I stayed in the City of San Jose in Costa Rica for two weeks for a short stop on my way to Mexico. Costa Rica is renowned as a pioneer and leader in ecotourism. The City of San Jose itself is not a big tourist attraction as most of its beaches, waterfalls, national parks and volcanos are hours away. Get ready to move around and plan to stay in other part of the country to fully enjoy all that it offers. A modern city, much like downtown Miami (not Miami Beach) with 90-degree weather during the day and a cooling down in the evenings. The city is known for its museums, nightlife and world known coffee. The locals here called themselves Ticos and Ticas. Everywhere you will come across local popular cafeterias known as “Sodas” where you can indulge in Costa Rican cuisine and enjoy some ceviche….

But First a Bit of History

 Costa Rica was among the many Spanish colonies discovered by the colonizer Christopher Colombus where forced labor became un-workable since so many of the indigenous population left or died from diseases. This made the country less attractive and was mostly ignored by Spain, requiring it to develop its own economy (imagine having to cultivate your land without slaves). After 300 years and following in the footsteps of so many other countries fighting for their freedom, Costa Rica became part of the Mexico Federation only to later becoming its own sovereign country. It was not until late 1800 that African decedents from Jamaica and other islands were brought into Costa Rica to build a railroad. Today, the country has a mixed-race population that includes Mestizos (mixed European and Native American 83%) and Mulattos (mixed European and African 6.7%).

In 1948, Costa Rica experienced a civil war uprising that led to the drafting of a new democratically held constitution which abolished the military and has since enjoyed peaceful elections and transitions of presidential power. Overall, this is a country that is concerned about corruption, drug trafficking and growth opportunities to reduce social inequality. Its environmental policies are progressive, yet there are still areas that need significant improvement, mostly in dealing with pollution, overfishing and conflicts with water resources. Its border with Nicaragua has increased its migratory population by 9%.

Today, Costa Rica’s focus remains undertaking social reforms, promoting education and protecting the environment, ranked as one of the greenest countries in the world.

Arriving in Costa Rica

It’s never clear in my head what country I am planning to visit next. Costa Rica became possible due to my wanting to take a detour to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico to undergo stem cell treatment on my back. My treatment was not scheduled until the end of March. Thus, I was looking for a country near Mexico that I could visit once I left Quito. I had been in Quito for a month and was ready to move to a place where the weather was a bit warmer with fewer clouds and rain. Also, the high altitude and the volcanic ashes were affecting my lungs. I had planned to stay at least a month in Mexico after the treatment and wanted to reduce my travel distance by visiting a nearby country before arriving in Puerto Vallarta.

Once I arrived at the airport, my driver found the address that I gave him a bit peculiar. When we arrived at the place, it was clear we were in the wrong location. He asked to see a photo of where I was staying and immediately recognized the building. When he dropped me off, that was not the last hiccup. Apparently, the unit was double booked. I had booked the apartment through Expedia. The property manager informed me that the owner of the unit had died, and his wife was not aware it was still being advertised on Expedia. She had it on Airbnb and thus the unit was already taken. The property management company offer me another option equal to what I had with a small discount. A win-win for everyone. The facilities were quite nice with several restaurants and shops and less than a five-minute ride into the downtown area.

San Jose in Focus: Pura Vida

 The minute you arrive in the City of San Jose, you can see it is nicely framed surrounded by mountains and volcanos. I found San Jose to be a fairly modern city, much like downtown Miami with modern architecture resembling its past. It is predominately a mestizo society, a bit more European. The downtown center is quite clean. The city limits the number of street vendors, quite different from other Latin countries with less or no regulations. Most tourists who travel to San Jose only stay for a few days and move on to other parts of the country to enjoy its beaches, national parks and wellness centers. These places are anywhere from 1 to 5 hours away.

For the record, the City of San Jose was not the original capital. The city of Cartago which is about an hour away is where you can experience a historic colonial center. Over the centuries, the city has had several volcanic eruptions caused by the Erazu Volcano that remain active.  A good enough reason to move the capital to San Jose.

What makes this country quite unique is its firm commitment to environmental conservation becoming one of the most biodiversity regions in the world with its many rain and cloud forests and volcanic landscapes. The country also has a strong commitment to sustainable tourism, limiting as much as possible the effects of over tourism.

Citizens here believe and promote a cultural lifestyle and philosophy known as Pura Vida (pure life). Pura Vida is a way of life that embodies a positive, relaxed attitude, enjoying the simple things, and savoring the moment. Its slogan is featured everywhere and is also used as a greeting or a farewell to express all is well or to simply enjoy the moment.

What I Loved and Did in San Jose 

Walking Tour—They don’t have on and off bus tours here, so I signed up for a   walking tour which offered a good historical perspective of the city’s past and present. Best part was it included a class for making Costa Rican cocktails followed by dinner in someone’s home. Unfortunately, I don’t remember the names of the cocktails we made.

Museums-–The city has many museums of which I visited three during my stay:

The Jade Museum—-Definitely, a must if you are only staying in the city for a short period. A beautifully designed museum, both modern and interactive. The best, of course, is the wide range of jade carvings by pre-Columbian groups. It also offers you an excellent overview of the many indigenous groups that either lived or migrated through this country, leaving their imprint in a variety of ways. A thumb up!

Pre-Columbian Gold Museum— Not as exciting as the Bogota Gold Museum where the gold statues and artifacts are outstanding. Here, they are much smaller besides offering a wide range of Pre-Columbian artifacts. They also have rotating art exhibitions of artists from both Costa Rica and other south American countries.

National Museum of Costa Rica–The most interesting aspect of this museum is its history. Once a military institution, before the country abolished its army.  It is now a museum that conserves the country’s history and future. The museum has this wonderful butterfly garden that you walk through before reaching the galleries. The galleries offer both a combination of archaeological and modern history. You can navigate the country’s entire history up to the present from one gallery to the next. I found it to be well organized in how it visually narrated its history.

Manuel Antonio National Park —This was a 3-hour ride to what is a lovely rain forest next to a beach.  Best to do this trip where you can stay overnight for a least one day. Sadly, I was not able to come to face to face with a sloth or the capuchin whiteface monkey, but I did manage to catch a photo of a pizote (coatimundi).

Irazu Volcano— This tour was about an hour away and was indeed quite interesting to experience the immensity and beauty of this active volcano. Major eruptions have been infrequent since the 1960s.  Thereafter we stopped at the city of Cartago to visit the The Basilica of Our Lady of the Angels , patron saint of Costa Rica, a popular pilgrimage site known for its Black Madonna or virgin.  

 The Cacao Making Process –I attended a workshop to learn about the cacao (correct spelling) making process popular in most Latin American countries. We made a cacao drink along with chocolate bars to take home. Click this link to learn about the benefits of cacao.

Costa Rican Cuisine Class—This class was held in a renovated loft with a gorgeous kitchen designed for classes and entertainment. The instructor taught a group of women several Costa Rican appetizers and a local drink. Best part was learning how to make ceviche.  Click here If you like to access a copy of the recipe to make ceviche at home.

Final Notes and My Photos

 Besides attending the above events, I also walked the downtown area a couple of time to capture the spirit of the city, shop, and eat local cuisine. Mostly, I found San Jose not that much different from most modern cities in the US. The people reminded of my own Puerto Rican heritage.  My photos are of all the events and places I attended, as well as photos of the city, landscapes and its people. As always, click the center of the photo for a full view of each photograph. My next stop is Bucerias, near Puerto Vallarta.

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