Other Latin lands value
tourism, and they show it

Dear A.M. Costa Rica:

We have had the opportunity for travel this year and wanted to share some of our experiences with your readership.

We visited Lima, Peru, and stayed in the Miraflores district on the ocean. Lima is bustling, and the air quality is less than optimal, but tourists are treated well. The Miraflores area is full of lodging options, and we chose a one-bedroom apartment in a hotel that was walking distance to just about everything. A week’s lodging was  $150. Food options were plentiful, and the local Miraflores Mercado Central was overflowing with amazing produce, meats, and seafood.

Again, the prices were much lower than Costa Rica. Our safety was never a concern as there is a visible police presence that actually polices the city. We ate dinner and walked home at 11 p.m. unescorted and safe. There is also the opportunity to eat outside everywhere and every street was clean.

In September we visited Antigua, Guatemala, and while the country is a poor one, tourists are treated well and there is a concerted effort to make tourists welcome. We stayed in a hostel that was very basic, but in the city center, for $22/night.  Private bath and a patio for breakfast and enjoying the evening. The marketplace was a block away, and again, everything was available.

The efforts that the government has made to keep this ancient city preserved are remarkable, and smoking is prohibited in any public building, including bars and restaurants. Again clean streets.

Yesterday we returned home to Costa Rica from Quito, Ecuador. We stayed in the Centro Historico District and marveled at 400-year-old churches, beautiful museums, and friendly people. The market in Old Town was disappointing, and one vendor, upon learning that we were visiting from Costa Rica, said “Costa Ricans are arrogant,” and made the nose up gesture to emphasize that. Now how a seafood vendor in the dirty San Roque market found this to be true is puzzling at best. The New Town area, previously called “Gringolandia” is now called the Mariscal District. 

We took public transportation, a sleek trolley that cost 25 cents and has three north to south routes.  One route travels in the center of the city and the other two trolley routes travel on the east and west sides of town.  Ecuador has dollarized, and the currency is the U.S. dollar. Cabs cost about one quarter of what they cost here, and rates go up on the meter by a penny!  Again, food options were plentiful and inexpensive.

We ate lamb, duck, langostino, turkey and rarely paid more than $20 for an evening meal in a nice place. Lunch cost $8 for two at a mid range place. We saw the president of the Republic address a crowd in Plaza Grande and were 50 feet away. There are small signs posted everywhere reminding workers that tourists are the lifeblood of the city, as well as recycling containers on many corners.

We heard stories of unsafe streets, but found that untrue as there is an organized police force that is visible. We stayed in the Hotel San Francisco in a top floor suite that was $50/night (all taxes included) where we enjoyed a kitchen, living area, balcony with seating, and a fireplace. Where can we stay in Costa Rica with those options? We remember well, cheaper options years ago, but nothing like this.

Returning to Costa Rica, we wondered what do we have that they do not?  Indifferent attitudes toward foreigners, lackadaisical service in public establishments, police look the other way and a criminal “justice” system that favors criminals. To those who would cry “Love it or leave it!” I only ask why can’t we have safe, clean streets and an enjoyable city environment?  We don’t want to move to South America or Guatemala, nor Nicaragua, which we also visited. We merely wish for Costa Rica to take notice of some of what other counties do to attract people, not drive them away.