Important Note: This is an opinion article written in the Blog section of The Costa Rica Star, by writer James Marshall Black, PhD. Leave your comments below. Paul Watson has always been known as a “stand up” kind of guy who prefers direct action over words. For him, the end has always justified the means, with the result that he is adored by most and considered despicable by many. Fewer person...

These days, with all the governmental turmoil in Costa Rica, some expats and others who want to retire in this part of the world are beginning to take a closer look at Nicaragua and Panama as possibilities, many focusing on the comparative crime rates as a major criterion in their choice. Nicaragua in particular is being promoted as the future “next Costa Rica” because of its supposedly lower crim...

Costa Rica, with a growing population of over 4.3 million people with about 60% of them living in the urban areas, has made significant progress over the last decade in expanding the coverage of water services to the non-rural areas. Approximately 99% of the urban population is now connected to water supply systems. The level of coverage in rural areas is lower; only about 92% of the 1.7 millio...

UPDATED January 2017 In the past, the vast majority of tourists and persons seeking to retire in Costa Rica were much older than they are now. Back then, there was only the famous pensionado plan (now defunct) designed to attract retirees from the States. The requirements were minimal and had many benefits, including free car import provisions and even a special license plate for pensionados. ...

In the early 80’s, Costa was an entirely different place than it now is. With a population only approaching the two and a half million mark, there was hardly any congestion at all, no traffic problems, no real crime and certainly no violence. Back in those days, from San Isidro del General to Dominical was a three and a half hour trip just to get there, and if the trip were by bus, the passeng...

As everyone knows, the cost of living definitely is not going down and we are entering times in which money saved can be put to better uses. The costs of electricity are certainly no exception at a time when our energy requirements are also on the rise. The nice thing about all this is that it is possible to whittle those monthly electric bills down and make your house or business a safer place...

The Costa Rican Caja de Seguro Social was justifiably considered a whopping success in the years after its inception in 1948, and regarded as a proud achievement of the government: free health and medical care for everyone. But over the years the pride has slowly faded away as the lines of persons needing medical attention have grown longer and longer, and even critical surgeries and other spe...

It was spring cleaning time once again when the rains stopped this year, and the pressure washers and ladders brought out to clean the accumulated grime and filth off houses, buildings, tourist facilities, and generally everything else. This is something that happens every year and is considered a normal but expensive part of maintenance. Then, because the combined effects of sun, mildew and f...

We have here in Costa Rica -- and all the rest of the World, for that matter – a perfect solution for all construction and building needs, but incredibly, almost no one knows anything about it. It is especially ideal for the tropics, because it is very cheap, strong, lightweight, cool, waterproof, and so varied in its applications that it can be used for making almost anything you can imagine – bo...

Buying meat in Costa Rica can be like a lottery – unless one has a trusted carnicero there is always doubt whether the meat will be tender and succulent or tough as shoe leather, hence the nickname “mystery meat” – especially when buying from a pulpería. But after yet another recent experience of eating an almost inedible but expensive steak, I decided to delve into the matter and was amazed, ...