Ideas are alive. From some magical spark of inspiration, ideas grow, develop or even metamorphose into full blown maturity. However, more often than not, problems arise when trying to make this dream into a reality. The Costa Rican hilltop town of Santa Elena had a dream. With no looming volcanoes or splendid beaches, Santa Elena turned to eco-tourism to attract the masses. But something went wrong along the way.The Monteverde area has been christened number 14 of the Americas in Newsweek's 100 Places
to Remember Before They Disappear, has been deemed one of the Seven Wonders of Costa Rica by popular vote, and has been called by National Geographic "the jewel in the crown of cloud forest reserves". Tourists have been coming here for ages to soak up the nature-ness of the place. Costa Rica's, now ubiquitous, tree-top canopy walks originated here. Attempts have been made to strike a balance between nature and tourism. Namely a successful petition to keep the roads leading to the area mostly unpaved. But with an estimated 250,000 tourist visit a year, how long can the balance last?
to Remember Before They Disappear, has been deemed one of the Seven Wonders of Costa Rica by popular vote, and has been called by National Geographic "the jewel in the crown of cloud forest reserves". Tourists have been coming here for ages to soak up the nature-ness of the place. Costa Rica's, now ubiquitous, tree-top canopy walks originated here. Attempts have been made to strike a balance between nature and tourism. Namely a successful petition to keep the roads leading to the area mostly unpaved. But with an estimated 250,000 tourist visit a year, how long can the balance last?Everything costs money here. The canopy tours are up to $50. If you want to visit the parks, you have to pay. If you want to see a waterfall, you have to pay. Seeing bugs costs money. And i believe they were thinking of creating an oxygen tax in the near future. You can't really enjoy the nature unless you're willing to pay for it, green for green.
And the town of Santa Elena is ridiculous. Restaurants, for example, serve everything other than
local food. It's a struggle to find local fare and not pasta, hamburgers or sushi. And reservations? Are you kidding me??? There are no locals, only tourists. The place is noisy with what is apparently a muffler-free zone. Not to mention most hostels have paper thin walls in an attempt to pack in as many backpackers as possible. There is absolutely nothing appealing or endearing about the town itself, and without spending a bundle, you can't even see the reserves the place has become famous for. What's the point?
local food. It's a struggle to find local fare and not pasta, hamburgers or sushi. And reservations? Are you kidding me??? There are no locals, only tourists. The place is noisy with what is apparently a muffler-free zone. Not to mention most hostels have paper thin walls in an attempt to pack in as many backpackers as possible. There is absolutely nothing appealing or endearing about the town itself, and without spending a bundle, you can't even see the reserves the place has become famous for. What's the point?I won't even bother with the usually suggestions of how to get here as it's a useless expendature of typing exertion. While i'm sure numerous people will regale dinner parties with stories of a great experience in Monte Verde, i, for one, will never go back. Newsweek called it a place to visit before it's gone, i say it's already too late.
3 comments:
Ugh. My first trip to Costa Rica was in 1995, and my second was in 2002. In 1995, my friends and I stayed in Santa Elena. There were no hotels. We stayed with a family who rented rooms in their home to the few tourists who chanced that way. The road between Santa Elena and the cloud forest/rain forest parks was a dirt road through the forest. The only thing along it between Saanta Elena and the parks was the cheese factory. When we returned in 2002, it was exactly as you described it here. We were so confused and disappointed. I can only imagine that in the 8 years since my last trip it has gotten exponentially worse.
bitchbitchbitch, you're entitled to your opinion, but you obviously didn't spend enough time in this place to experience its charm. yes, it has changed. yes, it's screwed because of development and lack of planning, but there's an underlying layer that you would have gotten had you gotten to know the locals and seen the other side.
Costa Ricas are in general nice. But the ones in Monte Verde are not any different from others in the country. So it's hardly a saving grace for the place.
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