The National Philharmonic Goes Pop
Whenever you hear the words National Philharmonic you might have this idea of people in their tux and evening gowns playing the classic pieces of Mozart. You might also see yourself in a theater with lights and glamor. Costa Rica car rental Company
However in Costa Rica the Philarmonic has decided to make music of great quality available for everyone and to cater also to every taste. Car rental Costa Rica airport
This last weekend the Philarmonic presented their tribute to the Beatles and it was an amazing show. What I was not aware is that their projects include not only tributes to the Beatles but also to Abba, Elvis Presley and so much more. And what I definitely did not know was about the whole process of meticulous production that such a tribute to any artists means.
While being there, the director of the orchestra who is a very candid, breaks all the stereotypes of a symphony that you might ever have in your mind. He would joke in between the songs and would explain the whole idea of doing this type of show. His focus is national art, artists and productions and explained that it is not an easy task to take an original song and make all the changes in the arrangements fit for a symphony. Obviously there are more elements, more notes to blend and it is another world. Also the singers are national with experience and great talent.
The whole experience was one word, fun and if I really had to add another word that would be candid. You go to the theater without all that requisite of having to go with a tie or a night gown and the whole idea is that you relax, enjoy the music, cheer for your local artists and dance ! Dancing with the National Philarmonic is an amazing experience let me tell you and also the cheering and the applause too. It is not every day that you visit the theater and you feel like a party.
Also as part of the upgrade in marketing strategy of the National Philarmonic they were running contests through their like page on Facebook and giving out prizes to the public. If you ask me this was the most fun experience and it totally change my perspective of the whole experience.
The National Philarmonic will be having presentations during the year so if you missed out on this one do not worry. Besides they will be launching CD´s of their past performances and collaborations with other very well know national artists. These CD´s will be available through supermarkets and bookstores around the country so there is no chance you can miss it.
Hospitals Can Be Hotels Too
There has been a trend for quite some years in Costa Rica already and it is that of health tourism. If it sounds weird to you just keep reading because it is not weird at all nowadays. Costa Rica car rental Company
In many developed countries to have a major surgery might mean a very important investment and it even might be a source of worry for those who are not covered by an insurance policy. And in those cases it is very important to look for options. One of those options is to look for specialists in other countries which happen to do the same surgery for a much better price without compromising the quality and service. Rent a car Costa Rica
This is how it started, in Costa Rica there are plenty of amazing surgeons that can cater to almost any area that you think of. And of course that includes plastic surgeons who have become a very good option. Let us simply compare the price of a breast augmentation, in the United States a procedure like this would cost you more than $10,000 in Costa Rica even if you booked a very famous surgeon the same procedure costs $3,000. With the same budget you could come over, have the procedure done and you could also enjoy vacations and go shopping and still you would have extra money left.
That is how the term in Costa Rica of Hospital Hotel started, it is a term that indicates an upgrade of traditional hospitals wherein the service is deficient and long waiting list is the trademark. Hospital Hotels are to provide amazing service, with rooms that are ample and clean and technological. Hospitals that have great food, kind service and that look simply better and make you feel at home.
Although in Costa Rica there are not many hospitals of this kind, there are quite a bunch which you can consider and we will go to each and every one of them in other notes. For the time being do know that Costa Rica has become the perfect destination for health tourism besides from eco-tourism.
When the Saga Plays With Your Taste Buds
Oh what makes a name, a name? That is what Shakespeare would ponder, and in actuality we could apply it to almost anything and everything. Car rental Costa Rica San Jose
We have been presenting notes on restaurants that simply promise to knock your socks off, that is if your taste buds would wear socks. And this one is a great option for the foodies, the name is Saga, the place Avenida Escazú. If you would remember , if you are driving a rented car from San José, Avenida Escazú is located on your left of the highway towards Caldera, however you will need to take your first entry towards the right just after the toll and the road will actually lead you there. Costa Rica car rental Company
This place as you might remember is the home of various of the best restaurants in this country, however all of the other restaurants where newer additions. Saga was actually the first restaurant that opened here and it is definitely worth mentioning. So why the name Saga? Maybe it has to do with their specialty which is a fusion of international tastes. Also this restaurant is the best compliment and option to all the other restaurants in this area. So if you are planning to have an amazing dining experience in a group but you simply can´t decide what you would like to have, Saga will be able to bring you choices that are fit for every different taste.
You will be able to choose to start your meal with a variety of carpaccios, fresh tuna covered in sesame seeds or a delicious ceviche. Also you can enjoy stuffed portobello mushrooms which are simply delicious and fried shrimps with a wild fruit sauce. If you are not tempted yet then let us get to the main courses, the great thing about Saga is that they offer pasta choices going from gnocchi, pasta and risotto all of these prepared with care and with a twist of ingredients that will simply make your taste buds jump with joy! The choice of meat is very varied you can have different types of tuna, salmon, poultry, meat and even lamb.
As for desserts, if you do not know which one to choose, it is perfectly fine for you can treat yourself to a sampler dessert dish which will culminate with an explosion of smooth, velvety sensations of their crème brulee in your mouth with a punch of exotic fruits and melting chocolate.
The Beauty that Represents Costa Rica
Costa Rican women have their distinctive beauty, in fact what is most amazing in any worldwide beauty contest is that women so different can express beauty in so many ways. Costa Rica car rental Company
Whether you are a fan of beauty contests or not, the fact is they are still a major even anywhere in the world and Costa Rica is not the exception. This weekend our country has chosen a beautiful brunette to represent us in the international and most famous of all beauty contests, Miss Universe. Car rental Costa Rica San Jose
The girl is from Alajuela, tall beautiful with amazing doe eyes and with a lot of charm and also quite mature for her 21 years of age. She has been training and going to beauty contests and she knows that the whole thing about being a beauty queen definitely takes more than just beauty. It is a lot of hard work in many other terms, from the way you talk and walk, the way you strike a pose and smile and the way to answer the questions that are fired at you. And besides all of this there are other qualities that are important for a beauty queen nowadays in our country.
Yes, beauty is very important but definitely brains are a plus. Lately I have been noticing that part of the “pluses” in a beauty queen´s curriculum is to first have a degree or at least to be pursuing one and second is another language besides Spanish. So these girls do not only need to have a nearly perfect physique and to go through all the stress of prepping for a televised event they also need to have some kind of substance and show what else they can do besides looking beautiful on cameras.
And to all of this the most important part of all is that the winner, Nazareth Cascante is a very good representative of beauty in Costa Rica, her looks are very naturally beautiful, her dark hair is amazing and she is not trying to fit into other beauty stereotypes in our country by dyeing her hair blond, her smile captivates and she has this warmth and charm that is most representative of our own country.
Where Food is Simply Divine
Oh dear reader, you have no idea how lucky you are because the places that I will mention are so amazing and the best thing is, they are just a few steps from each other. Birds of a feather, flock together and definitely if you were thinking about fine dining, here you will find some of the best restaurants in Costa Rica. They are all located at Avenida Escazú which is a whole project of apartments, commercial area, hotels and Nova Cinema. If you are staying somewhere downtown and decide to drive over here in your rented car is surprisingly ease. Just hop on the highway towards Caldera and deviate on the first toll towards the right, there you will be lead to the other side of the highway wherein you need to keep going, it is located after a hotel-hospital called Cima. Costa Rica car rental Company
Sometimes when people think about Costa Rica, they will never ever relate it to fine dining, those people must have never tried La Divina Comida which simply means the divine food. This exquisitely decorated restaurant with a very plush section on the inside and also an area on the deck where it is illuminated at night by contemporary colored balls on the floor is by itself a divine picture. Once you are there you feel that you are getting pampered and the pampering extends to all your senses, first you love what you see, second you cannot wait to have a seat, third the menu featuring Peruvian fusion cuisine will be like a song to your ears, fourth you will be able to smell the interesting aromas of your plate so that finally, fifth you will be able to taste it fully. Car rental Costa Rica San Jose
The specialty of La Divina Comida is the chef and owner who has a very good hand at each of the items offered in the menu, but in special, my favorite of all times is it´s Tuna Tartare which is the best entreé you could ever have. The difference between this Tuna Tartare and others is the sauce which it is used to marinate fresh little cubes of tuna, it has such a fresh an tangy note plus it does not forget to add the hint of Asian elements into it and a little bit of Peruvian chili, the mixture of all these flavors in your mouth is simply divine! For the main menu, the risottos offered here have also a Peruvian twist are simply spectacular and also any time of seafood or meat will have no effect other than to lure all your senses and end in a smile of satisfaction with their desserts. The service is very amicable and the prices are of a higher end nature but they do offer lunch specials for around $20 and you will sure be able to enjoy that too.
Fun Every Weekend
There is a special place in the province of Heredia which takes you around 30 minutes without traffic when you simply hop into a rented car and start your expedition in Costa Rica parting from downtown San José. Car rental Costa Rica San Jose
This place is called INBio Parque which is a park wherein you will see a sample of what the whole flora kingdom has to offer in our small country. There are specialists that work and study all of our species of trees and flowers and even animals and are dedicated to make this place a little piece of heaven on earth. Or better said, to maintain it. Costa Rica car rental Company
The name INBio stands for the National Biodiversity Institute of Costa Rica and it is a non-profit organization, their aim is to dedicate to scientific research and to promote the importance of conserving Costa Rica´s incredibly rich biological diversity. It is an ecological park and it is targeted to families, students and visitors that would like to have another vision of Costa Rica, one that is more in tune with the natural resources. The park features a guided tours.
The tour begins with a short video presentation about the organization and biodiversity in Costa Rica. Then they will lead visitors along a series of trails with representations of different types of Costa Rican forest: Rainforest, Pre-Mountainous Forest, Wetlands and Dry Forest. You will be able to see poison dart frogs, butterflies, iguanas, sloths, birds, turtles and snakes, among many others residents of the represented areas. Other interesting and popular stops along the tour are the stations with orchids and other exotic flowers, a small working farm and the medicinal and herbal gardens.
The tour ends with a presentation about Costa Rica National Parks and Protected Areas. You will be able to find also restaurants, souvenir shop, coffee shop, lots of parking space and wheel chair accessibility
They are open from Friday to Sunday, and besides this every weekend there will be different and very interesting activities. For example this coming 15th of April there will be the Spanish Fair wherein you will be able to enjoy a presentation of Flamenco at midday, information about culture, companies offering tours and also you will be able to try out Spanish delicacies. And every week there are special events so there is always a reason to visit.
And Rain Graced Our Land
If any tourist came and asked a Costa Rican what the weather is like we usually have two words that simply describe to the perfection the current situation: rain or clear. Costa Rica car rental Company
However we have been a couple of months already into what we call our dry season and it is coming to an end, here in Costa Rica we all know that after the Holy Week, the first signs that the rain is coming becomes more and more apparent. For some, it is to their detriment, but for our land it is actually a blessing. Car rental Costa Rica San Jose
Only a few months of our summer and of practically 5 months of no rain, the whole scenery is quite bleak, if you are out of the capital you will see that the grass is burnt, the cows are thin and the roads can get a bit dusty also, specially in rural areas. Somehow that kind of scenery simply does not match the whole image of our country being a jewel of the rain forest. Well that will end very soon, and it might even be sooner than most of us expect it to bee since as you all know the whole globe is going through climatic change.
During this week that heralds the Passover in practically the whole country we have been experiencing intensive heat, yes the type that would practically reach 35 Degrees Celsius in areas like Guanacaste and in the metropolitan area it has reached the 30 Degrees mark which for us it is very hot.
All of that excruciating heat has also produced sudden rain, and not just any type of rain, in some areas it was almost like a rainstorm the type that even with an umbrella you would get totally soaked. The good thing about this is that it did not last more than thirty minutes. On Tuesday various sectors already reported steady rain and also cloudy skies across the country. For the weekend the prospect will be quiet good and clear skies is to be expected.
These sudden periods of rain of course is but the reminder that when the earth is thirsty, water comes to quench it. It is a natural cycle and thus all the grass and the trees that were brownish will start to simply get back to their own green selves. And you will be able to appreciate all of it.
What You Need to Know When Driving in Costa Rica
Every country has its traffic rules and getting to know them is definitely a plus, that is the clue of making your trip the best and making the best out of your car rental for the period that you have decided to make a contract with. Costa Rica car rental Company.
In Costa Rica we have something called the “restricción vehicular” which is a law that was passed a few years ago wherein using a very systematic way simply does not allow certain cars to pass through the capital at different days of the week. This was done to reduce congestion and ease the traffic in the capital. But how does it actually work?
To put it in very easy terms it works like this, if you will be going to the capital, San José you will simply have to take note and see what is the last number on the plate of your car, so if you are renting one, it is very important that you know about this and remember that last number. Car rental Costa Rica San Jose.
The restriction works like this, if the last number of your car´s license plate ends in 0 or 1 you will not be able to get from let us say the west side of the metropolitan area to the east passing through the center of the capital on a Monday. If it is a must that you need to get to this area then you will either have to use an alternative route or use some other car or transport. And so the restriction keeps on going like this: if the last numbers of your car´s plate is 2 or 3, it will be restricted on Tuesdays; 4 or 6 will not be able to transit San José on Wednesdays, last numbers in a car plate ending in 7 or 8 will be restricted on Thursdays and on Fridays those with numbers 9 will not be able to transit through San José.
Although this is usually a rule of the thumb for all of us, some exceptions are made during special festivities and weeks. For example during the whole week of the Passover which starts from Monday 2nd April until Sunday 8th April, there will be an exception and there will be no restriction whatsoever.
Going Carbon Neutral One Step at a Time
Costa Rica is going one step at a time to encourage green practices and they are starting with the new generations because an idea, an ideal and a practice is a seed which you plant and grows. In Santa Cruz in the province of Guanacaste three students of technical high schools just entered the contest called “For a Carbon Neutral High School”.
These youngsters have designed with creativity and inspiration projects that generate clean energy with the intention to convert their high schools into institutions with the lowest carbon emission ones possible. Costa Rica car rental Company.
The sponsors for this contest are Florida Beverages, Ad Astra Space Company and our national bank Banco Popular.
The contest started last year and consists in challenging groups to create a prototype for aerogenerators which are devices that use the force and speed of the wind to generate electricity. The students used recycled materials that they found in their respective schools, such as tubes made of PVC and iron, fans, chairs and bits and pieces of old computers just to name a few.
The group that won the first place is called Nature Helpers integrated by Viela Hernandez, Fernanda Segura, Kattia Gomez, Joseth Ángulo and Zujeilyn Castillo they built the Ayunatu 1005. This apparatus produces 19 watts of power and to create it they used aluminum, steel and copper amongst others.
Ronald Chang, director of Ad Astra Space Company admitted, “It is an honor to see the faces of these kids and was very important to share with their parents after giving out the awards since they are very proud of their children, of the change that it has created and the whole process of learning about energy saving”.
On the other hand, Yorley Mata, mother of one of the students of the group Nature Helpers, emphasized on the learning process of these youngsters. Car rental Costa Rica San Jose.
“The most important objective of this contest was obtained: to create the consciousness of how to preserve the environment always looking for an alternative to generate the type of energy can be renewed thus preserving our environment”.
A Passover to Respect
When in Rome do as Romans and when in Costa Rica, do as Costa Ricans, even if you do not understand it! I was just joking.
There is absolutely no law at all to prevent you from smoking, drinking and eating meat during this Passover weekend, actually there is a law that prohibits the selling of liquors on Good Thursday and Friday but besides that there will not be much that would hinder your enjoying and having a great time over here. However I found it appropriate to explain some of the practices many Costa Ricans still do. Costa Rica car rental Company.
Costa Rica is a catholic country, and culture revolves around practices that have to do with this religion. As for the Passover, it is expected for faithful followers to actually take pride in their faith and since the passover is all about Jesus Christ´s death and resurrection many practices call for abstinence, fasting and also a lot of consciousness about our surroundings.
What does these practices entitle? For some fasting and eating light and absolutely no red meat, for others not logging into their Facebook accounts for over a week, and others to do random acts of kindness. Times have changed very much and before I understood that fasting was a way to offer to God the conquer of one of our addictions whether it is TV, gossip, sweets, liquor or cigarettes. In these days it is more about realizing what is really important for us. For example, taming your Facebook addiction actually provides you with more quality time to spend with your family, performing random acts of kindness is a way to honor divinity in others and by doing so honoring your own. Car rental Costa Rica San Jose.
So as a visitor in our country during those days you will see people trying to eat more healthily and stay away from red meats, you will also see that most supermarkets will offer promotions when you buy tuna and sometimes the price of fresh fish might go up a bit. You won´t be able to have booze on Thursday and Friday for the same reason, there is a call for abstinence and to offer that challenge as an offer to God. Whether you are Catholic or not it doesn´t matter, you will see this happening, so you are forewarned ! Of course, if you bought your booze before Thursday there is also no law to stop you from consuming it, only to sell it.