"No alligator purses from this country"

a entry by Beach2theBush Babesfrom a trip to Palo Verde, Guanacaste.

COCODILES, Crocodiles and more crocodiles punctuated today. Crocodiles on one side and cows on the other. Oh yes monkeys, birds, and iguanas also showed their face to us as we cruised up the Tempisque River. The Tempisque river is part salt water and part fresh water as the water flows from the volcanic land inland and meets the Pacific Ocean. It has high and low tides which we experienced today. It seemed to be a very bold step to put our boat in next to crocodiles on the beach but our guides knew what they were doing. We laughed seeing lifepreservers on board thinking if something ...

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"Organic coffee is worth it all!"

a entry by Beach2theBush Babesfrom a trip to Diria, Guanacaste.

Today we visited a coffee plantation that was actually a co op of many families. (Diria coffee) We learned and saw how the coffee bean is cared for and harvested by the families. This particular plantation has many small farmers contribute by bringing their beans for processing and roasting. They practice organic farming which is quite difficult but preserves their land for many more years than using chemicals. Every part of the bean is either used for the coffee or for compost. A very pretty red type berry is the beginning of the process. Very little electricity is used as machines are ...

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"Come to this country and learn about the culture"

a entry by Beach2theBush Babesfrom a trip to Tamarindo, Costa Rica.

After an all night flight from Seattle to Atlanta and then on to Liberia Costa Rica we spent our first two days at the resort taking in the rays of the sun, listening to the music around the pool and in general just relaxing. The countryside has been celebrating holy week which included on Saturday several men going to the river and catching a crocodile to put in the middle of the town. Their celebration would end on Easter Sunday releasing the crocodile back to the river. The weather is not as humid as I thought it would be but none the less tropical. We are on the Pacific Ocean and enjoy ...

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a entry by Lucy Boschefrom a trip to Tamarindo, Costa Rica.

Wow, I feel like I'm in San Diego. For every Tico there are about 7 gringos. And not just any gringo. Gringo girls with blonde hair and a fake bod and demasiado make-up and nice clothes. It's really bizarre and I'm not sure I like it so much. I have spoken to a fair amount of locals and asked them how they feel about all the gringo construction, which is bountiful and all in-progress, and I have received mixed answers. Some tolerate it because of the money and job opportunities it presents, and others hate it because it completely suffocates the local lifestyle. Regardless of it all, ...

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a entry by Sasha Chernenkofffrom a trip to Tortuguero National Park, Limon.

To get to Tortuguero we had to take 2 separate chicken buses pasthuge stretches of banana plantations followed by a motor boat ridethrough a brown, crocodile infested river surrounded by lush fields andamongst jungle foliage. The town of Tortuguero itself is quitesmall, consisting of a concrete sidewalk as the main highway throughtown with smaller offshooting dirt paths forming the more minor streetsof town.

Our first evening in Tortuguero we participated in theviewing of a large leatherback turtle laying her eggs. Theexperience was both entrhalling and aggravating. On ...

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a entry by O&Rfrom a trip to Tortuguero, Limon.

The day was kinda intense... got up at 4:30, I thought I am not capable of that, but I guess I am. It was still dark out and mosquitoes were vicious. 3 hour boat ride back . Saw a huge crocodile this time!

The bus for Guapilies was leaving at 9:30, so we had breakfast in the fanciest hotel in town which would've been a basic place in a more turisty area.

1:30 h bus ride folowed by a bus ride to Cariari, folowed by a bus ride to La Pavona. Followed by a 15 min walk (because there was not enough water in the chanell)

Followed by 1 hour boat ride. So 2 boat rides and 3 buses in ...

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a entry by O&Rfrom a trip to Liberia, Costa Rica.

The flight was so long, I thought we'd nevere get there. Landed in Liberia at 6 am or so. The airport is funny. the waiting area for departures is just a roof on some poles, no walls. They pull the staircase to the plane and everybody just gets off and walks to the arrival structure, which is similar. It was humid and misty, but not too hot. The lugagge came right away and customes were quick.

There were taxis waiting outside, but we decided to sit down and think were we wanted to go. After all the reading and talking that we've done, we still had no idea what we were going to do once we ...

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a entry by O&Rfrom a trip to La Fortuna, Costa Rica.

On friday we drove to the end of the road we were staying on (the end was only 500 m away) and Carlos out neibouhr stoped us and shouwed us howling monkeys on the property he workes on. He called them Congos, he said becouse they are black. It was the whole family. Then he showed us his farm. The land belongs to an american dude and he works on it and grows food for his family. He showed us all the plants (pineapple, papaia, yuca, coca tree, coffe tree and so many more) It was soo cool. I had no idea pineapple grew in the ground or that yuca is a little bush, I thought it't more like potatos.

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a entry by O&Rfrom a trip to La Fortuna, Costa Rica.

Russ says we gotta go, so gonna be quick...

Went to the waterfall ... swiming was awsome, then went to the hanging bridges. Then went to see lava... REAL LAVA!!!! Took a whole bunch of pics, not sure if it works.

I'll expand of this day later if we have time.

We are waiting for a boat that will take us in the middle of nowhere on the border with Nicaragua, so I have few moments to type.

Staying with Roman was awsome. Our breakfast was ready at 7 30 and was totally delicious. I can see myself getting used to local food. Will have to start frying plantains when we come ...

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a journal by O&Rfrom a trip to Costa Rica.

It’s still 2 weeks before we leave, but I created this blog, just in case things will get to busy, and I have no doubt they will.

After some studying of the Lonely Planet we decided to avoid the most touristy destinations and head to the Caribbean Coast. And then cross the country for a trek across the Peninsula de Osa. At least that’s the plan and we’ll see how it goes.

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a entry by Lucy Down Underfrom a trip to Manuel Antonio National Park, Costa Rica.

Hola chicas!!

Hope everyone is ok thanks Zara for your comments, others please feel free to comment.

Well ive been very busy since i last wrote this, been on many trips. On saturday i went on a very unsuccessful and long and susposedly nice catamaran trip down the bays looking for dolphins. It was over 3 hours long and the vast majority of it i was being ill over the side AND there were no dolphins i was soo gutted. i got to do a bit of snorkelling and saw a few fish but not a lot else not even and nice coral. there was unlimited food and drink obviously paid for in the cost of the ...

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a entry by Trudiefrom a trip to Manuel Antonio National Park, Costa Rica.

Manuel Antonio. You may have heard of it, famous for its rainforest national park. Lonely Planet warned against it due to itsmassive popularity and the affect tourism has had, but maybe because it was low season, I didn´t agree with Lonely Planets descriptions. Manuel Antonio had very, very beautiful beaches. I´d even go as far to say the best beaches I´ve ever seen. There is a main stretch of beach and then smaller coves of beaches that are backdropped by rocky cliffs of rainforest. There are also large rocks at sea, and the whole effect is very calming and picturesque.

We spent one ...

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a entry by Trudiefrom a trip to Playa Tamarindo, Costa Rica.

We then jumped on the bright yellow American school bus that took us to the border of Costa Rica. Our trip took 7 hours and 4 chicken buses. As we did in Mex/Guat, we walked across the Nic/Costa border, changing our Cordoba´s for Colones (although USD is widely accepted in Costa Rica). Unfortunately , we´ve entered this country in the wet season.. it rained, and it rained. First stop was Playa Tamarindo on the Pacific Coast. Known to the locals, the´Ticos´, as the popular surf and party beach in Costa Rica, we arrived that night to rain and sludge.

The next day, we took to the street to ...

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"I spotted a hammock shop"

a entry by D. Botelhofrom a trip to Arenal Volcano, Costa Rica.

Well, week two is already done. So, here's what happened.

Class was .. well, how class usually is. It's four hours, which is definitely a long time. We did watch a movie - Valentin. Valentin is a feel good movie that also has a message, an interesting concept. It was entirely in Spanish, of course, so if you don't speak it, I wouldn't recommend it. If you do, though, it's quite worthwhile. We also had the midterm test. It went quite well - a written part, then an oral interview.

So, onto the exciting part of the week. Well, Monday night was a bit of a fiasco - I hit the ...

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a entry by Marc s Watson Yearfrom a trip to San Pedro, San Jose.

As the hours tick by and the adventure that seemed to have no end finally draws to a close, I thought I should spend a little time at least recapping the last 363 days (I'm going home in two...) and what it all added up to. When I left, I thought--like most travelers do--that I would somehow magically "find myself" and a world of clarity would be revealed to me. I thought I would return a year later battered, seasoned, and wizened, ready to tell the world the meaning of life and how we should all be spending our time here. And then one day I woke up with a few weeks to go and realized that ...

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a entry by Marc s Watson Yearfrom a trip to San Pedro, San Jose.

One of the best parts of traveling (besides, of course, playing the “let's compare passport stamps” game) is getting to clue people into great places around the world that they've never heard of. It's nice to tell people, “Yeah, London's great,” or “Yup, the Eiffel Tower sure is tall,” but it's not as satisfying as being able to suggest new, original, and exciting places that someone may want to go to. It's cool to be able to introduce someone to an unheard-of and potentially rewarding destination.

So when the good people at RealTravel asked me to come up with another Top Ten list, I ...

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a entry by Marc s Watson Yearfrom a trip to Monteverde, Costa Rica.

So this was it: the last little side-trip. With four days to go, I've started thinking about the "last" everything... the last Monday, the last bus rides, the last time I'll wear certain things (it's been a year of the same eight t-shirts, and as nice as they are, they're going in the garbage... incidentally, if anyone wants my jeans which are now about 82% hole and 18% fabric, better get here quick).

We (Ashley, her friends Brianna and Colleen, and I) caught the 2:30 bus to Monteverde from San Jose by the skin of our teeth, and about five hours later, we were climbing off the bus and ...

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"relentless traffic"

a entry by The Hallgrensfrom a trip to Poas, Alajuela.

We spent what was supposed to be our last day in Costa Rica (more on this later) taking a half-day sightseeing trip to Poas Volcano. It was a scenic drive which took us through countless coffee plantations while our guide spewed out countless coffee facts. Brian´s eyes were glazed like a doughnut by the time we reached our first stop, a coffee plantation where we could use the restrooms (and buy their coffee beans, of course). From there we continued on to the volcano, took a short walk to view the main crater and another walk to view another smaller crater. Luck was on our side because ...

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"ample opportunity for a free falling death."

a entry by The Hallgrensfrom a trip to La Fortuna, Costa Rica.

As any rationale person would do when arriving in San Jose, Costa Rica, they look for the first opportunity to get out. Such is the case when we arrived to this dirty, traffic grid-locked, and most uninspiring city. Our first destination would be a two day visit to the small town of La Fortuna, which hosts the third most active volcano in the world, named Arenal.

A steady precipitation greeted us upon arrival in La Fortuna. I´m told this is the case with most rain forest...I was always under the impression from the travel brochures that it never rains here-who knew? Anyway, we opted ...

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a entry by Marc s Watson Yearfrom a trip to Tortuguero National Park, Limon.

Ahhhh... what a weekend. Ashley (the girl from New York who I met in Puerto Viejo) and I went up to Tortuguero, a turtle sanctuary and national park on the northern end of the Carib coast, right up by the Nicaraguan border. It was sort of a gametime decision: at first we were considering Bocas, then maybe Santa Teresa or somewhere on the Pacific side, and eventually I think we just settled on Tortuguero by default somehow.

Anyway, we left in the heat of Friday morning and took the three-hour bus to Cariari, where an hour-long bus took us to a dock in the middle of nowhere, where we ...

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a entry by The Patagoniansfrom a trip to La Fortuna, Costa Rica.

Next stop La Fortuna, a small town at the base of the Arenal Volcano. Personally I have never quite understood why you would populate an area at the base of an active volcano but it is very stunning and I am told that there is little chance of a huge eruption as there is activity every day that therefore keeps it stable.

With this in mind we took off on a nature trail on the slopes and spotted quite a few spider monkeys. This was followed by a somewhat strange "pizza eating in the rain" scenario whilst trying to look for lava coming out of the top of the volcano - in the cloud - not ...

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a entry by Marc s Watson Yearfrom a trip to Arenal, Costa Rica.

It's been a great (and quick) few days with my father here in San Jose. We signed up for a few day tours that left from here at the Marriott, and spent the first of those days on a tour of a coffee plantation about half an hour outside of San Jose. It's called Cafe Britt, and they do a two-hour tour and a lunch at their plantation. The whole thing could probably take about 45 minutes, but Cafe Britt has hired actors who parade you around the grounds showing you the different beans, how they're roasted, and a little history of coffee while they're at it. It's pretty kitschy, but at least we ...

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a entry by satorifrom a trip to Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, Limon.

After a long day of snorkeling and walking the Cahuita National Park trail back, we were exhausted. We still had not made it into town for a night out though, so this was the night. Properly primed and ready, we headed into town. It was DEAD! I had read that this was a real party town. As for turistas, we saw a few couples, and the miscellaneeous bicyclist. There were many locals, attending empty souvenier stands, calling at us to view their wares. We walked up the main street, turned around and walked back. Along the way we met Mario. All I will say is "Thanks Mario!"

The next ...

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a entry by satorifrom a trip to Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, Limon.

Now I never did like beaches or ocean or sand. Why go here then? My wife does like all of this. I must say, though, that I now love beaches, ocean and sand. Puerto Viejo is paradise. No matter what I say here, I will never do it justice.

Our reserved hotel was Cariblue. I was very disappointed. For the price and the online description, I guess I expected more. They are bungalows (read: very small rooms) with a king bed and an overhead fan. The pool is ok and the restaurant is overpriced and not that great. We left after 1 hour. Luckily we found La Isla Inn! I can not say ...

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a entry by Marc s Watson Yearfrom a trip to La Sabana, San Jose.

For a self-proclaimed pretty unobservant Jew, Shavuot had never really been one of the holidays that I paid a lot of attention to. On the road, however, as a surveyor of such things, any event is a great chance to introduce myself to a community and get my foot in the door.

The Centro Israelita in San Jose had initially been pretty hard to access. Their website says that I needed, among other things, to bring my passport, e-mail them my home address and telephone number, and the address and telephone number of my synagogue back home. It was the first time I had encountered an ...

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