Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Siquirres
Pop 31,600
The steamy lowland town of Siquirres has long served as an important transportation hub.
It sits at the intersection of Hwy 32 (the main road that crosses the Atlantic slope to Puerto
Limón) and Hwy 10, the old road that connects San José with Puerto Limón via Turrialba.
Even before the roads were built, it was a significant location - for it was in Siquirres in
the early 20th century that the lines of segregation were drawn. At the time, blacks were
barred from traveling west of here without special permission. So any train making its way
from Limón to San José was required to stop here and change its crew: black conductors
and engineers would change places with their Spanish counterparts and the train would
continue on its route to the capital. This ended in 1949, when a new constitution outlawed
racial discrimination.
Today Siquirres still marks the place where Costa Rica takes a dip into the Caribbean -
and not just geographically. This is where Costa Rican
casados
give way to West Indian
rondón,
where Spanish guitar is replaced with the strains of calypso, and where Costa
Rica's inherently
mestizo
(mixed ancestry) race gives way to Afro-Caribbean features.
There is little reason to stop in Siquirres, unless you're heading to Parismina - in which
case this is a good spot to find banking, internet and telephone services. (Tip: buy phone
cards here; they aren't sold in Parismina.) For purposes of orientation, the Siquirres church
- a highly recognizable, round, red-domed building - is located to the west side of the soc-
cer field.
If you need somewhere to crash for the night, head 1km northeast of the park to
Centro
Turístico Las Tilapias
( 2768-9293; d with fan/air-con US$45/50; )
, where
you'll find 17 clean-but-basic rooms perched above an artificial lagoon, as well as a res-
taurant and bar. Take a taxi, as it's tricky to find.
Sodas
and bakeries are plentiful in town.
Banco de Costa Rica
(
9am-4pm)
, 100m north of the park, has a 24-hour ATM on
the Cirrus network.
Getting There & Away
