Costa Rica (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Matthew Firestone [66]
Hotel del Rey (Map; 2258-4880; www.delreyhotel.com; cnr Calle 9 & Av 1; 24hr) A jam-packed shocking-pink building offers everything from roulette to slot machines and what has to be the highest density of prostitutes in the city.
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Sports
International and national fútbol (soccer) games are played at the Estadio Nacional (Map; 2284-8700), which is currently under construction. Located in Parque Metropolitano La Sabana since 1924 – in a structure that has hosted everyone from Pope John Paul II to soccer legend Pelé – the old stadium was torn down in late 2008 to make way for an US$83 million stadium that is being built with money and labor from China. It will seat 35,000 spectators and feature a retractable roof and a field made of natural grass. At the time of research, it was scheduled to open in March of 2011.
Bullfighting is another popular sport, and fights are held seasonally in the southern suburb of Zapote over the Christmas period. Members of the public (usually drunk) are encouraged to participate in the action (the bull isn’t killed in the Costa Rican version of the sport).
For information on sports activities, Click here. For other general information on sports in Costa Rica, turn to Click here.
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SHOPPING
Whether you’re looking for indigenous carvings, high-end furnishings or a plastic howler monkey, San José has no shortage of shops, running the gamut from artsy boutiques to tourist traps stocked full of tropical everything. With the exception of markets, haggling is not tolerated in stores and shops. In touristy shops, keep an eye peeled for ‘authentic’ woodworks that have ‘Made in Indonesia’ stamped on the bottom.
GRAPPLING WITH THE SEX TRADE
Exit the baggage claim at the international airport in San José and you’ll be welcomed by a sign that reads ‘In Costa Rica sex with children under 18 is a serious crime. Should you engage in it we will drive you to jail.’ For decades, travelers have arrived in Costa Rica in search of sandy beaches and lush mountainscapes. Unfortunately, an unknown percentage of them also come in search of sex – not all of it legal.
Prostitution by men and women over the age of 18 is perfectly legal. But the tourist juggernaut of the last few decades has fueled illicit activities at its fringes – namely child prostitution and, to a lesser degree, human trafficking. To be clear: having sex with a minor in Costa Rica is illegal, carrying a penalty of up to 10 years in jail. But child prostitution has nonetheless flourished. In fact, a number of aid groups, along with the country’s national child-welfare agency (Patronato Nacional de la Infancia; PANI), estimate that there may be as many as 3000 child prostitutes in San José alone. In turn, this has led to women and children being trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation, as documented in a 2008 report issued by the US State Department.
Alarm over the problem has crescendoed steadily since 1999, when the UN Committee on Human Rights issued a statement saying that it was ‘deeply concerned’ about child-sex tourism in Costa Rica. Since then, the government has taken a number of measures to crack down. They’ve established national task forces to combat the problem, trained the police force in how to deal with issues of child exploitation and formed a coalition against human trafficking. But enforcement remains weak – largely due to lack of personnel and funding On its end, the USA – the principal source of sex tourists to Costa Rica – has made it a prosecutable crime for Americans to have sex with minors anywhere in the world.
There are also countless challenges in fighting the problem. Tourism remains one of the country’s primary sources of revenue – and, unfortunately, that includes the countless travelers who arrive specifically to seek sex. Along with Thailand and Cambodia, Costa Rica is one of the most popular sex-tourism destinations in the world, according to Ecpat International, a nonprofit dedicated to ending child prostitution.