The Confusion About Ebola In Costa Rica?

Well yes! There are some ‘geographically
challenged’ people out there and after
receiving a few emails from people who
are concerned about ebola in Costa Rica
I figured it would be good to set the
record straight…

I’m guessing this concern was due to the
fact that they are confusing the city of
Liberia which is located in Guanacaste
in Costa Rica with a country called
Liberia which is on a different continent
in West Africa!

Supposedly “Health officials have recorded more than 2,400 Ebola deaths in Liberia, the highest of any country.” So I guess it’s understandable that someone could be worried…

These Two Liberias Are A LONG Way From Each Other!

As you will see on any map, Liberia in
Costa Rica is thankfully a LONG way from
Liberia in West Africa.

Over 5,000 miles as the healthy, non-
ebola stricken crow flies to be precise!

Strange as it may sound, every time I
see a story about ebola it actually
brings back wonderful childhood
memories…

I’m not a morbidly sick SOB, it’s just
that our family lived in Kenema in
Sierra Leone – supposedly the ground
zero for ebola – in West Africa 50
years ago!

The situation is so serious that to avoid further confusion, the Tourism Board (Cámara de Turismo de Guanacaste) has requested that the airport initials LIB are changed because:

• Some less than worldly tourists don’t want to fly to Liberia in Costa Rica because they are confusing that destination with Liberia in West Africa.
• Tourists flying back to the USA from Costa Rica have also been hassled by the authorities because someone in immigration thought the travellers returned from Liberia in West Africa and not Liberia, Costa Rica.

Personally, anybody who confuses Liberia in West Africa and Liberia in Costa Rica really shouldn’t be flying anywhere – and we don;’t want them renting cars in Costa Rica, right? And, any idiot working in ‘airport security’ who doesn’t know the difference between a city in Costa Rica and a West African country should not be working in any kind of ‘security.’

But anyway, as you’ll see from the
stunning scenery, sunshine and smiles
here most people are quite healthy in
Costa Rica so we don’t anticipate any
serious problems in the near future
unless, there’s a sudden influx of
silver haired gringos escaping from
the U.S. and coming down over the
Nicaragua/Costa Rican border!

Written by Scott Oliver, author of 1: How To Buy Costa Rica Real Estate Without Losing Your Camisa, 2: Costa Rica’s Guide To Making Money Offshore and 3. ¿Cómo Comprar Bienes Raíces en Costa Rica, Sin Perder Su Camisa?

Andrew Makarik

to@welovecostarica.com

Andrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.