Bairds Tapir

Image by Andy Tinkham via FlickrThis is one of Costa Rica's most popular animals. It happens to be a flagship species of Costa Rica. There are many interesting facts about the Bairds Tapir (Danta) so I wanted to make a list. This animal is called the Rhino of Central America. Hope you enjoy:

• Life Span is 30 Years
• 4 Species exist (Bairds Tapir in Central America)
• Found in Every Continent except Antarctic; evidence of Super Continent Gondwanaland
• Species unchanged for millions of years
• Each toe has it's own separate hoof
• Nose and Upper lip combined into a flexible snout like an elephants trunk
• Travels alone
• Uses flexible nose to explore a circle of ground 1 foot in diameter w/o having to move it's head
• They love the water and can use their snout as a snorkel

Related Videos by CRRTravel:

    - Costa Rica Family Adventures
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    - Rural Tourism Costa Rica

Costa Rican Resource

Plan Your Family Vacation

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Coco Island Costa Rica

Coco Island is located off the Coast of Costa Rica and is Costa Rica's least visited National Park. It is surely the most difficult to get to as it is an expedition tour and a 36 hour boat ride. This island was declared a park in 1978 and is 2,309ha of land and another 97,235ha of Marine habitat. The park is known for it's marine life which make it one of the most popular diving areas on the planet. It is also very scenic as some of Costa Rica's most beautiful waterfalls fall from the island into the ocean. There are many endemic species on the island including different reptiles, birds, species, and plants. Along with diving there are hiking trails which open up to amazing views. The island is completely protected though and you sleep on the boats during these trips.

Image via Wikipedia 

I wanted to make this blog entry a little different. The Island is plain and simply an incredible spot and if I write about it's natural beauties much more I will just upset myself that I have not been there, yet. I did find some interesting information on the island reading a book on Costa Rican National Parks by INCAFO.

Now we have all heard that Costa Rica means "Rich Coast" because when the Spanish arrived the Indians had lots of gold and then the Spaniards went back to Spain and told the Queen they found the Rich Coast (Costa Rica). Turns out with all the rough terrain, rain, and disease they never found much gold.

Coco Island Treasures

In the book by INCAFO it mentions that the Isla de Coco (Coco Island) might have actually been the inspiration for L. Stevenson's book "Treasure Island". They say Coco Island is famous for three great treasures that are hidden on the island between 1684 and 1821. Most importantly being the treasure of Lima which consist of tons of gold and silver ingots. After more years more and more treasures were said to be hidden on Coco Island and it became known as the island with the most treasures on it.

Because of this many organized search expeditions have been made to the island. Nothing has ever really been found except some "doubloons" (Old Currency from Europe).

Writing this we were thinking maybe our next Costa Rica Family Vacation Package will be a search party to the Coco Island to hunt for some treasure or we can organize a high school summer program and the kids might enjoy a scavenger hunt around the island.

If the Island has gold or not the Coco Island with all it's beauty and bio-diversity is now considered one of Costa Rica's most prized treasures and the world has begun to realize. In 1997 UNESCO designated it part of the World Heritage and I don't think they were thinking about the "doubloons". The island was also voted by Costa Rica as one of the 7 Natural Wonders of Costa Rica.

Want to Plan an Adventure to Costa Rica:
The Costa Rican Resource
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Costa Rica Eco-tourism

All of the traditional vacations have you staying in nice fancy hotels. Which I have to say we agree in and have no problem setting that up. But if you are coming to for a Costa Rica vacation of 8 - 10 days maybe you would want to do the option of one or two nights in our homestay program we have set up in a village in the mountains very close to the famous Pacuare River.

This is a program that is not for everyone but I can honestly say we have had 100% success rate. Basically what we do is we do a family vacation including all the normal hotels and activities. For one or two nights we stop into a village where live the local life for a day or so. We get a chance to eat their food, hang out with the locals, and even watch as they perform local song and dance for us. It is a very humble setting and part of the beauty of being in the area is to see how simple the families live but how they are full of smiles.

Costa Rica Family Vacation

If your are looking that your kids to learn something on a Costa Rican family vacation then we can take them and talk for hours to them about all parts of the rainforest. If you really want them to be aware of how families live in and around the rainforest then this is a once and a lifetime opportunity with so little to be said and so much to learn.

If you think you might be interested in including in this idea remember that this is a large economic boost to the families of the village and all profits stay in the village as part of this project. So for your next Costa Rica vacation you just might want to take a deeper look into Costa Rica and you can check it out with

Filmfest: Amazing Video Relates to Costa Rican Fresh Fruit Market

A huge thanks to Jheudy for the idea to write about Costa Rica's fresh food market. These days you can drive down the streets of Costa Rica and see more and more supermarkets and fast food chains. I want to push the fact that we need not forget the farmers worker there tails off that still put on quite the show on weekends to sell some of the best fruits and vegtables you can find in most town squares from Friday to Sunday. Watch the video Jheudy sent me from a filmfest this weekend and tell me it doesnt make you feel bad if you dont get up and go get your fruits and veggies from your local farmer this weekend. It is Friday so now would be the time (if your in Costa Rica).

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Costa Rica Surf Classes

I have done some extensive research and after reviewing it I have discovered that the sun should be back. In fact this morning I think I see it cracking out of the clouds a bit. That is why for your viewing pleasure this morning you get to watch a surf video from Costa Rica Vacations. I want you to remember the river rafting and ziplining are not the only fun adventures around. I often see that surfing keeps the kids very occupied during the their Costa Rica Family Vacation. Its interesting because they get guide and recieve lessons but they are on their own and many kids if they are into it will spend ours trying to master the skill. Remember if the sun doesnt come back out we can always go to the new planet:

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World Tourism Day 2010

World Tourism Day is celebrated everyday on Sept 27th by the United Nations and is to bring awareness of the importance and positive affect tourism can have on countries around the world. This year the theme is "Tourism and Biodiversity".

You cant pick a much better theme for Costa Rica to celebrate since the Tourism part seems to be picking up next year after a slow season and Biodiversity is Costa Rica's claim to fame. China will be hosting this years World Tourism Day.

Although for tourism in Costa Rica this is our slow season I do feel it is something that should be brought to the atttention and celebrated. It is an important day in the industry and many important things can be learned in advances in the industry in moving towards a more green economy and setting better Standards for Green Travel. Enjoy your Tourism & BioDiversity Day!!!

 

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Stratovolcano: Arenal Volcano Costa Rica

Image via WikipediaArenal Volcano is the youngest volcano in all of Costa Rica. It also happens to be one of the top 10 most active volcanos on the planet. This is also a place of extreme natural beauties that tourist from all over the world come and want to see and do some of the adventures in the area. For those of them who decide not to get a guide and if they get the chance to read this tweet from their Spa while looking at the volcano then I hope you find it useful and if not I hope there are some Science classes out there that will:

ARENAL VOLCANO COSTA RICA STRATOVOLCANO

• Stratovolcanos are common in subduction zones - a subduction zone is part of plate tectonics where oceanic crust is drawn under continental crust
• Arenal is considered an Andesitic Stratovolcano which is given the name after the Ande mountains and describes the composition of minerals that are released from the Arenal Volcano
• The tourist come to see the Pyroclastic flows which is solid to semi-solid fragments and hot, expanding gases that flows down the flank of the volcano make for a spectacular show. 
• Arenal is a result of the Subduction of the Coco & Carib Tectonic plates.
• The Pacific Ring of Fire is the most common place for Stratovolcano.
• Stratovolcano make for some of the best booms on the planet and not just tourist booms...

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VSP Eye Care

Image by airthru.takashi via FlickrI could easily spend this blog telling you how important it is to get your kids eyes checked because when they come to Costa Rica I want them to be able to enjoy all the beautiful colors of nature, erupting volcanos, and monkeys & sloths in the jungle. But I'm not. I'm actually going to take a break today from Costa Rica and write about the importance of why kids should be getting their eyes check regularly.

First of all from a personal opinion with the services that are available with VSP VisionCare how could you not take advantage of these benefits. We have traveled into some of the most remote Indigenous places in the mountains of Costa Rica and many of these kids will never see an eye doctor nor ever know they ever had an eye problem. To have a service like VSP VisionCare is a true blessing and one that should not be overlooked. Im doing this blog a little different. I was on the VSP Vision Care site and I saw there history dating from 1955 - 2009.  After looking at the dates they have you should have seen 17 different years from 1955 when VSP started until 2009. Now look at the list I made of the same 17 different years that VSP uses on their site to describe their history. Now, instead of VSP VisionCare facts I will use facts that make it worth for all kids to get their eyes checked because these were some dates you did not want to miss. Check it out and enjoy:

1955 ---- Mickey Mouse Club began, The 1st McDonalds opened, and Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat.
1960 ---- The Flinstones began (come on can you imagine not seeing the Flinstones?!)
1968 ---- 60 Minutes went on the air & the First Big Mac was sold
1970 ---- Ghandi was President of India
1980 ---- Pac Man was released (THIS WAS BIG!!!)
1990 ---- First webpage is written and Homealone was the best movie. Look at how much we use our eyes now on the web.
1992 ---- Microsoft Works was released by Microsoft
1993 ---- www. was born at CERN and Jurassic Park
1997 ---- Mars Pathfinder Lands on Mars and "Spicegirls" were big
2000 ---- Planets in solar system align
2003 ---- Bruce Almighty, Finding Nemo, & Lord of the Rings
2004 ---- Tallest Skyscraper in the world opens "Taipei" at 1,676ft
2005 ---- XBOX and Madagascar
2006 ---- Wii
2007 ---- IPhone & Final Harry Potter
2010 ---- Call VSP and get the families eyes checked


In closing I would like to metion that to take a look at this page of their site it happened to be my favorite click here. 

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OIL IN COSTA RICA

Hold up cowboys. Before every direct flight from the state of Texas to Costa Rica is filled (well atleast the first class seats I dont know if big oil Texan boys will sit in coach) let me explain what Oil in Costa Rica means? Yes, It means energy but ufortunately for all you money sucking capatlist idiots this is a little something we call White Oil. By now I probably lost 90% of my readers that I attracted by the title of this blog. Costa Rica does not have oil and no random blogger like myself would be the first to blurt to the world that a country of 5 million with no army just struck oil.

If you didnt already know Costa Rica lends itself to a number of different sources of generating energy. Costa Rica is a narrow country with two coast,  high mountains, and a lot of rain. If you use your imagination with what I just said you should be able to see that rivers go racing down from these high mountains at a very high speed because the country is narrow and full of water because of the rains. Costa Rica also has some areas where they have generated energy through wind. Well this blog is not about either of those. This blog is about $White-Oil$.

I had never heard the term white oil until an official from ICE (Costa Rican Institute for Electricity) used it when interviewed about Costa Rica's Geo-Thermal Energy. He was being interviewed because ICE can only tap into 23% of Costa Rica's Geo-Thermal energy and the rest of it is located in protected areas and national parks. The reported asked this ICE official what he thought of this restriction: "It is a shame we cant tap into the national parks for geothermal energy it is the white oil of this country". Now tapping into Natoinal Parks just sounds wrong but their is a nice little ring to white oil, so I will say he had me for about 3 seconds.

There are many benefits to Geo-Thermal Energy for Costa Rica which now runs 15% of its lights of this type of energy and can only tap into 23% of its resources. The "White Oil" is also a lot cheaper. It cost about 4 cents for each KW as compared to gas which is 46 cents for each KW.  So the cost is a no brainer. The second benefit which Im sure ICE plans to use on their side is that GeoThermal is much nicer to the environment. With gas each megavolt burns 1,000kilos of CO2 and with Geothermal it reduces to 59 kilos of CO2.

Image via WikipediaNow the question starts should the energy company be able to tap into the national parks. They had a deal in 2008 that said if they did the National Parks would get land that was 5% larger that the area used by the energy company to compensate for the area lost. So the final result would be that the National Park would be the same size even a bit larger. I know there are two sides to this story and I look forward to following it. This is just the basic info now that the energy company has used all 23% of the resources outside of the National Park we should start to see true colors fly with environmentalist and ICE officials as the debates begin. If you comments or thoughts on this we would love to hear. Also I dont know why but Jorge W. Bush the ExPresidenta of the USA uses GeoThermal energy to run his house in Texas according to this site click here.  We feel this is a very interesting subject area for tourist that will be visiting and we would love to inform them the best we possibly can?

Source: http://www.nacion.com/2010-09-12/ElPais/NotasSecundarias/ElPais2516365.aspx

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$$$$ Secrets of Costa Rican Tourism $$$$

Image by Jake Wasdin via FlickrI love how the system works and if you are a big company or a taxi driver working the airport exit you pretty much run on the same system. The right way to run is to charge the tourist for the service you offer and what it is worth, NOTHING MORE & NOTHING LESS. I'm writing this post for the travelers that come to Costa Rica on a budget and end up traveling on there own. If you decided to travel with us it might not be the cheapest trip you can find but we can promise you that you get what you pay for as far as guiding knowledge and service which you can tell by their testimonials.

Everything is run off commisions here. This is good and bad. It is good because it gives a chance that everyone gets a piece of the pie. It is bad because in some cases you see a tourist buying a cake when all they should be spending is for a piece of a pie.  (Although I have seen tourist take this a little too far. Ive seen taxi drivers charge a correct fee and tourist think it was too much just because they figured they were getting charged too much because they were a taxi. Yes, there are tourist who get ripped off but there are also honest people also and lets not forget that. Actually there is a lot more honest people than dishonest ALOT!) If you rent a car and go to a zipline dont be afraid to talk the price down a little bit the chances are you can save yourself a few bucks. Im not telling you to not book your tour from tour desk or hotel reception, these people need to make a living after all also.

There are a million places to do tours in Costa Rica from rafting to ziplining and it never hurts to ask to bargain down the price. If you feel you are paying too much it never hurts to ask someplace else either. This also goes for hotels also. You can always ask for a discount at hotels. Most places deal with a net rate and a rack rate.

There are many types of tour companies that just make their living off commisions which is fine its just like some of the more common sites you probably will buy your airplane ticket sites from. There are other companies like ours that charge for the complete package from reservation services, guide services, and a tone of extras, and just a whole pakcage from start to finish. Hope this blog helped give you a little understanding of how some of economics of Costa Rican tourism runs here.

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Osa Peninsula Costa Rica

Image via WikipediaIt looks as if my last blog post sparked a little bit of controversy which is fine. If it was the language barrier or just opinion of my thoughts on Costa Rica some people did not like how I felt on the beaches of Costa Rica. Just to quickly make clear what I wanted to say in the last post. There is plenty to do in Costa Rica that does not involve beaches. Dont feel that you have to go to the beach when visiting Costa Rica.

Now in yesterdays blog the topic of some of the best beaches on the planet came up and that Costa Rica was home to many of them. I happen to agree that Costa Rica has some world class beaches such as Manuel Antonio and the beaches of Corcovado. I think the beaches of Corcovado are some of the most amazing places on the planet that a small percentage of tourist entering the country will visit. Well under the 2 million described in last weeks blog. Guanacaste has beautiful beaches and dont get me wrong if you pick Guanacaste for R&R you are going to love your stay but what you can get at Corcovado you can't get anywhere else on Earth.

Corcovado is the most biodiverse place on the planet. Just think about that for a second. Now read this article by CNN and understand that being able to see biodiversity you might want to take advantage of it. Costa Rica is doing a better job than most countries protecting these areas and we should thank them for it by visiting it. Its worth it, believe me. I understand Corcovado is not the easiest place on the planet to get too and that is probably one reason its bio-diversity has held on so well. So if you decide to go to other beaches in the different parts of the country there are plenty I'm sure you will enjoy and if you can take a morning or afternoon and visit a nearby National Park or Private Reserve and by gosh dont try and talk the price down acting like your a Tico if your just a good Spanish speaking Gringo.

Its always about the "BEST": What are the 3 worst beaches of Costa Rica?

If your interested in visiting the Osa with some of the top naturalist guides in Costa Rica give us a call or contact us at info@crrtravel.com or visit our site http://www.crrtravel.com/.

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The RIU Resort Guanacaste Costa Rica

Image by colros via FlickrI happen to be not a huge fan of all-inclusive resorts. After moving down to Costa Rica and becoming a bit more involved with the environment and the simplicity of how many of the families live in the rural areas I have a little different view on all-inclusive resorts. Although I can't say the same for everyone.

There is a new large all-inclusive resort in Guanacaste and the one good thing about it is that it is about 6 hours from San Jose. It is called RIU Resort which means I dont have to drive by it on my daily commute. I happen to feel Costa Rica is not a country that really needs all inclusive resorts. It just doesnt make sense for the vibe of the country.

I was reading this one honeymooners blog on his visit to the RIU resort which you can read here and I love the part where he says it is a cruise ship that never leaves port. Well that is good to know considering cruise ships are the single most largest polluting peices of junk to our oceans we have (except for BP I guess). So I guess if you absolutely have to stuff your face for 24 hours then an all-inclusive is better than a cruise. 

My point is if you are coming to Costa Rica there is so much to do and you are missing so much. I always here the excuse its our first time, we dont know Spanish,  drinks and food is whats really important to us. Well if that is whats important they save yourself a few hundred bucks and drive down the street to the  Waffle House with a bottle of Whiskey in your coat because they run 24 hours. But if you want to experience Costa Rica for what it really is get out and meat the people and the places. Pump your smiles and dollars into the part of the country it should be going!

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Adventure Tours in Costa Rica

I happen to be a lover of outdoors and adventure. When it comes to picking the top 5 in Costa Rica I'm dealing with my personal favorite. This might mean we have to leave grandma and grandpa at home. I'm making them all 5 commercially operated tours. All 5 of these tours will keep the adrenaline you will want to be in half decent shape or atleast have good enough self-esteem for your friends to make fun of you while you are huffing and puffing.

We will list them from number 1 - number 5 all being lets say equal. It was just too hard of a pick to have to come up with a winner.

Costa Rica's Top 5 Adventure Tours

1.) Overnight hike and Rappel in Cavern: This is a tour we operate in the Southern zone of the country. It is an intense two hour hike to a cavern where we sleep behind a waterfall. You will be spending all night listening to the sound of the water of 3 different powerful waterfalls. From the cavern you will be rappeling a 120ft fall and doing a number a differen hikes in the area. You will also hike to the top of Costa Rica's tallest waterfall which is the Diamante Falls.

2.) Chirripo Trek: This is a 2 night hike to Costa Rica's highest point. This is the second highest point in all of Central America. The height you will reach is 12,352ft on the second morning leaving base camp at 3am to reach the top for sun rise. There is an endless amount of hiking to do in the area which lends itself to without question the most amazing views Costa Rica has to offer.

3.) Corcovado National Park: The two day hike to the Sirena station takes you deep into the jungle to the most bio-diverse place on the Planet. This is an adventure of hiking, being in the wild, and keeping your eyes out for the Jaguar. This hike takes you past some of the most beautiful beaches on Earth also.

4.) Rafting Pascua Section: This is a section of the Reventazon River which in 2011 will no longer exist because of a dam project. But if you are reading this blog and you get a chance to run this section and you are up for advetnure it is an amazing run. When it comes to adrenaline in Costa Rica on a commercial level this is hard to beat.

5.) Overnight Pacuare Rafting Trip: This is the cream of the crop when it comes to rafting. Not only do you get the big rapids but you also get the scenery. Voted as one of the top 5 rivers on the planet and one of the top 3 most scenice by National Geographic the Pacuare River is a must do for anyone who loves the outdoors. I went on it once and I returned everyday for three years. Its a place of complete peace and to spend the night in one of the few lodges or camping areas is an experience like no other surrounded by virgin rainforest.

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Costa Rica Expects 2 million Tourist in 2010

Image via WikipediaFor the second time in History Costa Rica expects to have 2 million tourist visit the country. According to ICT (Instution of Costa Rican Tourism: English translation) Costa Rica is seeing a 9.6% increase in tourist after the 2009 year which was the year of the recession.

After a very tough year for many hotel and tour companies this is very good news for anyone in the Costa Rica tourism industry. Costa Rica tourism has gone through some rough times in the last years with hotels closing and the small family owned places not being able to hold on with the loans they thought they were going to be able to keep up with after the incredible 2008 year. Its good to see now that there is hope for most companies.

Tourism around the world is up between 3% and 4% so at almost a 10% increase we are very pleased and can only hope for better things to come in the future.

My personal feeling as a blog writer and a small tour company (Costa Rican Resource) owner in Costa Rica I never want to see an economic crisis happen anywhere at anytime but the fact that it affected the tourism industry when it did in Costa Rica I feel will have some benefits to it in the future. Some of the big investors are out of here that had big plans to just develop, develop, & develop.

 It also has allowed the tourism industry to put its feet back on the ground and take a few deep breathes and see exactly which direction things should be going. I feel it might have been natures way of saying "Hey can I get a breather here? I need a break for second!". So we will see what happens the second time around as 2 million tourist come into the country. Lets just try and keep them aware of the importance of the environment and the people. If you have any thoughts on this would love to hear your comments?

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2,000 Trash Cans

Image via Wikipedia Costa Rica is doing the best it can to clean up litter in the country. San Jose, the capital, is installing 2,000 new trash recepticals in the city. They wil be near parks and bus stops. City Hall says that there is no excuse for litter.

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One of the Nicest Species on the Planet

Image by Costa Rican Resource via FlickrUS companies are finding out that one of Costa Rica's prime assets are its people. They are well trained, well educated, kind, gentle and bilingual. They can provide service to Spanish speaking countries as well as the English speaking countries, and they do it for a competitive salary. Chile attracts business because of its minerals. Costa Rica attracts business because of its human capital.

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Costa Rica's Top Honeymoon Spots

Image via WikipediaLa Paz Waterfall Gardens is one of Costa Rica's best places to honeymoon. Yes, it took a pretty big hit from an earthquake one and a half year ago but it has made quite the come back. It is not on the beach but located at an elevation of around 6,000ft in the lush majestic cloud-forest. This is one of the most romantic places you can imagine when it comes to a honeymoon in Costa Rica. If you want something almost as nice but to bring the price down a bit you can still relax in the comfort  of the cloudforest in a small hoetl called Villa Blanca. This is a hotel that is located in the San Lorenzo Cloud Forest on the way to the Arenal Volcano. This would actually be a great area for a wedding but also a excellent spot for a few days of a honeymoon to just relax.

Arenas del Mar Resort

Another place of interest might be the beach of course. When thinking of the beach in Costa Rica you might want to go to the less crowded beaches but you also want to make sure you are at some of the more beautfiul beaches. When it comes to beauty the beach of Manuel Antonio is hard to beat. This a a beach can be very crowded but if you find the right spot you can find a hotel that fits just right for a honeymoon and the one we suggest is the Arenas del Mar Resort. This resort keeps you away from all the traffic and busy touristy areas of the Manuel Antonio areas but still allows you to enjoy the amazing beauties of the area.

Hotel Casa Turire

Another hotel area we often use for honeymoons for couples that enjoy a little of adventure is the Turrialba area. there are two hotels in this area that are very small and we have had excellent reviews from our honeymoon couples about them. One is the Caaa Turire which only has 16 rooms and one is a honeymoon suite which is absolutely spectaculuar. This particular hotel would actually make a great place for the actual wedding ceremony if you were interested in doing a destination wedding. The second hotel is called Hacienda Tayutic which is nearby but at a bit higher elevation. It is just as nice but a bit more rustic and also very beautiful grounds for the actual wedding ceremony with a small chapel. There are two hotels that if you are in the area are definately worth staying the night at. If you are interested in planning your honeymoon just contact us http://www.crrtravel.com/ or info@crrtravel.com.

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• Experts in Honeymoons in Costa Rica Since 1998

Origin of Spheres

Image via Wikipedia The pre-Columbian stone spheres found in the south Pacific region of Costa Rica have had all kinds of guesses made about their origin. They are so big and heavy, the heaviest 15 tons, that one of the guesses were that they were put there by aliens. Wrong! Archaeologist Ifigenia Quintanilla has put an end to speculation. The spheres were made by the indigenous people of the region.They were carved with hatchets, and they were a sign of power. Quintanilla says it is a way to make a statement. 15 tons says a lot.

University March

Image via Wikipedia Once again Costa Rica showed the world it was a democracy. 10,000 students, faculty and administrators from Costa Rica’s public universities marched to president Chinchilla’s house. They set up a stage with loudspeakers and gave the Costa Rican president an earful. They want more funding for the universities. More scientific equipment, more field study and more scholarships.

Chinchilla had in mind an increase of around 5% for university budgets. The marchers were thinking more along the lines of at least 11%. Will they get it? Time will tell. But it is nice to see people so concerned about higher education. I might add, that as usual Costa Rica did all this peacefully.

Interesting Costa Rica Information

Image via Wikipedia Here are some facts about Costa Rica that you might have missed:

1. Costa Rica abolished its army permanently in 1949.

2. It is the only Latin American country on the list of the world’s oldest 22 democracies.


3. It is among the top Latin American countries on the Human Development Index.

4. On the Environmental Performance Index, Costa Rica is number three in the world and number one in the Americas.

5. The Costa Rican government plans to be the first carbon neutral country.

6. Costa Rica ranks first on the Happy Planet Index, which measures long and fulfilling lives.

7. Costa Rica is the greenest country on the planet.

Thank you, Wikipedia

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