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.
The ¢550 colones fare set by the regulating authority for the San José – Cartago service is just not enough for the Instituto Costarricenses de Ferrocarriles (Incofer), says the railway’s president, Miguel Carabaguíaz.
According to Carabaguíaz, the Autoridad Reguladora de Servicios Públicos (Aresep) has not yet fully understood the rising costs of train operation, especially with respect to fuel.
The commuter train to east of San José was to have started this month. However, according to Carabaguíaz, it won’t until the next month as the Incofer appeals the Aresep decision.
The Incofer says it needs ¢565 colones – ¢15 colones more – from each passenger to cover costs.
Carabaguíaz confirmed that they won’t print the tickets and start rolling the trains until the Aresep appeal has been heard, which could take weeks.
Costa Rican police arrested 30 drug traffickers from four countries over the course of a year-long investigation that has shed light on the increasing transnationalization of the country’s organized crime.
Costa Rica Security Minister Mario Zamora Cordero
During the investigation, which began in May 2012, Costa Rican authorities identified four separate criminal organizations that worked together, said Security Minister Mario Zamora Cordero.
According to the authorities, one of the organizations bought Colombian cocaine in Panama and supplied it to the other three, who moved it from Costa Rica to Honduras, and then Mexico, reported El Porvenir.
Over the course of operations, authorities arrested seven Colombians, three Nicaraguans, one Panamanian and 19 Costa Ricans, and confiscated 3.1 tons of cocaine.
The latest arrests took place on April 24, when authorities detained 10 suspected members of one of the groups in a series of raids. A Colombian national arrested during the raids was identified as the suspected leader of the group.
Anti-Drugs Commissioner Mauricio Boraschi said that following the latest arrests, all of the main participants and leaders of the group have now been captured, putting an end to their operations.
Costa Rica’s importance as a drug trafficking hub has grown rapidly in recent years, as evidenced by reports that the country is now a transit point for cocaine which goes to 39 destinations on four continents. There have also been reports that an increasing number of Mexicans and Colombian traffickers are using the country as a base, leading to an increase in organized crime-related homicides.
Current President Laura Chinchilla has admitted the country is ill-equipped to respond adequately to the organized crime threat, putting it at risk of joining other Central American countries wracked by violence and corruption linked to drug trafficking and organized crime.
Disney and Marvel Studios’ Iron Man 3 roared out of the gate at the international box office, opening Wednesday to $13.2 million from a dozen territories on its way to a $110 million-plus foreign debut.
The tentpole, returning Robert Downey Jr. in the title role, earned ahead of Iron Man 2 in Australia and France, grossing $3.4 million and $3 million, respectively, and coming in just behind last year’s Marvel blockbuster The Avengers.
Australia marked Marvel’s biggest opening day outside of last year’s The Avengers, and the third biggest superhero opening behind Avengers and The Dark Knight.
In Italy, Iron Man 3 posted the biggest opening day of the year with $2.1 million. And in the Philippines and Taiwan, the threequel posted the highest opening day of all time with $1.5 million and $1.4 million, respectively.
Iron Man 3 is opening internationally a week ahead of its North American debut May 3, similar to Iron Man 2, which posted a foreign opening of roughly $100 million in 2010.
Disney has high hopes for the threequel — directed by franchise newcomer Shane Black — although the studio has yet to resolve a prickly battle with select U.S. theater owners over terms.
On Thursday, Iron Man 3 opens in another raft of territories, and by Sunday, it will be playing in 80 percent of the international marketplace, minus North America, China and Russia.
You can see Iron Man 3 at all major cinemas in San José. But the best will be on the big Imax screen at Cinema Nova in Escazú.
Robert Downey Jr. and Susan Downey
Robert Downey Jr. flashes three fingers for the cameras while posing with his wife, Susan Downey at the Iron Man 3 premiere.
Presidenta Laura Chinchilla does not want talks with President Barack Obama limited to drug trafficking. The Presidenta claimed that, in precedent occasions, the meetings between the United States and Central America have focused on this issue; however, this time she wants a wider agenda.
Therefore, she pointed out, during the visit of President Obama she will take advantage of to talk about different issues, which will range from increasing US investment in the region to cooperation in the teaching of English. Obama will be in San Jose on May 3rd and 4th.
Chinchilla remarked that the focus of the meeting will be “development”, which implies speaking about different initiatives.
As an example, there will be talks about ways of improving the digital government and for the transfer of technology.
Also, Presidenta Chinchilla said, there will be talks on the training of human resources and on the generation of clean energy, among which she stressed importing natural gas for the production of electricity.
This, however, does not mean that the security issue will not be discussed.
The Government has not defined yet the venues for the different meetings.
Using the staging of “Quiene Quiere Ser Millionario?”, a production by local television station Teletica, the artists of CRHoy.com bring us this amusing toon of how the government is to determine what amount to pay the Brazilian company OAS for the cancellation of the San José – San Ramón road concession.
The water level in the Arenal reservoir hydroelectric complex is three to four metres below optimun levels established by the state power company, the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE).
ICE officials say the level today is 535.3 metres above sea leavel, one of the lowest in history, similar to that recorded in 1994, 1995 and 2007.
According to ICE engineer, José Corrales, the situation is concerning because if the current demand continues, by mid-May the situation will be critical, which could mean power shortages and an increase in rates.
ICE president, Teófilo de la Torre, acknowledges the plight of the reservoir and that return to normal levels will depend on the amount of rainfall during the coming rainy season.
The drop in hydroelectric production means firing up generators using bunker fuel, increasing costs for the state power company, which in turns means a request for higher electricity rates from the consumer.
Former bank manager turned bank robber, Juan Carlos Quesada, was set free on bail last night, following a hearing by the Juzgado Penal de Hacienda.
Quesada is accused of embezzling ¢378 million colones from the Banco Nacional branch in Santa Teresita last January. After substracting the money from the branch, Quesada disappeared, but gave himself up to authorities days later on January 24.
Quesada does not deny taking the money, maintaining that he was forced into subtracting the money from the branch he had manages for several years.
Painting the sidewalks red to show the aggression faced by the handicapped to get around San José, is the idea of artist Maria Alicia Rodriguez, to aims to to bring this social problem to the conscience of all Costa Ricans.
The project is called “100en1dia”.
The first “red” sidealks can be found in the areas of the Allianza Francesa and the CENAC, which has taken aback many a pedestrian, for it is uncommon for the sidewalks to be painted the colour red.
The artist is hoping that others will pick up on the idea. Rodriguez said that none at the municipal or state government wants to be involved. “If we want change, we have to do it ourselves”, said the artist.
Medical tourism has seen a surge in popularity over the last 10 to 15 years, as many discover the savings that can be enjoyed by traveling abroad for medical and dental work.
InternationalLiving.com recently released its 2013 Health Care Survey, looking not only at the affordability of medical services and procedures abroad, but at the cost of living and real estate values as well.
With expats and experts alike weighing in, International Living has listed the top seven countries for high-quality health care overseas.
In the list of Internationaliving.com’s “Best Havens For Quality Health Care”, Costa Rica was ranked number 1. Following Costa Rica in the ranking is Malaysia, Panama, France, Uruguay, Mexico and Ecuador.
According to Internationalliving.com, Costa Rica in first place is for convenience, comfort, and care.
By Jason Holland / Back in California Laurel and Charles Carpenter paid $1,200 a month for health insurance. Now, living in the Central Valley town of Atenas, Costa Rica, they pay just $88 a month to be in the Caja—the country’s universal health-care system. Charles has multiple sclerosis and the Caja covers all his treatments and medications. With the money they don’t spend on insurance, they can afford to have a private, full-time nurse, which would cost $9,000 or more per month in the States. Charles’ and Laurel’s story is similar to that of other expats in Costa Rica. Expats must join the Caja (La Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social) to get a residence visa.
But with health care in Costa Rica—in both the public and private systems—among the best in Central America, that requirement is hardly a negative. And the Caja’s cost is low. It’s determined by your income but generally only runs $30 to $90 per person per month. And that monthly fee covers everything, from prescriptions to doctor visits to testing to surgeries.
The public health system has a large network of clinics and hospitals throughout the country. But while emergencies are treated right away, wait times for routine procedures can be up to several months. As a result, many expats use a combination of the public and private health-care systems. In the private system, wait times are practically nil and doctors are very accessible.
I have the cell-phone numbers and email addresses of all my family’s doctors. And they answer. The costs are also low—as little as half the U.S. rate for most procedures. A visit to a general practitioner can run $50 to $60, for instance, and $80 to $100 to visit a specialist. Doctors tack on an extra $20 to $30 to make house calls.
At these rates, it’s possible to pay out of pocket. And some expats do. But you can get low-cost private insurance through the government-affiliated Instituto Nacional de Seguros (INS). Like most private insurers, INS excludes pre-existing conditions and does not take new policy-holders aged 75 and older. Annual premiums for INS are in the low $2,000s for those aged 55 to 65, up to the $5,000 range for those aged 76 to 80. Many U.S. and European insurance plans are also accepted in Costa Rica. Costa Rica has three JCI-accredited hospitals, all in the capital, San José. Most of the specialist doctors and services are concentrated here.
CIMA is affiliated with Baylor University Hospital in Texas, and Clinica Biblica is affiliated with Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami and Evergreen Healthcare in Washington. Many Costa Rican doctors trained in North America or studied English, so they speak some English. Many are fluent. Every doctor I’ve spoken with attends conferences in his specialty abroad.
Expat Luc Charette, 66, originally from Montreal, puts it well: “I’ve always dealt with the medical system here with great confidence. I’ve never had a doubt about being treated in Costa Rica. For example, I know the surgeon scheduled to perform my valve replacement went to the States to study, so his qualifications are top-notch.”
A new species from Costa Rica is attracting many researchers. This species has been dubbed as Tinkerbella nana after getting inspired from Peter Pan.
Tinkerbella nana is a newly found species of fairyfly. It is a type of chalcid wasp, and lives like a parasite on the eggs and larvae of other insects. They exude their nutrients from their prey and are also useful for farmers. They often use them to control the pests.
Mostly all fairyflies are extremely tiny. This also includes Kikiki huna, a Hawaiian species that grows to be only 0.005 inches long. It is almost the size of a drawing pen. The researchers headed by John Huber of Natural Resources Canada found out the insect eggs in leaf litter, soil and on plants in the Costa Rican province of Alajeula.
Their small size makes it difficult to find them. But, the researchers did find them and none of them were more than 250 micrometers in length.
After observing them, it was found that these insects have very fine scales, long, skinny wings, which end in hairlike fringe. This wing shape aids these small insects to reduce disturbance and drag when they fly.
One of the researchers, John Huber said, “If we have not already found them, we must surely be close to discovering the smallest insects”.
Costa Rica’s VP, Aflio Piva (left) meeting with China’s VP, Li Yuanchao (right).
BEIJING — Chinese Vice President Li Yuanchao on Wednesday met with Costa Rica’s first vice-resident, Alfio Piva.
When meeting with Piva, Li said China is ready to work with Costa Rica to deepen political mutual trust, enhance mutually beneficial cooperation and enrich people-to-people exchanges, so as to promote comprehensive development of bilateral ties.
Piva said Costa Rica is willing to strengthen bilateral exchanges and cooperation in the sectors of agriculture, the economy and trade, infrastructure, education and territorial planning.
Costa Rica would like to promote the overall cooperation between China and Latin American countries, he said.
China’s VP also met with former U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson in separate meetings. While meeting with Paulson, Li said China and the United States should seek more opportunities for cooperation and expand their common interests in line with the spirit of mutual trust and tolerance.
He urged the two countries to consolidate the mutually beneficial and win-win economic and trade pattern, so as to benefit the two peoples.
Paulson said he will continue to play a positive role in promoting bilateral cooperation in investment, environmental protection and entrepreneurship training programs.
