For the last four years I have been drawn like a magnet to San Jose, Costa Rica for Halloween. A few years prior I read a blog where the Blogger wrote how Halloween in Costa Rica is considered nothing but a "Gringo's" pagan holiday, that was designed to seduce small children with candy and "not" an acceptable celebration among Ticos. Then it went on about this haunting, peasant folklore of El … [Read more...]
Solar Energy in Costa Rica – Saving Money and the Planet
11/11/2011 by 1 Comment
Up until quite recently in Costa Rica, the proposition of saving both money and the Earth with photovoltaic solar systems has stood on some pretty shaky ground. But that is changing. Nowadays, more and more Costa Ricans and expats are installing stand-alone or autonomous photovoltaic systems in the country's remotest regions and have made it possible for people to live well where ordinarily they … [Read more...]
Costa Rica Sashimi – You Can Not Get It Fresher Than This
11/03/2011 by 2 Comments
One of the bad things about growing up in a beach community and fishing since you can remember, you know what fresh fish is. So when a friend invited me to this new trendy sushi place in San Diego that boasted it had the freshest fish in town, I balked. She continued saying, “The Ahi (or Yellowfin) is flown in daily, and the sashimi is out of this world!” FRESH! - I chuckled. She and the … [Read more...]
Costa Rica Weather – Dry and Rainy Seasons
10/23/2011 by 2 Comments
[iframe: name="weather" src="http://ticotimes.com/san-jose-weather.html" height="450" width="515" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="border: solid; border-width: 2px; border-color: gray; padding: 0">] click on the city to view the current and forthcoming weather conditions Alajuela | Cartago | Chacarita | Dominical | La Fortuna/Aerial | Golfito Jaco | Liberia | Puerto Limon | … [Read more...]
Why Hurricanes Rarely Hit Costa Rica
10/19/2011 by 2 Comments
We get asked all the time, does Costa Rica get hurricanes? Well, yes and no, meaning "yes" they do receive the tropical aftermath of one, like heavy rains of what Tropical Storm Tomas did in November 2010 that caused sever damage and deaths. In meteorology; a tropical cyclone (or tropical disturbance, tropical depression, tropical storm, typhoon, or hurricane, depending on strength and … [Read more...]
Dominical, Costa Rica – Road, Surfing, Hospital, Festival, Development
10/14/2011 by Leave a Comment
Dominical used to be one of those Costa Rican coastal villages that was the talk of surfers and travelers that managed to disregard their GPS settings. However, that started to change in the mid 2000s when private enterprises started to promote the kick-back town as Costa Rica's newest and hottest tourist attraction. Dominical is unique because it has mountains rising behind and around it, … [Read more...]
Costa Rica’s Unions Strikes – Benefits & Privatization
10/04/2011 by 2 Comments
I don't know if it is just me, but it seems like every time you turn around Costa Rica is having some sort of labor strike. Last Monday, about 2000 union workers of Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE) (government monopoly on power and light company) went on strike, and snarled traffic on several major streets in and around San Jose. They were protesting a bill in the Legislative … [Read more...]
Costa Rica Videos – Fishing & Travel
09/24/2011 by 1 Comment
What better way to view Costa Rica than by videos. Take a small video tour on what it would be like driving to Puerto Jimenez, crossing suspension bridges (the last bridge collapsed a year ago, killing a few) catching Dorado and Blue Marlin in Golfito, Los Suenos and Quepos, shopping San Jose's famous Mercado Central, having a few Imperials in a couple of bars, driving through one of Costa … [Read more...]
Costa Rica Coffee and Produce Get Trademark Protection
09/23/2011 by Leave a Comment
Coffee has always played a major role in Costa Rica's history and economy. Up until a few years ago it was Costa Rica's #1 exported and very commercialized product. The largest growing areas are in the provinces of San José, Alajuela, Heredia, Puntarenas, and Cartago. It is grown just about everywhere in Costa Rica. Even if I like all the commercial brands like Cafe Milagro and Britt, I really … [Read more...]
Chifrijo – A Costa Rican Meal or Snack
09/15/2011 by 1 Comment
Last week we got two interesting emails; one "What is Chifrijo?" and the other, "I had this dish [Chifrijo] at a Sunday la feria (farmers market) it was fantastic - I had never seen it before - is this something new in Costa Rica? Surprisingly, a few days later, I read a friend’s Costa Rica Blog where he rant and raved about Chifrijo he had at some local event. It got me thinking, when did … [Read more...]
Will Canada’s Seniors Immigration Increase to Costa Rica?
09/12/2011 by 3 Comments
Costa Rica is an expats haven, taking advantage of their world class medial & education systems, democratic government, gorgeous tropical climate, diverse economy and of course the affordable real estate. The ones that top the list are Americans and Canadians. Currently, over 100,000 Americans and 20,000 Canadians live in Costa Rica. Like the U.S., Canada’s baby boomers are reaching … [Read more...]
Ceviche – Fish and Shellfish – Basic and Tropical Recipes
09/05/2011 by 4 Comments
Every country has it own special recipes for Ceviche and as for it originality, many boast the invention of the dish, from the Pacific coastal of the Polynesian, to the Mediterranean to the Central and South Americans. Contrary to some belief, Ceviche is not really a Costa Rica dish but its popularity has grown with the tourist trade. The first time I had [great] Ceviche was in a little town in … [Read more...]
Comments