Costa Rica
Costa Rica should be on everybody`s bucket list. It`s an unmissable destination. Consider this . . . it`s the only truly democratic country in Central America and doesn`t even feel the need have a full-time army to keep order. Then add in the fact that some 25% of the land is designated a protected environment and this even extends out into the ocean where coral reefs and wildlife species are nurtured rather than trashed. Butterflies of all sizes and colours abound everywhere. And then there`s the volcanoes and the extensive rainforest canopy with all it`s stunning denizons. And all this before you get to the cultural and architectural aspects of a visit. Oh and their food!
On my very first visit there the boss of the local company put me in the (nearly finished) Playboy Hotel. Largely because he had his eye on one of the attractive receptionists!. My first task turned out to be to plan an safe exit route through all the builder`s rubbish in case of fire or earthquake. In the event no emergency occurred and the hotel is now completed. At the weekend we travelled up into the rainforest (and yes it does rain very heavily) where the climate turns temperate due to the altitude and enjoyed excellent local food and watched the rainforest wildlife. On return to San Jose, the capital we went to the cinema where I saw "Rocky" in English (with Spanish subtitles) followed by a visit to a salsa bar where after a few local beers I was persuaded to lean to dance the salsa. Great fun
The traditional `Spanish colonial` archtecture is very striking and don`t forget to sample the Costa Rica very special local dessert (aka British rice pudding!!!). Coffee is one of the staple agricultural crops and trust me Costa Rican coffee is the finest in the world. Oh and check out the colourful painted ox carts used to transport the harvested coffee beans. On one trip my flight was delayed and I spent almost 12 hours in San Jose airport slowly working up and down the concourse visiting each coffee grower`s stand and sampling their particular flavour. Fabulous. Sadly I never had time to visit any of the six active volcanoes (or even the 60 odd dormant ones) but the following should be on your hit list : Arenal, Poás, Rincón de la Vieja, Irazu or Turrialba
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Browse through the picture galleries below relating to this page and you will get a much better idea than just reading my words! Each page has it`s own set of relevant images - where possible taken by us.