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Get the perfect present for that special boy or man in your family: a radio controlled helicopter.
RC helicopter radio control technology has really advanced within the last few years to the extent that now even a beginner can quickly learn to fly a micro remote controlled helicopter safely and easily.
Once an electric mini helicopter was out-of-reach for lots of people but these days these terrific rc toys are surprisingly cheap. You will find models for every budget beginning at about $30.
Although most people do not know it, there are many kinds and brands of these mini helicopters on the market today. Few big stores even carry a line of rc helicopters and those that do usually have a very limited selection. Do not bother looking for radio controlled helicopters at large stores like Walmart or Big K because they’re not going to have them in stock.
Before Walmart and the other big box retailers like Sears, there were lots of small businesses, including hobby stores, in nearly every town. Unfortunately, these little stores are now nearly nonexistent but the few remaining mom and pop shops can only afford to carry a very limited variety and selection and then only at a premium price.
Don’t be dissuaded by the lack of variety of remote control helis at your local shopping malls. Today’s RC helicopter is a great gift that can be enjoyed either outside or inside and is conveniently available online.
For a really terrific gift and hobby, give some thought to a radio controlled helicopter. You will discover that they are extremely affordable. And, you will be happy to find that these are not models that have to be put together. Indeed nearly all of them will arrive completely assembled. Many models are so little that they will fit in a child’s hand and weigh only a few ounces. They are very stable, safe to operate, even indoors, and are really easy to fly left and right, forwards and backwards.
The best way topurchase a RC helicopter is on the web from an internet retailer that sells only RC products. Not only will you have dozens–or more–models to choose from, many internet stores offer prices that no brick and mortar store can approach.
A Costa Rica tagging expedition recently got underway at Cocos Island involving its green sea turtle and hawksbill visitors.
Conservationists and marine researchers sailed Costa Rica open waters for about 30 hours in their search for migration habits about these ancient marine animals.
Think of what they do as a kind of working Costa Rica vacation that, hopefully, will contribute to preserving these marvelous animals now sadly endangered in much of their range.
The famous seaman, Jacque Yves Cousteau, once described Cocos Island as the most beautiful island he had ever encountered. The small island, less than 10 square miles in area, lies some 340 miles off the Pacific shoreline of Costa Rica, nearly halfway to the Galapagos Islands.
It was not the tropical sunsets and beaches that captured the imagination of Captain Cousteau. Its beauty is just off its shores, under water, in a place that Costa Ricans have chosen as one of the Seven Wonders of Costa Rica. It is there that one finds incomparable treasure: huge schools of fish, porpoises, whales and turtles.
Marine turtles have been swimming the oceans of the world since the age of dinosaurs. Imagine Tyrannosaurus Rex preying on them 200 million years ago when they came ashore to nest.
The mighty Tyrannosaurus fed on them more than 200 million years ago as they came ashore to lay their eggs on ancient beaches.
These ancient beings swim all the seas on the globe except the frozen Antarctic and Arctic.
Sadly , no more. Today, our indiscriminate beach development and destruction of their nests have put them at risk. Millions were slaughtered in South America to make expensive Italian shoes.
Jacque Yves Cousteau presciently remarked that: “If we go on the way we have, the fault is our greed and if we are not willing to change, we will disappear from the face of the globe, to be replaced by the insect.” A being visiting from another galaxy might conclude that such a result would be just.
But, conservation organizations have not abandoned hope and are working to turn around the decline turtle populations. Scientists are now tagging pelagic turtles like the green sea turtle in far-away places like Cocos Island. Some animals are fitted with flipper tags while others bear satellite transmitters to help monitor their travels and it has been discovered that some species roam across thousands and thousands of miles of oceans, from tropical waters to the cold and deep waters off Newfoundland, Canada.
We cannot undo the past but the scientists, researchers, and volunteers who are tagging sea turtles have faith that the future is not yet written.
The writer, Victor Krumm, lives in tropical Costa Rica. Follow his fun site Costa Rica Vacations and for info about great beaches check out Costa Rica Beaches
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Some of the most popular beaches in Costa Rica are close to the small yet bustling town of Jaco. Two hours away from San Jose, and easily reached by car or comfortable, cheap, ubiquitous buses, Jaco is located on Costa Rica’s central Pacific coast in the northern part of Puntarenas province. This is a party town.
About a two hour drive from San Jose, this bustling town sits on the Central Pacific Coast of Costa Rica. For many years, it has been one the most popular beaches in Costa Rica, in large part because of its nightlife. Its reputation as a fantastic “party beach” is now well known.
Only about half a dozen years ago, Jaco was still pretty laid back and quaint. Not so much anymore. With tourists came more bars, restaurants, and shopping centers. They were followed by developers: more hotels, more resorts, and now towering high rises. But, the beaches remain—and they are still spectacular.
The costs of vacationing in Jaco match any budget. Today, you’ll find accommodations catering to the most well-heeled all the way down to those economy budgets (think hostels with cold water—but cheap)! And, of course, there is no lack of choice for eating, partying, or sleeping. You’ll also find those ubiquitous tourist traps where you can shop for that special gift for your (jealous) friends and family who couldn’t make the trip.
Jaco Beach sits directly in front of Jaco and is very, very popular but , in my opinion, nearby beaches just a couple of miles or kilometers away, are much better. There are fewer people and the waters are some of the purest on earth. The best beaches are awarded Blue Flag ecological certifications for cleanliness. When you vacation in Jaco, I strongly recommend going to spectacular Hermosa Beach, a couple of miles south of Jaco. Though it is not good for safe swimming due to its currents, it is pristine and pure with some of the best surfing on the planet. How good is the surfing? Think world class. Indeed, this July professional surfers from more than 35 countries are descending upon Hermosa to participate in a week of world surfing championships. Watch them during the days or party with them at night in Jaco.
There are innumerable things to do during your vacation. Go horseback riding along a lovely beach or visit the nearby river with its huge, famous crocodiles. Zipline through the canopy or try sea kayaking or sailing. Visit Arenal Volcano and sit in the hot springs watching the eruptions. Take a real Swiss train to a real Swiss hotel in the mountains of Costa Rica! Learn to surf or take a Spanish class (some language schools offer surfing as well!). Zipline high in the forests or take a balloon ride over the jungles. There are dozens of different activities close-at-hand where youll have fun or find a romantic place.
And, if you exhaust all the other activities (probably pretty difficult), don’t forget that you can also experience great off shore fishing. The warm, tropical waters are alive with marlin, tuna, sailfish, porpoises, dozens of other varieties, and often whales. But, whatever your tastes, Jaco is definitely a wonderful place to take your vacation.
Christopher Columbus discovered and named Costa Rica 500 years ago, yet every day people discover new wonders while visiting this marvelous country. Though it makes up only about 1/10,000 of the land surface of the planet, there are more species of butterflies here than on the entire continent of Africa combined! One-fifth of every species of plant and animal on earth is here.
Costa Rica is a Central American country with great sandy beaches, volcanoes, and tropical mountains. With the Caribbean on one side, the Pacific on the other, and wonderful warm blue seas teeming with fish, it is an ideal vacationing spot. In fact, it is one of the most visited countries in Central America. The tourist influx has created a booming industry with many hotels, resorts, golf courses, restaurants, casinos, pubs, and locales catering to adult activities. As it is being discovered, more and more Americans, Canadians, and Europeans are retiring or living here with thousands owning second homes along the spectacular beaches or tropical mountains. Unlike Mexico, foreigners can own property in Costa Rica and tens of thousands live here year-round because of its democratic government, tropical climate, reasonable land prices, and spectacular laid-back natural environment. All this in turn has led to an increase in Costa Rica real estate prices, particular along the magnificent Pacific coast where most of the tourists go.
Costa Rica is a tiny country with its land mass constituting just one tenth of one percent, 0.1%, of the land on the planet. This relative scarcity of available real estate in the face of development growing out of tourism has led to a boom in the real estate business over the last decade along the coasts, in the mountains, and in urban areas.
The demand for real estate is concentrated mostly in areas where the tourist influx is large. This has been largely the north and central Pacific coast. The purchase of vacation property and real estate for relocation by expatriates are two main reasons why the property prices have gone up. In addition to the coasts, money is flowing into investments on farms (called fincas), mountain properties, and vacation rentals. Increasingly, Costa Rica is also being seen as a retirement destination by many retirees hailing from cold countries in Europe as well as America and Canada. The highly stable democratic political system and the beauty of this country attract real estate purchasers from around the world who want to have a piece of paradise to themselves. Costa Rica is one of only two countries in the world without an army, the other being Switzerland, and is extremely forward looking. The government is committed to sustainability and in a few years, Costa Rica will be the first country on the planet to have a zero carbon footprint. No wonder so many people fall in love with this place.
A number of years ago, the country realized the benefits of sustainable development and tourism. Unlike many other countries, Costa Rica has learned the lesson that unregulated exploitation of resources is ultimately detrimental. Wisely, in the face of sometimes intense pressure, it refuses to allow oil exploration off its coasts. Tropical forests, once cut or burned for little farms, are returning. As more and more of the international community is encouraged to visit, investors from around the globe have found that Costa Rica is a wonderful real estate market. And, indeed, over the last decade there has been a real boom in development along the Pacific coast.
Of course Costa Rica has felt the impact of the severe economic downturn in the States and Europe. Sales of condominiums and single family homes for expats or as second homes in subdivisions have slowed dramatically and in some areas along the Pacific coast cash-strapped Americans are selling their tropical homes at steep discounts.
Every contraction sets the stage for recovery. Costa Rica is expected to boom again due to the continuing tourist influx into the country, the high returns that real estate investment yields here, and the increasing scarcity of land in some places. Over the last decade, many investors have seen the value of their investments soar, though there is in fact a pull-back today in some areas because of the worldwide recession. Even many small investments have proved to be lucrative. Tempering the future boom a bit, though, may be that the fact that property in highly desired areas is becoming increasingly scarce. On the other hand, this may lead to increased investment in prime real estate inland.
The steepest rise in property prices and the steepest decline (due to the U.S. and European recession) have been along the Pacific coast. The beautiful Caribbean coast remains largely undeveloped so the run-up in prices was slower. And real estate prices in the Central Valley containing the largest city, San Jose, and some 40% of the country’s population have not been significantly affected because of the acute shortage of available land and continuing demand as more and more Ticos move to the urban areas.
