Vibrators, inflatable sex dolls, cremated remains, and snakes are some of the contents of the strangest parcels handled by Correos de Costa Rica, the national post office, at sorting and delivery facilities in San Jose.

Since about 2006, letter mail in Costa Rica has virtually disappeared; however, courier delivery of parcels and packages has greatly increased over the last few years. The explosion of e-commerce around the world has greatly contributed to the avalanche of parcels handled by postal workers in Costa Rica these days, and some of the things being sent by mail are certainly strange.

According to a 2014 report filed by Yaslin Cabezas of online news daily Costa Rica Hoy, one the most strange situations encountered by employees at main Postal Handling Center in Zapote, a suburban and industrial district of San Jose, involved a feisty albino python that managed to escape from its cardboard box. Workers monitoring video from the surveillance cameras installed in the warehouse were the first to notice the snake slithering away from an opened parcel; that was on Saturday morning.

Snake handlers searched for the python throughout the facility but could not find it. An employee monitoring the security cameras finally spotted the reptile on Monday afternoon, trying to balance itself on a fence. The handlers noticed that the ophidian seemed content and quite fat; perhaps it found a couple of mice to devour over the weekend.

Parcel sorting technicians who work with EMS Courier, a delivery division of the post office in Costa Rica, routinely put sex toys back in boxes that come apart. Vibrators are not a problem; inflatable sex dolls, on the other hand, are intricate to refold and fit back into their boxes. Recipients can tell if their parcels have been opened by accident or for custom control purposes, and this can create awkward moments.

Cremated remains that have not been granted shipping permits by medical examiners and public health officials tend to be problematic for postal employees. The parcels are often unceremoniously labeled as souvenirs or gifts; cremated remains should be presented to officials so that proper packaging and handling procedures can be carried out with dignity.