Archive for January, 2009
Saturday, January 24th, 2009
The best way to see the length and breadth of Costa Rica is to utilize the automobile rental services which might be cheaper, and extra affordable. San Jose is likely one of the primary cities in Costa Rica and it’s positioned in the course of the city, and nearer to the airport. Folks just have to undergo the customs verify, and there will probably be number of people providing their Car Rental Costa Rica companies for the advantage of the tourists. There are various kinds of auto that people can hire out. They will lease the companies of a automobile, bikes and pretty much something that the vacationer needs and it is going to be a bit chaotic. The type of merchandised used has a definite advantage for vacationers, and it will assist vacationers in renting the companies of the vehicle. This is a optimistic facet with regards to renting a car or for that matter any kind of vehicle. It might be wiser for tourists to opt for rental services from the airport premises. There is absolutely no need for advancing booking of vehicles as tourists won’t be able to get the right kind of vehicle. Tourists can’t assess the state of the automobile and its condition. Since prior reserving will likely be a bane for tourists and they’re on the mercy of the rental agencies. A Costa Rica Car Rentals and Transportation in Costa Rica is by means the cheapest mode of transportation accessible for the tourists. Vacationers can make use of these services to the optimum degree and save money on transportation. There are some disadvantages associated with a majority of these rental agencies. On the entire they provide higher services when in comparison with other modes of transportation. Every thing mentioned and accomplished they provide vacationers, cheapest mode of transportation at reasonably priced rates.
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Thursday, January 22nd, 2009
Poás Volcano National Park, Costa Rica’s most-visited national park, reopened to the public Tuesday for the first time since the devastating Jan. 8 earthquake struck just 10 kilometers east of the volcano.
Poás Volcano gave two small phreatic eruptions, which happens when magma meets ground surface water, on Jan. 12 and 13. However, s eismologists have said those eruptions were not directly related to the quake, which was the result of plate movement along a local fault line, and not volcanic activity. (more…)
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Thursday, January 22nd, 2009
If you consider new experiences and foreign cultures an investment, Costa Rica might be a better option than the stock market right now.
Flights are reasonable — I paid roughly $370 from Atlanta, Georgia, on short notice — and if you’re smart, so are meals.
Sodas, small roadside stands which have minimal seating but maximum eating capacity, serve traditional dishes such as gallo pinto, a religiously devoured dish of rice, beans and alternating spices, or chicharrones, a typical fried meat dish. Cheap and delicious, they’re a great way to dine your way through the country for just a few dollars.
And in Costa Rica, even indulging is cheap: For the most part, top-flight restaurants won’t cost you more than $25 a person.
I was able to save some money by traveling with my friend Cristina and her family. But even if you don’t know anyone in Costa Rica, you can experience the authentic Costa Rican Tico style without going broke. Just follow me. (more…)
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Wednesday, January 21st, 2009
Filling up your tank with diesel, super or regular gasoline is a lot cheaper today as the first drop in gasoline prices took effect at 12:01am, following yesterdays publication in La Gaceta.
Gasoline prices at all pumps in the country today are: ¢416 for a litre of super (down from yesterday’s ¢488); a litre of regular costs today ¢408, ¢66 less than yesterday; and diesel ¢427, down from ¢522.
However, don’t get too used to the lower prices, as the Autoridad Reguladora de los Servicios Públicos (Aresep) is analyzing a request submitted by the state refinery, Recope, for an increase, which if approved would take effect by mid-February.
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Wednesday, January 21st, 2009
Visa Latin America is offering visitors to Costa Rica a chance to get a reimbursement on sales taxes paid in the country with purchases made with a VISA® or VISA Electrón® cards.
The rebate is equal to the tax paid on purchases in Costa Rica between 9 January 2009 and 22 February 2009.
Visitors leaving Costa Rica will be able to present their Visa vouchers at the Juan Santamaría airport and have a chance to win a rebate of the 13% sales tax on the purchase. Not eligible are ATM withdrawls, purchases made online and purchases were sales tax did not apply.
On presenting the vouchers at the airport, winners, who are chosen at random, will be notified immediately and will receive a Visa debit card with the amount of the tax paid in Costa Rica on their purchase.
The Visa module at the airport is only open between 9am and 7pm from Monday to Sunday.
For more information and details of the “tax free” promotion, visit: http://www.visalatam.com/taxfree/index.jsp and click on “BASES Y CONDICIONES” which opens a new browser window with all the rules and regulations of the promotion or call (506) 2287 8090.
The website and its content on the promotion is only available in Spanish. Clicking on the “English version” at the top of the page will not get you to the information.
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Wednesday, January 21st, 2009
Thirty multinational firms set up new offices in Costa Rica in 2008, bringing $428 million in investment, according to a report issued Monday by the Costa Rican Investment Board (CINDE).
That’s an 11 percent increase from money brought in by the 27 firms that opened up shop last year, although slightly more jobs were created in 2007 than in 2008: 6,352 to 6,291.
Over two-thirds, or 21, of the newly installed companies were in the service sector, and five in the medical devices sector.
New North American businesses in the service sector include: Amazon, Lux Red, SP Data, City Business Service, Digital Arbor, Critical Mass, Aniden Interactive, Project Resources Group CR, Resources, Astra Zeneca and Experian. The medical group St. Jude and medical manufacturers Astrolab, Firestone Industrial and Products also came to town.
According to Social Security System (the Caja) records, 6,000 jobs were lost between July and November 2008 alone, including 4,800 in the industrial sector and 1,200 in construction.
But it is unclear if new jobs those offered by the international companies will be filled by those who lost their jobs this year since, said CINDE Director Gabriela Llobet, many companies on the list of newcomers belong to industry subsectors and require highly specialized personnel.
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Tuesday, January 20th, 2009
It’s been almost five years, but soon Costa Rican tomatoes and sweet peppers could be on store shelves in the United States by the end of the month.
The sanitary agreement between the United States and Costa Rica that would allow the import of vegetable tomatoes and peppers produced in greenhouses in selected area is almost ready to be signed.
As of today tomatoes and peppers grown in Costa Rica are not available in the US as a protection against the possible entry of fruit flies into the US.
The agreement that is expected to be signed by the end of the month is within the negotiated Tratado de Libre Comercio (TLC) – Central American Free Trade Agreeement (CAFTA)- that went into effect on January 1, 2009.
The first step in the process was to identify areas of production with a lower incident of the fruit fly. The area surrounding the the Central Volcanic Range was chosen. The area is well known for its cooler climate and with considerable height above sea level making it difficult for the insects.
The agreement calls for the production to be exclusively in greenhouses and controlled climate conditions, and producers have to be certified after their farms are inspected and the workers trained before exports to the US can be authorized.
The process is costly, however, the investment can be quickly recovered as the products have a higher value in the US markets.
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Tuesday, January 20th, 2009
Costa Rican authorities called off their search on Monday for victims of landslides from an deadly earthquake 11 days ago.
Rescue teams have pulled 23 bodies from the Poas volcano region, where waves of earth buried cars and crushed homes during a 6.1 magnitude quake on Jan 8. Seven people are still missing, officials said.
Shifting ground and the threat of landslides have menaced rescuers digging through rubble in search of survivors.
“The victims are presumed to be in areas that are inaccessible because so much earth would have to be moved and because of dangerous conditions,” said Reinaldo Carballo, a spokesman for the country’s emergency response agency.
Costa Rica is a popular tourist destination because of its lush natural parks, volcanoes and rich wildlife, but it is prone to natural disasters like the rest of Central America.
Government officials preliminarily estimate the damage of the earthquake at $100 million (69 million pounds).
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Tuesday, January 20th, 2009
Costa Rica and China began on Monday the first round of negotiations for the Free Trade Agreement (FTA), said the Costa Rican Foreign Ministry.
The two sides expect to set the “roadmap” for the free trade talks in the first round of negotiations, including the layout for the agreement and steps to be taken for its realization.
A total of six rounds of talks will be held on the agreement, and Costa Rica hopes all the negotiations will wrap up by May 2010,said Marco Vinicio Ruiz, Costa Rican Trade Minister.
China and Costa Rica agreed to launch talks for a free trade agreement during Chinese President Hu Jintao’s visit to the central American country in November 2008.
China is Costa Rica’s second largest trading partner, and Costa Rica China’s second biggest in central America. Their two-way trade is growing rapidly, with the volume hitting 2.87 billion U.S. dollars in 2007.
Among Latin American countries, China has signed a free trade agreement with Chile and is holding negotiations on such a deal with Peru.
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Tuesday, January 20th, 2009
A Costa Rican official says direct foreign investment in the Central American country is expected to fall by 30 percent in 2009 because of the global economic crisis.
Costa Rican Investment Board Director Gabriela Llobet says job growth will remain stable with 5,500 new posts expected this year.
Llobet said Monday that 30 foreign companies established operations in Costa Rica in 2008, and together with other foreign countries already there generated investments of $428 million.
She says fewer companies are expected to come to Costa Rica in 2009.
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Monday, January 19th, 2009
The Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad is putting some 100,000 cell phone lines up for use today to persons who already have submitted their names on the waiting list.
Among other items, those seeking a telephone line have to bring a telephone and the sales receipt for the device.
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Monday, January 19th, 2009
Experts have evaluated 1,087 homes in the Jan. 8 earthquake area and have pronounced 664 as being safe for habitation. But getting the occupants back home is going slowly.
More than 2,000 persons remain in shelters. Some are afraid to return home.
Meanwhile rescue workers are considering ending the search for seven persons who are missing. The Cruz Roja already announced that it was reducing its presence in the earthquake area.
Rescue workers have been digging in the landslides that buried buildings and people. But the danger of the work has been compounded by rain. The job is frustrating. For example, in the community of Cinchona, two persons are almost certainly buried under hundreds of tons of dirt at the scene of the destroyed eating place or soda El Mirador. But even heavy machinery has been unable to locate them. (more…)
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Monday, January 19th, 2009
A Montgomery County man has received an eight-year federal prison sentence for defrauding 39 friends, family members and others of more than $5 million in a Ponzi scheme involving construction projects in the Bahamas and Costa Rica.
Edward Ronald Schnable Jr. of Souderton pounced on vulnerable moments in the lives of his victims, including a widow, a retiree with a lump-sum pension, and people with medical problems looking for secure income, according to victims’ testimony Thursday at Schnable’s sentencing hearing.
Schnable, 47, ran his Ponzi scheme from 1995 through 2003, giving his victims promissory notes due in a year or two, with a “guaranteed” 10 to 14 percent return on the money. Instead, he used the money to live on and paid back some investors with money from new investors. (more…)
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Friday, January 16th, 2009
Living in Costa Rica is the ultimate expression of personal freedom. This oasis of unsurpassed beauty, eco-diversity, and “the perfect wave” is nestled peacefully between the warm waters of the Caribbean and the Pacific. Each year, surfers, retirees and adventurers are attracted to its shores to experience an unmatched quality of life, low cost of living and “Garden of Eden” features. (more…)
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Friday, January 16th, 2009
Costa Rica will soon be able to access a $65 million credit line from the World Bank to rebuild villages devastated by the Jan. 8 earthquake.
The loan, awarded in November to deal with any type of natural disaster, was cleared by lawmakers Thursday in an initial vote. Lawmaker Oscar Núñez of the governing National Liberation Party (PLN) said Costa Rica will likely use the entire loan to rebuild the provinces of Alajuela and Heredia, where hundreds of houses and vast stretches of highways are in shambles.
On Wednesday, President Oscar Arias asked foreign governments to be more generous. The United States has donated $50,000, China has given $100,000, and the Inter-American Development Bank has given $200,000, among other donations. The daily La Nación reported that the United Nations gave $240,000.
“Now that we have to rebuild schools, houses, highways, and electricity and water infrastructure, the country opens its doors to any help,” said Arias, noting that money is more welcome than nurses or clothes.
Lawmakers are expected to approve the World Bank loan in a second and final debate Tuesday. The money must be repaid within 30 years at 2.25 percent interest.
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