OK, what's the story on this country, the size of Nova Scotia and their sky high, gross national happiness quotient? The socio-economic stats paint a rosy middle class picture, but prices are high for certain things. Mostly things that the nearby region does not have or produce. 100 mile diet is alive and well here by necessity. So when you're close to the coast, the fish (mainly ceviche and tuna) is cheap. When you're further inland, dairy products become cheaper. Re-fried beans and rice are of course ubiquitos and cheap everywhere, though I never saw beans or rice growing. We had to really watch our Colones (1,000 = $2) when we went shopping for food. It's only slightly less expensive than Canada. Makes me wonder how they do it? The minimum wage is purported to be only $1.89/hr and that usually isn't followed. A lot of people are involved in the tourism industry and some get paid very well. This creates some animosities with other Ticos who toil under the hot sun all day for a fraction in pay. Still, there is little sign of social discontent and agitation. I did not see any crime or accidents while I was there. We had a 24/7 guard on duty in Quepos which I sensed was more for peace of mind for visitors than any real threat. Quepos has a big industry growing palm trees for the oil. This has been recently rejected by MacDonalds for it's high saturated fat content, and this mono crop industy may go the way of the banana.


It takes a while to see where and what the Ticos buy, but if you pay attention, they know where to shop for lower prices, usually where tourists don't like to go. Overall, I was amazed at how honest and helpful people here are. I never had any problems. I was a little surprised by how little trading goes on between the small countires of Central America. The local economy takes American currency without a problem, but the always undergo forgery tests, and will often ask for a copy of your passport to ensure safety in such transactions. I used the local ATMs on a number of occasions and never had any problems. When I tried to enter a bank I was frisked down like I was going into a court building. I did not see much evidence of an informal or barter economy, but I'm told it's alive and well. The market economy and compeition is alive and well, just take a look at the taxi drivers hungry for a fare. However, it's still in a follow the leader mode of operation, and real choice and realistic prices are not always evident. This is troublesome because there is evidence of infrastructure and building projects that have been stalled or cancelled. Costa Rica is very dependent on the US and world economy and the downturn creates a gamble with the tourism industry. Although I was in the country during the peak season of mid January to early March, I got the impression that tourism was down. I must admit being frustrated at paying $1 for a second cup of coffee when they have more coffee they know what to do with! Prices tend to be fixed and not always very transparent.

Make no mistake, Costa Ricans like their technology just like us, maybe more when it comes to cell phones since it's quite cheap for them. If they can't afford a car, they get a motorcycle, no need for a helmet. If they can't afford a motorcycle, they rig up a small engine to a bicycle, or just stick to the bike. Walking works well for many people since everything they need tends to be close by. Mind you, the Maxi Pali, or modern big-box grocery store we shopped at, was 5 or 6 kms away from the downtown core of Quepos, so more and more people have access to a car. Generally speaking the cars tend to be in good condition, much better than Guatemala.

Finally on the economic issue of eco-tourism, I did see city workers cleaning streets and sidewalks, and in some places, the waste buckets are even hand painted, but overall the amount of garbage seen was a bit surprising but not near as much as I saw in Guatemala. As expected, community attempts to clean up waterways, ditches and where garbage goes to die a slow death, does not seem to happen here as this is considered a luxury. Along the way, I bumped into wonderful souls who quietly took it upon themselves to pick up garbage and give nature a helping hand.