offers the Best
So I knock the rate and some of the ways that Costa Rica has been developed, but there's no denying it's one of my favorite places on earth and has something for everyone.  I let the photos guide the story:


Basically, Costa Rica is full of amazing places and creatures you've never seen before, and likely never wil again.

The Ticos & My Host Fam
The people in Costa Rica - the ticos - is much of what made me first fall in love with it.  Like most of Central America, they're welcoming, genuine, sweet people that live close to the land.  Where Costa Ricans differ from their neighbors is the respect they have for their natural resourcs and the many ways they've preserved them.  There are dozens of protected reserves and parks, and they have laws in place (that people actually follow) that take care of the many endangered plants and animals.

My host family keeps pulling me back to Costa Rica - loving welcoming people that always greet me with open arms.  They call me Julia down here, my middle name, my host-dad sometimes calling me Julita Maria Salazar - their last name.  When Kyle and I left there the last time they reitterated, this is your house, come back anytime, but next time, bring a baby.  Kyle & I red-faced and smiling, agreed.

Costa Rica, Costa Rica.  What can I say for you other than "Meh"?  It's alright, I suppose.  No big complaints but nothing really drawing me back.  In a list of countries that I would like to return to in Central America, though, Costa Rica is not near the top for me.  However, in terms of Central American countries to recommend, it would be at the top.  Why the disparity?

Why I'm not likely to return

1.  Nothing drawing me back

It's an ok place, but that's really about it.  There's nothing that screams to me "Wow, this is soooo awesome, I need to see it again".  There are some fine jungles, beaches, and animals, but once you've seen them, what next?  I've done the obligatory canopy tour, seen sloths and monkeys, white-water rafted, but now what?  What's next?  Maybe I'm being picky, but I need more than nature to draw me in. 


2.  Cost

Yikes!  Compared to the rest of Central America and most of Mexico, this place is down-right expensive.  True, it is cheaper than the States and there are some deals to be had, but when it costs $15 just to get into a national park, it pains my wallet.  15 bucks might not seem like a lot to you, but when both of us go in, that's nearly half our daily budget.  I completely understand why it costs 15 dollars (parks aren't cheap to maintain), but it's just a bit of a fun-killer for me.


3. The People

The people are super nice and laid-back.  Once you get them to open up, they are very welcoming and curteous.  It's that "once you get them to open up" part that is crucial.  It seems as if most people ignore your presence as another one of those tourists or try to sell you a tour, which, incidentally, is the same one sold by 15 other people in town.  It's all a bit buisinessy.  If I wanted that, I would travel to New York.  With that said, however, if you do get past this layer, people are just as friendly as the rest of Central America.  I just wish they would open up a little more initially.

Why I recommend Costa Rica

1.  It's easy

You don't need to know Spanish (although it doesn't hurt) and in general, it's easy to get around and do what you want to do.  Due to all the foreign investment and the influence of Americans like us, things actually run on a schedule.  If someone says that they will pick you up at 7 for a tour, they will actually be there around 7.  There is actually a bus schedule and, surprisingly, the buses actually leave and arrive on time.  This is something relatively unheard of in Central America where usually the bus schedule is "whenever there are enough people, we leave".  And let's not forget about the food.  You can just as easily eat as if you were in the United States if you really wanted, forgoing the daily ingestion of rice and beans.  So, that's always nice.

2.  It's accessable and comfortable

Do you want to see nature, but not sleep in it?  Would you like to be in a jungle while still having hot water?  Costa Rica is there for you, then.  There are plenty of places to stay where you can get "modern" luxuries and still be within a short distance of some pretty wild nature that you're unlikely to see at home.  And if you really have some money to blow, you can get even further into nature and still keep the 5 star luxury.


3.  It is a nice place to go

It is, I'm not going to lie.  It is relaxing and laid-back which is a perfect break from what you might get in the United States.  There is no dangerous government that might change at any time or any political strife that you might stroll past.  Life is good there and that gives the country a certain kind of calmness.  As apposed to other Central American countries which might make you take pause at the radical politics or the poor people who seem to be everywhere, Costa Rica is just pleasant. 



So, please, go to Costa Rica and have a good time.  If you invite me with you, though, I might just sneak across the border and meet you later :)