Tradition abounds in Atenas with it's annual downtown Oxcart Parade
In 2004 my family and I decided to make our first trip to Costa Rica as a “research” mission to see if the Central America country would be a good candidate to purchase a vacation and/or retirement home.
I had met Gerardo Gonzalez-Porras back in the Florida (part owner of Pure Life Development), and being Tico he had told many stories about but would never embellish too much, wanting each individual to experience his country in their own way. That is exactly what my family did. My mother, aunt, uncle, and myself set out on our journey and thus began our love affair with Costa Rica. At the end of that first trip we discovered a small town, Atenas. I had read many wonderful things in travel books and on the internet, but once we experienced the area for ourselves, that was it. We were home!
The following year we returned, with one thing on our minds, buying a home or land in Costa Rica. We found a great realtor and began our search. To be fair, we check out the surrounding areas of La Garita, Turrucares, Grecia and San Ramon - all of which were beautiful and had their own charm. But Atenas had the three key elements, location, location and location! Read more... (960 words, 3 images, estimated 3:50 mins reading time)
Tobias Bolaños Airport in Costa Rica
Most tourist think that Costa Rica has just two international airports, Juan Santamaria International Airport and Liberia’s, Daniel Oduber Quiros International Airport - thats not so.
Tobias Bolaños International Airport in Pavas, San Jose is getting known as a private hub for the rich and famous, main airport for various activities of the industry and for its domestic and international small chartered flights from places like Nicaragua, Granada and Panama. Since it is only a few miles from the US Embassy in Pavas it is regularly visited by diplomats.
The airport on the good side is very modern. It has passenger terminals for local and international flights, a high tech control tower that was recently updated, 96 hangers, fuel and oil services, and it maintains the services for many government agencies like, AIS, Airport Police, customs, meteorology, drug control, intelligence and security and MAG. It also is the hub for private businesses like, Natural Air, corporate, and various eco-tours charters. Schools for aviation mechanics and for airplanes and helicopter pilots are also conducted on the facilities. Read more... (730 words, 4 images, estimated 2:55 mins reading time)
When entering Puerto Jimenez, one sees mini billboards advertising services for backpackers and eco-gurus
The first time I went to Puerto Jimenez was back in the mid 1970, and it took us about three days traveling on very pot-hole ridden, one-lane dirt road. And thinking back, I think we were heading to Panama or Golfito, made a right instead of going straight at Chacarita, and ended in this very remote town. About the only Gringos we saw were surfers who were headed to Cabo Matapalo, a small town that was becoming known for its awesome surf break. At the time it become most famous for its gold mining and logging in the 1960s. Even today, some try their luck at gold mining and these wood mills are still seen on the way.
Named in honor of Costa Rican three-time elected President Ricardo Jiménez, Puerto Jimenez has grown to become the largest town on the Osa Peninsula that’s located in the southern part of the Puntarenas province and the threshold of Corcovado National Park. Read more... (740 words, 4 images, estimated 2:58 mins reading time)
Road Conditions in Costa Rica can be sever, like this washout during Tropical Storm Tomas.
When you vacation in Costa Rica, you will most likely rent a car when you arrive in San Jose. The highway system in the capital city of San Jose is comprised of modern multi-lane freeways that look very much like freeways in other large cities around the world.
Road conditions in Costa Rica can change very quickly during heavy rains, etc especially in the rural countryside. During Tropical Storm Tomas many roads became blocked due to mudslides, washouts and in some cases, bridges went out. With said, traffic can backed up as far as one can see. Detours are most common and it would take days. if not weeks for the road to be cleared.
One of the best way to make sure of the road conditions along the route you intend to travel is to stop often and ask the locals for information on whether the road has problems or is passable with 4WD, which is a must to rent due to the high clearance, better handling and 4-wheel drive features. Read more... (294 words, 1 image, estimated 1:11 mins reading time)
Bridge Crossing pass Puerto Jimenez
Tropical Storm Tomas pounded Costa Rica with strong winds and heavy rains that triggered hundreds of landslides, power outages, and road closers all over Costa Rica. The storm hit the Quepos area very hard.
The country’s National Emergency Commission said in an e-mailed statement, torrential rains have left Costa Rica in emergency status; mudslide in Escazu (suburb of San Jose) killed 20 people with an unknown number missing. All over the country, many roads are closed and some bridges out. It has not stopped raining for three days. Rain was coming down so hard; it felt like it would knock you to the ground. Flooding was everywhere.
After fishing in Puerto Jimenez, and hearing about the storms impact via Twitter, Facebook and calls to us, we left early. About 30 kilometers later we got stopped dead, staring at a sink-hole section of road about 20 yards wide, that happened just 30 minutes before, because there was only a few truckers and one car in front of us. Getting around it was a feat, and we have some unreal video of it. One person got hurt when he slipped and fell into the hole. Read more... (552 words, 3 images, estimated 2:12 mins reading time)
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