Getting Around

How many Costa Rican border cops does it take to inspect two urns containing human ashes? Seven, it turns out.

On day 3 of a drive from Arkansas to Costa Rica, here are some thoughts on just how dangerous (or safe) this is.

Small planes, big windows, short flights, epic scenery – these are the qualities that make Nature Air so fun to fly. During a recent flight from Bocas Del Toro to San José, we caught a view of this cumulonimbus cloud rising above the Talamanca mountains. The longest Nature Air flight is less than 90 minutes, but the views are always spectacular.

I saw these panhandlers all the time — men and women, all ages and shapes, who stood before the busload of people and recited their grievances in rehearsed monologues. Then they made their way down the aisle, taking coins in their hands. Sometimes they sold things, like breath mints or religious tchotchkes. Other times they asked only for alms.