My trip to Costa Rica was with out a doubt exactly what I needed and lived up to the hype that everyone had told me it would. I spent 3 nights at Rancho Margot just across from the Arenal Volcano, 2 nights in Montezuma and 2 nights in Jaco. Everything ended up working out like clockwork as we made all of the public buses to the Ranch by only a few minutes.
Rancho Margot was hands down the most amazing, spiritually awakening, earthly, place I have ever visited. Everything is built with the ideal and vision of sustainability. Gardens, compost, hydroelectric turbines, fresh food, chickens, pigs, cattle, fresh milk, beautiful flora and vistas, horses and stables, animal rehabilitation, and a look out post to Arenal Volcano, this place has everything and I’m sure I’m leaving plenty out. Took a trip to the local hot springs one night. Water warmed like a natural jacuzzi by underground lava flows. The following night we went up to the look out really early in the morning by horseback. The stars out there were uncountable.
Montezuma was a small town on the end of the peninsula hiding 3 or 4 giant water falls. We were lucky enough to catch a ride with a family headed in that direction. Our first day in Montezuma was a day of trekking and getting lost in the woods finding the falls. The largest one having plenty of room to take a swim and relax behind its falls. Hopefully I will grab some photos of it from people we met in Montezuma.
We took a water taxi from Montezuma to Jaco, the trip only took about an hour and saved a day a traveling by land. Jaco is one of the most developed cities in Costa Rica and its obvious that there are many social problems in the city. We were able to find room at a Hostel which was very comfortable and fun place to stay. I was able to rent a board and try to surf the waves of costa rica. My first attempt the waves were a bit to large for a novice such as myself. Day 2 led to more success on some beginner sized waves.
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I am about to embark on a week long trip to Costa Rica. A majority of my stay will be to the Monteverde & Arenal Volcano Area. I will be staying at Rancho Margot with my good friend Romano. Looking forward to the trip and seeing the vast views and diverse collective of animals. I will be sure to post plenty of photos on my return.
http://ranchomargot.org/
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After taking a few days to think about the show last Saturday I have made some simple conclusions.
Firstly, adding video to any performance makes it much more of an experience. Last summer when we saw Nine Inch Nails in Chicago, three giant video screens were also performing. These screens were fully interactive and did things I didn’t know a simple screen could do. Not to mention our proximity to the stage and clear audio. I enjoy the Ford Amphitheater but the lawn seats are too far back to really feel like you are part of the show. Also the audio has to travel much farther hitting everyone else’s ears and anything else in the way before it gets to your own. For some reason every performance I have seen at the Amphitheater has neglected to turn on the big screens to give fans a closer look on stage.
Second, Dave Navarro is a guitar god. The first half of the Janes Addiction set seemed like a giant guitar solo. It amazes me that any one person can turn the guitar into a tool made to melt your eardrums. Janes Addiction definitely had a hard hitting and rocking performance. Sadly, Perry has already torn his calf muscle on the third night of the tour.
Lastly, I have come to the conclusion that any show with friends is better than no show. There were plenty of people out at the show looking for a good time. Some of which who were having too much of a good time, conveniently located next to us. So maybe my expectations were set too high, but overall enjoyed my time.
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April 23, 2009 • 10:45 pm
Lupe came out to the blaring sounds of Justice’s track “Genesis” and it was all in your face from there. This was my second time seeing Lupe and surprisingly he had just as much energy if not more this time around. He played this time only with a DJ and a drummer instead of the full band. I’m sure that touring with so many heads could get pricey. The lack of the full band gave his set more of a hard edge and some how seemed more like a rock concert, full with flashing strobes and leds. Overall, the crowd reaction was always positive and very receptive when he dropped his big singles near the end of the show. However, the acoustics of Gainesville’s “Odome” continue to be dirt poor.
Filed under: Hip-Hop , Fiasco, Gainesville, Lupe, Music
April 16, 2009 • 12:20 pm
April 14, 2009 • 10:40 am
Interning from the couch… almost done and back to Orlando
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