Archives for April 2011

Uranium Weapons Banned in Costa Rica – No Free Trade Zone

This week Costa Rica got a lot of world-wide attention with three hot news stories. A Costa Rican court sentenced former president Miguel Angel Rodriguez to five years in prison Wednesday after finding him guilty of taking bribes from French telecoms giant Alcatel. Alcatel is no stranger to kickbacks,  in Dec, 2010,  US Securities and Exchange Commission nailed them with  137 million U.S. … [Read more...]

The Future for Guanacaste – Vacation, Invest and Retire

Guanacaste has posted some great numbers in 2011 however things still seem to be slow in talking with many hoteliers, restaurateurs and retailers. Our real estate friends in Guanacaste are positive and things seem to be picking up a bit, but our friends in Atenas are talking about a slump. Their situations were completely reversed a year ago. Many other factors on the table are very positive for … [Read more...]

Online Poker Gambling Seizures – PokerStars, Full Tilt, Absolute Poker

Last Friday (at around 1:30 pm), I got a call from a private investigator in Costa Rica, who said the U.S. Government's FBI just killed Costa Rica today! This is huge news! My friend continued with the outraged about how the FBI put over 4,000 Costa Ricans (we heard reports that this may be up to 20,000) out of work when the online poker world was shaken as the owners of the three largest online … [Read more...]

Government Seizes Sailfish Meat From Seafood Company

FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. USA. – Costa Rican government officials released information to The Billfish Foundation (TBF) of the seizure from a seafood exporter, of over 7,000 kilos of sailfish meat bound for Peru. Sailfish are protected species in the popular Costa Rican fishery. Tico Times Editor Note: Costa Rica's ban of exporting billfish meat was established in Jan 2009. Investigators … [Read more...]

Taking Professional Photos in Costa Rica – Traveling

Costa Rica offers some of the most stunning imagery for photographers. On the Osa Peninsula, I've swam with sailfish, cavorted with crocodiles, and photographed monkeys, butterflies, and rare birds in the span of a single day! To capture all the incredible things you'll see on camera, you should follow a careful game plan. Here are some essential elements to consider. PLANNING Bring the … [Read more...]

Eco Products in Costa Rica – The Green Dream

Everyone comes to Costa Rica with a dream.  The dream can be the lazy, sand swept beach life with a margarita in hand, or a jungle getaway, a pair of rockers on a balcony with views of the Central Valley.  My dream was to have both, and truly enjoy this Costa Rica paradise and to discover what living in Costa Rica was all about.  Having 16 years experience in residential Historic Restorations, the … [Read more...]

Atenas, Costa Rica – Retirement and Vacation Community

In 2004 my family and I decided to make our first trip to Costa Rica as a “research” mission to see if the Central America country would be a good candidate to purchase a vacation and/or retirement home. I had met Gerardo Gonzalez-Porras back in the Florida  (part owner of Pure Life Development), and being Tico he had told many stories about  but would never embellish too much, wanting each … [Read more...]