Graft Hotel Europa. — San Jose. 
GENERAL INFORMATION J 
Water and Milk '■ ! r ~~ 
Visitors to the tropics are usually a little dubious as to 
the source of the w,ater and milk which they have to drink 
but as regards Costa Rica in general and San Jose in particular 
the visitor need suffer no qualms* The water he drinks is as 
pure as that he has back home* 
San Jose anief, in fact, practically every other town and 
village throughout the country, enjoy modern water systems 
fed by the purest of water from uncontaminated mountain 
streams. The San Jose reservoir is located at Tires Rios where 
all water is properly chlorinated before passing into the mains. 
The new waterworks system for the city of Puntarenas 
is one of the finest installation of its kind. The water comes 
from an enormous natural spring located high up in the moun¬ 
tains at Ojo de Agua, only sixty minutes ride by automobile 
from San Jose. The natural flow is estimated at 6.000 gallons 
per minute and ! s p*ped over sixty miles to Puntarenas. In the 
dry season it is a worthwhile ride to Ojo de Agua to see the 
gigantic stream of water issuing from the very bowels on the 
earth. 
Costa Rican milk is of the purest. Dairy stock is bred 
from champion imported bulls and grazes in rich, green pas¬ 
tures at an altitude where the climate has ideal temperature. 
Dairies are operated in a scientific, hygienic manner and if 
the visitor should need visible evidence of this then an auto¬ 
mobile ride to Las Nubes, in the heart of the dairy country, 
is recommended. 
34 
La Gloria 
Mountain resort within short distance of San Jose 
Music 
No less than being a land of flowers, Costa Rica is a land 
of music and the memory of the typical and gay Punto Gua - 
nacasteco will remain with the visitor for many a long day. 
Costa Rican Currency 
The tourist is advised to acquaint himself with Costa 
Rica's money at the outset of his visit. By doing so he will 
obviate those petty annoyances usually associated with the 
changing of “foreign’* money. 
The unit of currency is the Colon (C) which is the 
largest minted piece. The colon is worth 100 centimos. 
Coins 
One colon. Nickel. About the size of a half-dollar. 
Half-colon or 50 centimos. Nickel. About the size of 
a quarter dollar or a shilling. 
25 centimos. Nickel. Slightly smaller than the half-colon 
and thinner. 
10 centimos. Copper. Same size as an American cent. 
5 centimos. Copper. Half size of the 10 centimos piece. 
Bank notes 
1 colon, 2, 5, 10, 50, and 100 colones. 
The notes are issued by the National Bank of Costa Rica^ 
operating under Government charter, and may be accepted with 
perfect confidence. 
The American dollar enjoys freedom of circulation in 
Costa Rica where notwithstanding its recent depreciation in 
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