I wont ask you for money.

As you can probably tell by the date of the blog entries, I am in a catch up mode (from Brazil). I did spend 5 days in Costa Rica. It was just enough to go to the San Jose and then to my third Central American volcano, Arenal. Costa Rica has more of a European feel than any other Central American country. The closer we are to Guatemala, the stronger the Mayan influence. The closer we are to Costa Rica, the stronger the Spanish influence. San Jose has a charming downtown with old buildings and an art museum with a Rembrandt exhibit. As a tourist, I can see why it is not so appealing to travelers, but as a city to live, I quite liked it. The best way to sum of what makes Costa Rica different was that it was the only country I have been in Central America where an American (from California) came up to us to ask for money! As it usually happens, when somebody comes up to you and says "I wont ask you for money", sure enough, they ask you for money.



Volcan Arenal was striking. It is very active and you can expect to hear and see eruptions every night. Things are well done and organized. We had a English speaking naturalist guide who was very knowledgeable. I took the "adventure" hike route but it was not very adventurous when compared to Nicaragua. That being said, it was a lot safer.




The Arenal tour came with an optional stop at the hot springs. Wow, there were more than ten pools with temperatures that would cook you to outright freezing. It was decadent, with multiple swim up bars, different types of music and its very own Mayan pyramid. I was not expecting the Disneyland version of a Roman bath. That being said, I enjoyed them including lying on top of the Mayan pyramid looking for some sort of enlightenment. I feel asleep.


Costa Rica does deliver on the natural beauty and Latin culture. I had originally come with a negative bias, thinking it was not really Central America but am leaving with a different view. Central America is many things, and Costa Rica is a great place to explore Latin culture and natural beauty with good infrastructure. If you think that Lonely Planet guides are too touristy and that your chicken bus breaking down is part of the adventure, then maybe it won't be a place for you, but I now see Costa Rica as a great entry point to Central America, hopefully followed by an overland trip to Guatemala...







And now, off to Brazil!