In warm-weather locales all over the Americas, the same scene is unfolding: US retirees, marching in lock-step in their all-white orthopedic shoes, are ditching traditional retirement communities and spending their golden years in destinations both less expensive and more exotic. And who can blame them? Prime real estate in these beautiful warm-weather countries-- places like Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Ecuador-- costs a fraction of what similar land goes for in Florida and Arizona. And we all know the elderly have never been ones to pass up a good bargain.

As legions of retirees decide to retire in countries south of the border, they bring with them an economic boom for places that sorely need it. In recent years, Costa Rica has seen property values skyrocket, greater foreign investment, and a surging economy-- much of it due to the migration of the gray-haired masses.

So we know about the benefits. But what about the drawbacks? Indeed, not everything is hunky-dory in these new retirement hot spots. When large numbers of relatively wealthy folks, whether backpackers or retirees, descend upon a previously "undiscovered" paradise, they're almost always a mixed blessing. Nowhere is this more apparent than in one of South America's newest retirement meccas, Vilcabamba, Ecuador.

First a little background: Vilcabamba is not your ordinary retirement community. Thirty-five years ago, National Geographic famously described the small town as the "Valley of Longevity" because of its supposedly long-lived inhabitants. Since that time, seekers and searchers from around the world have visited the town hoping to discover the secrets of these modern-day Methuselahs.

I believe the time people put in working, running errands, going to the gym and all the other daily stuff we feel we have to do starts to take its toll on how we live and think. This is a big reason why Tom and I decided to pack up and leave for a little while...to put things in perspective, do a bit of work on the road and to surf (ok...learn to surf for me).

My surfing experience is limited to three times...once in New Zealand, once in Australia and one time in Costa Rica where an encounter with a jellyfish put my surfing attempts on hold. But now, since we have stopped in the Baja and there are some good learning beaches, I have decided to dedicate a few months to surfing, though the extent of my abilities so far is to stand up on my board. I'm working on it.

A few things beginner surfers need to know and remember: it is not as easy as it looks. No matter how athletic you are, expect to fall over and over and over again; practice makes perfect. Coordination, decent physical fitness and sheer determination (stubbornness...call it what you will) to get back up and keep trying are ideal traits if you want to learn how to surf.

Did you have a happy St. Patrick's Day? While I didn't get in to any shenanigans (for once, it seems), I was able to have a few pints with friends up in Anchorage. Though they weren't perfectly-poured Guinnesses, they were locally brewed and likely tasted as good as Guinness in Ireland tastes. But there's plenty of non-St. Paddy's Day news this week at Gadling:

• Iva uncovered the story of a Brazilian plastic surgeon who has been operating illegally on a massage table. My favorite part? The photo of the surgeon, which makes him look like he could use a touch of the knife himself.
• Aaron brought us a guide to the "new" Costa Rica -- Ecuador. If you have any interest in traveling there, check out his fun and informative post.
  
• Justin opines on Southwest's safety, boarding procedures, and lack of peanuts on his recent flight.
  
• Abha examines whether or not travelers are safe in India, following the death of a 15-year-old British tourist in Goa. Read the alarming facts of her murder and the lackadaisical response of the police here.
  
• Have you ever wondered how to rent a villa in Tuscany? Jamie attended the AAA travel show and brought back several tidbits--scoring that 18th century farmhouse in northern Italy is just one of them.
  

And here are some more fun posts to set your weekend off right: Aaron's post on headlines from North Korea still makes me laugh; I'm curiously following the fate of squat toilets in Beijing (because I love squat toilets and think everyone should try them -- I know, I'm a freak); and an Australian put his entire life on eBay.

One of my most vivid travel memories was the first time I tasted fruit in Costa Rica. I was staying with a host family, and upon arrival they served me a plate of pineapple as a welcome snack. Nothing could prepare me for that first bite. It was sweet and tangy beyond belief, like a piece of sour candy that had just been plucked straight off the plant. I certainly did not lack for fresh produce growing up in the snowy climes of the Midwest, but your average pineapple in Chicago has traveled thousands of miles to reach the basket sitting on my kitchen counter. Not exactly ideal conditions for ripening and flavor.

After pineapple, I sampled several other interesting produce items like the tamarind, which is often consumed in liquid form and has a flavor I found similar to apple juice. But my favorite fruit snack during my visit was the Costa Rican mango. Other Gadling bloggers like Karen have sung the praises of mangoes before, and I have to agree. The great thing about many Central American countries like Costa Rica is they like to add an extra "kick" to their mango snack. After cutting the fruit into slices, they throw it in a plastic bag and add in a mixture of lime juice, salt and chili powder. The sweet, the sour, the savory and the spicy all rolled into one; there's no other flavor like it.

Lucky for us North Americans, this delicious mango snack is sold by street vendors in many major urban areas - I recently discovered it for sale here in New York. Or you can make your own - I can't promise it will taste as good as eating it in the tropics, but I'm sure it's still delicious.

If you want to experience Costa Rica for its natural parks and avoid beautiful-but-touristy places (such as Quepos) head over to Osa Peninsula, home of Corcovado National Park, which is the largest park in the country (and much of Central America). I was just there in November and would recommend it to anybody who is looking for adventure travel. November is a good time to go, too, because it is the end of their rainy season but not quite their high season yet. You will end up doing a lot of trekking--both in jungle and on the beach--so plan accordingly and bring a lot of sunscreen.

We took a local flight on Sansa from San Jose to Puerto Jimenez and rented a 4X4 car from there. You can also take a "colectivo" shuttle bus (cheaply) or a taxi (expensively). It is about a three hour drive to Carate. This is where "the road ended" and we hiked 3 miles on the beach to the eco lodge. The beaches are amazing and so are most of the eco lodges. Still, the key here is modest: tents, simple meals and lots of scenery. Anyone looking to get "eco-pampered" with a massage in the sunset should probably go to Quepos instead.

Costa Rica is a beautiful country that has so much to offer to different types of travelers. Don't get discouraged just because your neighbor told you it is getting touristy. There are still real gems to find in Costa Rica.

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Also: Check out the story + gallery (below) of Gadling blogger Jerry Guo catching bats in Costa Rica.

The photo on the right is of my hand--and more interestingly, of a bona-fide vampire bat. I'm sure our resident health-blogger Erik's head just exploded right about now.

Handling bats, let alone vampire bats, are a huge no-no since they are one of the animals most likely to carry rabies. By no means was I even close to being a badass here; before going to Costa Rica to catch bats, I put down $500 for a series of rabies vaccines and oh, wore two pairs of leather gloves to handle this particular bat.

Catching bats was an unbelievable experience--honestly, how many people in the world have had the chance to do that? It also really made me appreciate an animal that's gotten a really bad rap. Anyways, below is a gallery of my two-week bat-catching trip to Costa Rica.

There's so much to love about the Caribbean, and so much to hate.

The "hate" category exists because the Caribbean we have all come to love is now loved by too many; there are too many hotels, too many tourists, and too much development.

But there are exceptions.

Thankfully, the fine folks over at Condé Nast Traveler have compiled a fantastic guide to the less touristy places along the Caribbean side of Central America that "are still under the radar" -- such as Corn Island in the photo above. This also includes the coasts of Belize, Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama.

No, you won't find the swank, sophistication, and luxury yachts that populate the rest of the Caribbean, but you will find the peace and solace that comes with small coastal villages, empty beaches, and modest accommodations.

This is the true Caribbean, the way it used to be. Visit now before it becomes just another Cancun.

It has been so refreshing to fly those little regional airlines in Latin America in the last couple of weeks. I have taken 4 regional flights so far and I love how well it has worked for me. Granted, the planes look about 50 years old, while the pilots look about 20, but they do seem to know what they are doing.

I appreciate that they operate like trains, without any of that insane ticket pricing structure we have all reluctantly gotten used to: "The air ticket you looked up yesterday for $250? Um, that will be $600 today. Why? Just because. Check back tomorrow, it might come down again. Umm, why?"

I have forgotten how nice it is to walk up to a counter and buy an air ticket for a flight that takes off 30 minutes from now. I did exactly that a few of days ago in Panama City. I walked up to an Aeroperlas counter and bought a one way ticket to Bocas del Toro for $70. If I bought the ticket 2 weeks before or 6 months prior, it would have still been $70. I love that - first come, first serve. Makes budgeting for travel much easier. Even better - if you miss the flight (which I did on one ocassion), they will issue you a new ticket to the same, or different, destination at no extra cost. How cool is that?

Try the same thing in the US or Europe, even with those so-called budget airlines, sometimes. They will charge you $2000 for a $200 ticket if you want to fly the same day. Changes? Yeah, right. The airlines would rather have the seat empty than charge something sensible. I remember taking a course on airline pricing structure in college and I remember that the overly complicated way air ticket pricing is set didn't make any sense to me then. Clearly, it still doesn't.

Since Iva is in Costa Rica this week, and my pal Francesca is currently planning a January trip to this spectacular country -- how about another new CR guidebook? (We featured two new Moon guides last month.) This time it's Pauline Frommer's turn to take a stab at the tropical Central American paradise. Her recently released guide to Costa Rica suggests ways for travelers to spend less and see more (just like in her other titles.) Pauline and her team of writers (David Appell, Nelson Mui and additional contributors) highlight "The Other Costa Rica", a unique selection of tips and insider information that should help travelers get the most for their dollar.

Examples of some experiences suggested in the guidebook: hiking in Corcovado National Park, brushing up on your Spanish at one of San Jose's language schools, art tours, cooking classes, scuba diving, nightime animal spotting and the Don Juan Coffee Tour outside Santa Elena. The book begins with a "Best of" section , then dives deeper into regions such as Arenal, Monteverde and the Osa and Nicoya Peninsula areas. Frommer's book is one of the latest Costa Rica guides to hit shelves - be sure to check it out if your upcoming plans include a stop at this picture perfect place.

Since I'm here in Costa Rica this week, I couldn't help but use it as a theme for the photo of the day.

Thanks to jahloveforbin for this shot, posted on flickr.