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Costa Rica changes

It is unbelievable how much Costa Rica has changed in the last few years.! New business abounds throughout the country. The road to Guanacaste has saved hours of commuting time for those in the northern part of the country as well as giving some much needed shortcuts to business and shopping. Multiplaza mall is unrecognizable to what it was only 5 years ago.

What’s interesting, the road system hasn’t changed to keep up with the growth of the country. One example would be driving from San Jose airport to one of the more populated and well known cities, Escazu or Santa Ana. There are only 3 ways to get between these places..  May not sound like an issue, however if one of these roads collapse, which happens regularly, 1/2 of the country is in a gridlock.

The road from the airport to central San Jose has collapsed on 3 different occasions in the last 3 years. This is the busiest autopista (Spanish for highway) in the country and when it goes down, you have SERIOUS problems with transportation.

What’s interesting is the number of engineers in the country. There are 100’s graduating from college each year. I wonder what they are using this education to do and what they are engineering? It most certainly is not the roads or improving the biggest problem of the country.

I ponder……

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Escazu

Escazu is one of the oldest settlements in the country, it is also one of the most up-to-date and sophisticated places to live. This is considered the most prestigious place to live in Costa Rica which is also home to the well-known Country Day School.

Only 15 minutes from San Jose but worlds apart in terms of atmosphere. Escazu is home to some of the finer restaurants in Costa Rica and is where many Americans choose to live and eat. Despite the fashionable shops and restaurants, parts of Escazu still have a surprisingly rural feel. Next to a high end furniture store, you might see a couple of cows grazing in front of an adobe hut.