Between Volcanoes and Valleys: Living San Jose

Irazu Volcano

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…