Costa Rica Fast Facts

Info gleaned through my conversations with locals....

The name Costa Rica means Rich Coast – supposedly christened so by Christopher Columbus when he passed by the coast and saw people wearing jade necklaces.

Tempted by the promise of riches, the Spanish invaded the region, only to discover that the name was a mirage. Costa Rica did not turn out to be a storehouse of gold or other precious metals, and the Spanish used this as a destination for outcasts and exiles…much like Andaman islands was for India during British rule.

Costa Rica is the first country in the world to officially abolish the Army. We are a peace loving country, say the people, and it shows.

Coffee, banana and sugarcane grow aplenty here. However, in recent times numerous coffee plantations have been sold off, to be converted into shopping malls, luxurious condominiums and villas. Pity.

A majority of the population is Christian Catholic. However, the country is secular to other religions. The government is democratically elected.

Cars are imported into the country from the US, and carry an excise duty of 58%! Nonetheless, one sees various luxurious brands on the road. Apparently, there was a time when Costa Rica had the highest number of BMW’s per number of inhabitants anywhere in the world! SUV’s are very popular, possible partly on account of the largely mountainous terrain and the poor state of the roads. Nissan and Toyota appear to be the favorite car brands – Hyundai is perceived as definitely down market. I still love my Santro though J

Most of my colleagues in office are Industrial Engineers – looks like that was the hot career option here!

Since the area is prone to earthquakes, the government has mandated that no building can be taller than 4 floors. So the office buildings and malls are prettily landscaped villas spread over acres of land…quite scenic.

The phrases that I use most often are Buenas (Good), Gracias (Thanks) and No avayol Espanol (I don’t know Spanish!).

Some of the problems faced by the country are similar to ours. Bad roads, for instance (though I personally feel their roads are far better than ours…sigh). I had an interesting conversation with a colleague where he said Costa Rica’s two major problems are lack of planning and absence of a common identity. Again, problems faced by India too.

Mountain biking is very popular in the country. Most of my colleagues belong to a group that goes mountain biking at least once a fortnight. In fact, my 50 year co-passenger on the flight was also an avid biker. No wonder most people look so fit and athletic!

The locals appear to be fairly conscious about their appearance. Most women wear light make up and matching jewellery, and the men gel-style their hair. Almost everyone has fab bods, thanks to a love for physical activity and gym workouts. I notice that many people brush their teeth after lunchtime - something I saw in Thailand too, another country that is very appearance-conscious. Must say though that people carry their age well...most of my 29-30 year old colleagues don't look a day over 25!


Recently, the country has witnessed a lot of migration from neighboring Nicaragua, something the locals obviously don’t like. When I was telling a colleague that I didn’t like downtown Costa Rica, he explained it was because it is full of Nicaraguans!

Tourism is a mainstay of the economy. Not surprising, given the proximity to the US, the fantastic beaches, rainforests and volcanoes, and the relative inexpensiveness of the place for American tourists (The local currency is a Colon, and 1 USD equals 500 Colons…most people convert their money into dollars since they think its safer). Surprisingly, however, all road signs are in Spanish, most people do not understand English….even my hotel voice mail is in Spanish!

The country witnesses only two seasons – dry and rainy. During the rainy season, it is usually sunny during the morning, and it begins to rain heavily during the afternoon. However, most days have been cloudy, with a minor sprinking of rain sometimes. The only day during my trip that the weather stuck to its schedule was the Sunday I decided to drive out into the mountains. Arrrgh. More on that later.