Spending time in Limón

Seems like we have been spending a lot of time in our provincial capital of Limón lately. It’s about an hour-and-a-half by bus at a cost equivalent of about $2.25 USD. We recently made 2 trips to motorcycle parts stores and the 3rd to the Instituto National Seguro (INS) to pay the yearly insurance on the motorcycle. In Costa Rica your vehicle insurance, called the “marchamo,” is issued through the government-run INS – you pay for each vehicle not each driver and it is mandatory and enforced. It expires the last day of December each year for everyone. Again, as far as I can tell, no one sends you a bill, you just know that it is due and payable in December and you go to INS and pay it. Since it was February we were already a little late, adding to my dread of dealing with government officials in broken Spanish. I practiced my few anticipated Spanish statements, questions and answers in advance. Based on “wait” times at other official offices we anticipated spending many hours here. As it turned out there was very little waiting – maybe 5 minutes – and the personnel from the guard at the entrance of the building to the cashier were all very nice, very helpful and somewhat bilingual. Since this went so smoothly we now had time to wander around the “big city” before heading back to our little hamlet in the jungle. The Limón area was sparsely settled before the late 1800s when a railroad was built by foreign coffee and banana interests. With the help of the Costa Rican government they imported a foreign labor force to build the railroad including 400 Chinese, 600 Jamaicans and 500 workers from the Cape Verde Islands. Afro-Caribbeans still represent about half the population today and a strong Chinese influence is also apparent. At first glance Limón seems a little “rough around the edges,” but you can already see many of the historic buildings and neighborhoods undergoing restoration. I have heard people compare the building styles to New Orleans (although I have never been there myself). For example, you can see the filigree railing and trim details in the photo of the 2-story building. There is a variety of exterior paint colors on the buildings giving them a “tropical” air. The town sits right on the ocean with a large indoor/outdoor market covering several city blocks nearby. There are parks and numerous restaurants, bars, and even supermarkets. We have eaten at least 3 different Chinese restaurants and stopped in at a few bars as well (see photo). But Limón was not established for the casual shopper or tourist -- it is very much a “working port.” This is where we would ship a car or container of household goods. Right outside of town there are massive “yards” stacked with shipping containers from around the world as well as trucks waiting to be loaded. Dole and Chiquita have their own shipping yards there. You’ll find all the major transport carriers here including DHL, UPS and more. Limón is also a port for a couple of the cruise ships – although more stop at nearby Moin.. Since this is the provincial capital there is a very large public hospital (also sits right on the ocean) and numerous private physicians and clinics throughout the area. There are stores for new goods and second-hand goods. There is even a 2-story mall with an escalator and a Pizza Hut. This is truly a big city compared to the area where we live and each time we go there we find new and interesting places.