Getting around Costa Rica can be a pain in the ass when taking land transportation, like renting a car or any type of bus, either public, shuttle or private. When one vacations, just traveling from San Jose to Jaco (the closest beach) the 1 1/2 hr drive can be a full day of adventure, but more likely, stressful, due to traffic and weather conditions ... so flying is the way to go to allow more … [Read more...]
Archives for July 2009
Costa Rica Biofuels – ICE vs RECOPE
07/27/2009 by 1 Comment
Last month an interesting ecology deal was proposed. New Generation Biofuels Holdings, Inc., signed a letter of intent with the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE or Costa Rica dominant monopoly on utilities, like electrical, internet, and phone service) to start testing biofuels for power generation in the Central American country. It seems logical, Costa Rica known for being a … [Read more...]
Buying Property In Costa Rica – Taxes, Capital Gains, Corporation
07/25/2009 by 5 Comments
The cool thing about Costa Rica, a foreigner can buy real estate and pass that title down, unlike Mexico where foreigner can only lease, and cannot buy, which as caused numerous disputes when titles suddenly change and/or were fraudulently made. The best way to buy real estate is set up a anonymous corporation instead of putting the property in an individual name. You will need a good … [Read more...]
Medical Tourism in Costa Rica – Wellness, Rehab, Surgery
07/22/2009 by Leave a Comment
The other day, an question was asked in Yahoo answers, "Why is everybody wearing nurse scrubs?" Adding sarcastically, "God you can't tell me that every single person in this country wants to be in the medical field." First, I'm, proud to say, every answer was something like this, "The medical industry is one of very few industries actually growing during the recession" or "Powerful professions … [Read more...]
Costa Rica Squatters – Legal Procedures
07/19/2009 by 3 Comments
We got a couple of emails this week on US residents who own property in Costa Rica and suddenly were informed that their property was claimed by squatters rights. Well, we do not give out legal advice, nor do we get involved in stuff like this - all we could do is refer them to several Costa Rica attorneys who might help them. However, we did some online searching from several government … [Read more...]
Costa Rica’s Santa Ana – Old World Meets New
07/18/2009 by Leave a Comment
Last week I posted a brief history of Quepos of how it is one of the most Americanize cities in Costa Rica, now I thought I'd write about one of the most industrial cities. When one thinks of Santa Ana, think old world culture that is clashing with modernization. Santa Ana is a city in San José Province and located about six miles from San Jose. It is one of the closest cities to the San Jose … [Read more...]
Costa Rica Residency – Paperwork, Process, Cost
07/13/2009 by 4 Comments
"Costa Rica's Residency Laws change all the time, so it is best to hire a residency and immigration attorney or you can file the paperwork on your own (which is a real hassle and time consuming) meaning you can fill out the forms and gather the necessary documents yourself, and, as some do, hire and/or pay a tramitador to stand in line for you. You will be doing a lot of that! The whole … [Read more...]
Brief History of Quepos, Costa Rica
07/10/2009 by 1 Comment
Quepos is known for, a place where the rainforest meets the sea, and is on a tropical inlet about halfway down Costa Rica's Pacific coast on the Puntarenas Province. The town gets its name from the Quepo Indian tribe, a subgroup of the Borucas, who inhabited the area at the time of the conquest. As a result of diseases brought by Europeans, warfare and other Indian groups, and … [Read more...]
Costa Rica’s Worst Tourist – The French?
07/09/2009 by Leave a Comment
A few years ago I watched a French guy literary tear this poor waitress apart in verbal abuse. I don't know what cause him to rip into her, all I know is the poor girl was in tears and I felt sorry for her ... maybe this article explains a lot ... PARIS (Reuters Life!) – French tourists are the worst in the world, coming across as bad at foreign languages, tight-fisted and arrogant, according … [Read more...]
Costa Rica Catch, Tag and Release Certifications
07/06/2009 by 2 Comments
The Billfish Foundation (TBF) is proud of its signature Tag & Release program now in its 20th year, and has added a new and striking “billfish release” certificate for anglers worldwide wanting to document that special fishing moment. The certificate highlights the angler’s name, the date and number of billfish species (marlin, sailfish, swordfish) released, the location, captain and … [Read more...]
South Mission Bay 4th of July – San Diego vs Costa Rica
07/05/2009 by Leave a Comment
There is a lot of Gringo’s in Costa Rica, so celebrating the 4th continues, except you are in a tropical environment with monkeys swinging in trees. Places like the America Embassy party starts around (have to get invite to that bash) 1pm, complete with the typical BBQ food of hot dogs, hamburgers and potato salad, to tiny open bars like Rock n Roll in Santa Ana. About the only things missing are … [Read more...]
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