US Expats CR Petition to Stop Businesses Ads at Costa Rica Star

It has always been the policy of Tico Times® Directory to be neutral, and only on rare occasions will we write something political and/or controversial, like what we did on the release of a pedophile, the poaching of Costa Rica sea turtle eggs, and real estate scams. However, this morning we received (not one, but many) of the same cookie-cutter emails: Dear Tico Times Directory, I just … [Read more...]

American Students Power Up Costa Rican Community

This August, twenty students, teachers, alumnus and parents from the Meadowbrook School of Weston, Massachusetts, along with three guides from Costa Rican Adventures, traveled through Costa Rica to revisit some of the communities they had been introduced to during the school’s class trip in February 2013. The group came with two very ambitious service goals:  1. Building a library at … [Read more...]

Help Prevent Getting Dengue Fever in Costa Rica

Travelers to Costa Rica may acquire dengue fever, a potentially life-threatening viral illness, during visits to tropical and subtropical countries. Dengue is transmitted by the bite of infective Aedes mosquitos which are found primarily in urban areas. This disease occurs in most of tropical Asia, the Pacific Islands, the Caribbean Islands, Central and South America, and Africa. There is … [Read more...]

Is the U.S. Government Spying on Costa Ricans and Storing Their Personal Data?

Costa Rica is no stranger to surveillance; it has always been Central/South America's hub of eavesdropping.  Back in the early 1980s the U.S. Embassy in San Jose, Costa Rica was undergoing a remodeling and when finished, the roofs were covered with various sizes of satellite dishes and antennas. These CIA surveillance equipment targeted the conflict areas of Nicaragua, El Salvador, and … [Read more...]

Simple Mosquito Trap To Help Guard Against Dengue Fever

Each year, around one million individuals, a large part of whom are kids, need to be hospitalize for severe dengue. And each year, numerous Costa Rica media outlets warn about it. Costa Rica Minister of Health stated in 2012,  23,000 dengue cases were reported. Dengue fever and dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) are viral diseases transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes, usually Ae. aegypti. The four … [Read more...]

Costa Rica Aerial Photos

If you want to get a overall look at Costa Rica's country side  there is nothing like Aerial photos of cities, hotels, beaches, towns, landmarks, coastline and general landscape. Some of the photos include, Flamingo Beach, Osa Peninsula, Palo Seco, Gulf of Papagayo, San Jose, Santa Ana, Dominical, Playa Conchal, Quepos and Golfito. Click on any photo to start the slideshow.   … [Read more...]

Romney or Obama – Who Would Be Best For Costa Rica?

* Please just to not vote just because you don't like a particular party or person. Vote for the candidate you feel will help Costa Rica's Economy   Recently, a friend on Facebook wrote after the Romney/Obama debate,  “If Obama wins, Costa Rica real estate will jump and  if Romney wins, he wants to do more business with Costa Rica, either way … [Read more...]

The Tico Times Newspaper “Print Edition” Comes To An End

On Sept 28, 2012 the icon of Costa Rica news, The Tico Times Newspaper announced their English-language print edition will be their last and will now focus more on their online addition. Since its start in San José in 1956, the newspaper always had worldwide recognition in the field of journalism and had received awards for its non-bias reporting in a region that was largely marked by … [Read more...]

Earthquake Hits Costa Rica – Sept 5th, 2012

Images were downloaded via Twitter with their respected author accounts and added to the photo captions. NOSARA, Costa Rica – A powerful, magnitude-7.6 earthquake shook Costa Rica and a wide swath of Central America on Wednesday, collapsing some houses, blocking highways and causing panic, but officials said there were no reports of deaths. The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake was … [Read more...]

Costa Rica Chocolate – Cacao House

Cacao is Spanish for cocoa. It grows on a tree, which bears a fruit containing seeds that look similar to coffee beans. That’s where chocolate comes from. The farming and use of cacao has a long history in Costa Rica. The valued beans were once used as currency. It was a major Costa Rican export, until surpassed by the introduction of coffee in the late 1700′s. Still cocoa beans … [Read more...]

Costa Rica Volunteer Organizations and Programs

For such a small country, Costa Rica seems to be a leader in volunteer programs. The number of individuals interested in donating their time - there are literally hundreds of organizations throughout Costa Rica and each has its own mission and purpose. One of the biggest volunteer programs is for the protection and conservation of the Sea Turtles. Many eco-conscious tourist will join a program … [Read more...]

Costa Rica Street Signs and Addresses. “ We don’t need no stinking street sign!”

I had to laugh the other day when the Wall Street Journal wrote an article on how Costa Rican's find addresses - a country where street names or addresses are fictional. Any expat will tell you, "It is a challenge, hassle, and at most time’s pure frustration to find any home, residents, or business." Costa Ricans use the infamous Landmark System (based on distances). Wall … [Read more...]