Cartago & around

Costa Rica continues to delight us with spectacular natural landscapes, jungles of the most varied types and an exceptional biodiversity. But what I find truly fantastic and which cannot be captured in photography are the interactions with the people. There is a big difference between the restrained coldness of Western European human interactions and this authenticity, talkativeness and spontaneous warmth of the inhabitants here. Every country or region of the world has a slogan. Sometimes it's just an empty phrase or some kind of slogan that has no connection to reality. Costa Rica's slogan is "pura vida", meaning pure life. Wow! It's not a slogan, it's a way of life, a reality that can be observed in the people I met here. They intensely enjoy the generous nature around them, the simple and beautiful things in life, their family, the friends with whom they spend a lot of time outdoors. Of all the countries we've visited so far in Latin America, Costa Rica is the country where we would imagine retiring as expats when we retire...

Next to the park where the ruins of the Church of Ujarras are located, there is a parking lot guarded at night by a security service. If you wish, you can stay overnight in a caravan, there are no restrictions here. We spent two nights here. In the morning we woke up to the sound of birds singing. A phenomenal place, far from the daily hustle and bustle of earning money to pay taxes and rent... There are also a few houses around the parking lot, a few residents who saw us waved and smiled at us, An elderly gentleman with a bicycle asked us where we came from and how our trip was so far. He wished us a good trip, it was obvious that our presence did not bother him, on the contrary. Wow! In Switzerland (and not only!) if you stop at a so-called "private" parking lot, a restaurant for example, a stupid owner immediately appears, he either wants money or wants to throw you out immediately. In its ignorance, the Western world believes that if you own properties you are rich and happy... Czytaj więcej