Gump's Guestbook

trip details..
Hi! Could you share details of this visit?... where did you stay? did you use a tour operator? any 'must-do'...'must-see' recommendations? is there any kind of local transportation?- or do you just walk? is finding veggie food a real problem? Thanks in advance ! :)

Another great adventure !
As always, enjoyed your photos capturing beautiful and historical eastern Europe. I think its great you continue to fulfull your dreams of exploring the world. Rod

In India only there are so many contrast peoples are living with different languages, dresses, way of living styles, food, etc. Thanks for sharing the pleasant experience of your trip. Nice article.

flights to nepal
Hello, what a quality of posting this blog. This blog was very marvelous. I really boast the way how you gathered information. I am sure to be very useful for me to investing. Thank for your valuable information.

Thanks for sharing
Love your trips:))

books
Wow, I read all those books, The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency. Maybe you can pronounce all the places. I've always wondered what it looks like there since I read the books. Can't wait to hear more about it when you return.

Osa, Costa Rica's Best Kept Secret Now Revealed...You Decide.
Osa, Costa Rica's Best Kept Secret Now Revealed...You Decide. Written by Michael H. Cranford Osa Peninsula, where you will find Costa Rica’s jewel of the National Park System , Corcovado National Park. Osa continues to provide adventure travelers with great photos of monkeys, tapirs, cats,dolphins, whales and exotic birds. What most people don’t realize is that a new super hwy # 245 was just completed, so now it’s only a 5 hr. drive from San Jose vs. the usual trek over the mountains and through raging rivers. Navigating pot holes the size of Hollywood swimming pools are now cherished memories. Thanks to overseas bond purchases from our friends in China, it’s smooth sailing all the way from San Jose to Puerto Jimenez. Hard to believe the first time I took the trip last month. The days are over when you just abandoned your rental car along the side of the pot hole riddled road and hitchhiked your way to Puerto Jimenez. Yup…new asphalt, bridges, painted yellow lines, passing lanes, guard rails and bus stops in each town. You could certainly sneak under the radar and land a small plane just like the ole days. Most people don’t know, but Puerto Jimenez was a dusty old gold mine town in its hay day, built completely in support of eager and persistent gold miners and the richest deposits of Gold in the world. Dirt roads came to The Osa 28 Years ago when president Nobel Peace Prize Winner - Oscar Arias was President of Costa Rica back in the early 80’s and he signed a deal with Ronald Reagan. The Roads for Peace project was born and the US Army corp. of engineers got busy building roads, bridges and schools. USA could keep a close eye on all of the Ollie North and Noriega activity in the mountains high above the city of David, Panama. Costa Rica and Taiwan were the only two countries that benefited from the short lived Roads for Peace program. Life for Costa Ricans has never been the same since. 28 years later our road is all finished up. Coincidentally ICE has upgraded the electrical capacity in the area and we have several new airstrips and 3-G wireless technology . But as usually, they’ve already over sold the band width, so don’t bother checking your e mail between 4-9 pm. and forget about weekend surfing, your best surfing is still in Matapalo. Funky Puerto Jimenez is starting to catch up with the rest of the world. With our new road and improved infrastructure all neat and tiddy, The Osa could be ready to join the ranks of Tamarindo and Jaco, however most of us locals don’ even want to think about it. As non sustainable eyes look over the new frontier for future developments, us old timers keep wish we closed the gate years ago, including myself. When I moved to The Osa 12 years ago., I shipped 2 cars and lived a life of dodging lake sized pot holes with everyone else. One year there was sign hung slightly above the Jaws sized swimming pool in Sandaol, Locals called it “lago grande” the sign read. I called it jaws. Just my luck, now the road is paved and none of my cars run. The Osa is a changing place for sure. 3M billboards and dry cleaners haven’t arrived yet, nor has Pillsbury croissants, or Sarah Lee frozen pies. However, we’re always excited to see Johnsonville Brats. Italian Sausage, Provolone Cheese and Snyder Pretzels. We locals living on Osa, pay 3 times the going rate for food so we expect to have a few Pringles potato chips and Cracker Jacks every once in awhile. Leave your golf clubs and tennis rackets at home and let the Osa’s prehistoric jungles get under your hardened skin . The Osa is not for everyone, however it is for folks interested in sustainable travel and learning how to go green in their own lives back home. From solar pizza ovens, compost gardens to exercise machines that charge your IPOD, it’s all available on The Osa. Everybody wants to go green, get eco - fied and learn about sustainability. But how ? The Osa is a great place to start your sustainable mission. An important aspect of sustainable travel is supporting local Costa Rican tour operators, restaurants and gift shops. In order for Costa Rica to thrive as the leader in eco tourism we need to keep our local Costa Ricans employed, to prevent The Osa from becoming another Jaco or South Beach. Local sustainability is about jobs, so spread your dollars around and touch the lives of rural Costa Rica. Most people visiting The Osa Peninsula usually plan a week or two vacation, and that can get expensive $$$ while staying at beach lodges and resorts, especially if you are traveling as a family. Most people want to stay on the beach when visiting Southern Costa Rica, but what most people don’t know about Costa Rica, is that beaches are unbelievably HOT ! Full of Purajas ( sand flees ) black sand and open to the public, so you don’t get the privacy you deserve while your on vacation. Most of the lodges and eco resorts on the Osa Peninsula are off the grid, so adequate power, hot water and the 5 star amenities our civilization has grown to expect…are a hit and miss. In addition to the beaches being Hot, they are also a bit too Gringo -landia- ish for some people. Most families want an authentic Costa Rica vacation with some fun eco –tours mixed in and that certainly holds true for Osa. For instance on Osa, we recommend you spend your eco dollars at places like Osa Palmas Zip Line in La Palma www.osatv.com/eco-tourism/sustainable-living.php . Alex at Finca Kobo can tell you all kinds of things about organic chocolate and keep the lady’s satisfied with chocolate covered nibs and treats to go. www.fincakobo.com/ . Rosie and Herman manage an organic Tilapia farm in Canasa and you can also visit a wildlife refuge, http://www.osawildlife.org/ where you can meet Poppy and Sweet Pea, Osa’s favorite Spider Monkey. Your Osa eco touring options are endless. For the adventurer at heart, try waterfall rappelling, tree jumping with Andy Pruter, www.psychotours.com/ , or try wake boarding with dolphins! See turtles, Humpbacks and Whalesharks . The Osa is the spot for animal lovers, birdwatchers and travelers wanting to re connect with nature. So how do you get started on your sustainable vacation ? Try Minimizing your vacation footprint from the get go and Fly on Nature Air, The World’s Only Carbon Neutral Airline. http://www.natureair.com/carbonneutral/ . If you get stuck a night or two in San Jose, we recommend you stay in Alajuela near the INTRL airport. You can catch the early morning flight to Osa. A spectacular flight over pristine rivers, beaches and luxurious mountains awaits you. Puerto Jimenez is Nature Air’s most popular destinations. You can rent a car and drive down too. These are the places we stay when we are stuck in San Jose. In Alajuela we recommend you stay at ; Costa Rica owned guest house, free breakfast $ www.vidatropical.com Swimming pool, free breakfast $$ www.villadolce.com Nature preserve, organic farm, waterfall, Spa and Restaurant $$$ www.vistadevalle.com Once you arrive to The Osa, there are a number of places to stay, but if you want to stay cool, and see the sites, we recommend you stay on the East side of the Osa at a special retreat spot called Sombra de la Lapa. Home to 3 beautiful rental homes nestled up high in mountains, 400’ above sea level, where it’s cooler! www.costaricaosahome.com 120 acre private rainforest reserve has all the amenities you’d expect from a beach resort. Why share your vacation with other travelers. Lapa’s Home Rentals are only 10 minutes away from the best beaches, restaurants and bars in Puerto Jimenez. Rent a car from Solid Car rental and explore Carate or go snorkeling in Drake Bay. Spend your mornings at beach and your afternoons in the rainforest where its cooler, that’s where all us monkeys are. Cool off in one of our luxurious swimming pools, BBQ poolside and watch the monkeys come and go. Great rainforest hikes and Corcovado National Park is only 2 hr. hike upstream. Great swimming in the river await you. Lapa’s Nest vacation rental homes are located in the middle of jungle and close to the beach. Rents weekly - $1500 - $ 2200 ( Green Season - Holidays.) Contact Blondie at or visit www.osarental.com for affordable accommodations in and around the Osa Peninsula. If you are staying a week or two, try renting a private rental home vs. a hotel room or cabina. You’ll save big $$ for sure. Far more affordable than renting a noisy hotel in Puerto Jimenez for sure. To learn more about sustainable travel in and around the Osa. Surf around www.osapeninsulatravel.com where you’ll find up to date info about safe and fun tours and travel options in Southern Costa Rica. Leave all your adventure gear at home, throw your sandles and t-shirts in your bag, and get down to the Osa. The Osa Peninsula experience provides all the entertainment you can handle. More wildlife than anywhere else in the world. Learn the real meaning behind Pura Vida, Costa Rica’s best kept secret. Pura Vida and hope to see ya! Michael H. Cranford Conservationist at heart. _______________________________________________________________________________________ If you would like us to link to your blog site, please send us your URL, and we’ll post your link on our websites sites ASAP. www.treehouseincostarica.com www.costaricaosahome.com www.costaricaartretreat.com www.costaricaartist.com www.osatv.com www.sustainabletv.org www.southerncostaricamap.com www.osamap.com www.ranchodulce.com www.rainforestaid09.com Most of these sites are ranked in top 10 and we ask that you publish this story in your next Costa Rica Blog. If you have questions or would like more photos, please contact me. osamike@gmail.com .

Awesome Adventure
Love your concise, yet descriptive, narratives. Great photos too.

What a way to spend the winter
You guys make me sick. Doing all this great beach side traveling and not taking me with you. I'm going next time....really.. justtttt kiddinggg :-) Beautiful weather here this week - it's all the way up in the 50's....you guys make me sick. ha ha ha

Your Travelogue
Hi Mary, I so enjoy hearing from you and viewing your pic's! What a life! Please call (if you ever return). I'd love to meet up for lunch sometime in the Pearl, or your side of town. MaryAnne

NW hikes
Hi Globe Trekkers, Enjoyed some of your entries; so professionally presented as well! Great photos and short, but informative text. I'm going to pass along to Scott--the one in Columbia. Happy hiking! Kay

wow! i am soo jelous and happy for you two to be able to afford all you travels and adventures. i am still slaving away in the slow lumber market (sigh). anyway its nice to get you photos and updates on you adventure. keep having fun!@ ron