A Scientist in Costa Rica

While the whole world is flocking to the beauty and the biodiversity of Costa Rica, we cannot forget one of the first men to discover the magic of this Central American paradise, Alexander F. Skutch. Armed with his new doctorate in botany from Johns Hopkin University, Skutch left Baltimore in the late 1920s to study bananas in Panama.
As the story goes, Skutch sat in his office and watched a bird build a nest outside his window. This was the beginning of the botanist’s long love affair with birds. After a sojourn to South America, Skutch bought a farm in southern Costa Rica and married. He worked the farm and studied birds for thirty years. Living in isolation for periods of time, Skutch says that he was always safe and healthy. The only time he came close to danger was during the Costa Rican Civil War in 1948, when mercenaries roamed the countryside.
Since the Great Depression was raging in the USA, grant money to study birds was out of the question. After using his savings, Skutch found that by selling plants he could raise money to support his study of birds.
Skutch has catalogued the patterns of hundreds of species of birds in Costa Rica. What has made his studies different from others is that he has never killed a bird, except maybe a hawk in defense of smaller birds. All of Skutch’s specimens remained alive. He studied their patterns and habits, recording their histories. His farm became a haven for birds. Skutch has written many scientific and popular books on birds. In addition his records reveal much about mountains, rivers and the simple rural communities in which he has lived.
Today Skutch is a legend in Costa Rica. Those who have had the privilege of talking with him wear the distinction like a badge of honor. Sometimes a nature guide will mention meeting Skutch the way a kid will talk about meeting a soccer star. A quiet studious man Skutch has made a lasting mark on Costa Rica. His books are classics. He is referred to as the most famous scientist you never heard of.

Tropical Rain Forest

When we talk about the Tropical Rain Forest, we have to imagen one of the most diverse places on earth.
In compared with other types of forest for example : Temperate Forest From North America and Europe the Tropical Rain Forest has the highest degree of species divercity, that means many different species of plant in one area and to find same families of trees in the same are is some times a hard work, then we are talking about primary Rain Forest, and this is the main factor that makes this wonderfull world unique for many : insects, frogs ,birds,and mammals.
T In the Tropical Rain Forest , trees grows extremely high with straight trunks up to 30 mts, and the same trees are cover by other plants looking for sunlight and the opportunity to live in this mass of green plants, this are the Climber Plants, some of them do not do any harm to the trees but some of them do, taking some years for the process.
Tropical Rian Forest are stratified in layers of vegetations , first herb layer, second low shrubby layer and the last layer called Canopy.
In the first layer there are concentrations of large- leaved plants into the families of . Diffenbachias and climbers plants like Monsteras, philodendron etc.
In the second layer we will find some families of palms, middle high trees and pioneer plants.
One of the typical characteristics of the Tropical Rain Forest Trees ,are their buttresses roots wich are roots that spread out around the tree trunk couple meters before they entering the ground, helping the trees to have more stability and better nutrients absorption.
All this interactions makes this ecosystems very complex and interesting for many biologist from all over the world, and actually we have the opportunity to discover all the wonderfull worlds hiding in this unique place called Tropical Rain Forest.

Article written by: Jonathan Serrano (Costa Rican Naturalist Tour Guide)

Rural Tourism Costa Rica

Costa Rica is a country in the last 15 years that has grown into being one of the top tourist destinations in the America's. Because of Costa Rica's amazing topography it has allowed many corners of this tropical paradise to still be located "away from the touristy areas". Costa Rica is a country where you can go out into the country side and safetey does not become an isssue. Many people ask what is rural tourism and want to know if the trip they are on is rural tourism just because they are driving on curvy roads for three hours, or they see bars on windows of nearby houses, or they are eating rice and beans. Rural tourism is when you see its raining outside and the rain is NOT hitting 80 hotel rooms next to you. There are many different levels of rural tourism and its one of the most rewarding ways to travel. You get a chance to meet the "real Costa Rica" and experience how the locals live and the real charm behind this great country. One of the best types of trips in my opinion is to mix it up a bit. Go ahead and visit some of the rural areas, live with a local family for a few nights, and the go big maybe at the beach where you just loung and relax. I promise you will be proud of yourself for getting into the rural areas and making a connection with the people. Our company has worked for years in developing long lasting relationships with local rural areas and we have made some connections that if the tourist is up for it we are always willing to make a part of your trip. The benefits to rural tourism is endless on both ends. It allows to the tourist to see how the locals survive and it allows the locals to get in on the number one industry that the country has and that is tourism.

Come Prepared!!!

Student travel is one of the most rewarding ways to travel. If you are priviledged enough to be a student or a teacher taking students on trips get the most out of it as you can. One of the most important things I can say for students that are going on an educational trip is to come prepared. I have guided student trips in Costa Rica and the groups that show up that have devoted class time before arriving to the History, Climate, Bio-Diversity, and culture and customs always turn out to be the students that retain the most information and leave really knowing a lot about the country and places they have visited. It is great as a guide to be talking about the History of the country and a student interupts you and says "Wasnt he the president that abolished the Army?". This leaves the job of the guide on the trip not to teach all new facts to your students but to simply put the pieces together and make it all a bit clearer with new bits of information to go along with other bits of information they have already learned. Well what if your teacher is not knowledgable on the country of where you are traveling? This is easy all you have to do is buy a Lonely Planet book and read the basics of each section. Another option is to get intouch with your guide or trip provider and try and start an email conversation or blog with your guide. This will put you on a personal level with your guide before the trip even starts and he can supply information that will be covered during the trip. So before you take off on a student trip do your homework and show up prepared!

Just blog it!

This surely is not the only blog on Costa Rica on the web. Starting this blog I guess the main goal will be to include somethings about Costa Rica that you might not find on other blogs. This blog will also be to help the family getting ready for a vacation and the teacher or students who are thinking of doing a trip. We will have hints and advice to make the trip an unforgettable experience. The idea is to make it as interesting and filled with facts and opinions about the real Costa Rica and events that happen everyday in this corner of paradise. With 10 yrs of experience in Costa Rica family vacations and student travel we will touch the topic of tourism with comments on places to stay and go. We invite all readers and bloggers to please leave comments on the blog. We will also have post from our expert guides on the culture, history, and biodiversity of Costa Rica. Our guides make every trip as educational as possible and this blog is to give bloggers a chance to learn from and ask questions to some of Costa Rica's most experienced guides. Enjoy the blog! PURA VIDA!