Geo: 9.88, -85.53Perhaps the most beautiful aspect of Costa Ricans is the passion and love they have of wildlife - there's a certain appreciation and respect they have for animals, and it's something that isn't all that common in other parts of the World. So what we experienced tonight, when that respect turned into complete and utter contempt, made us sick to our stomachs, both figuratively and literally. The level of cruelty inflicted upon poor Costa Rican animals tonight was incomprehensible; how could one living thing have so little regard for the well-being of another?Tonight, we witnessed the end result of the most brutal torture and murder of a squid - now, of course, we didn't actually witness the torture and murder, but in another nod to the wisdom of the great Spock (BTW - shout ... read more

Geo: 10.0997, -83.4481A leisurely horseback ride through a private farm in the beautiful countryside of Monteverde - what better way would be there be to end off our time in the area? It would've been a perfect day, except for one problem - saddle sores! I'm not sure what it is about these horseback riding outfits in tropical places, but they never have stirrup straps that are long enough! The problem with such short straps is that it renders the stirrups essentially useless, negating their purpose of providing a platform for the rider to maintain stability.Not only that, but it ends up forcing the ankles into a weird angle, and puts a ton of stress on the knees, resulting in some very sore joints at the end of the ride. Even worse, when the horse starts ... read more

Geo: 10.3041, -84.798"Is that a Scorpion?""Uh, no ... that's actually a ... cricket, sir ..."Imagine that first question posed in a British accent, by a fellow guest on our night walk of the Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve. Now imagine the response coming from our Costa Rican guide Ricardo, who happens to be whiter than paper, and despite the fact that he speaks completely fluent Spanish, speaks English with an accent from the American south ... I don't know what was more absurd - the fact that somebody actually could think a cricket looks anything like a scorpion, or the unique contradiction that is Ricardo.Interesting fact - a group of Quakers settled in Costa Rica in 1951, and Ricardo hails from one of the original families that settled here in Monteverde, which explains the American accent. ... read more

Geo: 10.4459, -84.6895Tico is what Costa Ricans call themselves, and Tico Time is a bit of a running joke, a reference to Costa Ricans' penchant for being laid back and late. In a way it's what makes a visit here so appealing, the lazy approach to life that makes a vacation so relaxing and enjoyable. But we have a theory about Tico Time - the reason that Costa Ricans are always late isn't because of any lack of regard for others' time, it's because of the atrocious state of the roads in this country!We discovered this firsthand today as we picked up a rental car and made the trek out to the Arenal Volcano, a drive that, by numerous accounts from trustworthy sources, should have been no more than four hours. It's what the guidebook says, ... read more

Geo: 9.38945, -84.1347We learned a key lesson about Costa Rican wildlife today - that the three-toed sloth is cute, while the two-toed version is rather ugly, almost alien-like in appearance. Exactly what is the difference? I don't know exactly ... you'll just have to google the images and make the judgment for yourself. Perhaps it's the fact that the three-toed sloth has a permasmile, or at least it appears that way - it could be that it truly is happy all the time and always smiling, or that the fur around its mouth is shaped such that it has a permasmile!Sloths really are intriguing animals, spending nearly their entire lives up in the trees, usually coming down only to take a dump. Being so slow and having almost no defensive features to speak of, it needs ... read more