Well, the biggest reason I have moved here is to start up my own tourism company. I have been working hard with a few of my friends to get this thing off the ground these last six months and it has been very rewarding for me. I wanted to do this as I really believed, and still do, that this wonderful country has so much to offer so many people who visit it. For me it was just a matter of establishing a company with integrity and phenomenal service standards in order to bring people here and keep them coming back.

Given the fact that I have no background in business, everyday seems to have provided me with good learning experiences. The biggest lesson I’ve learned thus far you ask? Well this is simply to make sure you take the time to do things right in all of your venture, whether it be with family, friends, business partners or clients. People really do appreciate when you are willing to take the time for them: it makes them feel special!!!

It really has been an amazing experience to be able to call the shots, and I don’t know how easy it will be to go back to taking orders if things were not to succeed the way I would like them too. Everyone who knows me is well aware that I tend to be a little difficult on authority. I won’t really give any more details about my business but I really think that I might surprise a few people when they come down, at least I hope I do, if you don’t believe me give our offices a call and find out for yourself!!!

Let me also introduce you to my new hometown and the birthplace of Exclusive X-Cursions Travel Inc.: Barva, Heredia. This quiet little town I live is about 20 minutes away from the capital, San Jose. This place is everything I had hoped for in moving here. I really took a step back in time and have had the opportunity to experience how things must have been like years ago. There are no large multinationals, restaurant chains, no street lights, and everybody in the town really ends up knowing your name. Everything is within a five minute walk, whether it be the food/supermarket, bakery, local pubs, gym, Internet café, bus stops, park, basketball courts, football fields, and even a beautiful church. It did not take me long to realize I would be happy living somewhere where no car was needed. I walk and take the bus everywhere, and if the need ever occurs, I take a taxi. All in all it is very cheap to get around, and I don’t have the guilt of polluting or putting a large dent in my pocket. Barva is known in Costa Rica as the city of artists because of the large number of famous artists and sculptors living here. What I like most about being here is that there always seems to be a festival of some sort on any given weekend. The picture I posted is of one of my friends while he painted a scene depicting a yearly festival that takes place in front of my Church every year in August. He painted this painting of a Festival during a different Festival, where artists from all over the country travel to Barva to produce something for all to see and appreciate.

Until next time!

This may be understandable to some as those who live in these areas may feel that this is their only way to survive. My comment regarding Costa Ricans though (or perhaps generalization) is related to the rich, middle class and the less well to-do people of this country. In my travels the people of Costa Rica have been nothing but helpful, kind and genuine with me and I struggle to think of a time where someone may have offended me in any of my visits. It is my personal feeling that this may have something to do with the pious focus of society here which I will touch on in a future post on Christianity in Costa Rica.

What’s more is that the people of Costa Rica I have encountered on my travels genuinely enjoy helping tourists out. Some have even refused to be compensated as was the situation with a young man on his mo-ped who helped us out when our Toyota Prado broke down a couple of years ago (although Patrick forgot to mention the random act of kindness by the young lad during that particular portion of our trip to Costa Rica.

A third type of phenomenon you will thereby not encounter in Costa Rica is what I call the Parisian effect, aptly named for the feelings I got when… you guessed it… I traveled in Paris. A place where asking for help in a high tourist area provokes the same type of reaction you would expect to get from someone after you have just t-boned their parked vehicle. The “I cannot believe you have just gone and done that and ruined my whole day” look can be offensive to say the least when you need help in a foreign place.

In any case, I believe the difference in attitudes towards tourists in Costa Rica may also have a lot to do not only with religion, but also the focus on tourism by the government. Parisians generally don’t like tourists and you as an individual are not vital to them, nor even needed. Whereas in Costa Rica I believe you are taught to understand how important tourism is to the various local economies in the areas that you visit. Please feel free to post comments with relation to this or even similar encounters (or perhaps dissimilar experiences?) with the people of Costa Rica that you may have had.

Rainy Season
The rainy season is from mid May until the end of November. There is a small break in July that is called the little summer by Costa Ricans. The rainiest months are October and November. What you can expect in terms of weather during these months is sun from 6am until noon, then some cloudiness, followed by two hours of rain on average. If you get up early, you will get plenty of sunshine.

Dry Season
Goes from December until mid May. You can expect lots of sun and weather in the mid 30’s no matter where you are staying.

Central Valley – San Jose area
One of the wettest areas in the country due to the high elevation. The rainiest areas in Costa Rica are all located in the mountains with the exception of the Atlantic Coast.

La Fortuna – Arenal
A very cloudy area due to the volcano. Many tourist never get to see the volcano due to this. It also rains lots in Arenal, amking this one of the greenest areas of the country.

Caribbean
As rainy as it gets in Costa Rica. You are never guaranteed of avoiding the clouds if you come here. For some reason, you can often get great weather at the end of May near Puerto Viejo. Although you have a better chance of getting wet, going to Puerto Viejo is a trip of a lifetime and should not be missed.

Manuel Antonio Region
This a a true Jungle, and is very humid. Manuel Antonio does not receive lots of rain however in comparison to other Jungle areas of the country. This is one of the most visited places in Costa Rica.

Guanacaste
The driest place in the country due to it being a dry forest. Guanacaste is also where all the largest resorts are located, which makes sense when you think about the high level of sun they receive year round.

If you want to check the weather in Central America you can also visit the following.

Our whole group (which included my girlfriend and myself, my best friend Patrick and his new Costa Rican girlfriend whom we had just met) was fully aware of the difficulties involved in attempting to make the trek from the Pacific to the Atlantic in one drive. Thus, we decided it would be nice to treat ourselves to some luxurious dining the day before the big journey began. What we did not expect from this meal was to encounter one of those rare and precious moments in a lifetime, where everything in your life seems truly perfect. We ate the most magnificent seafood imaginable as we sat by the beautiful beach under the night’s sky and listened to the waves come crashing into the shore in a wonderful cadence, creating a peaceful ambience for our evening together. What’s more is that some of the culinary delights we were enjoying were on the house as my good friend Patrick explained to the waiter that we represented a Costa Rican travel service provider… nothing like corporate patronage, Costa Rican style!

And now for my end of the proverbial bargain through a shameless plug for this place… if anyone is ever in Brazalito, a sleepy town on the coast just north of Tamarindo in between Flamingo Beach and Tamarindo, you must visit El Camaron Dorado. Be prepared for the prices. They are certainly not typically Costa Rican. But I can state with absolute certainty that it is well worth the added expense. The quality of seafood served, its presentation, the charm of the waiters and the fact that you are literally sitting on the beach under the stars as you indulge in these delectable’s, more than makes up for the rather hefty bill that follows this unforgettable meal (Again, I need to re-iterate, the price is hefty by Costa Rican standards… this quality of meal would run anyone in a developed Western country in the hundreds of dollars per couple… we paid much less than half that price).

Needless to say, love and romance was definitely in the air for our two couples as we walked back along the beach to our resort and we went to bed with filled stomachs and anxious hearts for the day that was to come. The next morning, we got up as the sun rose (6 am for those that have not travelled to any equatorial countries), packed up our car and headed out for the trip back around *Arenal Lake (a must for anyone who appreciates beautiful sights… ok so a must for everyone*). Having been asked to take over driving duties after we stopped for breakfast was certainly interesting as I reminisced back to my last driving experience in Costa Rica just a over a year ago. I remembered with a chuckle being stuck in the middle of nowhere with an unleaded gasoline-filled, diesel SUV gas tank (please read: “What can happen…” for this interesting tidbit of a story). The post-breakfast part of our journey should have signalled events to come as the car would not start. We found ourselves pushing our car down the main road of a pueblito (Costa Rican for a small town that almost surely would not show up on any map) to get the engine to finally fire.

Obviously the vehicles owner, my best friend Patrick`s girlfriend, was slightly concerned. Strangely enough the car was only a few years old and although, as evidenced by my troubles at Costa Rican gas stations, I am by no means a mechanic, everything else seemed to be in perfect working order.

In case you have not guessed, I am foreboding our impending doom. Well, that perhaps is slightly melodramatic, but as I remember it, our doom as it were, began with another type of one of “life’s moments”: where time seems to stand still. As I drove through the arid desert-like climate of Guanacaste during the dry season and attempted to negotiate some of the highways pot holes at 80 km/h, I noticed something quite strange. Along one of the better roads I have driven in this country I watched as this flatter portion of Costa Rica actually provides for a slight mirage like effect. This became even more apparent as suddenly I noticed a massive Guanacaste tree branch (this normally beautiful tree is the province`s namesake). With a vehicle in the opposite left lane on-coming and the impending potential of yet another Costa Rican ditch incident my only other option to the right (again, see my “What can happen…” story), the aforementioned “moment” had arrived. I quickly decided an attempt to stop the vehicle before the enormous tree branch was my best choice. Slamming on the breaks and putting the clutch down I managed to bring the car to a stop within perhaps a foot of the large branch… phew! The strange part about stopping the car in this way is that the engine stalled (I could have swore I had the clutch all the way down). I could see the concern in Pat’s girlfriend’s eyes as I attempted to start the car again. Apparently Costa Rican manual transmissions need to be geared down even when slamming on the breaks (my unending and most sincere apologies again Georgia for my weak driving skills).

This whole episode put a little damper in our cross country adventure. Although we could eventually start the car again, the uncertainty of driving in the rural regions of a third world country with a vehicle that had stalled twice in the same day did not appeal to anyone, especially the vehicle’s owner… it was after all, her car (and no, they don’t have AAA or CAA here, I asked). So we found a small mechanics shop in the next town and stopped to see what we could find out about the vehicle’s conditions.

First let me clarify, by a mechanics shop I mean a couple of Costa Rican dudes working on some cars next to a little shack like shelter to protect from the elements while they did their work. Pat’s girlfriend Georgia engaged herself in a conversation with the mechanic about the troubles we had been having with the car and asked them what they thought. They said that it sounded like a problem with the battery as they inspected the engine. Patrick meanwhile got increasingly frustrated as he felt it had nothing to do with the battery, and that the recharging of the battery they were proposing would essentially be a waste of our time. I agreed as Patrick has a tendency to be right about these things. So I sat back, kept my mouth shut and feared the worst as we waited for the mechanics to do their work.

Patrick’s frustration would only grow as an American ex-pat turned rural Costa Rican local walked up to us and tried to explain to us what was wrong with our car. The American quickly transitioned the conversation to explaining his life’s story, which neither of us were interested in, nor in the mood for. As an aside on this topic: I have a couple of quick questions to all American`s (or “Gringos’’ as they are known here) who decide move to Costa Rica. Firstly let me clarify, as I am not talking to those that decide they will teach or live in Costa Rica for a while. Rather my query is only to those who actually decide to make their move permanent. My questions: Why do you, as an American living in Costa Rica, feel the necessity to boast to other Westerners (or Americans/Canadians rather) about the life in Costa Rica? Or how old you are and how young your Costa Rican wife is for that matter? Or even how well you were doing while in the US but that you just couldn’t live there anymore because of: a) George W. Bush, b) the society going to crap, c) the quality of life being worse in the US than in the more laid back Costa Rica. And lastly how every time you go back to the States you realize just how smart you are for having made that fateful decision one fine day upon discovering the wonder this country had to offer.

Now, I know many reading this may be thinking that the stereotypical Americans are normally quite arrogant in any case. I have heard this many times, even from close friends of mine, and I have never personally ascribed to that viewpoint. I am Canadian and I feel that Americans, with respect to personality or arrogance, are quite similar to Canadians. You can find some arrogant ones, just as you find arrogant Canadians occasionally. But generally speaking, I find Americans to be genuine and wonderful people whether you meet them in their hometown or travelling through Europe. And yet, for whatever reason, the ones I have met living in Costa Rica are very boastful and ignorant, thinking they have discovered some hidden treasure in Costa Rica that others just aren’t smart enough to understand. Believe me, we understand. That`s why most people who travel to Costa Rica go back a second and third time, and maybe more after that. So please don’t come to me in Costa Rica and tell me that in no uncertain terms I am an idiot if don’t decide to make the same amazing decision to move down that you did, thank you very much. I, like many others who have fallen in love with this beautiful land, have other things to consider when we decide to move a continent away from our families, spouses, loved ones, friends, not to mention jobs and other business interests. And no amount of talk about the 18 year old wife you hooked up with when you moved down here is going to entice me any more than the things I truly appreciate about this country, like its people, its natural beauty and the obligatory Church and Soccer pitch in every single charming and unique town can.

Back to the story now… As I sat there waiting for the car to have its battery charged (which Pat was right it didn’t need to be charged) and contemplated the American`s proposal to go to back his place for a fiesta, where his 18 year old wife and their daughters could prepare us a feast (hey, he was still a nice guy after all!), a scary thought suddenly came to mind: it was already the afternoon, we had another three quarters of the journey to go and no accommodations really booked on the Atlantic coast.

We thereby negotiated with the mechanic and advised him that we would not pay him for the battery charge as it didn’t help our cause, gave him a tip of 5000 Colones instead (about ten bucks) and decided we would tempt fate with the car. Sure enough we made it across the country in close to 12 hours instead of the usual 8. Although we ended up arriving at dusk, we were all in one piece, safe and sound and ready to start our quest to find a place to sleep. In case you’re wondering, the only problem with the vehicle at the end of this lengthy and fun filled trip was the headlights that decided they would not turn off.

Next time we rent!!

If you have ever talked to someone who has been to Costa Rica they have certainly spoken to you about the driving conditions of the country. Although few countries can rival the majestic views you are bound to see while driving in Costa Rica, few also have such bad road conditions. Thankfully the government has recently made fixing the roads a priority and improvements on bridges and roads have drastically improved in the last few years.

What makes driving around Costa Rica even more complicated is the fact that the country does not name their streets. So as you can imagine, finding a place that is 300 meters south of the National Bank in Barva of Heredia can prove to be quite the adventure.

My advice for those who decide to drive themselves around the country: Be as patient as you should be safe. As long as you do not mind making a wrong turn or having to ask for directions often, you should not encounter any problems. Of course, you should also avoid making any passes in any area that could in fact be dangerous. Costa Rica is fully of mountain roads that are anything but wide. At times larger vehicles even need to pass into your lane in order to make a turn, so be careful.

So why drive at all? For the freedom and the special moments that happen in between destinations. Some of my best memories have been on these wonderful roads. My favorite drive is along the roads less travelled on the Pacific Coast. I strongly recommned it. As for roads to avoid, the only one that comes to mind is the road into Monteverde. Those 30 kms that take three hours to cross are just not worth it. Much easier to just that a boat across Arenal lake and back.

What makes this place so amazing is that it has yet to be inundated with resorts and has managed to keep a somewhat rustic vibe. It is still untouched beauty that can be seen by all. Wonderful empty beaches are everywhere, but if you want to see people all you have to do is go to one of the beaches where hundreds of surfers can be found.

A cursory warning to anyone wanting to swim on some of the more dangerous beaches in this region (which are usually those that have the most amount surfers attempting to ride the massive waves): Red flag means danger.

A more thorough explanation will follow in a future blog post.

Let me preface this story by stating this is not altogether abnormal for my friends and I as danger and trouble seem to follow us around when we travel.

Three of my best friends from Canada were visiting me for 10 days shortly after I had arrived in Costa Rica to start my life here. Luckily both myself and George spoke Spanish reasonably well and we decided to rent an SUV and drive to Arenal to see the Volcano and experience the hot springs the Friday after they had arrived. To give you an idea of the type of absurdity that normally surrounds our trips together, up until this point of our trip we had already destroyed 2 of our 4 digital cameras in various ridiculous scenarios involving two unforgiving basic elements: sun and water.

Anyhow, on the way there my friend George was driving and decided to stop the Toyota Prado that we had rented and fill it up. An elderly Costa Rican gentleman from this small town where we stopped tried to engage in a seemingly important conversation as he gesticulated incessantly and raised his voice as we pumped the gas. According to George what the man was speaking was inaudible, although he felt it was most likely a Costa Rican Spanish dialect he had never heard before so he thanked him for wise advice he did not understand and we continued on our way. Two kilometers later, once our Prado had broken down, we realized what the nice elderly Costa Rican gentleman had been attempting to explain in his incomprehensible tongue: George was filling a diesel SUV gas tank with regular gasoline. After a nice two hour wait baking in the Costa Rican sun in the middle of nowhere, Budget sent us another Prado (this one was Green!).

Once in Arenal FOUR HOURS LATER than expected (the trip is normally 2 ½ hours), we enjoyed the thermal hot springs and went to bed at a reasonable time. We got up early and commence our Jungle river hike without a guide, almost destroying our last two cameras when our friend Long fell down into the river off a four foot drop. We followed that adventure by going Horseback riding and doing an exhilarating canopy tour. Well, George almost broke his toe and I am missing half the skin on the back of my neck, but it was worth the rush of flying down zip lines deep into the Jungle. When all was said and done we decided to head back to Heredia to go out to a nightclub in San Jose that we wanted to see.

On our way back to Heredia in the exact same town, with a population of maybe100, where our car broke down on the way there, we just about killed ourselves.

Essentially our good friend Long decided he would try to complete this portion of the trip as if he was Indiana Jones attempting to escape the Temple of Doom. But unlike popular action-adventure movies, when you drive at 70 km/hr in Costa Rica along a winding Cliffside road in the pitch black of night not to mention through a thick fog (or perhaps cloud cover… we were pretty high up), well… sometimes things don’t work out as the driver plans and you end up thanking God you are still alive. I still contend that the ditch we hit is the only one of its kind that exists in the mountains of Costa Rica. This was the only time I have seen something that can actually stop a car from going over the edge of the cliff when you drive straight through one of the bends in the road.

I swear I will always wear a seat belt from here on out because breaking the front windshield with your head is no fun. But we all survived the crash, except for the SUV of course, and the rental company at this point refused to give us another vehicle. This time it took us again six hours to get back, but we all survived and we still made it to the party we wanted to attend, just as we always do!

We were shown a quick ten minute video of the hotel and taken to our rooms afterwards. The rooms were not amazing, and we could hear what was being said next door, but this was but a small inconvenience. Trust me when I say that the view made up for any other small issue we could encounter.

The magic really started in the early morning when we were awoken by the sounds of howler monkeys communicating with one another. It was amazing to hear their calls and to be so close to them. We opened the window and could see a group of them in the distance. We followed it up with a walk in one of the many private trails offered by La Cusinga. This land was rescued by an American in the 70´s and has since been protected by the government.

One of the trails led to an amazing natural pool located in the jungle. We swam in the pool that was being supplied by various waterfalls and enjoyed the coolness and freshness of the water.

During the afternoon we decided to head back to the guest area of the hotel to watch the sunset. What we did not expect was to see such a wonderful spectacle as the receptionist showed us two whales swimming in the distance. We watched in awe for the next twenty minutes while the sun was putting in a spectacular show itself. This was definitely a day I will never forget!

The departure was at 10pm, so it was plenty dark from the start. I told myself this would be the perfect time to get catch some sleep on the 20 hour bus ride. What I was not expecting was to hop on a freezing cold bus with a broken A.C unit blasting cold air all throughout the trip. To add to this wonderful surprise was the bus drivers decision to play some movies to keep us entertained on the way down. Only problem was I must have gotten on the Steven Segal fan club trip as we got to watch three of his films consecutively, until the late hours of the morning.

Upon arriving at the border we were told to get off and go to customs. I expect the customs to be in Panama, but I had to figure out on my own it was actually the Costa Rican customs office. This meant waiting in line for 40 minutes to get a stamp demonstrating that I had registered my departure from Costa Rica.

Then it was off on an 8 minute walk to the Panamanian border. Two more lines meant another hour and a half gone by. By the way, make sure you pay for the $1 stamp and the $5 tourist stamp before getting back on the bus. When I finally thought we could get on the bus, we were told to take our bags out an bring them in a special room for inspection. Each one of our bags got sorted through and we did not have the chance to go through the actual border until 3 hours later.

When I sat back down in my freezing cold seat a horrible thought crossed my mind, “I´m going to have to do this again on the way back!”.