Political Humor – Costa Rica Style

I have never had the pleasure of meeting Costa Rica’s Vice President, Lineth Saborío, but it is clear she has an excellent sense of humor… or perhaps an over developed sense of loyalty… or maybe she is simply as out of touch with reality as appear to be a great number of US pols and her boss, Don Abel.

According to Sra. Saborío the low popularity of the sitting president Abel Pacheco and his government is directly related to the high cost of gasoline. Say WHAT????
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Traveling to Costa Rica?

Bring the Repellent!

Despite truly heroic efforts by the government of Costa Rica and specifically the Health Ministry, Dengue Fever is rampant here right now with the number of reported cases up a stagering 311% percent this year. The daily rains have certainly exacerbated the problem. As I discuss in the sections on Disease in Costa Rica and the ever popular “Things Your Travel Agent Forgot to Tell You“, Dengue is caused by a daytime only biting mosquito. Dengue is very easily avoided by simply using an good insect repellent, so if you are planning a visit to Costa Rica, don’t panic! Simply bring a supply of bug spray with you or plan to buy some here when you arrive. All popular brands are available here. As of today, 23,000 Ticos have or are now infected with dengue and 36 have been diagnosed with the more serious hemorrhagic type. (Source: La Nacion)

Costa Rica’s New Immigration Law

Costa Rica’s New Immigration Law will have a profound affect on those wishing to live in paradise. Continue reading »

Yum! Gallo Pinto!

Costa Rica is not known for it’s fine cuisine. In general, this is probably a deserved reputation as it tends to be centered around rice, beans, chicken, pork, and beef (tongue especially is very popular here). However, how the above items are combined is within the realm of the cook and that makes all the difference. I find a lot of the cooking here to be really good! Generally, beef here is terrible. I think this is due in part to the lack of vast grazing lands. Also, the concept of aging a steak is not yet part of the Costa Rican culture. Continue reading »

Learning Spanish

I get an enormous amount of email asking about how best to learn Spanish, what book to buy, what Spanish course to purchase, what language school is best, and so on. With that in mind, I just added a page outlining just how I was able to finally speak the language with some skill. Interested? Read This.