Today, we left Heredia in the Central Valley and made our way to the mountains of Monteverde. On the drive there, I was able to observe Costa Rica gradually transform from the dense, lively city that is Heredia into the remote, quieter mountains that make up Monteverde. As we drove farther away from Heredia, I felt that the areas were gradually becoming more and more tourist-oriented; I feel like experiencing Heredia gave us a more accurate representation of what life, culture, and business are actually like for Ticos. I felt that the closer we drove to our new hotel, the more the area morphed into a tourist destination. Around halfway through our bus ride, we stopped at a gift shop; some things that stood out to me at this gift shop were that many of the store’s workers spoke English, paying in US Dollars was the standard at this store, and, lastly, we ran into a group of senior citizens who were also from the US here (specifically Pittsburgh and New York). All of the aforementioned factors contributed to me feeling as though we were in an area that was designed specifically for tourists–particularly American tourists. I did not feel this way as much in Heredia, as most people there only spoke Spanish, and we didn’t really run into too many other tourists–rather, our hotel was pretty close to the homes of locals, and we always saw locals whenever we walked outside to go to stores or restaurants. When we finally arrived at the hotel in Monteverde, I felt even more like we were at a tourist destination due to factors such as the hotel’s isolated nature and stunning scenery. I think that the isolated location of the hotel in Monteverde makes it feel like the area is designed to be a relaxing getaway from the real world, while the location of Heredia has the opposite effect, as it is right in the center of life. 

I would say that my perception of Costa Rica has definitely changed in some ways since our arrival on Saturday. Prior to this trip, I had very little knowledge of Costa Rica as a country. All I really knew is that it was a vacation destination that was popular among many people, thus causing me to always picture it as nothing more than its various tourist attractions. I now have gained not only a deeper understanding of business operations in Costa Rica, but of the difference between real-life and the life that tourists get to experience here, too. 

We also attended a lecture with Don Ricardo Guindon today, a member of one of the Quaker families that helped to found and establish Monteverde. Through this lecture, I was able to understand the significant role that foreigners have had in terms of securing economic growth as well as the creation of a culture in places like Monteverde. Not only did families like Don Ricardo Guindon’s attract tourists and job-seekers to the area by improving roads and setting up farms, but they also pursued business ventures in doing things like selling cheeses to various businesses in the Central Valley. Quakers like Don Ricardo Guindon also played a huge role in establishing Monteverde as a place with a tolerance for a diverse set of cultures and beliefs.