cycling to the Tabaconcito free hot springs

On May 12, 2015May 11, 2015 By Rick McIn cycling, travelLeave a comment

Tabacon Hot Springs in Costa Rica costs about $60 / person. Crazy expensive as are most of the spas near the Arenal volcano.

But across the highway you can soak for free in Tabaconcito Hot Springs, a warm river flowing away from the volcano. Very popular with the local people.

The Free Natural Hot Springs are one of the highest rated attractions on Trip Advisor, too.

Many take a taxi from town. Or try to find the local bus. I rented a bike ($15/4 hours). Hot and harsh on the way there from La Fortuna. Breezy and easy on the return, mostly downhill.

cycling La Fortuna

related – Tabacon FREE Hot Springs Backpackers Delight (VIDEO)

climbing a Strangler fig

On May 9, 2015May 7, 2015 By Rick McIn travelLeave a comment

Strangler fig is the common name for a number of tropical and subtropical plant species, including some banyans …

An original support tree can sometimes die, so that the strangler fig becomes a “columnar tree” with a hollow central core.

My final highlight in Monteverde, Costa Rica was climbing this one, probably the most popular in the area.

It was pretty easy up until the very top. A tight squeeze. But getting up into the canopy was awesome. 🙂

related – Renate Rigters | That Wanderlust – TREE CLIMBING TO THE TOP OF MONTEVERDE’S CLOUD FOREST

“Bat Jungle” Costa Rica

On May 8, 2015May 7, 2015 By Rick McIn bad news, things getting worse, travelLeave a comment

The BatJungle.com opened 2006. It’s one of the BEST tourist attractions in the Monteverde area.

Guided tour takes about 45 minutes

90 live bats of 8 species in an enclosure 17m (57ft) in length

Exhibit features a special ultrasonic microphone that allows visitors to hear bats echolocating (biosonar) and socializing in real time …

photo via Artifacts and Insects at Costa Rica’s 10 Best Museums

Bats are very cool animals, the only mammal with excellent flying ability. They can dodge thin filaments that birds cannot avoid.

Bats are the second largest order of mammals (after the rodents), representing about 20% of all classified mammal species worldwide, with about 1,240 bat species divided into two suborders: the less specialized and largely fruit-eating megabats, or flying foxes, and the highly specialized and echolocating microbats.

About 70% of bat species are insectivores. Most of the rest are frugivores, or fruit eaters. …

… vital ecological roles of pollinating flowers and dispersing fruit seeds …

… economically important, as they consume insect pests, reducing the need for pesticides …

Here’s the really, really BAD news. 😦

White nose syndrome is a condition associated with the deaths of millions of bats in the Eastern United States and Canada. …

The fungus was first discovered in central New York State in 2006 and spread quickly to the entire Eastern US north of Florida; mortality rates of 90–100% have been observed in most caves …

… the lack of bug-eating bats in summer could cause severe problems in the ecosystem of the Eastern forests and on farmland and beyond: nearly all of the bats Continental US and Canada are insectivores …

White-nose syndrome map

night walk in Costa Rica

On May 7, 2015May 6, 2015 By Rick McIn hiking, travelLeave a comment

My first night in the cloud forrest I signed up for a 2 hour night hike.

I’d done something similar twice in the past: 1) Amazon and 2) Nepali jungle. Both were terrific. This one was too.

There are a number of choices. But Kinkajou Night Walk seems to be the most popular.

We saw a kinkajou. A sloth. Tarantula, sleeping toucans, frogs, snakes and huge insects. I’d not imagined a cockroach that large. Not even in a nightmare. The Walking Sticks are cool.

Somebody forgot to email me the memo reminding to wear long pants and long sleeves when walking through a jungle at night with a flashlight. I was the only person wearing shorts.

It’s spooky enough to keep your adrenaline high. One beetle or another is regularly flying at your head.

Trip Advisor

Recommended.

Linda Vista, San Salvador

On May 2, 2015April 30, 2015 By Rick McIn food, gymnastics, travelLeave a comment

My friend Laura, the El Salvador Events Manager, drove us up the volcano for lunch.

This restaurant is called Linda Vista (Beautiful View) Gardens.

Much higher than the San Salvador, the temperature is significantly cooler. It’s a great escape if things get too hot in the city.

I had pasta and chicken Caesar salad. 🙂

more photos

Here’s the write-up on our Age Group Gymnastics Camp in El Salvador.

straddle pike El Salvador

more photos

Gymnastics Clinic Panama

On April 30, 2015April 30, 2015 By Rick McIn gymnastics, travelLeave a comment

The Gymnastics Federation of Panama hosted the 50th training session for the International Gymnastics Federation’s (FIG) Age Group Development and Competition Programme for Men’s (MAG) and Women’s Artistic Gymnastics (WAG) on April 23-25, 2015. …

FIG

Of the 50 I’ve helped teach perhaps 15. A regular on the circuit.

more photos

Next: El Salvador and Costa Rica.

photographer Uruma Takezawa traveling the world

On April 27, 2015April 23, 2015 By Rick McIn photos, travelLeave a comment

This Photographer Spent 1,021 Days Traveling the World. Here’s What He Saw.

Click through for more photos like this.

Larung Gar Gompa, East Tibet. A dense collection of monk quarters sprawled out over a hill.*

Albrook Mall, Panama City

On April 26, 2015April 25, 2015 By Rick McIn travelLeave a comment

I bagged another in my quest to visit the BIGGEST MALLS in the world. And not buy anything.

Albrook in Panama City is ranked 13th on one list. West Edmonton Mall in Canada is ranked 14th.

… Actually, I bought 3 plastic rulers. 😦

Norway tops the Social Progress Index

On April 25, 2015April 25, 2015 By Rick McIn economics, education, ethics, government, happiness, health & fitness, Islam, travelLeave a comment

Gross Domestic Product has become the yardstick by which we measure a country’s success. But, says Michael Green, GDP isn’t the best way to measure a good society.

His alternative? The Social Progress Index, which measures things like basic human needs and opportunity. …

The Social Progress Index determines what it means to be a good society according to three dimensions: Basic Human Needs (food, water, shelter, safety); Foundations of Wellbeing (basic education, information, health and a sustainable environment); and Opportunity (do people have rights, freedom of choice, freedom from discrimination, and access to higher education?) …

Some countries over-perform on social progress relative to their GDP per capita. Costa Rica is the biggest aggregate over-performer, showing strength across all the dimensions. The key lesson here is that building social progress takes persistence. Costa Rica has had strong education, health and welfare systems for a long time, as well as a long democratic tradition. SPI measures outcomes — life expectancy, literacy rate — not inputs, like laws passed or money spent. There are no cheats or quick fixes

WHY WE SHOULDN’T JUDGE A COUNTRY BY ITS GDP

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