A few dear readers have asked variations on similar questions regarding the bills and sales receipts they get from restaurants located in tourist hotspots such as Jaco and La Fortuna, close to where Will Smith is currently filming After Earth.  A notable question came from a reader named Stacy who told us about the time she dined at a nice restaurant in Quepos and she asked the waiter to bring the...

A firewall is normally a software application (there are a few hardware firewalls) that protects an internal network, or a device, from unwanted intrusion (inbound firewall), and guards the traffic going to the network (outbound firewall). An inbound firewall is like a security guard, who checks your identity and belongings before you enter a building. Their job is to prevent unauthorized access t...

On Day 3 of filming on location in the cloud forest surrounding the Arenal volcano, celebrated Hollywood director M. Night Shyamalan was taking a morning stroll towards a quiet spot to think about the set up of the day's shots when he was stopped by a Tico crew member wearing a miner's head lamp around his forehead. The crew member was holding a menacing-looking venomous snake in his hands. “It...

This article is necessary in the world that we live in today. The vast majority of smartphones, cellphones, and tablets are sold without having any antivirus or firewall protection, leaving you very open to getting attacked and losing personal information. With the rise of banking applications and a massive increase in the personal information being shared on your iPhone, Blackberry, Nokia, or ano...

A dear reader named Gordy Lee asked a question through Facebook comments on our page: What is legal to bring to through the airports, what is not? Seems like San Jose and Liberia have their own separate ideas, with Liberia being less tolerant. I tried to bring in vacuum packed smoked and cooked salmon through Liberia, had it confiscated and destroyed (yeah right). My friend has brought in raw f...

Ever since communications leviathan ICE was resigned to loosen its iron grip of the wireless spectrum in Costa Rica, The Costa Rica Star has dutifully followed the events, trying to make sense of it all. Bill Anderson, our resident tech guru and former U.S. Air Force comms officer has weighed in with his valuable expertise with a series of articles that demystify the world of electronic personal c...

The name of our country says it all: Rich. When Christopher Columbus arrived here during one of his last voyages centuries ago, it is believed that he bestowed our land the name of Costa Rica because he thought he had found a place where riches would spring forth magically. He confirmed his beliefs towards the end of 1502 when he arrived in Panama and was greeted by natives who showed him gold and...

ESCAZU - In the hills off Calle Vieja, the old road connecting Santa Ana and Escazu, a group of daredevils riding iron horses frequently get together to negotiate the most unlikely promontories and man-made obstacles, defying gravity and doing their best to stay perched atop their curious two-wheeled vehicles. The object is not only to get from point A to point B, but also to ensure that feet do n...

A dear reader named Ana recently sent us the following question: What do you do if you have a dog or cat that you cannot care for any longer here in Costa Rica (due to sickness or family emergency). Is there an ASPCA-style organization here that will help with animal relocation? Hello Ana, thank you for taking the time to write, and thanks for your concern. We have several organizations dedi...

Relocating to another country is a significant decision that should be given careful thought. When pondering about such a move, one can easily come up with a million questions about what to expect; something that can be attributed to the many complexities we have assigned to our modern lives. Like many other developing countries around the world, Costa Rica has seen her fair share of change and...

SAN JOSE - The acquisition of HSBC retail banking operations in Costa Rica earlier this week was reported in several news media outlets, including the Wall Street Journal and La Nacion. The latter newspaper approached the corporate offices of HSBC on January 23rd regarding the impending sale, which at that time the bank chose to label as a rumor that would later be confirmed by Efrain Forero Fonse...

SAN JOSE – While median home prices in the United States keep adjusting downward to some of their lowest levels in decades, real estate values in some areas in Costa Rica soared in 2011. According to a report in El Financiero this week, the western suburbs of San Jose experienced a 10 to 15 percent gain in value, and the outlook for expansion is very positive. The development of commercial project...

The Costa Rica Star has recently published information about receiving your permanent residency in Costa Rica to avoid border runs, wasting time, and money. A few dear readers recently sent questions regarding a number of immigration affairs that visitors to our country regularly experience.  We have consolidated the relevant questions and answered them in this article for a more convenient rea...

The Costa Rica Star has recently published information about receiving your permanent residency in Costa Rica to avoid border runs, wasting time, and money. Moving to another country can be one of the most rewarding experiences in one's lifetime, but it could also become one of the most frustrating and stressful if not done correctly.  Potential residents have a lot to learn, and thus proper in...

Click here to view past "readers mail" questions that we have answered in published articles. A couple of dear readers recently sent us questions regarding air travel in Costa Rica. We have consolidated their questions and respective answers to make it more informative for everyone. A reader named Bill from Chicago asked general questions about our airports and airlines, whether it's possib...

Days before the inauguration of the 6th annual Reef Central American Surf Games, the coach of the National Surfing Team made something very clear: “Our goal and responsibility will be to come away with gold medals for all teams, as well as capturing the top spot in all divisions.” Jose Urena was not taking any chances. “We called up the same team as we had for Panama, plus some under-18 surfers wh...

Thousands of web pages on the Internet decided to go dark today in protest against two bills before the legislature of the United States which could potentially limit your right to access and share digital content -such as the article you are now reading. The bills in question are known by seemingly harmless acronyms, SOPA and PIPA, which respectively stand for the Stop Online Piracy and Protect I...

In Tico parlance, zafarrancho is the preferred word to describe a disorderly situation in which excitement, confusion and frustration rule the sentiments of a mob. Such was the scene at the Arenas Skate & Surf shop located in the heart of Downtown San Jose. Three-time X Games medalist Ryan Sheckler and his Plan B (not to be confused with the reggaeton duo that performed with Don Omar at Palmar...

In 2007, respected and influential Canadian sci-fi author William Gibson published Spook Country, a novel that underscores the byproducts of living in a highly-networked and globalized post-9/11 world of surveillance, fear and high-level horse trading exemplified by stranger-than-fiction occurrences such as the WikiLeaks affair and the Anonymous collective. Costa Rica is an important geograph...

In the United States, as President Barack Obama and his family celebrated the birthday of civil rights activist and champion of social justice Martin Luther King, Jr. at his new memorial in Washington D.C., thousands of protesters associated with the Occupy Wall Street movement planned demonstrations in cities across the country. The Occupy movement, which came to the world's attention in Septemb...

The twenty-fifth iteration of the annual festivities at Palmares has not disappointed anyone thus far; in fact this year's celebration of what has become the de facto end-of-vacation carnival for Ticos has been mostly characterized by being more orderly and less raucous than in previous years. Two of the three major events that make Palmares a massive celebration have already taken place: the tr...

Brian Farley is the owner and operator of CR Surf Charters. Every year in January the ”Papagayo Winds” arrive in Guanacastes on cue , as if directed by Spielberg or Scorsese. And for many, heavy winds at the beach and surf are somewhat of an annoyance. But for sport fisherman and surfers the mind races and the pulse quickens in anticipation of this epic part of the summer season here in the dr...

SAN JOSE - Costa Rica is far from being considered a Paraiso Fiscal (offshore financial heaven), unlike other countries in the Central American and Caribbean regions have been labeled. While some revenue collection and levy practices in the country are decidedly lax, that could soon change if the National Assembly and the current administration find some common ground. One of the taxes that ...

Costa Rica has become one of the top destinations for tourists and travelers seeking close contact with nature, pristine beaches, National Parks and tropical rain and cloud forests. It is well established as one of the best countries to visit for biological diversity, primary forests, coral reefs, endangered species and enchanting white sand beaches, with outstanding surfing and scuba diving. Yet ...

SAN JOSE: When President Laura Chinchilla met with Legislative Assembly Leader Juan Carlos Mendoza earlier this week, she made something very clear: of all the legislative projects that must be discussed and voted on, the Fiscal Reform plan is one that she would really like to see passed. Fiscal Reform isn't the only item on the President's mind. She also instructed Mendoza to get his peopl...

It's hard to think of radio as a significant player in these brave new days of Internet-connected humans who are tuned in to real-time social media updates on their smartphones. Ticos have learned to embrace online social networking and digital publications -as this one- with abundant glee. Still, terrestrial radio plays a vital role in the lives of people in Costa Rica thanks to a few factors t...

Ticos often wonder why nice people like Barry and Nanci Stevens come to Costa Rica and devote so much of their time, energy and passion into helping our country become an even nicer place than it already is. Barry and Nanci are the founders of El Puente (The Bridge), a non-profit organization that is dedicated to making the lives of the people of Puerto Viejo de Talamanca in Limon a little better...

For Tico skaters the first decade of the 21st century has been a great period of revival for their favorite activity. Skateboarding in Costa Rica is no longer just an extreme sport, it has become part of the global skater culture, complete with distinguished riders, talented photographers chronicling the happenings in the culture, fashion, professional organizations, promoters, and more. The...

Personal computing hardware has come a long way since the days of mainframes that used to take up entire rooms and bulky desktop PCs that required ugly pieces of workstation furniture that never seemed to match the home decor. The new personal computing paradigm is centered on mobility, portability and affordability. Smartphones and tablet computers are quickly replacing desktop PCs, and low-end...

Lovers of comic book lore, underground comix, computer animation, graffiti, and all the other media attached to the subculture (such as film, video games, anime, cosplay, and music) should mark their calendars for next Saturday and Sunday, 21 and 22 in January, 2012. Over those two days, the old Costa Rican customs warehouse (La Aduana) will be transformed into Boom Con, the first ever celebratio...

If you happen to be in Guanacaste while traveling in Costa Rica, you should definitely visit the Rincon de la Vieja National Park, one of the most ecologically diverse areas in the province. It will be the perfect opportunity for you to check Volcan Rincon de la Vieja, one of the country’s few active volcanoes. The last eruption took place on September 16, 2011, and access to the crater is stil...

CURRIDABAT – Carlos Alberto Valerín lives in a modest home in the heart of a bustling suburb located east of San José, not far from the Juan Santamaría Elementary school, where decades ago his musical inclination would first become apparent. It's the first Monday of the New Year, and Valerín (as he is known in the musical world) is busy messing around with the settings of a wireless router. “I jus...

This article is sponsored by SurgeryCR.com Medical Tourism Facilitators. The Intercontinental Hotel in (Escazu) San Jose Costa Rica has been chosen as the site where the PROMED Council and the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT) will host this year’s annual International Medical Tourism Travel Summit Conference. The summit/conference will take place from April 23rd through the 25th in the l...

More than 100 million text messages were exchanged by Ticos celebrating the New Year. According to a report appearing on the online news daily Costa Rica Hoy. Ticos also made a record number of wireless telephone calls on New Year's eve, about 15 million. The figures were provided by ICE, the former communications monopoly that remains the largest wireless carrier despite the divestiture enact...

Costa Rica experienced her first heartbreak of the new year with the sad passing of Carmen Naranjo, one of the country's most important literary figures and a highly respected citizen whose work to advance the interest and welfare of the citizenry will never be forgotten. Ms. Naranjo passed away from complications related to cancer. A national vigil has been scheduled for Wednesday evening at the ...

Starting on April 1st of 2012, most corporations, partnerships, limited liability companies and other business entities -both foreign and domestic- that are registered in Costa Rica will be obligated to pay a new tax based on a new law published on December 27th, 2011 in the judicial news daily La Gaceta. The new law, number 9024, is entitled Taxation on Business Entities. The only business ent...

The underlying mechanism of a promising study into cancer treatment was dissected in a scientific paper by Tico biomedical researchers years before it made headlines. Ever since Canadian researchers at the University of Alberta announced their progress on the effects of dichloroacetate on human cells in 2007, there has been quite a bit of scientific controversy over the future of cancer resea...

A dear reader named Camille recently sent The Costa Rica Star the following questions via email. If you have any questions about Costa Rica that you would like answered in a news article, contact us as time permits and we will do our best to find the answers you are seeking. Here are the questions that she sent to us. 1. What's up with the high cost of traffic tickets? 2. Should you bribe a...

Costa Rica's interest in space exploration has been growing over the last few years, and in 2011 three separate enterprises made significant strides in this field. Here's a look at those industrious organizations and the advances they made in 2011. For these three enterprises and their aspirational leaders, space is not Costa Rica's last frontier: it is the beginning of a bright future for Ticos ...

Ticos may have gone crazy over the iPhone in 2011, camping out outside of ICE offices and methodically signing up for innovative Kölbi plans which, while considered a good deal in Costa Rica, surprised people familiar with iPhone data plans offered in other countries. Ticos may have also gone crazy over the new Android smartphones, particularly when the new wireless reality kicked in, allowing ne...