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I would recommend reading the last reply which will provide you with informative and honest information about purchasing and owning vehicles in CR and GTE. Most vehicles are purchased in the central valley, in and around San Jose. However, there are several car dealers in Liberia, if you’re interested in parting with mucho dinero to buy from one of the local dealerships. The intended service agreement may be an incentive to buy from one of the local dealerships nearer to Playas del Coco. Remember to get it in writing that scheduled maintenance will be provided out there. It’s a long drive to San Jose for scheduled maintenance and an overnight stay will be inevitable for the vehicle owner.
Water infiltration through roofs and other exterior building components is common in CR. The first step is to identify the location of the water infiltration and repair or replace the building components where the infiltration is occurring.
An experienced construction inspector who is familiar with traditional Latino building methods can help you to find the source of the infiltration. Once the water infiltration problem has been solved, you can then begin to repair the interior damage that has occurred and restore the dwelling to its original condition.
In order to find WLCR recommended professionals to help you with your construction issues, you can visit https://www.welovecostarica.com/members/department62.cfmI have lived here since 1992 and for the first six years I survived the lack of infrastructure in Guanacaste. Having ridden in many vehicles and listened to the stories about replacement parts as well as the service-ability of various different vehicles, I will share with you the following: Toyota and Nissan service and parts are the most expensive. Ford and many other local dealers will only service what they sell and many times will not sell their auto parts to the general public unless you allow them to perform the installation at very expensive prices. The best and most comfortable vehicle I have found for the roads in CR is a pre-1995 Range Rover. After 1995 they installed hydraulic suspension components that fail quickly and are expensive to replace. I bought a 1988 Range Rover in good condition, with RTV, for $5000 and removed the old gasoline motor and installed a Hyundai 4 cylinder turbo diesel at a cost of $5000. I recently drove from Belen to San Isidro General and back for C16,000 colones in fuel. That’s 8 hours in the mountains for $45.00. A 4×4 with a gas motor would have cost at least $100 of fuel. Plus the durability of the old Range Rover suspension is incredible and the Hyundai motor auto parts are available all over the country and are the least expensive. Tuanis!
Costa Rica’s first reported swine flu death is of a 53-year-old patient who also had diabetes and chronic lung disease.
America’s two swine flu deaths; a toddler and a pregnant woman; each suffered from several other illnesses when they were infected with the virus, according to a study released Thursday.
The report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention presented a clearer picture of the complicated medical situations faced by those who have gotten swine flu and had the most serious cases so far.
A Texas woman was the first American to die, possibly from the disease; however, she had asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, a skin condition called psoriasis and was 35 weeks pregnant.
Additionally, the Mexican toddler who died during a family visit to Texas, .had a chronic muscle weakness, a heart defect, a swallowing problem and lack of oxygen.
The CDC report released by the New England Journal of Medicine also provided more detailed information on 22 people hospitalized with swine flu. Nine had chronic medical conditions, including the two who died and a 25-year-old man with Down syndrome and a congenital heart disease. Five of the patients had asthma alone.Scientists now are stating the H1N1 swine flu virus is no more dangerous than seasonal flu.
U.S. officials are now recommending to stop closing schools when a case of swine flu is confirmed.
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said “This virus does not seem to be as severe as we once thought it would be and schools should act accordingly. Sick students should be kept home for seven days, but the schools should feel comfortable about opening. Schools that have been closed can reopen”
Dr. Richard Besser, the acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said “closing schools in a pandemic has a definite benefit. But closing during a general flu outbreak is not required. When you get to situations that are approaching general flu, then the downside of closing schools outweighs the benefits.”
China acted quickly to prevent additional swine flu contamination as it suspended all flights into and out of Mexico after a 25-year-old Mexican man who arrived in Shanghai from Mexico City became the Asian country’s first confirmed case of the virus. As a result, 200 Chinese citizens were stranded in Mexico City and Tijuana. A China Southern Airlines flight was expected to fetch them Tuesday, state media said. The Mexican and Chinese governments have sent chartered flights to each other’s countries to pick up their respective nationals stranded or quarantined because of the global swine flu outbreak. An Aero México flight made several stops Tuesday throughout China to collect nearly 70 Mexican citizens who were being held in quarantine across the communist nation as part of its strict swine flu-control measures.There is an excellent and very affordable assisted living facility in Belen, Heredia which is written about at:
Regular seasonal flu viruses cause 36,000 deaths every year. That’s a terrible number of affected people. However, should the media be allowed to scare the life out of the gullible consumers by publishing erroneous opinions? Questions Linger Over the Value of a Global Illness Surveillance System in the NY Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/02/health/02global.html?_r=1&th&emc=th
Paranoia is caused by believing hypochondriacal opinions expressed in the media.
Outbreak in Mexico May Be Smaller Than Feared
The swine flu outbreak in Mexico may be considerably smaller than originally feared, test results released there on Friday indicate. Mexico had reported about 2,500 suspected cases as of Friday, but the number of real cases could turn out to be less than half the suspected number if further testing follows the same pattern as the original round. Read more from the NY Times at, http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/02/health/02flu.html?_r=1&th&emc=thThe global financial crisis is being felt in Costa Rica, but not as dramatically as in the United States, Europe and elsewhere. Costa Rica is one of the major destinations of direct foreign investment (DFI) and is #1 in Central America according to the 2008 report of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. The chief executive of Costa Rica’s central bank, Francisco Gutierrez stated that the country should not experience major economic impact from the global financial crisis that is presently affecting most world markets. Costa Rica has minimum involvement in international securities markets and the state banks maintain substantial reserves and tangible investments. The International Monetary Fund (IMF), found that Costa Rica is in a significantly better position to respond to global economic shocks now than in the past, thanks to a marked improvement in public finances, sizable foreign exchange reserves, steps taken toward a more flexible exchange rate regime in the context of the transition to inflation targeting, and measures already adopted to strengthen the financial system. Furthermore, the Costa Rican stock exchange has not experienced any major changes as a result of the turbulence affecting world financial markets. The Costa Rican stock exchange has not experienced any major changes as a result of the turbulence affecting world financial markets. The chief executive of Costa Rica’s stock exchange, Jose Brenes, asserted that no major effect has been felt locally because the local exchange concentrates on fixed-yield, debt securities, and not shares of public companies that have been degraded in most global markets.
Globalization is a double edged sword; it propagates the flow of economic prosperity and yet causes tremendous strife when prosperity is exposed as greed. The entire world allowed its greed to exceed its need.
Unfortunately, the cause, greed, is what politics is all about. The need to create and covet power. Now the politicians control many of the private financial institutions that create and maintain the monetary guidelines for the global economies. I for one am frightened with politicians at the helm of the institutions that control our world’s destiny.
From what I’ve read, this is how the world got caught up in the global financial crisis and how the subprime loan crisis in the US caused it.
Initial Problems:
1. Underestimation of risk contained in newly issued assets
2. Buried derived securities on the balance sheets of financial institutions
3. Connectedness between financial institutions, both within and across countries
4. High leverage of the financial system as a wholeOnce the failed assets were exposed, financial institutions needed to cover their tracks by:
1. Selling assets to satisfy liquidity runs by investors
2. Selling assets to reestablish capital ratiosTogether with the initial problems, the exposure of the failed assets greatly impacted global economic activity. Then the amplification of the initial problems moved from subprime to other assets and with the world’s increasingly interwoven economies and financial systems, the problem moved from the US to industrialized countries in Europe and then globally.
Cemex is a global conglomerate based in Mexico that over expanded and borrowed heavily. Holcim is another global cement conglomerate based in Switzerland and at their production facility in San Rafael, Alajuela, they run two shifts a day, seven days a week and just added 15 new employees. Pedregal, is a local concrete block and agregate supplier based in Belen, Heredia and their production and delivery are running seven days a week.
Some of Costa Rica’s major employers are planning on maintaining and or increasing their payrolls in 2009. In the shadow of a decelerating economy and a downturn in new job growth, some companies are preparing to add employees. Major employers have been revising their strategies,based on payroll information provided by the Social Security System (CCSS).
Those organizations with the best performance are talking about keeping up their pace and searching for new opportunities. HP (Hewlett-Packard) is the company with the greatest employment growth (161% during the past three years), and is planning to employ as many as 8,000 people in Costa Rica in 2009. According to María Luisa González, human resource manager of HP in Costa Rica, “Hewlett Packardis expanding its printing solution portfolio with the intention of capitalizing on the market now evolving from analog to digital.” In the private sector, Sergio Gallardo, human resource manager of United Supermarket Corporation owned by Wal-Mart Central America, indicated that their staff will grow based on local expansion plans. Additionally, Grupo Empresarial de Supermercados (GESSA), #2 in the top ten ranking, is also predicting growth. Alejandro Oreamuno, GESSA human resource manager, indicated that in 2009 they will proceed with their strategy to increase their presence in different regions, which allowed them to grow 20% in 2007 and 34% in 2008. “Our group has experienced significant personnel growth because we have opened stores in different markets.”
The size of the payroll isn’t the problem; obtaining new business in the current economic environment is the challenge. This conclusion is supported by the Manpower survey about employment expectations during the first quarter this year. Although the indicator dropped ten points compared to last quarter (from 29% to 19%), employers are still planning to add not subtract employees: 61% of those asked said they would maintain their payroll, 28% said it would increase whereas only 9% expect layoffs. Eric Quesada, regional director of Manpower, pointed out that despite the current economy,
Costa Rica remains one of the few countries in Latin America where employment loss hasn’t been as dramatic as in other regions. However, a genuine challenge lies ahead. Quesada stated that the international financial crisis could have aftershocks in the country because the reduction in the foreign demand of goods will effect employment. According to Procomer, exporters employ 409,439 people in Costa Rica (21% of the workforce). The generation of new jobs slid from 96,000 new jobs in 2007 to only 32,000 in 2008: a 66% decline.
This is why the National Employment Rescue Plan promoted by President Arias is a needed. The plan’s purpose is to prevent additional unemployment. And the government’s role as an employer needs to be carefully balanced because of the countries top ten employers, six belong to government entities, three to production unions and only one to the private sector. The Ministry of Public Education (MEP) maintained its high ranking while the Public Works and Transport Ministry (MOPT) slid in the ranking (dropping 8%). Banco de Costa Rica (BCR) is the entity with the greatest public sector employment increase (28%).
In 2008, associations experienced fluctuations: from a solid 20% growth in three of the top ten leaders, to standstills or losses in three others. The Union of Small and Medium Agriculture Producers rose to first place, followed by the Union of Independent Producers and Various Activities (UPIAV). The agricultural industry is restoring its potential to be one of the main employers in Costa Rica.
Costa Rica’s major employers have changed in recent years: 60% are in private sector, 23% in the public sector and 17% are associations. In this new environment the private sector companies are strongly emerging. According to María Luisa González, human resource manager of HP in Costa Rica, “Despite the downturn in the economy, Hewlett Packard is moderately optimistic about 2009.” She’s projecting approximately 250 new employees will be hired each month, in a continuous search based on prospects that speak English in the information technology, customer service and accounting areas.
Alejandro Oreamuno, of GESSA added, “It`s an old adage; only with business growth can the payroll increase and only with good workers can the business stay afloat.”For many years, Costa Rica depended primarily on North American investment. Given the current state of the North American economy, Costa Rica’s decision to promote its natural and sustainable resources worldwide, is now paying off big time. Costa Rica is less dependent on the U.S.A. for exporting its products than in the past. This is because of the increase in sales to Asian, Central American and Caribbean markets. Exports to the U.S.A. went from 47% in 2003 to 35% in 2007, according to data released in August 2008 from the Promoter of Foreign Trade (PROCOMER).
Recently, the survey of Latin American Security conducted by FTI Consulting on behalf of the Latin American Business Journal, indicates Costa Rica is the safest place in Central and South America for multi-national companies to conduct business. Last year, Chile was first, which shows Costa Rica has recently improved.
Another study found Costa Rica to be the least corrupt country in Latin America.In addition, U.S. business magazine, Fortune ranked San José, Latin Americas fifth best city to do business and placed it within the 25 best cities in the world. According to the report, Fortune considered the San Jose’s ability to create opportunity for its residents, its business climate and how well it can satisfy the business needs of companies that invest there.
San José ranked tops in the quality of its labor force, its business environment and the lifestyle it offers resident executives and investors.Additionally, Costa Rica’s strategic location, political stability and business incentives, have all contributed to millions of dollars in investment from multinational companies off-shoring here. The International Monetary Fund (IMF), found that Costa Rica is in a significantly better position to respond to global economic shocks now than in the past, thanks to a marked improvement in public finances, sizable foreign exchange reserves, steps taken toward a more flexible exchange rate regime in the context of the transition to inflation targeting, and measures already adopted to strengthen the financial system. Furthermore, the Costa Rican stock exchange has not experienced any major changes as a result of the turbulence affecting world financial markets. The chief executive of Costa Rica’s stock exchange, Jose Brenes, asserted that no major effect has been felt locally because the local exchange concentrates on fixed-yield, debt securities, and not shares of public companies that have been degraded in most global markets. Costa Rica’s filling the USA trade gap in Asia and Regionally
If you want to maintain an affordable monthly budget, you can easily do so by living like a Tico in a Tico pueblo. I know lots of guys down here on social security who have a lot of fun. Look for a community where you don’t need a car and that will save you a chunk every month. I have been in CR since 1992 and over the last 15 years I have had the opportunity to live on the beach in Guanacaste, in several communities around the central valley and now in a condo in the center of San Antonio, Belen. There’s no need for A/C or a heater because the climate is very moderate, so that saves you money. In Belen you’ll find all the conveniences you’re accustomed to for much less. There are a variety of restaurants offering some of the healthiest and best fire cooked chicken and broiled fish plus Chinese, pizza and typical Tico food. I eat out everyday and spend an average of 2500 colones or $4.50 at lunch for fresh cooked meals. A beer in the local bar at happy hour is 550 colones or $.98 and a Johnnie Walker is 750 colones or $1.35. The local roasted (over coffee wood) chicken restaurant charges $4.64 for a 1/4 chicken with salad and tortillas incl. tip. Dinner or lunch at the El Dorado seafood restaurant of fresh Dorado or Corvina, salad and plantains is $5.00 incl. tip. The municipality in Belen is very organized and keeps development under check which enables the community to stay clean. Additionally, it is one of the safest communities because it has its own Municipal Police force in addition to the Fuerza Publica and Transito officials that are present throughout the country. In Belen you can walk to get everything you need and do not get stuck in traffic jambs burning up your money on stinking gasoline. So not only do you feel good about cutting back on fuel consumption but its great exercise and you meet a lot of new friends and beautiful women on the sidewalks. If you want to get to know a community and the locals better, walk around as much as you can and say “hola” or “que tal” to as many people as possible to see how friendly the locals are toward you. In many Latin pueblos it’s difficult to walk around because there is little or no infrastructure. In Belen there are handicap accessible ramps at most major intersections and ample sidewalks everywhere. Look at the map to understand where Belen in the province of Heredia is situated in the Central Valley of Costa Rica. This is a wonderful place to live and very affordable. You can visit http://groups.google.com/group/belen-costa-rica/web to see a map and photos of Belen.
I know a guy who was looking for the same type of option of where to reside during construction of his project. He went to Florida and bought a furnished travel trailer that can be pulled by a pick-up truck. This unit was built with insulated walls and ceilings and central A/C and is furnished with everything you need to live comfortably and was only about $15,000. He then shipped it here and paid the taxes and I believe he spent $3500 to get it here ready to be pulled to where he needed it.
Most North American lenders require this type of insurance before a loan can be closed to build a home. Here the national insurance company, INS sells a policy for risk during construction. You can visit this website to view the various types of labor risk insurance INS offers. http://portal.ins-cr.com/Empresas/SegurosCo/RiesgosTrabajo.
Additionally, the following PDF explains their policy. http://portal.ins-cr.com/NR/rdonlyres/AAFBB22F-5F00-4CDD-9DE9-A0C99F7FC34B/2246/ReferenciaCondicionesGeneralesTodoRiesgodeConstruc.pdf.There was an article written on WLCR about this subject. https://www.welovecostarica.com/members/1372.cfm
