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Two Great Lies About Costa Rica

Baby Boomer Going Like Sixty Posted on by

dry_season_Costa_Rica

1. Atenas Costa Rica has the best climate in the world according to National Geographic magazine.

2. Costa Rica has two seasons: The Dry Season and The Green Season.

The first is easy to debunk. The National Geographic magazine NEVER wrote that… but like all good marketing campaigns, it has a life of it’s own and is often repeated as fact. I have no problems with a good marketing campaign, I do have a problem with attaching it as a quote from a reputable magazine. It’s the definition of “Truthiness.”

The second lie having to do with the two seasons… it’s also truthy, but the seasons are “dry” and “wet” or “brown” and “green.” Mixing the two is like putting ballerina slippers on a rhino. It may look cute, but it will never be graceful.

Calling it the “green” season may sound nicer, but it doesn’t change that fact that everything gets wet and stays wet until the dry season.

We got our first overall soaking rain this morning. It’s been at least 100 days since our last good rain. Consensus is that the “green” season has started … ugh.

I didn’t move to Costa Rica to be wet. I’m not crazy about the onset of rains and clouds. Having never-ending muddy dog prints everywhere, dealing with breeding grounds for dengue mosquitoes… and having to unplug electronics at the first hint of a storm. And dog-killer toads breed…

Other names for the season that isn’t “dry”:

  • Muddy Dog Feet Months
  • High Humidity Heydeys
  • Roads to Rivers Revival
  • Dengue Days
  • Unplug Upturn
  • Toad Time

I put the “I-Love-Green-Season” folks in the same boat with “I-Love-Snow” folks.

They are “special.”

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Comments

Two Great Lies About Costa Rica — 7 Comments

  2. I never comment on these things and I probably shouldn’t now but I kinda feel I have to. We need rain for the plants and trees to be as amazing as they are. I never understand the aversion to it. It is part of the process…..you gotta love it all.:)

  3. After spending 8 years in the “but-it’s-a-dry-heat” of the Arizona desert, we were delighted to move to CR in October — apparently the rainiest month. I did forget how much fun (not) it is to hose down the dogs/patio/etc. every time they need to come in — this morning at 6 a.m., for example. And my laundry on the line has had two rainwater rinses since this morning. But other than the unplugging of the electronics, I’m kind of excited to see rain again. Each to his/her own I guess!!!!

  5. My son lives in Costa Rico, , the Central Valley, between San Jose and the Pacific Ocean (west side) and loves it. He said “its no way you could not like living in Paradice. Yes, it has a rainy season, but its
    short and dries fast. I would love to go see him but I’m 80 years old
    somewhat handicapped.

  6. To one of your opening points — “marketing campaigns” and ‘truthiness” are mutually exclusive more often than not.

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