The capital of Costa Rica is called San Jose. It is the largest city in the country and also the most populated one. About 40% of the country live in San Jose, or 2 million people. It enjoys a stable, mild climate and is protected from most natural disasters by the tall mountains that surround it. It also perfectly exemplifies the size of Costa Rica: you can go from one part of the city to any of the surrounding mountains in more than an hour. The city covers the whole central valley and stretches towards the mountains in which it dissipates. San Jose "swallowed" the neighboring cities of Alajuela and Heredia and the bigger city is now called GAM or Gran Area metropolitana
San Jose was founded in 1738
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Beaches in Costa Rica
Costa Rica's beaches are regarded amongst the best in the whole world. Some of the typical characteristics of a Costarican beach is the warm water, blue skies and strong sun, quiet neighborhood and lots lots lots of nature.
Some people say that the best beaches in Costa Rica lie on the province of Guanacaste and the so-called "Gold Coast", which contains now many of the most valuable properties in the world. Others argue that the best beaches are found on the province of Limon, due to its hot weather, turquoise waters and "tropical feel". Or maybe the best beaches are found on Puntarenas, due to the many flora and fauna, varieties of beaches and awesome weather.
Regardless of the location, the beaches in Costa Rica are breathtaking. Almost EVERYONE who visits Costa Rica goes to a beach. Many of these people never go back to their home countries, but instead sell everything they have to buy a property on the beach and live there (seriously).
Some examples of beaches:
Playa Conchal
Some people say that the best beaches in Costa Rica lie on the province of Guanacaste and the so-called "Gold Coast", which contains now many of the most valuable properties in the world. Others argue that the best beaches are found on the province of Limon, due to its hot weather, turquoise waters and "tropical feel". Or maybe the best beaches are found on Puntarenas, due to the many flora and fauna, varieties of beaches and awesome weather.
Regardless of the location, the beaches in Costa Rica are breathtaking. Almost EVERYONE who visits Costa Rica goes to a beach. Many of these people never go back to their home countries, but instead sell everything they have to buy a property on the beach and live there (seriously).
Some examples of beaches:
Playa Conchal
Playa Flamingo:
Playa Roca Bruja:
Playa Cahuita:
Monday, October 5, 2009
Sub-20 World Cup
The Sub-20 national team classified for the Sub-20 Egypt World Cup. The team lost a horrible match against Brazil on its first game. But, after some hard work and training, it won against Australia 3-0 and then lost against Czech Republic 3-2. All seemed lost but the team managed to classify for the next round of the cup. The team is surely going to step up its game if it wants to keep on the tournament.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Irazu Volcano
One of the most famous and imponent volcanoes in Costa Rica is the Irazu volcano. It is situated in the Central Volcanic Mountain Range, that crosses the central valley of the country. It is close to the city of Cartago. Its name comes from the indigenous word "ara-tzu" which means point of thunders.
In Costa Rica the volcano is commonly called as "the colossus" due to historical reasons. The volcano has erupted multiple times, the most famous one being in 1963 and continuing on to 1965. On 1963, president John F. Kennedy visited Costa Rica. In the midst of a public speech he was giving, the volcano made eruption. The power with which the volcano erupted created a huge cloud of ash that covered the whole city of San Jose and Cartago. The nearby villages were completely destroyed. San Jose was covered in ash for two years, in a permanent volcanic winter.
After that famous eruption, the volcano has remained dormant. It is now a world-famous tourist point and it is frequently visited. The volcano is also kept under constant observation by scientists.
In Costa Rica the volcano is commonly called as "the colossus" due to historical reasons. The volcano has erupted multiple times, the most famous one being in 1963 and continuing on to 1965. On 1963, president John F. Kennedy visited Costa Rica. In the midst of a public speech he was giving, the volcano made eruption. The power with which the volcano erupted created a huge cloud of ash that covered the whole city of San Jose and Cartago. The nearby villages were completely destroyed. San Jose was covered in ash for two years, in a permanent volcanic winter.
After that famous eruption, the volcano has remained dormant. It is now a world-famous tourist point and it is frequently visited. The volcano is also kept under constant observation by scientists.
Last 26th of September, the inhabitants of Costa Rica's central valley experienced a very strange phenomenon: a solar halo.
A solar halo is an optical effect caused by ice particles floating in the troposphere that refract sunlight creating a spectrum of colors around the sun. Many were the ones who took dozens of pictures of the halo and posted them on the internet.
It is preferable not looking directly at the halo but instead covering the sun with a circular piece in order to just look the halo.
Solar halo over Costa Rica
Another picture of the solar halo
A solar halo is an optical effect caused by ice particles floating in the troposphere that refract sunlight creating a spectrum of colors around the sun. Many were the ones who took dozens of pictures of the halo and posted them on the internet.
It is preferable not looking directly at the halo but instead covering the sun with a circular piece in order to just look the halo.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Volcan Arenal
A must visit, Volcan Arenal is one of Costa Rica's most famous landmarks. The colossal volcano lies on the northern province of Alajuela, in a plain that exalts the power of the volcano. The volcano is most famous due to its nightly eruptions which fill the sky with fire. Many tourists from around the world flock to the La Fortuna area to watch the night concert at the volcano; after all, its the closest thing to natural fireworks.
The story of the volcano is as follows: before 1968, there was no volcano. Whats now a huge mountain of fire was known as Cerro Arenal, or Arenal Mountain. This was because it had never shown any signs of volcanic activity nor any seismic events had occured close to the area. Many towns grew around it and people even climbed to the top of the so called "mountain". On July 29th, the mountain suddenly blew up. A massive, explosive eruption threw tons of rock and ash unto the unsuspecting towns which were completely destroyed and buried. Lots of people died. Fifteen square kilometers were buried and the explosion affected over 232 square kilometers. Since that date, the volcano has been restless, with constant eruptions of both lava and fire and ash and rocks. This eruptions can be safely seen as long as people stay inside the safety perimeter.
The story of the volcano is as follows: before 1968, there was no volcano. Whats now a huge mountain of fire was known as Cerro Arenal, or Arenal Mountain. This was because it had never shown any signs of volcanic activity nor any seismic events had occured close to the area. Many towns grew around it and people even climbed to the top of the so called "mountain". On July 29th, the mountain suddenly blew up. A massive, explosive eruption threw tons of rock and ash unto the unsuspecting towns which were completely destroyed and buried. Lots of people died. Fifteen square kilometers were buried and the explosion affected over 232 square kilometers. Since that date, the volcano has been restless, with constant eruptions of both lava and fire and ash and rocks. This eruptions can be safely seen as long as people stay inside the safety perimeter.
Theres a really good youtube video which exemplifies the volcano very well:
Friday, September 11, 2009
Football in Costa Rica
Football is the main sport in Costa Rica. It's by far the most watched and practiced sport in the country. There are several leagues, being the "Primera Division" the most important. There are several teams too, each with its own strengths, weakness and fans.
Because Costa Rica is such a small country (which will explain the oddities of it in an upcoming post) the football league is fairly small, or perhaps really small. Because of this the fanbase is spread unequally with the majority being in the Deportivo Saprissa, Liga Deportiva Alajuelense or Club Sport Herediano. The two major rivals here are Deportivo Saprissa and Liga Deportiva Alajuelense.
In my personal opinion and also in opinion of other, the soccer league is fairly mediocre and this reflects greatly on the national football team. This team that began the CONCACAF qualifications round with a great winning streak has just earned a 3 match loss streak against main rivals. The Costaricans are desperately hoping that the team will manage to revitalize itself and win the next matches or Costa Rica may not qualify to the World Cup.
Because Costa Rica is such a small country (which will explain the oddities of it in an upcoming post) the football league is fairly small, or perhaps really small. Because of this the fanbase is spread unequally with the majority being in the Deportivo Saprissa, Liga Deportiva Alajuelense or Club Sport Herediano. The two major rivals here are Deportivo Saprissa and Liga Deportiva Alajuelense.
In my personal opinion and also in opinion of other, the soccer league is fairly mediocre and this reflects greatly on the national football team. This team that began the CONCACAF qualifications round with a great winning streak has just earned a 3 match loss streak against main rivals. The Costaricans are desperately hoping that the team will manage to revitalize itself and win the next matches or Costa Rica may not qualify to the World Cup.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Happiest place in the world
Forget Disneyland. Costa Rica has been elected the happiest place in the world according to the HPI index which evaluates a country's environmental footprint, its citizens happiness, life expectancy, satisfaction with life among other criteria.
Costa Rica ranked 1st among a list that comprised 149 countries around the globe. The top 9 were all Latin American countries. Costa Rica was ranked first because of its high life expectancy (79 years) and its environmental footprint is so small it has an almost carbon-neutral footprint.
Developed countries ranked low in the survey, with United States on 114th, China 20th and India 37th among other developed countries. Sub-saharan Africa ranked the lowest, with Zimbabwe on 149th.
Costa Rica ranked 1st among a list that comprised 149 countries around the globe. The top 9 were all Latin American countries. Costa Rica was ranked first because of its high life expectancy (79 years) and its environmental footprint is so small it has an almost carbon-neutral footprint.
Developed countries ranked low in the survey, with United States on 114th, China 20th and India 37th among other developed countries. Sub-saharan Africa ranked the lowest, with Zimbabwe on 149th.
Moravia
Moravia is a county located in the province of San Jose, its divided in two districts: San Vicente and San Jeronimo. I lived in the district of San Vicente, in a small, quiet neighborhood called La Guaria, close to downtown Moravia.
In downtown Moravia you can find lots of things, even though its a small town. Theres the famous cathedral with its beautiful architecture you can admire; there are lots of small and varied restaurants you can eat in like La Princesa Marina, La Antojeria Mexicana, El Pollo Cervecero and many others. There is also the park of Moravia, close to the Cathedral where you can watch the "moravianos" relax. In La Guaria you can find the Club La Guaria where you can play football, tennis, squash, swim and many other sports. Close to the Club you can find the St. Joseph School. In Moravia lies the best school of Costa Rica in my opinion, which is Saint Francis College.
Moravia is a beautiful town, the Moravianos love to relax, walk to a park and enjoy the beautiful afternoons.
In downtown Moravia you can find lots of things, even though its a small town. Theres the famous cathedral with its beautiful architecture you can admire; there are lots of small and varied restaurants you can eat in like La Princesa Marina, La Antojeria Mexicana, El Pollo Cervecero and many others. There is also the park of Moravia, close to the Cathedral where you can watch the "moravianos" relax. In La Guaria you can find the Club La Guaria where you can play football, tennis, squash, swim and many other sports. Close to the Club you can find the St. Joseph School. In Moravia lies the best school of Costa Rica in my opinion, which is Saint Francis College.
Moravia is a beautiful town, the Moravianos love to relax, walk to a park and enjoy the beautiful afternoons.
Friday, August 21, 2009
No artificial ingredients
Hi, and welcome to the Costa Rica blog! I made this blog to help people know about this small central-american country, it will also be help guide for new tourists going over there.
The creator:
My name is Andrés Bejarano. I'm a Costa Rican living in Sao Paulo, Brazil for study reasons. Back in Costa Rica I used to live in Moravia, or as i like to call it "the capital of the world". Why do I call it like that? It's because EVERYTHING is near it. You can find anything you are looking for there and if its not there its a 20 mins drive at most to get there. Seeing as I know Moravia the most I'll start the guide with Moravia.
The creator:
My name is Andrés Bejarano. I'm a Costa Rican living in Sao Paulo, Brazil for study reasons. Back in Costa Rica I used to live in Moravia, or as i like to call it "the capital of the world". Why do I call it like that? It's because EVERYTHING is near it. You can find anything you are looking for there and if its not there its a 20 mins drive at most to get there. Seeing as I know Moravia the most I'll start the guide with Moravia.
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