A Wood Sculpture Fair in San Ramon Educates Visitors About the Art. In Guanacaste a sculptor is creating inspiring works of art using trunks and abandoned pieces of wood that he finds on the beach and in the forests. Rodolfo Uder uses precious tropical woods such as Ron-Ron, Rosewood and Purple Heart and adapts their shape [...]

Filed under: Tico on August 29th, 2008 | No Comments »

Refugee Applicants Aren't Allowed to Obtain Legal Jobs in Costa Rica Until Approved. The small Central American country of only 4 million people that borders both Panama and Nicaragua is home to about eight thousand refugees. This makes Costa Rica the second country in Latin America harboring the most number of refugees proportionally to its population.

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

An Unfortunate Reality for Several Communities on the Caribbean Coast. A small community located in the southern part of Costa Rica's Caribbean Coast in Talmanaca, Limon, is still dreaming of a day where they will have drinkable water in their homes. About 10 months ago construction was begun on an aqueduct that would successfully supply water [...]

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

From Urban Centers to the Beach, Tree Planting is Catching on in Costa Rica. Yesterday one hundred people from the province of Alajuela gathered together and planted 3 trees each. Fruit trees, ornamental and timber trees found a new place in the Madre Verde Reserve of Palmares, in Alajuela. This activity, part of the Naturally Green [...]

Filed under: Costa Rica News on August 28th, 2008 | No Comments »

Having lived in Costa Rica for over 16 years now, I feel I am well qualified to write about the Ticos! The word Tico, or Tica, comes from the population’s tendancy to add “ico” and “ica” at the end of words; how often to we hear, un momentico, por favor!

Filed under: Tico on August 27th, 2008 | 1 Comment »

The San Ramon Museum Reopened this Past Saturday in Costa Rica. Costa Rica is forever widening its cultural attractions and the renovations and the opening of more museums and tourist destinations are always in the headlines; from the new ecological theme park Veragua, to the renovations of the Costa Rican Art Museum and the investment in [...]

Filed under: Travel on August 27th, 2008 | No Comments »

Less Coastal Construction Means More Mangoes in Costa Rica! Prices of vacation homes being sold to foreigners on the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica have fallen by 40 percent according to the online classifieds website encuentra24.com, which displays over 10,000 real estate listings posted by owners and real estate companies.

Filed under: Business on August 26th, 2008 | 1 Comment »

Wind, Water and Natural Steam: The Energy of the Future, Now in Costa Rica. The German Company Juwi, based in Wörrstadt in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate together with its European and American project partners have started the construction of what is to be the largest wind farm in Central America in Guanacaste. The project, known [...]

Filed under: Business on August 26th, 2008 | No Comments »

Tour Operators are Among Those Suffering from a Decline in Tourists. According to the National Chamber of Tourism (Canatur) both Costa Rica's golden and central pacific coasts are beginning to feel a reduction in the rhythm of the tourism growth that they have become so accustom to over the previous years. Alberto Lopez, the executive director [...]

Filed under: Business on August 26th, 2008 | 1 Comment »

Incoming Costa Rica Flights Must be Manned by Highly Qualified Pilots. The Juan Santamaria Airport in Alajuela will finally install a new Approach Light System (ALS) and this long overdue project should be finished by February 2009, if everything goes according to plans. It is about time after years of landing in the dark! These lights, [...]

Filed under: Travel on August 25th, 2008 | No Comments »