Stuff from the life of Costa Rica Guy @lifeofcostaricaguy - Tumblr Blog

Ode to the Costa Rica Expat

We love Costa Rica because it is warm. The people are gentle and do us no harm. The mountains are green and the jungles are too. Teaming with animals, like a natural zoo.

There are beaches galore with every color of sand. And waves of all sizes, hey ain’t it grand! We come here to escape the rat race of the States. With hope of new life and maybe a date.

But then the truth comes crashing down…

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#Costa Rica Expats

A Costa Rica Bird Song

I have written repeatedly about the incredible depth of biological diversity that exists in Costa Rica. And the variety of Costa Rica bird species is one aspect where that diversity is displayed dramatically.

[color-box color=”red”]There are almost 900 different species, more than in the entire U.S. and Canada combined…compacted into an area the size of West Virginia.[/color-box]

Have you ever…

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#costa rica birds

Qubo Pues Colombia

Sancocho, Aguardiente Antioqueño and Vallenatos are just a few things I have learned to enjoy over the last seven years.

What am I talking about?

C-O-L-O-M-B-I-A

I’ve referred to the fact before in pasts posts that my wife is “pura paisa”, from Medellín, Colombia.

Yes, that’s the home of Pablo Escobar and back in the 80’s was known as one of the most dangerous cities on the planet. However,…

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#Colombia

Costa Rica Peace Dividend

Costa Rica is unique in many ways.

One of the most dramatic and puzzling (to North Americans) attributes is its lack of a military and commitment to Costa Rica peace.

Many ask how can Costa Rica be safe when there has been so much strife to its north and south without a military to protect itself?

To understand more fully Costa Rica’s steadfast commitment to remaining neutral in the numerous…

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#Costa Rica Civil War #Don Pepe #Pepe Figueres

Matter Full in Costa Rica

Sometimes I run across things I’ve written years ago that still seem quite relevant today…

Like this “matter full in Costa Rica” post from way back when…actually the reference to my age gives it away, since I’m now 53 (well, almost 54)…

Maybe it’s just me, but it seems that there’s something different about the world these days.

People seem to be a bit more edgy and fearful now than any time…

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Costa Rica Boutique Hotels

People sometimes get the wrong idea about Costa Rica.

Costa Rica is not Cancun, or Cozumel or Saint Martin. Sure we have our large, swanky and all-inclusive resorts, most of them tucked away up in the North Pacific (Guanacaste).

But here is a little secret that will help you get the most out of your trip to Costa Rica (you know, the one you’re gonna book with Package Costa Rica).

Those…

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Costa Rica is a Biodiversity Ark

I can remember back in my “conservative” days when they were trying to stop logging in the Pacific Northwest because it was endangering the habitat of a certain small owl. I can recall thinking how absurd to put the brakes on an important commercial activity just because of this little insignificant creature.

These days my thinking has changed, radically. In fact, many people call me just that…a…

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The Costa Rica Tica

Would I ever admit to being such a pig as to have been drawn to this country on account of its women?

Well if I did, I certainly wouldn’t be alone.

But no, for me it wasn’t that….really! It was “strictly business.”

But what does become apparent after a while, if you’re a man with a pulse, is that there really are a lot of very beautiful women here. And that’s especially true in my current…

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Costa Rica is Pura Vida

When folks visit Costa Rica they often hear a phrase that may sound unfamiliar, even to those who know a little Spanish.

That phrase is “Pura Vida” (pronounced as POO-rah VEE-dah) and can be viewed as the Costa Rican “national motto.” In fact, if you made an inquiry about one of our Costa Rica vacation designs, you probably received an email from me that ended using the phrase!

Literally…

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When the Costa Rica Rain Comes

One thing you get used after living in Costa Rica through a few winter seasons is rain.

The winter season is also sometime called our “wet” season, but we in the Costa Rica vacation biz frown on that negative description. Instead we like to refer to that time of the year as the “green” season.

Now I know that the idea of even one drop of that liquid stuff falling on your Costa Rican vacation…

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5 Reasons to Say No to the Costa Rica All Inclusive Resort

I’ve written so much in the past about why Costa Rica is different. Why it is not a good candidate for the Hotel + Flight deal that is so prevalent in the tourist offerings out there these days. In fact, Google has pretty much allowed the search results for Costa Rica vacations and similar terms to be overtaken by “the Walmarts” of the travel industry offering such deals.

And many times that…

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#all-inclusive resort #boutique hotels

Cumbia Dance in Costa Rica

Since coming to Costa Rica I have become a lover of latin music and latin dance.

After many lessons and a lot of practice, I have become what I would consider an “adequate”dancer of salsa and merengue. However, I am most interested in learning the Cumbia dance like a tico, which they generally call here, “Swing Criollo.”

I was once at a bar/disco in the little Southern Pacific beach town of…

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Our New Colombia Vacation Designs

Since 2008, I’ve been spending the latter part of December and most of January each year in Colombia, South America.

Since my first trip things have changed quite a bit. In fact, things have changed drastically from the bad old days of outlaw Pablo Escobar and revolutionaries roaming the countryside.

[color-box color="red"]Escobar is long gone and the revolutionary group known as the FARC is…

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#Amazon #Colombia #Colombia vacations #medellin

Why Trip Advisor Sucks!

I am no fan of Trip Advisor. Never have been.

And never will be.

And here’s a good example of why…

I recently had a potential customer call and ask for us to design an itinerary.

And, by the way, there’s something very important you should know about our itineraries.

They include hotels and activities that we know personally and that we have done business with for the past decade.

We don’t put…

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#Trip Advisor #TripAdvisor

The Freedom to be Unpretentious

I am at times a bit critical of developed country societies and cultures (without naming names). There may be someone who is put off by that. After all, I am from the U.S. and I guess in many ways I’m like the pot who called the kettle black.

Yes, I admit that I am often guilty of pretentiousness myself. It is a way of denying (to the world and to myself) how average and unheroic I really am.

Pre…

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#costa rica culture