Category Archives: Costa Rica

Costa Rica Fishing

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There have been three previous commentaries about Costa Rica, and this is the final of that series. Our grandson and I offered that we would be willing to share the $475 cost of a four hour Pacific Ocean costal fishing trip with another party. No one agreed to that offer, so I told Grace at the resort diver’s shop that the two of us would pay the full price for the fishing trip. It was a wonderful decision!  (I hope I have provided the correct link. Go to the Hilton Papagayo dive shop and ask for Grace or Auxi, and they will schedule your fishing trip.)

“Nacho” and “Marvin” pulled the “Vahia” in close to the resort shore and grandson and I waded the short distance to get on board. We cruised out to some reefs to do some bottom fishing, but had limited success. We did manage to catch a few fish in an hour and a half. Our grandson was pleased that he caught a poisonous lion fish (or scorpion fish). I was more impressed that he caught a “keeper” grouper that was eventually cooked by the resort for our dinner. Continue reading →

Costa Rica Travel

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Two previous commentaries referred to our vacation to the Guanacaste province of Costa Rica in the northwest part of the country bordering on Nicaragua the North and the Pacific Ocean on the West. Our vacation only allowed us to see and experience a small sample of what is available in Costa Rica or even in the Guanacaste province. However, we have to say we completely enjoyed our trip and are pleased to recommend it to others. We travelled with our oldest grandson, and part of the enjoyment was how appreciative he was of the trip.

We planned our visit based on recommendations of a friend who has had two trips to Costa Rica. We settled on an Apple Vacation with Broadlands Travel that included a chartered direct flight on Frontier to Liberia, Costa Rica.  Our resort, the Hilton Papagayo, was about thirty minutes away from the airport on a cove on the Pacific Ocean. We were very pleased with everything, although we had trouble finding our transportation at the airport. An entrepreneur earned a well-deserved tip by leading us to the Swiss Travel agent wearing a distinctive orange shirt. Swiss Travel arranged our transport to and from the airport and the tours we took while at the resort. Don’t be confused by the “Swiss Travel” name, because it is a Costa Rican company. They have an extensive web site for travel and many activities in the country. Continue reading →

Costa Rican Distrust of U.S. Foreign Policy

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We were vacationing in Costa Rica when a tour guide on our bus surprised us by announcing that President Obama had refused to help Costa Rica after Nicaragua had moved large numbers of soldiers into Costa Rica for the purpose of “building a new canal.” The guide said Costa Rica has no military and had asked President Obama for help. He then said Mr. Obama’s reaction was to continue his policy of bowing to every belligerent. He emphasized the point by making a series of stiff bows in several directions.  The guide said the people of Costa Rica continue to appreciate Ronald Regan and his support for the Contras who fought against the Communist Sandinistas. The guide explained that Daniel Ortega, the Communist ruler of Nicaragua, continues to have designs on Costa Rica, and that the U.S. refused to help. “The Canadians helped and the Nicaraguans withdrew.”

I was fascinated with the story, and began searching the Internet to educate myself. President Obama visited Costa Rica for two days in May 2013. The descriptions of his visit were mostly about the extreme security measures taken for his protection. There were a few hundred people allowed to view his limousine trip through the capital city. A few dozen gathered in the city park to protest the visit. Most complied with the order to stay home and watch television coverage. This is in contrast to John F. Kennedy visiting and wading into adoring crowds. Kennedy is called the “most beloved U.S. President” based on the memories of his visit and the Peace Corp. Continue reading →

Medicare and Foreign Travel

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We recently traveled to Costa Rica with our oldest grandson, and I intend to do a few commentaries about that. This first one is a warning to people on Medicare that, according to the Medicare web site, “In general, health care you get while traveling outside the U.S. isn’t covered.” People are provided a more than 120 page booklet titled “Medicare & You” when they reach 65 and go onto the program. The warning about lack of coverage when you are out of the country is somewhat “hidden” under a title “Part B-Covered Services.” The subtitle is “Travel-health care needed when traveling outside the United States.” Continue reading →