Hank Scorpio:
Uh, hi, Homer. What can I do for you?
Homer: Sir, I need to know where I can get some business hammocks.
Hank Scorpio: Hammocks? My goodness, what an idea. Why didn't I think of that?
Hammocks! Homer, there's four places. There's the Hammock Hut, that's on third.
Homer: Uh-huh.
Hank Scorpio: There's Hammocks-R-Us, that's on third too. You got
Put-Your-Butt-There.
Homer: Mm-Hmm.
Hank Scorpio: That's on third. Swing Low, Sweet Chariot... Matter of fact,
they're all in the same complex; it's the hammock complex on third.
Homer: Oh, the hammock district!
Hank Scorpio: That's right.
From what I have learnt over the past few
weeks the hammock district would be found in Costa Rica, in fact I believe
Costa Rica is Spanish for ‘Rope Bed’. Never have I seen a country so in love
with the simple beauty of the hammock and whilst I have always been a strong
supporter of the afternoon nap (note to self; need to discuss this important
requirement with the boss before I return to work) the Costa Ricans have taken
this to a new level.
Costa Rica is an outstanding country for a
lot more reasons than just their liberal use of the hammock in the middle of
the day. It is more developed then I expected although it is clearly feeling
the economic pain in the tourism sector with Americans not yet fully returned
to travel. The country itself is quite small by Australian standards (but quite
large by Hong Kong standards I guess) you can travel from the east to west
coast in a day by bus. The country produces a number of cash crops including
bananas, coffee, palm oil and coco although making computer chips has started
taking over from many of these traditional crops. Some refer to the Costa Rican’s as the Swiss
of central America as they haven’t had a national armed forces since the 1940’s
and it is something they are very proud of even though there have been issues
with their neighbour to the north, Nicaragua
When talking with Costa Ricans or Ticas as
they call themselves, they are quick to tell you that by not having an army has
allowed this country of only 4 million people to spend more money on education
which has clearly paid off with some 97% of people being literate (that is
better than my friends).
The greatest asset the country has is the
natural beauty and diversity of the land. It timbered forests in the north and
Rain forests in the central and southern region which often butt directly up
against some of the most picturesque beaches.
Wild life ranges from colourful birds including the infamous Toucans to
Jaguars and of course the iguana. In fact I seemed to have a couple of large
iguanas that enjoyed living on the steps outside of my hut in Manuel Antonio
and I honestly don’t know who was more surprised most mornings when our paths
crossed.
I
arrived in San Jose and caught a bus the next morning to Guancaste which is in the
north western district of the country. I based myself in Playa Tamarindo which
is a cosy beachside town and spent my days hanging around the beach and any one
of the many little bars and restaurants. I had wanted to catch up with a mate
who was staying 2hrs up the road in Nicaragua but unfortunately it proved difficult
to find any direct transport (next time Kyle). I did however catch-up with a
couple of other friends that came to Tamarindo and heard some pretty wicked
stories as they had both been in Latin America for a close to a year and it
sounds like they may never leave. I on
the other hand decided to pack by bags and make my way further south to Manuel
Antonio where I got myself a funky villa which backed up against the national
park and still had full water views. Unbeknownst at the time of booking my new
residence included a pool with a swim up bar. On an unrelated topic I have
limited recollections of dinners in Manuel Antonio !
In typical tourist
fashion I took a full day rain forest safari tour which included a dozen
zip-lines (think flying foxes strung between trees some +100 feet in the air), repelling
down some waterfalls and even a tazan swing. Manuel Antonio is even smaller
then Tamarindo with a single road that runs along the beach towards the
national park. For more bars and restaurants there is a small town called
Quepos some 6 kms up the road. I reluctantly left Manuel Antonio yesterday and after
a back breaking 6hr bus ride I am back in San Jose. I spent the day today
looking around the city which is a large sprawling metropolis for some 400,000
people and I must agree with the travel books in that it is an unremarkable
place. I ventured out on the town last night and after numerous Imperials (one
of the local brews and pretty damn tasty) I found myself in one of the dodgier
local bars and quickly decided to call it a night…
Overall Costa Rica is
an awesome spot and I have thoroughly enjoyed my weeks here. The countryside is
beautiful and the people are very friendly and the food fantastic. This is definitely
a place to while the days away in a hammock by the beach with a cold Imperial
in hand. Anyone know where to buy a good hammock?
