Final Post From Costa Rica....Summing Up Life Here

SOME OF OUR FINAL THOUGHTS ON THE FABULOUS COUNTRY OF COSTA RICA:

Many people use public transport in Costa Rica. People of all ages take the bus for work and pleasure. So the streets are very safe and always filled with people going about their daily activities. The ironic thing is, while they live a free life, every house, grocery store, or any establishment has bars and fencing with razor wire. The two ways of living just don't fit together in our minds.

The above two pics show an array of fencing types in a typical Costa Rican neighborhood.  Crazy amount of security in our opinions.

It seemed like everyone owned a bike.  No worries regarding theft in most areas.

Entire families hop on single scooters to go about their daily lives.

The roads were very narrow meaning you had to be very careful when a vehicle coming the other way approaches you.  Especially when it is a large vehicle and there are also cars parked on the roadway!

Many folks had carts designed to be dragged behind their bikes, usually for work purposes.

In this neighborhood we saw a small gathering of locals at 'the street grate' (the local gathering spot) in front of the car.  Some would be drinking a beer but, all who passed by stopped in to the grate to find out about all the local neighborhood gossip.

It's common to see a cow or goat tied to a fence on the side of the road outside of one's casa (house) . They are not bothered by the traffic and live a happy existence.

We saw people at toll booths, gas stations and such selling snacks to you as you sit in your car. Other vendors would sit by the side of the road and sell fruits, veggies, and even "fresh fish".  Our favorite were the machete jugglers! They were always in crowded intersections so it was hard to get a pic/video.

This woman near the town of Tarcoles was out selling her "fresh fish" everyday.  Not sure how they stayed fresh with temps in the 90s?

Snapped this quick pic of a 'machete juggling man' at a stop light in the town of Manuel Antonio.

Rice and beans are the most common fare in Costa Rica! 'La comida typico de Costa Rica' or typical Costa Rican food is called casada. Casada means 'happily married'.  It is a plate of rice, beans, choice of protein, salad and fried plantain.  You usually purchase one at your local Soda. A Soda is your neighborhood restaurant. It is usually some tables and chairs set out in front of someone's house. The owners are always welcoming and appreciate the business.

This is considered a casada.  Typical cost is between $5 and $9

This was a typical soda in a small neighborhood.  It only had casada as its lone menu option.  The lady cooked the food out in the open on a wood fired stove.  Very good.

Our favorite snack food of our trip was deep fried plantain chips. Found only in the small neighborhood stores and some restaurants.

Freshly made plantains with sauce was an added bonus in the floating restaurant we found in the bay while kayaking.

The major exports for Costa Rica are coffee, sugar, bananas, and palm oil. The rural countryside reflects the Costa Rican way of life. The coffee is generally grown without pesticides and harvested largely using Nicaraguan and Panamanian workers. Sugar is harvested by hand using machetes due to the nature of the terrain. Bananas are more of a commercial enterprise. Once the bananas are harvested the tree dies and shoots up a new one for the next season's crop. The palm oil is still done using machetes and oxen pulled carts. We drove into a palm plantation and it took us an hour to find our way back out. So many dirt roads, so may turns, and no gps signal. So much fun!

The sugar cane, after cut by hand with a machete, was transported on these carts, usually pulled by a farm tractor.

Every now and again the cart, or truck in this case had mechanical issues.  This truck was sitting there waiting for repairs for the entire week we were in the area.  There was barely enough room on the road for us to squeeze by so we have no idea how the large buses made it!

Costa Ricans are very creative when it comes to fixing things.  Note the small tree limbs being used here to act as a jack while the repair was being done.

Rows and rows of beautiful coffee trees!

Rows and rows of palm trees yielding their precious oils.

In some cases, oxen and cart were used to help with the palm fruits.

Banana trees are so abundant in Costa Rica that our nephew Michael, shown above with me, has multiple banana trees on his small property.  We were replanting some that needed some TLC.

Whereas the touristy areas offer all the modern conveniences of modern life. Costa Rica is a developing country with vast differences between urban and rural life. The major metropolitan areas offer Walmart and  Price Smart Stores which are the same as, and owned by, Costco back home. 

We preferred the rural countryside. We were treated to many sightings of monkeys, raccoons, quadamundi, iguanas and much more. The people were very friendly and outgoing. Staying in the small towns afforded us a glimpse of their laidback way of life. They generally navigate by walking, bicycling and riding small motorcycles called scooters. They do not rush through life, rather they enjoy the present and actively live in the moment. This is called Pura Vida!

We found this amazing example of Pura Vida!