But one country is different. It is the first country in the world to abolish the army.
In the 1980s, it was declared a permanent neutral country to the world, and only some policemen were allowed to maintain public security and social order.
This country is located in Central America, bordering Nicaragua in the north and Panama in the south. North latitude 10 degrees, belonging to North America, the capital of San Jose, which is Costa Rica.
It has a tropical and subtropical climate, and it is divided into two seasons throughout the year, with the rainy season from April to 65438+February and the dry season from 65438+February to April of the following year. The climate here is pleasant, and many North Americans come here for a holiday in winter.
Winter in Toronto is cold and slow, and it belongs to winter from about 65438+February to March of the following year, so we try our best to choose this time to take a vacation in the tropics, which shortens the cold and slow winter a lot.
2018 65438+1October 2 1, we left Toronto and flew to Costa Rica for about 5 hours, and then transferred to the hotel Riu Hotel for more than 2 hours.
It was already dark at this time, and my husband and I had a rest. In the morning, I found the hotel located at the foot of the mountain, with its back to the sea. Standing on the balcony, I can overlook the boundless sea and go straight to the beach along the path of the flower gallery.
This season is dry, with high temperature and little rain. There are many kinds of flowers in tropical areas, which are beautiful and charming. This is really a good place for a holiday.
Breakfast is a buffet, and there are many kinds of food, especially rich. Asians, Europeans, North Americans and South Americans can choose their favorite foods.
After breakfast, we came to the lobby. The hotel environment is elegant and the purple bar is full of wealth.
We looked up some information about travel guides and chose several famous scenic spots.
Considering that the official language is Spanish, we don't know Spanish, so road trip is not suitable for us. My husband and I decided to sign up for a group tour, so we changed the local currency colones (1 US$ 6 10 colones) for backup.
After signing up for the tour, I found that there were no people from China except my husband and I, only to know that there was no direct flight from Chinese mainland to Costa Rica, and it took about 48 hours to get there.
(1) Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve
The next day, we set off by bus with the group and went to the famous scenic spot "Tiandao".
Entering the forest, the road inside is very wet, and there are more uphill and downhill. We are walking in the dense virgin forest, and many plants have never been seen before, with different shapes. This place is full of mystery and is rated as one of the top ten most charming forests in the world.
We walked onto the overpass, as if we had entered the clouds, and the forest was more unpredictable under the cover of dense fog. If you March by yourself, don't open a new road. It is easy to get lost in the forest.
90% of them are virgin forests, which are home to more than 2,500 plants, 100 mammals, 400 birds, 120 reptiles and amphibians, and thousands of insects. This is a protected area with ecological diversity. Exotic flowers and plants make the whole protected area more charming.
When we boarded the overpass, our vision widened. We can not only see the distant scenery, but also observe different plants in the deep valley and appreciate the beautiful colors of nature.
It began to rain gradually. We walked in the rain and passed several overhead suspension bridges. The smoke in the forest is getting worse and worse, and sometimes a whirlwind blows.
After walking for more than two hours, I met monkeys, birds of all colors and some small animals.
The butterflies here are invisible in appearance. When they fly in the air, they will become beautiful colors like chameleons.
Because of the rich forest resources, many wooden houses are located in the scenic tropical rain forest.
There are also special high-altitude flight slides that can cross the forest, just like flying people overlooking the whole forest.
Some people are impulsive, shaking all over after gliding down the street at high altitude, and there are also screams of fear echoing in the valley, one after another.
Neither my husband nor I have the courage to try and experience the fun and excitement.
There are many performances in the evening, which is very lively. There are performances by dance troupes and acrobatic troupes from Las Vegas, and colorful color-changing lights are unpredictable, which adds to the atmosphere on the field.
(2) arenal volcano
On the third day, I went to see the volcano. Sunlight shines into the car through the window glass, and sometimes strong light shines directly into my eyes. I quickly closed the curtains on the car. After more than three hours' journey, we got off the bus and walked into the volcanic area.
At this point, the white clouds in the sky have disappeared, and the blue sky is drifting away and becoming turbid. The farther up the mountain, the thinner the air, the thicker the fog, and the thinner the plants under your feet, as if you had entered another world.
Arenal volcano is the most active volcano in Costa Rica and one of the top ten active volcanoes in the world.
It is1633m above sea level, and its conical crater can be seen from anywhere a few kilometers away from Fiona Fang.
We are getting closer and closer to the volcano, and a long cast iron fence is set in front to prohibit pedestrians from walking.
It began to rain at this time, and it was really a tropical rainforest climate. You can experience the rainforest anytime, anywhere.
From a distance, the volcano erupts intermittently, forming some volcanic ash fog in the air, and the roar of the earthquake can be heard dozens of kilometers away.
We didn't see the huge volcanic eruption, which was a little regrettable, but the tour guide told us that it was lucky to be a little sorry.
If there is an explosion on July 29th 1968, the consequences will be unimaginable. It is said that lava covered more than 700 hectares of the earth's surface at that time, causing huge losses.
Arenal volcano is much calmer now, except for the occasional small eruption.
At night, the landscape of arenal volcano is more spectacular. Magma rolled down the hillside with rocks melted by high temperature, forming a very strange but brilliant fireworks.
It usually stretches for 5 kilometers, with picturesque lakes and mountains near the volcano and steaming wet springs winding among them. It is one of the famous wonders in Central America.
Located at the foot of the mountain, this lake is the largest artificial lake in this country.
Against the blue sky and white clouds, it is particularly magnificent.
The underground hot spring bath, with the temperature from cold to hot, is suitable for all kinds of people's needs and very comfortable.
surfing
It borders the Caribbean Sea in the east and the North Pacific Ocean in the west. This is a world-famous surfing beach.
Tamarindo is a place for surfing, beach and entertainment on Nicoya Peninsula. It used to be a quiet fishing village, but now it is a tourist paradise. The area is famous for surfing, and its activities include snorkeling, diving, horseback riding, zip line and seasonal turtle watching.
Surfers pay great attention to tides and surges, which are the conditions for surfing. From north to south, there are many surfing spots that can help surfers find their ideal location.
My daughter has been here for the second time, and she likes surfing here best. My husband and I can only sigh at the ocean.
(4) Corcos Island National Park
Although Corcos Island is small, it is famous for the legend of pirates burying treasures. But unfortunately, so far, no one has found these treasures.
The famous French explorer Jacques Coustau called this island "the most beautiful island in the world" and was named as a World Heritage List by UNESCO in 1997.
Many tourists come here to watch the underwater world. Although I can't swim, I don't want to miss this rare opportunity.
I put on my diving suit, goggles, mouth and nose respirator, life buoy and armed to the teeth.
The tour guide knew that I couldn't swim, so he specially invited the water rescuers to take care of me. Under his protection, I began to explore the underwater world.
When I first started swimming, I was scared and stiff, so I didn't dare to turn around. I can only swim in one direction.
Gradually, I got used to it and could swim around. I observed a large number of marine life growing in the transparent blue sea. The coral reefs here are of different shapes and colors.
The sea is too deep to see the bottom. It's really an abyss, but the sea is clear and transparent, colorful tropical fish swim around, and there are groups of golden valley fish and nameless fish. They swim around in the waves.
Aquatic plants, starfish, squid, sea cucumber and many marine life seem motionless. When we get close to them, they close their bodies.
I didn't expect the underwater world to be so colorful, which really opened my eyes.
I followed the group and tried to swim on, but the lifeguard who protected me held my hand tightly and stopped me from swimming on. There are many reefs on the seabed ahead, which cause big waves and are unsafe.
After coming back, I heard from my husband that whales, tuna, dolphins and so on can be seen everywhere. I only swam in the nearby waters, but I didn't see these sea things.
However, I am very satisfied and grateful to this protector for letting me try to get addicted to the sea.
The breathtaking underwater world of Corcos Island is recognized as the best place to watch pelagic creatures in the world.
It takes a lot of energy to explore the underwater world in the sea during the day. In order to replenish our strength, we went to an Italian restaurant that night and ate Italian gourmet beef salami. We think that chess is too much and too strong, which masks the taste of the food itself.
(5) Coffee coffee
Costa Rica's volcanic soil is very fertile, with abundant rainfall, large terrain drop and good drainage, which is conducive to the growth of coffee. The quality coffee here is called "extra hard beans".
The coffee here is rich in flavor, full of aroma, moderate in acidity and quite sweet. Drink less sugar and milk when drinking coffee here. Even if the coffee is cold, it tastes good and enjoys its pure flavor.
This is a major feature of Costa Rican coffee. Therefore, its coffee is exported to the world and enjoys a high reputation at home and abroad.
Before we set off, we selected many different flavors of coffee, including coffee beans, ground powder and instant coffee.
1On October 27th, we left this country without an army.
On July 23rd this year, I heard that nearly 30 overseas Chinese in Costa Rica participated in the "China Water Cube" Chinese Song Contest, expressing their love for the motherland through songs, and were moved by their efforts to spread the traditional culture of China and promote friendly exchanges between China and Costa Rica.
We overseas Chinese should also strive to make positive efforts for the friendly development of China and Canada.