Top 10 Costa Rica

The Costa Rica real estate market is an immature market place. What I mean is that we are WAY early in the cycle. If you think back to Boston 200 years ago, I suspect that you’d find that there were large parcels of land for sale there. These were bought and subdivided, and little by little it became what we have now, which in some of the “nice” areas of Boston, the houses go right to the property line and all real estate transactions are sales of property with a building on it.

In my years of selling real estate here, I have sold very few built homes. Most of my deals have been raw land, either large parcels that could be developed in any number of ways: subdividing and selling lots, farming, reforestation, commercial ventures such as a golf course or a restaurant, yoga retreat etc… Read the rest of this entry »

Fresh property investment opportunities are being created across Costa Rica, as previously inaccessible areas are opened up.

The now reachable non-developed areas along with government investment could generate a property boom, according to the publication, Costa Rica - The Owners Manual.

A number of developments and infrastructure improvements have been earmarked for these areas and are scheduled to get underway shortly. This includes the largest full-service marina in Central America, new hospitals, an airport and roads.

An extract from the publication says: ‘The massive government approved projects underway will catapult this area on to the world stage with blistering speed. Massive, government infrastructure projects like this don’t come around often. The last time we saw something similar was 10 years ago, a few miles down the coast, when property prices exploded by over 800%.’

Costa Rica, located in Central America, has long been a retiree and holiday destination amongst Americans and to an extent Canadians. Unsurprisingly, tourism is a major source of revenue, along with the services and banking industries, contributing significantly towards Costa Rica’s economy, as well as the growth of the country’s property sector.

The raucous honking of a cistern truck carrying potable water rouses residents from their homes here each morning, clanging plastic bottles and tin pots in hand.

”When will it stop,” says 64-year-old Rufina Najera, lugging a yellow 5-gallon pail stained with dirt to the roadside. “The pineapple companies tell us the water is clean, but the government won’t let us drink it.”

Last year, authorities detected small amounts of Bromacil, a pesticide used to thwart insects from pineapple plants, in the local aquifer. Since then, the government has delivered water by truck to nearly 6,000 people.

The crisis has spawned an increasingly volatile movement among residents, who last week blocked the country’s principal export artery, Route 32, between the capital of San Jose and the Caribbean port city of Limon, leaving hundreds of cars and trucks stranded for hours.

Five years into a possible 46 year prison sentence, Alonso Peña, is asking that he be put to death, while his mother, Carmen Mesén, is desperately trying to convince her son of otherwise.

Peña was only 19 years old when he was sentenced. Read the rest of this entry »

ECI Telecom has scored another big goal in its quest for worldwide domination of the networking infrastructure solutions market.

It has signed up Radiográfica Costarricense S.A. (RACSA), who is the main Costa Rican telecom and internet provider in the Central American country.

RACSA is seeking to widen its ECI’s XDM Multi-Service Provisioning Platform (MSPP) and is looking to ECI to combine SDH, Ethernet switching and WDM on a single, converged platform.

RACSA has opted for rapid expansion as an antidote to increased competition in Costa Rica.

It wants to jump heavily onto the data services bandwagon, as well as add video and voice services for its eager customers.

RACSA issued an open RFP to leading equipment vendors to provide transport offerings to support its existing and future networks.

ECI’s service was chosen from the various tenders offered.

RACSA considered that ECI offered the most cost effective bid when taking into consideration its single platform XDM MSPP requirements.

With the new deal, ECI has now managed to sign up the two largest carriers in the Central American country, more or less cornering the local market.

The vehicular restrictions of San José if facing yet another Constitutional court challenge, this time by Carolina Morales, a 29 year old lawyer, who says that her liberty of transit is being hampered and wants the Constitutional court to restore her rights.

Morales says she has been fined on several occasions for driving during the restriction, saying she was not aware of the restriction of the day and that only the Legislative Assembly can made such a determination.

The area of San José bounded by the Circunvalación to the west, south and east and the Tibás and La Uruca to the north, restricts all vehicular traffic between 6am and 7pm, Monday to Friday, based on the last digit of the license plate.

Vehicles with plates ending in 1 & 2 are restricted on Mondays; 3 & 4 on Tuesdays; 5 & 6 on Wednesdays; 7 & 8 on Thursdays; and, 9 & 0 on Fridays.

The restrictions to do not apply to motorcycles, taxis, buses and emergency vehicles and on weekday holidays.

It is expected that the court will uphold the restriction as it did when a similar appeal was filed within days of the restrictions going into effect last July 10.

The vehicular restrictions of San José had been limited to the downtown core and only during morning and afternoon weekday rush hours. The restricted area was expanded to the include the Circunvalación in June and the hours expanded in July.

The original proposal was for a 24 hour restriction of San José, however, Transportes officials changed the regulations the day before going into effect, restricting vehicles only for 13 hours daily.

When you think of Costa Rica, you automatically think of how beautiful the destination is. Boasting some of the most stunningly beautiful beaches, thousands of tourists flock to Costa Rica each year in order to relax and get away from it all. However, there is more to Costa Rica than its nice sandy beaches. In fact there is a whole lot of adventure to be found if you look under the surface.

You can experience horseback riding, hiking and whitewater rafting to name just a few of the activities on offer. So if you want a combined holiday of adventure and relaxation then Costa Rica just may be the destination to suit you.

Where to Stay

When it comes to choosing somewhere to stay in Costa Rica, you really will be spoilt for choice. You can choose to stay in a hotel which offers adventure travel discounts, or you could simply take it as it comes and stay in a few different hotels as you experience new things. All of the activities that you can do are not all situated in the same place and so if you do want to experience more than one thing you may need to consider staying in different hotels.

Ideally if you have the money then an adventure package with the hotel would be worth taking up. The price of the package will obviously vary depending upon the activity you want to do, how long you want to do it for and which hotel you choose to say at. However, you should expect to pay anything from $1,000-$3,000 for a week at most hotels. The advantage of taking up an adventure package is that everything is sorted out and arranged for you. You will not have to worry about bookings, travel instructions or anything else that you would otherwise have to worry about.

Things to Do

Whilst some of the activities that you can do may not sound particularly exciting, when you really look into them you will find that there is more to them than meets the eye. For example, you may be able to go horseback riding anywhere in the world, but can you experience beautiful waterfalls and majestic volcanoes in any other part of the world? The chances are you can?t find anything to match the scenery in Costa Rica. No matter which activity you choose to do, you are sure to love it as the atmosphere is just simply breathtaking.

So if you have not considered taking a trip to Costa Rica then hopefully this information may have changed your mind. It truly is a breathtaking place and it is perfect for adventure travel too. You could even take a tour of Costa Rica too if you would like to too.

Japan banned beef imports from Costa Rica after it was learned that frozen ox tongue imported from the country did not meet standards set by both countries, government officials said.

The Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry enforced the total ban on Monday on imports of any beef shipped from five facilities in Costa Rica, where beef imported to Japan is processed.

Ministry officials said that 1.4 tons of frozen ox tongue imported from Costa Rica failed to meet the import standards agreed on by Japan and Costa Rica. No further details are immediately available.

Interpol and Costa Rican authorities have arrested a Russian national wanted at home on fraud charges in Costa Rica , the local Interpol bureau said on Wednesday.

“Nikolai Korobkov was arrested at the request of the Russian General Prosecutor’s Office based on its probe into property-related fraud,” the press release said.

According to Interpol, Korobkov, 54, set up the Investment Industrial and Commercial Co. during the 1990’s in Russia and signed around 150 housing investment contracts. He is alleged to have failed to declare the funds he attracted, instead spending them on acquiring property abroad.

“Investors lost an estimated $2 million,” the press release said.

Korobkov fled Russia in 1997, heading first to Denmark and then on to Brazil, where he obtained a fake passport. He arrived in Costa Rica in 1998, where he has lived with his wife and daughter ever since, running a home-decorating business.

Extradition procedures are underway.

Regardless of the fog, cold and rain, family and friends took par in the funeral of Eva Álvarez, one of five who were tragically killed Saturday in Aguas Zarcas, in San Carlos, when a tractor trailer loaded with tree trunks lost control.

Sadly, the tragedy has revived pressure on legislators who have been stalling on passing the new Ley de Tránsito (traffic laws), that according to transport officials, could have been prevented with tough regulations.

The accident occurred Saturday morning when the driver of the truck lost control of his vehicle after the brakes failed. The loaded runaway truck was full of tree trunks that came loose from the flatbed trailer.

The driver told the media that he had problems with the trailer’s brakes in earlier instances and according to Riteve - the vehicular inspection authority - the trailer finally passed inspection on the fifth try, the earlier four failing for bad brakes.

According to Fernando Mayorga, general manager of Riteve, says that there are at least 10.000 of 27.000 trailers registered, which has still to pass inspection as of July 31.

The ministra de Obras Públicas y Transportes (MOPT), Karla González, explained that traditionally very little has been done to regulate these types of vehicles.

“The law before congress would establish responsibility to the company and the driver. In addition, we need more officials. We have enabled the weigh scales at Cañas and Guapiles and will soon have five more operating”, said González.

For his part, Eddy Brenes, regional co-ordinator for the Policía de Tránsito, added that the tree trunks would have not come loose if they had been properly tied down.

The burial of the other four victims of the accident will take place today.

The driver of the truck, 24 year old, José Alberto González, facing charges of culpable homicide, was set free by the Juzgado Penal de San Carlos, on condition that he sign in to the court every 15 days and not allowed to leave the country.

The Costa Rica real estate market is thriving, and Costa Rica’s popularity as a tourist destination in recent years has more people looking to invest in this Central American country than ever. Although the prices have been steadily rising, investors still have the chance to cash in on Costa Rica’s cultural and economic prosperity.

Situated between Nicaragua and Panama, Costa Rica is home to 4.1 million people. The country boasts a literacy rate of 96 percent, has an unemployment rate of 4.6 percent and is known for its political stability. The official language of Costa Rica is Spanish.

The Costa Rican government is a democratic republic. The current president, Óscar Arias Sánchez, is in his second four-year term. There are seven provinces in Costa Rica: Alajuela, Cartago, Guanacaste, Heredia, Limon, Puntarenas and San Jose. The city of San Jose is the country’s capital. Read the rest of this entry »

The official currency in Costa Rica is the Colon, named of course for Cristóbal Colón, known to most Americans as Christopher Columbus. Although the Colon is the legal currency, the U.S. dollar is widely accepted in most tourist places.

Changing Your Money
You will not have a problem converting US dollars to colones. All banks will exchange US dollars. Public banks offer the best rates but have the longest lines; however most of them do have many ATMs (cajeros automaticos). The private banks are generally faster and have better service. To avoid lines at both public and private banks try to avoid going during the before work and lunch rushes. The banks (public or private) will also cash travelers checks. Most banks are open from 9:00am to 4:00pm (some banks close at 3:00pm). Try not to exchange your money at your hotel or travel agency, although it is very convenient they tend to charge large commissions. Remember to always bring your passport with you when you are exchanging money. Another important thing to remember is to not leave the Costa Rica with too many colones. It can be difficult to buy back more than US$50.00 at the border or at the airport. Finally do not change your money with street changers, they do not offer a better rate and may try to scam you.

Credit Cards
In Costa Rica top-end and mid-range hotels will accept credit cards as will most fancy restaurants. All car-rental agencies accept credit cards. Visa is the most widely accepted credit cards, and some places will accept MasterCard. American Express card holders should not plan on finding places to use their cards. Other than that you will need dollars or colons during your Costa Rica travel. Definitely do not rely on a credit card in more remote areas; credit cards are almost never accepted there.

Purchasing
Large ticket items such as Costa Rica hotel rooms, tours, parks, and attractions can usually purchased in US dollars. Meals, bus fares and souvenirs should be purchased with colons. Always carry some small change. Pharmacies and most supermarkets will accept travelers checks, there will usually be a small fee added on for cashing them.
Tipping is slightly different in Costa Rica. It is normal to tip the bellhop and house-keeper US$1.00. Taxi drivers do not normally get tipped but tour guides should get US$1.00-$5.00 and bus drivers about half of that. Up-scale restaurants may at 10% gratuity to the bill. If no tip is added, leaving one is not required but shows appreciation.

Costa Rica’s President Oscar Arias once again has turned his back on an existing relationship and the obligations that went with it. He has done this in favor of a new one that is more self-serving to the nation as well as possibly his own self-interests. This pattern conforms to the spirit of opportunism, which has motivated so much of his public life. This time it is in regard to Costa Rica’s increasingly torrid relationship with the People’s Republic of China. Arias, whose unwarranted reputation for being a person of immense public rectitude and a strong human rights advocate often conflicts with his actual record, most recently exhibited the moral ambiguity of his nature by requesting that the Dalai Lama cancel—not postpone—his unofficial visit to Costa Rica scheduled for September 10th. The Costa Rican-Tibetan Cultural Association had organized the trip as a cultural and religious visit by the revered Tibetan spiritual leader, but San José feared that his appearance on Costa Rican soil would lead China’s President Hu Jintao to cancel his likely visit to the country in October. In addition, the visit would impair its ties to the golden goose that the Asian powerhouse has become for the Central American nation, since it switched its diplomatic ties from Taiwan to Beijing.

Arias ordered his foreign ministry to make the changeover in order to encourage the flow of Chinese investments into Costa Rica, a move that normally accompanies public and private gifts, of irresistible magnitude. In June of 2007, Arias announced Costa Rica would cease diplomatic ties with Taiwan in order to align itself with China, but at an undisclosed price. In August of 2007, China inaugurated its embassy in San José, making it the first Chinese embassy in Central America in six decades. Although Arias stated his decision was made only after “thinking of all Costa Ricans,” what he really meant to say was that China dangled a $50 million aid package before his eyes, which he could not refuse. Presumably his decision with regards to the Dalai Lama’s trip was equally well lubricated. Arias’ move served to once again significantly tarnish Costa Rica’s global reputation as a country whose leadership is more intrigued by pay-offs from major patron nations and the leadership of the day than by a reputation for probity. In October of 2007, Arias visited China in order to initiate an augmented dialogue with that country’s senior officials; Arias’ hope here was to implement a free trade pact between the two countries.

The cancellation of the Dalai Lama’s visit is intensely disheartening for proponents of human rights. Yet it is not unexpected from a man of Oscar Arias’ flexible definition of the concept of integrity. While he helped to broker the peace accords that ended the Central American civil wars in the late 1980s, and subsequently won the Nobel Peace Prize, many specialists all along have insisted that it was actually then-president Vinicio Cerezo of Guatemala who was the first to seek a negotiated settlement of the Central American civil wars, and it was he who deserved the Nobel distinction, which ultimately was denied him by Arias’ self-promotion.

President Arias is not doing any particular service to his already tattered reputation by committing an affront to such a highly respected human rights and religious figure as the Dalai Lama, solely to pursue economic ambitions for his nation, especially after the Dalai Lama specifically requested Arias’ help to arrange a private meeting with China in order to address factors relating to Tibet’s latest round of unrest, which dates back to March of this year.

No one can claim that Costa Rica does not have a well-established human rights record that puts many other Latin American countries to shame, but the fact that all of its recent presidents have left office under a cloud of scandals regarding bribery or pay-offs from foreign governments and multinational corporations seeking special considerations, or diplomatic concessions from local authorities, is not reassuring. Costa Rica’s leaders must do what they can to improve and preserve their strong past human rights record and reestablish itself as a reputable example for other Central American countries to emulate. After all, one would think that the plight of the Tibetans at the hands of Beijing might at some point attract Arias’ professed concern for human right observances.

Costa Rican President Óscar Arias was on the mark with his plea for a more relevant and better-funded U.S. policy on Latin America [”Latin America Needs Better Than a Wall,” op-ed, Aug. 16].

At the same time, Central America, in particular, would be best served with an inward look as opposed to an outward focus when it comes to improving its education systems. Even if we factor in their relative scarcity of funds, the countries of Central America still spend less on education as a percentage of their gross domestic product and national budgets than almost all other countries in the Western Hemisphere.

If the United States is to put more aid into education — which it should — it should do so only when the Central American countries themselves make education a priority. A good place to start would be with the landmark “Education Decalogue 2021″ on systemic education improvement for Central America — a 10-point plan and regional pact that President Arias signed in 2007 but has done little to advance in his own country.

Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer today reviewed the success from recent openings of U.S. beef markets into Costa Rica, Belize, Qatar and Ghana recognizing international trade standards for U.S. beef and beef products from cattle of all ages.

“The opening of these diverse markets demonstrates the global appetite for U.S. beef and the understanding and confidence nations place in America’s science-based international standards for safety,” said Schafer. “I think it is important to review this pattern of opened markets for their strategic placement in the world marketplace where surrounding nations and world travelers can once again enjoy the quality of American beef.”

Officials from the USDA and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative have made a concerted effort to restore markets for U.S. beef and beef products from cattle of all ages, in line with international standards of the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE). More than 100 countries currently allow the entry of U.S. beef and beef products.

Costa Rica and Belize are both Central American countries with strong tourism sectors. In addition, Costa Rica is an important port and gateway to other Latin American markets. In calendar year 2003, the United States exported more than $2.6 million in beef and beef products to Costa Rica.

Belize, the second smallest and least populated country in Central America, relies on foreign imports from countries such as the United States, Belize’s number one trading partner.

Qatar, bordering the Persian Gulf and Saudi Arabia, has one of the highest per capita income levels in the world and blossoming hotel and tourism industries. Exports of U.S. beef and beef products to Qatar topped $1.2 million in 2003, and strong growth is expected.

The West African nation of Ghana has become an important trading partner in Africa due, in large part, to a stable and vibrant democracy, and economic reform. The Ghanaian market is a relatively new one for U.S. beef.