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E Grand Ave / Robert D Ray Dr, DSM, Des Moines, IA 50309, USA
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5 Reviews
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It’s a VERY Racist City. One extended family owns the whole town. I found a pretty nice place on Airbnb. I turned out to be a nightmare. I am a raw plant based frugivore… so I buy groceries every few days. The “grocery store” was so rude to me. My Spanish is not what it used to be BUT I understand way more than I speak. This won me a lot of nasty energy. The store literally stopped keeping fresh produce. I am a disabled Veteran and when I was there I was healing from bone tumors so I walk with a 5’ staff. The last time I went to the store I was unloading my basket and she said to the local (WHITE Spaniard that claims the land just like they do in America) let me take you. She is slow and moved my stuff out of the way and checked him out. I legit just walked out of the store with all of my stuff, still sitting on the counter and let them put it away. I stayed there a few months despite of the hatred because the location was so beautiful. But I had to get on the bus to go to a city down the way just to get fruit and vegetables.
The family I was staying with was a whole different story altogether. It ended in a very bad review and early cancellation. I still stay in Costa Rica, but I refuse to go to that city.
[Hotel Casa Roland] I parked the car. Got out and met four AA expats right out of the gate. We hadn’t even walked in yet. I was greeted by staff members who felt more like “old friends” than staff. We were greeted, checked in, and escorted to our room. Now look at me and listen. The hotel is not located in some metropolitan paradise. It may not meet everyone’s needs. I felt comfortable and welcomed. The rooms are well kept and spacious enough. You get a continental breakfast for free if you want something else you have to pay. I was starving. I paid 10 dollars for orange juice, coffee (black and delicious), an omelet , queso, and avodado and bacon. My wife and i walked the neighborhood. Did I mentiined the cute little bar in the lobby. I had a few beers with our newfound friends. Look, I have no flowery prose for you, so I’ll just tell you what I felt. Welcomed.
This was a Road Scholar trip I took with my sister. This was an educational pre planned 9 day trip to 18 different locations around the country. This was a great trip the people were very friendly and the food was simple but good. The trip included staying at different resorts, camps and hotels. A great adventure!
Costa Rica.
Le sigh. I was disappointed. I think there was so much hype on Black Twitter years ago that when I got there, I was deflated.
I didn’t find the locals particularly warm or friendly. I was visiting for over a week that began at the end of a year and brought me into a new one.
I stayed in San Jose to be a bit more submerged in the culture.
Thankfully, I had arranged excursions, including to La Fortuna / Arenal volcano and a trek through a forest where the highlight was a Tarzan swing through a gorge.
The worst: I deplaned relatively early, and as I passed through immigration with my carryon and handbag wearing my rasta tam, I was surrounded and pulled aside for questioning. I had to point out to the Federal Police that I found it interesting that they zeroed in on me as a Black person, they weren’t searching my bag, were asking everything but requesting blood, while the yt boys with the nasty dreads on the plane who were obviously there for a good time were not stopped. I told them they could clearly see I had traveled extensively as they flipped through my passport, I had a departure ticket and excursion receipts, and had no intention whatsoever of staying in their country because I had other places to visit. Yes, I said all that and didn’t care less if they’d put me back on the next flight because almost everything I’d paid for was refundable.
Costa Rica is not some utopian location for Black people. It is like any other place. And, sweeping statement, but I don’t care: The police hate your Blackness just as much as where you come from.
My son and I traveled to Costa Rica recently and it was quite nice. We basically road tripped and passed through many small communities. Overall, we’d say that we felt welcome and safe in all of these communities. We didn’t feel uneasy at any point and most people were very kind. One of the only downfalls is that we ran into very, very few black people and we have to brush up on our Spanish bigtime because most of the communities that we stopped in had zero English speakers. SanJos has awful traffic, so be prepared for that. We rented and vehicle with ease and it was quite affordable because it is non peak season. It takes a long time to get around most places because of the winding roads across the countryside. Lots of mountains and volcanoes. Airbnbs were also beautiful and affordable. Food, not so much. Whether you prepare your own food or eat out, it’ll be pricey. Food wasn’t that great, but that’s subjective, of course. I have to say that Costa Rica is one of the most gorgeous countries I’ve ever visited. Definitely worth a visit beyond the resorts.