Culture Shock

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We arrived in Costa Rica a few days ago and are beginning to get accustomed to seeing stuff everywhere again...

It was strange to see stores stocked with lots of familiar items and small towns with houses that were modern and so many cars.....

For example, when we were leaving San Carlos, Nicaragua, I wanted to buy a snack for the trip since we wouldn't arrive until 8:30pm or so....I couldn't find anything but little chip packages, really good homemade bread, and some pear juice. Every store in Costa Rica has hundreds of snack items to choose from...The years of stability here and a long time democratic govenment have given this country so much more prosperity...

I've been thinking how much more interesting it is for me, as a tourist, to see more "primitive" villages with kids playing in the river and pigs digging in the mud under the houses which are made of corrugated metal and wood. But I am sure that most of those families would gladly live in uninteresting homes with indoor pumbing and screened windows. What would it be like to be a tourist if everyone in the world lived with at least at the minimum we expect in a hotel or hostel: clean running water, showers (preferably hot), flush toilet, screens, a fan, beds with clean sheets... Does my enjoyment of touring and looking around me come at the expensive of others' poverty?

Well, back to our days here in tourist country:

After sad farewells at Hotel Sabalo, and promises to come back, we travelled by boat from San Carlos, Nicaragua to Los Chiles, Costa Rica. The trip was on the Rio Frio through jungle, complete with howler monkeys and beautiful birds. Most passengers were either Costa Ricans or Nicaraguans. Immigration was so easy and pleasant on this border....

We then took a local bus to San Carlos, Costa Rica and spent the night there, continuing on to La Fortuna in the morning. We found a great new hostel here, with views of Volcan Arenal, a swimming pool, and free internet and cable TV! It is called the Backpackers Hotel or hostel and we recommend it..

This town of 8,000 is full tour guides, hotels and restaurants...we've counted about 60 hotels so far! Too many tourists here..big buses going by all day.

Today we rode horses to a beautiful waterfall where we swam and then rode back. Tomorrow we head for Montezuma on the coast.

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Photos

Back in a bus station again
Even the buses in Costa Rica are bigger and nicer....

On horseback
The boy in the foreground was our guide. He was really nice and took us to his house when we came back, where he and his dad cut down fresh coconuts for us to drink from..!

Wildflowers
Impatiens grow like weeds here!

Volcan Arenal from horseback
One of the few times the clouds cleared