Today, as a group, we traveled through the city of Heredia. The adventure had numerous stops including a historic church, a food market, and a shopping mall. After getting to see more of Costa Rica, parts of the country matched my expectations, while others were very surprising.
The beginning part of the tour showed the Costa Rica that I expected to find. There were crowded streets, buildings with lots of Latin architecture, small food stands, and beautiful plants. Prior knowledge and the pre-departure meetings told me that Costa Rica would be a lively, culture-rich, and natural environment. It was very enjoyable getting to experience all of this firsthand after hearing so much about it.
The later part of the adventure brought to light a new part of Costa Rica. Our trip to the mall showed that although Costa Rica is very focused on culture and preservation, there are modern aspects to the tico way of life. It was very surprising to find many of the stores at home also present in Costa Rica. Not only that, but the mall itself was beautifully built, with a rooftop overlook of the city and a sustainable air conditioning system. This modernized part of Costa Rica is something I did not know about before the trip.
Overall, the tour through Heredia displayed both a country that met my expectations as well as a country that I found surprising. The way that modern technology mixes with culture and history in Costa Rica is very neat and makes the country even more enjoyable from my point of view.
