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Adventures, misadventures and reflections of traveling in the tropics.
Recent Posts Tagged With 'Costa Rica'
If it’s Monday, it must be NAN; if it’s Tuesday, it must be Taiping
Shortly after midnight, I will be embarking on My Annual Odyssey to Southeast Asia. My itinerary, November 18 – December 30, includes three countries – Thailand (29 nights), Singapore (3 nights) and Malaysia (10 nights). During my grueling 42...
Trip Planning 101 - Make your plans as far in advance as possible
Having been in the travel business for many years, I have a pretty good acumen for trip planning as well as understanding the psyche of the traveler. The best advice I can give to a prospective traveler would be – Make sure you plan your vacati...
The Fundamentals of Touring according to the Traveler
I’ve been on many tours and sightseeing excursions (in addition to conducting my own tours) during my many years as a traveler, so I have a pretty good feeling of how a tour should be properly conducted. The most common sightseeing excursion is the...
Air Asia’s No Refund Policy
Air Asia, a regional carrier that specializes in budget air travel within Southeast Asia, has an unusual way of dealing with air ticket refunds. About a week ago, I booked a RSVNS on Air Asia and purchased a one-way ticket online from Hat Yai, Thai...
Jet Skis are ruining another popular beach resort in Thailand
I really used to like Kamala Beach, a popular resort area on Thailand’s Phuket Island. Despite the many cafes and shops along the boardwalk, as well as many lounge chair and massage concessions on the beach, it used to be a fairly mellow and qu...
My search for the most eco-friendly beach destination in Thailand
Believe it or not, my search for the the most eco-friendly beach destination in THAILAND has uncovered a place I haven’t been to yet, and that is Koh Libong! I am sure most travelers have never heard of this relatively obscure island as well. Koh...
Costa Rica is the happiest place in the world!
According to a recent study by the New Economics Foundation, an organization based in England, COSTA RICA was accorded the distinction of being the happiest place in the world. The organization ranked 143 nations using the Happy Planet Index, an ind...
A Love Affair with Costa Rica
I recently came across a rock ballad with a very catchy and beautiful melody about COSTA RICA sung by Jakob Dylan, son of the famous rock star-poet, Bob Dylan. Entitled Costa Rica, the song reminds me a bit of the famous Margaritaville sung by Jimmy ...
New Celebrity Reality Show invades the rainforests of Costa Rica
Coming up on NBC in early June is the new reality show “I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here”. The show will be filmed in the lowland rainforests of Costa Rica’s Sarapiqui region. Contestants confirmed to participate include actor Ste...
Why is Costa Rica such a population destination for birders?
The answer is very simple actually - there are more bird species in COSTA RICA per square mile than any other country in the world. According to Mongabay.com, there are 838 bird species in Costa Rica, a small country of only 19,800 square miles. This...
Is this small bird from Costa Rica a Variable Seedeater or a Blue-Black Grassquit?
Are there any avid birders out there? I need help with the identification of a relatively common bird that I encountered in Costa Rica. The bird in question was spotted amidst the undergrowth along the roadside in Turrialba Valley - not too far from...
Discover the exotic wildlife of COSTA RICA
What is there to see in Costa Rica? Close encounters with nature and wildlife! I have produced a short video on the exotic wildlife of Costa Rica. To make this video, I mixed together a variety of short video clips and digital pictures from my most ...
Enjoying the Wildlife in Costa Rica
Birdwatching and sighting exotic tropical butterflies are two of the most popular pastimes of the many Natural History enthusiasts who visit Costa Rica. From my experience, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to sample the rich diversity of the tro...
Don Pedro Ferreira - the congenial host of Guayabo Lodge
It was my last morning at GUAYABO LODGE. After packing my bags, I went downstairs to have breakfast and settle my bill with Don Pedro as I still owed the lodge for two dinners. The dinners had been very tasty and healthfully prepared and included thr...
Select the best picture from my recent trip to Costa Rica
Whenever I travel, I typically take many pictures – panoramas, landscapes, portraits, flowers and nature as well as candid shots of people and of the local color. Below are eight of my better photographs from my recent trip to COSTA RICA – as you...
Guayabo Lodge - one of the best eco-lodges in Costa Rica
On my last trip to Costa Rica, I had the pleasure of staying at Guayabo Lodge. One of the best eco-lodges/bed and breakfast hotels in Costa Rica, Guayabo Lodge is located near the small village of Santa Cruz about ½ hour from the city of Turrialba a...
Look for the Dollhouse perched on top of the hill!
I was getting ready to leave Guayabo Lodge near the small town of Santa Cruz - about a 30 minute drive from the city of Turrialba - to Orosi Valley, my next destination in Costa Rica. When I discussed the driving route with Rosanna the co-proprietor ...
The Best Budget Hotel in San Jose, Costa Rica
On my most recent trip to Costa Rica, I asked my tour operator, Costa Rican Trails to book me a room for my final 2 nights before returning to the USA, at what they felt was the best budget hotel in downtown San Jose . My objective was to sample some...
Some tips for eating out and dining in Costa Rica
Dining expenses for tourists in COSTA RICA shouldn’t be that costly so long as you avoid the overly commercialized tourist restaurants, which can be a little on the expensive side. If you really want to spend as little money as possible, I suggest ...
The Best Pizza in Costa Rica!
I had just arrived in Nosara, a popular beach resort community located in Costa Rica’s Nicoya peninsula. After picking up my car at Toyota Car rental’s office in downtown Play Guiones, I decided to grab a bite to eat and some coffee at the “hip...
My verdict on San Jose, Costa Rica
Most people don’t particularly care for San Jose, the much maligned capital city of Costa Rica. Despite its magnificent location in the Central Valley at an altitude of about 3800 feet above sea level, San Jose itself is relatively drab and unsophi...
Breakfast Buffets can be expensive in Costa Rica
I was having a leisurely breakfast my first day in San José, Costa Rica at the Bougainvillea Hotel. The breakfast buffet was good but nothing special – I had my usual ½ plate of fresh fruit accompanied by gallo pinto, some toast, a Costa Rican to...
A Guide for the budget traveler to Costa Rica
Due to its increasing popularity as a vacation destination, Costa Rica cannot be considered cheap anymore. However if you’re a budget traveler or a backpacker, do not let this deter you from traveling to Costa Rica - it is still a wonderful place. ...
Pigeons, Mimes and Clowns at San Jose’s Plaza de la Cultura
La Plaza de la Cultura in San Jose, Costa Rica's capital city is one of the most popular venues for locals and tourists alike. On any given day, you’ll see a variety of street performers – mimes, clowns, jugglers, Andean folk musicians and the li...
Perils of parking your car in Costa Rica
Driving through San Jose, you’ll notice that there are very few cars parked on the street. There’s a reason for that! Due to the high incidence of car theft, most people park in their car in a licensed parking lot (El Parqueo). If for some reason...
San Jose, Costa Rica is like a Ghost Town during Easter Week
San Jose, Costa Rica’s capital city is usually full of life – in the busy downtown area, you’ll see people from all walks of life, street vendors at every corner selling a hodgepodge of goods and the automobile traffic can sometimes be very hec...
A chance encounter with some Israeli Expats in Costa Rica
While driving along Costa Rica’s Pacific Coast to Playa Avellena in Guanacaste Province, I came across some very conspicuous signage along the road advertising El Mapache (in Spanish, the Raccoon), a café that specializes in falafel sandwiches...
The case of the hijacked road sign in San Jose, Costa Rica
In Costa Rica, road signs on major highways can be somewhat confusing or even absent. I had an unusual experience the other day when I discovered the exit sign on the highway to my hotel in Heredia Province (San Jose Area) had been hijacked. I was re...
Costa Rica is a wonderful place, but the Signage is terrible
In Costa Rica, it is easy to get lost as signage is absolutely terrible. Navigating within San Jose and most major cities, street names are either nonexistent or very obscure - typically the street name is painted in small letters on top of the build...
Costa Rica is driving me crazy!
Driving in COSTA RICA is quite an adventure, however once you become familiar with the idiosyncrasies of Costa Rican drivers and the way things work here, you shouldn’t have too much of a problem. When discussing this issue with Omar, the friendly ...
