The demand for organically produced food has been growing in Samara and Nosara, as well as nationally and internationally. Weekly organic markets are now hosted, and both towns also have organic stores and restaurants that tout offering organic food options. As the demand for organic products grows, however, so have concerns about suppliers, with occasional accusations cropping up that some sel...

UPDATE: The purpose of publishing this article is to prove how misinformation online can cause problems, it's always best to consult with a lawyer in matters of immigration and residency. The content in this article below is not accurate, and should create conversation on the topic. The Costa Rica Star recently published an article about getting your permanent residency in Costa Rica to avoid the...

Police and park rangers of the Ministry of Environment and Energy (MINAE) are still searching for 9 crocodiles, some up to 16 feet long, who escaped from an artificial lagoon of the Tabacon tourist centre in Veracruz de Los Chiles. According to Major Rafael Araya, head of the local police unit, 5 of the 14 reptiles have been captured. Araya said the smallest is 11 feet long. The reptiles wer...

Asking for betters wages, equal to those of police officials from the Fuerza Publica, some 250 prison guards of the San Sebastián jail in San José will go on strike Monday. The strike is to pressure the Ministerio de Justicia y Paz to equate their salaries to those of colleagues working for the Ministerio de Seguridad Publica. The head of the workers union, the Nacional de Trabajadores y Tra...

One of the few achievements of the Chinchilla administration is the “intersectoriales”, the intersectoral (Interlinea) buses that was put into service last October, in response to the collapse of the Circunvalación. Although the idea of a bus connecting adjoining communities, without requiring travel to and from downtown San José, was not the idea of the current administration, it was put into ...

Hummus, kebab, falafel and other typical Middle Eastern foods have arrived in Samara, thanks to Israeli Elias Nassif and Italian David Rubini. In mid-December, Falafel Cafe opened its doors in the Natural Center, where Samara Organics was previously located. This small cafe offers fast food for those who are passing through or want something light. Orders can be for carryout or to dine in th...

Sign posted in Playa Garza announcing condo developmentFor years now, people in the maritime land zone of Costa Rica’s coasts have continued with their lives under the constant awareness that their time there could be limited, since Costa Rica’s constitutional court ruled that evictions must be carried out. The presidential moratorium granted to those in the maritime zone is in effect until Octob...

The Minister of Health, Daisy Corrales, has issued an order to temporarily close public pools that fail to fulfill the requirements established by the Regulation on Management of Public Pools (Executive Decree Nº 26671-S Reglamento Sobre Manejo de Piscinas Publicas) if changes aren’t made soon. In the canton of Nicoya, health authorities spent the last six months carrying out a general inspecti...

The Costa Rica Star previously published articles about Cacique Guaro, the national liquor of Costa Rica, and the famous shot of Chili-Guaro that many Ticos enjoy throughout Guanacaste. The Municipality of Nicoya is charging the canton’s liquor license owners half of the established quarterly price. The municipal decision was made as a result of the resolution by the Constitutional Court on ...

Vehicle received by the Samara Police from the Ministry of SecurityOn December 10, the Samara police received a 2008 Mazda pickup from the Ministry of Security to use in patrolling the district’s neighborhoods. The patrol unit has new tires, air conditioning and is in “optimal condition,” according to Samara Police Chief Jorge Luis Jimenez Gonzalez. The Public Force in San Jose recently receiv...

Recycling Center employees in Nosara Costa RicaBeginning in September of 2013, the Institute for Social Assistance (Instituto Mixto de Ayuda Social - IMAS) was giving 1 million colones ($2,000) every month to the Recycling Center in Nosara to provide a salary of 100,000 colones ($200) to all of its ten female employees. This subsidy was cut off completely in the month of December, and now the wom...

Bar and restaurant administrator: Pedro Chavarria CamachoOn December 1, three hooded men held up Vista Verde Bar and Restaurant in Samara and got away with about 1.2 million colones ($2400) as well as seven liters of various types of liquor. Pedro Chavarria Camacho, the bar’s administrator, related that the bar was busy that night but the thieves must have hidden nearby, waiting for the place ...

Photo of Marco Campos in GuanacasteMarco Campos, age 49, has formed part of the communities of Nosara and Samara for the past 12 years, and his efforts to help these and other communities develop has not gone unnoticed. In December in San Jose, the Universal Peace Federation (UPF) recognized him for his work to benefit the province of Guanacaste and the country. UPF, founded in 2005, is a glo...

Three dates. Three fabulous beaches. Three communities. The third year of the Triple Crown of Surf Nosara promises triple benefits: entertainment, sport and philanthropy. Last year, all three dates of the triple crown were held at Guiones beach, but this year the tournaments are again scheduled for three very distinct locations, each with distinct challenges for the surfers. The Triple Crown...

An abundance of tourists caused a series of water outages in some areas of Nosara this past holiday season. Carl Wells, a member of the American Project’s ASADA in Nosara, reported that during the the December 24-31 festivities, at least two outages were reported due to excessive usage. According to Wells, the sections with highest consumption are K, J, H, I, which are areas with the majorit...

Sportfishing Captain Johnny Cerpas at the Los Sueños Marina near Jaco Costa RicaHow many fish does an exceptional saltwater charter captain catch? Captain Daniel Espinoza is one of the most recognized captains currently fishing in Costa Rica. He’s been at the helm of the 42ft Spanish Fly - owned and built originally at Maverick Yachts just outside Jaco by Richard and Nancy Lebo, and now owned b...

A Pawnshop in Costa Rica, with jewelry, TV's, guitars, and more items Every year the cycle repeats, in December retail stores do their best to entice customers to buy, buy, buy, who in turn in January look to the “empeños y ventas” (also referred to as “compras y ventas”) – pawnshops to generate cash to lighten the “cuesta de Enero”, a term used in Costa Rica to describe the uphill financial situ...

Police in Costa Rica seize tons of cocaine during 2013The police in Costa Rica seized 19.2 tons of cocaine, 2.8 tons of marijuana, 70,000 crack rocks and 11,209 doses of ecstasy in 2013. Costa Rican police confiscated 19.2 tons of cocaine from January to Dec. 15, making it one of the leading countries in drug seizures in the region, according to the Public Security Ministry. The achievement...

Pez Vela Marina in Quepos Costa Rica The Costa Rica Star recently reported on the legacy of superb sportfishing captains in Costa Rica. Anyone who has visited Quepos before 2008 would agree that the town was considered the dirty armpit of Manuel Antonio–we all have them and we all need them, but certainly don’t flaunt them. Go to Quepos to do your shopping and banking, and then get out–espe...

New cars arrive in Costa Rica, courtesy of a Free Trade Agreement with the United StatesThe Costa Rica Star previously reported on and introduced the Presidential candidates in Costa Rica for 2014. Costa Rica currently counts with 14 Free Trade Agreements (FTA) signed, one in renegotiation and two awaiting ratification by Legislators. Are these enough or would it be beneficial to have more? ...

Mexican Artist Juan Carlos SaldañaIt’s partly about patience—the patience of cutting colorful tiles into tiny pieces-, then arranging and bonding them piece by piece to a surface and later filling in the lines with grout while carefully cleaning the grout from the tiles so their brilliance shines in the completed mosaic. Artist Juan Carlos Saldaña compares this last step to giving the tiles a fac...

Volunteers from The Monkey Farm: Daniel Blanco Jaime, Bonnie Gwathmey, Vicki Conley, Uyku Tulumu and Tomi-Pekka Astikainen The Monkey Farm in Playa Ocotal, just five minutes from Playas del Coco, is having an Open House Sunday, January 5th from noon until 5:00. The Monkey Farm is a non-profit organic, sustainable farm and future wildlife rescue center, run entirely by volunteers from all over...

December 29, 2013 Jaco, Costa Rica -- Slightly Stoopid, the Ocean Beach/San Diego, CA group led by multi-instrumentalists and founding members, Miles Doughty and Kyle McDonald, will headline Jungle Jam IV January 16-19, 2014 in Jaco, Costa Rica. Slightly Stoopid will be joined by special guest Don Carlos of Black Uhuru. Featuring four days of continuous music, this year’s party in the jungle...

After three months of arduous training, 21 dogs on Friday completed their training to now begin their work, along with their official guides, to sniff out illegal drugs and explosives and for the first time in the art of detecting fake currency. The training was provided by Colombian officials, thanks to an international cooperation agreement. The officials and their dogs will be on duty in...

Gas emissions and brake failures continue to be the main reasons why vehicles failed the annual vehicular inspection for 2013, according to Riteve. By the numbers, in 2013, 48% of all vehicles failed the test on the first go round, down from a 71% failure rate in 2003. Other causes for failure, said Riteve spokesperson, Jennifer Hidalgo, included problems with seatbelts and tension bars. ...

Officials of Nicoya’s Fuerza Publica decided to all contribute money to use for a good cause and help a local family this holiday season. In that way, this past December 24, a group of police officers arrived at the house of Santos Zuñiga, 67 years old, and Nuria Zuñiga, who is 22, in Chinampas de Terciopelo. Both women live in a house made from zinc sheets and pieces of wood, with a dirt floor...

Telethon in Costa Rica raises money for the needyAlthough the Telethon (Teleton in Spanish) was held between December 5 and 7, it will be until next February that the money for the Hospital de la Anexión in Nicoya will be allocated for the purchase of medical equipment, which would be delivered during the first half of 2014. After finishing the event, which brought together the people and busi...

Taiwanese man born in Costa Rica, Ken "Chino" ChuThis article is for entertainment purposes only and is not factual, originally posted on ElPeji.com. Belen, Costa Rica — A local Costa Rican man born to Taiwanese immigrants is threatening to pack up and move to Taiwan though he’s never actually been there before. Ken Chu, 28, who was born in Belen to Taiwanese immigrants, says his reasons f...

Photo: Gabriel Enrique MonteroThe new bishop of the Diocese of San Isidro de El General, Gabriel Enrique Montero, expressed concern over the apathy that Costa Ricans have with politics. Montero, who was appointed on Tuesday by Pope Francis, replacing Guillermo Loría, asked the presidential candidates to "learn the lesson" and govern for the people instead of "for themselves or their friends." ...

Ecstasy drug use in Costa Rica is on the rise and increasing profits for narcosSan Jose, Costa Rica – Thirteen human-trafficking victims in Costa Rica this year were taken for their organs, according to a report on crime in the country that gives new life to an ongoing organ trafficking scandal unfolding in the country. The report, co-authored by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (U...

On December 20, members of the Playas de Nosara ASADA water board, sometimes referred to as the American Project ASADA, held a meeting to discuss the results of an engineering report required by the Costa Rican Water and Sewage Institute (AyA) as part of the rate increase application. Once the report has been sent to AyA, it will then go to ARESEP (Autoridad Reguladora de los Servicios Públicos...

Costa Rica's first female president, Laura Chinchilla Undeniably “machismo” is an integral part of Costa Rican and Latin society in general, where men are still seen as the primary breadwinners even when they are not, while women are seen as being responsible for domestic work. The traditional family roles of men and women have certainly changed over the last few generations. Women in Costa...

Tope Nacional in San Jose Costa RicaIf you are big fan of the “Tope”, today Thursday December 26 is your day, as the annual Tope Nacional, with more than 5,000 horseback riders, takes over the main streets of downtown San Jose Costa Rica. The horseback riders and their horses will gather on the east side of La Sabana and start making their way along Paseo Colón and onto Avenida Segunda after 1...

This article is for entertainment purposes only and is not factual, originally posted on ElPeji.com. Presidential frontrunner Johnny Araya is unquestionably Costa Rica’s fattest presidential candidate, according to a Unimer poll released this week. A resounding 98% of pollsters found Araya to be the most overfed of the country’s candidates, while also voting the San Jose mayor as the least i...

Samara Organics is a family business owned by Angelina and Steve Phillips, located in downtown Samara. It has been part of the “Natural Center” complex for two years now and recently moved to a different building on the other side of the complex across from its old location. The new location offers clients a larger and brighter space, which allows them to welcome more people, distribute better ...

A cavern at Barra Honda National Park in GuanacasteWe stood at the top of a dark opening, looking at the curve of a metal ladder that disappeared down into the hole. Two guides tightened our harnesses and secured us to a rope for the descent, 17 meters (55 feet) down into the entrance of Terciopelo, one of the 42 underground caverns that have been discovered so far in Barra Honda National Park. ...

Last year Coconut Harry’s surf shop opened a juice bar; this year they are taking their menu a step further and opening a taco bar. The business is located across from Hotel Café de Paris on the main street of Guiones, where you can sit and watch people passing along the street. The taco bar is Rachelle Sexton and Steve Reyer’s new project. Sexton’s tacos have become famous in Guiones thank...

If you are an angler who loves the spectacular, Costa Rica is the place to be. Between now and the end of April, Costa Rica’s Central Pacific coast is home to one of the world’s most anticipated billfish bites. During this period Los Sueños Marina (Jacó/Herradura) and the newer Pez Vela Marina (Quepos/Manuel Antonio) will as always host some of the calendar year’s most prestigious international...

The lack of financing and manpower leaves the child welfare agency, the Patronato Nacional de la Infancia (PANI), with thousands of open cases, with new ones opened daily. PANI says that on average about 150 children every day are victims of domestic violence. The figures show that the agency received 53,000 complaints so far this year, up from 49,000 for the entire year of 2012. To attend the ...

This article is for entertainment purposes only and is not factual, originally posted on ElPeji.com. Costa Rica’s thriving public peeing community got its wish this week when Culture Minister Manuel Obregon officially declared the activity a national pastime and holiday. “Peeing in public is what makes this city great,” Obregon said of San Jose during the announcement of the new holiday. “Im...