More Water Outages to Come for Certain San Jose Neighborhoods Due to Repairs. AyA, the government authority in charge of the Costa Rican water system, turned off water to several San José locations yesterday, leaving 75,000 people in Curridabat, Montes de Oca, Moravia, Coicoechea, Coronado and La Unión (Cartago) without water. AyA announced that there will [...]

Filed under: Costa Rica News on October 3rd, 2008 | No Comments »

A Theoretic Look at Post-U.S. Election Costa Rica -- Who Would You Choose? With just over a month left before the U.S. presidential elections on November 4, both expats and Costa Ricans alike are in heavy speculation mode - how would each candidate affect those of us living in Costa Rica? Disclaimer: I'm not taking sides, just [...]

Filed under: Costa Rica News on October 1st, 2008 | 2 Comments »

Costa Rican Taxi Fares to Increase 16 Cents Per Kilometer. When tourists arrive to San José's Juan Santamaria International Airport, official, orange airport taxis await outside. Instead of paying per kilometer or minute, airport taxis have long functioned on a per-ride basis: walk up to a window inside the airport exit, announce your destination and prepay [...]

Filed under: Costa Rica News on September 30th, 2008 | No Comments »

Costa Rica's long-awaited San José-Heredia train has just gotten a step closer to realizing its creation: the Institute of Costa Rican Railways (Incofer) has begun negotiations with the Spanish Narrow Rails Railway company to acquire four model 2000 commuter trains, which will be the most modern trains in the country.

Filed under: Costa Rica News on September 29th, 2008 | No Comments »

Putting CAFTA in the Hands of the People Help Earned Costa Rica this Recognition. The annual Latin American Index of Democratic Development has found that Costa Rica holds its number one spot for democratic nations. The private study collaborated with Polilat.com and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation to conduct its research, and results were released yesterday, September [...]

Filed under: Costa Rica News, Travel on September 26th, 2008 | No Comments »

Critics Say ICE is Partially at Fault for its Outrageous Expenses. In the wake of the announcement that the Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE) may raise electricity rates by 30-80 percent, several groups have asked the Hacienda (Treasury Department) to grant the entity tax-free status for fossil fuel imports. Though only 10 percent of Costa Rica's [...]

Filed under: Costa Rica News on September 26th, 2008 | No Comments »

When Costa Rica's Alternative Power Isn't Enough, ICE Wants Customers to Foot the Bill. Even though Costa Ricans are already feeling the pressure of rising costs of fuel, food, and other goods, last week, the government-run Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE) announced plans to increase electricity costs by an astonishing 30-80 percent. ICE cites rising gasoline [...]

Filed under: Costa Rica News on September 23rd, 2008 | No Comments »

President Arias is Facing the Lowest Approval Ratings in the History of His Presidency. President Óscar Arias, who first held office from 1986-1990, was so popular a president that the law was changed to allow for his reelection in 2006. As a Nobel Peace Prize winner, recipient of the Albert Schweitzer Prize for Humanitarianism, and world [...]

Filed under: Costa Rica News on September 22nd, 2008 | No Comments »

New Law Will Protect Tourists, Ticos and the Environment. The Costa Rican Ministry of Tourism and the National Chamber of Tourism hope to update and add to Costa Rica's fundamental tourism laws. The current legislation, which was first approved in 1955, is considered outdated and negative for today's tourism needs. Experts say that national tourism principles [...]

Filed under: Costa Rica News on September 18th, 2008 | No Comments »

There is an end in sight for the bureaucratic stalemate over new San Jose bus lines. San José's Interlínea buses -- inter-sectoral buses that connect suburbs -- have patiently waited for their debut. After many long months of deliberation and problems, it appears that the new bus routes may be ready by the end of October, [...]

Filed under: Costa Rica News on September 17th, 2008 | No Comments »