Costa Rica is a great country to visit, full of charm, rich in culture, traditions warmth and peace.
Through this pages you will find general information, useful tips and things that are important to know when you are planning a visit to this fascinating destination. On the web there is a lot of information about Costa Rica, some of it very accurate, some of it a bit misleading. Throughout the years, Costa Rica has work hard to keep its leadership as tourist and investment destination in the region. This is a developing country, where standards and life style are different than in Europe, Canada or the United States.
Costa Rican possesses a unique identity that distinguishes it from other places and from its neighboring countries. The costa ricans identity encourages compromise and peace, instead of revolution, and violence. This shows on the absence of deep political divisions which are present in the rest of Latin America, and it even shows in the ¨machismo¨, which is low when compared to other places in the region where sometimes they view the Ticos as being too passive.
Costa Rica is one of the most homogeneous of Central American nations. The vast majority of Costa Ricans are spanish and european descendants.. Immigrants from many nations have been made welcome over the years: the Jews are prominent different businesses and professions. The Quakers community that settled in Monteverde, where they produce coffee, and dairy products like yogurt, ice creams, goudas and cheddars cheeses. The germans, who have been very successful as coffee producers, the italians, the chinese, the afrocaribbean, hindues, arabs and the central and south americans from Guatemala, el Salvador and Nicaragua, Venezuela, Argentina and Colombia who found a second home in Costa Rica.
This unique blend of different cultures has resulted in rich traditions, customs and celebrations.
In average, the costa ricans are highly educated, cordial people, yet they are very laid back! Foreigners, specially at business levels, complain of the lack of punctuality and of quick decision-making of the locals. However there is many positive aspects of the costaricans identity which makes the country very attractive for visitors and investors, specially their social and political stability and high education levels, where literacy rates riches 95%.
A unique social aspect is that Ticos have a big desire to leave a good impression and they are frightened of embarrassing themselves and appearing rude, since crude people are considered not well educated. This is why you will find that costaricans are extremely courteous, and they are prone to exceedingly offer compliments, small gifts (fruits or home made cooking) and formal greetings.
The Ticos are excepcionally friendly to foreigners, and don´t be surprised if once they've gotten to know you they'll invite you to their house. Hospitality is a tradition in Costa Rica, you will always see a waving hand and a smile as the tour bus passes towns and streets.Visitors to the country, usually return home impressed by the Costa Ricans natural warmth and cordiality. There are of course exceptions, but you can expect to be welcome wherever you go!
Life in Costa Rica is laid back and relaxed. The locals are very social and they put a lot of emphasis on cultural and open air activities, specially in summer time (december to april). The Ticos enjoy going to the theater, the museums, parks, beaches, local events, carnivals, festivals, parades, the mascarades, concerts, bull fighting (costa rican style, where bulls are never harmed), and Football (soccer).
A few of the most popular celebrations are Independence Day, the Carnivals of Limón, San José, Palmares and Puntarenas, where dancers of all ages and musical groups from all over the country compete for the best costumes, music and dancing performance. The famous horse parade in december, the light festival, and the ox-carts parade are some of the most expected events every end of the year and thousands of locals assist from all over the country.
Costa Rican cuisine is tasty rather than spicy and is centered around vegetables, rice beans, salads, corn beef, chicken and fish dishes and fruits. In summer time there are festivals at the mayotity of the villages, and one of the favorite things for the ticos is to go and enjoy the traditional dishes of the different regions. One of them is the Tamales (made of corn meal filled with chicken, pork and vegetables, usually cooked outdoors in very large pots by the hundreds.
The markets are also a traditional stop for some good traditional cuisine! Tamales for example, are served on a large plate where the plantain leaves can be easily unwrapped. A typical sauce (Lizano sauce) is usually served on the side, and not to miss of course, a good old cup of costa rican coffee.
The plantain has the appearance of a large banana, but cannot be eaten raw. It is sweet and delicious when riped fried or baked, or crispy when still green and sliced thinly and deep fried.
Beans and rice are present in almost all Costa Rican cuisine.For breakfast, it is common to be served a dish of black beans and rice (gallo pinto) seasoned with onions and peppers and accompanied by fried eggs, sour cream, and tortillas.
Other typical dishes´s main ingredient is corn. It could be prepared in the form of tortillas served with sour cream on top, roasted or boiled corn are popular too. The empanadas are very common as a snack, and they are mainly corn tortillas filled with beans, cheese, potatoes chicken or meat and deep fried.
In the caribbean side of the country the food is usually prepared with coconut milk, ginger and hot panamenian peppers.
In Costa Rica, a unique blend of different cultures has resulted in rich traditions, customs, art, cuisine, and celebrations. It is an authentic and beautiful, a country worth visiting!
Come visit Costa Rica, a country without artificial ingredients!!
