Facts about Costa Rica

Here are some fun facts about Costa Rica I've learned during my stay here (this is all from memory but I'm pretty sure it's accurate):

1. Prostitution is legal in Costa Rica. The government, however, has recently started a serious campaign to eliminate underage prostitution. There are signs all over the city warning people about the new enforcement of this law. Prostitutes are required to carry a card which details their health history. The government requires them to receive a check-up and STD screening every 15 days (this is then recorded on their card, so whenever you get a prostitute in Costa Rica make sure you see their health card first). There are approximately 3,000- 5,000 prostitutes in San Jose. Many are transvestites. Additionally, there is a large park in downtown San Jose which is known for having many prostitutes. Coincidentally, this park is located directly across the street from one of the tallest buildings downtown, a Holiday Inn. Costa Rica has a large eco-tourism industry, but an equally large sex-tourism industry.

 

Signs discouraging under-age prostitution. 

2. There is currently a heated border conflict between Costa Rica and Nicaragua. The border conflict has been present since the mid 1800s. Until 1821, when both countries gained their independence, Nicaragua's territory encompassed most of Costa Rica. In 1858, Costa Rica and Nicaragua attempted to settle their territory disputes by signing the Canas-Jerez treaty. This treaty declared Nicaragua's sovereignty over the highly disputed Rio San Juan. In this agreement, Costa Rica was permitted to use the Rio San Juan for trade, but they were required to ask permission of Costa Rica for any other use of the river (especially military use). After the treaty was signed, Nicaragua wanted to build a canal through the Rio San Juan, but Costa Rica disagreed. This resulted in even more tension. In 1888, President Cleveland was called in to mediate mounting tensions between Costa Rica and Nicaragua. He determined the treaty was correct, and Nicaragua did have sovereignty over the river but Costa Rica was allowed to use it for trade. Nevertheless, the countries have continued to argue. In November of this year, Nicaragua started dredging the Rio San Juan. This maddened Costa Rica who then accused Nicaragua of polluting the river. Nicaragua responded by saying  (this is where it gets petty) Costa Rica was polluting the river even more. In addition to disputing the ownership of Rio San Juan, the countries have recently began to disagree on an uninhabited  island called Isla Calero. The Island didn't seem to be a big deal until Nicaragua claimed it was theirs (Costa Rica also accuses Nicaragua of polluting this Island). In December, Costa Rica filed a case against Nicaragua in the World Court. On January  11-13th the case was heard. A verdict has yet to be reached.

3. President Rafael Calderon (1940-1944) ... friend or foe? Costa Rica puts a very strong emphasis on education. Students are required to attend primary school, and many continue past. Much of Costa Rica's educational success has been attributed to Rafael Calderon (Dr. Calderon). Although he is generally thought to be Costa Rica's last dictator, he is also accredited with many positive achievements. He founded the University of Costa Rica (the most prestigious university of the country), instituted Social Security, national healthcare, and established a minimum wage. His reign came to an end when he tried to seize power at the end of his term. Calderon's rival won the democratic election, but Calderon did not accept defeat. Instead, the army remained faithful  to Calderon. This resulted in a revolution in which 2,000 people died ( a lot of people for such a small country). Eventually, the rightful president took office (Jose Figueres Ferrer... I looked this name up). Shortly after, as a response to the revolution, the Costa Rican military was abolished.

4. There is a lot of pollution in San Jose.

5. You have to throw away your toilet paper.

6. Making sure you have enough hot water for warm showers is a fine art....a fine art which I have mastered. The water heater is an electric box above the shower with cords that feed into the shower head (safety first!). When you turn the water heater on, you can hear the electricity running through the shower head. After about one minute of luke-warm, low-pressure showering, the hot water heater shuts off. This is where the fine-tuning begins. Because the water-heater seems capable of only heating small amounts at a time, it is essential to approach faucet turning with a light touch. Often times, turning up the pressure the slightest amount will cause the water to start heating again. Once it's heating this time, you can often get away with turning the knob back down so the water is lower in pressure, but still being heated. There are times when this process doesn't work. During those times it is advisable to turn off the shower and let the heater have a break. To maximize efficiency, one may take care of general shower procedures which don't require water (soap lathering, shaving, shampooing, etc). After about thirty seconds, when you slowly turn the water on again, you should hear the heater turn on as well. For unknown reasons, the water-heater will function perfectly during this time.

Common Costa Rican shower head.

Alrighty,
I will post about my weekend later, just thought I'd share those details.

P.S: Kelsey- I was wrong about the saying "pura vida". It is actually used quite commonly. I know this because I've heard it among teens at the bball courts. Some guys playing basketball next to the soccer court lost their ball on our side and when someone threw it back he said "pura vida mae" or (mae = dude). It's also used as a substitute for hello.

Also, today I was playing soccer on the concrete court and I was knocked over by a large Tico male. He then fell on top of me. Fun!!

Double also, I am growing a sinus infection. Almost half the people in our group have acquired a sore throat after this weekend. There is a girl in our group who has bronchitis. She's a very "open" cougher. In other words, she doesn't cover her cough with her sleeve. This is beginning to cause nervousness among many people in our group because we were all in a small bus with her for 10 hours this weekend. But, before you think I'm mean, this is why it's annoying: she's had antibiotics for several days now but has not been taking it because she can't drink alcohol while she's taking them.

Other than that, this weekend was really cool and the hot springs/ volcano were amazing!

Picture of the volcano from our hotel

Swim up bar in the hot springs

more hot spring pictures

The "everything's-NOT-going-to-be-okay" water slide.