Costa Rica
June 2, 2008
Costa Rica is much as I remember it. Despite development and an influx of wealthy North American tourists (not travelers), it remains a gorgeous country with extremeley gregarious people, relatively stable infrastructure, little roadside/beach trash, and endless natural beauty. One must still wonder, however, how long that can last under the pressure of rapid development and flocks of American retirees buying up property.
Food has very much been the standard Central America fare: rice, beans, and your choice of meat. Yuca, potatoes, and loads of tropical fruits are also on the agenda. My favorites are blackberry with milk, watermelon and water, and passion fruit. I´ve been cooking quite a bit as well, consuming more than a healthy share of avocados and Costa Rican sour cream mixed in with refried black beans all heaped on a corn torilla. Fish and ceviche are available on the coastal regions for cheap (at least by Costa Rican standards). The local brew is Imperial, widely available throughout Central America. It ranges a little too much toward the Bud Light end of the spectrum for my tastes, but that hasn´t kept me away from an ice cold one or three on pretty much a daily basis (they actually have special refridgerators called ¨bajo cero¨ which means under zero degrees). In Panama I developed a new found appreciation for Pina Coladas, and have also since discovered Nicaraguan tobacco, hand rolled into cigars here in Costa Rica. Cubans are also very easy to come by.
