More than 1.000 officials of the Fuerza Pública (police) and 150 officials of the Policía de Tránsito (traffic police) have been assigned to work the security operation for the arrival of U.S. President Barack Obama.
The Ministro de Seguridad, Mario Zamora, said that the officers will be on special duty starting at 6am Friday and working around the clock until Obama leaves on Saturday.
Zamora, during a press conference, said that Air Force One is expected to land at the Juan Santamaría international airport around noon Friday and that the U.S. presidential motorcade will travel along the autopista General Cañas, Paseo Colon and Avenida Segunda to reach the first stop on Obama’s agenda, Casa Amarilla (Foreign Ministry) in Barrio Amón.
Zamora explained that people will be able to line up along the route to take a look at the presidential motorcade, meanwhile in Barrio California and Barrio Amón, there will be a 200 metre permiter security seal. The Central American Integration System (SICA) meeting will be in the in the old customs (Fercori buiding) in Barrio California, a short distance from the Casa Amarilla,located in Barrio Amón, adjacent to the INS building.
Authorities would not disclose where Obama will be staying. Zamora hinted that it could be one of two hotels booked by the American diplomacy.
Although details are sketchy, authorities say there could be closures of the Ruta 27 (San José – Caldera), a route that would be taken by the Obama motorcade, leading to speculation that the U.S. president may stay either at the Intercontinenal hotel in Escazú or possibly the U.S. Ambassador’s home, also in Escazú.
The United States Ambassador to San Jose Anne Andrew asserted that the Obama Administration seeks more opportunities for US firms to invest in the exploitation of clean energies in Costa Rica and elsewhere in Central America.
In an interview for La Nación, Ambassador Andrew said this will be one of the two topics which President Obama will emphasize during his visit to Costa Rica on May 3rd and 4th. The other priority will be inclusive economic development.
According to the diplomat, there are many opportunities for US companies to develop projects of power generation based on sources such as the sun, the wind or natural gas.
For that reason – she continued -, President Obama will discuss with Presidenta Laura Chinchilla and her Central American peers where investment opportunities in this field are.
Ambassador Andrew quoted as an example the joint investment made by Ad Astra Rocket (Costa Rican) and Cummins Engine (US) to make generators fueled by hydrogen.
Ad Astra is chaired by astronaut Franklin Chang, who attended a meeting with President Obama at the White House to analyze the chances of investment in Central America and Mexico.
The diplomat added that the Embassy is aware of the situation which in Costa Rica is undergoing the US firm Mallon Oil Company, whose contract for oil and natural gas exploration in the northern zone of the country was halted by the Chinchilla Administration.
The Chinchilla Administration declared a moratorium on oil exploration, while regarding natural gas it is more in favor of importing the product.
However, the diplomat argued that natural gas is an opportunity which Costa Rica should consider to substitute energy from polluting sources.
Ambassador Andrew said that their position is, has been and will remain that Costa Rica has to provide a degree of certainty to firms like Mallon Oil in their investments.
Less Risks. Answering on legal security in Costa Rica, after pondering for a few seconds, the Ambassador asserted that this country should provide more certainty to large investors who seek the places with the least risk to establish themselves.
She asserted that 60% of the direct foreign investment flowing into Costa Rica comes from the United States and that the investors expect to get something back. She added her belief that Costa Rica remains highly attractive for US firms who want to do business here, but that the thing hinges on the opportunities Costa Rica can offer in the future.
Ambassador Andrew thinks that such investment is basic to attain the “economic security” which President Obama wants to promote in the region and which is linked to the generation of jobs.
When talking about cooperation, she went back to the topic of the production of power. She believes that mutual help can range from a simple exchange of electricity to the transfer of technology in areas such as energy production or efficiency.
In Costa Rica, the electricity supply system remains centered in the state Costa Rican Power Institution (ICE in Spanish). There is private participation, but it is limited.
Since the beginning, the Chinchilla Administration suggested a reform of the power sector to further open the market, but the reform has not made progress at the Legislative Assembly.
According to the US Ambassador, Costa Rica should not worry about a power network with 2010 technology but one with 2022 technology. She mentioned as a good example electric vehicles which not only are powered by electricity but which help feed the system.
U.S. President Barack Obama is set to fly to Mexico and Costa Rica for diplomatic meetings on Thursday and Friday, which he will use to tout cross-border trade and the Senate’s pending immigration rewrite.
“Our relationship with the countries in Central America is vital … and it is certainly not limited at all to the matters of immigration reform in this country,” White House spokesman Jay Carney said Monday.
However, he added, “you can expect he’ll talk about it, because it’s very topical here in the United States, and it is of interest to countries in the region.”
Starting Thursday morning, the two-day trip will send the president first to Mexico, where he will meet with President Peña Nieto. He will fly the next day to Costa Rica, where he will meet with regional leaders and the country’s presidenta, Laura Chinchilla Miranda.
“The trip will be an important chance to discuss our collective efforts to promote economic growth and development in Central America and our ongoing collaboration on citizen security,” Carney said. (“Citizen security” is the White House’s term for a series of regional law-enforcement programs.)
But the trip also underscores Obama’s efforts to bind Latino immigrants to the Democratic party. In November 2012, the president won 70 percent of the Latino vote — despite a lousy economy that saw a 44 percent loss of wealth among Latino households — by repeatedly showing his support for Latino groups and redistribution policies aimed at the immigrant Latino population.
Obama’s chief campaign strategist, David Plouffe, said that the strongest group of supporters in 2012 for Obamacare were Latinos.
“The bigger problem [Republicans] have got with Latinos isn’t immigration. It’s their economic policies and health care,” he told the New York Times Magazine. “The group that supported the president’s health-care bill the most? Latinos.”
Carney’s description of the Latin American trip reflects that domestic political priority.
“This trip is an important opportunity to reinforce the deep cultural, familial and economic ties that so many Americans share with Mexico and Central America,” he said Friday.
On Monday, Obama met in the White House with a group of U.S. Latino advocates to discuss the pending trip. He told them that “immigration reform continues to be a top legislative priority this year,“ and that “he is looking forward to talking with Latin American leaders about our vision for the Americas as a region of shared opportunity,” said a White House statement.
In three days, U.S. President Barack Obama will be visiting Costa Rica.
Although details of his visit are sketchy at best, what we do know is that Obama will be spending his expected 22 hours in Costa Rica meeting with Presidenta Laura Chinchilla and other presidents of Central America.
After the landing of Air Force One at the San José airport, the Obama motorcade will make its way along the autopista General Cañas to the Casa Amarilla (Foreign Ministry) in Barrio Amón, in the hear of San José.
From there there is little information available to press at this time.
According to Evelyn Ardon R., Information Specialist, at the United States Embassy, San José, Costa Rica, their waiting on “official” information from the White House.
Ms. Ardon pointed out the U.S. Embassy in San José will be open on Friday and be operating normal.
PS. The U.S. Embassy in San José will be closed on May 1.
If you are traveling in Costa Rica and Latin America on the first day of May, you can expect to find banks, government offices and businesses closed for the day as people celebrate the Día Internacional Del Trabajo – Day of the Worker, or May Day or Labour Day – with parades, demonstrations and other symbols of solidarity with the worker.
May 1st is celebrated in many parts of the world. It is traditionally celebrated as a spring festival and is known as the International Worker’s Day in 80 countries around the world.
So now you know why everything shuts down on May 1. Why Labour Day is Celebrated on May 1? Día Internacional Del Trabajo (International Workers’ Day) is the commemoration of the 1886 Haymarket affair in Chicago.
The police were trying to disperse a public assembly during a general strike for the eight-hour workday, when an unidentified person threw a bomb at them. The police reacted by firing on the workers, killing dozens of demonstrators and several of their own officers.
“Reliable witnesses testified that all the pistol flashes came from the center of the street, where the police were standing, and none from the crowd. Moreover, initial newspaper reports made no mention of firing by civilians. A telegraph pole at the scene was filled with bullet holes, all coming from the direction of the police.”
In 1889, the first congress of the Second International, meeting in Paris for the centennial of the French Revolution and the Exposition Universelle, following a proposal by Raymond Lavigne, called for international demonstrations on the 1890 anniversary of the Chicago protests. May Day was formally recognized as an annual event at the International’s second congress in 1891.
Subsequently, the May Day Riots of 1894 occurred. In 1904, the International Socialist Conference meeting in Amsterdam called on “all Social Democratic Party organizations and trade unions of all countries to demonstrate energetically on May First for the legal establishment of the 8-hour day, for the class demands of the proletariat, and for universal peace.” The congress made it “mandatory upon the proletarian organizations of all countries to stop work on May 1, wherever it is possible without injury to the workers.”
In many countries, the working classes sought to make May Day an official holiday, and their efforts largely succeeded. May Day has long been a focal point for demonstrations by various socialist, communist and anarchist groups. In some circles[which?], bonfires are lit in commemoration of the Haymarket martyrs, usually at dawn. May Day has been an important official holiday in countries such as the People’s Republic of China, North Korea, Cuba and the former Soviet Union. May Day celebrations typically feature elaborate popular and military parades in these countries[citation needed].
In the United States and Canada, however, the official holiday for workers is Labour Day in September. This day was promoted by the Central Labour Union and the Knights of Labour, who organized the first parade in New York City. After the Haymarket Massacre, US President Grover Cleveland feared that commemorating Labor Day on May 1 could become an opportunity to commemorate the affair. Thus he moved in 1887 to support the Labor Day that the Knights supported.
In 1955, the Catholic Church dedicated May 1 to “Saint Joseph The Worker”. The Catholic Church considers Saint Joseph the patron saint of (among others) workers and craftsmen.
Far-right governments have traditionally sought to repress the message behind International Workers’ Day, with fascist governments in Portugal, Italy, Germany and Spain abolishing the workers’ holiday. 1 May in the US is celebrated as Loyalty Day. Argentina In Argentina, Workers’ Day is an official holiday. Even when it is associated with labor unions, essentially all workers tend to respect it. During the day, many celebrations related to the labor movements take place, including demonstrations in the biggest cities. It is also customary to organize meetings at friends’ places, at the sports associations, at the workplace, or at the labor unions for typically local food, usually locro or asado.
The first Workers’ Day celebration was in 1890, when Argentinean unions, controlled in those days by socialists and anarchists, organized several joint celebrations at Buenos Aires and other cities, at the same time that the international labor movement celebrated it for the first time. In 1909, the police killed nine workers during the Workers’ Day celebration in Buenos Aires, in what was the first social massacre of Argentine modern history.
Brazil
In Brazil, Workers’ Day is an official holiday, and unions commemorate it with day-long public events. It is also when salaries for most professional categories and the minimum wage are traditionally readjusted.
Chile
President Carlos Ibáñez del Campo decreed May 1 a national holiday in 1931, in honor of the dignity of workers.[12] The great majority of stores and public services close for the entire day, and the major trade unions of Chile, represented in the national organization Central Unitaria de Trabajadores, organize rallies during the morning hours, with festivities and cookouts in the later part of the day, in all the major cities of Chile. During these rallies, representatives of the major left-wing political parties speak to the assemblies on the issues of the day concerning workers’ rights.
Colombia
May 1 has long been recognized as labor day or Dia del Trabajo and almost all workers respect it as a national holiday. As in many other countries, it is common to see rallies by the trade unions in the main regional capitals of the country.
Costa Rica
It is recognized as a public holiday, and at the same time an important Government set of activities, this day the President of the Republic gives a speech to the citizens and the Legislature members about the duties that were taken through the previous year. The president of the Legislature is also chosen by its members.
Cuba
This day is known as (el día del trabajo) in Cuba. People march in the streets showing their support to their local socialist government and the revolution during the whole morning. La Habana or Santiago de Cuba are some of the cities where more people march. In 2011, guests from 73 countries and 167 representatives of labor and social organizations worldwide joined the march in Habana.
Ecuador
It is recognized as a public holiday on May 1. Día del Trabajo
El Salvador
It is an official holiday and it is commemorated with parades.
Guatemala
May 1 is an official public holiday for Labor Day (know as Día del Trabajo).
Panama
May 1 is an official public holiday for Labor Day (know as Día del Trabajo).
Peru
May 1 is an official public holiday for Labor Day (el día del trabajo).
Mexico
May 1 is a Federal holiday known as Día del Trabajo or Labor Day. It also commemorates the Cananea Mine Strike of 1906 in the Mexican state of Sonora.
Uruguay
In Uruguay, May 1 – Workers’ Day – is an official holiday. Even when it is associated with labor unions, almost all workers tend to respect it.
Venezuela
May 1 is an official holiday in Venezuela. El Día del Trabajador is celebrated on May 1 in Venezuela since 1936, but from 1938 to 1945 it was held on 24 July, by an order of Eleazar López Contreras. Anyway, Isaías Medina Angarita decided to take it back to May 1 in 1945.
The Frente Interno de Trabajadores del Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (FIT.ICE) – the state telecom workers unions – said that it is adamant that it will not rest until the cell phone number “portability” agreement is canceled.
On Monday, thousands of ICE workers gathered in front of the company’s main offices in La Sabana and then moved along Paseo Colon and Avenide Segunda, to end up at the Legislative Assembly to deliver legislators a letter requesting their intervention in getting the contract with the Spanish company, El Corte Ingles, cancelled.
Jorge Arguedas, president of the Asociación Nacional de Técnicos y Trabajadores de la Energía y las Comunicaciones (ANTTEC), and Fabio Chávez, of the Asociación Sindical de Empleados del ICE (Asdeice), concurred with the FIT.ICE and promising to work together until the contract is nullified.
Earlier this year, the Superintendencia de Telecomunicaciones de Costa Rica (SUTEL) – communications regulator – awarded the contract to the Corte Ingles to operate the cell number portability and required all the operators to sign a contract to that end.
Claro and Movistar signed almost immediately. ICE, however, stalled and stalled, signing the deal only last Friday, some say under the threat of a US$10 million dollar fine.
The signing of the agreement prompted the workers unions to unite and call for a day of strike and a vow to work together towards having the contract cancelled.
Number portability allows customers of cellular telephone services, of both postpay and prepay, to switch operator and keeping the same number.
The Corte Ingles, under the concession contract with the SUTEL, will manage the number database and the process of switching operator.
ICE, being the biggest mobile operator has the most to lose, since a large majority of its customers have had the same number for years, and many have not switched simply so as not to lose their number.
For Claro and Movistar, they may lose some customers but have the advantage of picking up a large block of customers not satisfied with the service provided by ICE.
Damage to a pump motor has left many in San Isidro de Heredia, northeast of San José, without regular water supply in their homes in the recent days.
According to the Empresa de Servicios Públicos de Heredia (ESPH) – the local water utility – the problem stems from damage to a motor in the Santa Cruz de San Isidro tank, requiring the removal of some 200 metres of pipe to access the pump.
The Santa Cruz tank supplies 75% of the water supply to San Isidro.
The ESPH says it hopes to re-establish normal water supply in the coming days.
Policia de Transito operating a mobile rada/camera to check speeding.
The statistics department of the Policía de Tránsito informs that 31 drivers were ticketed between Saturday and Sunday, after the effect of the new point system. And the majority of the tickets were for speeding.
Under the new point system, drivers are given “demerit” points of four or six for each offence. The accumulation of 12 points – two offences in Category A or three in Category B or a combination thereof – means a driver losing his or her license for 12 months.
Offences in Category A include: speeding, driving under the influence, driving with an expired license, passing in curves, train crossings and bridges and making a U turn or left turn where prohibited. Offences in Category A are six points and a ¢280.000 colones fine.
Offences in Category B include: failing to stop at a stop sign or red light, having altered or fake license plates, carrying dangerous goods, not having Riteve vehicular inspection and allowing children under 12 or less than 1.45 m in height without a car seat. Each offence under Category B is four points an a ¢189.000 colones fine.
Presidenta Laura Chinchilla announced on Monday the investment (spending) of ¢30 million colones in hiring a social media expert to increase and improve her and her government’s online presence, during this last year of her administration.
The company or person to be hired will be responsible for a viral campaign that includes strategies to be applied to sites like Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Ustream, Instagram and Storyfy.
Additionally, an evaluation of all information channels like emails and text messages will be made.
The hiring process will be through “abbreviated” bidding, with tenders to be submitted before May 7.
According to the ministro de Comunicación, Francisco Chacón, the hiring will be financed from funds of the US$1 million grant by the Banco Centroamericano de Integración Económica (BCIE).
Costa Rica expects to join Peru, Mexico, Chile and Colombia in the Pacific Alliance in May, according to Foreign Trade Minister, Anabel Gonzalez.
The Pacific Alliance was formally set up in 2012. It aims to further develop trade between the four nations, while also serving as a platform for building relations with fast-growing Asian markets.
Gonzalez, in Lima for the Pacific Alliance conference, said that Costa Rica’s entrance to the group will be finalized in an upcoming meeting of Pacific Alliance presidents in Cali, Colombia.
“Costa Rica is a country that shares the objectives of the Pacific Alliance,” Gonzalez said. “We are ready to join. I hope that we are invited to be part of the alliance at the next president’s summit in Cali.”
Costa Rica has previously expressed interest in joining the Pacific Alliance and is currently participating as an observer country.
Other observer countries include Canada, Japan, Spain, Australia, New Zealand, Paraguay, Uruguay and Panama.
Typically the vehicular restrictions of San José are lifted during holidays. However, this May 1, it will not happen, the restrictions will be in effect.
The Policia de Tránsito announced that the vehicular restrictions will be place on Wednesday, affecting all vehicles with licenses plates ending in 5 an 6.
Additionally, although the public sector will have the day off on Friday, May 3, this to the visit of U.S. President Obama, the vehicular restrictions will be maintained. Friday all vehicle with license plates ending 9 and 0 are affected.
A strange text message popped up Sunday morning on Kolbi subscription cellular phones: “Kölbi will be compensating you with a credit on your next bill for system failures of your mobile service on 29-8-12”.
The amount of the credit is not clear and varies. ICE spokesperson, Elberth Duran, explained that each case is different, because some services were affected more than others.
The Superintendencia de Telecomunicaciones (Sutel) – telecommuniocations regulator – had ordered the state telecom ICE to compansate users for the loss of service that in some cases was as much as nine hours.
Duran said that ICE is complying with the order, and that it has decided to compensate customers individually, depending on their down time.
The credit applies to all customers of Kölbi cell phones service , Kölbi Hogar internet and VPN business. The credit will show up on the the next billing date.
For customers of Kölbi “prepaid” services, Duran said the credit will be in the form of an increase in the balance. For customers have cancelled their Kölbi service since, they will have to contact ICE to arrange for a credit.
The protests expected this week takes a jump start with a protest march by state telecom ICE workers against cell phone number portability.
Union members (most ICE workers) of the Frente Interno de Trabajadores del Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE) will be taking to the streets, supporting the charges by union leader, Fabio Cahves, that the forced signing of the portability agreement was to avoid an up to US$10 million dollar fine.
ICE, until last Friday, had refused to sign the agreement with the Superintendencia de Telecomuniciones (Sutel) – telecom regulator, a deal signed by the mobile phone operators in the country.
According to Chaves, the march will start at the ICE offices in La Sabana and onto the Legislative Assembly in downtown San José. The typical route is through Paseo Colon and Avenida Segunda.
In addition to the march, the union leader says the state telecom workers will be on strike between 6am and 6pm today, though it is not likely to affect telecommunications or electrical services.
The other marches through the streets of San José this week include the traditional May 1 march on Wednesday and several groups have said they will be protesting the visit of U.S. President Barack Obama, who arrives in Costa Rica on Friday (May 3).
Whether you want to shred some waves or take it easy and spot wildlife, Costa Rica offers adventure for everyone.
On the secluded Costa Rican beach where I’m huddled with a couple of friends and half a dozen strangers, it’s pitch black except for some distant lightning and the luminescent crests of the waves breaking on shore. I’ve got a cramp in one leg and unseen insects are feasting on my bare ankles because I’ve forgotten to bring bug spray.
But I’m not budging because we’ve been told a giant Pacific green turtle, which our guides have been quietly watching in the brush behind us, is digging a nest in the sand and preparing to lay her eggs. Seeing that is a fair exchange for a little discomfort and a few bug bites.
When the guides have decided the turtle is intent on her task and we won’t risk spooking her back into the ocean, they lead us into the brush with infrared flashlights and we form a half-circle behind the turtle, whose shell is as large as an ottoman. We talk in whispers as she rocks back and forth and flicks up sand with her broad flippers, creating a deep hole for her eggs.
Finally, the turtle stops moving. “It’s OK now, she is entranced,” one guide says as he digs with his hands to widen the top of the hole and then illuminates it with a regular flashlight. We take turns peering in and I see a glistening white egg, the size and shape of a billiard ball, drop onto a pile of others already in the hole.
Even though we’ve been told we can talk now, no one is saying much of anything. Like the turtle, we’re entranced.
I didn’t anticipate that a nocturnal turtle-watching trip would be part of my week-long trip to northern Costa Rica, but I didn’t really know what to expect from this Latin American country best known for its coffee.
What I discovered was two countries in one: a temperate rainforest filled with showy tropical plants and abundant wildlife, and a warmer coastal region of sunny skies and surf-worthy beaches.
The best thing was that we didn’t have to choose between the two – jump in a car and you can drive from one region to the other in about five hours. And both are within one to three hours of the international airport near Liberia, which WestJet now flies to twice a week non-stop from Toronto.
We started our trip near the town of La Fortuna, in the shadow of the Arenal volcano, which erupted regularly until 2010. Now, the sleeping giant is a mist-shrouded backdrop to a cluster of hotels that sprung up to capitalize on its tourist-drawing displays of ash and lava. Luckily, the area has lots of other natural attractions to make up for the current lack of volcanic activity.
The Nayara Hotel, Spa and Garens is our temporary home. When I see the bed strewn with rose petals and the jetted tub for two on the deck outside my private casita, I feel a bit odd about staying by myself in a place clearly geared toward honeymooners and couples rekindling their romances, as most of our fellow guests turn out to be.
But I’ll get over it. The private deck with the outdoor Jacuzzi certainly helps.
After a breakfast of huevos rancheros, fried yucca and gallo pinto (mixed black beans and rice), we’re off on a floating tour of the Penas Blancas river, about half an hour from La Fortuna, with Desafio Adventures.
Our guide, José, does most of the work steering our inflatable raft down the river, but he warns us that he’ll need us to pitch in from time to time.
“OK, everyone backpaddle, backpaddle!” he calls out, and we dig our oars into the water to guide the raft back to where he has spotted something high up in the trees.
We are rewarded with the sight of a group of howler monkeys, some babies riding on their mothers’ backs, jumping from branch to branch and unleashing the spooky call that gives them their name.
One member of our group is eager to see a sloth and José doesn’t let her down – we spot both the two-toed and three-toed varieties languishing in the dense foliage, along with toucans, kingfishers, egrets, herons and iguanas.
There’s one thing you should resign yourself to before you visit Costa Rica’s rainforest, especially in the rainy season – you’re going to get wet. You don’t get all that lush vegetation without a whole lot of precipitation.
No matter how blue the skies look, they can turn grey and unload a torrent of rain with little or no warning. But since many activities are water-based, it really doesn’t matter.
It didn’t rain when we went on a canyoneering tour with Desafio near the volcano, but it wouldn’t have made a difference if it did – 20 minutes into our three-and-a-half hour tour, we were soaked to the skin. Rappelling down waterfalls and hiking waist-deep through rushing streams will tend to do that to you.
Later, as we took a much-deserved soak at the Eco Termales Hot Springs in La Fortuna, rain would have made a refreshing counterpoint to the steamy water soothing our tired muscles. And you’ll also welcome a cooling shower when you’re walking the 500 steps down to (and especially back from) the spectacular 70-metrehigh La Fortuna waterfall.
But we were due for a change of scenery and climate. As we crossed the continental divide that bisects Costa Rica into east and west, everything changed – the mist that had obscured our views for days gave way to clear blue skies, and lush jungle turned into dryer ranch-land. By the time we arrived in Playa Tamarindo on the west coast, we had peeled off our rain jackets and slathered ourselves with sunscreen.
Tamarindo is a typical small beachside town, with a string of restaurants, bars, souvenir and surf shops lining the main drag and one large hotel, the Tamarindo Diria Beach and Golf Resort, on the water’s edge. What we didn’t expect was the Canadian connection – hotel manager André Gagnon is a refugee from Quebec City, and he says a few hundred other Canadians have traded cold winters for Tamarindo sunshine.
Within half an hour of arriving, we were in our bathing suits and on the beach. For anyone who loves to surf – or who has never tried it, but secretly idolizes Kelly Slater – this is the place to do it. Boards and lessons are both available through the hotel, as are turtle-watching tours.
If surfing isn’t your speed, you can take an ATV tour down dirt trails to one of the more remote beaches south of Tamarindo. We stopped once on the way there to listen to a chorus of howler monkeys in the trees, and a second time to let a herd of cows cross the path to graze. It was worth doing battle with the bone-jarring ruts, but two pieces of advice: Bring sunglasses and a bandana to cover your face, and don’t wear white. You’re going to get dirty.
A catamaran trip from Tamarindo to one of the uninhabited bays that dot the coast requires no effort at all – you can snorkel and swim if you’re so inclined, or you can just lie on the deck and work on your tan . Get a friend to fetch you drinks and guacamole from the bar down below and you won’t have to move a muscle. For some, rain or shine, that’s the ideal Costa Rican vacation.
Visitors to the Expoconstrucción 2013 (ends today) not only have the option to view homes and apartments, but the opportunity to get a loan with excellent conditions at fixed rates and monthly payments for the first five years of the loan.
Public and private banks are offering rates of 10.5% for loans fixed in colones and 6.5% for dollar loans, during the early years. With that, a person seeking a loan of $45,000, (about ¢22.5 million colones), pays an average of ¢350,000 colones colones monthly on loans in colones and ¢300.000 colones per month on dollar loans.
However, you don’t have to take a loan while at Expoconstrucción. Banks are offering the rates at their branches throughout the country, up to three months, to anyone who registered during the fair.
If you are coming to Costa Rica this week, keep in mind two major closures.
Wednesday, May 1, is a national holiday. All banks, government offices, professional offices (lawyers, accountants, etc), doctors and business will be closed, giving their workers the day off.
Keep in mind also that May 1 is a traditional day of protests and major routes like Paseo Colon and Avenida Segunda in downtown San José may be affected.
Friday, May 3, San José will shut down due to the visit by U.S. President Barack Obama.
The day off will affect government offices like Courts and Registry offices in San José. Many business in San José will probably give their workers the day off as well.
Public workers in San Jose, Alajuela, Montes de Oca, Curridabat, Escazu, Goicoechea, and Belen get day off
General Cañas, route 27 and streets in San Jose will be intermittently closed
Public workers in seven cantons will have the day off on Friday, May 3rd, because of US President Barack Obama’s visit to Costa Rica.
This measure takes in the public servants working in the cantons of San Jose, Alajuela, Belen, Escazu, Montes de Oca, Curridabat and Goicoechea.
The decision to broaden the day off coverage, which was originally meant for San Jose only, was adopted on security grounds and to ease the US President’s trips within Costa Rica.
Minister of Communications Francisco Chacon explained that some of the routes traversing these cantons must be closed while the caravans of President Obama and those of the Central American presidents pass through those places. The region’s heads of state will attend the summit of the Central American Integration System (SICA in Spanish), which was established in 1993.
“The routes will be closed on Friday afternoon and on Saturday morning,” Minister Chacon pointed out.
However, they will not be permanently closed, only when it becomes necessary for a trip of any of the presidents.
Among the routes affected, the Minister explained, there is General Cañas Highway, the San Jose-Caldera road, Paseo Colon and streets downtown San Jose.
Also closed will be the streets next to the hotels where the presidents will lodge.
It is expected that all of the heads of state will have departed by early afternoon on¿Saturday.
The arrival. The President of the United States will arrive in Costa Rica Friday afternoon aboard Air Force One, a Boeing 747-200 B whose landing will force the temporary closing of Juan Santamaria International Airport.
In the preceding hours and while Air Force One remains there, cargo and private flightswill be cancelled. Also, some commercial flights are likely to be affected.
President Obama, who will fly from Mexico, will arrive in Costa Rica to meet with President Laura Chinchilla in the Yellow House, on 7th Avenue in San Jose.
On Saturday, he will partake of the SICA summit either at the National Culture Center or at the National Theater.
Attendance has been confirmed by the presidents Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua, Otto Perez of Guatemala, Mauricio Funes of El Salvador, Porfirio Lobo of Honduras, and Ricardo Martinelli of Panama.
According to Minister Francisco Chacon, the venues of the events and the routes to be followed by the presidents are closer to a final definition with the participation of a second advance team from the US Government.
Parking illegally in San José will become expensive as the Municipalidad de San José begins applying strict parking controls effective on Monday, April 29.
Starting Monday, according to Muni officials, any and all vehicles illegally parked wil be fined. The fine is ¢47.000 colones (US$94 dollars).
Rafael Arias, municipal advisor, said the measure will apply to any and all vehicles and city wide, in an effort to reduce the public raods of San José from being a giant parking lot.
One of the measures that will be strictly enforced, for example, is the lining up of taxis waiting for customers. Arias said that only up to four taxis will be permitted at authorized taxi stops. The measures will also be applied to delivery vehicles. Arias explained that small trucks make deliveries must do so in the early hours of the morning (before rush hour).
One example of street parking out of control is the front of the Hospital Mexico. There, despite a new parking lot near the hospital, that offers free shuttle, many prefer to park on the street in front of the hospital entrance. At any given time of day, the hospital access road is narrowed to a tight channel between vehicles parked on both sides. Another area where illegal street parking is a serious problem, is in front of the court buildings in the city core.
The cost to use the parking a meter is ¢510 colones per hour, charged in half hour blocks. Currently there are 1.500 parking meters throughout the city, with an additional 3.100 coming next year.
Applying the strict parking measures is the Policía Municipal de San José (municipal police) and Oficiales de Tránsito (traffic police).
The Observatorio Vulcanológico y Sismológico de Costa Rica (OVSICORI-UNA) reports five earthquakes Saturday morning
The first quake occurred minutes after midnight, at 00:01:39 was centred in Bajo los Cartagos, en Guatuso de Alajuela. The second, occurring at 6:14am. That quake – centred in Central Pacific, was felt in various areas of the country, including San José.
Both quakes registered 4.3 on the Richter scale.
The other three were centred in Golfito (2.4), Siquirres (2.5) and Aguirre (2.7).
A small plane crashed near the Tobias Bolaños (Pavas) airport Saturday afternoon, hanging over the Torres river, between Pavas and La Carpio.
The accident occurred at about 5pm, when the small aircraft with the call letters TI ANR crashed after flying for a few minutes after taking off from the Pavas airport. Mechanical failure is suspected.
The plane was been flown by Manrique Hidalgo, who suffered fractures and is in stable condition in hospital
Emergency crews had to use special equipment to get to the pilot as the plane was hanging in the river canyon. According to witnesses, the pilot appeared to have lost control of the plane before crashing.
This is not the first time a plane has crashed after takeoff at the small airport.
Photo of the crashed plane.
The last crash before yesterday was in October 2010, when a plane overloaded with 170 kilograms of cocaine crashed into the Torres river within minutes of take off.
Despite the stall, the telecom regulator, the Superintendencia de Telecomunicaciones (Sutel) confirms that the state telecom, the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE) on Friday signed the cell phone number portability agreement.
Thus, starting November 30, cellular telephone customers can switch operator and keep their number.
Claro, Movistar, Tuyo Móvil and Fullmóvil had already signed the deal earlier this month. The portability issue was hinging if ICE would play nice in the telecommunications playground or continue with its stall tactics.
Sutel spokesperson, Eduardo Castellón, said that starting on November 30, the consumer – and not the operator – will own their cell phone number.
The number portability register and transfer will be managed by the company, El Corte Ingles.
The visit of U.S. President Barack Obama next week has attracted the attention among Costa Ricans.
The U.S. Embassy has organized different activities related to the Obama visit, one being a carboard cutout of the U.S. President.
Some, as you can see in the photo, decided to express their admiration and even took the opportunity to take a photo and in the case of the urban musicians “De Punta a Punta”, dedicated Obama a folk song.
Apparent irregularities in the signing of the concession contract with OAS has led to a complaint being filed against Presidenta Laura Chinchilla and officials of the Concessions Council (Concejo de Concesiones, in Spanish).
José Rojas spent Friday afternoon with a prosecutor, giving his statement in which he alleges that the OAS signatory did not have the power to sign the contract and irregularities by the Presidenta and her officials.
The concession contract awarded to the Brazilian firm OAS for the rebuilding of the San José – San Ramón road, a contract that Presindeta Chinchilla announced on Monday would be rescinded, was signed by Brazilian Humberto Pereira as representative of the concessionaire.
However, Pereira had ceased to be the company’s legal representative 15 days before the signing. OAS argues that Pereira was still able to sign, because the revocation was filed with the Registro on February 12, 11 days after the signing of the contract.
According to the Registro, however, Pereira no loner had any power and that the only way it would be legal is if the Brazilian was totally unaware that he had been removed as representative of the company.
This is not the only aspect of the contract that raises questions. Even the Ombudsman (Defensoría de los Habitantes) has called for an account.
Being questioned is the notarized document by notary Marcela Alfaro, of the law firm Lacle y Gutiérrez. In comparing notes of the records of the notary and of the registry certificates, there appears to be a discrepancy.
Rojas, in filing his complaint, says that under the circumstances then there should be no compensation payment to the OAS.
At 6:14am Saturday a 4.3 earthquake rocked Costa Rica. The quake with its epicentre in the Central Pacific was felt in several parts of the country.
According to the OVSICORI of the National University, the epicentre was at sea, some 28 kilometres southwest of Estero Garita en Aguirre de Puntarenas (in the area of Quepos/Manuel Antonio) at a depth of 23 kilometres.
Reports say the quake felt in the Central Valley (San José and surrounding areas) and the the Southern zone.
Costa Rica is known for its Pura Vida. The phrase is used for just about anything, from hello, to I am doing fine, to that is the way of things in this great country of ours.
Thus, the only term to apply to the delays in getting the traffic cameras operational is: Pura Vida.
A few years back the great minds at the Consejo de Seguridad Vial (Cosevi) – Road Safety Council – came up with a plan to place traffic cameras at strategic points to reduce speeding and thus carnage on our roads.
The cameras went up, after some Pura Vida, they started working and within weeks, Pura Vida, they were shut down for some legal reasons in the process of fining speeding drivers.
Pura Vida to the hundreds who paid their traffic camera speeding ticket on time and even more Pura Vida to the thousands who did things the Costa Rican way, don’t be the first to anything, especially pay traffic fines.
Since, armed with the new Ley de Transito (traffic law) of October 2012, the Cosevi has been working on a new traffic camera program.
Having resolved the legal notification issue – the new traffic law requires every licensed driver to register an email for notification – a deal was struck with the state telecom, Radiográfica Costarricense (Racsa).
Under the agreement, Racsa would operate the camera system and notify speeding drivers. But, Pura Vida has kicked in and the for some reason the Cosevi board has not been able to sign the deal.
According to the Deputy Minister of Transport, Silvia Bolaños (formerly the director of the Cosevi), if the deal is not signed, it will have to go to public tender.
Bolaños says the delay is because of the resignation of former deputy minister, Rodrigo Rivera. Bolaños assures that the item – the Racsa deal – will be tabled at next week’s board meeting.
If and when the traffic cameras will be operational, the roads that will be covered first are the:
Autopista General Cañas (from La Sabana to the airpot Juan Santamaría)
Autopista Florencio del Castillo (road to Cartago)
Circunvalacion
Radial Alajuela (from the Santamaría airport to the Mall Internacional
When the program is fully complete over the next four years, the system will include up to 150 cameras.
John F. Kennedy (JFK) was one of the first U.S. Presidents to visit Costa Rica from March 18 to March 20,1963. Costa Ricans loved, admired and respected President John F. Kennedy.
The President and his entourage came to Costa Rica to attend a summit with the presidents of six countries in Latin America. This was a historical day in Costa Rica because JFK received a huge turnout of Costa Ricans, more than any other Costa Rican event in the country’s history. Costa Rican school children lined both sides of Paseo Colón to watch President Kennedy’s motorcade pass by.
Another historic event coincided with JFK’s visit to Costa Rica, the eruption of the Irazú Volcano.Falling ash from the eruption caused heavy damage to infrastructure and life in San José and its surroundings for over a year and spread from Costa Rica to Nicaragua.
Costa Ricans were so enamored by President Kennedy’s visit that they named a park in the suburb of San Perdo after him. The park is located on a corner, across from the church and about 200 metres south of the University of Costa Rica (UCR) and commuter train line.
The next president to visit Costa Rica was the first president Bush (Geroge Sr.) who came to attend a hemispheric summit from October 27-28 1989 at the newly inaugurated Plaza de la Democracia in downtown San José. I vividly remember this event since I went to see the festivities.
In 1997, Bill Clinton came to Costa Rica as the president of the United States for the 1997 Summit of the Americas, where he joined Latin American leaders in pledging commitments to sustainable development. Much like they did when President Kennedy visited, schoolchildren greeted the president as his motorcade worked its way along Paseo Colón on the way to a meeting at the Teatro Nacional in the heart of downtown San José. The president actually mingled with the crowd outside the theatre and several people gave him souvenirs. I was there with my young son and witnessed the events of the day.
A couple of things really stood out about Mr. Clinton’s visit. First, when Hilary was interviewed she stated that Costa Rica was one of the countries they really wanted to visit during Bill’s presidency. Also, when the president was about to depart on Air Force One he picked up a large Costa Rican flag and waved it back and fourth several times. I have never seen a U.S. president do anything similar. I guess he was really impressed with our country and its people.
President Obama is set to visit Costa Rica on May 3-4th as part of a trip which will also include a visit to Mexico. He will meet with the heads of the Central American Integration System (SICA). This will be the first U.S. president to visit Costa Rica since Bill Clinton’s in 1997.
According to a recent Gallup poll seventy-eight percent of Costa Ricans have a favourable opinion of Mr. Obama. This his a higher approval rating than in his own country. Costa Ricans are also convinced that the president’s visit will also improve relations between the two countries.
On the Parque España’s northeast corner is the Casa Amarilla, an elegant colonial-style house that is home to the Ministry of Foreign affairs (full name in Spanish is the Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores y Culto de Costa Rica).
The glorious ceiba tree in front was planted by John F Kennedy during his 1963 visit to Costa Rica attending the Conference of Presidents of the Central American Republics. If you walk around to the property’s northeast corner, you can see a graffiti-covered slab of the Berlin Wall standing in the rear garden.
Casa Amarilla, also known as Yellow House is where Presidenta Laura Chinchilla will receive U.S. President Barack Obama on his first visit to the country on May 3, and the location of the Central American Integration System (SICA) summit.
Casa Amarilla was built with the intention of hosting the first permanent international tribunal in the world, the Central American Court of Justice that never came to be, because just as it was set to be inaugurated, the convention expired and the building ceded to the government of Costa Rica.
In 1907 the five Central American countries agreed to form the Central American Court of Justice, the first to have jurisdiction over human rights. The first permanent international court in the world had its home in Cartago thanks to US$100,000 donation by philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. Unfortunately two years later it was destroyed by the Cartago earthquake.
A piece of the Berlin Wall on the grounds of Casa Amarilla.
Carnegie donated another equal amount to erect a new building in San José and designed by American architect Henry Withfield. The Court building was named the Central American Peace Palace (Palacio de la Paz Centroamericana, in Spanish), although it was also known as Carneige Palace, Yellow Castle or Yellow House (Casa Amarilla), as it is known today.
In 1920, Central America gave the building to Costa Rica and became the offfice of the President until 1922. In 1924, the building became the temporary headquarters of the National Congress, as the Nationla Palace was destroyed by an earthquake that year.
Since it has been the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In 1963 Casa Amarilla doubled its capacity with the addition of a basement and in the 1970’s expanded again to accommodate all of the departments of the the ministry.
Fifty eight years after its creation, in 1976, the building was declared architectural heritage and between 1990-1994 the government acquired the remaining properties in the block to form Freedom Square (Plaza de la Libertad Juan Mora Fernández), where the gift from Germany, a piece of the Berlin Wall, was placed.
Casa Amarilla is located in Barrio Amón, between Avenida 7 (Avenida Franklin Roosevelt) and Avenida 9 (Avenida Peralta), Calle 11 (Paseo República Argentina) and Calle 13, adjacent to the Instituto Nacional de Seguros (INS) building
Drivers with points under the old system get a clean slate today
Right Hand Vehicles banned starting today
It was six months ago, on October 26, 2012, when the new Ley de Tránsito (Traffic Law) introduced a new point system, but, it is today that the system goes into effect.
Under the new system, points are accumulated per each offense. By accumulating twelve points, the driver license will be suspended for a year.
For examle, reckless driving (driving between 120 km/h an 150 km/h) is a six point offence. Carrying children under the age of 12 and shorter tha 1.45 metres (4.7 feet) without a child seat/booster, a driver accumulates four points for each offence. Driving under the influence of alcohol or crossing the median, is each a six point offence.
In addition to the points, there is a monetary fine. In the case of the foregoing examples, each fine is ¢280.000 colones (US$560).
The change in some way generates an amnesty for violations under the old point system, giving drivers the opportunity to start over again. For clarity, if a driver had lost points under the old system – remember each license started with 50 and points were deducted per each offence) – applicable up to yesterday, today slate is wiped clean.
One other major change that also goes into effect today is “righ hand drive” (RHD) vehicles. No longer are right hand drive vehicles permitted and Riteve, the vehicular inspection service, has been instructed to reject any inspections of RHD. It is estimated there some 300 RHD vehicles in the country.
In the minds of many these days in Costa Rica is the upcoming visit by U.S. President Barack Obama. The conversations surrounding the visit usually end up with questions like, where is the conference being held and where will the president be staying?
The answers to these questions are sketchy at best, partly due to security reasons, but also because the details are still being worked out, changing daily based on risk assessments by the President’s security forces.
What we do know is that President Obama will be staying mainly in the central area of San José.
According to the Ministro de Comunicación (Costa Rica’s minister of communications), Francisco Chacón, Obama will go from the airport to the Casa Amarilla (Ministry of Foreign Relations) located in Barrio Amon. The Casa Amarilla is the “yellow house” located adjacent to the INS building and across from the Parque España.
Here, at Casa Amarilla, the U.S. president will take part in the Central American Integration System (SICA in Spanish) meetings, that groups the presidents of Central America and the Dominican Republic.
At Casa Amarilla, President Obama will also hold private meetings with Costa Rica’s Presidenta Laura Chinchilla.
According Chacón, lunch at the Teatro Nacional is a good possibility
From there the details are less and the questions many.
Will Obama visit the U.S. Embassy in Pavas? Maybe, the exterior – the outside wall of the compound – has been getting a paint job.
Where will he be staying? Your guess is as good as mine. The U.S. Ambassador’s home in Escazú? At the Intercontinental or Marriott? Or on Air Force One? where Obama has his own suite and all the comforts (and security) of home.
What route will he be taking? We know that the presidential motorcade made up of “The Beast”, the presidential limo, and six other security vehicles that move with the President when outside the US. The presidential limo is basically a “pimped up” tank.
The autopista General Cañas – the major route into San José – is getting dressed up for the event. Paseo Colon and the Avenida Segunda are really the only roads wide enough from a security point of view, and the only roads that do not show the dark, sleazy side of downtown San José.
It is unlikely that the U.S. President will be taken through the area known as the Coca Cola, the Mercado Bourbon, Paso de La Vaca or Barrio Mexico – streets that are littered with, well, litter and home to many of San José’s indigents.
Normally the Presidential motorcase is made up of 20 vehicles. What we do know is that the Air Fore C-17 Globemaster III will be carrying only seven. I am sure that there will be a group of “local” vehicles accompaying the the US security force.
How long will be staying? Obama is schedule to arrive sometime Friday afternoon. The specific time when Air Force One is to land at the Juan Santamaria (San José) airport is being withheld, and is to leave sometime Saturday afternoon. The arrival and the departure of President Obama will be felt by many, as the San José airport operations and all commercial flights will be suspended for up to two hours before the presidential arrival/departure. Private and cargo flights will be suspended starting Friday morning, says the airport manager.
Will the visit affect traffic in San José? That is a definite. You can expect the major routes like the General Cañas, Paseo Colon and Avenida Segunda and surrounding streets completely closed off to all vehicular traffic during Obama’s movements.
Minister of Security Mario Zamora said in an interview for ADN 90.7 FM that U.S .President Barack Obama’s visit next week represents a major security challenge.
The complication arises, according to Zamora, from the fact that besides protecting President Obama, they will have to watch over the delegations from the Central American countries which will attend the summit of the Central American Integration System (SICA in Spanish).
“We will have several presidential entourages in different areas of the capital city, which means a major challenge because we will have to provide security to a large number of delegations, starting upon the arrival of their planes and continuing when they move to the venues of their meetings and to their lodgings,” Zamora said.
The Minister said that they are working in advance on a list of threats, both local and international. Also, that they are coordinating with the officials in charge of security for each of the delegations.
The measures to be taken include giving a day off to public workers in San Jose, checkpoints on the roads, and increased controls at airports and borders.
Obama arrives in Costa Rican on Friday, May 3 and is scheduled to leave the following day.
On Monday, an alumnus of a Dutch secondary school in Leiden threatened to shoot up the school. Thanks to computer experts and officials of the city of Leiden, they were able to determine that the computer used by the suspect was located in Costa Rica.
The investigation into the threat led the Royal Dutch Polie to contact the Organismo de Investigacion Judical (OIJ) in Costa Rica.
Based on the IP information, it led OIJ officials to a hostel in Sabana Este, who were able to confirm the identity of the suspest and that he had been a guest at the hostel for several months.
Meanwhile, officials in Leiden lowered their alert level based on the OIJ information, re-opening the school after Monday’s closure.
Accordig to Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería (Costa Rica’s immigration service), the young man arrived in Costa Rica last September, visited Nicaragua in January, returning to Costa Rica on April 15.
The hostel manager told the OIJ that the young man had left for Puerto Viejo de Limón days before. But, that didn’t detract Costa Rican officials in their intent to find the man.
It was around 5:30pm Thursday when the OIJ was able to locate the man seeking refuge in the Dutch Embassy in San José.
Francisco Segura, director of the OIJ, confirmed the location of the young man and explaiend that no arrest had been made and that the Dutch Embassy has offered to pay for the ticket back to his home country.
