Nomadic Narrative

Believe it or not, I actually enjoy visiting Internet cafes. If you’ve ever been crammed in a stuffy room with 30 others emailing to the echoing clickety-clack of fingertips to keys, you may cringe at such an assertion. Sure it drives me crazy when I get a sticky keyboard or I sit next to a loud talker on Skype. The thing is, I don’t always like to work from home and I don’t always like to carry around my laptop. Call me old fashioned, but I like the warmth that human connection affords in these cafes.

Internet cafes can be found all over Costa Rica. From the capital to sleepy Caribbean towns, you will undoubtedly find an Internet café. Walking around Tortuguero last week, I saw “Internet Café” painted in baby blue across the eves of a building. I walked up to the door, stepped over a child in diapers and found myself peering into someone’s living room.

A woman came out from behind the open kitchen asking what I wanted. I inquired about using the Internet and she walked me into a side-room furnished with a tiny desk topped with yesteryear’s desktop monster. Surprisingly, the connection was great, but it was a bit difficult typing as I had to hold up the desk’s broken keyboard tray with my knees. I think she charged me about 200 colones (about 35 cents) for 15 minutes.

Walking around the capital, you can see signs advertising Internet and a variety of other office-related services on just about every other block. They are generally filled with young men and women engaged in online chats, surfing the Web and playing video games. To find one of these Internet cafes you often have to look up. (Most Internet cafes charge around 500 colones an hour up to 1,500 in touristy spots.)

When you see a sign advertising Internet services in San José, there’s usually a doorway nearby which leads to a second or third floor office space housing the Internet café. Sometimes you have to wander through a mini-supermarket to find the stairway. Other times you’re led up a narrow staircase beckoned by a flashing neon sign.

When I come across a new Internet café, I always like to pop in to see what it has to offer. In San José, the best Internet cafes are in the university area known as San Pedro. I have yet to find a good Internet café in the downtown area. The downtown Internet café with the best equipment unfortunately invites users to sit within tiny enclosed cubicles.

I don’t know why, but I can’t bring myself to step inside one of these little Internet boxes! After all, it kind of defeats my purpose for seeking out public Internet service.

What do you think about Internet cafes ― love’em or leave’em?

While many Internet cafés in Costa Rica may not be well-equipped, fast or clean, the service is at least widespread throughout the country. According the C.I.A. World Factbook, there are 1.5 million Internet users (2007) out of a population of 4.2 million (2009) placing Costa Rica at number 70 compared to other countries. So, if you’re thinking about traveling to Costa Rica with your laptop, know that if you were to leave it at home, you probably won’t have problems finding a spot to check email or to post a Facebook status update.

If you’re interested in learning the ins-and-outs of getting Internet service in Costa Rica click here.