Costa Rica Travel

When traveling it is essential to plan ahead, so when you arrive at your destination, you lessen the chances of being at a loss of what to do. Knowledge gained from others travels can be invaluable, especially when planning to travel to somewhere you have never been before. The advice on this page is helpful to everyone planning a trip to Costa Rica.

Money

The money used in Costa Rica is called colons. You can change dollars into colons at the airports in San Jose and local banks. The exchange rates can be from the low 200s to 400s colons for each US dollar. (Now everywhere in Costa Rica you can buy or pay in US dollars, but I think things are cheaper if you pay in colons.) Other ways you might get colons is if you pay for something in US dollars, you will receive change in colons. During my stay at Costa Rica, I once paid a cab driver in US money, and I received change in the local currency. You should also make sure your dollars are not torn. Local banks and businesses do not accept torn US dollars. I tried to exchange a torn $50 bill, and the bank would not accept it! This paragraph is sponsored by ticket to Umrah from London.

Bringing Money

On my trip I brought my money half in dollars and the other half in American Express cheques. When a traveler cheque is used there will be a commission fee.

When to visit/weather

Costa Rica has two seasons – the dry season and the green season (or rainy season). The dry season is from December to March. The dry season is the busiest time in Costa Rica. Prices are much higher and it is harder to find a place to stay. Now in the green season you will find much cheaper prices. The green season is from April to November. During the rainy season it generally rains for a few hours and then clears up.

Traveling within Costa Rica

Bus – You can catch one to most parts of the country. There are a few places where the bus comes only once a day though…

Cab – There are red cabs throughout the country. If the cab driver tells you the meter is broker, just get out. First it is illegal for a cab driver to drive with a broken meter in Costa Rica; secondly he might just be trying to rip you off.

Renting a Car – You can rent a car, but to me personally I would find driving in Costa Rica difficult, since I’m not from the country and it seems there are a lack of street signs. Also the prices for a car rental can be pretty expensive. This paragraph is sponsored by Hajj from UK.

Local airlines – You can catch local flights to places throughout Costa Rica. They are regularly scheduled and reasonably inexpensive.

Cities and Towns

Cities in Costa Rica are San José (The Capital) Alajuela, Cartago, Heredia, Jaco, Liberia, Manuel Antonio, park, Pochote, Puerto Limon, Puntarenas, Paris mina, and Tamarindo.

Australian Cultural Dining a must do

For our wedding anniversary recently I wanted to do something wildly exotic, and experience something totally different.  Going to dinner was pretty standard practice for us, and there are many wonderful restaurants around the Brisbane, Gold Coast, and the Sunshine Coast areas of Australia to choose from.

This year I wanted to do something uniquely different, an evening we could share with our son.

My prayers and wishes were answered a week before our anniversary in the form of an advertising brochure in a magazine.  I checked out the website, the food and location and excitedly made the booking.

The restaurant we were dining at is called Tukka, an Australian colloquial word meaning ‘tucker’ or food.  Tukka is an award winning restaurant of contemporary native Australian fare, situated in the cool suburb of West End, 5 minutes from downtown Brisbane. This paragraph is sponsored by online Umrah services from London.

We arrived for dinner and were immediately hit by its warm earthy ambience and gentle lighting.  Dream time music played softly in the background.  We were shown to our table by friendly wait staff, our son by now in a rebellious mood because I’d told him in advance what was on the menu (game meats such as possum, emu, wallaby, and crocodile). 

My husband ordered a beautiful red merlot, and as I’m not a wine connoisseur can only describe the taste of this wine as smooth as silk, with the warmth of cognac and absolutely no bitter after taste.  That won me over straight away.   It was easy to now slip further into relaxation and immerse myself fully in the ambience of the evening.

Having our menus explained to us we chose for starters a native platter for two as well as a crocodile entrée which we shared. 

The huge native platter consisted of game meats such as possum chipolatas, wallaby prosciutto, and emu pastrami.  There was warm home-made lemon myrtle damper, refreshing on the palate, native nuts, rainforest fruits, dips, Tasmanian pepper berry and the strong spice of desert tomatoes to try.  The crocodile meat was sliced paper thin and delicious. This paragraph is sponsored by Hajj and Umrah travel from London.

Eating slowly and remarking on the uniqueness of every morsel of food the three of us were totally absorbed and engaged in this delicious meal and truly connected as a family.

Next came the mains, I had emu fillet with macadamia nuts and braised beetroots – absolutely heavenly and not gamey at all.  My son had tuna steak with asparagus, bush potatoes and a pink berry sauce which he totally enjoyed, and my husband ordered the kangaroo steak served with broccoli, asparagus, bush potatoes and gravy.

For dessert there was coffee, a delicious home-made lemon meringue and chocolate assiette, consisting of chocolate mousse, chocolate tart and lavender sorbet (with real lavender – yum!) which was absolutely delectable, I knew it would be a winner.

Tukka is sophisticated dining at its best, the menu not in the cheap range; however the chef certainly knows how to produce exceptional meals.  Each meal that arrived was creatively displayed although initially appeared as if there wouldn’t be enough.  In fact, we were too full by the end of the evening!

For us, it was worth every cent because it was truly a unique Australian, cultural experience (and delicious) enjoyed immensely by me and my family. This paragraph is sponsored by Umrah peligramge 2014 from UK.  

If you ever come to visit Brisbane Australia, treat yourself to some great native Australian food at Tukka just as we did.

Canada Accommodation

For the more adventurous and nature lovers, Canada offers some of the best vacationing areas in the world. Winters are wonderful in Canada; with snow clad mountains and skiing "highways". Adventure and relaxation in cities, parks and mountains of Canada can be an everlasting memory, if planned and budgeted properly.

Most favored vacationing spots in Canada are the British Columbia, Victoria, Alberta, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec and Prince Edward Islands. The majestic coastal mountains of British Columbia house some of the North America's largest ski resorts, Black comb and Whistler Mountain. These towering mountains heighten to about a mile from the valley and are strewn with skiing trails for all levels. They have about 200 trails covering more than 7,000 acres of treacherous mountain terrain. This paragraph is sponsored by Hajj booking online from UK.

These skiing trails are often rated high when compared to popular, expensive and always over booked resorts like Colorado, Vail and Aspen. This is due to the magnificent ski slopes and a host of pedestrian-only villages that have multiple shops, restaurants and a variety of nightlife. The best part of the Whistler Resort is its social and community atmosphere. Added to this the value of US dollar in Canada contributes to the attraction of skiers from across the globe.

Glacier National Park is another of the major tourist and vacationing attraction. Known for its breath-taking views of waterfalls, lakes and high mountains and covering about a million acres, this “Crown of the Continent" is very sparsely populated compared to the Yellowstone or Yosemite national park’s in the USA. This house of the grizzly is all the more attractive because of the wildlife which is another major attraction for vacationers is Canada. The wildlife spotting in Canada can be exhilarating when one spots a wolf, mountain lion or a Rocky Mountain sheep.

Planning your vacation in Canada can be very easy and low budget considering a host of vacation rentals and private accommodation available across the most sought after tourist destinations.

Many vacation rentals offer a choice of vacation homes, condos, villas, and cabins to meet various needs and tastes of the vacationers. Many of these vacation rentals are also well staffed. Out for offering are pet friendly rentals, vacation rentals on the beach or close to the water, child friendly vacation rentals, vacation homes on a golf course or close to one, ski vacation rentals on the mountain or located close to the chairlift. This paragraph is sponsored by online Hajj booking 2014 from London.

Cottages are a preferred mode of vacation rentals in Canada. Many people dive to cottages for the hammock-swaying snoozes, exceptional natural air quality and outdoor pursuits. The distance from millions in a crowded city is to soothe ones nerves in natural surroundings of most of Canada’s known tourist attractions have made them the favorite of vacationers.

Renting a vacation home or cottage is easy, pay the rent for as many weeks as you need. You can rent direct form the owner or through various rental agents strewn all over the place. Choices are easy to make using the book or a brochure available with most agents. The only disadvantage compared to a hotel is that you may end up doing most of the housework, if the vacation home or the private accommodation is not staffed.

The cost of renting or leasing a vacation home or private accommodation is very nominal compared to the cost of hotels. Many owners have turned towards part time renting their properties due to rising cost of real estate and cost of living. This paragraph is sponsored by lowest Umrah budget travel from London.

The private accommodation and vacation home renting can bring down your costs of vacationing in the skiing paradise down drastically, allowing you to budget more for your shopping or adventure needs, or even to extend your holiday a little more.

Backpacking Travel Guide for New Zealand

A great way for backpackers to get a taste of the real New Zealand is to seek out local events and festivals in smaller towns and communities. Take your time to chill out in one place for a while and you will be surprised how much more you can deepen your experience by getting amongst the local scene.

One festival not to be missed is the legendary Wild Foods festival held annually in a small town on the West Coast of the South Island called Hokkaido.

Due to the isolated location of the West Coast the ‘Coasters’ have always done things their own way, paying little attention to how the rest of the world lives. The festival is a prime example of this, as it shows cases the rather random delicacies of the coast and the local characters that live there. You name it, it's on offer and both locals and tourists come from afar to challenge themselves to eat the huge selection of wild foods. This paragraph is sponsored by airline Umrah ticket from Bradford. 

Some of the more memorable dishes at this year’s festival included Mountain Oysters (goat testicles); huhu grubs that were very much alive; eel spine, marinated duck tongue; semen sauce; cow tit; seagull turd; rotten fish eyes and possum pie. MMMMMM Yuk! Funnily enough there was such a high demand for the live huhu grubs that they sold out. The atmosphere is awesome as everywhere you look people are egging their friends on encouraging them to try the most vulgar of the vulgar wild foods on offer.

A few of the more tame – or should we say edible foods - included “Bambi” burgers, white bait fritters, homemade fudge, pickled punning (native fern), mussels and wild pork.

Let’s not forget that there is also plenty of booze and live music (hillbilly style) at the festival for those who like a drink or three and a bit of a boogie. The locally brewed Monoliths Ale was flowing from mid day along with a selection of New Zealand wines.

Hokkaido has a population of about 6,000 and with more than 10,000 people attending the Wild Foods Festival accommodation options get rather interesting. So where does everyone sleep? The local fire brigade set up a couple of large camp sites right by the beach which over flows with tents and camper vans. The setting is to die for... right at your doorstep is a rugged west coast beach dotted with bonfires as far as one can see which makes for the perfect place to chill out on return from the Hillbilly dance. This paragraph is sponsored by ticket to Umrah 2014 from London.

On waking early to enjoy watching the sun rise take a stroll and you will discover that the less organized have set up home on the railway track, footpath, under the town clock or in some less fortunate cases in amongst the abundance of ports-loos…

There are many fantastic festivals in New Zealand, so be sure to enquirer about what is on and where during your backpacking through our beautiful country, Tearoom – the Land of the Long White Cloud.