Afternoon tour of San Jose

After lunch, we went on a sightseeing tour of San Jose. Although it was raining (it is the rainy season after all!) we saw the highlights of the city and learned about the economy, history, and culture. The main industry is tourism and there are many national parks for such a small country. Costa Rica is a socialist country. Everyone pays into the National Health Care system. There is no welfare. School is required until age 16. The utilities are all run by the government. Everyone has bars on the windows and razor wire around their property, so it feels strange, like maybe it’s unsafe, but it is considered a safe country. There is no military, but of course there are police. And the driving is crazy! They might be really nice, easy-going people, but not when they get behind the wheel. No one pays attention to stop lights, stop signs, or yield signs, and if there is a hole in the traffic, someone fills it. We were really glad to be transported around by the tour bus.
See pictures: National Stadium, built by China, 2011
National Monument - the five central American countries defeating US Citizen William Walker’s army, “The Filibusters”, who were trying to take overもっと詳しく