Costa Rica is no stranger to surveillance; it has always been Central/South America's hub of eavesdropping. Back in the early 1980s the U.S. Embassy in San Jose, Costa Rica was undergoing a remodeling and when finished, the roofs were covered with various sizes of satellite dishes and antennas. These CIA surveillance equipment targeted the conflict areas of Nicaragua, El Salvador, and … [Read more...]
Is the U.S. Government Spying on Costa Ricans and Storing Their Personal Data?
06/15/2013 by 5 Comments
Hacienda Matapalo – Legit or Scam?
06/09/2012 by 10 Comments
Those in the real estate business know that there are three items that sell homes, Location, Location, Location. In case of the "controversy" Hacienda Matapalo development, a "proposed" 665 acre resort style gated community, situated in a rainforest on a mountain overlooking the Pacific between two beach communities of Quepos and Dominica, location couldn’t … [Read more...]
Dogs In Costa Rica – Stray, Puppy Mills and Abuse
04/17/2012 by Leave a Comment
About 2 to four times a month we get these heartbreaking emails from animal lovers about stray dogs that wander the streets. And of course the story of the man who took a machete to a street dog, who only survived by a generous veterinary, pretty much had animals lovers in rage. Those loving and caring pet owner know that owning pets, especially dogs, is a big responsibility. … [Read more...]
Dental Tourism in Costa Rica
02/24/2012 by 4 Comments
Thanks to uncertainties about healthcare reform, rising healthcare costs, and an increase in the number of the uninsured, many Americans have begun looking outside their borders for high quality and affordable medical care. Medical tourism is a booming industry – expected to generate $100 billion globally in 2012 – and some sub-categories are leading the pack. In fact, thousands … [Read more...]
Paypal and Costa Rica – Banco National, Scotiabank, and Citibank
02/18/2012 by 5 Comments
Paypal has been hyped as the best way to send and received money anywhere in the world and personally it is the simplest and easiest way to accept credit and debit cards and e-checks. So you’re an expat, and you start a business in Costa Rica. Then you signup for PayPal (which is free), so you can start accepting credit card payments instantly. Right? Well, as many know, not so true! The … [Read more...]
Thanksgiving in Costa Rica
11/24/2011 by Leave a Comment
A few weeks ago at the Auto Mercado in Jaco, it was very evident that even if Thanksgiving is not a Costa Rican holiday, is sure is one of the most celebrated American holidays in Costa Rica. Signs were up for the holiday and products were already being displayed. Frozen turkeys, stuffing mix (including popular brands like Stove Top), salad fixing, sweet potatoes, green bean casseroles, mashed … [Read more...]
Halloween in Costa Rica – Sexy Costumes and Partying
11/15/2011 by 3 Comments
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...]
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...]
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...]
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...]
American Football is Alive in Costa Rica – Invited to Football World Cup in Mexico City, 2012
07/20/2011 by 5 Comments
Back in April, 2009 we wrote about how Costa Rica was forming the Costa Rica Federation of American Football (FCFA) - since then, the game is becoming more popular with its 3rd season. For more info, contact Cody Gear at 321-218-9209 or via email at codygear (at) codylgearandassociates dot com. Costa Rica has also been invited to the World Cup of American Football to be held in Mexico City … [Read more...]
IRS Goes After US Income Expats in Costa Rica
05/06/2011 by 2 Comments
Once again the media hammered the public with the new IRS threat, that they are going after US expats that have failed to pay US income taxes! Back in February of 2011 the IRS announced a program for U.S. taxpayers who have overseas accounts, income, or other foreign assets that have not been previously reported and/or taxed. This is called the “2011 Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Initiative,” … [Read more...]
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