Taking the words from the singer NEK, a website was named “Laura Se Fue”, offering a count down to the second when Presidenta Laura Chinchilla is no longer in charge in Costa Rica.
With the “Trocha” (trail road) as the background image www.laurasefue.com was created by info tech Estaban Cairol, who says that the portal reflects the discomfort of the people of the current government and to infom the public on the upcoming elections and presidential candidates.
On the first day, more than 300 messages were posted and 500 people remained connect for hours, exceeding the expectations of the creator.
The counter is the intial hook, as many just sit there and stare the seconds and minutes count down to the day when Costa Rica is not longer in doña Laura’s hands.
Pedro Castro’s days as Transport Minister appear numbered. His adovcacy of a “ruining” contract, his performance as “representative” to the concessionaire and his “conflict of interest” of having worked with several companies that later became State, are some of the reasons that might lead Presidenta Laura Chinchilla to do “damage control”.
The Presidenta has been doing some side peddling after staunchily supporting the concession contract for the San José – San Ramón road reconstruction and backing the work of her Transport Minister.
Lowering the tolls, offering up the contract to a commission for analysis and saying through her Communications Minister that the government does not rule out the rescinding of the contract, may just be missing one key element in the damage control: the removal of Castro.
Communications Minister, Franisco Chacon – a post similar to a White House Press Secretary – revealed this week that the government will be spending an additional ¢160 million colones to improve the Administration’s image, meaning the image of the Presidenta and her remaining term, wich many view as a futile effort.
The concession contract, a 30 year concession with a cost of US$530 million dollars, has become a political hot potatoe that, well, they only way out for the Presidenta is cutting her minister loose and succumbing to the opposition.
For doña Laura, the current controversy could make her a lame duck president until her term expires May 2014. The series of controversies and allegations of impropriaties – not necessarily hers, but by her underlings – may render her totally powerless to govern a country that, in the words of former president Oscar Arias, “is ungovernable”.
The Presidenta has had to deal with the major corruption scandal of the northern border road with Nicaragua, “La Trocha”, the fallout from a 2010 incident over a historical territory in dispute between Nicaragua and Costa Rica continues to be a compass of relations between the administrations of Costa Rican president Laura Chinchilla and Nicaragua’s Daniel Ortega.
The hits that the Presidenta has taken include last year removing then Transport Minister, Francisco Jiménez, forced out over another corruption scandal that included the theft of firearms from a MOPT warehouse. And much more. During her term to date, 13 of Chinchilla’s 23 ministers have left their posts.
Public confidence in the Presidenta has continued to decline after beginning her presidency in May 2010 with a strong mandate and clear policy priorities to strengthen environmental protections, security, and family welfare. While she initially enjoyed strong public approval, by July 2011, public confidence in her administration eventually fell due to corruption scandals and the faltering economy. By September 2012, one poll revealed that Chinchilla had the lowest approval rating in the hemisphere – 13 percent.
It is understatement to say the Presidenta has been having some rough times. But, this is politics and in Costa Rica politics the focus of the people’s favour – or disfavour – is just another headline away.
Former President Pacheco says current contract is a “barbarity”
The original contract he signed was “something else entirely different”
The concession contract for the San José – San Ramón road reconstruction goes back a few years to the Abel Pacheco (2002-2006) administration, when the then president signed the first concession contract.
It was during this time that the Consejo Nacional de Concesiones (CNC) – National Concessions Council – awarded the contract to Autopista del Valle, who later would assigned the contract to the OAS, alleging difficulties in obtaining financing for the project.
Speaking with CRHoy.com, Pacheco said he does not remember the details of the contract that bears his signature except that it was “something completely different than that agreed with the Brazilian company, OAS”.
In the interview, the former president said it was his Transport minister, Ovidio Pacheco (no relation to don Abel) – at the time of the signing – who worked out the details of the concession. Don Abel said he called on his former minister, who was in the post only six weeks and his successor, and says he does not remember the details.
Ovidio was followed by Randall Quirós.
“Well, I remember Ovidio was the one who had the contracts and Randall spoke of them and yes, as President and not a specialist in the field, it seemed to it was good…But of course what I’m seeing today is a total ‘barbaridad’ (barbarity), and is nothing like the other contract (the one he signed)”, Pacheco told CRHoy.com
Pacheco emphasized that the persons who would know more on the subject is Randall Quiros and Karla González, who followed Quiros as Transport Minister in the Arias administration (2006-2010).
“No, no, no. I repeat that it was something else entirely different. The cost was an amount that would be ridiculous today; the cost was less than half and for half of the years, but Randall has a very clear mind. Why do you not ask him?”, were the final words in the interview.
The signing page of the original contract back in 2004. Image CRHoy.com
The current concession contract with OAS is for US$530 million dollars and for a term of 30 years. The current Transport Minister, Pedro Castro and Presidenta, Laura Chinchilla, have come under fire for signing the agreement with the Brazilian firm, a and opponents allege improprieties.
The number of cases of Dengue keeps increasing, with more than 7.000 cases so far this year, and the rainy season ahead of us.
Authorites say this year’s number is an increase of 300% over the same period last year.
The concern is that with the rainy season approaching, the number of Dengue cases increase. Authorities are calling on everyone to eliminate potential mosquito breeding sites.
Old tires and stagnant water just about anywhere can easily convert to a mosquito playground.
Dengue symptoms can easily be confused with the common cold: headaches, malaise, sore eyes and joints, etc.
Most of the cases this year have been reported in the Cental Pacific (Puntarenas, Jacó, Quepos, for example) and the Chorotega region.
I love me a good macaroon. And I love me some rich raw desserts. But as I write this post, I am finding it difficult to simply write about the recipes that follow. You see, this week marks the hugest milestone thus far when it comes to my adventures in culinary creative arts and yoga.
Yes, this week marks my official transition from unfulfilled television director with loads of emotional baggage, into full time yogi & raw food retreat facilitator carrying her life in her baggage…as I settle into my new home in Costa Rica.
Say what? Yes indeed, the dream I first dreamed in March of 2010 has come into fruition, and all the work I have put in over the course of the last year-and-a-half has brought me the opportunity of a lifetime — the universe has granted my wish. I have just accepted a position down south and this coming fall will be ditching my apartment, furniture, and life as it exists in Toronto today, to embark on a new and exciting journey in the jungle.
Thinking back to just three years ago when I was in my darkest place, hitting my proverbial rock bottom, I could never have imagined where I’d be today. It was such a place of grief, self-pity and lack, and I definitely had more than just a little bit of trouble keeping the faith. But I did, and I have, and here we are today. It is just astounding what can happen when you simply soldier on.
Today I am filled with an overwhelming feeling of abundance and grace, reeling over the absolute craziness of this life. I am going to celebrate this feeling of plenty (plant-y?) by making a batch of each of the following; two of my absolute fave raw vegan snacks. And when I am done, I will share them, and my gratitude, with all those whom I love.
[colored_box color=”blue”]Chocolate Macaroons Adapted from Cyrstal Bruneau’s recipe, owner of Hacienda Del Sol, a beautiful rustic retreat centre located on the remote Guanacaste Peninsula of Costa Rica, and my new soon-to-be workplace.
3 C of shredded coconut
1 C of raw cacao
1 t lucuma powder
1 t sea salt
1.5 T of maca root powder
3/4 C of raw honey
1/4 C of coconut oil
In large bowl mix all ingredients with a spatula. Create “igloo” shape using an ice cream scoop or rounded tablespoon. Dehydrate until desired texture is reached, anywhere from five to 14 hours!
White Magic Macaroons
3 C shredded coconut
¼ C coconut oil
½ C brown rice syrup (not raw but I like the chewiness it gives. Sub agave if you want)
1 t lucuma powder
Mix. Shape. Dehydrate.
*Oven option: set oven on lowest heat setting, line baking sheet with parchment and spread macaroons evenly. “Bake” for an hour, with the oven door propped open (I used the thin end of my rolling pin to hold the door slightly ajar).[/colored_box]
By Meghan Pearson, Nutritarian, Culinary Nutrition Expert & owner, MAP Wellness
Published originally by the Huffpost Living Canada
The Foro Occidente and Legislator, Luis Fishman, presented on Thursday 10 possible ways the government can get out of the concession contract with the OAS, the Brazilian company awarded the 30 year concession to rebuild the San José – San Ramón road.
Fishman enumerated the grounds he feels would cancel the contract and not cost the people. Of the points the legislator point out that the amount of the contract cannot increase more than 50% of the initial value and that the tolls to be charged on the road must be approved by the Autoridad Reguladora de los Servicios Públicos (ARESEP).
On these points, questioned is the US$530 million dollar price tag, a cost many feel is over inflated and that the OAS is the one setting the toll charges.
The legislator added that it was also necessary to have had a preliminary hearing with the institutions involved in the project and that the Contraloría General de la República (Comptroller) wrongly endorsed the awarding of the contract to Autopistas del Valle or OAs.
On the list, the group says the project lacks public interest, then there’s the conflict of interest by the Minister of Transport, Pedro Castro, who is believed to have intervened in the bidding process, for up to 2012 Castro was an advisor to the contract firm.
Speaking on behalf of the Foro de Occidente, a group that has been a vocal opponent to the concession, is calling on Presidenta Laura Chinchilla to do the right thing and cancel the contract.
Come September, if Fedefutbol president gets his way, Costa Rica’s national soccer teams plans to exact revenge on the U.S. team, retribution for having to play in the snow last month, resulting a loss for the Ticos.
The plan? Play the game at the “Monster’s Cave” (La Cueva del Monstruo), also known as the Ricardo Saprissa Stadium, instead of the big and new National Stadium and with its pristine grass turf.
Costa Rica’s players are used to the Saprissa, a stadium that some call a “house of horrors”. Just last weekend the stadium wasn’t functioning properly in a league clash between Saprissa and archrivals Alajulense. Also, there’s the constant issue of illumination problems, among others.
And there’s the stadium fans. “Saprisistas”, as they are called, are fans extraordinaire. Though it is not the Saprissa team that is on the field, there are Saprissa players on the National Team and, most important, it is in “their” stadium.
Add this to the fact that, the artificial turf and proximity of fans to the fields and lockers, the Estadio Ricardo Saprissa has been a nightmare venue for the USMNT.
The Americans have never won there, holding an 0-7-1 record in World Cup qualifying in Costa Rica.
The 2nd Craft Beer Festival (II Festival de Cerveza Artesanal) will take place Saturday, April 20, at Avenida Escazú, providing an excellent opportunity for all in Costa Rica to know the concept of craft beer.
The event is organizrd by the Asociación de Cerveceros Caseros Artesanales de Costa Rica, with the support of Restaurantes Product-C. The event takes place between 11am and 7pm.
This festival is designed to provide the versatility that exists in the world of beer, with an educational approach, while the participants will have fun and relax in a pleasant atmosphere accompanied good music.
Tickets are now on sale. Cost is ¢15.000 colones and you must 18 years of age and over. The price of admission includes:
Tasting of all the beers at the festival (at least 15 different craft beers) in samples of 4 oz
T-shirt, passport, glass commemorative decal.
Access to educational lectures and awards of II National Tournament Homemade Beer
Tickets can only be purchased pre-sale licensed premises. No tickets will be sold at the event.
United Airlines last week began offering non-stop flights from Washington-Dulles International Airport (IAD) to three Central American cities.
The airline began offering the flights Saturday to Guatemala City, Guatemala and San Jose (SJO), Costa Rica.
“These new flights strengthen United’s Latin American route network and provide more convenient travel options for our customers,” said Millie Uriarte, director, Latin America Onshore & Caribbean Sales.
More than 630,000 people living in Virginia are of Hispanic origin, according to Creciendo Juntos; of those, it’s estimated 34 percent are foreign-born, according to the Web site.
One of the options being discussed by the government is a renegotiation of the concession contract for the San José – San Ramón reconstruction.
The General Cañas now.
To do that it has to evaluate the actual cost of the work, to determine if it differs from the US$530 million dollars the government has contracted with the Brazilian company, OAS.
Determint the actual cost will be up to the professionals of the Association of Engineers and Architects (CFIA), National Laboratory of Materials and Structural Models (LANAMME) and the Technological Institute of Costa Rica (TEC).
According to the experts, they will be making a technical and financial audit that includes an analysis fo the desigs, calculations and cost of the work that would be done by the OAS.
The president of the CFIA, José Guillermo Marín, said “we called for a technical and financial audit, to that extent the first thing we do is a first exploration of what the scope of these studies and to that extent we will incorporate professionals, essentially the people with experience in roads and road construction. ”
According to Marín, the time to complete the study relies heavily on the information available. To that end, the CIFA board is asking for 100% access to all information, highlighing that this is an analysis of an important road, and not just a common road.
The manager of the international airport, Juan Santamaría, in San José has come under fire for denying an emergency landing for a medical helicopter.
Carmonair has filed an complaint against the airport when it could not land its helicopter to take on fuel on its way to picking up a patient with heart problems in Nosara. According to Carmonair, the patient is a foreigner in Costa Rica and required immediate transport to a San José medical facility.
The problem is that the heliport at the international airport is closed nightly to allow for work being carried out at the terminal.
The manager of the airport explains that the machinery used in the work is located around the helipad, causing it to be unusable. The work is expected to be completed by the end of the month, possibly as early as April 27, says the manager.
Carmonair argues, being an emergency, the helicopter could have been granted landing in another area of the terminal to take on fuel.
The company, in its filing with Aviación Civil (Civil Aviation), says it had to wait until 5am to be able to take on fuel and pick up the patient.
Aviacion officials confirm receiving the complaint and are analyzing the situation.
Costa Rica’s immigration service will be keeping a vigilant eye on companies that hire illegals. This after a case reported last week, where a company in Guanacaste was found to have 600 illegals employed.
The company (the name was not released to the press) located in La Cruz, Gunacaste, was found that it not only did not pay the illegal employess the required minimum wage, but also found them in overcrowded working conditions, working up to 14 hours a day, seven days a week.
The question being asked by immigration officials, how many more workers are in a similar situation prompted a co-ordinated effort between immigration officials and the Ministry of Labour to uncover other employers hiring illegals and forcing them in slave working conditions.
The plan also includes a co-ordination with Nicaragua’s embassy in Costa Rica, since the majority of the illegal workers are from that country.
The online news ElPais.cr offers this humorous look at the controversy surrounding our Presidenta, Laura Chinchilla and here Transport minister, Pedro Castro.
The caption, Pedro saying to Laura: “Diay, Laurita, the thing here is to run to avoid risking the chorizo (payoff)”.
A major 24-hour daily police operation is part of the preparations of the Ministry of Security for the visit of the President of the United States Barack Obama and of the heads of state of the SICA countries.
The summit of the Central American Integration System (SICA) will be held in San Jose on May 3rd and 4th.
The Minister of Security Mario Zamora said in a radio interview for ADN 90.7 that his office is setting up an operation defined as protection for very important people and dignitaries. “This plan is not meant only for the President of the United States but also for the Central American presidents who will attend the SICA summit,” Zamora said.
The minister guaranteed full coverage the 24 hours and asserted that the different police bodies and administrative staffs will partake in the security of the leaders.
“It is a major challenge to handle such an important event,” Minister Zamora pointed out. He chose not to disclose the number of officers which will be in charge of the security of the chiefs of state, but he was quick to point out that it will be “quite significant”.
President Obama is to arrive in Costa Rica next May 3rd for an official visit and the following day will be the special guest at the SICA summit.
The SICA members are Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama and the Dominican Republic. In a year, the latter, which is now an observer, will become a full-fledged member.
Obama’s Visit To Costa Rica Will Bring Day Off In the Capital
The government of Laura Chinchilla plans to include declaring a day off in San José on Friday, May 3, to ease the the logistics and security operation for the visit of the U.S. President, Barack Obama.
The possibility is in the list of options which Costa Rican authorities are coordinating with the United States delegates in charge of the preparations for the official activities to be held on May 3 and 4, when President Obama will be joined by six other heads of state invited to the Central American Integration System (SICA in Spanish).
“A day off is likely to ease the circulation of motorcades and would enable people to go watch them”, Minister of Communications Francisco Chacon said.
Chacon commented on Twitter that if the measure is approved it will only cover the public sector.
A one-day off decree was issued in 2008 when the President of China Hu Jintao visited Costa Rica. At that time it covered public employees in the San Jose and Montes de Oca cantons, bar those in essential services.
The day-off decision, however, will depend on the routes to be followed by President Obama and his entourage, which depend on the locations, which in turn depend on the agenda (still in the making) and on the thorough security protocols, also in the making. For the time being, the options to hold official events are the Presidential House, the Costa Rican Art Museum, the National Culture Center, and the Old Customs House, Mr. Chacon said, after warning that all of this is in a preliminary stage.
So far, at least three events are foreseen: a bilateral meaning with host President Laura Chinchilla, a multilateral meeting with the Central Americans, and a meeting with businessmen.
The visit to an institution and attending a cultural event are likely to be added. A new US advanced party will arrive here late next week.
Only one legislator, Fabio Molina, head of the Partido Liberación Nacional (PLN) legislative group, is publicly defending the San José – San Ramón concession.
Of the 57 legislators, he stands alone in the legislative chamber defeding with tooth and nail the concession contract for the rebuilding of the highway between San José and San Ramón, awarded to the Brazilian company, OAS.
Meanwhile, some his colleagues are publicly saying that the contract terms are not adequate, including Pilar Acuña and AliciaFournier, while others are asking for more explanations, for the population, before taking a public stand.
Where there is not fear to take a public stand on the issue, is the oppositio. All of them are against it.
The eleven legislators of the Partido Acción Ciudadana, the nein of the Movimiento Libertario, the six of the Partido Unidad Social Cristianan (PUSC), the three legislators of the PASE, José María Villalta of the Frente Amplio, Justo Orozco of the Renovación Costarricense and Carlos Avendaño of the Restauración Nacional.
During her visit to Costa Rica this week, India’s Minister of State for commerce and Industry, Daggubati Purandhareswari, raised issues concerning problems faced by the Indian community in Costa Rica in importing various food items from India.
In an official statement, minister said he also raised the visa problems faced by Indians and the problems in bidding by Indian pharmaceutical companies.
Purandeswari also raised the issue of inviting proposals under line of credit already issued by government of India.
In Costa Rica Purandhareswari held meetings with Costa Rica’s Minister of Health Daisy Maria Corrales Diaz and Minister of Science and Technology Alejandro Cruz.
The meetings resulted in the signing of one important Memorandum of understanding (MoU) establishing an institutional mechanism for enhancing trade and commerce ties between both the countries to next level.
India’s minister said a joint committee will be formed will be headed by India’s Commerce Secretary and Costa Rica’s Minister for.
The Costa Rican Soccer Federation (Fedefutbol) is trying to move it to Saprissa, an old, smaller stadium with artificial turf. Eduardo Li, president of the Costa Rican Soccer Federation, said Wednesday that’s what the people want.
“The voice of the people is the voice of God, and if people want us to play there, we will play in the Saprissa against the United States,” Li said in an interview with the radio station RadioADN.
The game is scheduled for September 6. For the change, besides the in country politics, the FIFA would have to approve the change in venue.
Li said that he spoke to Saprissa stadium manager, Juan Carlos Rojas, who was willing to make the necessary arrangements to host the game there. “I would not want to say anything else about the possibility of holding other matches there, but if we play at the Saprissa, we have to have the right conditions and that’s what I told Juan Carlos Rojas,” Li said.
The possible change of venue comes after Costa Rica lost 1-0 in its recent visit to the United States, a game played in heavy snow in Colorado. Costa Rica filed a complaint with FIFA about the field’s conditions, but the complaint was dismissed.
Before facing the United States, Costa Rica hosts Honduras on June 7. Four days later, it will visit to Mexico and then it will welcome to Panama for a home game on June 18.
Up to now the PLN presidential candidate, Johnny Araya, has been quiet on the San José – San Ramón concession controversy. Using his Facebook account, over the weekend, the soon not to be San José mayor suggested the creation of a “professional technical Commission” for analysis.
Araya suggests seeking legal mechanisms to get the contract before the Commission that would include professionals from the LANAMME, the Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica, the MOPT and the Association of Engineers and Architects.
Putting forth a position, Araya says that after listening to the expert opinions on the subject, he believes the contract is not viable and should be rejected by the government.
However, the presidential candidate added that the re-construction of the road is one of great importance for the country.
Araya says that under his proposal there should be a “reasonable” time given to the Commissio to make the analysis and identify new ways to rebuild the road.
The Ombudsman is demanding at the Ministerio de Salud (Ministry of Health) require “extreme measures” against aesthetic clinics.
This comes following several cases of patients suing their Costa Rican doctor alleging severe butt deformities. The cases involves aesthetic procedures performed by doctors who are not plastic surgeons, injecting patients with liquid silicon, known as PMMA biopolymer, into buttocks.
Ofelia Taitelbaum said she has met with officials of Health and representatives of the College of Physicians in order to establish the necessary measures to regulate aesthetic clinics.
While the Ombudsman calls for action the Ministry of Health and the College of Physicians are urging Legislators to approve a bill would improve the control of its members.
“Our goal is to have the reform in the legislature before May 1”, said Marino Ramirez, president of the College of Physicians.
Currently, the fine for minor breaches of the “Mora Code of Medical Ethics” is ¢200.000 colones or a warning. The reform would set fines from ¢800.000 to eight million colones.
Costa Rica’s Carlos Arredondo is being hailed a hero for his efforts during the Boston Marathon attack, as the cowboy-hatted peace campaigner and bereaved father Carlos, was a person even more extraordinary than usual.
The 52-year-old Costa Rican immigrant is visible in a series of photos and videos taken immediately after the twin blasts near the finish line. The distinctive, long-haired figure sprints across the street to tear away fencing and scaffolding to reach victims. Reports said he used his clothes and towels to try to staunch bleeding.
In one graphic photograph, Arredondo can be seen seemingly pinching shut the end of an artery on the part-severed leg of a man being carried away in a wheelchair. “I kept talking to him. I kept saying: ‘Stay with me, stay with me,'” Arredondo told the newspaper Maine Today.
It emerged on Tuesday that the man in the wheelchair later had to have both legs removed. Jeff Bauman, 27 had a double amputation at Boston Medical Centre. He had come to see his girlfriend run.
Arredondo’s story appears equally dramatic and harrowing. He was reportedly waiting at the finish to greet a runner, who was competing in the race in memory of his son Alexander Arredondo, a lance corporal in the US marines who was killed by a sniper in 2004 in Iraq. Carlos, a self-employed handyman, reacted to his son’s death by setting fire to himself inside a van, suffering severe burns. He subsequently became a peace campaigner, in part in remembrance of his son.
A 2007 New York Times story recounted how Arredondo took a pickup truck around the country, carrying a flag-draped coffin and photos and mementos of Alexander, including a football and his Winnie the Pooh toy. “As long as there are marines fighting and dying in Iraq, I’m going to share my mourning with the American people,” he told the paper.
In December 2011, Alexander’s younger brother Brian, then 24, who had become depressed after the first family tragedy and begun using drugs, killed himself.
Video footage after the blasts shows Arredondo, gripping a small blood-soaked American flag, shaking in shock as he describes the scene to people on the street. He said the apparent cause of the blast was an improvised explosive device.
Communications Minister, Francisco Chacon, said the government is not ruling out rescinding the San José-San Ramón concession contract, appeasing the opposition groups that have been protesting the last couple of weeks.
“To reach any conclusion when there are opposing positions, the logical is for the parties to sit down and listen to the arguments of each other and discuss the alternatives”, said Chacon.
Asked if the government is considering cancelling the contract, the Minister said yes, but only after looking at all sides of the issue and if only if necessary or essential.
Another possibility is to make amendments to the contract. “Legally many things are possible”, says Chacon.
The Minister also confirmed that Transport Minister, Pedro Castro, has asked Presidenta Laura Chinchilla to be remove him from the (re)negotiations with the Brazilian company, OAS.
San José’s Mercado Central (Central Market), located in the heart of Costa Rica’s capital city, was established in 1880, and occupies an entire square block. The market contains a complex of narrow alleys with over 200 shops, stalls and sodas (small restaurants). A huge range of meats, fish, fruits, vegetables, coffees, and other products are for sale including snakeskin boots and cowboy saddles, herbal remedies, flowers, cooked meals, souvenirs, and local handcrafts. Tens of thousands of people visit the market daily.
Two blocks to the north is the Mercado Borbón, which specializes in food, with numerous butchers, fishmongers, and fruit vendors located there. Similar enclosed markets can be found in Heredia and Alajuela.
On December 12 2009, Canada’s Governor General, Michaelle Jean, accompanied by her husband Jean-Daniel Lafond, made an official visit of Costa Rica. During her three day visit, the GG got a glimpse of Costa Rican life.
It wasn’t too many years back when traveling to one of Costa Rica’s most visited tourist destination of Quepos/Manuel Antonio was an adventure. The bridges between Matina and Quepos would leave many foreigners shaking their heads.
The 2009 Costa Rica earthquake (also known as Cinchona Earthquake), occurred at 1:21:34 pm local time (19:21:34 UTC) on January 8, 2009. The epicentre of the 6.1 Mw earthquake was in northern Costa Rica, 30 kilometres (19 mi) north-northwest of San José. The earthquake was felt all over Costa Rica as well as in southern central Nicaragua.
The earthquake took at least 34 lives,including at least three children, left about 64 people missing, and injured at least 91.Hundreds of people were trapped and two villages had been cut off. Most of the victims died when a landslide occurred near the La Paz waterfall by the Poás Volcano, and 452 people including 369 tourists were evacuated from the area in helicopters. 1,244 people were displaced in the immediate aftermath. In addition, a hotel, houses, roads, and vehicles were damaged, and several bridges were also destroyed. The town of Cinchona was heavily hit, and all of the buildings there were heavily damaged. Power was temporarily disrupted in San José.
About 2,000 aftershocks have been felt throughout Costa Rica. nOn January 12, president Oscar Arias declared National Grieving of 5 days out of respect for the victims.
The exclusive photos were taken on January 13, 2009.
