Vermont and National News

Jose Figueres Ferrer, who is also known as “Don Pepe,”is the father of modern Costa Rica. As an obscure property owner in 1942, he challenged then President Rafael Calderon when Calderon declared was on Japan, Italy, and Germany. Don Pepe paid for time on the radio and attacked Calderon with starting a war in which he could not defend the country against. Calling for Calderon’s resignation, Don Pepe was then forced to live in exile. Don Pepe led the National Liberation Army against him when Calderon would not step down when Otilio Ulate was elected as president to replace him.

Calderon had instigated reforms that Don Pepe believed in and during three different and non-consecutive presidential terms, he built on those reforms and also gave women the vote, abolished the army (wow!) and set term limits for presidents. He gave citizenship to the blacks, and nationalized insurance companies and banks. Since that time, Costa Rica has really become known in the western world is a great yoga and surf vacation destination, among the best in the world, in fact. If you wish to take a costa rica surf vacation or surf tour or trip, there are a number to choose from. And as mentioned before, it is also a fine place if you desire a yoga retreat as well.
In his wisdom, Don Pepe built on the progressive reforms that came before him, and introduced his own enlightened and modern reforms. He set the stage for today’s Costa Rica, with its reputation as the most peaceful of Central American nations, a haven of stability—and it is now become a popular haven for expats searching for retirement paradise. There is very good surf in costa rica, and a number of tour and surf camps have sprung up there, along with yoga and wildlife trip as well.