Friday, August 8, 2008

Costa Rica 2: Manuel Antonio and the Beach

7-16-2008
Playa Hermosa, Costa Rica


Playa Hermosa must be one of the most consistent beach breaks in the world. Once again I arrived to find solid overhead, fast-moving waves. Cabinas Las Olas remains a beachfront bargain, with cabins on the beach for about $50 a night. This time, however, with family in tow, I was more aware of the simplicity of the place, not to mention the mosquitoes, moths, roaches, and mice that shared our room. Shannon, in particular, had a hard time there, but we think that was largely because of panic attacks brought on my malaria medication, which she promptly stopped taking. Catalina loved the little pool and I loved the new chef, who churned out great Filet Mignon and sesame encrusted tuna every night for about $10. Still, after five nights it was time to find a nicer place to stay and a safer beach for Catalina so we headed off for Manuel Antonio. I was physically exhausted from surfing twice a day for five days anyway.


7-19-2008

Cafe Milagro, Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica

It seems to rain here more often than I remember from my trips four and fourteen years ago. On this trips I may have been here in June. Those few weeks make a big difference. Despite memories to the contrary, mornings are rarely very sunny. Of course, in the afternoons in rains and often rains hard. Thunder, lightning, and large drops make the streets run with water. It's great fun.

Sadly, tourism and especially package tourism is now rampant in Jaco and Manuel Antonio. In 1994, there was almost no commercial activity down by the beach. Today Manuel Antonio is shockingly swarmed with street vendors, parked rental cars, and guides aggressively selling their services. It's essentially unrecognizable from my first visit. We payed $20 to walk to Playa Manuel Antonio in the national park. The "trail" was crowded with tourists. Still, we did see a few white-faced monkeys. I had the impression they were used to handouts.

The famous beach itself is a veritable zoo of tourists and tico families. Interestingly, not 25 meters across a perfectly formed little tambolo, a sandspit created by an offshore island, there is an equally beautiful, though less popular beach facing town. There were only three people on this beach. The sand slopes steeply to the sea. At one point a small fish leaped out of the shore break. It was being chased by something. Soon, in the very shallow surf just behind this little fish, a large spiked dorsal fin appeared in an chaotic explosion of sea foam. This much larger fish nearly beached itself in its attempt to grab lunch.

Anyway, feeling certain that there is little hope of cleaning up the tourist mess without unlikely government intervention, I went ahead and bought a t-shirt emblazoned with the logo of Costa Rica's national beer, Imperial. Cost me $8.

On a positive note, we found a great little hostel that serves a great casado (typical Costa Rican breakfast of rice and beans, eggs, fruit, and pancakes) for only $3. We went there two days in a row. Catalina is learning how to say milk in Spanish, "Leche!"

Sustainability rhetoric accompanies the majority of Costa Rica tourism and yet clearly the place is being overwhelmed by tourists and the resulting over development that often accompanies rapid hotel and resort development. Trash increasingly lines the beaches at the high tide line, just like it does at home in California. I read in the Tico Times of Tamarindo beaches awash in human fecal bacteria. Manuel Antonio is a tourism disaster. I read other articles that explain that as much as 73% of Costa Rica's population fears the increasingly violent criminal element in the country. The same study said that the majority (53%) of Ticos say they are "likely" to be victims of street crime. Moreover, apparently carjackings are more and more common and are now sometimes violent.


7-19-2008

Hotel Mono Azul, Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica

As I have said many times before, you often get what you pay for in Latin American hotels. People often have the impression that Mexican and Costa Rican hotels are a bargain, but I have found that this is rarely true. Sure there are many bargain-basement options in these places. A hotel room can cost as little as $25 for two people. However, in my experience, such a room is often of such low quality as to not represent a bargain at all. In other words, a hotel room here that costs $25 is actually worth about $20, by U.S. standards. Rooms are leaky and full of mosquitoes or bed bugs (the small scars last for months). There is often no AC or it doesn't function well. Beds can be laughably sub-standard. In Chihuahua, Mexico I once sank so low into a mattress in an $11 hotel room that I could no longer see out of the bed to either side, even after all the feathers and dust fell to the floor. Pillows are often loosely filled with clumps of stuffing or are nearly flat. A hotel room that at first glance appears to be very comfortable, even classy, generally is lacking in numerous small, but important details. Bedside lamps or electrical outlets are oddly placed or are nonexistent. Bathrooms, often lavishly tiled, generally don't provide towel racks or hooks.

On the other hand, expensive hotel rooms here, while still not necessarily up to developed world standards, can offer locations and amenities that only the most exclusive hotels provide at home. Beachfront vistas, mountain-top perches, private hiking trails, infinity pools, and swim up bars are all common above $100 or $150 a night. Moreover, if you spend $150 or more, you will find that your room and hotel compares favorably with rooms costing twice or three times as much in the U.S.

Finally, I can't help but notice that prostitution is legal here. It's most obvious in the beach communities, aside from certain areas of downtown San Jose. Legality makes the trade generally much more subtle than the streetwalkers we see in American cities. Still, there are large numbers of middle-aged American men out to dinner with young Costa Rican women. Studies suggest that despite its legality, fewer than half of Costa Rican prostitutes are registered and that thousands are under age. It's all a bit odd, really. Still, in principal I'm in favor of legalizing victimless crimes. There's little doubt that if it was legal at home these men would not be flying to Costa Rica.

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