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Tropical Costa Rica is one of the most beautiful countries on the globe, world-famous for its pristine waters, tropical mountains, and volcanoes. Many Costa Rica vacationers visit its sandy beaches ranging from white to black, coral beaches, and rugged boulder strewn beaches with magnificent surf along two oceans. Because of its proximity to America and stability, it is one of the favorite tropical vacations for beach lovers and eco-tourists.

Few vacationers realize its rich history or how it got its name. About a decade after discovering what is now the United States, Christopher Columbus returned and sailed south. His wooden craft took him below Limon where he named his discovery Costa Rica! The name is Spanish for rich coast and has stuck for more than five centuries.

Despite so many years passing there is still a lot for travelers to discover on the Atlantic side of this little country. This coast is much more undeveloped and has a very different ambiance from the Pacific. Think reggae.

For many eco tourists, no Costa Rica vacation is complete without visiting one of the country’s Seven Wonders, Tortuguero National Park. Tortuguero is the largest nesting area for the green sea turtle in the western hemisphere. When Columbus landed, these ancient creatures, dating back millions of years before the first dinosaur, filled the waters and surely fed his crew. For centuries, beaches here were some of the world’s largest hunting grounds for these gentle animals. That changed in 1961 when it was transformed into the world’s premier reserve and leading center for turtle monitoring and research. In addition to green sea turtles, three of the other six surviving endangered marine turtle species come ashore to nest. You will find a growing number of tours and lodges which service an increasing number of fishermen and families. Wildlife is very abundant and the rivers and ocean provide great fishing.

Limon is typically the jumping off point to head north by boat or small aircraft to Tortuguero or along the Costa Rica Caribbean highway to great beaches south, including the beach where Columbus first landed. Limon is not a favorite vacation destination and is best thought of as the place to go north or south. Heading south will take travelers to Puerto Viejo. This little place is legendary for surfers and a favorite Costa Rica surfing destination. Between November through April, it is often filled with surfers. The top surfers head for the world-famous three-mile long La Salsa Brava wave. A short distance away beginners and intermediates can have lots of fun surfing at Playa Cocles.

Continuing south are endless Costa Rica beaches. Deserted surfing. Excellent swimming beaches. Snorkeling, scuba diving, horseback rides, fishing, hiking, walking the same sands passed by Columbus.

If you continue heading south, the Gandoco-Manzanillo Wildlife Reserve awaits nearly at the Panama border. This is where Columbus came ashore and named Costa Rica. Here he found, and you will, too, crystal clear pristine waters perfect for swimming. But, unlike that explorer you will be able to rent equipment and go scuba diving (even get PADI certified) at the country’s largest coral reef. The rare and recently discovered freshwater Tucuxi Porpoise is found only here. Visitors can see sea turtles nesting and fishermen often find tarpon and snook. Lots of them. In the sea just offshore, in the many lagoons and rivers. Very little fishing pressure. But when they are here, lots of fish!

Victor Krumm lives in beautiful Costa Rica and and has an informative and very popular website Costa Rica Vacations. Look here to learn more about Costa Rica Beaches

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San Diego is big with a small town feel. It is bustling with night life yet has fun family activities all day long. By booking San Diego hotel rooms and choosing to stay there for the holidays you will find an array of activities for any age. It is close driving for all the southwest states and you can get great deals in airfare to this beautiful city.

You have many choices in your stay at San Diego and that is what makes it so great. There is something for everyone and you won’t be disappointed. If you stay in one location you can easily travel to another within the day. There are good choices in transportation from buses to the trolley that you can buy a ticket and hop on and off whenever you want to.

You want to lay on the beach right side of your hotel choose one of the many locations in San Diego. Experience Coronado and how it lights up during the holiday season and watch Santa surf during the day. There is also Shelter Island for a quiet retreat and happening night life. Or experience La Jolla just up the coast for a great season of luxury relaxation at a spa.

If city life is your vibe then you won’t be disappointed. Choose a hotel in the heart of San Diego. You can even get an ocean view in some of them and a city view in others. There you will find you are close to all sorts of shopping and theater experiences. You will be able to dine at your leisure in rows of restaurants that are walking distance from your hotel. You can even take a carriage ride or jump on a two person bike taxi.

Other attractions are close by anywhere you stay in San Diego. There is the world famous zoo and many museums in Balboa Park. They have Holidays on the Prado which has countries around the world showing how they celebrate Christmas. It’s a fun experience to go down to the gas lamp district. There is always something musically going on for any musical taste.

You can also catch a ride on the metro link up to Carlsbad for the days for the kids and go to Legoland. It is the only one in the country and if fun for the whole family. They also have a beautiful aquarium there to see. You can hop back on the train and enjoy the ocean view as you travel back down to your San Diego destination.

If you want to learn about San Diego history you can visit Old Town. There you can see the original village that was founded in San Diego and see the first Wells Fargo Building and many other interesting pieces of the history there. You can sample Mexican cuisine at many restaurants, watch taffy being made and even visit a haunted house.

Booking San Diego hotel rooms this holiday season can be a fun escape with your family or friends and a fun place to spend the holiday season. You will have a lot of fun stuff to do and never run out of great places to dine. Surf or shop the choice is yours.

Josh Krundle is an expert author, If you and your family are planning a trip and you need to find San Diego hotel rooms, you need to know the best place to find San Diego hotel rates that are cheaper than all of the other sites. Get the best rates on the beautiful San Diego hotel rooms that are now.

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You will find an almost unending array of ways to spend your time the moment you board your Hawaiian Cruise. From the Exotic food and lavish restaurants the exciting on-board activities and extraordinary shows you will find ways to entertain yourself. While stopped at the various ports you will find gorgeous scenery shopping and exciting activities. The climate is pleasant all year round so even just hanging out is a pleasant experience.

As our 50th State Hawaii has its own unique culture. The island of Hawaii was first settled around-00 years ago. Even so the people are renowned for hospitality and truly reflect the spirit of “aloha”. This culture is renowned in its hospitality.

There are many different islands that make up the state of Hawaii and each is known for different sites. You can find the Kilauea crater on the island of Hawaii. Legend has it that the fire goddess Pele makes her home in the crater. Nature lovers will find Honolulu is a very special place. For amazing natural beauty and water facilities visit Maui.

Remember that you Hawaiian cruise is more than just warm weather and long stretches of beautiful sandy coastline. Plan on packing more than just suntan oil and sun glasses. You will certainly be enjoying the fine warm weather and stunning beaches however there are other events and ways to spend your time as well.

By all means bring your sun tan oil and your straw hat. However you should also pack a wind breaker and perhaps a pair or two of pants as well. Believe it or not Hawaii has cooler days as well. It is always good to plan for the unforeseeable. By all means bring a good book and some sun screen as well. You should also think about bringing a camera and some music to listen to as well.

Keep in mind that medical attention is limited when you’re on a boat. Even more so if you will be spending long times at see while on your cruise. Make sure that you not only have enough of your standard medications but that you also have an extra supply for unexpected situations. It’s a good idea to call your doctor and find out if certain sea-sickness drugs will have any type of reactions with your current medications.

Although there is oodles of fun things to do on your Hawaiian vacation it is important to pace yourself and not to exceed your limits. Use common sense and only bring those medications you need to have. You will want to make sure that you are able to appreciate everything your vacation has to offer. Bring your basics and have a great time.

Keep in mind that there is a wide range of activities both on board your ship as well as in port so remember to research what each Hawaiian cruise package has to offer you and your family. So you enjoy your Hawaiian cruise make sure to do a little research on what activities and sites you wish to take in. Given the wide array of packages available you should have no trouble finding one that fits the needs of your family. Even the seasoned cruiser will still be surprised by what there is to offer. The moment you book your Hawaiian cruise vacation you will be guaranteed to enjoy fun people exquisite food and unforgettable attractions.

Where can you find an Informative Hawaiian Cruise Review online? You will find the best Hawaiian Vacation Review at Hawaiian Cruise Site.

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Most of the world seems to be in a funk these days. Autumn leaves have fallen, the days are getting shorter. The Boys of Summer are freezing their bats off and nearly ready to put them away until Spring. A Costa Rica vacation may be just what the doctor ordered. Here are some great reasons to take that Costa Rica vacation now.

1. Airfares have not been this low in years. The world economic downturn has come to Costa Rica. Tourism in Costa Rica is down by at least 15% this year, presenting terrific travel deals to a frugal, informed traveler . Want affordable luxury? Budget-conscious folks who travel Costa Rica can rent very nice Costa Rica hostels (some with private rooms) for about $12.00. If you are a bit more flush with cash, but still looking for a deal, the Hilton Papagayo Resort is offering rates as low as $160.00 a night. Seniors can get an extra discount. Travel Tip: always ask the hotel, resort, or hostel if there is a discount for cash. And, keep in mind that the very best rates are between May to mid-November and the highest prices are over the holidays.

2. With nearly 800 miles of coastline on two oceans visit some of the exquisite Costa Rica beaches. Fish off of Drake Bay, named after Sir Francis Drake, who visited the southern Costa Rica Pacific coast a decade before sinking the Spanish Armada and saving England in 1588. You can even explore the same Caribbean beach where Columbus landed six centuries ago. Sandy beaches, coral and shell beaches, and boulder strewn beaches are everywhere.

3. Frolic on the same Costa Rica beaches enjoyed by Britney Spears or Mel Gibson (you need to bring your own Russian model). Do not forget to bring your surfboard because some of the best surfing on the planet is found here. Most beaches are completely free but if you prefer to visit a very popular national beach park called Manuel Antonio, there will be a small entry fee.

4. Become an ecotourist. Costa Rica ecotourism has become a booming industry and is helping to preserve endangered sea turtles, exotic macaws, and many other species while bringing in much needed revenue to local communities. Be sure to check out Ostional National Preserve on the popular Pacific Gold Coast, where thousands of olive ridley sea turtles come ashore in massive nestings, called “arribadas”, perhaps the largest spectacle of its kind in the world. Arribadas happen every month but the biggest (sometimes involving hundreds of thousands of turtles) typically are when the moon is in its last quarter during the months of July to November.

5. Called the “Switzerland of Latin America,” this mountainous little country has nearly as many species of birds as in the entire continental U.S. and more species of butterflies than are found in all of Africa. Incredibly one of every five animal and plant species in the world are found in this country. It even has the only butterfly that makes a sound and a vegetarian spider.

6. If you are adventurous and fit, visit magnificent Corcovado National Park on the southern Pacific Coast, a place National Geographic describes as “the most biologically intense place on earth.” Though small, it is true wilderness that hosts the largest remaining population of scarlet macaws in all of Central America, including sloths, tapirs, monkeys, and six kinds of wild cat, including the spectacular jaguar, not to mention some of the tallest primary forest remaining in this part of the world. Bring your camera, bug repellant, and band-aids for blisters.

About the author: Vic Krumm lives in sunny Costa Rica. Visit his popular website about Costa Rica Vacationsand if you like big adventure on the high seas look at Costa Rica Humpback Whales Visit the Uber Article Directory to get a totally unique version of this article for reprint.

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A very long time ago, the first olive ridley sea turtles began swimming in the oceans of the world. Today, these ancient reptiles are in danger, a fact that is really difficult to believe because, after all, they have been with us—before there was an us— more than 100,000,000 years.

To put this into a bit of perspective, consider the terrifying Tyrannosaurus Rex. It roamed the North America continent sixty-five million years ago and, as surely as day follows night, it ate olive ridleys when they came onto beaches to nest.

Over unimaginable eons, these beings have flourished, despite being eaten by just about everything under the sun for tens of millions of generations. Probably thirty million generations were preyed upon by dinosaurs and other reptiles and fish before the first T Rex evolved and, since then, another 70,000,000 generations have fed a lot of critters. Still, they flourished.

They even survived the greatest extinction on the face of the planet. Indeed though all of the mighty dinosaurs perished—they lived and flourished.

Over millennia, spreading across the face of the planet, these ancient mariners populated every temperate and tropical ocean. From the Arabian Sea to the Atlantic coast of the American continents and from India to the Pacific coast of the New World, they thrived all around the world. Tens upon tens of millions.

In 1951, the same year that Americans began to watch “I Love Lucy,” the oceans were filled with olive ridley turtles. Mexico’s Pacific coast alone had ten million olive ridley nests when the first episode of that television show aired and every nest had about 100 eggs per clutch. That is about a billion eggs. A billion eggs laid along just one coast of Mexico in just one year. And, remember, these marine turtles were found virtually everywhere in warm or temperate waters. The numbers were limitless.

Of course, where there is a limitless resource, there is profit to be had. With so many eggs that were so easily gathered and so much easy money to be made, unconstrained capitalists put together huge pack trains of horses and mules and brought them to the beaches. These animals carried off hundreds of millions of eggs each nesting season, year-after-year. And, to the consternation of some, it came as a shock that within about 20 years or so, there was only one nest in one year on a beach where there had been several hundred thousand when Desi, Lucy, Ethel, and Fred made us laugh the first time. Alas, this catastrophe was being replicated all around the world.

At the same time, many countries opened olive ridley fisheries.

Within just one generation of one species, us, nearly all of the olive ridley sea turtles that had inhabited this planet for a hundred million generations were nearly wiped off the face of the earth. What had seemed impossible proved insanely easy: limitless became endangered in the blink of an eye.

Fortunately, some countries finally realized the extent of depredation and began taking steps to conserve and protect these turtles. Tiny Costa Rica has helped lead the way, creating reserves and working with dedicated conservationists and local residents to not only conserve what is left but to rebuild stocks.

Today, Ostional Beach, on Costa Rica’s Pacific coast, almost certainly has world’s largest arribadas of olive ridleys. Every month, often when the moon is in its last quarter, female turtles gather close to shore for several days and suddenly come to the beach in large groups, over the course of several days and nights. The greatest arribadas are often in October, November, and December and the biggest arribada in recent years was 500,000 females coming ashore in 1995. If you want to experience extraordinary Costa Rica ecotourism, this is a must-see.

Costa Rica finally recognized that these ancient creatures are worth more than the sum total of their meat and eggs. But what about Mexico? Remember that pathetic single nest on the beach that had once been overflowing with olive ridley sea turtles? Well, the government finally decided to protect it. By 1988, it had recovered to 50,000 nests. Twelve years later there were 1,000,000 nests.

With a little help from Nature and mankind, the olive ridley will have another 100,000,000 years.

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A very long time ago, the first olive ridley sea turtles arrived in the oceans of the world. Today, they are endangered, a fact that is really difficult to believe because, after all, they have been on this planet more than one hundred million years.

Want some perspective about just how long 100,000,000 years are? Consider Tyrannosaurus Rex, the most terrifying dinosaur the planet has ever seen. This “Terrible Lizard” terrorized the North America continent seventy million years ago, and it feasted on these ancient turtles when they came onto beaches to lay their eggs.

These ancient beings have flourished for unimaginable eons, despite being eaten by just about everything under the sun for millions of generations. Incredibly, probably 30,000,000 or more generations of marine turtles were preyed upon by dinosaurs and other reptiles and fish before the first Tyrannosaurus Rex came into existence and, since then, another seventy million generations have suffered the same fate. Still, they flourished.

Marine turtles even survived the greatest extinction on the face of the planet, a calamity that killed all of the mighty dinosaurs—and yet the turtles flourished.

They spread, over millennia, across the face of the globe, until these oldest of all reptiles populated all of the tropical and temperate seas. They were common from the Arabian Sea to the east Atlantic coast of the Americas and from the Pacific coast of the New World to India. Tens upon tens of millions, and maybe even more, of olive ridleys.

When I was a child everybody loved watching “I Love Lucy.” When the first episode of that popular comedy aired, the seas were still filled with olive ridley turtles. On Mexico’s Pacific coast alone, there were 10,000,000 olive ridley nests that year—1951— and each nest contained about 100 eggs per clutch. That is a billion eggs on a single coast in just one small country. A billion eggs every year. And, of course, these sea turtles were found virtually everywhere there were warm or temperate waters. The bounty was limitless.

So many eggs, so easily gathered, so much money to be made. During the incredible arribadas, or nestings, of olive ridleys, huge pack trains of horses and mules carried out hundreds of millions of eggs each nesting season. And, so it was that within twenty years, there was but a single nest in one year on a beach where there had been several hundred thousand nests when we laughed at Lucy the first time. Alas, this was being repeated around the world.

At the same time, many countries opened commercial marine turtle fisheries.

Within a single generation of one species, us, nearly all of the olive ridley sea turtles that had been around for 100,000,000 generations were nearly wiped out. What had seemed impossible proved insanely easy: limitless became endangered in the blink of an eye.

However, as more and more countries finally realized the extent of depredation, some have begun taking steps to conserve and protect these turtles. Tiny Costa Rica has created important wildlife reserves and worked with dedicated conservation groups and the local people of Costa Rica to rebuild stocks.

Today, Ostional Beach, on Costa Rica’s Pacific coast, almost certainly has world’s largest arribadas of olive ridleys. Every month, often when the moon is in its last quarter, female turtles gather just offshore and suddenly come to the beach in large groups, over the course of several days and nights. The greatest arribadas are often in October, November, and December and the biggest arribada in recent years was 500,000 females coming ashore in 1995. If you want to experience extraordinary Costa Rica ecotourism, this is a must-see.

Costa Rica has come to recognize that these extraordinary creatures are worth more than the value of their meat and eggs. And Mexico? Remember that pathetic single nest on a beach once filled with turtles? Well, the government finally decided to protect it. Slowly, it recovered to 50,000 nests in 1988—and then up to several hundred thousand nests in 2000.

With a little help from God and mankind, the olive ridley will have another 100,000,000 years.