Jaco Beach – The Bad

As I mentioned in an earlier post, our visit to Jaco, while educational and bringing a certain balance to our view of Costa Rica, was not nearly as enjoyable as our January visit in Guanacaste Province. This final installment on the country will attempt to detail why.

I would have to say that the oppressive daily heat and humidity ranks as the number one reason that this visit was not an unmitigated pleasure. Unlike some, I am not content to lay around a pool for any length of time; my preference is for exploring my environment, preferably on foot. Because the weather became so hot and humid so quickly each day, our peregrinations were largely confined to the early mornings. Even when I did leave the town to visit Quepos and Manuel Antonio, the same problem presented itself.

Jaco Beach itself, in my view, is a tawdry tourist town, rather dirty, with a fair bit of garbage strewn about, and uneven, broken sidewalks, offering little opportunity to experience some of the more important aspects of Costa Rican culture. Businesses seemed to consist mainly of restaurants, bars, and surf shops. I suppose this might be considered heaven for some younger travelers.

Both on the highway and in town, I came to discover that Costa Ricans are incredibly bad drivers. For example, on the trip through the mountains en route to Jaco from the airport, I was appalled at the number of cars and trucks that would pass on blind curves. The fact that we didn’t see any accidents mystifies me. In town, there seemed to be no respect for stop signs. Pedestrians have to be extremely careful, lest they become an endangered species. On a related note, the large number of vehicles on the main drag made for a very noisy and smelly atmosphere.

Perhaps because it is an area that caters to the young tourist, drugs are sold pretty openly. One evening two young Costa Ricans asked me if I wanted cocaine, and one afternoon on the beach, only about 300 feet from the beach police station, someone rather insistently tried to sell me weed. The fact that the sales pitch was made in such close proximity to the station really called into question for me either the competence or the integrity of the local constabulary.

Probably the most unsettling aspect of our visit to Jaco occurred one afternoon when my wife went shopping at a nearby mall. Upon her return, she discovered that her change purse containing about $60 and her credit card was missing. Revisiting the store where she made her purchases and generally retracing her steps were all to no avail, and she ultimately concluded that it had been grabbed when she had to squeeze by a group of young men, one of whom distracted her. This was our first brush with Costa Rican theft, something that I have since learned is quite common. The people at the hotel were great in facilitating the cancellation of my wife’s credit card (perhaps the theft was a blessing in disguise? – just kidding!) and we were henceforth much more careful when we were out.

Finally, I didn’t like the fact that prostitution, although legal in Costa Rica, is practiced so openly. While that may sound like a moral judgment, it isn’t; as I mentioned before, I see prostitution as a waste of human potential, and potentially quite dangerous. One can argue all they want about the economic imperatives that probably drive many of these young women to pursue such a career, but I still see it as a kind of surrender of hope for a better future.

In closing, I would have to say that the country has had quite an impact on me. If things go according to plan, we hope to spend a month there next winter renting a place somewhere in the Central Valley to experience the daily rhythms of Costa Rican life. I continue to work on my Spanish, hoping that on our next visit I will be able to better communicate with people.

I would be very happy to hear from you if you have any comments on these posts.

Jaco Beach, Costa Rica – The Good - Part 2

Another aspect of Jaco that we enjoyed was the beach. Every morning, very early, we would take long walks along the shore, virtually going from one end to the other, and taking frequent dips in the Pacific. This was usually the highlight of the day, given the fact that by 10 a.m. the heat and humidity had reached such a level as to make further walking about a real challenge. While it had been my original intention to rent a car for a few days in order to explore other parts of the country, after being ferried from the airport to Jaco, about a 2 hour trip through the mountains, I thought better of it, given the driving habits of Costa Ricans that I had observed during the trip. (More about that when I start my posts on things I disliked about the trip!)

Nonetheless, despite the severe limitations imposed by the weather, we were able to explore some of the areas surrounding the town. Having read Pauline Frommer’s reference to a mountain known locally as Miro Mountain, not to be found on any map, we set out early one day to find it. Having done so, we proceeded partway up, where there were two ‘miradors’ or lookouts, offering some spectacular view, both of the beach and the surrounding mountains:





Two days later I returned alone, my wife having limited stamina due to some health problems. During the ascent up the mountain, I encountered some tree frogs and a couple of snakes, but yet again, no birds! Getting to the top, which comes out at a road that I followed, I came upon another lookout, this one with a banner proclaiming it to be Mirador Liddy, whether named after the old Watergate reprobate, I have know idea. The mirador afforded excellent views of Jaco to the north and Hermosa Beach to the south, but the effort to reach that point was exhausting, again owing to the heat and humidity.

Since we had taken some tours during our January visit, I was reluctant to pay what I felt are excessive charges for such excursions on this trip. For example, a trip to Manuel Antonio Park would cost about $100. However, I was very interested in visiting the park, considered to be one of the gems of Costa Rica, so I decided to take a regular bus to Quepos, and then go on to Manuel Antonio from there, the total return trip, including admission to the park and lunch in Quepos costing the equivalent of about $17.50 U.S. It was a very interesting experience that again allowed me some direct experience of Tico bus culture. For example, I learned that women with some children and elderly men and women are treated with great respect, young people readily giving up their seats near the front of the bus for them. Another aspect of the culture was the curious practice of whistling when passengers wanted the bus to let them off, as opposed to using the signaling devices on the ceiling of the bus. As well, more than once I saw the bus driver stop and offer a free lift to young ladies with young children, something I have never witnessed in North America.

Manuel Antonio Park was interesting, but, with the exception of the beaches, not spectacular, in my view. Here are a few photos I took while there:

Jaco Beach, Costa Rica – The Good – Part 1

Well, so enamoured were we of Costa Rica after our January visited that we decided to return in March, my wife having found an excellent deal (2 weeks in Jaco, plus airfare but no meals for $917 Cdn each). While I have alluded to the fact that this was a far-less enjoyable experience than our January sojourn, it was nonetheless another learning experience, and there were some enjoyable aspects to it.

First, the place we stayed, less than a one-minute walk from the main drag and about a four-minute walk to the beach, was meticulously maintained. A real oasis from the bustle of the town, every day people were busy watering, trimming palm trees, etc. The plants and vegetation were soothing, and the pool inviting, especially as the day’s humidity rose. As well, during our stay we pretty much had the same maid, Helen, who spoke very slowly in Spanish to us, in effect inviting us into the language. I had brought the audio version of Spanish for Dummies with me on the trip, (I think I must be an idiot rather than a dummy, as I found it of limited utility) so everyday I would speak a little more Spanish to her. She was a genuinely warm and friendly person, at one point bringing us a vase with some native flowers, another time two mariposa (butterfly) fridge magnets which she invited us to take with us when we left, and even brought a couple of wine glasses (copas) when she noticed I had bought a tetra pak of wine. The warmth of the Ticos (native Costa Ricans) that I have read so much about was epitomized in Helen. As well, everyday day brought a new example of ‘towel art,’ an example of which follows:



Our accommodations, while hardly lavish, were more than adequate and included a fridge, coffee maker, and a two-burner hotplate, reminding us how a few basic appliances are enough to live well but simply. And it was this simplicity that my wife found particularly attractive. Our breakfasts and lunches were nutritious and uncomplicated, consisting of locally-purchased fruit and cereal, bread and cheese, while our suppers were pasta and sauce or what is known as ‘typical meals’ or casados at local sodas, small open-air restaurants serving healthy meals of beans, rice, chicken, plantain, etc, at extremely inexpensive prices. Usually we paid the equivalent of $10 or less for the both of us, and that included a 10% built-in gratuity.

Which brings me to another positive aspect of our trip: the opportunity to meet and associate with local Ticos, something we had only limited opportunity to do on our first trip. Being amongst them so closely, having very limited ability to communicate, is a humbling experience, reducing some of the complacence that all of us tend to have on our ‘home turf,’ while at the same time engendering appreciation for the small kindnesses of people. More about that later.