Food Poisoning Scandal at Restaurant El Oporto, HerediaGuests were served poisonous fish and then overcharged.
Archive photo, not taken at Oporto. WC at el Oporto is filthier.
Not real #2 at the picture, but an illustrative substance made of beans. What you see on the picture above is what happens to your WC if you should eat at rest. Oporto. It has the looks and prices of a fancy restaurant, but cheap plastic chairs, bad service and food that is not only tasteless, but also, as it turns out, poisonous. The IWCRP delegation ordered grilled tuna, and half way into the small and extremely overcooked fish, we started experiencing the first symptoms of histamine poisoning.
Quoting the Nutrition Research Newsletter (May, 2001), symptoms of histamine poisoning include rash, facial flushing, vomiting, diarrhea, dyspnea, a tightness of the throat, headache, or a metallic or peppery taste in the mouth. Within the next 24 hours, we had been through the whole list, and it kept going for almost a week.
Histamines are produced when tuna is decomposing or if it's kept in room temperature for long periods of time. Of course, accidents happen, but the official IWCRP theory is that the chef was fully aware that this tuna was bad, for two reasons:
1. Tuna was the chef's special that night, which, according to our sources in the restaurant business, means that they have to sell it quickly before it starts to smell.
2. It was so ridiculously overcooked that no sane, self-respecting chef would serve it unless it was made in an intent to kill bacterias and taste. Sadly, though, histamines survive high temperatures.
Conclusion: Never ever eat at the Rest. Oporto, it's a horrible, horrible place in every way and you may end up dead.
Las Cañitas is a classic, one of the places where we learned to drink back in the 20th century. Although the bar is currently under a different administration, the atmosphere is much the same as always, its main ingredients consisting of heavy metal, a friendly clientele and bamboo walls. It's located about 700 m north of la municipalidad de Tres Rios, the sign says "Bar Villalobos".
"Let's paint the urinal fuchsia. Men love fuchsia."
The gentleman chucking down his beer on the left of the picture did not agree on the billed amount, as he claimed he could not possibly have had that 13th beer. Loud arguing was the result.
Classic decor
Bathroom detail
Ladies' room. Kudos to MJ for risking her life taking this picture.
According to the IWCRP counter statistics, a lot of people visit our blog after having googled phrases like "WC porn". Well, here it is: a naked lady in the bathroom. Pubes and all. Enjoy.
Erick's Copas, formerly known as la Araucana, is one of few decent options for the thirsty around the University of Costa Rica. Over the past couple of decades, large, noisy, crowded bars with a very young and silly clientele have taken over la calle de la amargura, where students traditionally went to seek inspiration.
Not much to say about El Rinconcito, it's one of those bars that simply appear in the right place at the right time for a little beer. Not a place we would actively look for again, nor one we would do anything to avoid.
Lovely decoration
Bar with mirrors, fruits and slutty looking, inefficient girls.
WC with a barrel of disinfectant on top
Classic chinchorro exterior
Classic chinchorro ladies' room, sealed off with a padlock. 
Classic chinchorrero. Friendly and not exceedingly sober.
From the outside, El Cruce appears to be a classic hole in the wall.
On the inside, El Cruce is not much more fun than visiting terminally ill elders in the hospital.
Archive photo, not taken at Oporto. WC at el Oporto is filthier.
The mountains of Santa Rosa National Park
Fish
Spectacular facilities. Notice the decorative seat cover.
Being an important tourist destination, most places in downtown Liberia have little personality, La Tranquera being a very welcome exception. In order to keep costs at a minimum and thus be able to sell the beer as cheaply as possible, they do not have any light in the WC. Fortunately, we have a camera with flash, and hereby present to you a rare picture of a urinal never before seen by man.
La basílica de los ángeles. La Puerta del Sol is located on the left side, across the street.
La Puerta del Sol. 2nd floor has rooms for rent.
The Urinal.
No hay paso my ass. I'd rather say there's no going back.
Classy decoration: a tie rack
Classic urinal
We have been visiting the 3.432 m high Irazú Volcano a lot lately, as IWCRP delegations from all over the world have come to learn more about the secret art of photographing WCs for the benefits of all humankind. In their spare time, they went to see the Irazú and its particularly nice toilets. 
