Thoughts on Costa Rica...

I have been back in the swing of things for almost a week - and my computer is in a "semi-workable state" so I will be able to download some pics for you all - hopefully this weekend! Anyways, I wanted to let you in on some musings that are the result of visiting another Latin American country.
When we arrived in Costa Rica we were shocked at how built up it was! Pretty much every road was paved - even the ones through the mountains. The cars were much newer and in much better condition. Now, I think this was eye opening because I have now seen what Honduras could be like . What I mean is this: when you are living here - you don't notice what you don't have. (This is in part due to living upper middle class - but also just in terms of dealing with safety issues, transportation, and being white in a latino culture.) Costa Rica was much safer to walk at night (at least in the city but you have to exercise the same caution as you would in any North American city.), you don't (in general) get harassed for being a white female (they are used to tourists) and transportation - meaning the roads and cars - are in much better shape. Costa Rica's economy is largely dependant on its tourism and because it borders two oceans - so they are benefiting alot from that.
It also struck me how much geography affects a country's ability to build itself up. Honduras is full of mountains - making roads windy and sometimes they fall apart. Costa Rica - while not flat - was a whole lot flatter than Honduras - making cross-country trekking a whole lot easier. When access is more convenient people tend to travel a lot more. Here, the main highways are good - but are still long and windy. This is especially interesting to me as a history major where I can see and experience first hand how geography shapes a people's culture.
Gotta run..
\manda