Aloha Everyone,
The size of West Virginia, Costa Rica is located in Central America bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the East and the Pacific Ocean to the West with Panama and Nicaragua as its land neighbors.
25% of the country is protected and are located within National Parks. J.J. and I found it especially interesting to learn that Costa Rica’s National Army was abolished in 1949. They have a National Police, but the government’s position is that if there’s an external problem, they would turn to “the big brother in the North”, (USA) for help. The money saved from having no army is then used for education. Costa Ricans, called “Ticos” has a very high rate of literacy, over 90%. The government offers free education and universal healthcare.
Costa Rica enjoys 122 years of democracy, the longest in the Americas. The country is stable economically and politically. Costa Rica has a population of 6.3 million. Puntarenas with its 106,000 population is a quaint seaport. The high mountain range surrounding Puntarenas offers pleasant weather year-round attracting 45,000 American retirees who call this region their home.
The two of us are happily settled at a beachside cafe with our Coca Colas and free WiFi to communicate with our family and friends. Local currency is called Colon, but US dollar is widely accepted.
Aloha -- Cathi
