Most of the time
Layne and I are singing the praises of Costa Rica but today I am compelled to
point out a couple of negatives, since I was almost knocked down by one of them
on our walk this morning and the other issue may be causing me a health
problem.
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| Not much of a shoulder |
Getting back into
our routine of taking leisurely walks in our Santa Eulalia neighborhood, today
we headed down the main road on the route we sometimes take toward the next
town up the mountain from us. We laughingly say, as we head out, "let's go
to Palmares," knowing that in fact the pueblo is some ten miles away, far too distant for
a hike. The first part of our walk of necessity is along the main road to
Grecia, a reasonably busy asphalt thoroughfare that runs through Santa Eulalia.
The street is wide enough for two cars or trucks but with little leeway beyond
that. Some parts of the roadway have sidewalk but most of the way we must stay
to the edge of the road, often just a sloping concrete gutter, and watch out
for traffic.
Now let's talk
traffic. In Costa Rica, pedestrians do NOT have the right of way; cars do. And
Ticos in general are horrendous drivers, weaving through traffic, passing on
blind curves and speeding as a way of life. Reckless is the only way to
describe most drivers here, sad to say. So it definitely pays to keep your eyes
open when strolling along a roadway. Layne and I wisely walk facing the traffic
so that some crazy driver does not overtake us from behind.
Today as we took a
breather under the shade of a tree just off the road in a driveway, we looked
back to see a truck and with two cars behind heading our way but on the other
side of the road, of course, so no problem, right? Just as they were almost
alongside us, I chose that moment to step out from the driveway and start
walking again, not realizing that one of the cars had chosen that same moment
to pass the truck. Suddenly I was aware of a white metal monster only a foot or
two away from me, whizzing by at probably fifty miles an hour as he sped around
the truck. Holy Moly! To say I was shocked is an understatement. It all
happened too quickly for me to be scared but we certainly considered it still
another cautionary note in staying safe on the streets of Costa Rica.
The other issue we
are dealing with is pesticide use here in this beautiful country that prides
itself on being "green." Last summer after living about a year in
Costa Rica, I developed a very persistent case of eczema. The itchy red rash
covers most of my arms and is in patches on my hands, legs and shoulders. I've
seen dermatologists here and in the U.S., had a biopsy and numerous other tests
done including allergy blood work, used different creams and have taken several
rounds of steroids, which do cure the symptoms but not the disease. Plus,
steroids have some very negative side effects with long-term use.
Giving up on
Western medicine's reliance on pills, I began to do my own research and learned
that, although no one knows what triggers it, eczema is the body's way of
ridding itself of contaminants that are too much for the normal mode of
dispersing toxins, namely, the liver, kidneys and other parts of the digestive
system. When those organs become overloaded, excess pollutants will exit the
body through the skin.
Toxins, eh? Well,
with further research we have learned that unfortunately Costa Rica has the
highest use of pesticides per hectare IN THE WORLD. That's a lot of pesticides.
Take a look at the graph
below (sorry it's so small) and you can see that Costa Rica stands head and shoulders above everyone
else -- not a place you really want to be in this case! Not only that, but
Costa Rica uses pesticides that have been banned in many other countries.
For instance, when
we first encountered leafcutter
ants, we were advised to buy Mirex
insecticide to deal with them. After making the purchase but before opening the
package, we decided to research the product and found that it had been banned
by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency way back in 1976. Without delay we
returned the package to the store and just left the leafcutters to do their
thing.
Our concerns are
not just for our own health but also for that of farm workers here, who
typically use no protective gear when spraying.
According to one report,
Costa Rican pesticide use has led to the poisoning of some 400,000 people, or
about 2% of the population. Effects can include sterility, hormone dependency
and liver and skin cancers. Costa Rican crops using the most dangerous
chemicals are pineapple, bananas and coffee, most of which are grown on large
plantations. Some people assert that smaller farms, which sell their wares at
the local ferias, do not
use chemical pesticides and indeed we have one vendor at the Atenas feria that claims to grow his crops organically.
We don't really
know, of course, whether my eczema is related to exposure to these poisons but
it is cause for concern. Our solution is buy almost exclusively organic fruits
and vegetables and I've given up alcohol, coffee, dairy (other than goat's
milk) and most meat in an effort to reduce the toxins I'm taking into my
system.
Despite these
problems, we still enjoy our life here in the land of Pura Vida. Our walk this
morning reaffirmed one thing about Costa Rica that we love: the friendliness of
Ticos. As we hiked by a construction site, the workers called out a loud
"Hola!" to us and waved when we turned to respond. And as I snapped a
shot of cars going by, the driver of a rather antique tractor stopped and
smiled for my camera, happily posing for the picture. Now if the country will
just go more organic, Pura Vida will mean "pure life" indeed. 
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