This past Christmas, after spending several vacations in Hawaii, I visited Costa Rica for the first time.  I guess I assumed the fact that one was part of the US and the other a tiny Central American nation would make little difference.  In fact, though both are beautiful places to kick back and relax, the experience of visiting each varies far more than I’d expected.  While both locations enjoy a tropical climate, the traffic systems and cultures of the two differ tremendously. The climates of Hawaii and Costa Rica are similar, though the latter is about 500 miles closer to the equator. This means that while Hawaii experiences the change of seasons to a degree, Costa Rica does not. In the dead of winter the days and nights of Costa Rica are just as long and as warm in summer - maybe even warmer, because summer is the rainy season. By contrast, winter temperatures in Hawaii can drop into the 50s or, at higher altitudes, even colder. Yet the plentiful rain and sunshine fill both locations with a wealth of tropical plants and animals, which makes just walking down an average street a beautiful experience. In addition, the road and traffic systems of the two locations are entirely different.  Hawaii, being part of the U.S., employs the same basic staples of highway design and identification.  That is, major roads tend to be wide with ample shoulders, and virtually every street has a name or number which is identified in signs visible to drivers.  In Costa, on the other hand,  neither of these design features applies.  Even major cross-country highways can be narrow, wending their way past front yards of houses from which small children and pets may run out or hugging the sides of a mountain cliff with no guardrail or shoulder. But even more mind-boggling to the US driver is the utter lack of street names or signs to announce them. Locals simply know the way - left, then right, then left again.  Tourists are almost immobiliz