Wednesday, June 30, 2010

A Little Travel Tip that's nice to KNOW

When traveling to Costa Rica, there's just some things that are NICE to know .... just in case.

And this is one of those kind of tips.

To me, researching a country before traveling to it is half the fun.... and usually, the MORE prepared you are, the better the experience will be. We would ALWAYS encourage anyone interested in traveling to Costa Rica to CHECK-OUT the tons of Costa Rica Travel INFO and VIDEOS we have on our sites (links to the right)... and not just our STUFF- but other peoples sites as well, for even more perspective.
*Stay away from sites which seem to have an agenda, such as selling YOU real estate or who continuously promote the 'Costa Rica = Paradise' perception without ever mentioning some of the problems one may incur while traveling and/or living in said, 'PARADISE'.
And trust me, these 'agenda' sites are the NORM. Really, there's only a handful of Costa Rica websites that actually tell you the TRUTH about Costa Rica- here's one you can start with (after ours of course): Costa Rica Blogger. So remember, BEWARE when doing your research.

D'Angelo and myself made this short video to provide a bit of 'insider' Costa Rican INFO which is useful to know when traveling around the country, especially if you're doing so on a budget, but really, good INFO regardless.

Costa Ricans are a practical people. This is a practical TRAVEL TIP, brought to you by 2 fairly impractical guys:



TONS of Costa Rica Travel Info and VIDEOS on our website: Travel Costa Rica NOW and if you want to visit our YouTube Channel: iCostaRica24 ENjoY!

Monday, June 28, 2010

The BEAUTY of the Arenal Volcano

The Arenal Volcano, aka Volcan Arenal, in La Fortuna Costa Rica is truly a sight to BEHOLD.

D'Angelo and myself have lived in La Fortuna Costa Rica, home of the Arenal Volcano, for almost 5 years now. It's safe to say we LOVE it and having the Arenal Volcano outside our door is probably one of the BIGGER reasons we're enamored with the La Fortuna area in general.

They say, and I believe it to be TRUE (I've been to 'Burning Man'), that 'words' don't describe the BEST of things and this DEFINITELY holds true when attempting to describe the Arenal Volcano. Someone can tell you about it and even show pictures or videos but to me they usually just don't do it the justice it deserves. BUT to see the volcano for yourself at sunset or when the morning sun is hitting it just right, or the lightening is STRIKing all around it during a storm, well, that's where words just don't cut it. You have to experience Arenal and see it for yourself.

When Volcan Arenal erupts (which is approximately between 20-40 times a day), it's way COOL, but for me, just gazing on its magnificence and grandeur is MORE than enough. The Arenal Volcano is one of the view volcanoes I've seen that would be worth visiting even if it NEVER erupted- yeah, I said it.

Here's a series of 4 short videos of the Arenal Volcano (just to give you an idea):









TONS of Costa Rica Travel Info and VIDEOS on our website: Travel Costa Rica NOW and if you want to visit our YouTube Channel: iCostaRica24 ENjoY!

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Murder in Costa Rica and don't call my Mom a Bitch

Violent crime is UP in Costa Rica. Murder, armed robbery, aggravated assault and over-all MAYHEM are all on the rise in Costa Rica. San Jose Costa Rica- DANGEROUS. Limon, Costa Ric- also DANGEROUS.

Everywhere you TURN, there's someone with a gun ready to separate you from your valuables. BEWARE!

"WHATEVER,.... I call BULLSHIT!"

I don't doubt crime is on the rise in Costa Rica. Hell, just the fact there's a recession would at least partially explain the rise, but there are also many other factors that I won't get into, at least not right now.

But living HERE and TRAVELING HERE are almost two entirely different things. This post is about CRIME as it relates to traveling here. Living in Costa Rica and dealing with crime is a different thing.
<<<<<<<<<<<<< Ummmmmm...maybe you should consider leaving the BLING at home.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<

I STILL maintain if you follow the advice of our VIDEOS and other INFO and other responsible Costa Rica websites regarding crime and theft etc, your likelihood of being the victim of a serious crime while traveling around Costa RIca is REMOTE- "YEAH, I said it."

Here's a VIDEO we did about Violent Crime on the RISE in Costa Rica. Hope it Helps.



TONS of Costa Rica Travel Info and VIDEOS on our website: Travel Costa Rica NOW and if you want to visit our YouTube Channel: iCostaRica24 ENjoY!

Saturday, June 5, 2010

La Fortuna- A Night in the Bullring

Costa Rica doesn't KILL the bull at a bullfight- another reason I love Costa Rica.

FYI:

In Costa Rica, bullfighting is simple- release a bull or two in the ring of a couple hundred *drunk* people- taunt the bull(s) and then it's "Run, Forrest, Run!" and pray your not the NEXT viral video on YouTube. For instance this just happened in Spain (where they do KILL the bull), but be WARNED! - this clip is very GRAPHIC! The matador will live, however, the bull's revenge was short-lived, they killed him soon after... you know, just because they revere and respect the bull for being a competent adversary....blah, blah, blah.



*Okay, STOP watching it- this is partly the reason why this version of 'bullfighting' is still popular.

On this night in La Fortuna, it was fun for the entire family.

ANYWAY.....

D'Angelo and myself thought we would take in 'A night at the Bull Ring' in La Fortuna), where it was a much 'tamer' version of bullfighting along with other bull-like activities. Part bullfight, part rodeo, part circus and part social EVENT, with various doses of, machismo, rights-of-passage, stupidity and of course BEER- ALL thrown in to ensure an EXCITING night. But the bottom line- it's FUN. And although people get run over or thrown off... HARD, on this night the bulls didn't have horns.. always a good thing if you're the one getting run over.

Although in Costa Rica, they NEVER kill the bull, they do like to antagonize and TAUNT the bull unMERCIFULLY, but hey, at least the bull lives to see another day.

It's all FUN and GAMES...... well, most of the time.

So, CHECK OUT our VIDEO about a 'Night in the bullring in La Fortuna Costa Rica (this VIDEO is G-Rated):


TONS of Costa Rica Travel Info and VIDEOS on our website: Travel Costa Rica NOW and if you want to visit our YouTube Channel: iCostaRica24 ENjoY!