Costa Rica’s northern Pacific coast delivers the magic of the tropics interspersed with arid wind-swept cattle ranches, golden beaches with stellar white-tipped surfing waves, cool and mysterious estuaries, and one of the country’s most coveted beach-towns, Tamarindo. Over the past thirty-years, Tamarindo has evolved from a sleepy fishing village, visited by the rare surf guru […]
Image © Sara Ford As with most holidays and special occasions, New Year’s Eve for Costa Ricans is celebrated with family. The North American tradition of the younger generation going out to clubs and parties, although more common in the beach and tourists areas, is not the tradition here. Nevertheless, Costa Rica has a little […]
Image © Amelia Rueda Image © Sara Ford Image © Sara Ford Image © Sara Ford Image © Sara Ford Costa Ricans begin the Christmas season — practically once they flip the calendar over to December — with elaborate decorations all around the house and the tree. Everything is wrapped, inside and out, with colorful […]
Image © Isaac Martinez Santa Teresa and Malpais, located in the Nicoya Peninsula, started as farming communities, mostly cattle and small-scale fishing, that were introduced to tourism in the 1970’s through the adventurous spirit of surfers looking for big waves. Tourism has brought more amenities and accessibility, but the area still remains fairly undeveloped. Now […]
Image © LIU Global Thanksgiving, much like Halloween, is an American and Canadian tradition that is celebrated by some ex-pats within Costa Rica. Growing up in New York, it was always one of my favorite holidays and a needed reminder, amidst the hectic lifestyle, about what was important in life, namely family, friends and good […]
Image © Luis Solano Pochet The Central Valley of Costa Rica is the country’s heartland and a tour through the small towns nestled in the hills leads the visitor on a journey through the cultural, economic, and culinary heritage of this diverse country. Naranjo Naranjo de Alajuela, a small town founded in 1886 with […]
Halloween is not a traditional Costa Rican holiday, but with more exposure from tourism, ex-pats taking up residence, and the influence of the media, the celebrations are becoming more popular in the larger cities of Costa Rica. In San Jose, stores now carry costumes and children do dress up to “trick or treat” in their […]
International Artist Day & featuring four Costa Rican artists. At Poas, we like to showcase local treasures — whether it be natural beauty or talent. For International Artist Day, we’re spotlighting Costa Rican artists and their art. The earliest examples of the country’s creativity are evidenced in the indigenous gold and jade figures that can […]
The story of “The Weeping Woman” interestingly has roots in many ancient cultures. However, most agree that the legend of “La Llorona — The Weeping Woman” began in Mexico in the 1500’s and is based on the real life figure, “La Malinche”, a young Aztec woman who was the conqueror Hernán Cortes’s interpreter, advisor and […]
Unlike many folktales, the various retellings of this myth are only found in Costa Rica. Visitors to the country can still see the oxcart blessings in mid-March every year, when there is the Oxcart Festival or Day of the Oxcart Driver in San Antonio de Escazu, or in San Isidro de General on the town’s […]
