The traditional art fair organized by the Ulises Gallery will be held at the Former Customs building for the first time ever.  The Former Customs building is located in San Jose’s eastern side of town near the Atlantic Railroad Station.  The building was recently claimed by the Ministry of Cult as a National Patrimony and normally hosts several cultural events.

Ulises Castillo, the event’s organizer, informed that the art fair will take place from August 13 through 17, 2008.  Over 100 Costa Rican artists will participate and will be displaying paintings, sculptures, music, plays and much more.

The event is a great opportunity for the local artists to be known as well as for the people to get to know the artists and even buy their artwork directly from them.

As for the final stretch of the much talked about Cow Parade, the voting for the favorite cow will come to an end this Saturday August 2nd at midnight.  The local newspaper hosting the contest has announced that they have received over 3,000 votes so far.

The cow with the most votes will be announced on Sunday August 3rd at the end of the ‘Farewell’ Parade that will be held in Paseo Colon.

Cartago was once Costa Rica’s capital city during the colonial era in the 1800’s. However, the title was later granted to San Jose and Cartago was pretty much left behind.

Although the city secretly holds a rich and fascinating history, it seems as it is almost doomed to be long forgotten. However, Cartago has been showing signs of revival within the tourist industry and has been the target of several projects.

The Costa Rican Institute of Electricity has recently announced that it will be investing in restoring and renovating key attractions in order to bring back a new generation of tourists. Cartago is the home to two of Costa Rica’s most famous ruins, the popular Irazu and Turrialba Volcano as well as the Orosi Valley and Cachi Dam.

The Municipality of Cartago along with the Costa Rican Board of Tourism has set up an office in the city of Cartago that will diligently work to position Cartago among the top promoted tourist attractions in the country.

The office will initially be open from Monday through Friday and will receive local and foreign tourists. Information regarding the region’s history and attraction will be provided as well as answering any questions visitors might have.

Among the main attractions Cartago will strongly promote is the Basilica de Nuestra Senora de Los Angeles, the Ruinas del Templo de Santiago Apostol, the Maria Auxilidora Church, the Pirie Building, the San Luis Gonzaga Highschool (for its architecture) and the Major and Independence Plazas.

La Fortuna Commemorates 40 Years of Arenal’s Eruption

It seems quite hard to believe that just 40 years ago, the majestic Arenal Volcano went unnoticed by scientists and locals alike.

It was on July 29th, 1968, that the neighbors of La Fortuna in San Carlos woke up to a violent eruption of the then unknown Arenal Volcano.  Scientists and residents of La Fortuna, gathered yesterday to commemorate 40 years of this historic event.  Over 87 people were killed and two nearby communities were completely destroyed.

Survivors gathered yesterday and recalled their experiences and thoughts during the events in 1968.  For many, the today Arenal Volcano was just another regular mountain in the region.  There were no scientific studies and no one even suspected that the “mountain” could have been an active volcano building up momentum underneath the ground.

Although survivors do recall that even though no human suspected what was about to happen, the animals did.  The cows didn’t eat or rest and the dogs and chickens were restless all night as well.  That Sunday morning at 7am, the pressure build up was too much to be contained and the volcano’s west side finally gave way.

The explosion gave way to three craters, one at 3,200 ft, the second at 3,900 ft and the third at 4,500 ft.  The third crater is now considered the Arenal’s active crater and due to the accumulation of material from the volcano is now 5,600 ft above sea level.

The Arenal Volcano is today one of Costa Rica’s most visited volcanoes by local and foreign tourists.  The once devastated town is today one of the most rapidly growing tourist destination in Costa Rica.  A number of spas have proliferated thanks to the volcano’s hot spring waters and minerals thus allowing tourists to receive invigorating treatments and pampering.

The Arenal Volcano remains active and is constantly spewing rocks and gas as part of its growing process.  Tourist activity takes place opposite of the Arenal Volcano’s active side.