I started designing and managing Costa Rica Vacations back in 2003. In those days Costa Rica was still an unknown frontier…an exotic and lawless place in the minds of some sheltered North Americans. Well, flash forward a decade and now a Costa Rica vacation is about as scary to those same North Americans as a […]
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I feel compelled to re-address a “pet peeve” of mine. It is the habit of folks from the U.S. to always refer to their homeland as “America” and to themselves, in an exclusive manner, as “Americans.” A Little Geography and History The fact is that “America” or “the Americas” consists of the continental land mass […]
Costa Rican society is decidedly polite compared to that of the U.S. It might be the biggest area of reverse culture shock one will experience after being here for a long time and then returning to the U.S. At least, that has been my experience. Some describe Costa Rica culture as “passive-aggressive.” I prefer to […]
I published a post this morning on my Costa Rica Guy blog. It was about the fact that bigger does not always equate to best. It is entitled Boycott Big. Afterwards, I started thinking how the mindset of bigger is better has affected my Costa Rica vacation package business. In the past year I have […]
I thought I would bring to your attention a few cultural faux pas in Costa Rica that we gringos are often guilty of and that aren’t very endearing to the typical tico (or, tica). 10 that quickly come to mind are: 1. Slamming doors – this is especially the case with taxi cabs. You should […]
It’s been a while since anyone called to learn more about the “the island of Costa Rica”, or booked flights in and out of the capital, “San Juan.” It used to happen quite frequently. I will admit before October of 2001, I had not the foggiest idea of where or what Costa Rica was. I […]
I need to inform you that there’s this new eBook called 100 Cool Things to Do in Costa Rica. It’s free, it’s cool and it is chock full of stuff to do in all the cool Costa Rica places. Costa Rica is a touristic juggernaut (how’z that for a hype?). Really though, virtually every nook […]
My favorite place in Costa Rica? That is a question I tend to always get from Package Costa Rica customers I am privileged to meet and chat with. That happened more frequently in the past when I lived in San Jose, but less so now that I live in Perez Zeledon, far removed from either […]
Just returned from my second 2-day long ordeal to reach the top of Costa Rica, Cerro Chirripo. First a few facts about this sacred mountain (sacred to me because of the blood, sweat and tears, yes tears, I have shed upon its rocky flanks)…. highest mountain in Costa Rica, with an elevation of 3,820 meters (12,533 ft) 38th most prominent peak in the world […]
I have not been “riled up” about anything lately, so my writing has slowed a bit. I used to watch Fox News (back when Costa Rica cable TV carried it) and that always provided fodder for my rants against the establishment quo (one of my favorite themes….railing against “the man”). But no more Fox these days. Actually […]
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