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...]
Archives for June 2009
Costa Rican Blockade in Limon on July 1st
06/26/2009 by 1 Comment
Having recently met with community and labor organizations in the Caribbean region of Costa Rica, we want to alert media about an upcoming standoff that has potential for violence on the one hand, and profound political change on the other. Organizations including ASADA and SITRAP are planning a blockade of access to and from the Caribbean ports on Wednesday, July 1. The pineapple plantations … [Read more...]
Underworld Gambling Film, Leonardo DiCaprio in Costa Rica
06/24/2009 by Leave a Comment
Costa Rica productions companies are no strangers to movies, and have a ton of resumes to prove it - probably the most well-known film, filmed in the country, was author Michael Crichton best seller thriller, "Congo," which to me was one of the best books I have ever read. And Costa Rica is no stranger to gambling, a country where it is legal and after the crackdown on online betting in the … [Read more...]
Costa Rica Limón – Redevelopment?
06/23/2009 by 1 Comment
Four years ago a few (and only a few) of Limón community leaders sat around a table one evening and talked about the future of their city. They shared dreams of how cool it would be to get their city redeveloped to attract tourist and businesses by restoring buildings, parks and renovated the port. Last week their dreams seemed to come true when Costa Rican President Oscar Arias signed a bill … [Read more...]
Iran, Twitter, My Space, Facebook
06/21/2009 by Leave a Comment
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 Drinking Age – Driving and Fines
06/19/2009 by 3 Comments
Someone sent me this video, and I know it is not of Costa Rica, but still pretty unreal of how drinking a tad to much can make you look like an idiot. Real or Fake, make a comment! I can not tell you how many times in Yahoo Answers, those under 18 ask, “What’s the drinking age is in Costa Rica? adding, “Do they check IDs?” To answer both, the official drinking age in Costa Rica is 18, … [Read more...]
Underwater MP-3 – A Must For Costa Rica Recreation
06/18/2009 by Leave a Comment
When I find a cool new product especially one that is designed for sports and recreation (ziplinging, surfing, hiking, sportfishing, river rafting etc etc) this is going to be almost a must when traveling to Costa Rica. Unlike ipods (which get damaged easy, expensive, and the waterproof case that one pays extra and leaks all the time) this 2 GB Audio WATERPROOF MP3 Player with arm strap and … [Read more...]
Arenal Volcano Smoking Vapor – Level 3 Alert
06/15/2009 by Leave a Comment
Scientists from the University of Costa Rica (UCR) and the Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE) raised the volcanic alert of the Arenal Volcano in the north-central region of La Fortuna from 2b to 3 on a 4-level scale, according to a UCR press release on Friday. Level 3, or “yellow alert,” means a probable eruption or strong changes in the eruption patterns in the next 10 days, upcoming … [Read more...]
Shipping and Moving to Costa Rica – Cars – Personal
06/14/2009 by 17 Comments
Okay, you want to pull up stakes and move to Costa Rica ... now what is it going to cost? It's important to understand that shipping anything to Costa Rica, expect the unexpected, because Costa Rica is known for its very high import duties. The two shipping ports are Limon (Caribbean side) and Puntarenas (Pacific Side). After several garage sales and dealing with idiots on Craig's List, … [Read more...]
WHO Declares Swine Flu A Pandemic
06/11/2009 by Leave a Comment
The World Health Organization declared the swine flu a pandemic today (Thursday) — the first global flu epidemic in 41 years — as infections climbed in the United States, Europe, Australia, South America and elsewhere. Tico Times editors note: As of this writing there have been ONLY a couple of new reported cases of swine flu in Costa Rica and no reported new deaths. Costa Rica is still a safe … [Read more...]
Costa Rica’s Toll Roads and Gas Fees Keep Raising
06/09/2009 by Leave a Comment
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...]
New Species of Lion Fish and Dink Frog Discovered in Costa Rica
06/05/2009 by Leave a Comment
Scientists from the University of Costa Rica's Science and Limnology Center (CIMAR) on Tuesday announced the discovery of two species of lion fish present off Punta Uva on the southern Caribbean coast. After an analysis of a school of the fish in the zone, researchers discovered two different types of lion fish: Pterois volitans (Red lionfish) and Pterois miles (Devil firefish), according to … [Read more...]
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