Dengue Malaria UPDATE 2010

Dengue is taking a bite out of the people in Costa Rica.
Hey EVERYONE, just when we thought Costa Rica had dengue under control and somewhat in CHECK, at least according to the reported cases in 2009, it's looking like Dengue has made a serious comeback if the numbers in the first 6 months of 2010 are any indication. "Pass the mosquito repellent please."

The first VIDEO we just did 2 days ago and will update you on the current Dengue situation. The second VIDEO is our 'base' INFO about Dengue and Malaria in Costa Rica. Both VIDEOS provide solid INFO, so if you haven't seen them, they're worth a look.

*If you're not quite sure what Dengue is, here's ALL you'll ever need to know about Dengue from the folks at WIKI: Dengue Fever.



And this is the one we did some months back.... "OMG, am I wearing the same shirt?"



TONS of Costa Rica Travel Info and VIDEOS on our website: Travel Costa Rica NOW and if you want to visit our YouTube Channel: iCostaRica24 ENjoY!

Travel Agency WE Recommend

Gecko Trail Adventures can put together the perfect Costa Rica Travel Package.
Gecko Trail Adventures based in Puerto Viejo Costa Rica definitely gets our SEAL of APPROVAL. Gecko Trails Adventure LINK. Watch the VIDEO below first....hehe

It took us almost 2 years to find a Travel Agency we were comfortable working with, since in our VIEW, our reputation IS basically ALWAYS on the line. But hooking up with the folks at Gecko Trails has seriously put our mind to ease.

We just don't have the time to put together Costa Rica Travel packages, yet anyway,or answer ALL the travel emails we receive on a daily basis. But it's nice to know there's a Travel Company out there that can but also understand what people are looking for... and PROVIDE it: easy on the wallet, easy to talk to and who understand and LIVE in Costa Rica... and you NEVER feel like they're trying to 'SQUeeZE' every last dollar out of you.

That said and as we mention in the VIDEO, if we started getting negative feedback on Gecko Trails, we would KICK them to the curb in short order..... just so you know. We work for YOU, not them.

Anyway, here's our VIDEO on Gecko Trail Adventures:



TONS of Costa Rica Travel Info and VIDEOS on our website: Travel Costa Rica NOW and if you want to visit our YouTube Channel: iCostaRica24 ENjoY!

BEST place to VIEW the Arenal Volcano

The Arenal Observatory Lodge just outside of La Fortuna Costa Rica is the BEST place to view the ever-erupting Arenal Volcano.
A couple weeks ago I wrote about the 'Beauty of the Arenal Volcano' but for those of you who are new to this blog or don't know, the Arenal Volcano is located in La Fortuna Costa Rica, which is where D'Angelo and myself happen to live.

For this post, I'm not really talking about the beauty of the Arenal Volcano, that's a 'given', this post is for those of you who want to know the BEST place to WATCH Volcan Arenal actually ERUPT without having to deal with the 'elements'.

Arenal Observatory Lodge even has hiking trails to get even CLOSER... I'll take the comfort of the lodge, thank you very much.
Forget the picturesque sunsets and cool cloud coverage, you want to see the Arenal Volcano do its thing- spit HUGE lava rocks and spew copious amounts of smoke... and you want to be CLOSE. And a cushy sofa or over sized chair wouldn't be too bad either... and could someone please get me a beer?

Truth is, if the Arenal Volcano STOPPED doing this, I'd be way WORRIED.
Well, if that's what you want, I guess you must be talking about the Arenal Observatory Lodge. Many hotels can say they have 'a view' of the volcano but the Arenal Observatory Lodge has 'THE VIEW'. Hell, at times, you may not know whether to take a picture.... or start running you'll be so close. And since the Arenal Observatory Lodge is about a 55 room hotel.... ANYWAY, it would be easier if you just CHECK-OUT our VIDEO about the BEST place to View the Arenal Volcano. ENjoY!



*BTW- We received NOTHING from the Arenal Observatory Lodge for making this video, it's merely the TRUTH, and that's what we try to provide.

TONS of Costa Rica Travel Info and VIDEOS on our website: Travel Costa Rica NOW and if you want to visit our YouTube Channel: iCostaRica24 ENjoY!

Poison Dart Frogs and ME

La Fortuna Costa Rica has its fair share of Poison Dart Frogs... but luckily, there's only ONE michael alan.
love, Love, LOVE the Strawberry poison dart frog. Well, around La Fortuna Costa Rica, we call it the 'Blue Jean Frog' for obvious reasons. Yup, it's poisonous, how poisonous depends on who you ask. And in this picture I'm eyeballing it just make sure it doesn't decide to jump in my mouth.

If you're ever in the La Fortuna/Arenal area, you can find the 'Blue Jean Frog' without a Guide if you just follow one of our travel tip videos, this one to be exact: La Fortuna Costa Rica- the Secret REVEALED. I highly recommend visiting 'Salto' regardless if you're interested in frogs or NOT.

Here's some pics and INFO on the Strawberry Poison Dart Frog aka Blue Jean Frog:

This lil' Blue Jean Frog doesn't look to happy that we're taking its picture.
A Few Facts about the Dendrobates Pumilio aka, The Strawberry Poison Dart Frog or Blue Jean Frog:

* Found mostly in the tropical forests of Central America.

* Strawberry poison dart frogs are fairly little and only grow to be about 1/2 to 2 inches long. They are bright red with blue legs and are often called the "blue jean frog" because of the brightly colored top and blue legs. The beautiful, bright colors are warnings to potential predators that the frogs are poisonous.

*Poison dart frogs fertilize their eggs externally, that is to say, the female lays a clutch of eggs and a male fertilizes them afterward, in the same manner as most fish.

* Strawberry poison dart frogs take their parenting seriously (taken from the folks at WIKI):

The red-and-blue poison-arrow frog (Dendrobates pumilio) carry their newly hatched tadpoles into the canopy. The tadpoles stick to the mucus on the back of their parents. Once in the upper reaches of the rainforest trees the parents deposit their young in the pools of water that accumulate in epiphytic plants such as bromeliads. The tadpoles feed on invertebrates in their arboreal nursery and their mother will even supplement their diet by depositing eggs into the water.

* Strawberry poison dart frogs are diurnal which means they're active during the day, unlike most frogs that are nocturnal (active during the night).

* They use their long sticky tongues to capture preys like spiders, small insects, ants, termites and small crickets. According to scientists, these insects acquire the poison from their plant diet, which can be the source of toxicity in poison dart frog.

* Male Strawberry poison dart frogs are extremely territorial and will wrestle other males for territorial rights.

* The lifespan of the Strawberry poison dart frog seems to be speculative at best, I've read anywhere from 3-16 years in the wild and up to 35 years in captivity. In captivity they tend to lose their poisonous toxins due to diet.

HIS and HERS Strawberry Poison Dart Frogs
TONS of Costa Rica Travel Info and VIDEOS on our website: Travel Costa Rica NOW and if you want to visit our YouTube Channel: iCostaRica24 ENjoY!

David Gimelfarb and Michael Dixon- the DIFFERENCE

David Gimelfarb, missing in Costa Rica since last August, is ALIVE! WTF!
Don't know the David Gimelfarb story? I've written about it numerous times, although not lately (links below, start at the TOP and work DOwn). If you're not in the mood to read, here's the gist: David Gimelfarb went missing from Rincon de la Vieja National Park in Costa Rica last August and his friends and family put together a Facebook page in order to get the WORD out and hopefully either FIND him or at least get some ANSWERS. Here's his Facebook page: Help Find David Gimelfarb

* David Gimelfarb MISSING in Costa Rica
* David Gimelfarb- the search CONTINUES
* Red Cross pull OUT of Search
* David Gimelfarb- MISSING or NOT?
*David Gimelfarb- What's the STORY?
*David Gimelfarb and Michael Dixon- MY THOUGHTS

So, why am I writing about this again, now? Well, I was curious as to what was going on and it's been awhile since I last 'checked in', so I re-visited David's FB page and ran across the above poster, which was posted on his 'Wall' early June.

WARNING! You should read my other posts about the saga of David Gimelfarb in order to completely understand why I'm going to say what I'm about to say, but you should know, I've been VERY skeptical about the information friends and family have been posting about David almost from the very beginning- things just didn't seem to add up, and in my opinion, STILL don't.

I want to know why they think David is still ALIVE. No recent UPDATES have been added to his INFO page in like FOREVER, since February 28th to be exact, but yet they're actively circulating this poster that he IS alive and may have even changed his appearance. Why would they say this? They've been playing this 'ALIVE' but 'ALLUSIVE' card since early on, with very little evidence to support it. They've also been saying David could be in a "state of amnesia, injured, confused and afraid of people." Now, I can understand why David's parents may have said this in the beginning when he first went missing, since the odds of falling and striking ones head and lying unconscious for hours and then waking up DAZED, CONFUSED and seriously injured in a place such as Rincon de la Vieja are better than 5 steps above probable. But 10 months after the fact, a person disoriented or with amnesia would STICK out like a sore thumb.... and there's no indication he was the type of person who could 'live off the land' so to speak. Somethings amiss. It makes no sense unless the family knows something they're not telling us.

Coincidentally, there's another guy missing in Costa Rica. His name is Michael Dixon and he's been missing since October '09. *Just so we're CLEAR, people do NOT often go missing in Costa Rica. He also has a Facebook page which is here: Help Find Michael Dixon. Here, friends and family appear to be more realistic about 'finding' Michael. I'm sure in the back of their heads, they know, but they want ANSWERS, yes they're trying to keep the story ALIVE, but mostly because they're looking for some sort of CLOSURE, I believe they know the chances of finding Michael alive are between slim and none, but again, they want ANSWERS damn it, and who wouldn't?

However, the on-going search for David Gimelfarb is becoming UNHEALTHY if you ask me. The Michael Dixon people made a 'Help find Michael Dixon' website, are selling t-shirts, making VIDEOS and involving celebrities such as Grace Jones to help raise money and awareness in their struggle for answers. The Gimelfarb's on the other hand are attempting to raise a FALSE hope that David is still out there somewhere, roaming the rugged terrain of Central America, in order to keep public interest (and David) ALIVE, and again, with no EVIDENCE.... at least none they will talk about publicly. And yes, I do think they should be up front since they have enlisted the public for help.

David is either no more or doesn't want to be found- PERIOD. The odds of amnesia or being injured etc, couldn't be much LOWer. If the Gimelbarb's want help in finding answers, and again, who wouldn't, then I say take a page from the Michael Dixon camp- raise AWARENESS in a more practical and realistic way.

*For those of you who are going to give me SHIT about this post, regardless, it will help keep the David Gimelfarb and Michael Dixon stories alive.

TONS of Costa Rica Travel Info and VIDEOS on our website: Travel Costa Rica NOW and if you want to visit our YouTube Channel: iCostaRica24 ENjoY!

Stupid Tourists get REINFORCED

Crimes committed against tourists visiting Costa Rica usually involve a petty theft of some kind for the simple fact many tourists lack common sense when traveling abroad.

Well, now STUPID tourists have a friend in Costa Rica. The powers that be have buckled under the pressure and have decided to give 'Stupidity' one more chance to be less STUPID, by placing 2 booths in the San Jose Airport, aka the Juan Santamaria International Airport, in order to provide tourists some crime prevention tips. This is called reinforcing STUPIDITY.

This out today in AM Costa Rica (this is not the entire article):

"José María Tijerino, the minister of Gobernación, Policía y Seguridad Pública, said that by contacting tourists early there were more opportunities to provide information for a safe visit.

The agencies appear to be responding to the many negative experiences that have given Costa Rica a bad name in other countries. For example, the U.S. Embassy reported that in 2009 more than 1,200 U.S. passports were reported missing or stolen there."

Okay, maybe booths at the airport are a good idea. My point is who in their right mind would travel to a country and not do at least a little homework before traveling? I can guarantee out of the 1,200 passports missing or stolen, about 1,100 were due to some sort of irresponsibility on the tourists part.

In the AM Costa Rica article they also mention the flat-tire scam:

"Crooks use the punctured tire routine to get tourists, usually in rental vehicles, to pull over and expose themselves to highway robbers."

This is EXACTLY what I'm talking about. ANYONE who is visiting Costa Rica should already know this with just an hour or two of pre-travel research. These 'booths' can't tell you anything you shouldn't already KNOW.

I suppose it's how it ALWAYS is- the responsible taking the responsibility for the irresponsible- STUPIDITY should be PAINFUL, and to many tourists it often becomes just that. And of course it's these idiots that shout the LOUDEST about how dangerous Costa Rica is, unable or unwilling to take responsibility for their lack thereof. *Their should be an asterisk next to the 1,200 missing passports with the percentage of those that could have been avoided through common sense.

In an ironic twist, these guys followed our Travel Tips and had no problems while in Costa Rica.
KNOW THIS: it's the STUPID tourists giving Costa Rica the bad name.....

I'm sorry, I'm just so OVER this topic.

TONS of Costa Rica Travel Info and VIDEOS on our website: Travel Costa Rica NOW and if you want to visit our YouTube Channel: iCostaRica24 ENjoY!