Costa Rica 1988, 2008

In 1988, we chose Costa Rica as a destination to celebrate Christmas with our two sons, David and Mike.  We had heard that Costa Rica was a beautiful country with magnificent volcanoes, good food, friendly people and probably is the safest and healthiest country in Latin America.  Also, my sister, Lenore, had visited Costa Rica on business and said it would be an excellent family vacation destination.

We flew into San Jose, the capital, stayed one night, and quickly realized San Jose didn’t have much to offer in the way of tourist attractions or restaurants.  So we rented a car, set out to explore and immediately began getting lost since road signs were virtually non-existent.  At that time, there was no GPS and our map wasn’t very helpful, so we stopped frequently to ask directions, using our limited Spanish.

Costa Rica’s main attractions are on the Pacific side of the country, which is where we spent most of our time.  From San Jose we headed northwest to Playa del Coco (Coco Beach) in Guanacaste Province. We spent two nights exploring the pristine beaches and rivers, did some fishing and Misti got a haircut.  This was before masses of tourists had discovered Costa Rica so nothing was crowded and we had no difficulties finding accommodations.

We continued down the Guanacaste Coast into the Nicoya Peninsula, took a ferry at Paquera, across the Golfo de Nicoya, to Puntarenas where we spent several days. At Manuel Antonio National Park, located north of Quepos, we hired a local guide and saw all sorts of Costa Rican flora and fauna including lizards, iguanas, sloths, birds and the rare white-faced capuchin monkeys.

We read about a resort on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica, referred to as the “mosquito coast,” and decided we’d also like to see the eastern part of the country.  We learned about a train that crossed the mountains and was billed as one of the most scenic train rides in the world.  We bought tickets and waited for the train to arrive.

We were looking forward to a several hour train ride through the jungle and mountains, and were surprised at what happened next.  As the train pulled into the station, scores of small kids were lifted through the open windows, parents handed them bags and back backs, which the kids placed on empty seats.  In a matter of minutes all the seats were “reserved.”  We couldn’t believe what we were seeing but, short of starting an argument which would be difficult with our limited Spanish, there was nothing we could do about it.  This was their country and their language and we didn’t want to be seen as ugly Americans.

So we returned our train tickets, got our money back, and decided we’d fly across the volcano.  We located a flying service with small Cessna planes and made a deal for the four of us to fly to Puerto Limon, on the Caribbean side.  What ensued was very scary.  The plane was very old and a victim of lots of deferred maintenance.  Most of the instruments didn’t work, including the altimeter.  The pilot didn’t speak any English and I pushed my limited Spanish asking the altitude of the volcano we were flying over.  The engine strained to gain altitude and at one point I was fearful we’d go into the volcano’s cone, but we made it with not many feet to spare. 

We spent several hot and humid days in the resort, not doing much other than relaxing, and then flew back to the Pacific side.  I insisted that we fly back in two planes, since I didn’t want to risk losing the whole family. 

Our second trip was in the spring of 2008, when we learned that a relative of Misti’s was getting married to a Costa Rican woman, with the wedding to be held in Malpais, Costa Rica.  Since our first visit in 1988, we had often thought of a return trip, so we saw this as an opportunity to see this beautiful country one more time and also spend time with relatives.

We had never been to Nicaragua, which neighbors Costa Rica, and realized this trip could be an opportunity for us to visit a new country.

We flew Continental Airlines via Houston to Managua, rented a Toyota Landcruiser and spent a week exploring Nicaragua before heading to the border for our drive to the wedding.

When we planned this trip, where we would drive from Nicaragua to Costa Rica, we didn’t realize that the two countries weren’t exactly good friends.  We had allowed sufficient time for the drive, but when we told the car rental agency we planned to take the car across the border, they said we had to get a permiso de salida (exit permit) from the police and that would take several days. 

Because our time was somewhat limited, I decided to let money do the talking. In Spanish the word for bribe is mordida. I gave the car rental guy $20 and asked if he could speed up the approval process, which he said he’d do. 

Crossing the border at Penas Blancas, the main crossing between Nicaragua and Costa Rica), was very difficult and took more than four hours.  We had to show all sorts of documents, buy special liability insurance and the car was thoroughly inspected. 

The distance from the border crossing to Malpais, where the wedding was being held, is only about one hundred miles, but it took us about eight hours to make the trip.  The first half was easy, on the Pan American highway, but the second half was through small and winding roads, which were all but washed out due to recent heavy rains.  We were driving a Toyota Landcruiser, which had no problem wading through the muddy roads.

The wedding was magnificent.  Held during sunset on a beautiful beach with about thirty or so friends and relatives.  Lots of local food, drink and conversation- and just a very pleasant time for all.

After the wedding Misti and I stayed in a cottage with relatives for a couple of days and then made our way back to the border.  For the crossing back into Nicaragua I found a guy who helps make the crossing easier, paid him ten dollars and crossed over in half an hour. 

We stayed another night in Managua, returned the car at the airport and flew home, ending our Nicaragua/Costa Rica adventure.

Art Faibisch