Archive for August 19th, 2009
Wednesday, August 19th, 2009
It was shortly before 5:30pm when some 200 passengers of the San José – Heredia commuter train got the scare of their lives when one of the train cars left the tracks in Cinco Esquinas de Tibás.
The president of the Instituto Costarricense de Ferrocarriles (Incofer), Miguel Carabaguíaz, explained last night that one of the spikes of the railways ties snapped.
Meanwhile passengers were moved to another train and completed their trip, while the other four train runs were suspended until 9pm when service was restored.
Emergency crews responded to the call and reported that none of the passengers suffered any injures.
This is the second time the San José – Heredia commuter train has suffered an accident since the beginning of service on August 10.
On the third day of service (August 12) a vehicle crossed the path of the train at the Miraflores de Heredia, when one of the train cars was pelted with a rock.
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Wednesday, August 19th, 2009
Honduran interim government on Tuesday froze its diplomatic ties with Argentina in a tit-for-tat move, and ordered the Argentine diplomats in Honduras to leave the country within three days.
The move comes just a week after Argentina expelled Honduran ambassador Carmen Eleonora Ortez Williams over her support for the coup which ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya. Argentina, along with the other members of the Organization of American States (OAS), wants the reinstatement of Zelaya in Honduras and is yet to recognize the interim government.
he expulsions of the diplomats comes in wake of OAS plans to send a high-level delegation consisting of foreign ministers from Argentina, Canada, Costa Rica, Jamaica, Mexico and the Dominican Republic, as well as senior OAS officials including Secretary-General Jose Miguel Insulza, to Honduras for negotiations aimed at resolving the ongoing political crisis.
The delegation was originally scheduled to visit Honduras last week, but was postponed after Honduran interim government rejected it, accusing OAS Secretary-General Insulza of lacking objectivity in the negotiations. (more…)
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Wednesday, August 19th, 2009
Costa Rican Red Cross officials are expected today to beef up the number of people searching for a Chicago doctoral student who disappeared in a national park there, U.S. officials said today.
U.S. embassy officials in Costa Rica also defended their actions after incurring criticism by the mother of David Gimelfarb, 28, who vanished Tuesday while hiking in the Rincon de la Vieja, a 35,000-acre national park in a remote part of the country.
Eugene Santoro, acting public affairs officer for the U.S. Embassy in San Jose, Costa Rica, said while they have been monitoring the search efforts, Costa Rican officials are the ones responsible for taking the lead.
“We’ve been in communication with them since this began,” said Santoro, who spoke by telephone from the U.S. Embassy in Costa Rica.
He said Costa Rican officials have dispatched an airplane to search the remote area and are planning to increase the number of people searching from the local Red Cross. There were between 40 and 50 people searching this past weekend, but Santoro did not know what the number was being increased to.
He said the boy’s mother, Luda Gimelfarb of Highland Park, had asked for a helicopter with infrared capabilities to aid the search. The missing man’s parents had traveled to Costa Rica after their son was reported missing.
“The U.S. government and the embassy just doesn’t have the resources to provide her what she was asking for,” said Santoro. “We’re doing what we can in the context of operating in Costa Rica.”
He also said the area is densely covered with vegetation and the country is in the middle of its rainy season, with daily heavy rainfall to the area. He said Red Cross officials are experts in conducting search and rescue efforts in the country.
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Wednesday, August 19th, 2009
Investors have the chance to take part in a unique opportunity – getting in on the ground floor of a major revolution in Costa Rican real estate. New development in a long forgotten city is breathing new life into Costa Rica real estate and bringing a potential flood of tourist dollars.
A billion-dollar gentrification project is going to transform a forgotten port town in Costa Rica into a major Caribbean hot spot. If you get in on the right side of this massive cash injection, you could make a lot of money.
A billion is a lot to spend on a scheme like this. But Limón needs a lot of work.
For much of the last century, Limón was a company town. The controversial United Fruit Company managed the port, built the railroads and bridges, looked after the colonial buildings, and ran the local businesses.
Back then, bananas were a better business than tourism. When the company pulled out of town in the 1960s, Limón became Costa Rica’s forgotten province.
When the Costa Rica tourism machine began bringing in droves of foreign visitors in the 1980s, it was the northern Pacific coast that most benefited. Those who bought in the north Pacific coast of Costa Rica in the 1980s have done well…very well in fact. Prices have appreciated tenfold in some locations like Tamarindo. Today this area of Costa Rica is known worldwide as a playground for the rich and famous. By contrast, Limón isn’t…but I think this is set to change.
The Costa Rican government has decided to develop Limón in much the same way the Mexican government developed Cancun in the ’70s.
Last month, the Costa Rican President allocated $80 million to kick-start the restoration of cultural buildings in Limón and improve the city infrastructure. The rest of the money–$900 million–will come from private investment. When it becomes easier to get here, the tourist stampede is going to be staggering.
The first major development on this Caribbean coastline has been launched. The $40 million development includes a 500-slip marina, two breakwaters, a shopping center, 800 homes, a yacht repair area, and a luxury hotel.
The marina will change this sleepy Caribbean outpost. How much? Consider Los Suenos on the Pacific side of the country. This was Costa Rica’s only private marina. When it was developed, the area boomed. That will happen on the Caribbean side. Expect to see cafes, restaurants, bars, and boutiques springing up. Expect to see prices rise, reflecting the pricing of the marina residences.
The coastline here is the stuff of Caribbean postcards. The sand is white and the water is turquoise. Back from the coast, you have the Talamanca Mountains. You get magnificent views of the Caribbean and the surrounding mountains and valleys. The breeze is fresh and the wildlife abundant–70% of the coast is protected.
Buy here today and you can still get in at “forgotten” Limón prices. With the gentrification of Limón, and the new marina, this area won’t remain “forgotten” for long.
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