Costa Rica = Pura Vida

Since I just created this blog which is only going to be about Costa Rica, but don't really have anything exciting to say at the moment, I thought I just post pictures of the views out of my living room and kitchen window.

Not too bad for a third world country, is it? Or maybe I have something to say:
Not all third world countries are the same. Yes, Costa Rica is still considered third world, BUT it is one of the richest countries in Latin America and therefore not as under-developed as lots of people (esp. in Europe) think. Most of the towns could also be located in Spain or Italy considering their looks or infrastructure. The difference is: In Spain or Italy you won't find any slums surrounding big cities or indgenous people living in little huts without water and/or electricity. It makes me sad to know and see that in such a beautiful country. I also don't like the fact that Costa Rica still has monopolies (electricity, phone services, insurances...), but it doesn't really make my life MUCH harder here. (Apart from the fact that I had to wait for my phone number for 3 weeks. But I have heard of other foreigners in Costa Rica who have been waiting for a year and still don't have one.) But although the phone services are provided by a monopoly, it is not very expensive.
As a conclusion: You really can't put Costa Rica on the same level as other third world countries like Somalia, Nicaragua or Vietnam.