Costa Rica Identification (ID) Thief – Court Ruling Could Make It Worst

For a while now, I have been following what I consider three very important legal cases in Costa Rica. At first it appeared this week that the Costa Rica government has taken its first steps to help prevent ID thief, may not be so. As more and more Costa Rican's surf the internet, get involved in online transactions and personal matters like buying property, getting a drivers license etc, they … [Read more...]

Costa Rica Shark Finning – Is It Being Monitored?

Around early 1980s a friend wanted to open up a fresh fish exporting business in Puntarenas. He found a packing house and cannery, got some investors and was ready to start exporting fresh Dorado and canned tuna. One of the things that were puzzling to him was Costa Rica fishermen were catching sharks in their long lines and gill nets. Shark at the time was a worthless meat so they were either … [Read more...]

Has Scott Brown’s Win Stimulated Costa Rica’s Economy?

In the last few years Costa Rica economy has really sucked with very few signs of recovery. That recovery worsen  by Americas uneasiness with the current Presidential democratic administration mucho-trillion dollars tax, health and stimulus bill that will be absorbed by U.S. taxpayers. To put it bluntly, Costa Rica Tourism which was already suffering became in greater peril when Americans … [Read more...]

Canada and Costa Rica – Free Trade Treaty and Visas

It’s no secret that North Americans are the dominating foreigners that live in Costa Rica. And because of that, Costa Rica also would like to increase Canadian tourism. It is estimated that some 100,000 Canadians come to Costa Rica each year and about 10,000 Canadians live there, compared to 10 times that amount of Americans. And because of the Canadians tourism and expats, both governments … [Read more...]

Costa Rica Porteadores vs Taxis vs Government – Protest Today

For a long time now there has been clash between taxi drivers and porteadores (the informal taxi drivers) with the government caught in the middle. Porteadores have always  provided the  public's alternative to transportation, particular in areas where the formal or legal taxis would not provide service, but more likely in smaller towns.  The service as "porteos"  provided  that personal … [Read more...]

China Continues to Wine and Dine Costa Rica

A while back we wrote how China has dumped an unreal $300 million to further it political, diplomatic and investment goals in Costa Rica, by building a soccer stadium and buying bonds in Costa Rica. Their wining and dining continued last week in a ceremony at a low-income school in San José that was attended by Costa Rica's Foreign Minister Bruno Stagno and Yu Bo, the Chinese charge d'affaire to … [Read more...]

President of Costa Rica Gets Swine Flu

Source Yahoo News SAN JOSE, Costa Rica – Nobel Peace laureate and Costa Rican President Oscar Arias said Tuesday that he has swine flu, showing that not even a head of state is safe from the virus that has caused worldwide concern but relatively few deaths. The 69-year-old president and Nobel Peace Prize winner said in a statement that he was quarantined at home and is being treated with … [Read more...]

Twitter and Costa Rica – News, Events and Info

When Twitter crashed and Facebook had problems yesterday, the Blogs exploded with it.  When Twitter finally came back online, the Tweets peppered the Social Media website of crying, bitching and blab blab blab. So how does this effect Costa Rica?  It is pretty simple actually; the Tweets go to the profiles of the Twitter, who nonchalantly ask people to follow them. Their links they usually … [Read more...]

Cocaine Cargo From Costa Rica Prompts Wiretapping

A few weeks ago we posted about Costa Rica slowly but surly becoming the new hub for drug trafficking. Mexican authorities in the port of Mexico's Puerto Progreso last week found frozen sharks stuffed with 894 kilograms of cocaine. The sharks were unloaded from a ship whose voyage originated at the Costa Rican port of Caldera. This is just one of several recent cocaine busts in the last few weeks … [Read more...]

Iran, Twitter, My Space, Facebook

While Tehran burns and Neda dies, Obama takes his family for ice cream along with the White House press corps. This is his Katrina ... from a Twitter post Getting ready to Blog and Twit yesterday about Costa Rica, I suddenly found my jaw dropping  at the above Twit. Next thing I knew,  I tracked the Iran demonstrations for hours where Twits were coming in at the tune of 1-2 PER SECOND! All … [Read more...]

Costa Rica’s Toll Roads and Gas Fees Keep Raising

In a country that is known for some of the worse drivers, unreal traffic (San Jose in particular), and poor road maintenance once again, the government has added to the public misery by 1) cigarette tax hike, and NOW,  2) tripling the toll road fees and 3) raising gas prices ... all this has happened in the last 60 days. Motorists have begun paying a new toll on the Próspero Fernández Highway … [Read more...]

Costa Rica Cigarettes – New Tax Hike

It seems that Costa Rica's government is following in California's and other US States footsteps by proposing a new tax on cigarettes to increase their revenue. Yes I know - cigs are bad, unhealthy, lead to lung cancer, and blab blab blab... This law would limit smoking in some work places, public recreation, and cultural areas and near health centers like hospitals, clients and wellness … [Read more...]