Costa Rica information, activities and news
For those out of work or looking to make a change, they will have a chance at some 3.000 jobs being offered at the job fair at the Universidad Hispanoamericana, in Heredia, on July 14 and 15.
The job fair will be held between 10am and 7pm when 29 companies will be offering all types of jobs.
For more information you can call the university’s marketing department at 2241 9090 or 2216 6061.
Punished for elaborate escape plan
Matthew Nolan—brother of The Dark Knight director Christopher Nolan—was sentenced Wednesday to 14 months in jail for his planned Batman-like escape from a federal prison.
Matthew Nolan was arrested by FBI agents in February 2009 on Costa Rican murder charges. But a few weeks later, authorities found a razor, a harness, a metal clip, and 31 feet of rope made from bedsheets all in Matthew Nolan’s cell at the downtown Metropolitan Correction Center.
Considering his cell was on the 11th floor of the high-rise prison, Nolan’s 31-foot rope doesn’t seem like a well thought out Bat-plan.
Nolan, 41, pleaded guilty earlier this year to possessing contraband in jail and obstruction of justice, according to the AP.
The wannabe-escape artist was sentenced to 14 months in jail, but he has already served 16 months in custody, so he will be extradited to Costa Rica.
A Chicago court has already found that there is insufficient evidence to extradite Nolan to Costa Rica on the kidnapping and murder charges brought against him. However, he will face allegations of using fake documents.
They’d better keep those Bat-cuffs tight.
Tour operators, hotels and any others in the tourism industry have something to smile for this month following the results of a study by the Cámara Nacional de Turismo (Canatur) that forecasts an increase in U.S. tourtist arrivals this month.
The study shows that some 81.200 U.S. tourists will arrive in Costa Rica this month, up some 1.900 more than July last year.
Juan Carlos Ramos, president of Canatur, says “the U.S. market is fundamental for local tourism and is expected to improve with the economic recovery”.
U.S. tourists represented 44% of all tourist arrivals in 2009.
Hugo Jiménez, director de Educación Vial, confirmed that the B2 drivers license is only required for vehicles with a load capacity of 1.500 kg or more and that drivers of 4×4 can operate their vehicles with a B1.
The confusion comes from the actions of a Tránsito in March, days after the new Ley de Tránsito went into effect, ticketing a driver of a Honda SUV ¢381.420 colones for not having a B2 license.
The officer read the law as a B2 being required for a vehicle of 1.500 kg or more, which includes just about every SUV and 4×4.
Jiménez made it clear that only drivers of “vehiculos pesados” (heavy vehicles) or big trucks with a pay load of between 1.5 kg to 5 kg require a B2, a B3 and B4 for bigger vehicles and that drivers of SUV’s or 4×4′s can operate with a B1.
Surfers travel and vacation in Costa Rica because of the world class waves that this paradise has to offer. If you love to surf and are up for a challenge then make your way down to the gorgeous Costa Rica playa of Santa Teresa this weekend. The Luz de Vida Surf Challenge will be held on the 9th, 10th and 11th of July and with some top cash prizes up for grabs, the beaches of Playa Santa Teresa and Mal País are getting set for what is sure to be an action packed weekend.
Playa Santa Teresa is located on the Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica, and is a world famous destination for surfing. Surfers travel to Costa Rica because they know this paradise offers a supreme surf setting. With some of the most breathtaking scenery, serene sunsets and pristine white sands, Playa Santa Teresa offers great surf throughout the year.
This particular piece of Costa Rican coastline has a great set of sandbars turning up some sweet waves that can range from 3ft to 10ft in height. Get set to surf Costa Rica style! The surf forecast for Playa Santa Teresa this weekend predicts excellent conditions, so get your surfboards ready because it’s going to be a wild one.
The top prize of $2500 goes to the winner of the open male category, $700 for the open female and $1000 for the open junior male. With fifteen cash prizes on the table any surfrider entering this competition stands a good chance of coming away a winner. The Federation of Costa Rican Surf (Federación Costarricense de Surf) will be overseeing the event on the lookout for local talent.
The opening ceremony will be held at Playa Santa Teresa on Friday the 9th of June and will include an event to help raise funds for children from poor families in the Nicoya area. National surf champions are expected to be present. The surf tournament will get underway on Saturday the 10th and a huge party with live music is planned to welcome the sunset at the end of the first days competition. The surf semi-final and finals will take place on Sunday the 11th of July.
The cost of registration is $30 before prior to the first day of the event. If you enroll on the same day expect to pay $50. For more information, contact La Luz de Vida Surf Resort at: (506) 2640-0568.
The Costa Rican Congress recently voted to open its country to 46 U.S. warships (with their attendant helicopters and planes) and 7,000 U.S. Marines from July through the end of the year. The U.S. military’s stated mission is to interdict drug dealers and arm merchants, as well as expedite humanitarian missions. (Thanks to Sean Paul Kelley of the Agonist for bringing this to our attention.)
The Tico Times reports: “What seemed like normal protocol — seeking the approval of the Costa Rican Legislative Assembly for another group of Marines, with their support ships and planes, to monitor the country’s coastline for signs of drug traffickers — erupted into protests and angry comments as some Costa Ricans complained that their country’s sovereignty was being trampled upon.”
Insidecostarica.com reports: Costa Rica’s opposition [describes] the permission as illegal and in violation of national sovereignty. … Luis Fishman . . . presidential candidate in the past elections, said the legislative approval was like handing over a ‘blank cheque.’
The Tico Times again: The response caught the U.S. Embassy . . . by surprise. “We are not sure why there is this uproar,” U.S. Ambassador Anne S. Andrew said, explaining that the request is the same one that has been submitted each year for the last 10 years under a bilateral agreement between the two countries.
But, according to the opposition, as reported in the Insidecostarica.com article, the agreement “allowed the entry of coast guard vessels, but not war ships.” Furthermore, it “urged consideration of the geopolitical situation [which] the US [has created] in the region . . . which includes offensive actions such as the coup d’etat in Honduras and the installation of military bases in Colombia.”
Also at Insidecosta rica.com, John Holtz writes: Limiting the attack to our oceans makes no sense for such a large scale operation. Money is not laundered on the high seas and neither are those who direct the drug trade. … Many Costa Ricans are angry, scared and certainly confused.
On the other hand, it can’t be denied that, devoid of a standing army, they feel more vulnerable than ever. The Tico Times again: A recently released study by polling company Unimer showed that Costa Ricans’ greatest fears involve issues relating to security and crime. And few disagree the problem has arrived mostly from the outside, much of it on the backs of drug-smuggling cartels that have found room to maneuver along Costa Rica’s lightly protected coastlines and borders. … “This (protest) seems to arise at a point where there is no question that there is a serious security challenge ahead for Costa Rica,” [Ambassador] Andrew said. “In the last 10 years, the efforts of Costa Rica and the United States under the Joint Maritime Agreement have been responsible for the interception of 115,000 kilograms of cocaine and $24 million in laundered money off the coast of Costa Rica.”
From the Tico Times report again, a member of the opposition argues that “the destructive force of the ships and manpower [and] helicopters is disproportionate to the threat caused by drug traffickers.” For one year, the figures above break down to 11,500 kg of coke and $2.4 million of laundered money. Will 7,000 marines, 46 ships, and 200 helicopters and planes substantially improve on that? Oh, sorry. The deterrence inherent in the knowledge that this massive force is patrolling Costa Rica’s shores is, uh, priceless.
