Costa Rica Cost Of Living: Head of lettuce (non-wilted)— 41 cents

There are many exciting things to do in Costa Rica like zip-lining, snorkeling, or horseback riding on the beach. However, nothing will elicit a bigger reaction from locals than discovering their road is finally getting paved. It’s not often this happens, but when it does you can all but hear your neighbors holler “hallelujah” from their porches.

 The dirt road from Surfside to Playa Danta is getting paved! For someone not living in this part of the country, it may be hard to understand just how significant of an event this really is. When I lived in the United States, I took for granted the fact that plenty of tax dollars were set aside to repair roads when necessary. Not always so in Costa Rica.

Costa Rican streets can quickly wash away during the rainy season, and turn into dust bowls during the dry season. Often times you will see people hosing down the road in front of their homes in a small attempt to prevent dirt from entering their residences.

Unfortunately, parasites and bacteria are deposited in these dirt roads by stray animals. Aside from the mess this makes, it also becomes a health issue for small children and the elderly as passing cars cause pathogens to become airborne. This project should affect many lives in a positive way. It’s great to know that this water—once sprayed onto dirt roads—will be saved for Guanacaste’s water table.

Getting a road fixed is not the easiest thing, and often times it can take years of pleading with a municipality in order to get funding. Protests have been staged and sometimes a community may even close down a street in an attempt to raise awareness.

Workers have already brought in dump trucks full of stone and from the looks of things, it’s only a matter of time before the road is finished. The community is even starting to rally in an attempt to meet the needs of workers who have traveled from other parts of the country to make this happen.

I can’t wait to drive down to Sugar Beach or Playa Danta for boogie boarding and drinks by the sea. It’s going be a smooth ride folks.