Job Discussion Forums

[Teapata]

Hi, I spent a year in CR all together between 1990 and 1993. Since then I hear more and more americans who don't really travel talking about their trip to CR, apparently the lands being bought up etc, etc. So, I was wondering how this effects daily life. If you are outiside of central san jose and the beaches, is it still the costa rica I know??? I just can't conceive of how they fit 1 million tourists a year in that small country.
Leila

[Cheza]

I spent three months in Ciudad Quesada in 2002, which is a pretty rural area, I loved it. The whole time I was there I only saw gringo tourists once, and a couple groups of costa rican tourists from San Jose. I did meet a few exchange students from the U.S. and Germany, and there was (I'm not sure if there still is) an international volunteer organization who brought in a lot of gringos, but not the tourist type, I think they moved to Cartago though. All the beaches I visited had many more tourists than CQ, and I don't really know about San Jose. Keep in mind that I was there in the off-season aug.-nov.

[Teapata]

yeah, I've never actually been to CR in the touristy season so maybe i'm in for a shock. I was there June to Dec. I'm glad to hear that the non beachy rural areas are left alone. I would go to the Central Valley, SJ, SJ outskirts or Heredia so there'd be more tourists I imagine. I don't care at all about seeing gringos who live there, it's just the large volume of tourists that worries me.

[Carina_Cisneros]

It is the large number of tourists which basically fuels the perceived need for English teachers ; take away tourism, and there is almost no reason for so many people to want/need to study English. CR is different from what you remember, I can almost gaurantee that. I was there for extended periods in 1985, 1990, 1995, and again in 2003. Big changes noticable on each visit. Many of the permanent "gringos" from early on, have moved on to another country, as CR got more expensive (pension $ doesnt go as far as it used to!). Of those there now, operating businesses, many have that business for sale, though for any number of reasons. Of course, if you get out in rural areas, there really aren't any tourists, but then again the CR government does not exactly promote a vacation of sitting around in rural areas. The "tourist places" are probably at capacity in certain areas, in some respects. And the popularity of environmental tourism has come full circle and is endangering many of the things which initially attratced people to the place. Luckily, out of all the Central American countries, CR is best-equipped to handle such a problem. If you are not on a beach, or on the base of a mountain/volcanoe, or in the rain forest entry path, in in some museum, you might not notice a "gringo factor", but if you are near these places, I suspect it will be unavoidable...

[asamouse]

i spent a month in costa rica in 1995, and returned again for the summer of 2002. from 1995 to 2002, there was a huge development boom - most notably in the Manuel Antonio and Monte Verde areas. (in 1995, the road connecting Quepos and Manuel Antonio was a deserted gravelly road. it is now packed with hotels and condos. the same is true with the road connecting Santa Elena with Monte Verde) however, there are still a lot of wonderful places that are very low on tourists (drake bay, playa uvita, playa grande) as well as areas such as Montezuma which are more touristy than 1995, but which still retain their rural charm. more info on my website @ http://www.janekeeler.com while the development was slightly dissolusioning, i still *love* costa rica

[Cheza]

An update to my last post on this thread, since I�ve now been back in CR for about three months now.

I hate to admit it, but there are a lot more tourists than I remember last time I was here. I�m still living in a pretty rural area, but I see tour busses loaded with gringos passing through town almost every day, and sometimes they stop for a while to explore the city.

But Carina is right, if it weren�t for the tourists there would almost no need for English teachers.

[Twisting in the Wind]

Asamouse, r u aware that your avatar (pic) is used by another poster? Peabody.

[ThePeatMan]

I've been living in CR for about 6 months, and I find it bastante hilarious when tourists and other foriegners come to CR and complain about all the tourists/foriegners here. um, hello? you are one. the reason a lot of people come to CR is because it's safe and beautiful. if you wanna go somewhere with no tourists, I'm sure el salvador is available.

the other thing is that loads of people come here toting their Lonely Planet guide books, go to all the places listed in the Lonely Planet, and then complain that they're too touristy. You gotta be creative, find those out-of-the-way places, and that's half the fun. Trust me, there are TONS of places in CR (beaches especially) that have no tourists, but neither do they have hot showers or restaurants. I've also found San Jose/Central Valley to be one of the least touristy places in the country, because who comes to central america for two weeks to hang out in San Jose? it's cold and dirty. But it's my home right now, and I love it.

Tourism is great for the country, great for the people here, and so what if you keep running into people from Minnesota? Get over it, or go to Nicaragua. The bus system there will quickly make you nostalgic for good ol' touristy CR.

[kid ehglish]

Honduras is where you'll find most of the retired Gringos who left Costa Rica. I's the new fronteer; still cheap.

[James_T_Kirk]

My dad has lived in Costa Rica since 1983, and through the years, the country has changed a lot IMHO. Places where tourism didn't exist 10-15 years ago now are exploding with tourism. For example, I was amazed my last few trips when we traveled through Fortuna...it was once just this small town near the base of Arenal with very few signs of tourism, and nowadays there are countless souvenir shops, hostels, etc. That being said, even though Costa Rica is more touristy, if you want to move there and get an "authentic Costa Rican" experience, there are still many places untouched by tourism if you look around a little. It is a lovely country, and the increase in tourism has provided Costa Rica with more good than bad. As other posters have suggested, if you want a more "authentic" Latin America experience, there are many options...personally, I am rather intrigued by Nicaragua.

Cheers,
Kirk

[Rice Paddy Daddy]

still great - very nice!

[Ambrosialynn]

i think it really depends where you go. I just returned from CR about a month ago....I stayed in a province of San Jose called mordavia...went to various rural areas and i MAYBE saw a handfull of americans....or anyone who spoke english for that matter. The main place i hear a lot of americans are settleing is in Santa Anna, San Jose. I traveled to a lot of different places across the country...but they were not really tourist hot spots and i was staying with locals. So for what its worth....

[Ambrosialynn]

Sorry for my typo...that should be Moravia in the prior message....

[JonnytheMann]

Interesting post.

Not trying to be a jerk, but I think the word gringo is offensive. I feel it's just as inappropriate as saying that Southern California is becoming "Wetback-landia". Or saying that Texas is full of "spics" and you need to go to Iowa to experience the authentic America.

[moonraven]

Some people feel that the word "gringo" has earned a permanent place in the Racist Epithet Hall of Fame and should be cast in bronze....