A man suspected of stabbing his former employer to death after a disagreement is now in custody after he turned himself in at a police station in Carrillo, province of Guanacaste. The suspect, a fruit and vegetable peddler whose last name is Scott, was reportedly extremely angry after his demands for severance pay and aguinaldo (the mandatory holiday bonus in Costa Rica) fell on deaf ears. Mari...

Municipal Center of Carrillo. The Mayor of Carrillo and other municipal officials in this canton of Guanacaste are well-traveled public servants. According to a report published in recent days by online news site Primero en Noticias, official records show that Argentina, China, Mexico, Spain, and the United States are the destinations where Carrillo officials have or will travel to in 2014. Th...

When the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of the United States was mentioned for the first time, analysts of the medical tourism industry wondered how “Obamacare” would impact the business of health travel. Now that enrollment in federal health insurance has been in effect for a few months, continuous growth of medical tourism in Costa Rica is expected due to three factors: Affordability...

Central Bank of Costa RicaUPDATE: please click here for more information about Coopenae in Costa Rica. Thank you to Asdrubal Zamora Corrales for the additional insights and information. Last week, the banking interest rate in Costa Rica dropped to its lowest level since July 2008. The “tasa basica pasiva” is set by the Central Bank of Costa Rica and it is a closely-followed economic indicator ...

Costa Rica U-17 team and coach. The biggest football event ever organized in Costa Rica will not be broadcast in its entirety by local television stations. TV networks Repretel and Teletica have announced that they will only show a few of the football matches of the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup, which will be held at stadiums in Alajuela, Liberia and San Jose. Teletica will carry some of the...

Source: Fuerza Publica During a recent visit to the city of Liberia, President Laura Chinchilla did not mince any words when she sharply responded to comments made by a labor union leader and a legislator who are not happy with the investment of more than $750,000 in patrol cars, motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) to augment law enforcement operations in the formerly “forgotten provin...

Imagine attending a workshop or a retreat, but instead of a conference center or event hall, you were surrounded by lush coastal rainforest, listening to the sounds of lapping waves of 80-degree calm Pacific gulf waters and roars of howler monkeys in the jungle. This is what it is like to have a retreat or seminar at Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge in Costa Rica. The remote oceanfront jungle lod...

If you own or otherwise manage a website or computer network in Costa Rica, you may want to ensure that your security systems and protocols are solid and up-to-date. Hacking and network security skills are in high demand in Costa Rica at this time, and many employers are asking job candidates that they bring factual proof of their exploits before they are hired, which means that they may target yo...

Source: Taco Bell US Yum Brands, the parent company of the popular fast-food chain Taco Bell, has recently been making headlines in both the United States and Costa Rica with the introduction of two new breakfast menu items. How does the curious breakfast Waffle Taco in the U.S. fare against the more traditional breakfast gallopinto burrito in Costa Rica? There is no question that Taco Bell...

The Central Pacific Coast boasts some of the most gorgeous and most expansive beaches in the country. At one point, there is seventeen miles of uninterrupted beach to jog along, surf or fish in, or lounge by in appreciation of it’s magnificent power and beauty. January 19th was a sad day along the Central Pacific Coast where the ocean displayed it’s power. It was a typical Sunday, the beaches w...

As record-high levels of snow, ice and rain and record-low temperatures continue to grip North America and Europe, Costa Rica is looking better and better as a Spring Break 2014 destination. Tired of that heavy winter coat, snow boots and wet, dismal weather? We agree. It’s time for some sun, and Costa Rica has plenty of it. Costa Rica’s dry summer season continues to deliver endless tropical s...

Delicious Tacos on the menu at Hotel ChantelHotel Chantel, the ocean view boutique hotel with the best 360-degree panoramic view of Playas del Coco in Guanacaste, is happy to announce that its scenic rooftop restaurant is now open to the public. This comfortable restaurant was inaugurated for the convenience of hotel guests just in time for the 2013 holiday season; however, management had to smoot...

Source: FEDESURF Costa Rica. Geovanny Vega Espinoza from Guanacaste won his second consecutive title after dominating in the 4.5 and 9 kilometer stand-up paddle (SUP) board races in Tamarindo Beach. Some of the best SUP action in Costa Rica takes place during the SurfTech 2014 Stand-Up Paddle National Circuit, and the most exciting races typically take place in Guanacaste, which is on its way ...

Alvaro Saborio Hello haters. It's time to put down those frosty bottles of Haterade and sing a song that you should have learned back in October when the National Football Team of Costa Rica played the National Football Team of Mexico and won the final qualifier match before the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. In case you have forgotten, the lyrics below should be sung to the tune of the nurser...

Presidential candidate Luis Guillermo Solis of Costa Rica. Following the announcement by presidential candidate and former Mayor of San Jose Johnny Araya's decision to abandon his pre-runoff election political campaign in Costa Rica, his opponent offered a polite and commiserate statement equivalent to accepting a concession speech. It did not take long, however, for presidential candidate Lui...

Source: Hockey Canada As Canadian snowbirds and visitors in Costa Rica were following the performance of their compatriot athletes at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, their Finance and National Revenue Ministers announced that an intergovernmental agreement with the United States had been reached on the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) of 2010. What this means for U.S. taxpayers is...

Source: Wikimedia Commons The possibility of a live performance by the legendary Paul McCartney in Costa Rica has been an item of considerable hearsay since 2012. The rumor mill reverberated in late February following the interview with an executive of a Mexican concert promotion firm by a daily tabloid, which almost confirmed the future appearance of the famous musician in early May. Renat...

Mounted police officers guard a beach in Costa Rica. If you are concerned about violent crime in Costa Rica, you may want to consider moving to the agricultural cantons of Hojancha and Nandayure in Guanacaste. Likewise, you may want to stay away from the central canton of Limon in the Caribbean region and the urban districts of San Jose. This information can be gleaned from the 10th Statistica...

Guaria morada in the wild. Source: INBIO. In March of last year, police officers patrolling the Upala sector in the northern region of Costa Rica made a botanical arrest. A man was caught with 112 members of the Orchidaceae family that he was furtively trying to smuggle. The suspect attempted to confound the Fuerza Publica (Costa Rica's national police) officers with flowery speech; alas, he w...

Regional dish in Costa Rica. “Eat Well, Travel Better.” Such is the motto of the World Food Travel Association (WFTA), an organization that is considered the leading authority on food tourism. For more than 10 years, the WFTA has organized numerous food tourism trade conferences in various parts of the world, including Canada, Ireland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, South America, and many others. C...

Scene from DrumFest 2013 DrumFest Costa Rica is an international event organized by the Sanders Music Academy that has become an important cultural and musical gathering in Latin America. DrumFest 2014 will be the fourth iteration of this important event, which is dedicated to a very special guest: Renowned jazz drummer John Bernard Riley. John Riley is one of the foremost drum and percussi...

Longline tuna haul. Source: Greenpeace. The recent Executive decree signed by President Laura Chinchilla approving new restrictions on commercial longline fishing operations is a positive, yet not altogether effective, step towards stopping the overfishing and depletion of marine resources of Costa Rica. Such was the statement pronounced by the Costa Rica Fishing Federation (Spanish acronym: F...

A petition by Costa Rica before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to determine clear maritime boundaries on the issue of international borders with Nicaragua goes beyond the intentions of President Daniel Ortega to build a transoceanic canal. It is the possibility of oceanic exploration for sources of oil and methane by Nicaragua that has Costa Rica worried. A recent article by Pablo Roj...

A previous issue of Diario Extra newspaper in Costa Rica Diario Extra, a sensationalist tabloid in Costa Rica that is known for its bold headlines, over-the-top crime reporting and photos spreads of scantily-clad and seductive Ticas, was recently condemned by the Colegio of Periodistas (Board of Journalism) after the daily published ghastly photos of a motor vehicle accident on Route 32 connec...

Among the numerous reasons medical tourism in Costa Rica has grown significantly over the last few years, quality of care stands out as being among the most important. In the 21st century, a handful of nations have consistently ranked among the top countries for health care in terms of quality and affordability, and Costa Rica is the most attractive destination for North American medical travelers...

Teletica, the media network that broadcasts nationwide as well as abroad via Internet data streams, recently confirmed rumors related to its expansion in the near future. By 2015, the TV network that includes channel 7, XperTV, CableTica, the new Teletica Deportes channel (TD+), and TuYo Movil, will have a new studio in Costa Rica. This expansion may also hint at a future focus on reality TV p...

Original Doge meme. In the quirky world of memes and assorted tomfoolery that dominates Internet life and culture in the 21st century, Costa Rica stands out as a very active nation both in terms of generation and propagation. There is, however, one particular meme that Costa Rica has mostly failed to adapt despite having reverberated on a global scale and even launched a virtual currency. We a...

Bribri woman artisan in Costa Rica During any given week at university campuses around the world, the thorny topics of feminism, gender roles and female empowerment are perennially discussed and dissected by students and faculty. Lecturers, researchers, activists, and observers are all part of a sociopolitical microcosm dedicated to controversy. In the Talamanca Region of Costa Rica, however, ...

The mangroves near the proposed airport. Over the next few years, the sublime and mysterious stone spheres at the Palmar Sur park indigenous park in Costa Rica will witness the construction of the Brunca Region International Airport, Costa Rica's latest effort in expanding its lucrative tourism industry. While many residents and landowners rejoiced at the news, others groaned about what they d...

Will and Jaden Smith, looking dejected. A significant portion of After Earth, a sci-fi summer blockbuster starring father-son Hollywood royalty Will and Jaden Smith, was filmed on the skirts of the Arenal Volcano and the surrounding cloud forest in La Fortuna. Although After Earth is hardly the only blockbuster filmed in Costa Rica, there is a strong chance that it may become the first one  to...

An incredible display of going way past the "extra mile" for a customer by a Minnesota clothier has created plenty of Internet buzz right in the middle of the busy season for weddings as well as prenuptial parties in Costa Rica. As reported by Jim Adams of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Wayzata clothier Judd Frost: “put his 32-year-old daughter on a southbound plane with the $500, tan gaberd...

In Costa Rica you can find just about any type of smartphone, from a variety of manufacturers, for all tastes and needs. But as of last Friday there is one particular cell phone that is made right here in Costa Rica and rivals any other smartphone in the market. Introducing the Sky II by Agora Wholesale, located in Lagunilla de Heredia. According to its creators, the smartphone was designed ...

The TEDx Pura Vida 2014 event, with 25 local and foreign exhibitors presenting their innovative ideas, will take place today, February 27th, at the Auditorio Nacional del Museo de los Niños. The event will also be available by video streaming at dozens of halls in different parts of the country at schools and businesses, like the TEC in San Carlos and Cartago and the Museo de Guanacaste, among ...

Source: La Voz Liberacionista Despite its world-class golf courses, massive luxury beach resorts and proposed water parks (complete with wave pools), Guanacaste is known to most people as the region with the most serious water challenges in Costa Rica. This is not, however, the view of legislator Maria Ocampo of the ruling National Liberation party, a Guanacaste native who sees “no problems wi...

Crocodile Man Tour at the Tarcoles River near Jaco, Costa Rica It was another gorgeous day in Costa Rica when I walked down the dock towards the boat that would take me through the infamous Crocodile Man Tour. The bar was set high. I had seen pictures from friends and heard tall tales about this tour. Let me tell you, it did not disappoint. Jason, our guide, handed each member of the tour a...

Edgardo Baltodano Briceno football stadium in Liberia, GuanacasteThe Edgardo Baltodano Briceno football stadium in Liberia, province of Guanacaste, is now ready to make Costa Rica the proud host of the 2014 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup. Stadium staff recently announced that they have completed putting the final touches on the illumination system for night matches, which will actually exceed FIFA r...

Residents of Playa Coyote in Santa Cruz, province of Guanacaste, have always enjoyed massive arrivals of the equally massive leatherback sea turtles during nesting season. In 2014, however, the gentle giants have mostly ignored this quiet beach community in Costa Rica; a situation that has neighbors and conservation activists extremely worried. According to Pablo Rojas of online news daily CRHo...

Joaquin "Chapo" Guzman. Source: Wikimedia Commons The announcements by Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto as well as by the United States Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) reverberated around the world: Joaquin Guzman, the fugitive leader of the powerful Sinaloa Cartel, was captured by Mexican naval infantry forces over the weekend. Thousands of news media outlets around the world broadcast the...

Many tourists and expatriate residents in Costa Rica have come to the conclusion that the “Switzerland of the Americas” is called that way not only because of her politically neutral stance or the quiet pastoral scenes in mountain landscapes. Switzerland is known as one of the most expensive places in the world, and Costa Rica can now boast to have that in common with the Swiss Confederation. Than...

Exploring Costa Rica by kayak is a fun way to enjoy nature and spot wildlife in a myriad of different settings. Costa Rica counts close to 800 miles of ocean coastline between the Pacific and Caribbean coasts, along with hundreds of rivers and estuaries, and several lakes – all full of kayaking possibilities. Kayaking is good exercise, and you can work on your tan at the same time! Oftentimes, ...