Conducting photo tours in Costa Rica can be quite an experience because I never know what my group and I will encounter. Here is an entertaining event that occurred while we were traveling to one of our locations.

One of the destinations for my group in Costa Rica Photo Tours is the beautiful, pristine Osa Peninsula along the southern Pacific Coast of Costa Rica, a place that National Geographic says is “the most biologically diverse place” on the planet. In order to reach this location by vehicle we drive through the tiny village of Ojochal, which is very near my home.

One of my groups discovered that moving day for some Costa Ricans can be rather unique. As my group and I were passing through the village we saw an incredible sight. But before I tell you the story let me tell you a bit about the man who was moving.

The fellow who was moving was one of my neighbours, Senor Wilson (real Spanish name, don’t you think?), who has brought my wife and me flowering plants since we moved in. It was really funny the first day that he stood at the top of the driveway with plants in hand. He was so polite that he would not come down to the house without our invitation even though he was there to give us a present.

We finally realized after speaking (he in Spanish and we mostly in English that ) that he wanted to give us the flowering plants he was carrying. Very neighborly. Particularly when you understand that Senor Wilson did not own a car and walked, plants in hand, down a mountain on a dirt road–an hour to our house and an hour back!

With the passage of time, Senor Wilson has given me flowering plants many times. Often he stands there waiting to see where I will plant it. I would probably do the same thing if I lugged it down a mountain for an hour. However, there are so many things to do that planting this gift is never one of my priorities. Certainly, I never thought that I would be tested on my ability to choose a location and plant something when I moved to Costa Rica from Canada.

One day Wilson arrived at the house with another plant, accompanied by his two sons who were going swimming in the river beside our house. He gave me the new plant and then asked where I had planted the others that he had brought.

Well, they were still in the pots (these pots are not the plastic pots that we are familiar with but old aluminum kettles with drainage holes made by stabbing the bottom with a machete), would you believe it? Wilson saw this and decided that he not only would bring the plants but he would plant them in our little garden. That tells you all you need to know about this good man.

Back to moving day. As my photography tour group and I were driving a dusty Ojochal road, we saw a man walking his horse. It was Wilson. We stopped the van and I saw that the horse was carrying two huge white bags filled with what seemed to be clothes and household items. There was also a broom wedged between one of the bags with its blue bristle extending between the horse’s ears. For the life of me, it looked as if the horse had a bristle blue tiara on! Poor horse, not very macho!

Wilson was holding the horse’s bridle in one hand and a birdcage in the other. A sight to behold. A man, a horse, a crown, and a birdcage. Moving day!

I started the conversation as usual with “Hola, que tal?” “How are you?” And then I asked if he was moving (only kidding). But, sure enough, the horse was neighbor Wilson’s version of a moving van. I believe it is called a grass-eating 4 X 4.

He explained that he and his wife (who is a tiny little thing that looks about 14) were going to house-sit one of the B&Bs whose owner went back to Germany for the rainy season. He also said that it would be easier for his wife and 3 kids to live there because it was closer to the pueblo as the B&B is almost in the pueblo where the children would go to school.

The birdcage was quite interesting. It seemed to me that on one of the previous trips someone could have brought the cage down to the new digs.

Carting flowering plants and birdcages is all in Wilson’s job description. He told me and the group that the little bird was very young (parrot or parakeet, I don’t know), that it just loved to talk and knew many words. As though he understood, the bird started showing off, chattering away while we are talking about it. I would tell you what it said but my command of bird Spanish remains very poor to this day. Sorry.

You can imagine that my group was very excited about taking pictures of a crowned horse, chattering bird, and Costa Rica family walking down a mountain, worldly possessions carried by their trusty steed. Moving day in Costa Rica. One never knows what one will see or experience on my photo tour of Costa Rica.

Canadian Frank Scott lives in sunny Costa Rica where he is a professional Costa Rica Photographer offering unique photography tours. Some of his work can be seen in Costa Rica Vacations, a very popular travel guide to this unique country.

Where is the “happiest place on earth ?” Disneyworld claims it is and, though it is a great place to enjoy once in a while, the most satisfying place to live in the world is officially tiny Costa Rica, winner of the Happy Planet Index.

The Index measures three things: high life expectancy, high life satisfaction, and a low ecological footprint. 143 countries were rated, representing 99 per cent of the world’s population, and Costa Rica came out on top—by a lot.

The Happy Planet Index asked: 1. What is a person’s life expectancy ( premise: it is better to live longer than die young)? 2. While alive, how satisfied are people with the quality of their life (premise: living longer but miserably is not very satisfying)? 3. How much does a country cost the planet (premise: sustainable development is better than exhausting resources and has less effect on global warming) ?

Like me, you probably assume that the most developed nations will come in towards the top but that is not the case. Despite its wealth and power, the United States occupies number 114. England does better but still only ranks 74th.

There is a very dramatic difference between Costa Rica and the United States. Costa Ricans live slightly longer than Americans (and have universal, almost free coverage), report substantially higher levels of satisfaction with their life, and yet make a per capita carbon footprint 75% less than the States.

It is no accident that Costa Rica is at the top of the rankings The country is committed to sustainable development. While the Western world, China and India are committed to relying upon nonrenewable, nonsustainable resources (think oil) that are exhausting the planet’s resources and contributing to serious global pollution and warming, 99% of Costa Rica’s energy is completely renewable and sustainable. As developed countries dither about how to address power needs and meet the challenges of pollution and global warming, tiny Costa Rica has taken action. More than two decades ago, at a time when so many other countries were cutting and burning their forests, Costa Rica decided to go the opposite direction and now there are 20% more forested areas. Presciently, it has long denied oil drilling off its shores, choosing sustainability over exhaustion. And, in 2007 it became the first country to commit to being completely carbon neutral by 2021.

Costa Rica’s per capita income is only a fraction of that of the United States and other western countries but its ranking at number 1 in all the world is a model to emulate.

Writer Victor Krumm lives in Costa Rica. Go to his acclaimed website about Costa Rica Vacations and be sure to look at the spectacular Seven Wonders of Costa Rica

With luggage and camera gear packed in the van by 8 in the morning my new friends and I on my photography tour are off to our first destination, promising to be an outstanding adventure. The excitement is high with everyone getting to know each other and talking cameras and pictures on this their first day.

We are on our way to Arenal, an active volcano in Costa Rica, but there are a few stops along the way. First, we stop in Sarchi, famous for its tropical furniture, where magnificent, brightly decorated ox carts are made in an eighty plus year old water powered factory. From there, we drive to the little mountain town of Zarcero where the focal point is the old wooden church with its much-photographed double row of topiaries leading to its entrance. You can fill your camera’s memory card just at these two places with the colours and patterns in Sarchi and the fantastic shapes of the topiaries in Zarcero.

Along the way, the potholes in the roads are many. Our Tico driver, Luis, knows this and so drives extremely cautiously to avoid them. However, it seems like everyone else on two or four wheels pass us. Those passing us seem to believe that they are Formula One contenders and in Costa Rica there is even a bus driver who is known to have passengers find God while on his bus.

After Sarchi and Zarcero we stop for lunch in La Fortuna and are now just a few miles from the lodge in Arenal. Upon leaving the main highway for the lodge we find ourselves traveling in, out, and around potholes. The rainy season ended about the beginning of December so many roads are still in very poor condition. Our road is unique because it was built out of crushed lava.

In rounding a curve we come upon a clearing at a river and behold, there is Arenal Volcano! The majority of my group have never been face to face with an active volcano and this perfectly shaped volcano is an awesome sight.

The point of the cone is cloaked in puffy white clouds with a beautiful blue sky as a backdrop. We immediately stop and quickly leave the van attaching cameras to tripods. Some of us wade into the river for a better image while some shoot from the riverbanks getting a different perspective.

Who is to say how dangerous being this close to an active volcano can be? Fortunately, Arenal is very predictable and today is closely monitored so there is a very low risk of a serious, catastrophic, unexpected eruption. Only 1 km away from the base of the volcano and 2 km to the top of the cone is the lodge where we stay and without a doubt any activity attracts the attention of everyone.

While unpacking and getting settled in, Arenal speaks. It is a great roar, smoke and gas billowing many hundreds of feet into the sky and the sound of the rocks tumbling down the slopes. After the eruption, the Mantled Howler monkeys are extremely vocal but we do not know if they are protesting the roar of the eruption or just answering back.

We all sit in the lodge dining room enjoying our dinner as the volcano erupts again. I had told everyone that there are photo opportunities in Costa Rica but no one imagined anything like this could happen, certainly not while you are eating dinner. And this was only the first day of the photo tour!

The next two nights are without much sleep since we find comfortable chairs in the common area of the lodge just outside our rooms and we mount our cameras on tripods attaching cable releases. Since I had already been to Arenal many times I had chosen to use an 80-200mm lens set at 80mm and an aperture of f8, the camera shutter set at “B” for time exposure.

With the activity of the small flare-ups at the cone and the lava flowing down the opposite side I think a time exposure of more than twenty minutes will produce an ugly yellow blob of light, so if there had been no eruptions after this length of time I will close the shutter and start another exposure. Using a cable release makes these exposures very easy and Arenal puts on quite a display while we are there.

What a magnificent first day of the tour in Costa Rica. Eight more days of photography to go and everyone is anxiously looking forward to what exciting adventure tomorrow will bring.

Frank Scott writes from sunny Costa Rica where he is a professional Costa Rica Photographer offering unique photography tours. Some of his work can be seen in Costa Rica Vacations, a very popular travel guide to this unique country.

My life in Costa Rica has been an outstanding experience with a variety of adventures and events. I have photographed a number of beautiful and incredible sights and this is just one very small example of how close I live to it all.

As you know we have leaf cutter ants in the jungle and they are a very busy lot who work very hard all day long. This is a story about their strength and persistence that happened one day.

In his travels across my driveway in front of my favourite flowering trees that he and his friends were munching, a leaf cutter ant we will name Bill picked up a matchstick, you know, one of the wooden ones. This brave soul dropped its leaf and started to carry the match upright as if it were a leaf.

I carefully picked up the matchstick thinking that I would lessen the load. And incredible as it might seem, Bill did not let go and was picked up along with the match, his little feet still trying to march away.

I took the match, with ant, to the terrace of my house and put it down thinking that he would let go. Obviously Bill was looking for his marching band, because he began to march around with the matchstick held high weaving around chairs and tables but remaining on the terrace.

Without hesitation he marched around and around like a soldier carrying his flag. As a photographer I watched and photographed in amazement for over an hour and could not help but wonder when he would drop the match and go on his merry way as he must have been panting by now, not that you can see an ant pant, believe me!

Without hesitation he marched around in military precision carrying his treasure. After more than an hour of watching and photographing Bill I could not help but wonder when he would get so tired that he would drop the match as I am sure he was panting by now, and believe me it is really hard to see an ant pant.

Now I can truly respect their stamina and persistence when doing their very important job carrying their leaves back to their nest. As Bill became very tired I eventually was able to take the matchstick away and freed him from his load to go back to, what else, carrying leaves.

Who among us would drop a light load to carry a very heavy one for our team? Think about it and what we can learn from this wonderful creature that we often take for granted.

Frank Scott lives in sunny Costa Rica where he is a professional Costa Rica Photographer offering lovely ecophotography tours. Some of his work can be seen in Costa Rica Vacations, a highly popular destination guide to this lovely paradise.

I think it is impossible to visit Hawaii and not experience the holiday of a lifetime.

Below are our top three reasons why you should visit Hawaii. Once you are there you will be so captivated that you will want to learn all about Hawaii and will certainly want to return.

1. The Best Place To Relax – Most of us have very hectic lifestyles and it can be hard to find the time or place to wind down – here in Hawaii, it is all waiting for you. The beaches are calm and tranquil, offering a great place to escape for your usual manic life. Whether it is long strolls or simply catching some rays, the beaches here will offer it all.

2. Enjoying The Hawaiian Activities Available – The beach is obviously full of the usual beach activities, windsurfing, diving, snorkeling, swimming, sailing. But additionally, if it is a challenge then you must try the mountains. The Hawaiian islands are volcanic and as a result there are amazing mountains which offer great climbing and hiking opportunities accompanied by spectacular views.

3. The Hawaiian Culture – Hawaii is quite an old culture, but no one knows exactly how old. The island natives are keen to preserve their culture and to prevent it from being overtaken by tourists. Although the tourist industry has commercialized some aspects of the culture, there are still a lot of traditional festivals to experience whatever time of year you visit.

Whatever you are looking for in a holiday, Hawaii will be able to offer it. The Hawaiian islands are often associated with wedding and romance, but they are also great for families.

The kids will love the outdoor life of Hawaii. This is a great opportunity for them to try lots of different sports and you can organize lessons or book them into a kids club, so you will also get some time out. Equally, if you are all going to spend your time together there are plenty of relaxing ways to pass the time as a family.

Whatever you are looking for in your holiday you will probably find it in Hawaii.

Learn All About Hawaii………… If you want to discover more of the magic of Hawaii visit http://www.hawaiileisuretime.com/

Are you tired of playing sports that are not that exciting? Do you seek thrills and exhilaration and want to feel challenged and pushed to your limit? If you think you do, then give extreme sports some consideration.

Activities that involve some sort of element of danger are what extreme sports are. Some of things it involves are speed, height, stunts, physical exertion, and specialized gear. There are three classifications of these sports; air, land, and water.

An air sport to try is bungee jumping. You have a cord securely tied to you that is also tied to a stable and mounted object. After, you jump from a tall structure, like a ledge or perhaps a bridge. There are people that prefer to jump from something moving, like a plane, helicopter, or balloon. A lot of people who try this also try out sky diving.

Another example is hang gliding. Here, you are the pilot and you hang from a hang glider aircraft. You use your feet to launch in the air and this is how you fly and glide. Gliders are usually made of aluminum and fabric. The harness is what secures you and your body weight controls the direction you go.

Snowboarding is an example of a land sport. This is ideal for people who want to experience an activity that live in cold and snowy areas. People snowboard on mountains mostly but there are three other ways too; jibbing and rail riding, freeriding, and by dry slope. Jibbing and rail riding is for those that want to board over rails and obstacles in places such as parks. Freeriding is basically free style, meaning you can board over any terrain you wish. Dry slope is when you board over man made slopes.

Snorkeling is an example of a water sport. Here you get to swim through a large body of water, most popularly the ocean, and dive in with a snorkel and fins. This allows you to see all the aquatic life under water that you do not get to see when on land. Resorts and places that offer scuba diving usually have this activity.

With the information you are now aware of about extreme sports, you can decide if you want to pursue it. It does not make a difference where you live or the weather because there are always many options. These can be hazardous but it is much safer with the right practice, gear, and training.

Are conventional sports not that exiting to you? Do seek a more thrilling and exhilarating experience that will challenge and push you to the limit? If so, surfing may just be the thing for you! We have got the ultimate inside information on surfboard hire and the best surf magazine .

Many people dream of taking off with their children to travel the world. Their dreams are filled with days of visiting the Egyptian pyramids or the Taj Majal. They will travel on buses and planes and boats But traveling the world on bicycle? With kids?

I have now cycled about 21,000 miles with my twin sons (now 12) in the past few years, and can tell you that traveling by bike may just be the best way to travel – even with kids!

Most families opt for buses or planes to travel the world, but they miss a lot that way. The motor allows you to easily reach the next city, so you tend to skip the small villages. However, it’s the small villages that have retained the character of the country. In today’s world, cities have become increasingly generic, but villages have not. Travel on bike allows you to spend time in the villages, thereby getting to know the countries you pass through more intimately.

Motorized vehicles encase you in steel and glass and isolate you from Mother Nature. Traveling on bicycle without the protective layer of your vehicle around you, you’ll be more in touch with nature. You’ll feel the wind in your hair and rain on your cheeks. You’ll grind up hills using muscle power only, so will truly understand what those hills are. You’ll feel the effect of altitude on temperature as you climb into the mountains.

But more than that, by touring on bicycles, children learn important life lessons that will carry them through life. They learn to persevere through hardships – knowing they will come out victorious on the other side. They learn there are times when only through teamwork can you achieve your goal. They learn that sometimes, the only thing you can do is put one foot in front of the other, set your sights on making it through the next 60 seconds, and forge ahead.

It is true that kids can learn all these lessons in other ways, but traveling on the bike is more fun!

Nancy Sathre-Vogel has been bicycling with children for more years than she cares to think about. She is now touring on her bike from the Arctic to Patagoniawith her sons as they attempt to break the world youngest to cycle the Pan American Highway.

Spring break is anticipated by college students all winter. It indicates the end of winter and the opportunity to put the books down and not study for a while. Students look forward to a change of scenery and day dream about places like Cancun and some of the beaches in Florida or the Carolinas. An adventure spring break in Costa Rica provides all the benefits of the other travel destinations without the crowds that are part of these other places.

Spring break in a foreign country probably seems a bit lavish and out of your budget, but you will probably be pleasantly surprised to find that this trip can be extremely affordable. The value of Costa Rica makes it a true vacation secret.

While the value of an adventure spring break in Costa Rica is something to be excited about, it is even more exciting to think that you have been let in on the is great secret. There is not the advertising done for this area as it is in places like Cancun. Consequently not nearly as many people do not know about the value and adventure that is available here, nor is it as commercial. This all adds up to great values in hotels and other accommodations.

Of course an adventure Costa Rica spring break would not be what it is if there were not several night life locations. These locations are not nearly as busy as the clubs in other destinations. The club scene during spring break is actually a pleasant experience with just the right amount of people to have a chance to meet someone of the opposite sex, without having to contend with 100 other guys.

While it is a secret, it does not mean that you will be the only spring breakers here. Actually there is a good mix of students from colleges all over the country that have discovered this hidden gem. These students know that this place is not as expensive as some students have thought it might be. You can mingle with students from all over the United States without having to contend with a horde of people.

This hidden gem is located between Central America and Nicaragua. There is a mix of beaches and tropical rain forests. You will also be delighted by how pleasant the weather is. All the elements will be perfect for an adventure spring break in Costa Rica to be compromised of whatever you desire.

The rainforest provides the opportunity for some incredible hiking. An adventure spring break here may involve climbing up a volcano or coming across one of the many varieties of animals that call the rain forest home. If this is not your idea of spring break then you can elect to spend all your time on the beaches.

It is also possible to include a river adventure in a kayak during your adventure spring break in Costa Rica. Regardless of what you decide to do while on spring break, you will be sure to cherish this hidden gem. You will want to tell everyone how great it was, but if you do that it won’t be a secret anymore.

For those out there who are searching to enjoy a break during the spring, you could look at packages that include a Spring Break in Costa Rica. Adventure Spring Break is exactly what are in need of to get away from it all for a couple of days or a week.

In all Australia, the state of Queensland is the most visited tourist destination by far. Just to name a few attractions – the Great Barrier Reef, the Gold Coast, Steve Irwin’s Australia Zoo, Sea World, Movie World, Dream World and a whole host of other wildlife parks and zoos to choose from. Furthermore you have various landmarks and beauty spots such as Fraser Island, Cairns, Port Douglas, Whitsunday and Noosa.

Flights to the Gold Coast area will take you into Brisbane International Airport. From there its a 45 minute journey north. Connecting flights to get to Brisbane can be taken from Melbourne, Sydney, Singapore, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur – you name it.

In the north region of Queensland there are the rainforests of Daintree and Cape Tribulation. There is Airlie Beach in the Whitsunday region which is a great port of stay if you wish to visit the Great Barrier Reef. If you love lakes and natural rainforests, then Fraser Island is a great place to spend some time. At Hervey Bay you can take a boat trip out to do some whale watching. For shopping and fine dining experience then Noosa offers so much to those avid shoppers.

So, Queensland is obviously a fantastic place to come and visit as there is something here for everyone, really.

How about places to stay? Well that obviously depends on where you are going to but the northern region of Cairns offers up some of the best resorts to the traveler. Brisbane too – the Capital city of Queensland, with a population of over 1.5 million, is able to cater to every need from very basic up to the best 5 star hotels. Brisbane is right in the center between the Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast and is filled with museums, art galleries, markets, fine restaurants, shopping malls and all sorts of interesting places to visit.

Learn more about Airlie Beach hotels and Airlie Beach Australia.