Heading off to Costa Rica for an Environmental Science Field Camp this week, I decided to write a few posts from in the field. I left Toronto for the hot summer weather and ¨la pura vida¨ in Costa Rica on Saturday. Being here in La Fortuna, sitting at the bottom of the 2nd most active volcano in the world, Arenal, I´m amazed at the development of the landscape in the area. The field instructor keeps telling us that when they started coming here in 1992, there were barely any hotels and little or no tourism happening in the area. Today, you can´t step around a corner without seeing a tourist souvenir shack or a trip planning place. Advertisements for ziplining, guided tours, etc are everywhere.

But all of this tourism isn´t even the most striking thing. From the moment I stepped off the plane in San Jose, there were ads for Condo sales everywhere. La Fortuna has become a mecca for condo dwellers with places being built in Talamanca at the hot springs, and all around the volcano. The thing is, Arenal could at any moment become active again and many of these tourist areas could be wiped out. So in a way it is like buying property with an expiration date.

Tourism is ever evolving and one has to wonder whether it is beneficial to the locals, environment. Is eco tourism, which is all the rage at the moment, especially here in Costa Rica with such a massive amount of bio diversity, a positive thing or just the newest fad. More on this and many other things from this travel blog next time! For now, I have to get back to enjoying a cerveza on our terrace while taking in the spectacular view of Arenal Volcano at night. Ciao!