TripAdvisor Fake Reviews Investigated - BBC News Over three years after it was first widely reported (see below) that the postings on the popular travel review site were suspect there are still considerable concerns as reported in this May 2014 article from the BBC. "The fake review problem is … [Read more...]
Experiences With the People and Places
Want to know how to make tamales? Well you start with 50 kilos of pork...at least if you're helping in the kitchen preparing for the fiesta patronal in Fortuna Bagaces you do. The entries in this blog tell story of how we came by our tamale recipe and many other experiences we've had getting to know Costa Rica.
A Light in the Forest
Four a.m. is early, even for me, but that’s the time my body chooses to be awake in the tropics. If there’s a good reason - hiking, turtle nesting or avoiding San Jose traffic for examples - Sue will get up too, but otherwise I’m on my own. My favorite thing to do when there’s a big moon or a … [Read more...]
Costa Rico
I suppose Costa Rico would have to be a peninsula jutting off the Coast of Central America into the Caribbean sea. Since the name "Costa Rico" is an imaginary concatenation of Costa Rica and Puerto Rico I guess the country would be a cross between the isthmus nature of Costa Rica and the island … [Read more...]
Professional Traveler?
I’ve traveled around the world for decades, but I’ve never felt quite as incompetent and uncomfortable as a traveler as in my first few days as a professional traveler. Our Costa Rica map and travel guide company can finally afford to pay it’s first two employees a little, so on this research and … [Read more...]
Sendero de Oro – Drake Bay & Cano Island
The main reason we made this the last stop on our tour of the Osa was that Meghan and Ryan had never been to the Isla del Caño Biological Reserve. The easiest access to the island is from the boat in lodges along the section of the coast stretching from Drake Bay past Punta Río Claro and … [Read more...]
Sendero de Oro – La Leona to Drake Bay
La Leona tent camp is highly recommended for anyone who's looking to get off the beaten path. You don't have to walk across the Osa Peninsula to get there but it is a great way to arrive. You do have to walk approximately 1.6 km along the beach from Carate but you can arrive there by more … [Read more...]
Sendero de Oro – EdEase to La Leona
After an eventful night and a visit to the gold mines we headed out on the the third day of our trek on the Sendero de Oro (Gold Trail). Shown on the map as Day 3 - We left the Piedras Blancas headed southwest on indigenous footpaths which climbed steeply to about 1,600 feet (500 meters) over a … [Read more...]
Sendero de Oro – Camp EdEase & Gold Mine
Osa Peninsula Costa Rica – Quebrada Piedras Blancas, a night at camp EdEase & the gold mine Our friend Edwin works with a Dutch company called Mambo that sells adventure travel. He was developing the Sendero de Oro as a new back country trek and needed guinea pigs for testing. Of course we … [Read more...]
Sendero de Oro – Doz Brazos to Piedras Blancas
Osa Peninsula Costa Rica – Dos Brazos to Quebrada Piedras Blancas (camp EdEase) Sendero de Oro – Route Map The Sendero de Oro (Gold Trail) is a conglomeration of a few kilometers of abandoned 4WD road, many following the riverbeds of the Rios Tigre, Piedras Blancas and Carate, a couple of long … [Read more...]
Sendero de Oro – Beaches of Golfo Dulce
Revisiting Puerto Jiménez, Trekking the Sendero de Oro, Tent Camping at Drake Bay, Across Corcovado National Park & Underwater at Caño Island Biological Reserve We first visited the Osa over eighteen years ago when we spent a few nights in Jiménez then trekked from La Palma on the Golfo … [Read more...]
Actual Travel Complaints
Not sure whether to laugh or cry Vacations are supposed to take you away from the craziness of everyday life...hope you don't end up sharing a hotel with any of these people... “The beach was too sandy. We had to clean everything when we returned to our room.” “It took us nine hours to … [Read more...]
Where Have all the Huecos Gone?
We Miss Costa Rica’s Potholes Though far from extinct, the Costa Rican pothole is definitely on the endangered list. Their numbers are down from the millions to a few thousand and their habitat has been severely reduced by “progress.” If you’ve ever spent any time in Costa Rica you’re … [Read more...]
Over the Hill
I don't know who coined the phrase "over the hill" but it seemed like an apt title for the tale of our trek across southern Costa Rica - from the Caribbean to the Pacific, up and over the Talamanca mountains and through La Amistad International Peace park. When Sue and I turned the big five-oh we … [Read more...]
Puerto Viejo to Coroma
Day 1 - March 17 (St. Patrick's Day) Total - 40.3 km (25 miles), 504 meters (1,654 ft) elevation gain. Mountain bike - Puerto Viejo to Suretka 29.6 km (18.4 miles), 447 meters (1,467 ft) elevation gain. Boat - Suretka (Rio Telire) to Lari 6.1 km (3.8 miles), 5 meters (16 ft) elevation … [Read more...]
Coroma to Kichuguecha
Day 2 - March 18 Hiking - 13.7 km (7.8 miles), 529 meters (1,670 ft) elevation gain. We followed the south bank of the Río Coén through the wide relatively flat Valle de Talamanca for most of the morning. Packing Up and Heading Out Our packs were smaller and lighter than the porters. It … [Read more...]
Kichuguecha to Quebrada Mari
Day 3 - March 19 Hiking - 11.6 km (7.2 miles), 467 meters (1,532 ft) elevation gain. Kichuguecha Not that Coroma was a metropolis (no stores, offices or really anything but gardens and houses) but Kichuguecha was as close as you could get to nothing and still be something. The only building is … [Read more...]
Quebrada Mari to Fila Bugu
Day 4 - March 20 Hiking - 9.9 km (6.2 miles), 913 meters (2,995 ft) elevation gain. First a steep climb out of the the Río Coén valley, over the ridge on the west side of the Quebrada Yobri drainage then down to the Río Tapari - a major tributary of the Coén which we'd been told we'd need … [Read more...]
Fila Bugu to Catarata Ririgu
Day 5 - March 21 Hiking - 15.5 km (9.6 miles), 936 meters (3,071 ft) elevation gain. Long slow climb along the 2,000 meter high ridge (Fila Bugú) that separates the drainage of the Río Coén from the Tapari. After crossing high points at Alta Chinegucha, Surisan, Buikuari and Cerro … [Read more...]
Catarata Ririgu to Rio Lori
Day 6 - March 22 Hiking - 7.5 km (4.7 miles), 467 meters (1,532 ft) elevation gain. Slept in and messed around this morning. Didn't leave camp until around 7:20 a.m. because it would be a short easy day. Water Fall There was a tradition on the Outward Bound course I took in Colorado 33 … [Read more...]
Rio Lori to Ujarras
Day 7 - March 23 Hiking - 19.5 km (12.1 miles), 615 meters (2,018 ft) elevation gain, 1,933 meters (6,341 ft) elevation loss. Got out of camp around 6:30 a.m. The Continental Divide The last day on foot was the longest distance, a big climb and the most elevation loss (which is actually … [Read more...]