Costa Rica’s enigmatic addresses (2021)
We went to Costa Rica for a week, was planning on getting engaged there. Had heard all the stories of how beautiful it was, etc. Rented a car and drove up the mountain all the tourists go to. In most cases Costa Rica was as expensive if not moreso than the Bay Area.<p>This really spoke to me:<p>> Costa Rica’s streets are in awful shape, traffic is terrible, and the addresses mean no one knows exactly where they’re going — so Ticos always have an excuse to be late.<p>I've been to many, many countries, driven in about half of them; the main road from the capital to the main tourist mountain is in <i>awful</i> shape. Driving at night is super sketchy not because of crime but simply because the roads are (barely) carved into the side of hills, frequently a single lane, and no paint markings of any kind, especially on the side of the road. This makes driving at night on black, wet asphalt a real chore to even stay on the road.<p>The reason I mention price is that for what they charge tourists, the tourism infrastructure (pretty much the road link between the airport and the mountain) is abysmal. We ended up getting engaged elsewhere. Costa Rica is a beautiful country with wonderful people but it's not for me.