Rising majestically into the misty heavens (ah mist that's more like it!), Costa Rica's cloud forrests are a Wonka-esque wonderland of wildlife diversity. From the standard Ticos and American to Germans, French, Spaniards, Scots, South Americans and even Japanese - oh and their are a few birds and stuff too. This place is alive with the rush to see just how much stuff is ... well ... alive. So it's back on with the boots and off up the mountains where it's gloriously cool, almost always raining and full of nature. A nature that oozes from every crevas, flowing over you [View Full Entry]

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We visited Costa Rica in successive years when it became a big eco-friendly, adventure packed, and reasonably priced vacation destination. The country has no army, and decided to hitch their wagon to preserving their pristine rain and cloud forests. A lot of Americans also travel there to learn Spanish, as we hear their Spanish is a more traditional form of the language. We went to see the cloud forests, learn more about the indigenous animals and plants, and go ziplining through the forest. We landed in San Jose, the capital, and spent a night there to get acclimated. Downtown San Jos [View Full Entry]

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We have done our fair share of traveling and have stayed in and seen some pretty bad accommodation. But this last week we have splurged and become champagne backpackers. It all started after our time in San Juan del Sur. . . we had both been sick for days, had to force ourselves to move on. After a long bus ride that literally went in circles before eventually breaking down, we arrived into Playa Tamarindo, Costa Rica. We checked into a 4 star beachside resort and started living in luxury. The hotel was beautiful, with an ocean front pool, impeccable grounds [View Full Entry]

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Well it´s too hot to wait outside so I thought I blog abit and zen out and maybe give some of my No Planets Just lonely Dan tips. If you are planning on coming to CR bring money. CR has developed into a big tourist hotspot and probably the most expensive country in Central America. Average price for food is $6-$8 and that is just simple stuff now dining out. Most activities range from $40 average and up. And grocery is not that much cheaper when you try to buy can tuna it´s pretty much the same as home. It is [View Full Entry]

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I left Puntarenas at 2pm on another local bus. The bus ride cost $2 bucks. My number system in spanish is still very new so most of the time when I am unsure how much something cost I give them a bigger bill but then this equals more change. Costa Rica change is heavy so I think I will need to practice my numbers or I am going to have to either hit the slots or carry a big mountain coop change purse. Catching the bus can be difficult because even though the sign tells you the bus stops here it [View Full Entry]

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Day 11 - Nature and Pierce Brosnan We woke up early to go to the Monteverde Biological Cloud Forest Reserve. With a couple friends we conquered almost the entire park in 2 hours. So many amazing different plants and fauna, things you picture when you think of the rainforest - huge leaves, towering trees, vines, moss, bright colors. I think my skin became saturated with chlorophyll. We went across a cool suspension bridge and saw an amazing waterfall. Maybe the best part was coming upon some hanging vines from a towering tree and just going for it. We grabbed them and [View Full Entry]

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Day 10 - Bon Appétit Introduces Grilled Choco-Cheese I was so stoked for this big day that I put on my ipod and cranked up the volume as I started to cut my nails outside. I look up and no one is around. I run to the bus and everywhere is there smiling at me and laughing hysterically. Sound like me? I can’t get away from crappy habits. It’s really hard to put my zip line rainforest canopy tour into words. I got to soar over the freaking rainforest dangling from a cable like a little Colombian fishing lure. Epic views, [View Full Entry]

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Today started with a van ride to Extremo Canopy Tour. Finally, after several days of clouds and rain, the sky was a beautiful blue, and the sun was shining brightly. It was a welcome sight. The Extremo canopy tour was amazing, with several ziplines stretching between mountains. What an amazing experience to be flying through the air attached to a small wire hundreds of feet above the ground. There was also a tarzan swing that was absolutely crazy! You'll see videos of both. After the zip line, we headed to the actual nature preserve, where our guide was able to spot [View Full Entry]

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Moving on from Nicaragua into Costa Rica has been like going from floating peacefully down a river to plunging head first into rapids. In fact, I've experienced this both physically and metaphorically in the last week...but I'll get into that in a bit! Just a quick note before I begin - I managed to get a few pics up in my previous blogs. Not many because the internet still is too slow, but at least a few pics! So enjoy :) First, I'll tell you about the rest of my time in Nicaragua. We traveled from Granada to Ometepe Island via [View Full Entry]

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I haven't had much time to write at my blog because I have been working with the group to finish our research and put together our project. After the group returned from Arenal we started putting together a focus group for the women in the area to learn about their perceptions of the local farmers' market. I am so glad that we got to choose the farmers' market as the focus of our research. Local economy surrounding food is very interesting to me, especially since I get to focus more on the anthropological perspective here. We also began interviewing individual farmers [View Full Entry]

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