General Medical and Police Services Medical care in San Jose is adequate at the public hospitals, but super at the private hospital. Areas outside of San Jose have more limited medical services, and road conditions increase driving times to hospitals for routine or critical medical care. Doctors and hospitals often expect immediate cash or credit card payment for medical services. Local … [Read more...]
Costa Rica Commercial Fishing Fleet Is being Tracked by Satellite
07/22/2010 by Leave a Comment
In Sept, 2009 Costa Rican Fishing Institute (Incopesca) and with the help of organizations like The Billfish Association, established a satellite monitoring system to monitor and control the activity of the fishing vessels engaged in tuna fishing with purse seines in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of Costa Rica. Generally, a countries EEZ extends to a distance of 200 nautical miles (370 km) … [Read more...]
Costa Rica’s Future – US Marines, Drugs, Investments, Tourism, and Oil
07/19/2010 by 8 Comments
Last week our email box was pretty much filled with, “Why the US Marines were invading Costa Rica?” Even at our Facebook account, a few commented on right-wing political BS, “It's all about the oil, about building a military base in Costa Rica, and of keeping an eye on all the other dangerous countries around like Venezuela." However, I would like to comment on the one of the insanely … [Read more...]
Insurance in Costa Rica – INS – Rules of Engagement to Brokers
07/05/2010 by Leave a Comment
Every Costa Rican knows [since they can remember] the government monopoly of, oil/gas, electric, internet, and insurance has been one big headache after another. In Oct, 2007 when Costa Rica’s Free Trade Agreements (FTA) were signed, it looked like for the first time Costa Rican’s were going to get a break, when foreign companies could compete with government companies, especially for … [Read more...]
Costa Rica Newspaper Will Publish Sales Tax Defaulters
06/24/2010 by 1 Comment
Sometime next week Expats that have not paid sales tax (or other taxes) may find themselves in an embarrassing situation; this is when their names will be published in El Financiero, the weekly business newspaper put out by Grupo Nación. Currently there are 1000s of Expats who own small businesses that vary from B & Bs, eco-tourism, gift shops, online sales, travel agents, real estate etc. … [Read more...]
Cutris de San Carlos Gold Mine Looses Appeals Court – Will It Be The Start Of Another Battle?
06/16/2010 by 1 Comment
During Ms. Chinchilla presidential campaign, she had gone on record that she opposed any new open pit mines. This week it appears that she kept her promise by influencing the judges when the appeals courts declined to lift a ban on the open pit gold mine in Cutris de San Carlos. The company, Industrias Infinito S.A., (Costa Rican subsidiary of a Canadian company), cannot keep developing the … [Read more...]
Actor Steven Seagul Leaves Costa Rica Disappointed
06/11/2010 by 7 Comments
This week we pretty much express some disappointment at the way Costa Rica’s government was handle things like banning stem cell research and helping pave the way for ID thief. However, we have to give them the thumbs up in how they gave the cold shoulder to Hollywood martial-arts actor/producer, Steven Seagal. About 2-three times a month we get tabloid junk. It has always been our policy to … [Read more...]
Costa Rica Government Bans Stem Cell Research
06/09/2010 by Leave a Comment
Back in Oct, 2009, we wrote how suddenly there was major increase of foreigners heading to Costa Rica for stem cell treatments that involved everything from ailments, to bone fractures, to multiple sclerosis. The reason was simple; when people heard that, the International Society of Stem Cell research claiming, US clinical trials were "ambiguous" and treatments based on anecdotal success … [Read more...]
Costa Rica Identification (ID) Thief – Court Ruling Could Make It Worst
06/03/2010 by 2 Comments
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...]
Attorneys Win, Investors Lose in Costa Rica’s Villalobos Suit
05/22/2010 by 7 Comments
We posted back in Aug, 2009 (Government Get Sued) and Dec, 2009 (Investors Suing Costa Rica Government) thats when the Canadian investors formed a group to sue the government of Costa Rica in an attempted to recoup money lost in the Villalobos Ponzi scheme they would probably lose ... they did in arbitration this past week. About 200 creditors had organized (out of the 6000 who had … [Read more...]
Costa Rica Gold Mine Opens – Sparks Protests on International Earth Day
04/20/2010 by 6 Comments
The Costa Rican Supreme Court (Sala IV) ruled last Friday that a small Canadian mining company can proceed with its open-pit gold mine, striking down complaints from environmental groups that the project was destroying virgin forest. "After reviewing the official studies we did not find that this mining project will negatively affect the environment. So the project will go ahead," Vanlly … [Read more...]
U.S. Pedophile Released From Costa Rica Prison 15 Years Early
Updated on 5/27/10 - TicoTimes Editors note: Joe Baker has a Facebook account, please NO THREATS, but might want to let him know how you feel.... Update on 8/18/10 - After many complaints, Mr. Bakers account at Facebook was deleted. In June 1999 Costa Rica passed a law against the sexual exploitation of minors. "With this law, we say to foreigners who want to come here to abuse our … [Read more...]