Costa Rica Living Editorial – I take one last trip into Jaco in order to get the essentials. I have cleaning supplies, dog food, groceries, and anything else that I might need when bunkering down for the next few days. Although it is just a holiday weekend in Costa Rica I am preparing as if I am going to experience a 4 day nuclear holocaust from which I had exit my bunker on Monday.
I live at the beach so going to the beach is not a holiday it is my daily life. Although I am a bit of a recluse, fighting the crowds and the debauchery of the multitude of weekend visitors coming my direction does not excite me. Like most weekends I will be at home enjoying quiet and solitude.
Semana Santa is a special holiday in this country where Catholicism is such a dominant part of daily life. For me it is a week to stay home and catch up on some reading and work or have friends visit me at home. The Catholic traditions while interesting the first few years I was in Costa Rica have lost their luster. I no longer have the desire to go fight the traffic and crowds to catch a glimpse of one of the many parades that take place during this time of year.
As I head home I have been graced with overcast weather with nightly showers of the past few days as it seems that green or rainy season is finally upon us in Costa Rica. Tourism based companies see this time of year as a very slow period with not much revenue coming into their pockets. For me it is my favorite time of year in the land of Pura Vida.
The hot weather is cooled by afternoon showers and clouds. The air conditioning does not need to be ran when getting ready for bed. The prices of hotels and tours decreases as the travel industry fights over the limited bookings available. The crowds that once filled the tourist towns become sparse and beaches become empty.
As Costa Rica celebrates the Crucifixion of Christ and his rising from the dead I will be comfortably in my home celebrating the end of high season and watching the rain drizzle outside in the trees.
I am sure in October and November I will be ready for the rains to stop as I change my wet socks and shoes at the end of a trek to get groceries, but until that day…….. Happy Semana Santa everyone and greetings to a new “Green” season in Costa Rica.
