A fisherman who rescued a dying crocodile from a river in Limon Costa Rica years ago now astonishes tourists by wrestling with and hugging the 450kg animal. Online footage shows 52-year-old Chito wading into the water, whistling to the croc named Pocho before wrestling with it. “Pocho is my best friend. This is a very dangerous routine but we have a good relationship. He will look me in the eye and not attack me. “It is too dangerous for anyone else to come in the water. It is only ever the two of us.” Chito rescued the crocodile after finding him with a gunshot wound on the banks of the Parismina river 20 years ago. He had been shot in the left eye by a cattle farmer and was close to death. The odd couple have now become a major tourist attraction, with several tour operators taking visitors on cruises to see the pair.
The Kansas City Star reports that another suspect in the Kansas City online sports betting probe being conducted by a Grand Jury has pleaded guilty in a federal court.
William D. Cammisano Jr. (60), who is alleged to be associated with a local organised crime family, entered a guilty plea this week, admitting that he had operated an illegal online sports betting business between March 1, 2006, and March 31, 2009.
Cammisano is alleged to have collected about $1.14 million in wagers that bettors placed through a toll-free telephone number or a web site, both of which routed to a wire room in Costa Rica.
Cammisano was the fifth person to plead guilty in recent weeks to roles in the gambling operation.
The Kansas City Star reports that in 1988, the FBI identified Cammisano as a lieutenant in an organized crime outfit. At the time, the bureau also identified his father, known as “Willie the Rat,” as the city’s top mob leader at the time.
In 1989, a federal jury convicted Cammisano of obstruction of justice, and he was sentenced to five years in prison. A judge later reduced the sentence by two years after an appeals court ruled that prosecutors had not presented enough evidence of his alleged organized crime activities to justify the heavier sentence.
In September 1994, his federal conviction prompted the Missouri Gaming Commission to ban Cammisano from the state’s casinos. Fighting that exclusion, Cammisano denied any connection to organized crime and praised his father as “a great man.”
After hearing the guilty plea, a federal magistrate released Cammisano on his own recognizance.
The Heredia-San José train will make six daily trips to and from San Pedro, east of San José, beginning next week, the Costa Rican Railroad Institute (INCOFER) said this week.
The train will continue east from the Estación del Atlántico – its current final stop near San José’s Parque Nacional – to the University of Costa Rica (UCR) and Latina University (ULatina).
The cost from Heredia, north of San José, to San Pedro, will be ₡ 350 ($0.64), although the Public Services Regulatory Authority likely will adjust the price after service begins, according to INCOFER.
In the morning, two trains will run from Heredia to San Pedro and one from San Pedro to Heredia.
The first train will leave from ULatina at 6:15 a.m. and arrive in downtown Heredia at 7:00 a.m.
From downtown Heredia, trains will leave for ULatina at 6:30 and 7:30 a.m. and arrive at the university at 7:10 and 8:10 a.m, respectively.
In the afternoon, two trains will leave from the ULatina, bound for Heredia, at 4:15 and 6:15 p.m. These trips will last 45 minutes.
There will be one evening journey from Heredia to the ULatina, leaving at 5:30 p.m. and reaching the university at 6:10 p.m.
Next week, INCOFER will also begin train service from the Estación del Pacífico – eight blocks south of Parque Central, near the Women’s Hospital –to the Estación Atlántico, which will continue to Heredia. The train will leave the Estación del Pacífico at 5:30 p.m. and arrive in Heredia at 6:30 p.m.
Service on the new routes will run from Monday through Friday. INCOFER said it will evaluate the possibility of more frequent service after a few weeks time.
March 1 is an important date for foreigners living and working in Costa Rica, as the new Ley de Migración y Extranjería takes effect.
Some of the changes contained in the new immigration law is the requirement of foreign residents working in Costa Rica to contribute to the Caja Costarricense del Seguro Social (CCSS) – social security. Foreign residents who do not contribute will no longer be able to obtain free medical services.
Also, foreigners are required to pay an annual us$25 fee that will go to the Fondo Social Migratorio that will raise some us$12 million dollars annual from the 486.000 foreign residents.
The new legislation also calls for a fine of us$100 per month to any foreigner who overstays his or her “legal” stay. North Americans and Europeans have a legal stay of up to 90 days, while only 30 days for most other countries.
The new law also requires hotels and others providing lodging to maintain a public register fo all foreigners, which can be reviewed by immigration officials at any time.
In addition, the Policía Técnica de Migración (immigration police force) will expand from the current 35 officials to 285.
Those individuals caught transporting illegals to and from Costa Rica to avoid immigration controls or using false or doctored documents, may face from two to six years in prison.
The objective of the law is to require foreigners living in Costa Rica to “formalize” their immigration status and contribute to the social system, and control the entrance of criminals.
The new law creates the “Tribunal Superior Migratorio” to hear immigration appeals
Subscribers to ICE’s 3G network can expect a refund within the next two weeks, as the state telecom has been ordered by the telephone regulator to issue a refund to customers of cellular internet and messaging.
The Superintendencia de Telecomunicaciones (Sutel) said that the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE) did not fully disclose its Kölbi service (ICE’s 3G) to its customers, fully explaining rates and plans as it should have.
The Sutel has ordered ICE to refund customers the amount paid since acquiring the service and the time the Sutel published the maximum rates last week.
ICE began selling 3G Kölbi in December to customers who wanted to move from the TDMA and GSM service which includes an internet connection. ICE only charged half of the ¢15.000 colones monthly fee as the service was not working at full speed.
However, the Sutel says that ICE did not disclose to customers the full cost of the service, not providing crystal clear information to its clients, the terms and conditions of the service to allow customers to make an informed decision.
The Sutel added that ICE cannot offer automatic bill payment for the internet service without first explaining to customers the payment method and getting approval.
The Sutel decision does not affect the cost or the billing for the cellular service, just for the internet and messaging services.
ICE has to first explain full the costs associated with the 3G internet and messaging service, complying with the regulations of the Ley General de Telecomunicaciones, that states an operator cannot automatically add or change service without first the express consent of the customer.
The law also requires the operator to provide a detailed monthly statement of all charges.
The Public Security Ministry is beginning the nationwide installation of 342 surveillance cameras as a means of curtailing the crime rate.
The cameras will be strategically located in the cities of San José, Alajuela, Heredia and Limón, and will be monitored 24 hours a day by 60 policemen.
According to the Costa Rica Electricity Institute (ICE), which is partnering with the ministry on the $9 million project, the system is modeled after similar ones in Colombia and London.
The system, in addition to allowing police to keep an eye on things, will also be used to gather evidence to be used in court against criminals.
The video information from the cameras will be stored for 30 days to allow judicial authorities time to obtain the material for their investigation in criminal cases.
“This is not new,” said Pedro Pablo Quirós, president of ICE. “We did thorough research … and believe this is an important way to fight crime.”
Quirós said it would be used as an evidence-gathering tool, lower the costs related to security personnel and help supervise critical operations.
“There will be electric eyes on different points chosen by security forces, both for roads, roundabouts, some buildings and corners of various neighborhoods with high incidents of crimes,” Quirós said
Janina del Vecchio, public security minister, celebrated their pending installation saying, “By announcing the Citizen Protection Video Project today, the government has completed another of its promises, which … was to bring more security to citizens…. I am proud to say (the Oscar Arias administration) has been able to complete 87 percent of public security challenges.”
Del Vecchio expects the installation to begin in August.
An earthquake measuring 5.5 degrees on the Richter scale was felt on Wednesday night near Santa Elena Peninsula in Guanacaste.
The movement originated 76 kilometers offshore and was reported in Santa Cruz de Guanacaste. The quake was due to a clash of Caribbean and Cocos plates.
So far, there have been no reports of injuries or property damage.
There are several ways to get to Costa Rica and you need to know a few things before you start out. First things first, you need to get your passport in order. This sounds rudimentary and not worth mentioning but you would be surprised how many people that I know personally that have planned and paid for their trip to Costa Rica and show up at the airport without a passport. Airline travel to Costa Rica and most other foreign countries by U.S. residents requires that the traveler hold a valid passport. You can get a passport at any U.S. Post Office in about three to six weeks. If you need it faster there are agencies that you can go to that will process it in as little as two days, but it will cost considerably more.
When contemplating airline travel to Costa Rica, it will depend on what airport you are leaving from. Delta flies the most planes there but you need to fly to the Atlanta airport and I personally dislike this place. It is so big you have to take a little subway train from one terminal to the other. It is noisy and unless you have a pass to the Admiralty Club, you will find yourself waiting many hours on hard plastic chairs surrounded by screaming infants and self important yahoos trying to impress you by talking as loud as they can into their cell phones about giant business deals they are supposedly putting together. So if you live on the West Coast, you may want to consider Continental Airlines. They also do not travel direct to Costa Rica, but their pit stop is at Houston International Airport, which is not only closer (three hours from the West Coast as opposed to six and a half hours to Atlanta) but also, in my opinion, much more comfortable and far less crowded and noisy.
Also, another requirement of airline travel to a foreign country is that after the flight back home you will be subjected to having to pass through U.S. Customs. In Atlanta chances are you will end up in a gigantic line of tourists and citizens and have to wait for over an hour just to get cleared (hopefully) and sent through to baggage. There you will have to pick up your bags and then redirect them to your final destination. You will also undergo another rigor of modern airline travel which is the Security line and again, at Atlanta, this is huge and snakes around for what seems to be several city blocks. Once again, Houston is much easier in regards to these two aspects and you will be glad you chose Continental. While airline travel to Costa Rica can be rigorous and even downright tedious for some, these tips can help you to make your flight more enjoyable.
There are many attractions for tourists in Costa Rica, and the museums are among the best options to learn about Costa Rica’s richness and identity while you spend a few days in the capital city, San José.
Here is a list of the 9 museums every tourist must visit while in San José; these are very conveniently located, to the extent that you can visit several on the same day.
1.Museo de Oro Precolombino/ Museum of Pre-Columbian Gold
This gorgeous museum is located under the Plaza de la Cultura, downtown. The underground building itself is striking; it creates a mysterious and dark atmosphere that brings out the best of the gold pieces, which seem to be floating inside their glass displays.
The aboriginal pieces represent all sorts of native animals like frogs, birds, snakes, insects, crocodiles, lobsters, and sharks.
2.Museo de la Moneda/ Coin Museum
This museum is located in the same building as the above, and has both, information on coins and interesting samples.
3.Museo de Jade/ Jade Museum
This museum is simply impressive, because of the Indian pieces it exhibits. It is located in the INS (National Insurance) building downtown. Costa Rica has no jade mines, thus, the incredible amount and quality of the jade present here can only be credited to trade, in fact, it is the biggest American jade collection worldwide.
The collection is enormously valuable for two reasons: the mineral is very rare, and the pieces have important religious and historical meaning for Costa Rica’s Indian and general population. They show animal figures too.
4.Museo Nacional/ National Museum
It is located at an old fort that still shows the marks of bullets from the Civil War of 1948. It is composed of several rooms devoted each to a specific topic. The archaeological room presents Indian relics made of stone and clay. The colonial room displays facts about the conquest as well as some pieces of religious art brought by the Spaniards. Yet another room is devoted to modern exhibits.
5.Museo de Arte Costarricense/ Costa Rican Art Museum
This museum harbors some of the best Costa Rican art. It is found in the urban park, La Sabana, in a gorgeous building that used to be the international airport many years ago. The building is a piece of art in itself, and honors the beautiful paintings and sculptures it houses.
6.Museo de Arte Contemporáneo/ Contemporary Art Museum
Located where the old National Liquor Factory used to be, the place is incredibly interesting. It is a compound of very artistic and stylish buildings surrounded by open grounds. Exhibits vary regularly, and there are two auditoriums that continually present dance and theater shows.
7.Museo de Ciencias Naturales La Salle/ La Salle Natural Sciences Museum
It is located in La Sabana and exhibits a taxidermy collection of animals as well as a preserved display of fish and reptiles. Very cool for kids!
8.Museo de Entomología de la Universidad de Costa Rica/ Entomology Museum of the University of Costa Rica
This is a small museum located in the basement of the University’s Music School. There, you can see a big collection of Central and South American insects. The admission is free, but opening hours are irregular.
9.Museo de Criminología/ Criminology Museum
This one’s for people with brave stomachs. It is located downtown and presents weird pictures and body parts! It also narrates Costa Rica’s history of criminology and law enforcement.
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