Costa Rica First Hand

Post by GuillermoG

Imprimir

teatro

Greetings, Friends!

My name is Guillermo García Monasterio. I am Venezuelan and as a Tourism Professional, I chose Costa Rica as a second homeland because it is a country without an army (remember Hugo Chavez); and because it is always on the list of main tourist destinations in Latin America, which would obviously guarantee me a place to work. However, I had no idea if the tourism in Costa Rica was really any more developed as an industry than the one in Venezuela. Through these posts I will be sharing with you what has been my personal experience in Tiquicia, as these beautiful Central American lands are also known as.

It was on that December 5th of 2004 that I arrived at the “Juan Santamaría” International Airport, at 7:45 pm after a 2 hour flight on a TACA Airbus from Caracas, that I was able to enjoy a beautiful sunset. Although, night had almost fallen when we entered the Costa Rican sky, I was very interested in the fact that you could not see very tall buildings from the air nor those red roofs that you can usually see from the air over any other South American city, be it Caracas, Bogota or Quito. Afterwards, after slowly descending looking for the airport, I noticed that all the roofs were made from sheets of zinc and not clay tiles like you usually find in the other Latin American cities. With time I have learned that this is due to the high grade of seismicity that is present in the country where the Central American belt of volcanoes begins (or ends, depending on your view); and the crashing of the Pacific Plates with the Continental Plates. Which are in constant activity throughout the whole year (therefore, do not be scared when the ground shakes beneath your feet; so try to remain calm, if possible, until finding out if you truly have to run away and escape to find empty spaces, all right!).

My first contact with the “Ticos” at the airport allowed me to see part of the Costa Rican idiosyncrasy: very friendly people with open smiles and a warm reception. They do not skimp on “please” and “with pleasure”. Although they also have that “Latin ingenuity” in their blood, which is why, I recommend to any traveler that before changing dollars at the airport, pay directly with green bills and later, with time and patience, change your money at any bank or cash exchange booth in the city; or even, pay in dollars at any establishment (the dollar is a common currency in the country) and request change in the local currency. That way you can save what I lost at the change booths at the airport or at the taxi lines that make their living there; they buy at a much lower price from the real exchange. You should also make note of the fact that at the airport’s exit there are bus stops to buses that take you to San Jose or Alajuela, two main cities in the country. Their fares will not go over $1 per passenger, which is very much lower than the $25 that a taxi to San Jose or the $15 to Alajuela will cost. These buses are of excellent quality and service (including ramps for the disabled).

Now, I would like to take a moment to explain that Costa Rica is a very, very small country; approximately 50,000 Km2 and with a population of 4,000,000. It is still in a transition from rural to urban. So therefore, what they refer to as “Cities” are not precisely what those of us who live in Quito, Bogota or Caracas would call cities. The exception is San Jose, the capital of the republic which has 6 or 8 avenues with more than two lanes of circulation and are each about 10km in length. The other “cities” are no more than densely populated towns. Such is Alajuela, the country’s second capital and the capital of the province of the same name, which is found less than 10 minutes from the airport. It has around 200,000 inhabitants in its complete area. The center of the city is no more than 8 streets in which is concentrated all the commerce and the so-called vital activity.

Of course, I discovered this the following day when, at the light of day, I was able to see the beautiful Central Valley where the main population centers of the country are located: San José, Heredia, Alajuela and Desamparados, among others.

But that will be the theme of my next post: From the Airport to the Hotel and my first nocturnal stroll through San Jose.
Nacional Theatre. San Jose, Costa Rica.
“Grand Hotel Costa Rica”

Imagen: Mi caja de viajes

Tags Blogalaxia: Costa Rica, hotel, San Jose, Tourism, airport, theatre

Rating: +1 (from 1 vote)

Share: