(click on photo for larger
version)
Stephanie & Steve at Jaco Beach
Christopher Columbus discovered Costa Rica in 1502, bringing with him the exotic diseases which erased most of the native population. Not too cool, but hey, it was 1502 and invading a country was pretty much the way of the world. Columbus and his minions were enchanted by the rich look of the country, and so named it Costa Rica, meaning "Rich Coast." However, the explorers soon
discovered that this Rich Coast business was mostly bunk. The streets were not paved with gold and there was no large, amiable native population they could round up and export as slaves to the silver mines up north. Spanish adventurers quickly lost interest in the place and wandered off, looking for more gilded pastures. Today, Costa Rica is a prime tourist destination, with rain forests that exist as they did a million years ago and beaches with seawater as clear as glass and fish the color of rainbows.
Visit Costa Rica web site
