The new Costa Rica school year starts February 10th, 2011.
Yet action is needed year round, making the information below
very important!
In Costa Rica a private school literally seems to be tucked into
every small neighborhood. Costa Rica residents with
at
least enough money routinely enroll their children in these
private schools - not for vanity, but because the public schools
lack the resources to provide an acceptable education.
Basic private school tuition might be $250.00/month (USD).
Higher-end schools can be upwards of $1,000/month.
Additionally private school parents must pay for books, school
supplies, uniforms, and many other out-of-pocket costs.
Although these tuition's and costs may seem small to foreign
readers paying much more for a private education; in Costa Rica
these fees can be considered high when compared to income.
In fact, it is not unheard of that extended family from different
households collectively contribute to give that one child an
opportunity for a better life by attending a private school.
By contrast, poor Costa Rican school children not fortunate
enough to be born into a family with money are often left
behind. The Costa Rica Ministry of Education (
Ministerio de Educación
Pública de Costa Rica) does not have the money to provide
many basics to its students due to a lack of allocated funding by
the government. Shortfalls include, but not limited
to;
- Inadequate facilities for a proper learning
environment,
- Deficient numbers of important support personnel such as
counselors and social workers,
- Teacher salaries that don't meet a living wage,
- Lack of important learning tools such as computers, and
- Missing basics such as books and
supplies.
It becomes the responsibility of parents and even some of
the generous, yet poorly paid teachers to make up for any lack of
school resources.
To make matters worse, basics such as notebooks cost more in
Costa Rica than they do in the United States and elsewhere.
This set of conditions literally results in the 'perfect storm'
for children needing a basic education.
Although Costa Rica is a country of natural beauty, it is still a
developing nation when it comes to most of the native
population. Meaning any school costs are literally
impossible for many families to pay.
What YOU Can Do
Tourists, visitors, and foreign residents coming through
Costa Rica's international airports and cruise ship ports have a
unique opportunity to really make a difference.
It takes so little to provide so very much to the children of
Costa Rica when you come to relax and explore in their
country.
When coming to Costa Rica, please consider packing an extra
suitcase of basic school supplies (pencils, pens, rulers,
notebooks, markers, erasers, etc., etc., etc.).
Monetary donations are also needed for required school uniforms
and other specific items!
Any questions? Feel free to
contact
me directly. I will do my best to answer all questions
and if needed, connect those that want to donate to those in
need.
Thank You.
Copyright © 2007-2011 Costa Rica Blogger. All rights reserved
worldwide. Limited Fair Use allowed to share and redistibute for
non-commerical purposes where full attribution and live web link to
CostaRicaBlogger.com are included.
Date Published: Jan 25, 2011 - 9:25 am
A Guanacaste Costa Rica Road Trip
One of the nice things about
living in Costa Rica is the ability to just head out the door
with adventure never being too far away.
The other day I was riding my bike up the side of the mountain
where I live. I decided to take a different route,
turning left at a point where I usually keep going
forward. This small decision ended-up getting me lost for
2½ hours while I discovered neighboring peaks, valleys, rivers
and roads that turned into impassable ‘trails’ by even a
mountain bike supposedly made for the most extreme conditions.
In the end it turned out I was never too far from some sort of
town and my cell phone usually had a signal – even though I
couldn’t tell which way the civilization was located due to low
cloud cover (ie: soup) or describe my location over the phone
(such as: I’m on a 45 degree dirt road looking at a couple cows
who are laughing at the lost Gringo).
Road Trip to Guanacaste Province
However, not all Costa Rica adventures are quite so
rudimentary.
My daughter was in town from the states and we decided to a
road-trip to the beaches in Guanacaste Province, the Northwest
section of Costa Rica.
With just a basic sense of direction a very simple plan of what
we wanted to see, we headed out – again, trying to make the
trip as adventuresome as possible in a car on mostly main
roadways.
Day 1
Starting from my home on the Northeast side of the San José
capital (aka: the ‘central valley’) we drove west to the Gulf
of Nicoya (Golfo de Nicoya) then up and around to the Amistad
Bridge or Puente de la Amistad de Costa Rica-Taiwan
that passes over the top of the gulf allowing drivers a quicker
path to the Pacific Coast.
We then continued northwest through Guanacaste up to Flamingo
Beach (Playa Flamigo) then further north to Sugar Beach (Playa
Azucar) where the cliffs gave us really great views of the
secluded beaches down below.
The
hotels are generally booked with Costa Ricans and vacationing
foreigners for their respective holidays so finding a hotel
vacancy took a little searching but we finally found a decent
deal on somebody else's cancellation.
The initial offer for a room was somewhat ridiculous – I may be
a gringo but I actually live in Costa Rica having a good idea
of non-peak seasonal rates when hotels can’t inflate their
prices.
I pointed out it was dusk and the chance of another person just
stumbling in for a room was very remote. I suggested a
decent room rate was better than an empty room and we came to a
fair price for both myself and the hotel.
We ended up staying at Hotel Conchal in Brasilito, just south of
Flamingo Beach (Playa Flamingo) and across the road from
Brasilito Beach (Playa Brasilito). It’s a boutique hotel
with only 9 rooms surrounding a central swimming pool.
The rooms and large and the 3 story open air restaurant/sitting
area constructed of natural wood beams and thatched roof is a
nice amenity rarely found anyplace else.
After a beautiful Pacific sunset on Playa Brasilito we had
dinner at a beach restaurant called "Outback
Jack’s Australian Road Kill Grill". I had the Fish
Tacos (Tacos de Pescado) because I figured they wouldn't
really be roadkill. The kids basically stuck to
food they recognized from U.S. restaurants. Outback
Jack’s with its open air dining and fun atmosphere is a little
pricey but you are on the beach with a great view and the food
is excellent.
After dinner we returned to Hotal Conchal. I sat
pool-side listening to the hotel’s music as I checked e-mail on
the hotel’s Wi-Fi and documented some our trip on my laptop
while
The music such favorites as 4
Non Blondes "What’s Up" ... "And I scream from
the top of my lungs, What's goin' on? And I sing
hey-yeah-yea-eah, eah hey yea yea , I said hey!, What's goin'
on?!" … they play the greatest classic music in Costa
Rica!
Meanwhile my son went for an after-dark swim in the Hotel
Conchal pool making a new friend instantly who was also staying
at the hotel and my daughter read her “Twilight Eclipse” book.
The evening was perfect and a really nice setting to end a busy
day.
Day 2 - Morning
Again with
no real plan; we had a tipico Costa Rican breakfast of eggs,
rice & beans, bread, a variety of fresh fruit and freshly
made all natural orange/pineapple juice (juevos, gallo pinto,
pan, plata de frutas y fresco natural) – along with world
famous fresh and delicious Costa Rica coffee (café de Costa
Rica)
We then took the helpful advice of Hotel Conchal’s manager and
set-out with a better idea of sites to see in the area.
First
we headed back to Playa Brasilito. Then we kept driving
south to Conchal Beach (Playa Conchal). Playa Conchal is
only accessible by walking or driving on Playa Brasillito,
following the shoreline south to a what appears to be the end
of the beach and walking or driving on the sand.
At the end of Playa Brasilito we parked the car and walked over
a steep hill to a cove that is Playa Conchal where the actual
beach consists of small white sea shells instead of sand.
It was REALLY cool ... I'd never seen anything like it!
The kids hunted for starfish and other live marine life on
Playa Conchal’s rocky cove shorelines. Then we headed
back to the hotel to shower and move on to our next
destination.
Day 2 - Afternoon
Per the suggestion of Hotel Conchal’s manager, we headed inland
for a two hour drive through Liberia onto Parque Nacional Volcán Rincón de la Vieja;
featuring active volcanoes, lakes, rivers, waterfalls, hot
springs, thermal mud pools, hiking trails, canyon canopy tours,
water rafting, rock climbing, rappelling, Tarzan swings over
the White River (Río Blanco) and much more!
We had lunch at the Hacienda Guachipelín restaurant located within
the national park, but we all ate light due to the tourist
prices of $18 for the non-spectacular buffet, $2.50 for an
orange juice and $8.00 for two small "Taco Ticos".
While eating at the restaurant I asked the waiter if the
Hacienda
Guachipelín Hotel had any rooms available. Soon
after, a manager of some kind came to our table offering to
book our room while we ate. He quoted a rate of $107.00 a
night.
I stated I was a resident of Costa Rica and my son was a
national and we are used to getting discounts on tourist
pricing. The manager offered a 50% discount pretty easy so
I’m guessing all you need to do is ask with a smile and a
half-empty wallet. Following lunch we unpacked in our nice
air-conditioned room
After looking at our recreational alternatives the kids really
wanted to do the Canyon Canopy Tour, so we booked a reservation
for the next day’s 8am tour – again negotiating a 50% discount
off the quoted price of $55.00 per person.
We then drove further into the park and walked a trail to the
Black River Sulfur Hot Springs (Termas Sulfuro de Agua del Río
Negro). It was veeeeerrryy relaxing ... once I got my son
to stay off my shoulders and lap so I could rest in peace.
As the sun set, we headed to the hotel’s pool so that my son
could again swim at dusk and after darkness set-in. We
then headed over to the restaurant to overpay for a simple
dinner.
Day 3 - Morning
In the morning my daughter was especially excited for our zip
line/canopy tour. We were at the starting point about
7:45 along with the others taking the tour. We really
didn’t know what to expect; we were all excited, if not a
little nervous.
The tour consisted of 12 zip lines both above ground and down
into the river canyon, hanging bridges, “ferrata” rappel or
rope drop down into the canyon from an overhead bridge and rock
wall climbing back out of the canyon … a truly EXCELLENT
adventure!!!
Below are three video links from our Canyon Canopy Tour above
Río Blanco at Parque Nacional Volcán Rincón de la Vieja,
Guanacaste, Costa Rica
Look like fun?!
Day 3 - Afternoon
I then drove like a NASCAR driver from Guanacaste to the San
Jose central valley bringing the return drive home at less than
3.5 hours.
We were all exhausted but have memories that will last a
lifetime.
¡Pura Aventura en Costa Rica!
Copyright © 2007-2011 Costa Rica Blogger. All rights reserved
worldwide. Limited Fair Use allowed to share and redistibute for
non-commerical purposes where full attribution and live web link to
CostaRicaBlogger.com are included.
Date Published: Oct 23, 2010 - 11:48 am
Ever wonder what it's really like to
live in a foreign country?!
"Expats" considering or having made the move to Costa Rica often
do so initially for its natural beauty. After this, the
individual reasons vary widely.
Most of us try very hard respect and embrace our new homes,
including things we understand and want to understand. The
culture is different, the surroundings are different and the food
is most certainly different. All part of the reasons many of
us came here in the first place ... to do something
different with our lives.
Yet, even the strongest of us with the best intentions and most
open of minds must ultimately face our own 'Gringoness'. No
its not a real word, but it is a very real condition [or
affliction some will argue]. This happens to some sooner
than others, but it will happen. Facing the reality that we
will always be part of where we came from can be harder on some
than others. How you deal with it is the key to one's
ultimate happiness.
Below is a humorous confession by one such expat living here in
Costa Rica. Enjoy!
Two confessions at once, y'all.
I have a confession. Two of them, really.
The first is that [my husband] and I went out on a date on Friday
and since it was just the two of us and also because it seemed
like it had been a really long time since we'd done anything
special, we decided to splurge a bit and get a nice meal. So we
did. We splurged, and went to one of the nicest restaurants that
we could afford ... Denny's.
There,
I said it.
We went to Denny's. Ok?
And goodness... it was so freaking good I cannot even begin to
tell you how delicious it was.
I had a bacon cheeseburger - and it was like a REAL burger - No
bread or eggs mixed in the meat! The bacon was crispy and
abundant, and, you guys, there were PICKLES on it! The thick kind
that still have a hint of cucumbery goodness - my favorite kind -
and I loved the pickles so much that I asked the waiter for a few
more and, you know what? He brought me some! And I don't very
often finish an entire meal (I may have thrown a few fries on [my
husband's] empty plate) but I ate that entire burger, all by
myself. Jeez, it was good.
Ok. And, the other thing is that the Denny's we went to is a sort
of hot-spot for gringos and while we were waiting to pay there
was this white guy behind us. And he was wearing the classic
tourist uniform; button up shirt, khaki shorts, mid-calf socks
with sandals, and the soft white baby flesh of a man who
hasn't spent a lot of time under the sun this close to the
equator. None of which, on it's own, is terribly offensive, it's
not wrong, it's just different, right? But the guy kept saying,
in an extremely loud voice, "ARE WE THERE YET?" followed by a
ridiculous amount of self- amused guffawing. I mean, he did that
at least 4 times in the couple of minutes we waited for the
cashier to take our bill.
And I wanted to say "Yeah. We get
it. You had to fly for a long time in a big plane to get here, to
this strange land, where you will spend your vacation on a very
expensive but highly contrived "adventure" so that for the next 8
month you can bring it up in front of your friends, neighbors,
coworkers, and strangers in line at Starbucks by inserting the
line 'when I was in Costa Rica' into every conceivable
conversation. Yes. You're there yet. Congratulations!" And then I
wanted to say "You're eating at Denny's, man! What is up with the
safari hat?!"
So my husband paid and we made our way to the car in the
drizzling rain, and I was really glad that these confrontations
occur mainly in my head. Anyway, I started thinking about why I
was so irritated by my obnoxious, badly styled countryman. Is it
really so bad to have an odd, albeit loud, manner of engaging
with the world around you? I mean, the guy was just excited to be
here.
I felt like my 12 year old, Dylan, who's in a constant state of
mortification about how his family looks, acts, and dresses in
public. I love my kid, but he's a total kill-joy. Any attempt to
hold his hand will elicit an agonized, "MoooOOoom...stohahahop.
You are SO embarrassing." He begs me to make his brother quit
singing in public, or to drag him away from the silly giant
sunglasses for sale at the carnival. "Mom. You hafta make Jamison
stop doing the robot. Everybody is looking." And my response to
my tormented preteen is always, always, always the same. "You
need to worry about you. In regard to your brother, your only job
is love him. It's my job to grow him up. So. BACK. OFF."
And
then I felt bad for judging the guy. I felt bad for letting my
own insecurities lead me toward fear of guilt by association. I
felt really bad for calling the guy an ass-hat in my head, when
obviously I've engaged in more than my fair share of ass-hat
moments. In those few seconds, and without ever having a
conversation with the dude, I had decided that I was in some way
better than him. I was cooler that he was, and I dressed better.
As if those are even the things I've chosen to live for. As if
those are things any of us should choose to live for.
You know what? I need to worry about me. My only job is to love
that guy. No, like, for real. That's my job... you know, cause of
the whole missionary thing?...
But I'm pretty sure it also says that in the Bible, somewhere,
maybe even a few somewheres.
Jamie Wright is a
purveyor of “Inappropriate remarks, embarrassing antics, and
generally lame observations about living life as a Christian
missionary in Costa Rica”. She humorously [we assume] calls
herself "Jamie the Very Worst Missionary" and her very
entertaining blog can be found at TheVeryWorstMissionary.com
... a domain that was probably not hard to secure 
.
source: theveryworstmissionary.com
Copyright © 2007-2011 Costa Rica Blogger. All rights reserved
worldwide. Limited Fair Use allowed to share and redistibute for
non-commerical purposes where full attribution and live web link to
CostaRicaBlogger.com are included.
Date Published: Sep 03, 2010 - 9:55 am
Costa Rica was the first country in the world to formally abolish
its military. This is a great source of pride for its
people and those that have chosen to call Costa Rica their home.
Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former two-term Costa Rica
President Oscar Arias continues his efforts in urging other
nations to abandon their own militaries as he accurately points
to the enormous amounts of money these countries spend on armed
forces while their citizens suffer in poverty, go hungry, lack
adequate healthcare and go without proper education.
Meanwhile, Costa Rica is in a paradox itself with an ever
escalating crime and violence problem associated with the
smuggling activities of regional drug gangs and cartels.
In stark contrast to Dr. Arias’ worldwide agenda, his successor
and current President Laura Chinchilla along with the Legislative
Assembly voted nearly unanimously to expanded a previous “Joint
Patrol” counter-narcotics maritime agreement with the United
States allowing the U.S. armed forces full Costa Rica in-country
access through the end of 2010 to help fight drug
trafficking.
On the eve of the first U.S. ship docking in a Costa Rica port,
Presidenta Chinchilla admitted that this small country with no
military does not have the resources to effectively patrol its
own waters while calling on the United States to offer an
anti-drug aid program just for Central America – in addition to
money already provided through the Mérida Initiative where a bulk
of the anti-narcotics funding goes to Mexico and only a small
amount is provided to other countries within the Central American
drug trafficking corridor.
Humanitarian - My Butt
The news of the U.S. military being given access to Costa Rica
was less than palatable to many and the backlash went viral –
especially on the Internet.
Opposition from within Costa Rica’s own government went public
followed by an immediate legal challenge of the legislative
decision to the Costa Rica Supreme Court.
Organizations formally condemned the decision. Peace groups
and students protested; albeit in far fewer numbers than they had
promised. Expat foreigners that had relocated or were
considering moving to Costa Rica after being sold on this being a
country of peace were rethinking their decisions out-loud.
And those that propagate conspiracy theories were having the
dreaded times of their lives.
The end result was a Costa Rica government that felt compelled to
respond in attempts to tamp down the tide of discontent.
President Chinchilla’s administration assured the public that
Costa Rica would be in charge of any anti-drug operations.
That only the U.S. Coast Guard would assist as needed on a
case-by-case basis – and that any United States Navy or Marines
operations would be limited to humanitarian efforts such as
healthcare, infrastructure projects, disaster relief (if
necessary), etc., etc.
These statements were deemed disingenuous by those opposed to the
plan and humorous to those in favor of whatever it will take to
stem the tide of drug related criminal activity.
There’s A BIG War Ship in Costa Rica!
On August 20th, 2010 the first of an approved 46
United States military ships docked in Puerto Limón, the largest
port on Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast.
The Costa Rica government announced the USS Iwo
Jima’s arrival with great fanfare as proof that humanitarian
aid had in-fact been delivered in the form of a military
vessel. Pundits were put on notice that the Chinchilla
administration had been completely truthful that the war on drugs
was not turning into a foreign armed forces operation.
But such statements only angered anti-military pundits.
What exactly is “humanitarian” about a hulking battleship?!
The USS Iwo Jima is a WAR ship – not a PEACE ship!
Critics say the facts speak for themselves and the real
story is easy to ascertain in part due to the free-flow of
Internet information.
FACTS:
The USS Iwo Jima is a U.S. Wasp-class amphibious assault ship
designed to land fighting forces on hostile shores by air and
sea. The ship is the largest vessel of its
type in the world with a sea level “well” deck for launching
smaller landing craft and a flight deck that hosts an air group
of helicopters and Harrier ground-attack jet aircraft.
Here’s some more factual statistics listing the USS Iwo Jima’s
standard mission complements:
- 104 officers, 1,004 enlisted Navy personnel along with a
1,894 Marine detachment,
- Six Boeing AV-8B Harrier II marine attack
aircraft,
- Four Bell AH-1W SuperCobra marine attack helicopters,
- Twelve Boeing CH-46 Sea Knight marine tandem rotor
troop/supply cargo helicopters,
- Four
Sikorsky CH-53 Sea Stallion marine heavy-lift troop/supply
cargo helicopters,
- Three Bell UH-1N Huey utility helicopters,
- Two RIM-116 RAM battery missile launchers
(defensive surface-to-air, 42 ready to launch infrared homing
missiles),
- Two Sea Sparrow battery missile launchers
(service-to-air, 8 ready to launch missiles),
- Two Phalanx CIWS 20mm six-barrel radar guided
Gatling gun auto cannon systems,
- Four M2 Browning .50 caliber machine guns, and
- Three Mk 38 Bushmaster 25mm chain guns
Additionally, the Iwo Jima is capable of being a “Harrier
Carrier” of up to 20 Harrier attack jet aircraft during full
military operations.
Not exactly the “The Love Boat”, is it Señora Presidenta?!
Operation Continuing Promise 2010
Admittedly conspiracies can be darn interesting! But
sometimes the entire facts are worth exploring for those
interested in the REAL story – minus the spin.
Like many United States Navy Ships, the USS Iwo Jima can be put
into service for many different purposes.
The U.S. Department of Defense keeps its equipment and personnel
in a state of constant readiness by way of training and
humanitarian exercises because thankfully there is not always a
military conflict requiring all of its resources.
The USS Iwo Jima is a Norfolk, Virginia based U.S. Navy ship
currently on deployment as part of “Continuing Promise 2010”, an annual
humanitarian mission under the directed operations of the
U.S. Southern
Command (USSOUTHCOM).
So what is ‘Continuing Promise’? It sounds promising!
Humanitarian missions are always good – right? Or is this just
another trick to __insert conspiracy theory
here__?!
Costa Rica Blogger Investigates
“REAL, Honest, Unbiased Information on ALL Things Costa Rica”.
That’s our tag line here at Costa Rica Blogger and we’re sticking
by it as we approach our 3rd anniversary:
On Sunday, August 22, 2010 at 04:00 hours we began our recon
mission of the U.S. Navy’s USS Iwo Jima Wasp-class amphibious
assault ship anchored in the Costa Rica Caribbean port town of
Limón. Based on our intelligence, below radar ground
transport was deemed the best approach. We diligently
made our way through the Depresión de la Palma pass of the
Cordillera Central volcanic mountain range; then on through the
tropical flatlands of Limón Province under-cover of ample
banana agriculture plantations. Once we arrived near
Puerto Limón, we disengaged from our vehicle and continued on
foot. Camera in hand and a pretty Costa Rica girl to talk
us past port security, we made our way to the ship to discover
what was really happening on the ground.
… ♪ Mission Impossible theme music fades
♫
O.K., so we were really just going to the beach for some sun and
swimming. But with all the news, opinions and flat out
catastrophic scenarios being thrown around - we also had to check
out what the fury was all about while in the neighborhood.
Our Findings
This is a CostaRicaBlogger.com exclusive!
Approximately
1 kilometer due West of the USS Iwo Jima at the Limón public
sports complex (Polideportivo de Limón) people had gathered since
the early hours in the morning for entrance into the facility ...
and they weren't looking for a pick-up game of fútbol.
There were 3 orderly lines that ranged in age from elderly to
babies. As time passed, the lines grew longer with the sun
and humidity growing more intense.
Inside the sports complex was an international crew of military
personnel from the United States Navy, U.S. Air Force, U.S.
Marines, U.S. Army, The Netherlands, Canada, Columbia, Paraguay
and other countries – along with the civilian U.S. Public Health
Service and supplies or services from many other non-governmental
organizations such as Project C.U.R.E. – all brought to Costa Rica
aboard the USS Iwo Jima.
In talking with on on-site troops, they were deployed on a four
month mission of the Americas – and yes, it was
“humanitarian”!
The USS Iwo Jima’s first stop had been the island nation of Haiti
that is still recovering from their catastrophic January 2010
earthquake. Then it was on to South America’s Columbia
before coming to Central America and Costa Rica for their current
10 day operation.
The team of medical doctors, nurses, ophthalmologists,
optometrists, x-ray technicians, pharmacists, lab technicians,
dentists, dental assistants, interpreters and even veterinarians
were staged throughout the complex to treat any condition that
walked through the gate.
Onsite services included: general medical attention and condition
diagnosis, pre-surgical evaluations, eye exams, women’s exams,
infant exams, x-rays, lab work, dental work and distribution of
medicines.
Some will ask with extreme skepticism, why are such medical
services needed in Costa Rica?
Surely this must be part of a bait-and-switch scheme. Why
are all these troops in Costa Rica on such a “humanitarian”
medical mission when Costa Rica is highly touted as having
excellent health care?!
Well, here are some more REAL facts. Costa Rica
has two medical systems; a social medical system and a private
medical system.
All residents of Costa Rica are members of the social healthcare
system (Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social – CCSS). This
system is adequate for most purposes, but heavily burdened.
Wait times for appointments to see a specialist or receive an MRI
in non-emergency situations can be 12 months. Non-critical
surgeries can take years.
A person of means can buy private health insurance or simply pay
out-of-pocket for excellent private health care at a fraction of
the costs found in other countries such as the United States.
The Costa Ricans seeking medical services by the international
crew of the USS Iwo Jima were most certainly not people that
could afford to pay for private health care – and for many,
waiting was no longer a requirement with such services being
generously provided.
And it wasn’t just individuals that lined up for services; Costa
Rica’s own national healthcare system (Caja) had patients ready
for surgical treatment on-board the USS Iwo Jima with its
complete hospital and operating rooms.
A U.S. Marine sergeant advised Costa Rica Blogger that many
hernia and eye surgeries had been completed on the USS Iwo Jima
on Saturday, August 21st and more were expected in the
coming days after pre-surgical examinations were completed.
When asked why these operations had not been completed by the
Costa Rica Caja, he replied “they were either too complicated or
they didn’t have the capacity”.
So there you have it, one U.S. WAR ship delivering its punch to
the peaceful people of Costa Rica. Up to 45 more ships to
go.
Costa Rica Invasion Alert
No report on such matters would be complete without some juicy
inside information. And our investigation did turn-up one
such incident.
THE Costa Rica
Blogger has it on good authority there will be a limited
occupation of Costa Rica in the next several days … a 10 man
squad are up for shore leave and they do plan on spending some
time in Puerto Viejo … they’ve already been given good intel
regarding the local hotspots and are looking forward to their
stay .
Next Stops
After pulling-up anchor from Costa Rica, the USS Iwo Jima is
scheduled to bring these same services to:
- Puerto Barrios, Guatemala,
- Bluefields, Nicaragua,
-
Chiriquí
Grande, Panama,
- Georgetown, Guyana, and
- Paramaribo, Suriname
*Note to Daniel Ortega - some of the online conspiracies have the
U.S. government putting themselves in position to take out your
Nicaraguan Sandinista government (or Hugo Chavez over in
Venezuela). But the reality may just be some much needed
health care for your people while maybe a few marines slip out
the "well" deck to chase down some drug runners.
full picture slide-show
video:
related post:
7,000 U.S. Marines Landing on the Beaches of
Costa Rica
Copyright © 2007-2011 Costa Rica Blogger. All rights reserved
worldwide. Limited Fair Use allowed to share and redistibute for
non-commerical purposes where full attribution and live web link to
CostaRicaBlogger.com are included.
Date Published: Aug 24, 2010 - 9:12 am
Costa Rica doesn’t ‘officially’ have an army – but apparently
it will be home to one for the rest of 2010.
A
flotilla of 46 United States Navy warships capable of carrying
200 helicopters, along with 10 Harrier vertical take-off and
landing fighter jets, and 7,000 combat ready marines available
for land based operations is on its way to this Central
American country with no standing army.
On July 1, 2010 the Costa Rica Legislative Assembly voted 31-8
to grant the U.S. military full in-country access through the
end of 2010 to help fight drug trafficking.
As of this writing the new administration of President Laura
Chinchilla -- who was previously Costa Rica’s Vice-President,
Justice Minister and Minister of Public Security -- has not
commented in great detail as to what the U.S. troops will be
trying to accomplish with their new right of entry other than
to say there will be a combination of anti-drug and
humanitarian operations.
This type of deal is a growing trend in Latin American
countries.
Columbia has for the last decade been increasing its commitment
to full-time anti-narcotic U.S. support.
In September 2009, ten years after the last U.S. troops had
‘officially’ left Panama soil due to the canal treaties, the
United States entered into a new agreement to open 2 new U.S.
military bases on their Pacific coast in exchange for $7
million to fight organized crime associated with illicit drugs.
April 2009 Honduras opened a new Navy base near the border of
Nicaragua with $2 million from the U.S. and most recently
announced July 10, 2010 another new military base will be
constructed on the Caribbean with U.S. funding to help fight
drug trafficking.
The Switzerland of Central America
As for Costa Rica, it has prided itself as the first country in
the world to formally abolish military forces while being known
for its stability in a region where other countries often
struggle both politically and economically.
And although Costa Rica continues to earn high rankings both
regionally and worldwide in areas of health care, education,
public safety and equality; the geographic location that makes
it so uniquely beautiful is also causing some major security
concerns – often from outside sources.
Illicit drug producers from South America seeking paths of
least resistance have found running shipments of cocaine along
un-enforced or under-patrolled shorelines, air and land routes
of sovereign Central American nations very effective in getting
shipments through to their North American customers.
The spread of these drug-trafficking cartels has affected all
of the Americas in terms of increased violent crime. In Costa
Rica, the murder rate nearly doubled between 2004 and 2008 with
mostly foreign drug gangs being attributed to a majority of
this increase.
During the 2009-2010 presidential campaign ‘security’
consistently polled as the number one concern of the Costa Rica
people. Then candidate Laura Chinchilla ran on a platform of
being tough on crime proposing the hiring of more police,
professionalizing the various law enforcement agencies with
improved training and increased salaries, and eradicating
corruption throughout all levels of government. In one of her
first acts, then President-elect Chinchilla created the first
Costa Rica anti-drug czar as part of her incoming cabinet.
Show Me the Money
But it takes money to fight a war on drugs, gangs, violence and
corruption.
With a large debt burden due to previous president Oscar Arias’
borrowing heavily to insulate Costa Rica from a worldwide
recession, tourism revenues being down due to reduced
discretionary spending by potential travelers and the fruition
of aggressive free-trade agreements that exchanged immediate
import tariff income for supposed longer-term benefits … Costa
Rica finds itself cash-strapped for even the most necessary of
infrastructure improvements, let alone another country’s “war
on drugs”.
In
1999 a U.S.-Costa Rica Counter-Narcotics Maritime
Agreement or “Joint Patrol” accord began the alliance
between the two countries in anti-drug enforcement efforts. As
part of the arrangement the U.S. donated a retiring Coast Guard
ship to the Costa Rica Ministry of Security toward formally
establishing the Costa Rica Coast Guard in the year 2000.
Since then both the U.S. Coast Guard and Costa Rica Coast Guard
(Guardacostas de Costa Rica) have been publicly
working together to patrol Costa Rica waters and airways.
Pacific and Caribbean international waters off the coast of
Costa Rica have less formally been under the supervision of the
United States
Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM).
Operational funds for the various Costa Rica law enforcement
agencies involved in fighting drug trafficking and its
associated organized crime come from a variety of sources, with
the largest contributor being the United States via direct
funding for Costa Rica’s Public Security Ministry (Ministerio Seguridad
Pública – MSP) who in-turn reallocates funds as needed to
its divisions of Coast Guard, Drug Control Police (Policía de Control
de Drogas - PCD) and National Public Police (Fuerza
Pública ). Other funds provided to the Costa Rica Judiciary
(Poder Judicial) are allocated to investigate
drug related crimes by the Judicial Investigation Organization
(Organismo de Investigación Judicial –
OIJ) and prosecute alleged criminals within
the judicial system.
Annual, semi-annual and special need requests for additional
monies are made by Costa Rica to the U.S. for continued and
increased police narcotics interdiction activities. Although
regular requests are made openly, it would be naive to think
all resources asked for and received are a matter of public
record.
Fact, Conspiracy, or Just Plain B!tching
News of this very public vote by the Costa Rica legislature to
invite the United States military into its territory was a bomb
unto itself for many, prompting viral Internet coverage and
even an anti-military rally or "Gran Manifestación contra la
Presencia Militar en Costa Rica" in front of the former San
José military fortress (Cuartel Bellavista) that is now the
National Museum (Museo Nacional de Costa Rica).
Even though Costa Rica’s own democratically elected government
from the president on down chose this course of action by an
almost unanimous vote, the citizens and foreign residents had a
lot to say and constitutional court challenges are more than
likely to follow.
As a matter of fact, Costa Rica abolished its military in 1949
with constitutional Article 12:
English translation: "Military forces may only be
organized under a continental agreement or for the national
defense; in either case, they shall always be subordinate to
the civil power: they may not deliberate or make statements
or representations individually or
collectively.”
But does this prohibit the elected representatives of the Costa
Rican people from entering into agreements with foreign
militaries for defense or support of internal security
problems? Probably not. The 1999 to present U.S.-Costa Rica
“Joint Agreement” is standing proof that such security force
treaties will most likely withstand a court challenge whether
it is in its current form or a modified version after court
review.
Conspiracies are only theories until they come true …
especially when history teaches us that governmental decisions
too often are not made in the best interests of the public as a
whole. That said, some of the conspiracy theories floating
around this ‘military invasion’ are fairly interesting:
- Costa Rica is re-instituting their military to keep out
Rush Limbaugh. [aka: The OxyContin
Theory]
- The U.S. in maintaining the appearance of combating the
flow of drugs is actually protecting established CIA drug trade
routes by cracking-down on competing freelance operations that
don’t pay the expected cuts or protection fees.
- The electricity went out again at Jurassic Park.
[aka: The Jurassic Park was Really Filmed in Costa Rica Theory]
- The U.S. is borrowing money from China to fund military
operations. China is an ally of North Korea and bedfellows with
Russia, Iran, Cuba and Hugo Chavez of Venezuela. China is
attempting to influence Central American countries with
financial advantages like Costa Rica’s 200 free police cars and
new National Stadium. The U.S. has a large military presence
sitting in the Pacific looking at China. Do the math. [aka: The
“Renminbi” or “Yuan” Theory]
- The ever imperialistic United States is putting itself in a
position to take over countries throughout the Americas
one-by-one using anti-drug trafficking as an excuse for
military bases and troops.
- They're gonna nuke the gulf oil spill so they’re moving all
the ships South. As for the coastal population, they’re gonna
study the effects. Nothing to worry about.
- NATO has ordered the forces relocated away from the Gulf of
Mexico for fear the BP oil disaster is about to rupture the
fracture zone between the North American and Caribbean plates
potentially unleashing a catastrophic methane
earthquake/tsunami. [aka: The Big Fart Theory]
- The U.S. is either getting ready to invade Venezuela to
remove Hugo Chavez from power or just make him “behave” while
an Iran offensive is launched.
- After conducting its successful coup d’état in Honduras
against President Manuel Zelaya, the Obama administration is
now bent on ousting Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and
Costa Rican Vice President Luis Lieberman, a noted Zionist, has
arranged for Israeli special forces to participate in
operations directed against the Sandinista government of
Nicaragua.
- Costa Rica President Laura Chinchilla was heard saying the
influx of Marines is to “provide a boost to lagging sex
tourism" in this country where prostitution is legal.
[aka: The U.S. Economic Stimulus Package Theory]
Or one could go with a theory much less fun but a little more
rational:
“There is not going to be any convoy of 46 warships.
There will be small groups of 4 to 5 ships rotating through
the area on both coasts for a month or two at a time. They
will do training and drug intervention while they are down
there. As one group rotates down another group will return to
the U.S. With the water of the northern Gulf of Mexico
restricted due to the oil spill they cannot train there.
There are a number of small cargo and fishing boats down
there that never seem to transport enough cargo or even carry
fishing gear but always have the money to pay for fuel. The
DEA has agents in every port down there and have been
watching these ships for years. That is the target.”
–ANNED
As for points of view, these too are subjective.
With Cost Rica promoting itself as a peaceful, green paradise
to tourists and investors … a large U.S. military presence can
send the wrong signals to potential vacationers and those that
relocated or are considering making the move to a country that
is supposedly conflict free.
While
some are comforted in knowing their beach is protected by the
occasional Navy or Coast Guard ship manned by highly trained
personnel. Others get sick to their stomachs if a boat in the
distance resembles anything other than a Carnival Cruise ship.
Business owners benefiting from several thousand sailors and
marines on shore leave might not have the same opinion as a
yoga/raw food retreat that doesn’t appreciate the new low
flying helicopter interruptions.
Some peace activists that feel "where there is an army, there
is violence" will never like this situation.
But please keep this in mind regardless of any opinion on U.S.
political policy or Costa Rica’s decision to allow U.S.
military forces within its territory; those in uniform are part
of a brave, volunteer, highly trained force that unselfishly go
anyplace in the world where they are needed – whether it is for
disaster responses, humanitarian missions or conflict
resolutions.
These men and women deserve respect and will hopefully find
Costa Rica a hospitable destination during their deployment.
¡Pura Flota!
Copyright © 2007-2011 Costa Rica Blogger. All rights reserved
worldwide. Limited Fair Use allowed to share and redistibute for
non-commerical purposes where full attribution and live web link to
CostaRicaBlogger.com are included.
Date Published: Jul 12, 2010 - 8:29 am
DISCLAIMER: This is Costa
Rica. The only constant here regarding rules
and regulations is they change without notice and/or
reason. Always verify information is
up-to-date for the day you are using it and even then, you will
only know for sure the information is good once the process is
successfully completed. In other words, please
don’t blame the messenger for sharing what worked for them – as
it may turn out to be completely different for you; the next day,
the next week or the next month.
As mentioned in the previous post, "Costa Rica’s Ever Changing Road Rules "; Costa
Rica’s Ministerio
de Obras Públicas y Transportes (MOPT – Ministry of
Transportation and Public Works) is the agency firmly in-charge
of all things motor vehicles.
The division of MOPT responsible for all things road safety is
Consejo de Securidad Vial.
Most commonly referred to as COSEVI , this agency is Costa
Rica’s 'department of motor vehicles' or DMV.
The main COSEVI facility where all foreigners must get their
driver’s license is located in La Uruca, northwest of downtown
San José.
Obtaining a Costa Rica driver’s license as a foreigner with proof
of a license from most first-world countries (ie: the United
States, Canada, England, Germany, France, etc.) does not require
a written or driving test. To put it bluntly,
Costa Rica recognizes if a person still has a valid driver’s
license from countries with strictly enforced driving laws …
there is no need to check this person’s understanding of how to
drive like a responsible member of the human species.
A foreigner’s first Costa Rica driver’s license will be issued
for a time period of two years. The second
driver’s license issued upon renewal and repeating this same
process, will be for a period of about five years (depending on
the expiration date).
However, all license applicants regardless of nationality must
obtain a Costa Rica medical certificate declaring they have no
physical or mental limiting conditions. The
new law even requires a blood draw and laboratory test.
Most any local private doctor will be more than happy to complete
this document on the applicants behalf with total costs being
around ¢15.000 ($29 USD). However, it is not
necessary to go out of your way to find a doctor – the COSEVI
facility is literally surrounded by medical clinics (clínicas
médicas) there for the sole purpose of getting that necessary
piece of paper into your hand as quickly as possible - quickness
isn't often associated with anything Costa Rican, but competition
breeds efficiency even in Latin America 
.
The above map shows a close-up view of the COSEVI office, along
with where to park (for FREE), several of the medical clinics,
the Banco Nacional where you can pay your fees, etc.
Price to Drive
The fee for a Costa Rica driver’s license most recently was
¢10.700 ($21 USD) for a passenger vehicle. Costs for
additional licenses such as motorcycle, ATV, truck, heavy
equipment will add to the overall bill.
This fee(s) can be paid at most any full-service Banco Nacional
(BN) branch. It is highly recommended that this be done on
an off-day (ie: Tuesday-Thursday) during an off-peak time (ie:
9-11am, 1-3pm) at a bank facility in a quieter location than the
Banco Nacional located next-door to COSEVI … otherwise the line
out the bank door can take several hours to get through while all
the people in-front of you pay the single teller their multiple
traffic fines [NO, there is no separate line for license fee only
customers that have obeyed the laws and not accumulated any
unpaid traffic fines - that would make too much sense].
Bend Over & Cough
The medical certificate or “Certificado Médico para Licencias de
Conducir” required to obtain a Costa Rica driver’s license is a
one-page document with allot of make-sense questions that must be
completed by the doctor or physician’s assistant. The idea
is that a driver should be physically and mentally fit enough to
drive a vehicle.
Personal medical history is to be discussed and documented with
emphasis on potentially problematic conditions such as: diabetes,
epilepsy, fainting, depression, anxiety, etc.
A physical exam is to be conducted and documented again with
emphasis on potentially problematic conditions such as:
vision, hearing, breathing, heart, blood pressure, reflexes,
flexibility, nervous disorders, muscular and skeletal systems,
etc.
Laboratory work includes a blood draw to determine blood type as
well as a number of other health conditions that may be
discovered by a basic testing process.
Real Exam vs. Real Quick
As a reminder, we are still talking Costa Rica
here. So the following should not come as a
complete surprise for those familiar with this country.
Going to a legitimate medical doctor for a COSEVI required
driver’s license medical certificate is advised … after all, who
doesn’t want to ensure they are healthy.
Inadvertent early medical condition detection is built-in to this
process for the low price of approximately ¢15.000 ($29 USD).
Here’s just one of many ‘medical’ facilities surrounding the
COSEVI offices:
This is not an endorsement of the services provided at this
facility located about 100 meters west of
COSEVI.
But one thing is for sure – they pretty much got you covered as a
one-stop shop:
- see a doctor,
- get your blood lab work done,
- learn how to drive by a Costa Rica instructor
(oxymoron?!),
- have a little lunch,
- surf the Internet, and
- get your car washed while you wait for your documents.
On the other end of the medical certificate services spectrum
(assuming the above actually does perform legit medical exams and
laboratory tests) is a place that literally has no name:
Like a one-stall quick-lube, this quick-stop medical shop is
appropriately located in a garage around the corner and down the
hill from COSEVI.
This is your bare-bones, get the required piece of paper and on
with the rest of your Costa Rica driver’s license
process. A quick reading of the eye chart, a
couple verbal questions, ¢15.000 ($29 USD) cash, a signature, a
knowing handshake and you’re on your way.
Ask Before You Smile
Once you have everything you need, it’s time to go get that Costa
Rica driver’s license.
Final Checklist:
-
Banco Nacional COSEVI paid license fee receipt
(factura COSEVI licencia).
-
Medical certificate (Certificado Médico para
Licencias de Conducir).
-
Existing valid foreign or Costa Rica driver’s
license.
-
Valid identification - passport or Costa Rica
cédula.
-
patience
Like many things Costa Rica, knowing where it is located and how
to getthere is most of the battle.
Although there are many parking guys on the main road along the
front of the main COSEVI building trying to lure potential
visitors into their paid parking situations … COSEVI does offers
FREE parking behind its multiple building campus (see
second detailed satellite map above).
The access road is approximately 200 meters west of the main
COSEVI building. It is a south-bound only
dead-end street that sits directly across from the Yamaha and
Great Wall Motors businesses on the north side of the main
road. The drive is approximately 400 meters
through an industrial area, with the guarded COSEVI entrance on
the left (see map #2 above).
This parking lot will leave you as close as possible to the
actual driver’s license issuing building – so if paying money for
a long walk isn't your thing, this is the best place to park.
A guard posted outside the door that leads into the driver’s
license issuing office will check all those seeking to enter for
required paperwork. If everything is in order
the applicant will be given a number and nobody else is permitted
to enter the building other than the applicant with the
number. Then it’s a matter of sitting in the
waiting area until a COSEVI agent calls your number.
IMPORTANT: Pay attention to the verbal calling-out of
numbers and be prepared to jump into the appropriate cubicle as
soon as your number is called. The COSEVI
agents don’t wait very long before calling the next number in
order to keep things moving – which overall is a good thing in a society
where lines and wait times can be lengthy.
The COSEVI representative will then check the provided documents
and if everything is in order, enter the applicants information
in the computer … then the applicant will be instructed to sit in
a different row of chairs that leads to the always flattering
driver’s license picture.
When obtaining my first Costa Rica
driver’s license picture, I was admonished by a clearly unhappy
government employee: “do not smile”. This time
around I was lucky enough to have a different COSEVI agent that
seemed to have a much better attitude.
I told him the story of his co-worker advising me 2 years
previously that ‘Costa Rican’s don’t smile because they are not
happy’. This COSEVI employee laughed and gave
me complete permission to smile … he then proceeded to take
several pictures as I smiled several times.
After the driver’s license picture is taken and the applicant’s
index finger-print is successfully scanned, the Costa Rica
driver’s license will be delivered hot off the press within a
couple minutes (assuming the equipment is working properly).
Ironically enough, the picture I ended-up getting for my second
Costa Rica driver’s license was also without a smile. The
COSEVI agent must have captured me between smiles,
leaving me to wonder; was the grumpy agent two years previous
correct? Now that I've lived in Costa Rica do I no longer
smile because I am not happy? Nah ... I'm smiling right now
... so the jokes still on him .
Smiling or not for your official picture, once issued with a
shiny new Costa Rica driver’s license every citizen, resident and
visitor is legally off to the demolition derby otherwise known as
Costa Rica driving where I can guarantee you will have your share
of coarse words, profane gestures and dirty looks to share with
others that have no respect for the rule of law or common
decency.
Be Careful Out There y Pura Traffico!
FYI: Costa Rica citizens can now renew
their driver’s licenses at certain Banco Nacional
branches. As of this writing this same
service is not available to residents or
visitors. Hopefully this will change
sometime in the not too distant future.
related articles:
related resource:
Copyright © 2007-2011 Costa Rica Blogger. All rights reserved
worldwide. Limited Fair Use allowed to share and redistibute for
non-commerical purposes where full attribution and live web link to
CostaRicaBlogger.com are included.
Date Published: May 08, 2010 - 8:22 am
Government
officials from both Costa Rica and Panama confirmed the capture
of the fugitives going by the names of
William “Wild Bill” Adolfo 
Manhunt on for
Murder Suspects of Ex-pat and Foreign National Victims
Government
officials from both Costa Rica and Panama have confirmed the
capture of the fugitives William “Wild Bill” Adolfo
Córtez Reese and
his wife Jane Seana Cortez.
