Caribbean flair at the Talamanca Coast of Costa Rica (19.-24.3.09)

---

I had remembered an old middle school friend who lived in Costa Rica since 15 years. We had e-mailed and were invited to his home. We had not seen each other since my last visit more than ten years ago. He and his wife surprised us with a delicious cheese and ham plate from the German butcher. It was very pleasant to sit on the terrace in the mild evening air, to enjoy the good food and to sip on a beer while exchanging the latest news about our life and recent events.

We stayed two nights at his house and left San Jose in the morning for the Caribbean Coast of Talamanca. This part is may be not the “real” Costa Rica since the Talamanca Coast has strong influences from Jamaicans and other Caribbean tribes that came to work in the Banana plantations or to fish on the shores. It is more likely to see here people with Rasta locks and to hear Calypso or Reggie than Salsa music. The coast line is not disturbed by any houses or construction and it is possible to walk kilometers along unspoilt beaches dotted with coconut trees and forests. The Ticas and Ticos (this is how Costa Ricans call themselves) can be grateful to this thanks to a forward thinking government that realized several decades ago that the nature and tropical forests are one of the key assets of the country. As a result huge areas were declared as national parks and nature reserves. There is no other country on Central America with so much protected forests. This was not only done by pure environmental considerations, but also due to severe declines in the coffee and banana industry. Today tourism is with 40% the main contributor of income before the other mentioned agricultural industries. Another advantage is the political stability of the country and without military confrontations or juntas. The country even does not have an army at all. This brought semiconductor giant Intel to invest into a large scale assembly line for microprocessors. As a result of this high value product, the GDP jumped a couple of percent only by this one factory. Costa Rica is also a kind of Mallorca for US retires. The Northeastern coast has now an international airport that provides easy access to the beaches with plenty of large scale condo developments and luxury resorts.

We hanged out on the beaches and visited the National Parks. The German guesthouse owner Rolf and his Tica wife offered a half day guided tour into the Monzilla Wilflife Refuge. It remained as one of the best memories since we observed plenty of tucans, sloths, snakes and got a lot of information about the ecology of the rain forest. Rolf had studied biology and possessed a very deep knowledge of the local nature. His native wife was perfect in spotting the animals in the trees. This ability is not possible to learn. You must grow up there. So with their combined skills they were a perfect team and we enjoyed to watch the animals through Rolf’s high magnitude Leitz telescope.

Practicalities:
Flight Check US budget airline Jet Blue with daily flights from Miami to San Jose; otherwise several US airlines fly to Costa Rica via Miami or Dallas.
Bus San Jose - Puerto Viejo around 7-8 US$, sometimes transfer in Puerto Limon
Accommodation Puerto Viejo 38 US$ at pleasant Cabañas Tropicana
Cahuita National Park donation at entrance from Cahuita town (only)
Monzilla Wildlife Refuge free entrance, guide recommended

Exchange: 1 US$ = 580 Colones; US$ serve as 2nd currency

---