Fishing near the Santa Rosa National Park:Cuajiniquil, Guanacaste, Costa Rica

The mountains of Santa Rosa National Park

Fish

Spectacular facilities. Notice the decorative seat cover.

The IWCRP office shut down for the weekend and went fishing outside the huge Santa Rosa National Park in northern Guanacaste. Fishing was good, and upon arrival in Cuajiniquil after 12 hours on the sea we found spectacular WC facilites.

Volcán Irazú, Cartago, Costa Rica

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.

We would also like to remind you that the only decent coffee available in Uruguay is at the Café Irazú in Montevideo

Playa Tamarindo, Costa Rica

Young person pissing on the beach. Apparently, many hotels do essentially the same thing, dumping their sewage into the sea, therefore Tamarindo can no longer boast the prestigious Blue Flag.

The Automercado in Tamarindo

We were in the neighborhood, and decided to drop by Tamarindo. We had the idea that Tamarindo was a gringo-infested, boring and slightly dirty beach, and this was empirically confirmed upon arrival. Some times, if you're prejudiced, it's better to follow your instinct and stay away. Although it's not as hideous as Jacó, it's still very silly to stay in Tamarindo when there are so many nicer options nearby.

Volcán Barva

Enjoyable view at 2 p.m

Trails abound

The park's main attraction

The extinct Barva volcano is 2906 m high and a nice place if you like walking. From the park entrance to the first of three lakes it's a 45 min walk, approximately 3-4 km. It's probably a good idea to get there early (before 10), since thick fog tends to appear during the day and make the view somewhat less impressive.

The Barva is a better option than the more famous Irazú and Poas volcanoes for those who dislike crowds, since it's considerably less accessible. If you have your own car, you can drive to the park entrance (bad roads, 4WD recommended), but it's still quite exhausting to walk in the thin air. If you go by bus from Heredia to Sacramento, you have to walk from Sacramento, another couple of hours. The bus leaves from the market in Heredia.

Entrance fee ¢1.000 for nationals and residents, maybe 3-4.000 for tourists. The park closes at 4 pm.

El Bogotazo: Sightseeing in BogotáMontserrat

A man doing push-ups, for some silly reason

What would Jesus say if he saw this? Did he not kick farisean ass when they were making money by the temple? Or something like that? This is much worse, so I think Jesus would go bananas.

Montserrat is a mandatory stop for every tourist in Bogotá, so we went up there and were very satisfied with the view. Apart from looking down at the city, there's not really much to do, unless you're really interested in buying kitchy souvenirs. Fortunately, beer can be purchased as well (despite this being holy ground), but be aware that facilities are limited, and they charge 800 pesos.

El Bogotazo: Shopping in BogotáCentro Comercial Atlantis Plaza

Centro Comercial Atlantis Plaza
Calle 81 # 13-05

Mall WCs have saved many a bursting bladder. This one, at an upscale mall in Zona Rosa, appeared in the very last minute.

Animal Planet Bogotá: Man's Best Friend

I never quite understood why some people like dogs. The IWCRP will give $10.000 to anyone who can explain what is so charming about the creature on the picture.

Rest. Puerto Viejo

A public WC in Puerto Viejo. I love that they spelled it "rest. room", as if it were a place where they cook and serve food. Brown gravy on everything, then. La Princesa Marina in Moravia copied the idea.

Øyafestivalen 08.08.07, Oslo

At the end of the night, after too much beer. What makes Øyafestivalen a better festival than Roskilde is the toilet situation. At the Roskilde festival 60.000 stoned drunks piss everywhere; on the tents, on each other, on themselves; for a week, creating lakes and general horror. At Øya less than 10.000 share about a million of these lovely, portable WCs.

Caminito, La Boca

A public WC from tourist trap #1 in Buenos Aires, Caminito. Trillions of tourists come here every day in search of the true cultural essence, and find a cazillion tango shows and souvenir shops. Here you can find overprized leather stuff and see canadians dance with one of the many professional tango dancers who work at the restaurants. Caminito, in its quest for displaying the authentic culture, has become a monotone parody, and the worst part of it is that the beer is five times more expensive here than in the average hole in the wall elsewhere.