In the heart of La Sabana Park in San José, a group of die-hard fanatics take to the rink every Sunday for some street hockey; incredibly, their story spans over a quarter of a century. Curious onlookers gather round the rink in La Sabana. Some are amazed to see players crazy enough to use full hockey gear under the blazing morning sun, while others are honestly intrigued about this sport. Jok...

The Prado has been tried and true, but can it hold its identity as Toyota aims for the luxury SUV market? It’s hard to see a 4x4 grow up. As the avid car lover I am, I hate to see the way they get fatter and less capable off road. Their interiors get filled with more and more extras like an overly complex entertainment system, heated seats with Thai masseuse mode and chilled cup holders; their...

The rise of Chinese cars, a new flock of hybrids and several of the veterans stand out in this year’s Expomovil. I went down to the Pedregal Fairgrounds to check what’s what in 2012. For years, Expomovil has been luring buyers with great deals on new cars and in 2012, most of the 23 dealerships are fighting to sell, sell, sell and recover from the dire economical times we’ve seen lately. What ...

Considered as everyday tools, our cars have become cocoons of safety, comfort and practicality, but how much do they affect the environment? Here are some pointers to see how green our cars really are. Cars began as steam powered vehicles, cumbersome, impractical and slow, in 1796 according to records in several automotive clubs. It wasn’t until two inventors, Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz, t...

Brassy new design, a heap of gizmos and gadgets, but a lot to live up to for the newest Merc; I got invited to the premier of the Mercedes Benz ML here in Costa Rica and took my time analyzing what Mercedes brings to the plate. Click here to see a cool picture of the premier from last night. The first ever Mercedes Benz ML entered the market in 1997 after very smart marketing moves by the co...

Give me more, give me more; wait, not on the diesel? And so it begins; Nissan is the latest victim of the new trend where everything with an 'i' stands for intelligently designed and uber cool. But their Nissan X-Trail 'i' line is quite confusing and not so smart. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve always considered the Nissan X-Trail as a great car, I had one and loved the comfort, the ride and the ame...

A change of scenery is all some might need to get writing going so I embarked on a five hour drive from my house to find out more about this most peculiar workshop. With unpaved roads, surfboards, yoga mats and a relaxed warm air seeping into every corner, Nosara is not a place one would consider as a prime literary destination, but one man thinks differently. Clive Matson is on the fourth yea...

Here’s the lowdown on one of the simplest, and best, cars you can find in the Costa Rican market: the Daihatsu Terios Bego. Finding a car that can cope with the Costa Rican driving conditions is a pretty interesting challenge for those of us with fuel flowing through our brains. Should we go practical or ditch practicality (and money) for a great driving car? Potholes, traffic jams and fuel pr...

Putting aside social tensions, politics and conflict, I decided to venture inside the lives of the native Costa Rican Ngöbe tribe to see life from their perspective. The dusty road ahead seemed to never end, twisting and turning amidst the lush forests of Costa Rica’s southern region –for me, a new country altogether. The sun was up directly above us, shining with unforeseen intensity; the warm...