Wanderin' Waldo

“Costa Rica is only about twice the size of New Hampshire and is so small that no matter where you travel inside the country you can’t get more than 100 miles from the ocean,” Waldo said.

This Central American country borders Nicaragua to the north and Panama to the south. Noted for its splendor and beauty, this Spanish-speaking nation is sometimes called the “Switzerland of Central America.” Christopher Columbus gave the country its name when he visited there in 1502, calling it the rich coast…or Costa Rica.

“Central American has been the site of many wars over the years,” Waldo said. “Seeking a resolution to these conflicts, then-president Oscar Arias Sanchez devised the Central American Peace Plan. His efforts helped halt some of the conflicts and also won him the Nobel Prize in Peace Prize in 1987.

“There are still some conflicts and dangers in the region,” Waldo continued, “So when I recently toured Costa Rica, I hired a guide named Roberto to show me around. Roberto was on leave from the Costa Rican army, so I felt safe knowing that he’d accompany me during my travels.

“While I was there, my guide took me to the highest point in the country – a place located about 20 miles from the capital city of San José.

“The place is called Irazú Volcano. It rises 11,260 feet above sea level. You can hike to the top or you can travel in a car or bus by way of a paved road. When we arrived, we looked over the crater that measures about 1,700 feet across. Deep in the crater is a bluish-green lake.

“We were fortunate to be up there on a clear day because as I looked to the west I could see the Pacific Ocean. When I looked to the east I could see the Caribbean Sea, an arm of the Atlantic Ocean. Irazú Volcano is the one place in the Americas where you can stand and view both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans at the same time.”

Did you catch Waldo’s mistake?

Costa Rica abolished its army 1949. Its constitution forbids Costa Rica from having a national army.