It was The Week Before Christmas and All Through Costa Rica....
...drivers continue to engage in road-combat during the holiest of holidays in this Catholic country.
Kids are out of school, government employees are off work, many are on vacation for most of the month and churches can become standing room only gathering places for several generations of entire families.
The mood of Costa Rica as a whole is festive and congenial with importance placed on family, friends and life - except on the roadways where it remains a dog-eat-dog selfish brawl between; flying metal mosquitoes (aka: irritating buzzing little motorcycles in every nook of open roadway and sidewalks), crash-test dummies (aka: drivers of cars, taxis, SUVs, trucks and buses that ignore all unenforced rules of the road) and road bumps (aka: humans unlucky enough to be crossing streets or on sidewalks when mosquitoes or crash-test dummies go flying through).
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so the build-up to this subject is now complete. The following are pictures taken within the past 6 days while driving in the San Jose central valley area of Costa Rica that should be worth 8,000 words:
Additional pictures taken recently, but more than a week old:
And what would a Christmas blog be without a picture of a local tradition?!
The following photo was taken this morning ... again, the picture should speak for itself (with just a little extra help from the Photoshop text tool ;o):
Happy Holidays - Merry Christmas - Feliz Navidad - Happy Hanukkah - Happy Ramadan - Happy Kwanzaa - Happy Winter Solstice - Happy New Year - Feliz Nuevo Ano - and all those not mentioned!
Drive safe during your holiday, especially in Costa Rica ... so we can all enjoy the next year together!
Costa Rica driving and traffic related articles:
- Costa Rica's New Traffic Laws - Take Effect September 23, 2009 March 1, 2010
- Costa Rica Cars Don’t Share Roads Well With Bicycles
- The Luckiest Man (still) ALIVE in Costa Rica
- Black Friday - 19 Hours No Electricity
- Costa Rica Traffic Sign Suggestions (humor)
- Cost Rica Car Security - Protect Yourself, Your Investment and Your Valuables
- How to Navigate Costa Rica by Car - with a GPS Device and Digital Map
- Buying or Importing a Car in Costa Rica
- Costa Rica Gas Prices
- Getting a Costa Rica Drivers License - "Do Not Smile"
Posted by Bill Clanton at 12/23/2009 11:06 AM 
Categories: Motorcycles in Costa Rica,Public Transportation in Costa Rica,Government of Costa Rica,Rent a Car in Costa Rica,Drivers License in Costa Rica,Culture in Costa Rica,Living in Costa Rica,Life in Costa Rica,Laws in Costa Rica,Transportation in Costa Rica,Travel in Costa Rica,Automobiles in Costa Rica,Communities in Costa Rica,Insurance in Costa Rica,Driving in Costa Rica,Pictures of Costa Rica
Tags: policía tráfico Costa Rica Safety enforcement roads 2009 driving San Jose crash Adventure policia tipico blog Automobiles Police Traffic picture Community trafico costs Culture Travel taxis Poder Judicial car bus tickets Costarricense Laws security accident capital motorcycle Government courts
Categories: Motorcycles in Costa Rica,Public Transportation in Costa Rica,Government of Costa Rica,Rent a Car in Costa Rica,Drivers License in Costa Rica,Culture in Costa Rica,Living in Costa Rica,Life in Costa Rica,Laws in Costa Rica,Transportation in Costa Rica,Travel in Costa Rica,Automobiles in Costa Rica,Communities in Costa Rica,Insurance in Costa Rica,Driving in Costa Rica,Pictures of Costa Rica
Tags: policía tráfico Costa Rica Safety enforcement roads 2009 driving San Jose crash Adventure policia tipico blog Automobiles Police Traffic picture Community trafico costs Culture Travel taxis Poder Judicial car bus tickets Costarricense Laws security accident capital motorcycle Government courts
Funny but true......I'm so used to it now!!!
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I am an expat living in Costa Rica, and am well aware of the differences in driving, but I am writing to tell you that the self-righteous sneer you deliver your Costa Rica commentary with is why you can no longer count me as a reader.
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I am travelling to Guanacaste with my 2 kids, ages 8 & 6. How safe is Costa Rica for kids this age? Do I need to worry about kidnapping? Sex trafficing?
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Costa Rica is a wonderful experience for entire families ... many things to do and educational things to see. Most crime is petty theft - a bad guy wants your camera, not your kids.
Have a GREAT trip!
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We are really looking forward to going. Thank you for your reassurance.
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arriving for a month never been to CR before your blog has me a bit nervous. (crime).mom and older son staying in Samara.Best choice for shuttle Co. to and from S Jose to Samama? I'd rather see the country than fly. safety near Sleep Inn ok for 2 days arrival and departure? in SJ?
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Costa Rica Blogger is certainly not trying to make anybody nervous about Costa Rica ... I moved here by choice from a town in Illinois where I never locked my doors.
My entries are those of first-hand knowledge that don't sugar-coat things so those that do want to experience all the wonderful things Costa Rica has to offer don't do so with eyes wide-shut.
The Costa Rica national bus system is really good and inexpensive if you are looking to travel by ground. There are also shuttle companies, I would seek the advice of a hotel near your final destination as they may have a service that makes a daily run for a flat fee. If your looking for a private driver I recommend Manuel Solano (011-506-8363-9475) from San Jose to wherever you want to go.
Enjoy your trip, let somebody else do the driving and of course: ¡Pura Vida!
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