Cocos Island does anyone CARE?

The owner of Casa Caletas Hotel on the Nicoya Peninsula, Sylvester Feichtinger, has basically told the Environmental Tribune of Costa Rica to F-Off. Don't know the story? Read it HERE. But this post isn't really about them. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand why Sylvester Feichtinger ASSUMES he can get away with this blatant disrespect towards the 'powers that be' in Costa Rica- foreign governments have been doing the same thing for so long now, it's turned into a weird bedroom co-dependency of sorts, "You know I'm going to FUCK you anyway, so you may as well enjoy some of the BENEFITS of allowing me to fuck you. I should mention, I won't be wearing a condom, but you can TRUST me."

Two days ago this came out:

"A team of National Geographic researchers and filmmakers have become eyewitnesses to what many scientists consider to be among the major threats to marine biodiversity at Costa Rica's treasured Isla del Coco, a national park 365 miles off the Pacific coast.

Fishing is prohibited inside the park's boundaries. Still, hundreds of miles of illegal fishing lines and thousands of hooks are found inside the protected area every year, according to the National Geographic group." Full Story HERE.

If you don't know anything about Isla del Coco or Coco's Island for you gringo's, it is basically the 8th Wonder of the World and for good reason. This is Costa Rica's crown jewel of marine biodiversity. Scientists and divers come from all over the WORLD to explore Coco's Island. The beauty is beyond compare both above and below the surface.

Unfortunately, the marine life and especially the sharks and sea turtles of taken a HEAVY hit over the years from ASIAN fishermen more interested in exploiting Cocos Island in order to line their pockets as well as provide the Asian upper class with their traditional and very pricey, shark fin soup. Costa Rica is either unable or unwilling to protect the sharks and sea turtles from long line fishing and shark finning off the waters off Coco's Island. Unfortunately I believe the latter to be true. You didn't think all the police cars, bicycles, soccer balls and the all-purpose sports Stadium being built in San Jose were an actual 'gift' from the Chinese government, did you?

*Interested in knowing more about sharks and sea turtles as well as the effects of shark finning and long line fishing on the environment in GENERAL: Check out the folks at PRETOMA. They have TONS of INFO and articles.... and also how YOU can help.

Long line fishing does NOT discriminate.
President Oscar Arias is off giving speeches about the effects of Global Warming and telling folks how Costa Rica will be the first Carbon Neutral country in the world, but he's pretty much proven he doesn't have much time for the problems concerning Coco's Island. Oscar is CLASSIC- the perfect face to put on Costa Rica- serious, smart, articulate, seemingly committed blah, blah, blah, but he markets PERCEPTION, not reality... and I gotta say, outside Costa Rica it works like a charm. Ask anyone what they know about Costa Rica,,, the following words are sure to be uttered: eco-friendly, green, sustainable, diversity, carbon neutral... blah, blah, blah. Unfortunately, Oscar is not only in bed with the Chinese government, he owes them a little somethin-somethin for all their 'gifts'. Believe me, these are NO gifts, this is quid pro quo, nothing more, nothing less, so I suppose a few hundred thousand shark fins isn't too much to ask for a poor tico boy to be able to kick around a brand new soccer ball or ride a bike to church. Ahhhhh....the ties that bind....

Oscar's the classic case of the construction worker FOREVER working on other peoples' houses, but never his OWN.

Shark finning off Coco's Island is BLATANT. Long line fishing is BLATANT. Don't listen to me...hell, National Geographic now knows it. I hope they tell EVERYONE. I want Costa Rica's dirty little secret- OUT.

But really, who cares... a few hundred thousand sharks are killed each year as well as any other sea creatures that GET in the WAY,,,, but people are making a living, Asians are eating their soup, foreign relations are COZY, poor tico kids are riding new bikes and kicking around brand NEW soccer balls, and have you seen the NEW police cars- pretty snazzy (although most seem to already have run into a pole or two), and STADIUM for god sake... and through it all, Costa Rica STILL maintains eco-'fuck'in-friendly STATUS.*I added the 'fuck'in' part.

I have a new slogan for Costa Rica:

'Today's Costa Rica- worrying about tomorrow, TOMORROW.'


*I reserve the RIGHT to write BULLSHIT. I could be wrong. I would encourage you to connect your own dots.

Hey Everyone, we got TONS of Costa Rica Travel Information in our Travel Guide at Travel Costa Rica NOW and don't FORGET all our Costa Rica Travel Tip Videos, completely ORGANIZED so you can EASILY find what you're LOOKING for. ENjOY!

Casa Caletas Hotel- tell me it's NOT true

Casa Caletas Hotel on the Nicoya Penisula in Costa Rica- "Do you care about the sea turtles... well, do ya?"
Casa Caletas Hotel on the Nicoya Peninsula needs to be held to a little accountability... or NOT, and that's the point of this POST- I think we're entitled to some answers.

Independence Day in La Fortuna is over which means I have written my ONE 'feel-good' post for the month (I do have monthly quotas you know). Now I can get back to what I do best, wading through BULLSHIT.

So, where were we? Oh yeah, the Casa Caletas Hotel down on the Nicoya Peninsula.

Here's a quick summary taken from my last post:

I wrote about Agropecuaria Caletas S.A., the fucks who continue to (ignoring a mandate) obliterate, annihilate, devastate and ‘drain’ the wetlands within the Caletas Ario National Wildlife Refuge, which was created to protect the olive ridley and leatherback sea turtles that nest there- Oh! and get this, ALL for the sake of planting a cornfield… a fuckin CORNFIELD. How SAD is that? Go to Pretoma's website for the full article.

So, the president of Agropecuaria Caletas S.A. is, Sylvester Feichtinger, who is also the supposed owner of the Casa Caletas Hotel. But,

...let's just say I want to START over and give the benefit of the doubt to Casa Caletas... really you NEVER know.

Here's my OPEN letter to what I'm sure is a FINE establishment:

Dear Hotel Casa Caletas,

Hey CC, how's it going? I think that's enough pleasantries. First, is the owner of Casa Caletas Hotel, Sylvester Feichtinger? If not, is he connected to your hotel in ANYWAY, or any of the following businesses: Tico Resorts which oversees Lake Coter Eco Lodge in Nuevo Arenal, and Fuego del Sol Hotel near Playa Hermosa?

Are you aware of the problems concerning the above article? If so, what are you doing or NOT doing about it?

That's it Casa Caletas... for now.

Respond to, TravelCostaRicaNOW@gmail.com and I will publish your response with NO editing ( I promise) and then we can go from there. I will either issue a BLOG apology, or NOT. Obviously if I don't hear from you, I will proceed tying your hotel into the ABOVE issue.

I await your response.

For a BETTER Costa Rica,

michael alan

Don't worry Casa Caletas, I can wait... for awhile anyway. I'm not really a Tico Time type of guy though... just sayin.
Hey Everyone, we got TONS of Costa Rica Travel Information in our Travel Guide at Travel Costa Rica NOW and don't FORGET all our Costa Rica Travel Tip Videos, completely ORGANIZED so you can EASILY find what you're LOOKING for. ENjOY!

La Fortuna Costa Rica Independence Day Parade

Independence Day in La Fortuna Costa Rica is one of the reasons I LOVE this country.

I give Costa Rica a lot of shit. I do. A LOT of SHIT - just read a 'few' of my posts and you'll quickly see I don't pull a whole lot of punches. I think the 3 people who DO read me, appreciate that. After all, do we really need another 'feel good', BULLSHIT blog about Costa Rica? Yeah, Costa Rica CAN be paradise, but often there's a stream of shit running through paradise.... and I'm all about EXPOSING the SHIT.

Like a parent scolds a child, I also scold Costa Rica because I CARE, anyway...

In town around Costa Rica, everybody shows up for a PARADE. Last week on September 15th, much of Central America was celebrating Independence Day and La Fortuna was no exception. It's not like they have elaborate floats made with 20 million kinds of roses and those big 'fuck all' Sponge Bob helium balloons marching through town. These are down home parades- Kids, simple floats, costumes, horses, and a lot of bands. I say bands, but really these bands consist of 2 instruments- various drums and xylophones- that's it- no BRASS, but the song selection is limitless- who knew?

For me, it's not the parade per se, it's the PEOPLE watching the parade. The entire town shows UP in support and celebration and EVERYONE seems to be thoroughly ENJOYING themselves. It's quite refreshing to see they don't need a big 'fuck all' Sponge Bob balloon to be entertained. It's the reason I moved here- the simplicity of it all. The same reason I can spend hours at La Sabana Park in San Jose- people watching. Watching Ticos enjoy life in its simplest form- around family and friends.

Check out this video of La Fortuna's Independence Day CELEBRATION:



Hey Everyone, we got TONS of Costa Rica Travel Information in our Travel Guide at Travel Costa Rica NOW and don't FORGET all our Costa Rica Travel Tip Videos, completely ORGANIZED so you can EASILY find what you're LOOKING for. ENjOY!

time to SPEAK-UP and do SOMETHING

Hotel Casa Caletas owner is Sylvester Feichtinger, president of Agropecuaria Caletas, this company is draining the wetlands of Caletas Ario National Wildlife Refuge, and this Leatherback and Olive Ridley Sea Turtles nesting site is at RISK.
In my last post, I wrote about Agropecuaria Caletas S.A., the fucks who continue to (ignoring a mandate) obliterate, annihilate, devastate and ‘drain’ the wetlands within the Caletas Ario National Wildlife Refuge, which was created to protect the olive ridley and leatherback sea turtles that nest there- Oh! and get this, ALL for the sake of planting a cornfield… a fuckin CORNFIELD. How SAD is that? Go to Pretoma's website for the full article.

But you know what’s VERY interesting?

The president of Agropecuaria Caletas S.A., is Sylvester Feichtinger who also owns a hotel on the Nicoya Peninsula called, Casa Caletas Hotel.

Okay, follow along, this is important:

Taken from the Casa Caletas and Tico Resorts website:

"Built in 1990, The Eco Lodge Hotel was the first lodge built in Latin America using an economic endowment from the World Bank. It was created as a pilot model for Latin America, and its mission was to preserve the environment and develop a true ecotourism program. To do this, among other things, Eco Lodge decided to keep 218 hectares of primary forest as a private reserve, becoming a pioneer in conservation and adventure sports in harmony with the ecosystem.
.
Today, Eco Lodge is a well known company that created Tico Resorts in order to manage the Casa Caletas Boutique Hotel, Eco Lodge and Fuego del Sol Hotels."

As of this writing, it’s not totally clear what this guy, Sylvester Feichtinger really owns or doesn’t own. Maybe he owns all 3 hotels as well as their parent company- Tico Resorts, although the irony WOULDN’T and COULDN’T go unnoticed if he was the owner of Eco Lodge, (full name, Lake Coter Eco Lodge), with its mission being, ‘…to preserve the environment and develop a true ecotourism program’. We’ll SEE about that, but he does own Casa Caletas Hotel. And it’s a good as place to START as any.

WE NEED TO APPLY PRESSURE in order for Sylverster Feichtinger or Agropecuaria Caletas, Tico Resorts or whoever, to STOP doing what they’re doing within the Caletas Ario National Wildlife Refuge- namely draining the WETLANDS for a fuckin cornfield and make whatever it IS they’ve already destroyed in the refuge, RIGHT again.

It’s all about getting the word OUT, and with social networking being what it IS; this is doable, even if you don’t have a ton of time to dedicate to the CAUSE- create a FaceBook, or MySpace page or maybe more importantly, since Tico’s utilize it big time, a hi5 page in both Spanish and English. I know many of you are on TWITTER, re-TWEET the Pretoma article… or mine for that matter- that can definitely get the WORD out in a hurry. Linking to Pretoma is a good bet; not ONLY the problems in Caletas Ario Refuge- Pretoma has TONS of articles and INFO about many of problems concerning the marine life in Costa Rica- which is very educational as well.

Obviously I would ask you NOT to do business with the above hotels, mainly Casa Caletas Hotel. E-mail them and tell them WHY you would NEVER stay there or send them business. Maybe Fuego del Sol Hotel in Playa Hermosa isn't AWARE of the current situation, but contacting them through e-mail or phone just MAY bring it to their ATTENTION. You might mention their could be a perception of GUILT through association... just sayin.

E-mail KIDS, it doesn’t take much time or effort to ‘cut and paste’

…and YOU TRAVEL AGENTS on TWITTER, I KNOW you have some CLOUT with your thousands of FOLLOWERS.

To CONTACT Casa Caletas Hotel, Fuego del Sol Hotel, or Lake Coter Eco Lodge by internet you basically have to use the same email address: reservaciones@ticoresorts.com

Casa Caletas Hotel-TOLL FREE (USA & CANADA) 1- 800- 850 4592
Phone in Costa Rica: (506) 289-6060 Fax: (506) 288-0123

Hotel Fuego del Sol- TOLL FREE (USA & CANADA) 1-800-850-4532
Phones in Costa Rica : (506) 2289-6060 / Fax : (506) 2288-0123 / Hotel : 2643-7171

The LINK to Lake Coter Eco Lodge isn't working for me, sorry.

Okay, this is just an OVERVIEW, there will be MUCH more INFO, suggestions etc, in the upcoming weeks. This is just a START.

'Sea turtle's already have a tough BEGINNING, but at least they have a place to START... don't let it disappear.'
BE the CHANGE YOU want in the WORLD, the sea turtles will thank-you for it.
Hey Everyone, we got TONS of Costa Rica Travel Information in our Travel Guide at Travel Costa Rica NOW and don't FORGET all our Costa Rica Travel Tip Videos, completely ORGANIZED so you can EASILY find what you're LOOKING for. ENjOY!

Another Company tells Costa Rica to F-Off

"HEY! Costa Rica, quit showing off and BITE'em already."
Costa Rica doesn't have an appearance problem, as a matter of fact, to the outside world they're June and Ward Cleaver, but they do have a BACKBONE problem. Read that as, they don't have ONE. But like I alluded to, you wouldn't necessarily know that unless you lived here.The story below is the reason I am often skeptical about the application, implementation and enforcement of ANY laws on the books in Costa Rica (the new driving laws INCLUDED).

This is the SHIT that pisses me off, did you read about this?

Agropecuaria Caletas S.A., has continued the destruction of wetlands within the Caletas Ario National Wildlife Refuge, created in 2006 to protect the olive ridley and leatherback sea turtles that nest there, in disregard of the mandates of the Environmental Tribune of the Ministry of Environment.

Last April, responding to a lawsuit filed by Pretoma against Agropecuaria Caletas S.A. for draining the wetlands of the Caletas Ario Wildlife Refuge, the Environmental Tribune ordered the farming company to halt all of its activities in and around this sensitive wetland. Last June, the Environmental Tribune ordered the company to pay $21,200 for damages caused therein (Resolución N° 390-09-TAA). The resolution came after officials observed how the company is, by design, draining, burning and thereby sucking the biological diversity out of a 150 hectare wetland that boarders Playa Caletas on the southern Nicoya Peninsula.

Video taken by Pretoma this past weekend shows how the court order and subsequent fines have done nothing to stop the company’s relentless efforts to drain and till under the wetland. “As a Costa Rican, it is quite upsetting to see Agropecuaria Caletas S.A.’s total disrespect of our Courts”, said Randall Arauz, President of Pretoma. “The foreign owner of Agropecuaria Caletas S.A. has not only ignored the fine, but he is openly challenging the Environmental Tribune’s authority, by continuing the destruction of the wetland without any apparent fear of legal reprisals”. (rest of the story HERE on Pretoma’s website).

If you ask me, it takes BALLS to basically tell the courts to “FUCK-off”, and the only reason I can think for doing so is because Agropecuaria Caletas doesn't believe there will be any REAL repercussions for their egregious acts.
So there it is, this FUCK ALL company, Agropecuaria Caletas, has said, “FUCK YOU!”

Now what?

Maybe a couple million in FINES, maybe they should be made to re-plant to the areas original landscape. How about the Costa Rican COURTS make an EXAMPLE of these fucks?

The ball is IN the Ministry of Environment’s COURT, and obviously Agropecuaria Caletas doesn’t believe they’ll hit it back. "Hey Ministry, how about an overhead SMASH?"

"Can you go for the JUGULAR in tennis?"

Costa Rica's laws need to develop some teeth, because I want to see some 'Agropecuaria Caletas' BLOOD. (no dogs were hurt by uploading this picture).
Please Costa Rica court system; prove me wrong when I say your BARK is often worse than your bite. Hell, the president of Agropecuaria Caletas is a foreigner, who better to make an example of….hehe.

We'll see what happens, or DOESN'T, soon enough.

As usual, it’s the folks at Pretoma doing all the grunt WORK in order to protect the sea-turtles and sharks. They’ve been at this stuff for quite awhile now and if it wasn’t for them… well, I’d hate to see Costa Rica without them. They do GREAT work and if you’re financially able, they’re a great organization to donate too. Check out the above Pretoma link and see for yourself all the GOOD work they do.

A few other articles about Costa Rica Perception and the TRUTH:

Costa Rica- it's just SAD- WASTE WATER and where it goes.
Costa Rica to Sea Turtles, "PISS OFF!"- De-certification of Costa Rica as a turtle friendly country.
Costa Rica- SLOW DOWN Overbuilding in Costa Rica.

It frustrates me this video doesn’t have more HITS, as it’s VERY educational concerning the plight of the sharks and sea turtles off the coast(s) of Costa Rica. It’s my interview with Pretoma’s president, Randall Arauz. And yeah, I’ve posted it numerous times, but in my mind, that could mean the DIFFERENCE. Please embed this VIDEO where appropriate to HELP get the word OUT. thanx.



Hey Everyone, we got TONS of Costa Rica Travel Information in our Travel Guide at Travel Costa Rica NOW and don't FORGET all our Costa Rica Travel Tip Videos, completely ORGANIZED so you can EASILY find what you're LOOKING for. ENjOY!

La Fortuna- Los Laureles Hot Springs

La Fortuna Costa Rica is known for the Arenal Volcano as well has its Hot Springs.
La Fortuna has a lot to offer (Fortuna Video) the Costa Rican traveler. Not only famous for the ever-erupting Arenal Volcano, La Fortuna is home to a variety of hot springs. Baldi Hot Springs and Tabacon are probably the most known (Baldi vs. Tabacon) but their are others, and Los Laureles is one of them.

Los Laureles Hot Springs, La Fortuna Costa Rica.
There are hot springs and then there are HOT SPRINGS. Tabacon, Baldi and Eco Termales are THE HOT SPRINGS- Los Laureles are just hot springs. That said, I'm certain Los Laureles never intended to compete with with the BIG 3. Los Laureles was built for the local Tico, but if the gringo traveler happens upon them, then all the better. Affordable hot springs for locals who mostly can't afford the more pricey, touristy hot springs in the area, but also for the gringo traveler on a budget. Hard to BEAT $7.50, when other BIGGER hot springs (but better), START at 3X the price.

Los Laureles is nice enough, practical, very BLUE TILE if you know what I mean, but again, for what they were built for- a very NICE option, especially for groups, since you can BBQ, bring in alcohol (try doing that at Tabacon).

Here's our VIDEO REVIEW of Los Laureles Hot Springs:



Hey Everyone, we got TONS of Costa Rica Travel Information in our Travel Guide at Travel Costa Rica NOW and don't FORGET all our Costa Rica Travel Tip Videos, completely ORGANIZED so you can EASILY find what you're LOOKING for. ENjOY!

Taxi Info you NEED to KNOW

Taxi's in La Fortuna, Costa Rica and AROUND the country, appear to have a METER problem.
Whether you're visiting La Fortuna, or really, ANYWHERE in Costa Rica, and plan on using the lil' red taxi's to get around- then CHECK OUT this video. This is definitely something you need to know or at least be AWARE of, and especially if you're a NOVICE traveler or traveling Costa Rica on a budget. And you EXPERIENCED travelers, be reminded of things you've forgotten you know when traveling abroad.



Oh, and if you know all the movies in the TAXI video, email us at: TravelCostaRicaNOW@gmail.com with your answers, and you'll WIN a FREE bottle of the local 'guaro', Cacique. The catch is- you must come to La Fortuna, Costa Rica to claim your PRIZE. Now if this $7.00 bottle of Cacique won't get you to visit La Fortuna, Costa Rica, nothing will...hehe Pura Vida! and hope to be sharing a bottle of CACIQUE with YOU... very soon.

Here's our original TAXI video in case you missed it, which has MORE info:



Hey Everyone, we got TONS of Costa Rica Travel Information in our Travel Guide at Travel Costa Rica NOW and don't FORGET all our Costa Rica Travel Tip Videos, completely ORGANIZED so you can EASILY find what you're LOOKING for. ENjOY!

Stress-free, Costa Rican Mosquito Repellent huh?

Fortuna, Costa Rica, stress free living.
Living in Costa Rica has provided me a stress-FREE life. How can I be certain I live stress-free in Costa Rica you ask?

Because EVERYDAY I get bit by mosquitoes. yeah, I said it, mosquitoes, EVERYDAY.

I knew mosquitoes loved me MORE than most, but now I know why.. and it all makes SENSE. I first talked about the infatuation bugs and mosquitoes have for me- HERE.

The latest mosquito research just came out and I won’t go into the specifics here, but scientists who study the reasons mosquitoes like to feast on some people while ignoring others, think they may have found the ANSWER. In a nutshell- Humans emit chemicals; people who live stressFUL lives emit certain chemicals which act as a natural repellent so to speak.... so apparently mosquitoes don’t like stress in their short little lives either. And for those of us who live stress-free LIVES, well, let’s just say the chemicals WE emit are the ‘steak and potatoes’ of the mosquito world. AND, what better way to be reminded you live a stress-free life than by living in the tropics of Costa Rica where the mosquito population pretty much outnumbers EVERYTHING…. for me, no need to go to the doctor for a stress test, as of this morning- 4 bites to the ankles while doing yoga and if there’s added points for the ITCH factor… I should live to be 100.

I know I feel BETTER…. knowing the bumps and the endless hours of itching aren’t all for nothing. No pain, no gain... ummm. And I’ve said it before, but if you’re with me in a ROOM, I am your DEET, your BEST defense, a natural, walking mosquito repellent, just make sure to stay within 5 ft of me at all times for FULL effect.

As I was reading the mosquito article, I was fairly satisfied,, agreeing and nodding my head in approval- I felt somewhat validated or something for making the decision to downsize and lead the simple LIFE in Costa Rica... yeah I know, I was reading WAY to much into it.

Then it occurred to me-

When I was 24, I drank like 2 cases of beer, burned a hole the size of a quarter in the palm of my hand with a cigarette because I had just ‘made-out’ with my friends wife, rolled my jeep driving home and as I paced the jail cell with 'Chester the Molester' lurking by, I realized I had just been bitten like 7 times on my legs and ankles by some pesky mosquitoes…

Fuck! There goes that theory.

Fortuna, Costa Rica- STRESS FREE with or without mosquito bites... haha.
Hey Everyone, we got TONS of Costa Rica Travel Information in our Travel Guide at Travel Costa Rica NOW and don't FORGET all our Costa Rica Travel Tip Videos, completely ORGANIZED so you can EASILY find what you're LOOKING for. ENjOY!