Here is card #3 from the Central America travels, compliments of John! This is a card from Costa Rica, the second-most southern country in Central America (right above Panama). Costa Rica, which means “Rich Coast” in Spanish, lives up to its name through its gorgeous white sand beaches that can be found on both the Atlantic and Pacific sides. Costa Rica is reputed as a “surfers’ paradise” due to the great waves and the fact that it’s an ideal place to surf year-round. It’s even home to the latest World Surfing Champion, Noe Mar McGonagle! (Now that I know that, I’m gonna tell people I’m the McGonagle of surfing the web…) Beaches and waves aside, you can come to the country to see the active volcanoes, such as Arendal Volcano, and admire the immense amounts of biodiversity, such as ocelots and three-toed sloths. As you might guess, conservation is a huge focus in Costa Rica. Something I learned about that I thought was so cool was the presence of the Genius River Bridge. This bridge was created by local rangers using confiscated gear from illegal shark poachers, who would cut the fins off of sharks to sell them. Props to the rangers on that! Finally, Costa Rica is considered to be the safest country in Central America. Violent crime is low, and the country has even been without a military for the past 70 years! The sender has mentioned that this was his favorite country during his Central America trip… and I can see why! Thanks a bunch for sending this to me, John!
