We arrived in Monteverde tired and hungry. The bus ride from San Jose was long and I’d had fuck-all sleep the night before. We dropped our packs at the hostel and set out trying to find somewhere to eat that didn't break the bank, a tough task in Costa Rica. Thankfully, we found a cheap arroz con pollo (rice with chicken) restaurant on the main street. We ate our chicken and watched an army of khaki-clad Americans descend on the tour operator next door.
The next morning we took the bus higher into the Santa Elena Cloud Forest Biological Preserve. After paying $20 USD ($30 AUD) we received a very comprehensive overview of the hike by one of the park rangers. The track was extremely well maintained and some sections were even accessible by wheelchair. Even though we didn't see much wildlife, we could hear plenty amongst the tree tops.
Our necks were getting very sore from looking upwards. After a few hours we came to the viewpoint. We ate our tuna tortillas and watched the clouds moving up the valley. Apparently, on a clear day, you can see the famous Arenal Volcano. Being a cloud forest, clear days are rare. We returned to the trailhead just in time to catch the bus back to town.
In the evening, Leisa and I sat on the hostel balcony and watched the clouds descending over the valley. We sipped our beers and complained about how expensive everything was. The next morning we took a bus down the mountains back to the highway where we flagged down a bus that would take us closer to the border with Nicaragua.
Leisa and I did not have a great experience in Monteverde. It was very touristy and expensive. We also felt like we saw far more hiking in Panama, and for free. That said, it would be shitty to complain about prices without providing an oversimplified, unqualified socio-economic overview of the country. For that, dear reader, read on.
In terms of sustainable development, Costa Rica is the golden child of Latin America. In the first half of the twentieth century, Costa Rica was following the path of other Central American countries, cutting down forests for cattle and agriculture. Thanks to some progressive policies in the 1960s, over thirty percent of the country was protected for conservation. This allowed plant and animal species to flourish and, today, Costa Rica has the highest density of these species on earth. As a result, ecotourism has exploded and become the breadwinner for Costa Rica; surely it is also the envy of its Central American neighbours.
This influx of tourism and foreign investment raised living standards and wages. What sets Costa Rica apart from its neighbours (cough cough…Panama) is the distribution of wealth. Today, Costa Rica has one of the largest middle classes in Latin America. Due to minimal import controls, most of the products available in Costa Rica are shipped in, and heavily taxed.
It does seem the tax revenue is well spent, with no military and instead, a strong emphasis on strong welfare systems, environment protection and sustainable development. A driver we had in Liberia proudly informed us that we wouldn’t see children begging on the streets in his country because they have free schooling and free meals at school.
When you consider the development trajectories of other countries in Latin America, I believe Costa Rica has a lot to be proud of. Knowing this, I still took every opportunity to complain about prices, especially for beer. I’ve since learned that there are national park entry fees in Costa Rica in excess of $100 USD. Surely there’s a fine-line between eco-tourism and tourism elitism. All I know is, we couldn’t afford to cross it.