Elenka and I had initially gone to Bocas del Toro on Panama's Caribbean coast with the intention of seeking out real estate. But we didn't like the place at all and beat a hasty path for Costa Rica. There are three border crossing points at the Panama Costa Rica frontier. All have their own particular quirkiness to them. After passing through border control at the Caribbean point of entry you must walk across a railway trestle that's been converted to...

The best beer in Central America comes from Nicaragua and it's called Victoria. It's a full-bodied brew with a very refreshing aftertaste. Costa Rica has a couple of decent choices in Pilsen and Imperial. These three golden thirst quenchers rank at least as high as any of the mass-produced beers of Canada. In Guatemala things change for the worse. The beer of choice there is called Gallo or "Rooster" in English. It could be likened to an American beer, wa...

Elenka and I went with Jim, Mary, Frank and Wendy. Went first to Arenal; stayed at the volcano lodge where it was cloudy and saw not a thing. Then we went to Marc's at Playa Hermosa. One day Frank and I went to Rincon de la Vieja to do zip-lining. We wanted to go to the Caribbean coast but could because the roads were washed out, so we drove south and stopped at a place in Dominical. Then we went to the Osa Peninsula.For my records only. Dates may not be exac...

Ellen and I picked up our four-wheel drive Suzuki at Daniel Obuder International Airport outside Liberia in the Guanacaste region of Costa Rica, just after 8:00 a.m. We had extensively studied our planned 300-km coastal journey to the tip of the Nicoya Peninsula. On route to the coast you pass through the little towns of Filadelfia and Belen before reaching the cut-off at Santa Cruz. From this point the real journey begins. You put your vehicle in four-wheel driv...

The Toronto Star TRAVEL Saturday, October 2, 1999 My Costa Rica tour - at treetop height  IT WAS 8 p.m. as I approached the giant Kapok tree where I was about to embark on my 11-tree canopy tour through Rincon de la Vieja forest in Costa Rica. The entire forest was pitch black. My only method of vision would be by way of a little lamp attached to my forehead. Our group consisted of myself, my girlfriend and three guides, Daniel, Allan and Theo. On the first plat...