The Costa Rica checklist. For the average visitor, it reads something like: Volcano, cloud forest, rain forest, beach, waterfall, coffee tour, etc. Think of those areas highlighted in guidebooks and featured in international photo shoots. Our country’s amazing vistas, nature and beauty are the stars of the show. But once you’ve been here long enough, you will be content in the knowledge that you can take a quick, inexpensive trip to visit those wonders that tourists save up all year to enjoy for a quick week here before returning to their gray, dismal hometowns.
Way beyond the publicized sites, there is another Costa Rica, a side few novice visitors ever see. The real Costa Rica you might say. The longer you live here, the more likely you have attended an event or found yourself doing something that you never would have done had you not lived here in Ticolandia. The following checklist is for you, the permanent resident. How many of these have you done?
Attended an all-night vigil for the recently deceased– The traditional vela is usually held in the living room of a family of the deceased or in a church or chapel. The body is accompanied through the night until the burial the following morning.
Attended a Costa Rican rodeo– Bucking bronco riders, calf ropers and of course, the bull ring free-for-all when brave, inebriated young men taunt a roaming bull, for the chance to get stomped, thrown or gored, leaving a lifetime of memories – and scars.
Attended a Costa Rica league soccer game– Every fan of athletic competition should attend at least one. While Saprissa, La Liga and Herediano are the big 3, most smaller cities also field a team. Tickets are cheap, relatively speaking, and the fan bases take it very seriously.
Attended a local, barrio soccer game– The level of play is amateur, the players are guys from the barrio, the fans sit wherever there is space near the field, and the pay is zero. The old cliche about playing for the love of the game is true for these competitors.
Attended a quinceañera party– This traditional Latino celebration of a girl’s 15th birthday marks her transition from childhood to young adulthood. The elaborate, expensive fiestas shown on tv and in movies are reserved for the wealthiest. Most are smaller parties attended by family and friends of the muchacha.
Attended a Costa Rican graduation ceremony– There are three different ones– for kindergarten (seriously), 6th grade, and high school. The two I attended, for my daughter and son, were held in a local dancehall. The bar was open, and I was not the only parent to take advantage. Definitely the only high school graduation I have ever known where the beer and wine flowed freely while the students received their diplomas.
Crossed into Panama or Nicaragua on foot, and continued your journey free-lance. No guides, no cars, just yourself, your passport, some money and a road map inside your cell phone.
Lived where access was limited to unpaved roads. Bonus if any type of shallow river crossing was included.
Participated in a pig roast from the beginning– From slaughter to gutting to roasting. My participation was limited to observing and staying out of the way of the people who knew what they were doing. And of course eating a bit of the finished product.
Picked coffee beans– If you want to gain a new respect for that morning cup or three of coffee, sign up to pick beans during harvest season. Filling a basket takes much longer than you would think. Years ago, it was a rural Tico tradition to be a part of the coffee harvest. These days it is more Nica than Tico.
Picked rambutan (mamon chino)- This is simpler than coffee beans. I live near a large farm that contains hundreds of the mamon chino trees. The owner is old and sells it by the sackful. It is a pick your own, as much as you can carry. Harvest time is August and September, and during those months we would live exclusively on those delicious little jellied fruits if it was possible.
Spent the day at the river– Our beaches are amazing, but locals in the campo can often be found chilling on a riverbank, and splashing in the river (as long as the current is not swift). Fishing may be included on the day’s agenda as well.
Ridden in a bus on a journey of at least four hours. It doesn’t sound like anything out of the ordinary until you realize there are large numbers of both Ticos and expats who only travel by car.
Ridden as part of a group in a chartered bus– Where to go?– From any of our beaches, to the cloud forest, to Panama, the chartered bus excursion is a popular alternative for those on a tight budget.
Swung at a piñata while blindfolded– Which means you have been to a kid’s birthday party. I should mention that the normal procedure is to spin the blindfolded person around in circles before turning them in the direction of the swinging piñata. The effect is that of an extremely intoxicated person trying to swat flies with a broomstick.
Helped push a stalled car to safety– There is no shortage of stalled cars on our streets and highways. Chances are that as I write this, somewhere in Costa Rica a group of volunteers are helping push one to a safer spot. Where else can you mix doing a good deed with a strenuous 30 second workout?
Joined the crowd as part of the Independence day celebrations. Every September 15th, we cut loose. The drums and marimbas that you have heard practicing daily are ready to take to the streets. And if you live here, you should too! Viva siempre el trabajo y la paz. And Pura vida
Read more of Don Mateo’s writing from his newly published ebook.
