The people of Costa Rica are ambivalent about explorer and
colonizer Christopher Columbus. During his fourth and final
voyage in 1502 Columbus colonized the east coast and introduced
the Christian faith. However, he did this by forcefully
enslaving the natives and stealing their property. Today, we
visited Puerto Limón (Spanish for lemon), a harbor town known
better for its shipping operations of bananas than tourism. In
the distance we could see Uvita Island, said to be where
Columbus landed. We walked the streets of the town watching
people dine al fresco on chicharróns, white rice and black
beans, a popular dish at breakfast, lunch or dinner. A local
beach, albeit dirty with overflowing trash bins and homeless
dogs, offered waves big enough for surfing.