Some youth in the city of Alajuela left a sidewalk chalk message for pedestrians the other day: something like “Be aware of the city and REDUCE pollution!”
¡Pura Vida!
Reduce Pollution!
Xandari – Room View
This is the view from my room after checking in around noon on a cool and rainy day. I have photos of the room I planned to share but too tired with 5.5 miles walking today. More tomorrow in a beautiful place connected to nature.
¡Pura Vida!
See my Trip Photo Gallery: 2018 Xandari Resort
Xandari costa rica (their website)
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Almost all of Costa Rica’s Energy has come from Renewable Sources for 4 Years Now Interesting article in the online English-language Tico Times – Little Costa Rica is setting the standard for all you big countries! 🙂
Hiding the Dog Fence
My landlords who live on the hill above me have a cute little dog that kept getting lost out in the neighborhood and was in danger of being run-over. So, fence time! And about the same time they got a second small dog to keep the first one company and maybe added motivation to stay home. Well, the dog fence was right out my kitchen window across the driveway and I was dreading it. But Jean-Luc is so thoughtful that he immediately had the gardener plant morning glory vines along the fence and now it is beautiful!
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| It will soon be a flowering hedge |
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| From my kitchen window |
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| Nice! |
And by the way, Costa Rica continues to become more eco-friendly as urged in this article:
5 Tips for Helping the Planet from Costa Rica (Hint: They help in other countries too!)
Disgustingly Like the States (Christmas before Halloween!)
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| Walmart (photo) and other stores started Christmas promotion in October! |
Like in so many developing nations, it is the commercial world that is most “up to date” or more “developed” or shows more “progress.” That has mixed advantages and disadvantages. Like Alajuela’s infrastructure (especially streets) is simply not ready for the biggest mall in the country! And the majority of the people cannot afford the expensive stores. It still amazes me how much the rest of the world hates the USA and yet copies it! Or should I say allows U.S. businesses to come in and change the local culture. Interesting to note that all 15 or 20 Burger Kings in Costa Rica have closed. Nada! Some investor was probably losing money. Yet all the McDonald’s and KFC’s seem to do well even with multiple Latin American fried chicken competitors opposite KFC. Likewise Coke & Pepsi do well, while some big or expensive stores depend greatly on expats along with the growing rich among Ticos. I think that will be the case of the new City Mall. Catch the quote below by a North American:
We’re not going to persuade people in the developing world to go without, but neither can we afford a planet on which everyone lives like an American. Billions more people living in suburbs and driving SUVs to shopping malls is a recipe for planetary suicide. We can’t even afford to continue that way of life ourselves.~Alex Steffen
Carara National Park Plants
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| Pixie Cup Fungi, Carara National Park, Costa Rica |
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| Ceiba Tree, Carra National Park, Costa Rica Also called Kapok or Silk Cotton Tree In all tropical forests I’ve seen, Africa, South America |
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| The back side of the above Ceiba has a “cave” |
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| Rain forests have an incredible variety of trees and plants. My guide Victor leads the way down and old road used as trail now. |
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| One of the several varieties of Cecropia Trees, similar to my Guarumo but not the same. Cousins! This whole family of trees has multiple medicinal uses. |
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| Rare plant that only grows in this particular transitional forest and only in the shade. Has medicinal uses. |
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| And another fungus! 🙂 |
“The clearest way to the Universe is through a forest wilderness.”
— John Muir
Will Costa Rica Be Surrounded by Canals?
Everyone knows that Panama is just south of Costa Rica with one of the busiest and most important canals in the world that many American businesses have greatly profited from. Now Nicaragua, just north of Costa Rica is planning an even longer and wider canal – or should I say that China is planning a canal there that will of course greatly help the economy of Nicaragua, but of China even more, just like the U.S. profited most from the Panama Canal. They break ground on the Nicaraguan Canal in December.
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| It will go not far north of the Costa Rica border through Lake Nicaragua, largest Central American lake. |
Those of us who care about the environment and clean water are opposed to it, but “green” people still don’t have that much influence in the world, beyond Costa Rica that is. In contrast to the U.S., China and Nicaragua, Cost Rica is one of the greenest and most ecologically sound countries in the world with 25% of its land set aside as National Parks and reserves. They planning to become the first carbon-neutral country in the world and already produce about half their electricity with renewable sources. Ecology and preservation of nature is one of many reasons I’m moving there. Hopefully the neighbor to the north won’t let greed spoil our pristine Costa Rican environment with spillover affects through overlapping rivers and forests.