Archive for September 2nd, 2010
Thursday, September 2nd, 2010
Despite the strong campaigns to encourage Costa Ricans to destroy the hatching sites of Aedes aegypti, dengue cases now exceed 20,000 so far this year.
According to information from the Ministry of Health, between January and August a total of 20,675 persons have been treated for dengue in health centers across the country.
According to health authorities, this represents an increase of 621.6 percent over the number of cases recorded in the same period of 2009, when 3,326 cases were recorded.
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Thursday, September 2nd, 2010
Beginning in February 2011, Frontier Airlines will begin offering a new route from Denver, Colorado, to Daniel Oduber International Airport in Liberia, capital of the northwest Costa Rican province of Guanacaste. Frontier has offered direct flights between Denver and Juan Santamaría International Airport outside San José since 2007.
The Frontier flight will leave from Denver at 8:25 a.m. Sunday mornings, arriving in Liberia at 2:35 p.m. The return flight will leave Liberia at 3:25 p.m., arriving in Denver at 8:10 p.m. The new flight will be offered only on Sundays.
Increasing the number of international flights to and from Costa Rica is one of the key goals of Tourism Minister Carlos Benavides.
“The promotion of new airline carriers and routes is a very important push during this administration,” Benavides told The Tico Times in April. “It will be important to try to establish new routes to new markets, and we are looking to promote more destinations for tourists from the U.S. and Canada.”
Daniel Oduber International Airport is increasingly becoming a prime portal for tourists. The Costa Rican Tourism Board (ICT) reported in April that over 50,000 travelers touched down in Liberia during the first two months of 2010, an increase of more than 24 percent over the same months in 2009. Liberia is about a 45-minute drive from the Pacific coast.
Story by TT
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Thursday, September 2nd, 2010
Costa Rica’s telecoms regulator, Sutel has published the bidding rules for the tender to operate one of up to three mobile phone networks. The move will break the monopoly held by the state-owned Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE).
Interested bidders are required to have a minimum customer base of 1.8 million customers, have revenues over US$450 million dollars outside of Costa Rica and have been operating for over five years at least in one country. A minimum fee of US$70 million will apply for the license and operators will have to launch services by September 2011.
Sutel says that five companies – Cable&Wireless, Telef�nica, Claro, Digicel and Millicom – have requested the documents and are said to be serious about bidding. Six other companies are said to have requested the tender documents but are not considered serious contenders and may have been requesting the documents for informational purposes.
The other companies include Ericsson and Alcatel Lucent, as well as a couple of local law firms – and the incumbent operator.
The government was obliged to open up the market to competition as a condition of entry into the Central American Free-Trade Agreement.
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Thursday, September 2nd, 2010
There are other countries in the world that enjoy divinely inspired natural landscapes, but Costa Rica boasts a higher biodiversity than Europe and the United States combined. Its small size also means that travelling from cloud forest to coastline and from summit to savannah is quick, easy and a matter of course. Here are some of its most natural wonders:
1. Corcovada
Famously labelled by National Geographic as ‘the most biologically intense place on earth,’ this national park is the last great original tract of tropical rainforest in Pacific Central America. The bastion of biological diversity is home to Costa Rica’s largest population of scarlet macaws, as well as countless other endangered species, including Baird’s tapir, the giant anteater and the world’s largest bird of prey, the harpy eagle. Corcovado’s amazing biodiversity has long attracted a devoted stream of visitors who descend from Bahía Drake and Puerto Jiménez to explore the remote location and spy on a wide array of wildlife.
2. Manuel Antonio
One of the country’s original ecotourism destinations, Manuel Antonio practically put Costa Rica on the map for international jet-setters. While the secret has long been let out, capuchin monkeys bounding across a tropical beach remain an arresting sight, as are iguanas, howlers, sloths and squirrel monkeys, which may be the cutest fur balls you have ever seen.
Manuel Antonio is a coconut-filled paradise. The park’s clearly marked trail system winds through rainforest-backed tropical beaches and rocky headlands, and the views across the bay to the pristine outer islands are unforgettable.
3. Arenal
Arenal has been producing menacing ash columns, massive explosions and streamers of glowing molten rock almost daily since 1968. Miraculously, the volcano has retained its picture-perfect conical shape despite constant volcanic activity, though its slopes are now ashen instead of green. In the shadow of Arenal, there’s something for everybody including luxurious hotels, romantic restaurants and Tabacón Hot Springs.
4. Monteverde
This iconic cloud forest was first settled by a community of Quakers who sought to protect their invaluable watershed. Home to such rare fauna as the resplendent quetzal, which is the Maya bird of paradise, Monteverde is partly responsible for Costa Rica’s international fame as an ecotourism hot spot where you can be inspired about the possibilities of organic farming and alternative energy sources.
5. Montezuma
A laid-back, budget beach town with a hippie vibe (locals call it ‘Montefuma’), beautiful beaches, a chill atmosphere and great restaurants. It’s the perfect base for exploring the southern part of the Península de Nicoya.
Up until the late 1990s, a traffic jam in Montezuma was getting off your bike to shoo some cows off the road, Montezuma is still a charming village, and foreign travellers continue to be drawn here by the laid-back atmosphere, cheap hotels and sprawling beaches. And while nothing ever stays the same, Montezuma has managed to hang on to its tranquil appeal.
6. Cahuita and Puerto Viejo de Talamanca
By day, lounge in a hammock, snorkel off uncrowded beaches and visit the remote indigenous territories of the Bribrí and KéköLdi. By night, dip into zesty Caribbean cooking and sway to reggaetón at open-air bars cooled by ocean breezes. Nearby, you’ll find rainforest fruit farms set to a soundtrack of cackling birds and croaking frogs. The villages of Cahuita and Puerto Viejo de Talamanca seem to have it all.
7. Tortuguero
Watch endangered sea turtles practice the millennia-old ritual of building a nest and laying their eggs on wild black-sand shores in this charming Caribbean jungle town. Tortuguero is more than just turtles; it’s thick with wildlife, and you will find sloths and howler monkeys in the treetops, tiny frogs and green iguanas scurrying among buttress roots, and mighty tarpon and endangered manatee swimming in the waters.
8. Jacó
There’s a loyal surfing contingent, resident North American expats and international developers who bill Jacó as the ultimate central Pacific destination and one of the country’s most rapidly developing cities. Truth be told, the surfing is excellent, the restaurants and bars are cosmopolitan, and a skyline of future high-rise apartments and luxury hotels is rapidly being constructed. While it couldn’t be classified as the ‘real’ Costa Rica, it is fun. There may be better surf spots and cleaner beaches, but its bar, restaurant and club scene is the best you will find along the entire Pacific coast.
9. Llanos de Cortés
If you have time to visit only one waterfall in Costa Rica, make it Llanos de Cortés. One of the most dramatic waterfalls in Costa Rica, it cascades into a tranquil pond with a white sandy beach. Scramble behind the falls with your sweetie to reach romantic nooks veiled by curtains of water.
10. Dominical
A permanently chilled-out beach town where time slows down to a crawl, Dominical has a way of forestalling your future plans. But when the surf is crashing and the sun is blazing, few travellers seem to really care.
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Thursday, September 2nd, 2010
Costa Rica is one of the world’s best tourist destinations. It is actually the perfect escape for a magnificent vacation or even an unforgettable business conference. Costa Rica is situated in Central America and has mild climate which makes it even more attractive to tourists. Truly we can say that it has a fruitful tourism industry.
Knowing the things that you can do and see in Costa Rica is important. This will at least give you essential ideas about the place. You can plan your itinerary well if you have ideas in mind.
Best Places to Visit in Costa Rica
Here is a list of the must-see tourist attractions in Costa Rica.
* Manuel Antonio National Park: You can see here beautiful beaches, amazing wildlife, and rich forestation. Aside from these things, you can also get there easily because it is accessible and offers a lot of fun things to do.
* Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve: This mountain rainforest has 100% humidity and it is the haven of more than 3000 species of plants and animals.
* Arenal Volcano and Hot Springs: Arenal volcano is actually the most active volcano in Costa Rica. It is a spot that you must see. If you want to witness the amazing fireworks display go to the base of the volcano and check out the splendid hot springs that will surely give you relaxation.
* Tamarindo and Playa Langosta: These places are great for people who love the excitement and thrill of surfing.
* Drake Bay and Corcovado National Park: This park is considered as one of the world’s most renowned places for its diversity. It is situated in Osa Peninsula. Drake Bay and Corcovado make the region a famous ecotourism spot.
Now that you have ideas on what to see in Costa Rica the next thing to talk about is the best time to travel to Costa Rica.
Best Time to Travel to Costa Rica
One of the factors to be considered when planning a trip is the weather. Costa Rica has two different seasons – the wet and dry seasons. Dry season stretches from December to April while wet season stretches from May to November. The best time of the year to visit and fly to Costa Rica is during the dry season. Travelers will enjoy the beauty of nature and the exciting activities that this place offers. However, expect the place to be crowded particularly during Christmas and Spring Break. Flights are available anytime of the year though.
If you have other concerns about Costa Rica I suggest that you check travel magazines and you might find the best hotels in there. You can also check websites that offer cheap packages and good deals like Travelzoo and Travelocity.
Have a wonderful trip to the beautiful paradise of Costa Rica!
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Thursday, September 2nd, 2010
Besides having to dodge potholes, drivers have to also be wary of missing manholes covers.
In San José alone it is estimated that 13.000 manholes are completely open, without a cover, assumed stolen by thieves who trade the metal for cash.
Municipalities say they are continually replacing manhole covers, but cannot keep up with the pace of thefts and curb the problem.
The municipalidad de San José says it spends on average ¢35 million colones a year to replace manhole covers. Marco Solórzano, head of the Alcantarillado Pluvial de San José, however, says there are no exact figures on how many covers are replaced a year.
In some cases manholes covers are welded on or tied down with heavy chain links to hamper criminals, especially drug addicts who see the manhole covers as a way for some quick cash.
In some cases, on streets with less traffic, plastic covers are being used.
The lack of manhole covers, in addition to being a hazard for drivers, also mean that the sewer systems fill up with refuse and plug up, contributing to the flooding during heavy rain fall.
When all is said and done, there seems to be no solution in sight.
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