The rugged, rainforested Costa Rica is home to a number of cultural institutions and protected jungle. The Central American country with coastlines on the Caribbean and Pacific, boasts beautiful beaches and is well known for its volcanoes and biodiversity. Jan Westmaas recently visited Costa Rica with a tour group and this is the first of a three-part account of the adventures of his ten-day visit.
Ever travelled abroad and had gallo pinto (red beans and rice) for breakfast, a casado (a married man) for lunch – really a meal of rice, black beans, fried plantain, vegetables, and if non-vegetarian, a choice of chicken, fish, beef or pork to go with it? And when you’re ready to pay your bill, your waiter or waitress greets you with a warm smile and regales you with the words "pura vida" (pure life)? Well, if you’ve had this experience, quite likely you’ve been to Costa Rica, a country when translated into English, means "Rich Coast."
The story behind the name is that Columbus, on his final voyage in 1502 while sailing the Caribbean shores of Costa Rica, was impressed by the vast quantities of gold jewels worn by the indigenous people. He named the land accordingly. I understand that one anti-discoverer radical suggests that a name change for his country is long overdue. He prefers his country to be re-named Pura Vida. Considering the country’s unabashed love for nature and its myriad experiments since its independence from Spain in 1821 to craft a pure, unadulterated identity for itself, one can understand his reasoning. The country may not get the name change he desires, but some day it may yet achieve the pura vida many Ticos, an affectionate term for Costa Ricans, are desperately in search of.
My first visit to this iconic Central American country with 631 miles of Pacific Coast to its west, 132 miles of Caribbean coast to its east, a lengthy border with Nicaragua to its north (192 miles) and an even lengthier one with Panama to its south (216 miles), takes me all the way back to 1975. Then, a mere youth of 24, I spent little time there. For me the country simply served as an overland conduit through Central America to the Mexican Highlands and the Yucatan Peninsula as I went in search of the more ancient cultures of the Aztecs and the Mayas.
[caption id="attachment_1012464" align="alignnone" width="768"] Irazu, Costa Rica’s highest active volcano is 3,432 metres above sea level. -[/caption]
Sadly, nowadays, Costa Rica is an illegal conduit for thousands of migrants, many of whom are Venezuelans, our nearest neighbours. They brave the God-forsaken and dangerous Darien Gap between Colombia and Panama in pursuit of the American dream.
On my recent ten-day visit to Costa Rica, I got more acquainted with the country, having travelled by bus to five of its seven provinces – San Jose, Cartago, Guanacaste, Puntarenas, and Alajuela. The other two provinces – Limon and its capital Puerto Limon on the Caribbean coast and Heredia, I had visited on previous occasions. The Braulio Carillo National Park, one of the
