looking
at costa rica
Costa Rica is a very peaceful and safe country. So safe
that they don’t even have a military and have never had
a war. This is a Democratic society. All children go
to school and wear uniforms. Their literacy rate is at
(93%), among the highest in the world. They have American
hospitals in the larger cities. The citizens really do
enjoy the Americans! There is no drug trade of note in
this country. In fact there are more schoolteachers than
police officers. As in all Central American countries,
the residents live a fairly basic life, especially outside
of the larger cities. The term ‘Pura Vida’ is their way
describing how they live and how they prescribe visitors
to let go! They gladly will help you with Spanish if
you offer up a few words of English.
The North Coast of Costa Rica is a mix of jungle and
desert depending on the time of year. From December to
May it does not rain at all. From June through November
the constant sunshine is interrupted on occasion by a
refreshing late afternoon thundershower. Winds typically
are offshore in the morning and late afternoon from the
mountains. During the day some wind will come from the
ocean.
Biologically, Costa Rica is extremely diverse. The country
is the size of West Virginia and is the home to over
12,000 species of plants and over 237 mammals, more varieties
of butterflies than the entire continent of Africa and
more then 150 species of retiles and amphibians. OK…one
of the retiles is a very dangerous snake but is not prevalent
on the North Coast with its semi-arid climate. Farther
South along the coast, the rainforests are a bit more
exotic…but wet! There are also more then 1,800 species
of orchids and 850 species of native birds.
The coastal waters provide great fishing, diving and
swimming. Huge numbers of sea turtles lay their eggs
on the beaches. Whales, including the Whale Shark reside
in this area. This area has very safe beaches void of
heavy beach breaks, which cause rip currents. Sharks
along the beaches are very rare. They tend to hang around
the large river mouths in the brackish water. Unfortunately,
for us surfers, a lot of good point breaks are located
on river mouths! Cocos Island, is a great dive spot about
a 70-minute ride by boat. Hammerheads and Bull Sharks
by the dozens hang out by the island!
medicine man
Lance has been traveling to Costa Rica for 5 years now
and has never had any medical issues related to visiting
a developing country. He does not believe nor does
the Department of State that a pre-cautionary trip
to your physician is required. Typical tropical diseases
are almost non-existent such as Malaria. The only recommended
treatments you should bring are those for upset stomach,
bug repellant, headaches etc. It is important you bring
plenty of sunscreen, as well as a zinc-based sunblock
(for anyone on the water surfing, fishing, etc.) Remember,
Costa Rica is a stone’s throw from the Equator. The
sun rises at 5am and by 10am, it is practically overhead
for about 6 hours! You will get torched without sunscreen.
For some reason if you do get burned, it ‘tans’ in
about 36 hours. Don’t ask me why. Just be careful though.
travel insurance
We do recommend purchasing some travel insurance for
your own protection. Lance uses Access
America Travel Protection on all his trips
outside the USA. For a $100 (depending on what level
of coverage you want or need- based on value of your
trip) you are protected from issues that prevent you
making the trip, lost items etc. Please see their website
for details on coverage types. The most important is
the emergency travel portion of this coverage. This allows
you immediate evacuation back to the US in the event
of a critical injury or illness. Most cover up to $1,000,000
for this portion of the coverage. There are several insurance
companies such as CSA. Just be sure you have coverage
with emergency evacuation.
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