One of my favorite year end activities is watching the local version of the bulls. Ticos have developed their own version of bull fighting where the bull is the aggressor and the fans or “improvised bullfighters” try to get as close as possible without injury. The best runs feature a few poor souls running for their lives and possibly being tossed or trampled but hopefully with no serious inju...

Note: This article is a real life experience of a pig farm in Guanacaste Costa Rica. If you eat Chicharrones, you need to know where they come from and how the process works. This day has been in the works for months, the one my brother-in-law has been threatening me with. I'm back on the enormous rice farm in Guanacaste. I've had a day to settle in and fired off about 150 pictures wanderin...

Undisclosed Pacific Coast Location 6:22am It's early enough that even the guard isn't at his post yet. After about 10 minutes of driving through a series of shallow ponds wrongly called a road, we're at the access gate. We've already ignored one “No public access” sign, what's a unmanned guard shack? It's not as bad as I think, the driver has already called ahead. We pull up to a gover...

Tucked away somewhere in Río Segundo in Alajuela, behind veiled chain link fencing and sporting nearly no signs is The Ara Project. Between my unfamiliarity with the area and Tico-style directions it might have been easier just to roll down the window and listen. 200 macaws squawking carries a pretty long way... Chris Castle opens the gate and I finally meet what was had been just a voi...

For those of you who don't know Solson, he is a professional photographer who contributes with The Costa Rica Star. Please support him in his career by visiting Foto.cr (after reading the article of course). So, I've been trying to learn about video using my digital camera. Fun. Interesting. Challenging. My gear wish list just tripled. Turns out my existing tools will do the job, but it wou...

Ladies, let's talk about shoes. Fellas don't leave me just yet this concerns you as well, plus I promise no Blahnik or Louboutin talk (ladies are you impressed I know them?). Mostly I'm concerned about you. You flew many miles and spent tons of money to come visit us in Costa Rica. You're probably packing cameras, iPhones or iPads worth hundreds or thousands of dollars so you can capture ...

I've run into a few people who claim to have gone to Manuel Antonio National Park and didn't see monkeys. I don't know how that happens, in fact it's so unlikely it makes me think that perhaps they screwed up the name or didn't make into the park itself. I've heard stories of exchange students that ate little more than cereal while here—I thought you were legally obligated to eat gallo pinto b...

Do pay for the GPS option. You'll learn to love that heartless voice. And if you're thinking you'll turn it off. Don't. You'll want to keep your eyes on the road. When you come from any developed country driving in Costa Rica may be the most maddening, if not downright terrifying thing you can undertake. I read an article recently that suggested that Costa Rica would have to invest $2 billion ...

To most valley dwellers Heredia means, traffic, universities, call centers and Intel. To the foreign visitor it's all just San José. Most outsiders haven't a clue about the places we prefer and most of them are not famous outside our little city, unlike places in San José like Soda Tapia and Avenida Central. We've got our favorite spots to meet and eat, and I'll share some with you. Fair warnin...

Inspired by the The Costa Rica Star's recent articles, and frustrated by the poor quality of the bell peppers at my local supermarket (you know the one that starts with “W” and ends in “almart”) my girlfriend and I decided to visit the Farmers' Market in Heredia. I had heard that I should arrive early for the best products, so when we arrived at a leisurely 9:30 am we expected things to have c...

For most people the mention of Guanacaste conjures up visions of ocean, surfing, palms and most anything beach related. That's because most of us head there on vacation. Locals have a life to live and it usually doesn't involve sand in their toes. I took the bus from San Jose to Liberia on a trip to meet my in-laws. Family dynamics aside, taking the bus really changes your perspective on this ...

As I sit here sweating enough to refill the Arenal lake, I really wish I were sea-side with a frothy adult beverage in hand. That's a place I haven't made it this year. You may be thinking I missed my chance now that Easter has passed, it's unofficially not summer here in Costa Rica, the rain is looming (which frankly in this heat, I welcome) and vacation days are over. I'm glad you feel that ...

Honesty: Webster's Dictionary defi....you know me better than that. Google it if you must. We all know the definition, but digital photography and it's ally, digital editing really start to blur the lines of photographic honesty. Up to what point is it still a photograph...I don't know. I would say that advertisers have probably taken it too far. If your ad for mascara requires adding digital ...

“That's going to end badly.” I knew it. Having grown up traipsing through the woods with friends--something just short of Lord of the Flies, I knew a group of stick-wielding children would inevitably end badly. I scanned the park for a parent. Nope. Three minutes later, tears. Now I was parenting and I don't have kids, just a really obedient dog. Here goes nothing. After a quick check of the of...

I'll admit I was a little stuck on a subject for this article. I had mapped out a few ideas, a few pithy phrases to build on but nothing much more. I opted for manual labor to clear my head. As I sat in the gutter chiseling away fresh asphalt trying to free the grate that covers the gutter, it hit me. Or more precisely I hit it. My finger. With the hammer. I managed to contain my rage to a low whi...

I am still excited when I can see the top of the Irazú Volcano from the Central Valley. You get used to looking east and seeing a wall of mountain with clouds on top, but then every so often in the dry season it clears up and you get to see the top--view killing antennae and all. When I see it like that I want to head that way, just not all the way up, I have a more interesting trip in mind. Yep, ...

It's so well known that I'm almost hesitant to write about it. I'm almost tempted to tell you to skip it in favor of something more local...except that Manuel Antonio National Park is local. Like the Poás Volcano, it's among the most visited places in Costa Rica because both locals and foreigners visit. You're just as likely to see a over-sunned Swedish college student as you are a family of local...

I always carry a compact camera. If you live in or have visited Costa Rica you know why. Funny, beautiful and shocking things may be just around the corner. My little camera spends time waiting for sunsets and rainbows (and the frequent misspelled or poorly translated sign, internet gold!). It lives in a messenger bag that I take everywhere. It only leaves that bag when I use it to carry my bigger...

If you are planning your first trip to Costa Rica, I have a bit of advice, don't go to the Osa Peninsula. You'll ruin your follow-up trips, kind of like drinking 25 year old single-malt your first time. If you live here or have been here before, go. Immediately. Wait, read this first, then go. So what's the deal with Osa? Situated in the southwestern corner of Costa Rica it's one of the most d...

Whether you're taking the vacation of a lifetime or just out for a Sunday drive, Costa Rica is a country seemingly designed with the photographer in mind. Beaches, mountains, wildlife and quaint towns abound. The only problem is deciding which camera or equipment to bring. There is no right answer but I'll try to help. If you are not a serious pro, are on a budget, or just don't want to risk all y...