Ecotourism has been instrumental in ensuring the health of Costa Rica’s delicate ecosystem.In the past rainforest was considered “wasteland”, now Costa Rica is a global leader in natural conservation. This was done by making the well being of the natural environment in Costa Rica a profitable business, this enabled Costa Ricans to protect over a 1/4 of the land mass. While traveling to collect footage for one of our projects in Costa Rica we (Blind Monk and Anywhere Costa Rica) …
Is Coffee the Chief Export of Costa Rica?
Maybe not, but it’s one of the exports for which Costa Rica is known.Coffee clearly has cultural and economic significance in Costa Rica. Before looking at the chart below, our friend and guide, Marco Vargus, takes us through a video tour of a coffee plantation in Corel Santilana where he shows how coffee beans are harvested and processed. The highly specific tools and timely handling of the coffee beans are illustrated and show us how much care and thought goes …
Blind Monk | Travel Reel
Highlights from three years of video in Central America’s “Rich Coast”Spending weeks at a time with a couple of cameras and sound equipment yields gobs of footage and sound. I did a lot of prep work to capture as much pointed footage as possible. Costa Rica is not always accommodating for shooting video: Electronics and rain = no bueno Going from dry & air conditioned rooms into hot & balmy conditions make lenses fog up = no bueno Many destinations …
Artisans | Glass & Heat
Making glass sculptures as you waitTraveling around Costa Rica one can find vendors such as our talented friend (who asked that his name not be shared) who has 20 years experience creating glass figures. This glass sculpture artist learned the art from his father and has since spent 20 years perfecting his skills. His creations are largely influenced by the local wildlife as they are things he, “sees and appreciates everday.” This artist spends time to make every detail as …
Adventure in Costa Rica
Get your thrills in one of the most diverse countriesThis is a snapshot that tries to capture all the adventure that Costa Rica has to offer. We get a taste about the size of a chocolate chip in 1 minute and 46 seconds. There are so many activities and destinations that selecting what to focus on is no easy feat. This piece too about two weeks of editing and combing through terabytes of footage (all well organized, of course) to …
Artisans | Clay and Time
Meet Arbin, a Pottery Maker and Surfer who Loves what he doesArbin owns a pottery shop in Tamarindo Costa Rica, where he spends his days working on various pieces of pottery and surfing. Arbin’s parents started him in pottery when he was 10, he grew up in the pottery town of Guitil where the culture of the Chorotoga indians is all about making gorgeous pottery. After 25 years experience making his own pieces and getting better at the craft with …
Discover the Cloud Forest
It’s a whole other type of forest, it is remarkable.Here we learn about the flora and fauna of the cloud forest from the incredibly knowledgeable guide, Francisco. The amount of diversity that thrives in every nook and cranny is astounding. You’ll see trees with smaller trees (of different origin) growing out them and then plants growing out of those… Live living on life living on life. A pretty surreal experience!