Beautiful Country…………Ugly People

Traveling is a privilege and definitely a blessing for many who are able to do it with their families.  For many countries, tourism brings in the revenue needed to help sustain that country.  Specifically speaking about Costa Rica, tourism dollars are used to generate economic benefits for its people, protect their environment and help support Costa Rican culture and values.

How is it that you an outsider, a visitor, a tourist can misconstrue this privilege to step your feet on this beautiful land as your right to do as you please and to behave so ignorantly?  I have traveled here for the first time back in 2012 with my fiancé.  We stayed at the RIU resorts in Guanacaste.  Costa Ricans are very lovely people; therefore we were treated with great kindness and hospitality.  The resort was always well maintained and the food very fresh and delectable.  My vacation was going great and finally the time came to experience Costa Rica outside of the resort via an excursion.  I apologize for not recalling the name of the tour company we used but I have to commend them on the way they enthusiastically imparted the knowledge of their culture and their well spoken English.

The Palo Verde National Park excursion was an amazing outing in 2012.  You came aboard a boat that held approximately 20-30 people with an overhead canopy that held passengers life jackets.  The boat captain and crew after introducing themselves diligently made sure the people on the boat were comfortable but more importantly that our weight was evenly distributed on either side of the boat.  We were told that the boat was made of fiberglass and if everyone was allowed to sit as they pleased then we would capsized it.  The boat ride took place on the Tempisque River which ran through Palo Verde.  I later learned that the river is 18 miles long with 100 crocodiles per mile so it was very necessary for the crew to check the balance of the boat.   The running joke was that passengers didn’t need to put on life jackets because the crocs didn’t like the way they tasted.  On our journey up the Tempisque River, we took in the sights and sounds of the flora and fauna and watched the crocs regain their energy by lying on the river banks in full sun.  Enjoying the gorgeous weather, heavenly breeze and the fresh air, the boat captain steered the boat to the side of the river and we were given banana slices.  Imagine the mix of emotions that began to surface on the faces of the passengers like confusion, excitement and anxiety because what I neglected to mention were the Capuchin monkeys hanging around in the trees.  Capuchin monkeys are the white-faced monkeys that some people may recall as the outbreak monkey from the movie of the same name.

Anyhow, the tour operators relaxed everyone because we were ensured that the monkeys would not harm us but only wished to obtain that slice of sweet fruit each of us were holding.  On the side of the Tempisque river surrounded by about a dozen white-faced monkeys who have literally left the forest and are in the boat with us, you quickly forget about the danger lurking below you in the water.   These monkeys are small, very cute and light weight.  As I looked around at the faces of the passengers, everyone from young to old had a look of glee and pure enjoyment.  It is not everyday that one gets to see, touch and feed a wild animal.  The monkeys move over your person with swiftness and gentility in pursuit of the banana without care as to where you’ve placed it on your body.  One gentleman placed his banana slice on his head and it was graciously eaten.  I have traveled many places and have gone on many excursions and have never experienced such an amazing and surreal experience, so naturally I wanted to share this with my children.

Fast forward to present year 2015, my daughter’s 13th birthday and of course her gift was a trip to Costa Rica.  This time we stayed at the Barceló Langosta Beach Resort in Tamarindo.  We had a great time at this resort and I enjoyed watching my daughter

interact with a lizard that seemingly allowed her to walk behind it and record video of its playful antics.  She spent her days enjoying the food from the many buffets, pool and the beach side.  I believed we all tanned three shades darker than we arrived.  From her room window, she could listen to the sounds of the Howler monkeys that would come on the property early in the morning but she had never seen any.  She became very anxious to see the Capuchin monkeys at Palo Verde National Park; to be able to touch and feed a monkey outside of the zoo, she thought was awesome.

Excursion day is here. We awake early in the morning, eat breakfast and prepare ourselves for the long van ride into Guanacaste where the park is located.  This was the highlight of the whole vacation and we couldn’t contain our excitement.  We arrived at the location and descended the plank and walked on the boat.  As I began to take my seat I noticed a big sign that basically told us that it was now illegal to feed the monkeys and anyone caught would be subjected to a $5000 fine or incarceration.  Angry isn’t sufficient enough a word to describe my feelings.  I was on fire at this point but I had to hold it together because my daughter still didn’t know yet and I didn’t want to spoil it for her.  We began the tour and I was secretly praying that what I had read to my dismay was not true.  We traveled along the Tempisque River and saw many different birds like egrets, blue herons and one north American goose that could not make the flight back home.  We also saw many crocodiles and watched one surface behind our boat showing eyes and snout only. My daughter was able to capture on video a croc do its death roll because the boat captain had inadvertently cornered it in shallow water.   We were told that crocs do not like shallow water.  Everyone on board was surprised, frightened and excited to see a real croc show aggression in reality and not by watching the animal channel.  Continuing on our travels up the river, we came along a group of white-faced monkeys drinking water by the river bank.  The tour guides pointed out that they too knew the dangers lurking in the water and so we watched some monkeys dip their arms into the water  and drink from their sleeves.  While we watched monkeys playing with each other, the boat captain tried to sneak and eat a mango.  This feat became laughable because all of a sudden the monkeys started to move in stealth mode in pursuit of it.  He quickly had to put it away and pull away from the bank because of fear that park rangers would mistake him for feeding the monkeys and revoke his boat license; therefore rendering him unable to provide for his family.  Before we left we did witness some monkeys having an allergic reaction to a fruit they liked to eat which produced a fiberglass protection that gave them itching fits. Hilarious!

On conclusion of this tour, I couldn’t disembark without knowing the reason that this excursion became restricted.  I had asked one of the tour guides about it and he said that park rangers found on different occasions that the monkeys were given improper foods to eat. To name a few, pringles chips, chocolate chip cookies and the most egregious chewing gum.  Authorities actually had to rescue a monkey who became entangled in chewing gum.  People must realize that you can not come into someone’s backyard and disturb their peace.  Palo Verde National Park has an ecosystem of plants and animals that come together in one area harmoniously.  These incidents of carelessness and ignorance could potentially damage it all.  As any person would do when threatened, you immediately react to protect your home and stop the persistence of harmful behavior.

The Lord has provided this world to us in all its grander and beauty.  We as tourists and even residents of our own countries must put in our due diligence to protect this earth from harm.

We must

all show great responsibility and respect our land and most importantly teach our children to do the same.