As per my tradition of travelling to a new country each year to celebrate my birthday, this time around I decided to visit Costa Rica. I've searched the forum and seen that the last dedicated thread on the city is quite antiquated so here's a fresh one with oversight and some analysis.
Obviously this is all relative to my own experience visiting over 2 weeks and if there's any natives on the forum who wish to correct any of the information I was given, please feel free to do so.
Travelling To and From
CR isn't a popular tourist destination in the UK so there's no flights direct from Heathrow or Gatwick - I had to catch a connecting flight from the states.
I checked the tourist visa requirements for the country and saw there were none so assumed that 'd be able to travel without incident. But I was almost denied entry onto my flight because apparently I needed an ESTA for my connecting flight in the states.
So protip - check the visa requirements for your transit country as well.
It was my first time flying with American Airlines and it was about what I expected - butch women and queer flight attendants. Go figure. On the pus side, since I was travelling off-peak I got 3 seats to myself for napping during the trans-Atlantic flight.
The City Proper
It takes about half an hour to get from the Airport to San Jose by cab and the fares are pretty reasonable. They operate by distance and not time.
I arrived in the evening so didn't see the city until the next morning after I'd eaten. And my first impression was......well, judge for yourself.
Having never visited the States proper, I understand that the layout of the cities there uses a numbered and named block system as opposed to the meandering streets of the UK.
The same principle seems to have been adopted in San Jose with a block system that uses avenues and streets so it isn't especially difficult to navigate. The central part of the city has various interesting locales for tourists such as the National Theatre, the Cathedral, The National Post Office, Museums, Zoos and so forth. As a result, those parts of the city are well-maintained.
However, it only lasts for about maybe 20 square blocks. Outside of there, you really begin to get an idea of just how impoverished the country is.
I used to work in construction so while I was there I spoke to some builders to try and get an idea of what the financial situation is like. In the UK, the average wage of an apprentice contractor is around £8/hour. In Costa Rica, it's around £2.50/hour.
To a visitor like me then things seems really cheap. For example, you can get a 2-course lunch for around £5, shots of spirits are less than £2 and you can ride the bus for about 50p a turn.
That speak volumes and of course there's broader economic implications.
For example, real estate is a bargain. You can purchase a hectare of land (~2.5 acres) for just under £25,000. The country's also a popular destination for North American retirees, not least of all because of the climate. There's also a lot of foreign property investors and holiday homes. Arnold Schwarzenegger has a place there.
As a result, you can easily begin to see the divide between the have and have nots. I was warned by locals not to venture into certain parts of the city by myself for want of not getting mugged.
Side note, there's still a lot of beggars and people trying to flog tatty merchandise in broken English.
Countryside
Here's where the duality of the country really began to show itself. While the towns and cities and quite poor, the natural parts of the country are astonishingly beautiful. For example, here's a couple of shots I took of the Irazú Volcano, The Orosi Valley and The Lankester Botanical Gardens.
Continued
Obviously this is all relative to my own experience visiting over 2 weeks and if there's any natives on the forum who wish to correct any of the information I was given, please feel free to do so.
Travelling To and From
CR isn't a popular tourist destination in the UK so there's no flights direct from Heathrow or Gatwick - I had to catch a connecting flight from the states.
I checked the tourist visa requirements for the country and saw there were none so assumed that 'd be able to travel without incident. But I was almost denied entry onto my flight because apparently I needed an ESTA for my connecting flight in the states.
So protip - check the visa requirements for your transit country as well.
It was my first time flying with American Airlines and it was about what I expected - butch women and queer flight attendants. Go figure. On the pus side, since I was travelling off-peak I got 3 seats to myself for napping during the trans-Atlantic flight.
The City Proper
It takes about half an hour to get from the Airport to San Jose by cab and the fares are pretty reasonable. They operate by distance and not time.
I arrived in the evening so didn't see the city until the next morning after I'd eaten. And my first impression was......well, judge for yourself.
Having never visited the States proper, I understand that the layout of the cities there uses a numbered and named block system as opposed to the meandering streets of the UK.
The same principle seems to have been adopted in San Jose with a block system that uses avenues and streets so it isn't especially difficult to navigate. The central part of the city has various interesting locales for tourists such as the National Theatre, the Cathedral, The National Post Office, Museums, Zoos and so forth. As a result, those parts of the city are well-maintained.
However, it only lasts for about maybe 20 square blocks. Outside of there, you really begin to get an idea of just how impoverished the country is.
I used to work in construction so while I was there I spoke to some builders to try and get an idea of what the financial situation is like. In the UK, the average wage of an apprentice contractor is around £8/hour. In Costa Rica, it's around £2.50/hour.
To a visitor like me then things seems really cheap. For example, you can get a 2-course lunch for around £5, shots of spirits are less than £2 and you can ride the bus for about 50p a turn.
That speak volumes and of course there's broader economic implications.
For example, real estate is a bargain. You can purchase a hectare of land (~2.5 acres) for just under £25,000. The country's also a popular destination for North American retirees, not least of all because of the climate. There's also a lot of foreign property investors and holiday homes. Arnold Schwarzenegger has a place there.
As a result, you can easily begin to see the divide between the have and have nots. I was warned by locals not to venture into certain parts of the city by myself for want of not getting mugged.
Side note, there's still a lot of beggars and people trying to flog tatty merchandise in broken English.
Countryside
Here's where the duality of the country really began to show itself. While the towns and cities and quite poor, the natural parts of the country are astonishingly beautiful. For example, here's a couple of shots I took of the Irazú Volcano, The Orosi Valley and The Lankester Botanical Gardens.
Continued