All Entries in the "Blogs" Category

There’s a WAR Ship In Costa Rica!

Costa Rica was the first country in the world to formally abolish its military. However, this lack of armed forces puts Costa Rica in a paradox while regional drug gangs and cartels lawlessly traffic narcotics.

The Costa Rica government has reached out to the United States military for assistance but in light of extremely vocal opposition says the U.S. is on its shore for humanitarian purposes. What’s really going on?!

7,000 U.S. Marines Landing on the Beaches of Costa Rica

A flotilla of 46 United States Navy warships capable of carrying 200 helicopters, along with 10 Harrier vertical take-off and landing fighter jets, and 7,000 combat ready marines is on its way to this Central American country with no standing army.

On July 1, 2010 the Costa Rica Legislative Assembly voted 31-8 to grant the U.S. military full in-country access through the end of 2010 to help fight drug trafficking.

Senior Citizen Travel to Costa Rica

Just Mention Costa Rica and people think paradise.

With tropical rainforests, live volcanoes, long beaches with perfect surf, and each part of the country having its own unique micro-climate … Costa Rica’s beauty is staggering and the sluggish pace seductive.

Senior tourists are visiting Costa Rica in droves to enjoy once-in-a-lifetime experiences.

Costa Rica’s Relationship with the Catholic Church Amidst Controversy

Today is the religious day known as Good Friday, a holiday observed primarily by Christians commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

Yet while a majority of Costa Rican’s are Roman Catholics, the Church has been standing in the eye of a hurricane for the many allegations of pedophilia by priests around the world … and Costa Rican bloggers are concerned!

Travel Nurse Lives in Costa Rica and Works in New York City

My husband and I decided to move to Costa Rica, where he could open a pub, and he wanted “to move now while we are still young enough to do something else.”

I was working as an advanced practice psychiatric nurse in Boston prior to our move and discussed with my husband the possibility of signing up with a travel company in case we needed more money.

8 Things Costa Rica Taught Me During My Visit

World Wildlife Fund’s Elissa Poma accompanied the WWF on their most recent 2009/2010 Costa Rica for Families EcoTour.

Here are 8 things Elissa learned about Costa Rica during her visit.

Teaching English in Costa Rica

Today, there is an even greater variety of teaching jobs available in Costa Rica, many with decent salaries that allow one to live in a comfortable apartment, eat well and spend two or three weekends a month at the nearest beach, volcano or mountain town.

Seasoned English teacher Sarah Mosley did just that. She has taught ESL in Costa Rica for two years and is currently teaching at the Green Life Academy in Playa del Coco.

Costa Rica will Re-institute Military to Keep Out Rush Limbaugh

Calling it the “greatest threat our nation has ever faced,” President Óscar Arias Sánchez has announced that Costa Rica will re-institute the military in order to fend of an invasion by American radio entertainer Rush Limbaugh.

Costa Rica has not had an active military since 1948. However, President Arias felt a very real sense of urgency given the latest developments.

Canadians Almost Escape Spectacle of 2010 Winter Olympics in Costa Rica

It was only when I arrived in Nosara, a beach village on the Pacific in Costa Rica, that I realized the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics had been stressing me out.

We found this country blissfully oblivious to the Winter Olympics, where no one even knew they were happening.

Costa Rica – a Rock & Roll, Fire Spitting, Living Earth Paradise

The natural forces that make Costa Rica beautiful are still hard at work. Costa Rica has several mountain ranges that cover a large part of the country. Nestled within the mountains and standing majestically elsewhere on their own are 50 known volcanoes, with several being active at all times.

Traveling with Kids in Costa Rica; an Age-by-Age Guide

Costa Rica is a near-perfect family vacation destination. Not only does it have exotic wildlife, jungles, and volcanoes, it’s easy to get to, warm, and safe for tourists —all in all a perfect entry-level adventure trip. Thinking of venturing to Costa Rica with your family this year? Here’s a guide to the best kinds of [...]

My Dream is to Own a Costa Rica Bed and Breakfast

So your dream is to own a B&B in the Paradise of Costa Rica?! Wake up; wake up from that nightmare…. Yes, shake yourself; make sure you don’t eat real late at night again.  Owning a B&B sounds romantic and great.  It seems like a real money maker and it can be.  It can also [...]

Online Videos add Humor to Costa Rica Presidential Elections

The Costa Rican Presidential elections are this Sunday, February 7, 2010.  Many Costa Ricans are expressing their concerns regarding the candidates and the future of their country through the use of age-old parody and humor by way of modern online videos. First, we have an online video uploaded by El Basureo where they propose an [...]

Blogger Receives National Culture Award for Journalism in Costa Rica

Alternative media is taking important steps in Costa Rica. The 2009 Pío Viquez National Award for Journalism (Premio Nacional de Periodismo Pío Víquez) was granted this year to Cristian Cambronero for his achievements in alternative journalism. Cristian has been publishing his blog Fusil de Chispas since 2005 encouraging the participation of readers on topics from [...]

Break Me Off A Piece Of Costa Rica

Nicholas Kristof has a happy-go-lucky column yesterday in the New York Times about Costa Rica that reads as part tourism advertisement, part political common sense. He goes on and on about how the country is consistently ranked high in “happiness” surveys. This is true. How, then, did they get that way? What sets Costa Rica [...]

Costa Rica’s Indigenous Boruca Indian Tribe

The Boruca (also known as the Brunca or the Brunka) are a native American tribe of indigenous people living in Costa Rica. The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of the Americas, their descendants, and many ethnic groups who identify with those peoples. They are often also referred to as Native Americans. [...]

2010 Social and Political Unrest for Latin America – The Failure of Lula?

This map lifted from The Economist will do fine to introduce a Latin American forecast of 2010 because it explains a lot. If you observe well, All of Hispanic America is In Trouble, besides Costa Rica, Uruguay and Cuba (then again, how could trouble start in totalitarian Cuba?). Flanking this zone of probable social unrest [...]

T’was the Week Before Christmas and All Through Costa Rica…

…drivers continue to engage in road-combat during the holiest of holidays in this Catholic country. Kids are out of school, government employees are off work, many are on vacation for most of the month and churches can become standing room only gathering places for several generations of entire families. The mood of Costa Rica as [...]

Exploring Costa Rica’s Bat Jungle in Monteverde

Costa Rica is home to 109 species of bats, which number fully half the mammal species in the country. You’re sure to come across them during a visit. By day, certain species are easy to spot snoozing by clinging like vines to tree trunks. Another species gathers huge banana leaves together and weaves them into [...]

Costa Rica Police, Crime Fighting and Security are Not Often Considered Synonymous

U.S. ‘expats’ that now reside in Costa Rica try to explain the Tico culture to their families and friends back home as, “Costa Rica is like the United States was 40 years ago”. In other words, many of the social norms and government problems the U.S. went through in the 1960’s are still experienced today [...]