Jon finished his commercial pilot's testing (and passed) finally, after a few unhumerous delays.

Costa Rica abolished it's standing army a while back (1949). So far, everything I have read about the country is pretty interesting. I take that back; it's actually a little boring culturally and politically. Cue Harry Lime's Switzerland speech from The Third Man. As a libertarian I think that's great. I haven't found any info yet on taxation. The vast majority of government spending is on health and education so I'm assuming both are socialized.

-Hey, prostitution is legal! Not that I'm going to hire a ho. Just glad to see some places are realistic about it. It doesn't look like any kind of drug use beyond the typical tabacco and alcohol are permitted.

It must suck being sandwiched between 2 Banana republics, but then again Panama and Nicaragua have enough problems to where they aren't a problem for Costa Rica. I read a little of one of their on-line english newspapers; like any capitalist country they have illegal immigration problems. Their major industry is tourism. They have 2 coasts (the Pacific ocean on 1 side and the Carribean sea on the other). A huge amount of Costa Rica is protected. Much of their tourism is eco-tourism. That's fine with me. I don't go to different places to see the same old shopping/hotel/tourist traps.

Because of a few recent hurricanes and an earthquake their road system sucks. They have active volcanoes, too; one which we hope to see (Arenal). No, I'm not worried. The chances are slim that I'll get stuck in a natural disaster, and if I do and I survive, I bet I'll get some good stories out of it.

We will be staying at a resort near Tamarindo, which is on the Pacific side. Here's a link. It looks kind of brand new. It would normally be a little too touristy for my tastes, but we're staying there for free. I also notice we're travelling on September 11th. Hah. Maybe it won't be crowded.