Long ago and far away.....it is 2015..... "We made our way from Tamarindo to San Jose on our travel adventure and mini-dream of living in Costa Rica. Our plan is to begin working so we can begin living our "pura vida" dream and make some more money and eventually head to South America. We arrived in San Jose and it wasn't exactly what we imagined it would be. San Jose is a city of only 350,000 people and most of the downtown area was dirty, crowded and seedy. Where do you start?" (Read More) Sunsets and New Opportunities Change in Perspective "Pepe convinced us that our opportunity to work in Panama City would be much better and we ended up giving up our dream of living in Costa Rica and heading down south to Panama. We told Chris we would only be there until the end of the month, which he was fine with and our time will never be forgotten in the Alta Vista Apartments. We didn't do much in San Jose but, we learned a lot about living in a foreign country and looking for work. It's not easy sometimes."
What the heck? Sounds like a very poorly prepared couple went to Costa Rica, and expected everything to just fall into place. Failure was to be expected. Also, what's with their "expenses back home?" Great idea: "Let's go to a new country and not bother with much planning, before we go, and, yeah, let's still have our expenses back home to worry about. Gimme a break! Annoying article! Bah!
Just when I think I have reached the end of my search for all things "Raoul Walsh", I read in old 'noosepapers', rumors of an unmade movie project by Raoul around 1953, titled "Don't Cry for Me Costa Rica", starring the young newcomer, singer, Johnny Ray! Maybe I should develop this some more, over in the Tall Tales & Fabrication Section, hey?
"Amantha Starr es una bella y rica joven que vive lujosamente en la plantación sureña con su padre. Un día, tras la muerte de éste, Amantha es acusada de ser hija de una sirvienta negra, por lo que la despojan de sus tierras y la convierten en esclava. Trasladada a Nueva Orleans para ser vendida, un apuesto caballero la compra en una subasta de esclavos. ‘La esclava libre’ es un clásico de Raoul Walsh (‘Al rojo vivo’, ‘Objetivo Birmania’)."
A friend of my sister made decent bucks building homes for ex-pats in Costa Rica. This was 20-30 years ago. It had been (is?) a popular retirement spot for Americans, but I think the reality is different from the brochure. There are lots of horror stories; specifically, I recall lots of folks getting ripped off during construction of their homes (materials and supplies stolen) and after moving in but being Snowbirds (contents of home stolen.)
Welcome to "Puravidaville"! Take a tour of Costa Rica's happiest and best town by “The Costa Man” Darin Talbot. "PURAVIDAVILLE" Costa Man’s hit song (music video)
Joe, while you are down there helping your uncle Al, watch out for the frogs. Especially the ones wearing low rise jeans. Don't eat them raw. Their skin is poison.
Costa Rica Nature: Top 10 Trees "Costa Rica nature is a treasure for the world. In a territory smaller than Lake Michigan, this country is home to about 5% of the world’s biodiversity." "One of the most important elements of this biodiversity is trees. Its function goes beyond its beauty, and is not only limited to the shade it provides in our hot tropical climate. The trees are the lungs of the planet, purifying the air. In addition, they are sources of energy, recent research has proven its ability to expel positive vibrations that are key to our health." "Trees are also part of our history, some of them even relics counting thousands of years of age." "The diversity of arboreal species in the world is approximately 60,000. In Costa Rica we have an impressive number of 2,300 species. Today we bring you a small brushstroke that lists the top 10 most representative trees in Costa Rica nature. Book your private and personalized tour with us and get to know these and many other species!" 10. The Guanacaste (Enterolobium cyclocarpum) Last but not least, this species is the National Tree of Costa Rica. It is notable for its majestic extended canopy, whose diameter can be up to 2 times the total height of the tree. The Mesoamerican natives baptized this tree as cua-necaxtli (meaning big-eared tree) because of its fruit that resembles a large human ear. It is a fast-growing species, timber and that gives fruits and seeds from 8 years of age. The most surprising thing is that it can form almost pure forests on abandoned land. It belongs to the select group of forest species ATRAPA-CARBONO. (Read More)