Central America Travel
Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama and Nicaragua!
Return to Rincon la Vieja: Revisiting an Old Gem
Sep 3rd
Horseback riding at Rincon de la Vieja
It was the salad that first gave it away. I remembered that, six years ago, the salad had consisted of a pile of shredded and vinegary cabbage hidden under my grilled chicken. But this time, someone had painstakingly carved a flower out of a carrot and a cherry tomato and placed them in the center of the plate – as garnish. Something had definitely changed.
I was at Rinconcito Lodge, a pastoral slope of green dotted with cows and crowned with three rustic cabins where my then boyfriend and I visited nearly six years ago. Now engaged, we had agreed two nights before to return to this little-known spot and relive some of the butterflies, both the morpho and the stomach kind. But can you ever really return? Especially in a place where tourism is developing as rapidly as Costa Rica?
Our guide Alfrin
Thankfully, besides the salad, and a brand-new restaurant where it was served, the lodge seemed not to have been altered much. We were still picked up in Liberia by the owner in his Trooper that seemed to run on the white dust blanketing the road out of town. His sly grin and laconic answers still gave him away as a cowboy dabbling in the hotel business. We were again ushered into a cabin of rough-hewn logs that creaked with the night winds. And we delighted in seeing the familiar face, the lines set just a bit deeper, of our old horse guide sitting with a beer in his hand at the new restaurant.
We sat down to eat and discovered that with the new restaurant came a new manager. The manager was polite and made jokes. He spoke excellent English, had lots of ideas for improving and expanding the lodge and had studied tourism. He also tried to book a tour before offering drinks, but we took care of that in no time.
The next morning we were up early, excited that we had booked a horseback trip with the same guide, Alfrin, and that we would visit some new spots as well as some of the ones we remembered. Rincon de la Vieja Park is truly a natural marvel, filled with amazing wildlife (we spotted a coatimundi and a boa constrictor), fantastic horse trails and thrilling views. And of course, there are the mud pots and hot springs. Rincon is very volcanically active, and a great deal of the gas escaping from the vents and pools is sulfur. We joked that our first tour had been a trip from one stinky hole to another.
Rincon’s bubbling mud pots
This time, however, Alfrin led us to a new waterfall that the lodge owner’s son had discovered, complete with swimming hole and the cerulean flashes of morphos catching the sun. We then rode to a hot spring, dyed white and light blue from the minerals and, yes, reeking of eggs. But it was a wonderful, relaxing soak.
At the end of the day we galloped back to the lodge and dismounted, tired but happy. The new restaurant welcomed us with twinkling lights and we couldn’t resist having a beer before heading back to our cabin. As we clinked bottles and watched the setting sun, we realized that the pace of change in Costa Rica is fast and unstoppable. But that, yes, you can return to places of magic.
Top 5 Reasons I Love Costa Rica Living
Sep 2nd
Green and beautiful Costa Rica
Everyone has their own reasons for falling in love with Costa Rica. The uncomplicated lifestyle, natural beauty and low cost of living always top the list. For me, these five factors of Costa Rica living have improved the overall quality of my life. Don’t you want to discover if Costa Rica is right for you?
1. Costa Rica is one of the greenest, cleanest countries in the world. Its progressive environmental policies and eco-friendly practices are evident everywhere you look. Did you know that Costa Rica is one of the few countries worldwide to actually reverse deforestation? I love waking up to the pure country air lightly scented with orange blossoms in our Central Valley home.
Top 5 Reasons I Love Costa Rica Living
This is the pura vida
2. ?Costa Ricans are some of the happiest people on Earth! According to the Happy Planet Index (HPI), an independent think-tank, “Costa Ricans report the highest life satisfaction in the world and have the second-highest average life expectancy of the Americas.” Now, if that doesn’t speak for itself, I don’t know what does. Friendly, gregarious, welcoming, patient and happy: the people of Costa Rica are its greatest national treasure.
3. It’s easy to live and eat healthfully. Whether you’re an organic foodie, vegan or all-out carnivore, you’re bound to treat your body better in this tropical nation. Believe it or not, it’s actually more economical to eat healthy foods than junk in Costa Rica. Twenty US dollars will buy you a week’s worth of gorgeous fruits and veggies, fresh tuna and mahi mahi cost less than $3 a pound, and many Costa Rican towns have yet to see a McDonald’s or Pizza Hut. Roadside “fast food” snacks include farm-fresh fruits, agua de pipa (coconut juice), and tart slices of green mango.
I’ll always be a beach girl at heart
4. The great outdoors! The moment you set foot in Costa Rica all you want to do is explore. Mountains, rivers, volcanoes, cloud forest, rainforest, and more than 800 miles of sublime beaches: it’s all accessible in this tiny country. One of the great things about living – and traveling – in Costa Rica is its compact size, enabling you to traverse varied terrains in short amounts of time. In less than four hours, I can go from chilly cloud forest to sultry beaches, and still have time to relax and enjoy my day.
5. Easy acclimation with little culture shock. I lived in South East Asia for years and always struggled with the language and feeling like I truly “belonged.” Learning Spanish was a breeze compared to Thai, and for the linguistically challenged, you have a built-in community of English-speaking locals and expats. In many ways, Costa Rica is much like the States in terms of access to modern amenities, but it’s the peaceful lifestyle coupled with a true appreciation for family and friends that sets this country apart. For me, this is the “pura vida,” and it will keep me rooted here for many years to come.
San Jose’s New Address System
Sep 2nd
San Jose’s Central Park, a popular landmark
For years, knowing the locations of landmarks like La Merced Church and the Coca-Cola bus station has been integral to successfully navigating downtown San Jose. However, in July 2010, the Municipality of San Jose announced plans to integrate the country’s first planned address system, complete with street names unique to every district.
San Jose is the ideal candidate for such a project. The capital city’s downtown is laid out in a perfect grid, with avenues (avenidas) running east-west, and streets (calles) traveling north-south. Calle Central and Avenida Central are the center of San Jose’s grid system. To the west of Calle Central, all streets ascend in even numbers (Calle 2, Calle 4, etc.), and to the east, in odd numbers. Similarly, to the north of Avenida Central, avenues ascend in odd numbers, and travel south in even numbers.
The problem is that most streets, while clearly labeled on a map, currently display no signage. There are only a few well-known roads, and every address is given with directions like “From the National Park, 300 meters west, 200 meters north, and 25 meters east; it’s the two-story red building with a black gate.” For those unfamiliar with the city and its myriad landmarks (many of which disappeared years ago), this system causes confusion and frustration; it can also make mail delivery a challenge.
San Jose’s New Address System
Navigating downtown San Jose will soon be much simpler
Johnny Araya, Mayor of San Jose, stated that San Jose’s first street signs would be installed by December 2010, and all signs should be in place by December 2011. Several have already cropped up in Moravia, Tibas, and Vazquez de Coronado. The $1.2 million project, which will produce approximately 16,000 street signs, is funded by national banks Banco de Costa Rica and Banco Nacional. In addition to displaying the road or avenue name, street signs will show the district name (Pavas, La Uruca, Central, etc.) and the sponsor bank’s logo.
Though the plan is encouraging, simply installing street signage may not be enough to change the age-old Costa Rican address system. According to Alvaro Coghi, General Director of the Costa Rican Post Office, change begins with education. “Here, this will be handled by the Ministry of Public Education (MEP), and will be incorporated into the school curriculum.”
One omission from the current project is the numbering of buildings. As street signs begin to appear, the most accurate address for any building will be its distance from the intersection of two roads, for example, “25 meters south of the intersection of Calle 321 and Avenida 165.” This is definitely an improvement over the old system, and most San Jose residents and commuters embrace the changes. Tourism professionals are especially happy for the progress, as it will allow travelers to better navigate San Jose’s streets.
