Puerto Limón, Costa Rica
Karyn Planett
Caribbean Costa Rica
“Costa Rica is considered unique in Central America; prosperity has made it dull … What is remarkable is its secularity. I was not prepared for this … The Cost Rican’s dislike of dictators had made him intolerant of priests. Luck and ingenuity had made the country prosperous, and it was small and self-contained enough to remain so.” –Paul Theroux, The Old Patagonian Express, 1979.
Well, in addition to luck and ingenuity, the people of Costa Rica are blessed with a country that is flanked by both the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean. In addition, there are some very productive commodities that find their way from Costa Rica to nations around the world, but more on that later. Just for now, let’s look at just one page of history about the port we’re soon to visit.
Columbus Slept Here
With a history dating back some 500 years, you knew Christopher Columbus had to stop on by. It’s claimed by historians that, yes, the Great Navigator made landfall in what’s now Costa Rica and he was the first European to do so. That was on September 18th, 1502. Local Carib Indians, donning their golden jewelry, greeted Columbus and his men by paddling out to their anchored vessel. Subsequent to this time, the name “Costa Rica” was born in honor of the golden bands adorning the Indians’ ears and noses. The translation means, of course, Rich Coast.
The indigenous people never numbered more than a few hundred thousand. Then, with the Spanish introduction of certain diseases such as smallpox, the population was nearly wiped out. True to practice, the Spaniards introduced slaves from Africa. According to authorities, there are approximately 70,000 descendants from these slaves living in Costa Rica today. On the other hand, a mere 1% can trace their heritage to the indigenous people. Virtually everyone else is identified as “white” and the descendants of the Spanish settlers who are called Ticos.
“What’s A Sloth, Mommy?”
“Well, Bree, it’s rather like a …, hmm, well sort of a …., hmm. Ask your father.” Little Bree dashes off to Dadipedia who himself is stumped by the question. In order to avoid like embarrassment, just continue reading. A sloth is a sort of monkey-looking, slow-as-molasses hairball that hangs upside all day for some unknown reason. And, he lives in Costa Rica as well as other Central and South American jungles. But here’s an interesting fact. His metabolism is so slow it can take up to 30 days for him to simply digest his dinner of, what, leaves. It screams Metamucil. You’d think he’d be getting enough roughage with his vegetarian diet. Sloths also have weird hair that’s grooved so water is directed away from his furry body. The strangest thing of all, though, is that they’re so slow moving that an algae grows in their groovy fur to further enhance their camouflage. You actually could probably say that moss does grow on their backsides. Isn’t that odd?
More Of Mother Nature’s Curiosities
Toucans. Costa Rica has toucans. They’re the ones that look like you could change a tire with their beaks, or bills as they prefer to call them. Some bills can reach more than seven inches in length. Evidently it’s pretty popular with the ladies. A toucan’s call sounds just like a frog so if you think you hear a frog, look up and maybe you’ll see a toucan.
Costa Rica is also home to scarlet macaws. They’re supersized parrots, in fact the world’s largest measuring a whopping 33 inches beak to tail. You should not try to measure one because they’re beaks are so strong they can crack a hard nut.
And, then, there’s the howler monkey. He’s the New World’s biggest monkey. These fellows are so loud, hence the name, that when they give it a good go they can be heard three miles away. Thankfully they have prehensile tail that allows them to hang around because they prefer staying in the treetops and come down from their perch quite rarely. They live in “troops” so keep an eye and ear open for a troop of howlers. They sound like a car with bad breaks in a sandstorm.
Where to find some of these creatures? Well, if you’re lucky you might see a sloth up a tree in town. They’re hard to spot because of their algae camo get-up.
A Page From The History Books
At one time, coffee was an important product grown in Costa Rica. It developed as a major export with shipments headed toward Europe. The problem was the port for Europe was on the Pacific Ocean and the coffee was grown in the Central Plateau. Oxcarts were used to transport the aromatic beans. But, a decision was made to develop a port on the Atlantic coast, for obvious reasons, and that required a pool of laborers. The government engaged Minor C. Keith, an America entrepreneur, to build the railroad to Limón, thus the Caribbean. This railroad was finished in 1890 and the labor pool was comprised of Chinese, Jamaicans, Italians, and prisoners from the US.
Well, now you can write your own chapter in your personal history book after your visit to Costa Rica and Puerto Limón. Give it a go.