This article below was sent via my subscription to International living… If you are looking for information related to off-shore living, you should subscribe to the International Living newsletter right away. It consistently provides great insights and information on overseas destinations worldwide. Enjoy the post below covering the people of Costa Rica – they really do make this a great place to live.

International Living Postcards—your daily escape
Saturday, Aug. 7, 2010

Dear International Living Reader,

Janet is one of our favorite readers. Ever since her son moved to Costa Rica, she's been visiting him for longer and longer…making plans for her own Costa Rica adventure…and keeping us updated on her progress.

When we read a story like the one she sent in below, it's obvious how much she loves the country.

Eoin Bassett
Managing Editor, IL Magazine

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Costa Rica: The People Make the Place
By Janet Grosshandler

“Nemo,” the bright orange 1978 Land Rover my son Jeff purchased for his months in Costa Rica, had broken down again. The rutted, dirt roads here take their toll on cars and trucks, and Nemo was having a very bad week. It was also the time I had just arrived from the States.

–Recommended By IL–

Costa Ballena: Costa Rica’s Affordable Frontier

Right now, while this place is still under the radar, you can buy a gorgeous two-bedroom home on a large and perfectly landscaped riverfront lot for $99,000… or a three-quarter-acre lot for just $23,000. You can have a magnificent view and build your dream home of your own design for less than the cost of a starter house back home.

This was our first trip out after Nemo came back from Carlos the mechanic's “shop”—a tin-roofed fenced-in overhang in his backyard. Jeff’s fluency in “mechanic Spanish” reassured him that it now had new shocks, new tires, and all fluids checked, and was ready to go.

Five minutes along the winding mountain road, Nemo began belching black smoke and the temperature gauge shot to super hot. We pulled over on the tiny shoulder of the dusty two-lane road across from a grocery store. Since it was Sunday, a non-working day for Costa Ricans, several came out from the small store and offered to help.

We were given a ride home and Jeff was left on the side of the road, baking in the hot sun, borrowing someone’s cell phone to call Carlos.

An hour later, Jeff found us at the beach and he was in Carlos’ old SUV. Carlos, whose wife was at English school for the whole day, had his two-year-old son Leonardo in his care, but loaned Jeff the SUV car to come get us. Carlos then offered drive us around for the day because he wanted us to be happy.

And what a beautiful day! Leonardo was shy and sweet. He wasn’t very interested in us, but would glance out the side of his eyes, checking us over. Carlos took us to a Tico section of Conchal beach area, a turquoise, warm bay where we snorkeled and saw many species of tropical fish while he and Leonardo waited patiently at the beach bar/restaurant.

Costa Rican mountains and lush green vegetation surrounded the horseshoe shaped bay. The Tico music wafted from the open dining room, as Sunday was the day to relax and drink beer.

After we emerged from the fabulous snorkeling adventure, I looked around, amazed to see we were the only non-Costa Rican people there. Carlos had taken us to the Bar y Restaurante El Encanto, a local place, giving us a unique, non-tourist experience.

He spoke Spanish to Jeff all day, helping him practice his language skills, while pointing out multitudes of native trees, flowers, and animals. Carlos took us to “off the beaten track” local beaches. We drove the rural dirt roads to and from the beach, pulling over to watch some howler monkeys in the trees. Beautiful birds, armadillos, horses, and cattle lined the roads along the farms. It showed me the “real life” of these friendly, laid back natives of Costa Rica and their lifestyle. Carlos was patient and so helpful in explaining everything to me.

And when Carlos dropped us off at home much later that day, promising he would get the part needed for Nemo mañana, Leonardo waved a shy goodbye.

Costa Rican living has its small challenges, but its people are national treasures who, like Carlos, will stop his day to make yours better.

Posted via email from Mark Harai’s Posterous

Costa Rica will be home to the Adventure Race World Series 2010 (ARWS) where more than 20 teams from over 12 different countries will join in the adrenaline-filled race towards the finish line.

The race, taking place August 20 to 28, will go through a non-stop secret course which will include some of Costa Rica’s most wild terrain – more than 500 km of forest, beach, river and mountain.

ARWS will be conducting a total of 11 classifying events worldwide – all initiated on the Atlantic coast of this small Central American country.

The co-ed teams of four will each be completing challenging activities on Costa Rica’s rugged geography.

Activities like trekking, mountain biking, canopy, kayaking, ropes, and rafting, without the help of any motorized transportation, will be practiced for five days straight. Along the way, participants must find 39 different checkpoints while navigating through the country with just maps and compasses. Even the most experienced athletes will find the Costa Rican terrain and its unique reference points challenging.

Costa Rica has long established its reputation as one of the top adventure destinations in the world. Close to 70 percent of all visitors to the country participate in at least one adventure activity during their stay. The country offers some of the top-rated rivers in the world for white-water rafting and boasts over 1,000 miles of coastline, 12 different types of micro-climates, and four types of forests as well as a variety of experiential travel options.

For those who love adventure and can’t make it to Costa Rica this year, a step by step follow-up of all competing teams will be available online on through the SPOT satellite technology, at the ARCR official website www.arcostarica.com. Teams will also be able to post and receive messages and support along the course.

The first Costa Rica Adventure Race is sponsored by the Costa Rican Tourism Board, as well as Toyota, Horizontes Travel Agency, Aventuras del Sarapiqui, and Toyota Rent a Car.

Check out http://www.insidecostarica.com for daily Costa Rica news

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Posted via email from Mark Harai’s Posterous

"Don't listen to those who say, It's not done that way. Maybe it's not, but maybe you will.

Don't listen to those who say, 'You're taking too big a chance.' Michelangelo would have painted the Sistine floor and it would surely be rubbed out by today.

Most importantly, don't listen when the little voice of fear inside of you rears its ugly head and says, 'They're all smarter than you out there. They're more talented; they're taller, blonder, prettier, luckier and have connections…

I firmly believe that if you follow a path that interests you, not to the exclusion of love, sensitivity, and cooperation with others, but with the strength of conviction that you can move others by your own efforts, and do not make success or failure the criteria by which you live, the chances are you'll be a person worthy of your own respect."
       
– Neil Simon

Posted via email from Mark Harai’s Posterous

CAFTA is bringing big businesses to Costa Rica to compete for utility services once controlled by the government. Although the country was split on the decision to join CAFTA, enough votes were garnered during the Arias administration for inclusion to the trade agreement.

The purpose of CAFT is to promote trade liberalization between the U.S. and five Central American countries; Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatamala, Honduras and Nicaragua.

Carlos Slim is a Mexican businessman, philanthropist and the chairman and CEO of Telmex, Telcel and América Móvil. As of April 2010, he is the wealthiest person in the world with a net worth of around US $60.6 billion. His sons Carlos, Marco Antonio and Patrick Slim Domit run the day-to-day operations of Telmex, Telcel, and América Móvil.

Check out InsideCostaRica.com for daily Costa Rica news.

América Móvil Has Big Plans For Satellite Television In Costa Rica

América Móvil, the telecommunications company of Mexican magnate Carlos Slim, has its eyes on Costa Rica, planning to make its mark in satellite television and cellular telecommunications.

América Móvil is owner of the brand "Claro", which is well known in 18 different countries in the Americas.

Ricardo Taylor, general manager of Claro Costa Rica confirmed that the company has already applied for a license to offer satellite television services and later to offer cellular phone and internet services in one single package.

Competing for market position in the wireless market are also Digiel, Cable & Wireless, Millicom (Tigo) and Telefónica (Movistar), who will go head to head with Costa Rica's own, the state telecom, Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE).

However, in addition to ICE, only three will get the go ahead from the Superintendencia de Telecomunicaciones (Sutel) that will be getting ready to make their choice of operators in August. However, it won't be until 2011 that operators will be able to offer their services to the public.

América Móvil estimates that it can sign up 10.000 new clients a year for its satellite television.

According to figures by the Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (INEC), 30% of Costa Rican homes are connected to suscription television (cable or satellite), which represents a market potential of 330.000 subscribers.

Posted via email from Mark Harai’s Posterous

Instituto Costarricense de Turismo (ICT) – Costa Rica's Tourism Board – has an optimistic outlook for this year, expecting to reach two million visitors for 2010. The optimism is based on the 3.96% increase in tourism the first half of this year as compared to the same period in 2009.

According to date by the Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería (Costa Rica's immigration service) the number of tourist arrivals from January to June 2010 was 1.124.044. In contrast, during the first half of 2009, 1.025.460 tourist arrivals were recorded.

Given these figures, the executive director of the Cámara Costarricense de Hoteles (CCH), Pablo Solano, despite the increase in tourist arrivals, the average occupancy rate reported by his membership has risen slightly over last year, averaging 60%.

Solano addedthat the hotel operators are positive that increase will continue due to the ongoing efforts by the Chinchilla government to attract more visitors to Costa Rica.

Tourist arrivals from the United States is still the most important market for Costa Rica, showing a 10% increase for this year, for a total of 468.172 visitors, 43.218 more than the first six months in 2009.

Check out http://www.insidecostarica.com for daily Costa Rica news.

Posted via email from Mark Harai’s Posterous

Tourists coming to Costa Rica, attracted by the medical offers now have the ability to differentiate between the services offered.

That’s because on Wednesday, the Consejo para la Promoción Internacional de la Medicina de Costa Rica (International Council for the Promotion of Medicine Costa Rica) introduced the label called” “ProMED”.

The seal indicates the quality standards required in the United States, providing tourists security for the services they are purchasing.

Companies who want to obtain the label must comply with national and international legislation with a cost ranging from us$400 to us$7.000 annually.

Original Post: http://www.insidecostarica.com

Posted via email from Mark Harai’s Posterous

Ever wonder where the happiest place on earth might be?

According to the Happy Planet Index (HPI) compiled by the New Economics Foundation, Costa Rica earns the distinction of being the happiest place on earth.

The HPI measures how much of the Earth’s resources a nation uses and how happy and fulfilled its citizens feel themselves to be.

Costa Ricans top the list because they report having the highest life satisfaction in the world. At the same time, they live longer than Americans yet have an ecological footprint that is less than a quarter the size.

The difference, says the report, shows that it is possible to live long, happy lives without the tremendous burden on the world’s resources found in the world’s highest-consuming nations.

The new HPI also provides analysis of trends over time for the world’s most developed nations, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

Combined life satisfaction and longevity increased 15% over the 45-year period for those living in the rich nations, but according to the New Economics Foundation it has come at the cost of a 72% rise in their ecological footprint.

And the three largest countries in the world—China, India and the US, all with aggressive growth-based development models—have all seen their HPI scores drop in that time.

International Living has been covering Costa Rica as a great retirement haven for many years, thanks to its eco-conscious policies, lack of standing army, relatively low cost of living and world-class health care system. The country is a favorite with retirees and second-home buyers from the U.S. and Canada, and is also a hotspot for medical tourism. Last month, International Living named Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula as one of the healthiest places on earth to live in its Health Index.

But as revealed in the HPI Index, it’s the lifestyle that people who move to Costa Rica are seeking. IL reader Janet Grosshandler has just returned from living part-time in Playa Grande, on the Pacific Northwest coast…and she can’t wait to go back. “Tiny cafés line the street, for a quick snack or hearty meal. ‘Hola’ is on everyone’s lips as they pass you strolling to catch some waves. Friendly ‘coconut men’ slice open the ice-cold pods, stick a straw in, and offer this tasty, nutritious coconut milk to drink and its firm flesh to eat—for a dollar! I am sucked wholeheartedly into its spell,” Janet says. You can read her article here.

Posted via email from Mark Harai’s Posterous

Many North Americans are looking to become citizens in Latin American countries. There are many financial benefits in doing so and Panama has just made it much easier to acquire dual citizenship for thousands of American Expats. This trend is certain to spread to other Latin American countries as thousands of North Americans desire to relocate to tropical climates and higher standards of living.

20,000 Foreigners To Legalize Their Stay In Panama

PANAMA  – About 20,000 undocumented foreigners living in Panama will be granted legal right to stay, an official of National Service of Migration (SNM) said on Thursday.

Launched by Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli, the migratory policy "Panama Race Melting-pot" is aimed to benefit foreigners who have been living here for two years.

SNM Director Maria Cristina Gonzalez said a publicity campaign has been launched to help foreigners learn about the necessary procedures and sufficient staff assigned to meet the demand.

Citizens have to pay a fee of 765 U.S. dollars for those from countries that allow mutual visa exemption for Panama and 1,275 dollars for those from other countries, she added.

Posted via email from Mark Harai’s Posterous

It is well known that China has invested hundreds of billions of dollars in U.S. Treasury Bonds (739.6 billion dollars in US Treasury bond holdings as of late January, US government data showed) and continues to strengthen its influence and investments in Costa Rica and all of the Americas…Chinchilla Looks To China For “Fast Cash” To Tackle Insecurity Problems In Costa Rica

The government of Laura Chinchilla is serious about curbing crime and insecurity in Costa Rica, so much that it is seriously considering reaching out to China for a financial hand. At least that is the plan when Costa Rica sits down next to negotiate cooperation projects with the government of China.

Some of the ideas being discussed by the Chinchilla government is to strengthen the “Escuela Nacional de Policía” (police academy) and enabling of better roads between Limón and the Central Valey.

The presidenta said that road infrastructure are security for the people are two top priorities of her administration and areas were money is most urgently needed. Chinchilla also wants to make good on her promise to provide a national day care network.

Although the details of the projects have not been made clear, the government is preparing is proposal for the up coming talks with the Chinese in her round of talks with Yang Jiechi, China’s Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs in charge of the region of Latin America, when he visits Costa Rica the first week in August.

During the Jiechi visit, Costa Rican authorities will try to set new priorities for bilateral cooperation, three years after Costa Rica, during the Arias administration, established diplomatic ties with Beijing.

Presidenta Chinchilla emphasized the need to address citizen and road works and the need for financial help from China.

“In this government we need to establish a good police academy and for that we need money, fast”, Chinchilla told the daily newspaper La Nación.

Posted via email from Mark Harai’s Posterous

Coffee growers in Pérez Zeledón and Coto Brus are challenged climate with a variety of coffee plant that resistant to the rain and damage caused by the downpours in the area.

According to the Instituto del Café de Costa Rica (Icafe), it is a variety of coffee called Venice.

The Venecia is a type of seed that gives an excellent quality coffee, maturing later than the traditional Caturra variety and has a greater potential for commercial cultivation in areas of early maturation.

The Venecia will help reduce the substantial losses to producers.

Although the Venecia coffee can only be found in aforementioned areas, the ICAFE will make available the seed in 2011 to all coffee growers.

Posted via email from Mark Harai’s Posterous