Tourism – Page 7 – Happier Than A Billionaire

HOW DO YOU FIX A ROAD IN COSTA RICA?

By Nadine Hays Pisani| 2018-04-15T18:19:41-04:00 June 13th, 2011|Categories: Tourism|Tags: potrero, roads|

Costa Rica Cost Of Living Update: Current cost of a pound of chicken breast-$4.50

How does a road get fixed in Costa Rica? Not like it does in the states. In America, a pothole would cause great consternation. Phone calls would be placed to councilmen, complaints made to the city board, until it gets repaired. It would never occur to fix it ourselves—we pay a lot of taxes and want to see that money used in an appropriate way.

It’s different here. In Costa Rica, there is not a huge revenue of tax dollars to fix anything. Therefore, neighbors will get together and dump some dirt in a pothole until the authorities come around and fix it. They will even tie a white plastic bag to the top to alert oncoming traffic of the hazard.

But there is also Plan B. A plan that is the most effective and the Costa Ricans seem to welcome with open arms.

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OPERATION INFILTRATION

By Nadine Hays Pisani| 2018-04-15T18:19:55-04:00 April 25th, 2011|Categories: Tourism|Tags: hotels|

Costa Rica Cost Of Living Update: Two drinks at Reserva Conchal Private Resort-$8

We are all good at some things. Lucky for me, my husband is good at getting us into any private luxury complex to snoop around. And snooping can mean swimming in their pool, enjoying their beach club, or checking out the rooms.

Our mission is to bring you any interesting tidbits on these escapades. What was the most impressive to what felt like a ripoff.

It’s a job I am more than qualified to do, since floating in an resort pool while drinking a margarita is the perfect amount of energy I like to burn on a hot day.

Of course, it’s all for a good cause…right?

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LOLA’S RESTAURANT…THIS ISN’T YOUR LOCAL APPLEBEE’S

By Nadine Hays Pisani| 2018-04-15T18:19:55-04:00 March 21st, 2011|Categories: Tourism|Tags: playa danta, restaurant|

Costa Rica Costa Of Living Update: Lunch for two on the beach while watching the surf roll in- under $20

I’m about to jump in a hammock but my full belly is making me especially lazy. There is a sleeping dog under a palm tree to my right, I’m sure his belly is full too. He’s as relaxed as I am right now.

Lola’s second restaurant is located at Playa Danta; their first at Playa Avellanas, south of Tamarindo. Playa Danta is the location of a new development called Las Catalinas, a place where each home has a small footprint so as to protect the natural beauty of the location. It is siesta time so everything is quiet here. Even the breeze whispers.

The owner of the restaurant introduces himself and we share our philosophy of living in Costa Rica. This was not his first profession, he purposely designed a different life for himself, one that gets him out of an office and into the sunshine. (more…)

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SPORT FISHING IN COSTA RICA

By Nadine Hays Pisani| 2018-04-15T18:19:56-04:00 March 8th, 2011|Categories: Tourism|Tags: corcovado park, fishing, osa penninsula, puerto jimenez|

Costa Rica Cost Of Living Update: $100/person for trip to Corcovado National Park with some fishing thrown in

We decided to go from Puerto Jimenez to the entrance to Corcovado Park by boat. Since the ride takes two hours to get there, my husband convinces the captain to let us and our two friends throw a few lines in the water.

Within ten minutes we catch our first fish only a few hundred feet from shore. “It’s a big jack,” says our captain. We end up catching a few more, including a rooster fish. All were thrown back except the last one; we cooked him over a fire on the beach.

It was a great way to squeeze two tours into one. And a great way to hear me scream “IT’S HUGE” at a decibel level rivaling that of a dolphin (I get very excited when I go fishing).

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KAYAKING THROUGH MANGROVES

By Nadine Hays Pisani| 2018-04-15T18:19:56-04:00 February 28th, 2011|Categories: Tourism|Tags: kayak, mangroves|

Costa Rica Cost Of Living Update: Four Hour Kayak Tour-$35/person

Nature doesn’t want me here.

A family of white face monkeys hang off the elevated roots and bear their teeth. The White Ibis birds dart over my head, chasing me away as one would an uninvited guest.

I silently glide across the water when I notice two suspicious eyes on the surface. It continues to stare before slowly sinking back into the murkiness. Could it be a crocodile, one that may have been watching me this whole time? All the more reason to be nervous when my husband almost flips the kayak.

Mangroves make you feel alone and vulnerable; their inhabitants are the ones deciding your fate.

I leave without looking back and remind my husband to stop rocking the boat.

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HOW DO YOU FIX A ROAD IN COSTA RICA?

OPERATION INFILTRATION

LOLA’S RESTAURANT…THIS ISN’T YOUR LOCAL APPLEBEE’S

SPORT FISHING IN COSTA RICA

KAYAKING THROUGH MANGROVES

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