Costa Rica
Six month backpacking trip through Bolivia, Peru and central America: update 10/14
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Johan Kruseman
Updated on 13 July 2024
Updated on 13 July 2024
Besides encountering quite a few Bolivians, Peruvians, Panamanians, and Costa Ricans, I occasionally run into Americans. They’re easy to spot. If someone extends their hand and shouts, “Hi, I’m Jim!!!” the very second they see you, even if they’re still 50 meters away, they’re definitely American. With an American, everything is always “all right.” And if someone thinks people living three meters below sea level should look different, then it’s an American too.
But some Costa Ricans also have a rather simple worldview. Very interested, they ask where you’re from.
- Netherlands.
- America?
- No, the Netherlands.
- Canada!
- No, the Netherlands. Do you know the Netherlands?
- No.
- Do you know England? ... Germany? ... France?
- No ... no ... no.
- Um, do you know Europe?
- No. So, I explained to them, using the countries they did know (Costa Rica, America, and Canada), where all those tall people, cows, and milk come from.
To occasionally share what I’m doing here: snorkeling, seeing dolphins, and lying on palm beaches. As a result, for the first time I spent Christmas with a sunburned back. Okay, I would have preferred to skip the Christmas chapter. That’s not entirely true because it was actually a super fun experience, but it was definitely different from the usual family, turkey, cranberry sauce, and homemade potato salad. Together with Maartje on December 25th, searching for a cozy restaurant, our quest ends in a Burger King-like place. All other restaurants were closed. So, my Christmas dinner was Combo Number One, consisting of cold chicken, fries, and a coke.
MAARTJE??? the observant reader might be thinking. Maartje is from Groningen, but I only met her in Bolivia. Later, we crossed paths again in Peru, and in Panama, we decided to travel together for a while. That’s over now, and from tomorrow, it will be fellow club member Willem.
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Traveled route: Tapantí National Park, San José, Parque Nacional Volcán Arenal, Puntarenas
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Six month backpacking trip through Bolivia, Peru and central America: update 11/14
Costa Rica (and Panama) is by far the safest country in Central America, and in line with Murphy’s first law, that’s where my big backpack got stolen (from under the bus, on December 31st). I’ve been traveling for a few weeks now with just my s
Costa Rica
Did this story inspire you to go to Costa Rica? Read more on what Costa Rica has to offer, what the best months are for visiting and check the handy links for backpacking there.
