By Wendy Anders  With no end in sight to Guanacaste's ongoing potable water shortages as wells throughout the region face very low levels, some businesses and also the government are turning to sea-water processing as an alternative. Last month, Reserva Conchal hotel inaugurated the first desalination plant in Costa Rica which produces 23 liters of potable water per second by processing ocea...

By Wendy Anders Source: US Embassy Next week, the American Citizens Unit of the United States Embassy in Costa Rica will be in Puerto Viejo, Limón for two main events of interest to U.S. citizens living the area. Several times a year, the Embassy holds such outreach events in different parts of the country to facilitate access to their citizens services. Next Thursday, September 1 fro...

African migrants in Costa Rica; OAS As a nation of relative prosperity, safety and stability in Central America, Costa Rica has long attracted large numbers of migrants from the region. In recent years, it has drawn a growing influx from several Caribbean countries as well as from Africa and Asia, including some 22,000 Cubans seeking a route to the United States in 2015. The more than 400,0...

Kaycee Landsaw (@kaycee_landsaw) is a renowned photographer based out of Salt Lake City, Utah whose work has been featured in a number of respected motorcycle and adventure lifestyle publications including Iron & Resin.       His work blends a unique candid snapshot feeling with a richness of color and perspective that allows the viewer to fall into the photograph an...

By Wendy Anders The U.S. Pickleball Association (USAPA), based in Surprise, AZ, describes pickleball as “the fastest growing sport in the U.S.” Created in 1965 in Washington State there are currently pickleball play opportunities offered throughout the U.S., and even abroad. Tony Horpel, a California native who settled a few years ago with his wife in San Ramón, Costa Rica, a small mounta...

Wikimedia Commons Washington, D.C. — The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) welcomes Costa Rica’s ratification of the Inter-American Convention against Racism, Racial Discrimination and Related Forms of Intolerance, on August 5, 2016. With this step, Costa Rica becomes the first country to ratify the Inter-American Convention against Racism, which was approved by the General ...

By Wendy Anders Last year, many in Costa Rica were surprised by a governmental decision to ban imports of Mexican avocados. The government alleged the ban was due to a blight that might spread to local crops, according to reports in various local media sources, but inside sources said the allegation was unfounded. For the last two decades, Mexico has provided Costa Rica with the vast majo...

Source: Crowley As part of Crowley Maritime Corporation’s goal to help customers increase the velocity of their supply chains, and in doing so reduce their overall landed costs, the company announced today that it is launching a new, weekly, fixed-day container shipping service between Jacksonville and Costa Rica. “We are pleased to bring this new service to the market beginning today from ...

Wikimedia Commons By Britt Nelson Editor’s note: The views expressed by guest columnists are not necessarily those of The Costa Rica Star, its advertisers, or its staff. Expats living in Costa Rica, who grew up in the United States of America, can say goodbye to the Pledge of Allegiance that was recited daily by schoolchildren everywhere beginning in 1945. For most Americans, Executiv...

Washington, D.C. - The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) welcomes the progress made in recent months with regard to the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and intersex persons (LGBTI), particularly in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru, the United States, and Uruguay. With regard to non-discrimination within the family s...

Establishing a business enterprise in Costa Rica is a fairly straightforward process that has considerable immigration benefits for foreigners. Many foreign investors feel empowered to expand their businesses and make them profitable once they are residents; a few of them, however, choose to ignore national labor laws and hire foreign employees without the adequate immigration permits. The lega...

Pixabay Commons The success of a private school in Costa Rica can be thought of as a recipe in the sense that it requires certain ingredients and careful preparation. Let's take a look at the main ingredients of Pan-American School, a private learning institution located near the upscale sections of Santa Ana and San Antonio de Belén in Costa Rica: History Philosophy Accr...

Source: George Mason University By Kristen Dalton What started as a simple project to gather more instruments for George Mason University students quickly blossomed into a program that provides instruments and arts enrichment programs to underserved elementary and middle school students in Northern Virginia. Eight years ago, George Mason’s own music students needed additional instruments. ...

The Costa Rica No One Talks Abour François Sylvain is an entrepreneur, author, coach and investor raised in Montreal. After traveling across the United States and Europe, François went to Costa Rica to live his dream of living in a tropical climate. The father of four and grandfather of six has written a unique book about his experiences in Costa Rica. This is how he describes his memoir: ...

Costa Rica School of Massage Therapy, located in Nicoya, Costa Rica, is proud to support Las Divinas, an empowerment effort geared towards teen girls who are impoverished. The group is organized by Associacion CREAR, which aids these girls in self-esteem and education. To promote knowledge of the cause, and to support the group, the school held a yoga class for them. All CREAR teens who attende...

Source: Pixabay Commons Costa Rican expats worldwide will receive a gift of $3 Voice Credit on every purchase of $20 minimum on LlamaCostaRica.com before August 13, 2016 (EST). The Bonus consists of calling minutes to both mobiles and landlines in Costa Rica using LamaCostaRica.com. The Bonus balance never expires. In order for the Bonus to be added automatically, one needs to have a free acco...

By Glenys Young, Texas Tech University Texas Tech University officials announced today the start of an exciting new chapter in the university’s growth: an expanded global presence in the form of its new international campus, Texas Tech University Costa Rica. Upon approval of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools’ Commission on Colleges, the new campus in San José, Costa Rica, will...

Pixabay Commons As the next academic year approaches, many parents in Costa Rica are concerned about the educational futures of their children. In choosing the best private school in Costa Rica for your children, there is one golden rule and three mistakes to avoid:   The Golden Rule of Choosing a Private School in Costa Rica   In the minds of parents, there are no perfect schools ...

Source: Sylvania One grumbling commonly expressed by North American expats residing in Costa Rica is related to their monthly electricity bills. Not only do they assert that they pay more in Costa Rica than they used to pay in Loafers Glory, North Carolina or in Dildo Harbour Newfoundland; they also assume that their new monthly bill has to be the most expensive in the world. The dubious re...

By Wendy Anders At ten this morning, the country’s public service regulator, Roberto Jiménez, received taxi sector leaders as they demanded to be heard one more time on the issue of Uber’s legality in the country. Jiménez reiterated that his agency, the Aresep, has done everything in its power to regulate public transportation services, and that any further decisions are pending court decisi...

By Wendy Anders The bridge over the Virilla River along the main highway leading from San José to Alajuela’s international airport was partially closed last night from 10:00 until 5:00 this morning for repairs. All traffic from Alajuela to San José was completely closed during that time. Thursday night-Friday morning, all traffic from San José-Alajuela on the main highway’s Virilla bridge wi...

Wikimedia Commons An unusual legislative proposal by a group of female legislators in Costa Rica would send an adult five years older than his or her sex partner to jail. According to a recent news report filed by Bharley Quiros, a reporter covering the Legislative Assembly beat for La Prensa Libre (the oldest news publication in operation in Costa Rica), the proposal seeks to amend the Cri...

Source: Wikimedia Commons A common gripe heard among North American expats and tourists in Costa Rica is their disappointment at not being able to exert their purchasing power in a Third World Country. The constant nagging about how expensive Costa Rica appears to be often results in a less-than-pleasant quality of life experience, particularly for expats on a fixed income and tourists whos...

By Wendy Anders Real Intercontinental Hotel San Jose, Costa Rica International Living announced it will hold its 2016 Fast–Track Costa Rica; Lifestyle and Opportunity Conference September 22-24 at the Intercontinental Hotel in Escazú, San José. This once-a-year opportunity will provide plenty of information about relocating to Costa Rica, and promises to “deliver everything you need to f...

The idea definitely has its merits: Move abroad to a beautiful place and live for a fraction of what it would cost to retire in the United States, especially in light of increasing life expectancies and costs of living. Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, Spain, and Thailand are all popular retirement destinations for Americans not only because of their temperate climates, but also for their marginal cost...

PRNewswire ALAJUELA, Costa Rica, Aug. 3, 2016 -- TWO Sons TOO Many is a shocking new memoir, now available on several online sites and shopping venues, Amazon.com, Kindle, plus international sites. Author Aidan McNally describes his book as a great read that will not only churn the depths of emotion but also provide a thought provoking outlook as real as true life can ever be. The author...

A municipal health worker fumigates the restroom area of a shopping mall as part of the city's effort to prevent the spread of Zika virus' vector, the Aedes aegypti mosquito, in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, in this January 26, 2016 file photo. REUTERS/Jorge Cabrera/Files The trendy Wynwood district in Miami's urban center has become ground zero in the fight against the Zika virus in the U.S., with f...

Early Monteverde community diner., Source: John Campbell by Jody Jenkins How far would you go for your beliefs? It’s a question more pertinent than ever in today’s globalized world brimming with moral issues easily accessible with the swipe of a fingertip on any smartphone. In a virtual age where tapping a “donate” button equates to activism, how do we decide which causes are really worth ri...

Source: Flickr CC Theft, robberies, fraud, and crimes related to drug trafficking are a very serious threat to diplomats, expats and tourists from the United States who travel to Costa Rica. Such is the main warning found within the Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) 2016 report for Costa Rica. The OSAC serves the U.S. Bureau of Diplomatic Security; nonetheless, its reports are share...

Transporting vehicles is an essential part of worldwide logistics, and enables auto companies and individuals alike to get vehicles from point A to point B without putting thousands of miles of wear and tear on them. A-1 Auto Transport Inc. has been one of America’s most trusted suppliers of auto shipping for twenty years, and has recently increased their reach to go international. The latest t...

Nichols Brosch Wurst Wolfe & Associates, Inc. (NBWW), along with Costa Rican partner Alberto Reifer & Arquitectos, are delighted to announce they will design Sabana Capital, the latest icon in real estate in San Jose, Costa Rica. Developed by H-Solis, the urban development will be the largest mixed-use real estate development in the history of Central America. Located in the heart of Co...

Stem cells. Wikimedia Commons Global Stem Cells Group hosted a symposium and formal inauguration of Clinica Biomaster, the company’s new stem cell center in Escazú, Costa Rica. Joseph Purita, M.D., head of the Global Stem Cells Group Scientific Advisory Board, was the keynote speaker at the event, held July 15 and 16, 2016. Purita also presented lectures to medical staff at Hospital CIMA and ...

File photo Of all countries in the Americas, Costa Rica is one of the most friendly to foreign investors, particularly in terms of immigration. Immigration law in Costa Rica allows foreigners to invest $200,000 so that they can obtain the benefit of residency. The investment can be in a property, lot, business, shares in a corporation, etc., and the amount can be various investments that ad...

Gallo pinto, the most emblematic meal of Costa Rica, is one of the world's healthiest breakfasts. According to Mike Dunphy, a culinary author who writes for the online edition of the respected Time magazine, breakfast in Costa Rica deserves to be on a list that healthy morning meals from countries such as Turkey, Israel, Japan, Iceland, and others. On the top ten list of international healthy b...

Thousands of Cuban migrants remain in shelters across Costa Rica. (CIDH/Twitter) The U.S. government announced Tuesday that it will permit Guatemalans, Hondurans and Salvadorans living legally in this country to request asylum for their children and for people they are "caregivers" for - older siblings, parents, aunts, uncles and grandparents - and it will also cooperate with Costa Rica to all...

The lifeless body of a retired English language educator, who had gone missing for more than two weeks, was recently found in a remote area of Costa Rica. According to a news report filed by rural reporter Eddis Gomez of daily tabloid Diario Extra, the departed teacher has been identified as Santiago Salguera Hernandez, who was 67 years old when he went missing in the village of Chimurria, part...

By Wendy Anders Crocodile Man Tour at the Tarcoles River near Jaco, Costa Rica In the wake of Friday’s crocodile attack of a Colorado surfer at Tamarindo beach in Costa Rioca’s northern Guanacaste province, legislators and tourist businesses are again clamoring for the government to manage the animals. The reptiles thrive in the warm, shallow waters of river mouths and mangrove swamps that d...

Source: FundMyTravel.comAdele and Matt Allen are a young British couple from Brighton, a pretty city of East Sussex, located in the southern region of England. They have two children: Ostara, who turned one year old recently, and Ulysses, who is five years old and still breastfeeds. The Allen family would like to move to Costa Rica. To fund their Brexit, so to speak, they are hoping to collect...

Source: Villa ThogaCould you make it on less than $1,000 per month in Tamarindo Beach, one of the most desirable and upscale real estate markets in Costa Rica? According to a recent article by Jackie Minchillo of International Living, there is a Canadian expat in Tamarindo whose monthly household payments, including rent, are between $400 and $450 per month. Graham Cooper was born in Englan...

Source: LigaPokemonCR FacebookCosta Rica is so enthralled with Pokemon GO, the latest mobile app by Nintendo and Niantic, that smartphone users are going online to research the game more so than they are viewing pornography. A few days ago, a news report filed by Cory McNutt of Android Headlines indicated that 4.6 percent of compatible Android devices in Costa Rica had installed Pokemon GO, th...