Costa Rica

A place very commonly considered paradise, but what many people forget, is that this is an actual country, with an actual society and culture. Unfortunately, Costa Rica is known as simply paradise, and people only go there for the beaches, Eco-tourism, and luxury. They do not notice that the culture of this country is starving due to the amount of income coming in. What was once a beautiful society is now facing a heavy amount of crime. The tourism-oriented areas are the only ones where the crime is really a problem, other than the capital. The people of this country are the most good-hearted people when it comes to the root of it, but in a beach town consumed by tourism, foreigners are seen as dollar signs. There are some gang problems, and unfortunately, Maras are also present in the country. Also many beach towns are used heavily by the cartel, because of the young tourists being an easy target for drug trade. It's a beautiful country, but it's real beauty is in the heart, not what you see in the beach towns, such as Tamarindo.