As it turns out, Disneyland may not be the happiest place on earth, after all. More than a few studies indicate that the title may go to Costa Rica. A small Central American country with an outsized enjoyment and appreciation of life. Part of your Costa Rica travel should definitely involve mingling with the locals that color this country so brightly. Thousands of tourists and expatriates seem to agree, with travel to the tropical nation increasing in recent years. So what makes the Costa Rican people so unique?
Costa Rica’s sense for a pure life is also reflected in its food culture. The staple of the Costa Rican diet is rice and beans. This is presented in the form of Gallo Pinto for breakfast or Casado for lunch. But even the national dish has some cultural differences depending on the area. By the Caribbean coast, they add coconut to the rice creating a sweet and intoxicating flavor. By the Pacific coast, however, the coconut is replaced by cilantro and Salsa Lizano. You can sample some of these amazing flavors in the province of Guanacaste and Central Valley and Puerto Viejo de Talamanca by the Caribbean Coast. Guanacaste, especially its capital Liberia, has a pretty loud presence of fast food culture for such a small town. But if you wander away from the city center just a little, you can find some amazing sodas that serve the traditional Costa Rican food.
Compared to some of its neighbors, Costa Rica is a haven of stability and peace. The country abolished its army in 1948, and to this day it has no army. In many parts of the world, imagining ones’ country without a military is almost impossible. But the money that Costa Rica could have spent on maintaining a military force has instead been channeled into education, health care, and preserving the country’s environment. The University of Costa Rica, for example, offers almost free education to its residents and also makes big strides in the research and improvement of its social and environmental systems. These are the very things that so many tourists and expats find attractive about the country today. The decision to demilitarize the country and instead invest in democratic institutions and the health and well-being of the people has undoubtedly contributed to the happiness of Costa Rica.
Costa Rica may not have the world’s largest GDP, but consider what it does have. For example, abundant natural beauty, a slower, calmer approach to life, efforts to promote and protect that environment. Also, stable, democratic institutions aimed at the well-being of its people. No wonder the Costa Rican people consistently rank among the happiest people on earth.
Long before many countries had an eco-anything, Costa Rica was already making efforts to protect its environment. While many countries place little priority on environmental protections, Costa Rica is one of the world’s leaders in environmentalism. Many other nations seem to be preoccupied with cutting down forests for new real estate developments. Costa Rica does things the other way around—the country has a massive tree-planting initiative focused on creating new forests, rather than destroying it.
Not to mention the amount of rainforests and diversity in this small country. The best example of highly concentrated biodiversity in one place, has to be Corcovado National Park with the world’s largest concentration of flora and fauna. This part of the country is still pretty remote and located in the South Pacific side as part of Osa Peninsula. In fact, Costa Ricans have learned to live in harmony with its natural surroundings. Think about La Fortuna, the small but bustling town at the foot of Arenal, one of the active volcanoes in Costa Rica!
Costa Rica does still produce farm lands, of course. The most popular ones are used as coffee and banana plantations.
It is wonderful to have access to such beautiful landscapes. In 2016 Costa Rica used 98% green energy. This came from hydro, wind, solar and geothermal power sources.
Costa Rican People have good reason to be happy from their peaceful government to the gorgeous lands it is the country of Pura Vida. Why not come and join us.
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