When walking around Manuel Antonio, I’m never sure what kind of country I’m in. What I mean is, in predominantly English-speaking countries I expect to see and hear a lot of English, and in predominantly Spanish speaking countries, I expect to see and hear a lot of Spanish. Also, from my previous travels I’ve learned to associate Costa Rica with rich biodiversity, small towns, cheaper prices in restaurants and shops, and very friendly people who mostly speak Spanish. However, Manuel Antonio has a large expat community. This means most of the signs along the road are in English, and many people you meet who own businesses are not Costa Rican at all.

At Emilio’s, I was taken aback that the menu was all in English, and the food offerings were Mediterranean. The waiter did speak in Spanish, and I’ve found that wait staff, bus, and taxi drivers do speak in Spanish. However, from what I’ve seen, there are no local Costa Rican style restaurants in Manuel Antonio, but there are a few in nearby Quepos.Another shock was the price. For a fruit juice and a falafel sandwich, I paid $12, that’s about the same I would pay in Monterey, California for the same meal. At least the fruit juices are authentic!

Last night, a group of us went to a Karaoke night at a local bar nearby our home. The owners were Canadian, most of the people there were Internationals, the songs were largely in English, and there was a giant Janga set up on the patio. Still, the environment was great! Karaoke became a melting pot of cultures and favorite songs and soon the entire room was singing to everything from top Pop Hits, Classic Rock, Country, and songs by Mexican artists (courtesy of of awesome program director and staff member!)

So far, I’ve had less of a Costa Rican experience, and more of a “how expats and tourists live in Costa Rica” experience. However, this is not necessarily a bad thing. Everybody I’d met brings a little of their culture and their personality to the table, and what’s created is something new. We’ll see how it develops!

Karaoke!

Giant Janga!