Costa Rica is a small Central American country bordering the countries of Nicaragua and Panama. It is often considered to be a tropical paradise. In 1502, Christopher Columbus landed along its Caribbean coast and was so mesmerized he named the place ‘Costa Rica’, the ‘Rich Coast’. The name stuck.

In a part of the world often known best for its instability, Costa Rica is a proud, stable democracy and, along with Switzerland, only one of two countries in the world without a military. With an ever-improving tourism infrastructure and two international airports, it is a great place for a spectacular vacation. There is nearly an endless list of things to do and see in a country famous for its incredible diversity of plants and animals.

Though folks from around the world enjoy Costa Rica tourism, 40% of its tourists come from the United States. That country’s economic problems have proven challenging to Costa Rica tourism, which has been struggling. But, of course, every challenge creates an opportunity and now may be exactly the time to travel Costa Rica. You will find cheap airfares and some terrific travel and accommodation bargains. The Costa Rica government is trying to stimulate tourism from the Costa Rica Institute of Tourism (ICT) website which contains discount coupons. Google ‘visitcostarica.com/crplus’ and look for yourself but remember: there are hundreds of hotels, spas, resorts, and other places that will also give you a discount—–but you need to ask!

For many, Costa Rica is particularly famous for its plants and animals. Though tiny, only about the size of West Virginia, Costa Rica boasts one of every five species of plant and animal on the planet. There are more kinds of butterflies than on the entire African continent. Little Costa Rica has almost as many different kinds of birds as in the continental United States and only about 100 fewer species than in all of Europe. The diversity is simply staggering. You are going to find fascinating tropical rainforests, spectacular cloudforests, beautiful beaches and rugged coastlines along two tropical oceans. It even has a teeny, teeny park, just half the size of New York City, which National Geographic calls ‘the most biologically intense place’ on earth. Hundreds of kinds of birds, six species of wild cats (including the mighty jaguar and puma), reptiles, amphibians, and (yes!) insects galore in a staggering array of primary rainforest only 20 miles long and 8 miles wide.

Ever seen a volcano? A real volcano that sometimes spectacularly erupts? Go to Arenal Volcano with its hot springs resorts and you can drink your mai tai, camera in hand, photographing Arenal. At nearby Lake Arenal, you will find great freshwater fishing at one of the world’s best and most famous windsurfing lakes. There is also a real Swiss train that goes to a real Swiss hotel in the mountains of Costa Rica! There is also Irazu, just outside San Jose. Here, on the day in 1963 that John F. Kennedy visited Costa Rica, a monstruous eruption greeted the President—I like to think of it as a salute. And, only here on a clear day can you drive to the top of its summit, look into its crater, then look west and see the Pacific Ocean, or look east and see the Atlantic ocean. Or, look at both of them at the same time! This ain’t Kansas, Toto!

Then there are the Seven Wonders of Costa Rica, selected by Costa Ricans themselves: mighty Arenal Volcano and spectacular Poas Volcano. Little visited Monteverde Cloudforest Reserve with its great plant and animal diversity—including the only butterfly in the world that makes a noise! Halfway to the Galapagos is magnificent Cocos Island, called the “most beautiful island in the world” by Jacques Cousteau, a famous pirate hiding place with huge fortunes buried but never found, and the best large animal diving on the planet. Mount Chirripo is the tallest mountain in Central America and as you climb from its tropical base to its summit, you may think you are in the Andes with its cold glacial lakes. Or, take a pleasant hike to Rio Celeste (Celestial River) where the river magically changes from crystal clear to sky-blue in front of your eyes. Finally, there is remote Tortuguero National Park, with mile after mile of seemingly deserted beaches—until the wondrous sea turtles invade by the tens of thousands to nest.

No visit to the country would be complete without spending some time at the stunning beaches. Indeed, many tourists spend most of their vacation at the beach. Among the most beautiful in the world, you will find many different types of beaches in Costa Rica: black sand beaches, white sand beaches, coral sand beaches, even boulder strewn rugged beaches. Most of the most popular resorts and fancy hotels are located on the Pacific coast but you will find that the Caribbean coast also has no shortage of beautiful places to go too. The Pacific coast is more-and-more Americanized while the Caribbean has a unique, distinctive, Caribbean aura—and is clearly Bob Marley country.

If you crave more than great mountains, tropical forests, 7 Wonders, miles of spectacular beaches, and volcanoes, here is a little more to do and attractions to see during the days: 1. Fish. Great marlin (I recently landed a 450 pounder before releasing it), 100-200 pound tarpon, sailfish, snook, and many more. 2. Bring your surfboard and surf world famous beaches or watch world-championship surfing contests. Or rent your board. 3. Kayak in extreme whitewater or raft in waters that will take your away your breath. Or take the kids for a leisurely raft on a tropical river. 4. Golf on great courses.5. Windsurf at wonderful Lake Arenal. 6. Bungee jump (for fools only) into deep canyons or at night. 7. Ecotour. 8. Zipline and Tarzan jump through tropical forests. 9. Become a bullfighter (but beware that only the bullfighters are allowed to be harmed—fortunately you can buy insurance). 10. Go horseback riding in the mountains and along the beaches. 11. Hang-glide. 12. Rappel waterfalls and canyons. 13. Take a train ride in a genuine Swiss train to a genuine Swiss mountain hotel and dine at a restaurant that rotates completely around to magnificent vistas. 14. Visit Corcovado National Park, the most biologically intense place on earth. 15. Scuba dive. Or snorkel. 16. Watch the whales in the world’s longest whale-watching season. 17. Tour coffee plantations and visit tropical gardens. 18. Hike, bike, rent motorcycles, ATVs. 18. Walk into the crater of an active volcano. 19. Visit a wildlife park filled with birds or another park with African animals. 20. Take a photography adventure tour. 21. Become a volunteer and take a volunteer vacation. And a lot more!

The capital is definitely worth a visit too. At night, San Jose and most of the beach communities provide lots of adult entertainment. Restaurants, theatres, cinemas, bars, nightclubs (many, very adult in tone and tenor), gambling, and beautiful women—what happens here, stays here. And for lesbians and gays, there are an increasing number of places to go and things to do as well.

All I could think about the night before the largest gathering of stand up paddle racers to date was: this is going to be unforgettable!

The beach is decorated like a rock concert will be hosted tomorrow thanks to event organizer Barrett Tester and Pat Huber. The waves are awesome and we are slated to have more of the same in the days to come. A young entry Slater Trout is full of fire and will surely give the big boys a run for their money.

Every one seems so focused checking each others gear out. Chuck Patterson is exceptionally focused because this is his home town, he either needs to go big or deal with the disappointment of facing them the next day. Meanwhile Ekolu Kalam shows up with his board inside of his Hummer.

Patterson is super-fit”has lost at least ten pounds. And hes gobbled up all the tech advantages he knows about, from applying a super slippery speed sheen called Extreme Cream on the bottom of his spankin new Hobie carbon fiber race board, to using the new Monster Paint traction spray on his deck and paddle shaft.

Their where a lot of lighter weight racers showing up and this began to worry Chuck a little. Board size is limited for this event so with all things being equal a lighter racer will have and advantage over a heavier one.

In order to even out the competitive edge the lighter guys had, Chuck needed some nasty wave conditions. Well, he go his wish and laughed all the way to the bank with his prize money! He earned every cent.

The night before the race Chuck simply took his dog for a walk and went home and relaxed dreaming of victory the next day. Every one else stayed up late practicing and getting mentally ready for the race. It looks like Chucks method worked because is dream came true.

Wetsuits are indeed very important protective gears in the world of water sports. Without the suits, water sports could not be enjoyed at any time of day and any season time of year. The risk of hypothermia is high especially when you are submerged in water, thus without wetsuits, you can never enjoy your favorite scuba diving adventures for long.

A wetsuit is specifically designed to protect the body when exposed to low temperatures especially when submerged in waters. Body heat tends to drain faster when in water thus the risk of hypothermia is also high. To prevent this, it is advisable to wear your wetsuit when you are doing your favorite water sports – may it be surfing, wakeboarding or even recreational swimming. Wetsuits are even more recommended when doing activities submerged in water like snorkeling and scuba diving.

A wetsuit is a tight-fitting garment that is worn to keep your body warm when you are in the waters. It comes in different styles and designs such as one that covers the torso or a full body suit that covers the body except the head or some other styles like the vest.

The rubber material that makes up a wetsuit is waterproofed, but the wetsuit is designed with openings on the neck the arms and the legs that allow water to get into the suit when you submerge in water. However, this is designed to allow only a small quantity of water. Large amounts of water coming into the suit can lead to fast depletion of body heat, thus it is important that other parts of the wetsuit do not allow entry or exit of water. This is why wetsuit seams should be carefully stitched or glued.

The very minimal water trapped in between the suit and your body will then prevent the loss of heat from your body. It is important that you choose a wetsuit that fits you well and snugly fits your body to make sure you have a wetsuit that will effectively work to protect you.

Aside from preserving body heat, the material that makes up a wetsuit if very buoyant thus it also contributes to your buoyancy in water. When you are buoyant, you may be able to float easier and swim faster.

It is easy to make money with paid opinion surveys but it is very hard to make enough money to pay the bills with paid opinion surveys. 99% of the people doing paid opinion surveys seriously make a few dollars a week or month, but very few make enough to live off of.

Whenever big companies need market research on new products, new services, or buying trends, they hire marketing companies to pay people to take surveys. These are the paid opinion surveys that you see online. The paid opinion surveys help these companies make decisions on what products to launch or what existing products to keep.

While paid opinion surveys are great for voicing your opinions or concerns, they do not make great income opportunities. Through paid opinion surveys, you can be a part of influencing the new products that will come to the market. Few people have said, though, that they make enough money with paid opinion surveys to pay any bills.

When you get started with paid opinion surveys, you will make very little money. Each survey may earn you just a few cents. Some of the paid opinion surveys are short and easy making it worth your time to do them but others are long and complicated making it not worth while as a way of making money.

With paid opinion surveys, you will be lucky if you make $30 a month regularly. Most people end up making only a few dollars a month before they give up and do something else that pay more. You might think that you can keep doing paid opinion surveys that pay decent money month after month and it will be ok. Not so, good and well paid surveys do not come your way every month.

If you want to make more money than paid opinion surveys, you should look for focus groups or interactive groups. These often pay more than paid opinion surveys. However, few people are accepted and you need to qualify for and be on a waiting list for a while before an opportunity is presented your way.

Different paid opinion surveys have different rules regarding how to take them, how to get paid, when you get paid and more. If you need some pocket change and you have time to spare at home instead of watching TV, then doing paid opinion surveys will give you some extra income. However, if you want to replace your full time job, paid opinion surveys will simply not pay you enough for that unless your income needs are far below that of the average American.

Alright then lets get down to business, only 2 articles to go. You now know the right surfboard for a beginner, how to paddle it, and get out through the surf, so in this article we are going to cover the fun part, catching the wave.

Catching the wave:

When you get out behind the breakers, sit on the surfboard so that you are straddling it just below the center of the board. Sitting in this spot makes it easier to turn the surfboard around, when you see a good wave coming.

Keep your eyes on the horizon so the swells don’t take you by surprise, but also keep on checking the shore to make sure you are not drifting down to far. Choose an easy to see land mark on the shore, and stay out the front of it.

When you catch your breath, and you see a nice small wave, that looks full enough to pick you up, but isn’t just going to stand straight up and dump you, turn your board around to face the shore, lay down with your weight cantered, and begin to paddle.

It may take a few times to get your position right, so remember this so you know which way to change it. If you are lying to far back on your surfboard, it will create to much drag, and you will not get enough speed, dropping off the backside of the wave.

Apposed too if you lie to far forward, where you will flip over and tumble down the face. Keep your weight forward to gain speed, but lift your chest up and lean back when the wave starts to take you. When you get some practice standing up, you can pop to your feet just as you start to drop. But for now lets wait until after you have dropped and you are positioned on the flat water in front of the wave.

You need to paddle as hard as you can straight towards the beach. When you get more experienced you can angle your board more, to head along the wave. But since you just want to catch the water in front of the wave, just head straight.

Once you have caught your first wave you are going to need to stand up or pop up to your feet, so we will cover this lesson in the next article, so stay tuned.

Wakeboarding is an extreme game that has gathered lots of enthusiasts since its birth in the latter part of the 1980s. It involves riding a wakeboard over wakes or “whitewash ripples”, as they are called, caused by the water surface trails of the wakeboard boat. The boat tows the rider along as he maneuvers and plays tricks on his board. In the sport, the more difficult the move the higher the score the rider gets.

If you want to try out the sport, you have to get your hands on quality wakeboards, like CWB wakeboards. CWB wakeboards are among the best wakeboards in the market today. These wakeboards are specially designed by professional wakeboarders who have a vast knowledge of the sport. They know that it’s very important to match the wakeboard with the rider. CWB wakeboard designers take into consideration the weight of the rider as well as his level: beginner, intermediate or advance.

If you’re wakeboarding for the first time, you might want to try the “Ride,” CWB’s flagship wakeboard. It is specifically designed to give the wakeboard rookie his first wakeboarding high on the surf. The board’s rocker is very flat with a wide surface and a sharp edge that cuts the wake. It also has a molded kicktail with a tip protector made of EVA. This ensures that the wakeboard boat is scratch-free from behind. The board also has four fins made of fiberglass.

The CWB Board Company is very responsible with their products. They encourage riders to use their boards and accessories properly. For instance, they should make sure that their boards are of the right size.

They also recommend that riders check their bindings, fins, and wakeboards for any wear, tear, cracks or loose screws before wakeboarding.

Having lived in San Diego for much of my life, I find it amazing that many visitors stick to just the Zoo and beaches. My friends, there is so much more to do. In fact, here are some attractions for families and single adults alike.

The World Famous San Diego Zoo can make the garish claim for a good reason. It is pretty amazing. Snuggled five minutes from downtown San Diego in the middle of Balboa Park, the zoo is a collection of beautiful space and animals.

When it comes to partying, San Diego has a vast collection of locations that cater to everyone. One of the best is Lahaina’s in Pacific Beach. Picture an outdoors deck facing the boardwalk and beach with plenty of beer and you have the right idea.

Just trolley it baby! San Diego has installed a trolley system that runs through parts of the county. Throw away your schedule of things to see. Just jump on the trolley, get off when you like and do some exploring. We’re friendly people.

Balboa Park is an excellent area for spending a day. You can just kick back and people watch or you can take in the various museums in the park. They range from historical to space museums. If all else fails, the zoo is also there.

Like the idea of a Safari? The Wild Animal Park in San Diego has animals in open spaces. You can view them by hopping on a train that scoots through the park. Wild animals not in cages, oh my!

Looking to do a bit of dancing. From the Tango to line dancing to whatever is hot, one needs look no farther than downtown San Diego. Head over to E street and prepare to burn off dinner with some seriously fun gyrating.

Ever wondered what a yard of beer tastes like? Well, now you can find out. Head over to O’Hungry in Old Town. They serve beer by the yard. It comes in a long glass with a bulb on the end. At least, I faintly remember that being the case. Don’t Drive!

This represents only a tiny list of the many things you can do in San Diego. I’ve lived here for 30 plus years and still find new things to do. People are friendly. The place is beautiful and fun is available at just about every turn. See you soon, dude!

I’m fortunate enough to have lived in San Diego much of my life. I’ve traveled over seas many times, but always come back. Why? Because there is so much to do. If you are going to be visiting, here are some ideas to keep you busy and happy.

Viva la Mexico! San Diego sits on the border with Tijuana just to the south. TJ, as it is known, is a lot of fun. Unfortunately, there has been a lot of drug crime lately, so make sure to check with locals on that status before heading down.

Looking for something very different? How about the strangest amusement park you’ve probably ever seen. Yep, I am talking about Legoland in Carlsbad. As the name suggests, the park is primarily made out of Legos. A kid’s delight.

Just trolley it baby! San Diego has installed a trolley system that runs through parts of the county. Throw away your schedule of things to see. Just jump on the trolley, get off when you like and do some exploring. We’re friendly people.

Balboa Park is an excellent area for spending a day. You can just kick back and people watch or you can take in the various museums in the park. They range from historical to space museums. If all else fails, the zoo is also there.

Given its location, you probably will not find it surprising San Diego is known for its Mexican food. Everyone has their favorite place, but some of the best are in Eden Gardens within Solana Beach. Authentic and inexpensive. Give it a try.

Looking to do a bit of dancing. From the Tango to line dancing to whatever is hot, one needs look no farther than downtown San Diego. Head over to E street and prepare to burn off dinner with some seriously fun gyrating.

Looking for something really different? How about bull fighting? They don’t allow it in San Diego, but you can hop across the border and catch it in Tijuana. The bull ring is located on the coast to the west of the city.

This represents only a tiny list of the many things you can do in San Diego. I’ve lived here for 30 plus years and still find new things to do. People are friendly. The place is beautiful and fun is available at just about every turn. See you soon, dude!