Car Spotting in Costa Rica

One of my favorite things about Costa Rica, is there seemed to be an extreme abundance of "expedition ready" 4x4s.  Never in my life have I seen more Land Rovers, Land Cruisers, and Isuzu Troopers assembled in one place, not to mention a whole boat load of other misc 4x4s that all appeared to be on an expedition of their own.  And Jeeps seemed to be the extreme minority.  In short, if you want to see some cool SUVs and 4x4s of all makes and vintages, visit Costa Rica.

This little go-cart is a 2013 Suzuki Jimny, and it was what I rented for the week.  Basically, a modern Samurai, this little lawn mower is great on gas and will get you just about anywhere. I wish they sold them in the USA. I would buy one without question as a daily driver.

Costa Rica Wildlife

Perhaps the most interesting thing about Costa Rica, is the incredible amount of wildlife one can see, with very little effort. If I ever go back, I would go back and focus on seeing as much as I could, despite the horrendous discomfort of the climate.  We visited two parks while we were there, and did some hikes along the beach.  Here are some of the highlights.

The icon of Costa Rica, the red-eyed tree frog.  Some of the photos here were taken at a small "zoo" if you will, for native herps of Costa Rica. According to our guide at the little "Neofauna" park, these frogs are fairly elusive and not easy to find in the wild without considerable time and effort.

Costa Rica - One week in a sweltering hot sweat box

So we spent last week, both Linda's and Tom's birthdays, in Costa Rica. It was a much needed vacation from the norm, that ultimately makes you appreciate your version of normal a little bit more. It's all too easy to get sick, tired and bored of your normal day-to-day routine, until you break out from it and spend some time in another country where the norm is much, much different than you are used to.  In my case, I speak mainly of weather, and more acutely of stinking hot, humid, thick, cut-the-air-with-a-knife, jungle weather.

Marriot Los Suenos, our nice, clean, uber-expensive resort

Photos for pets sake...

We were asked to take photos of a bunch of dogs up for adoption for "For Pets Sake", which we gladly agreed to do.  Plus, CeCe and Luigi were getting watched for the night so we could have an evening to ourselves. First, I did some test photos at home.

Adorbs.

Some B&W scans...

Cute.

The world did not end...

...which I guess is cool. I wonder what the next Doomsday date will be. :/

So, we made Japanese style "Hamburgs".

Japan 2012 - Reflecting on our second trip

Wow, three full weeks in Japan. The longest vacation we have ever taken, the most time off work I have had since I was 18, and the farthest place I have ever been from home, both geographically and culturally. This trip to Japan was whole-heartedly inspired by our trip to Japan in 2010. One time is simply not enough, and if you don't understand that, then that is too bad. Japan is a place of ideals. And a place where those ideals are consciously thought about, planned on, and executed. Granted, this is my view, as an American foreigner who has spent thirty-seven years watching the U.S.A. slowly deteriorate into what I believe will ultimately be only a shred of what it once was, and what it was meant to be. There is no point in getting into the politics and principles of it.  So let's just say that going to Japan is sensory overload.  It's an utterly inspiring yet ultimately depressing, look into a future that could never be for America.  Japan is really a very quick breathe of fresh air, to an American who looks at it the right way.