The opinion and comments expressed on this page are solely of the writer(s) and do not reflect the opinion of insidecostarica.com, its editor and staff.


After visiting Costa Rica last summer, I found that there was something very special in your country, The People. Your on-line paper keeps me up to date with what is going on in Costa Rica. I plan to return next year and perhaps stay longer each time. Maybe even consider relocating.

I love the United States but I am in love with Costa Rica.

Roy C. Schmidt
Waterford, Wisconsin
USA

In response to your article about repairing roads. There can not be a worse road anywhere in Central America than the road from Belen to the Beaches of Flamingo. It takes over an hour to drive just 25k. This with tourist season starting next month. The country will lose millions in business because of the infrastructure. It should have never come to this.

Michael
Playa Flamingo
 

I recently came across your website (avanticostarica.com) through an ad on Insidecostarica.com. I am a native born Costa Rican and recently moved to Toronto, Canada to pursue my undergraduate student at the University of Toronto .

I am e-mailing you because I wanted to mention that after reading your justification for tourists to use your service ("Thinking about Driving in Costa Rica?  I think it is both detrimental to tourism as a whole, and for the most part, untrue.

You have a wonderful business concept--indeed, one that could be very useful for business travelers or families--but that the image that you portray is one of complete traffic and road infrastructure anarchy. Obviously Costa Rica has pot holed riddled roads, MOPT is underfunded and the quality of asphalt used is poor, but to say that

"You must always anticipate a cow, horse, oxcart, slow moving truck, cyclist or a broken down vehicle around every bend"

and

"Costa Rican drivers often consider stop signs (ALTO) and traffic lights as colorful decorations to be ignored"

is a gross exaggeration, and although it may further your businesses interests, it depicts a picture of a truly impoverished nation with a population that has no regard for the rules of the road. Again, I'm not saying that us ticos drive like Americans--we don't--but ALTO signs actually serve a larger purpose than decoration.

Regards,

Jason

 

Today´s report that the first woman vicepresident was started by Abel Pachco is incorrect. Ms Victoria Garron was the firtst woman vicepresident.


Carl Lawrence

Editor: Victoria Garron Orozco de Doyan was second vice-president in 1986-1990 and Rebeca Grynsan Mayufis, was second vice-president in 1994-1998, however, Lyneth Saborio Chaverri is the first first-vice president.

 

I live in San Rafael de Escazu, San Jose. I just hooked up my Vonage service without a glitch. I did it by totally bypassing ICE and Costa Rica by using a friend's address in the states as my base location for their new 911 service and for hookup reasons. I then chose a phone number in the States from the Vonage offering.

I had the Vonage router shipped to my Miami address, which is also a Costa Rican private mail service address. Customs here didn't treat it as a duty item, so I got everything quickly and intact.

I've been using the service this week without a glitch. So, there is a way to get Vonage here.

Editor: Gene is connected to Racsa via cable modem

Hello to all, Inside and outside Costa Rica.

From Chicago, I am like many of you, a believer in justice.
Like many of you, I am down to poverty and at times, more than hopeless after years of a pretty intense and wild ride alongside the "Brother's" wizardry. Genius?

I made a deal with Enrique and bought into his promise to look after my money. It was a risk that i took willingly and I understood that like a lot of risks, a great deal of trust was needed.

I gave Enrique my trust, and he shook my hand. When times were good, pre 2000, everyone had little to no doubt's and many each month walked out of the Mall San Pedro secreting a manilla envelope. Praises were sung, smug smiles all in the know - inside, we all were the lucky ones who had money to invest.
Invest. A risk, a gamble.

No one had a doubt when in his office, he'd open that drawer full of green bills.

Riding high.

When the hammer finally came down - we all remember, I was sick to my stomach and somehow knew that the closure of that backside office at the Mall San Pedro meant that I would tail spin and hit the ground hard - I knew that there would be no easy solutions.

But I knew that this was the risk I had agreed to take when I shook that charismatic man's hand years earlier on a windy afternoon repeat with a sun I wanted to always wake up to, blinding my eyes.

Enrique, you handed me years of your good will and I can not forget that I put all that cash into your hand along with my heartfelt respect and trust, pounding in my chest.

I can not forget that I was aware of the risk, the gamble and now only hope and pray for your health and your wisdom to prevail as a court case finally is around the corner. You never lost your faith in me, I have in turn, never deserted you or demanded through adverse legal or otherwise strategies.

I rode with you during the good times and I will sink with you should the bottom fall out of the boat we both choose to sail the seas of uncertainty.

I urge any persons who have doubted you sincerity and better wisdom, to recant their adversary position - to send a strong message to the court that we stand behind the trust we all once shared.

Only you can pay - repay, or deny. There should be no doubts.

Your intentions - your heart.

But these doubts and their consequence now threaten to hold up everything I believe in. I believe that I made a deal with you Enrique, and that you will uphold your end.

You rode with me when I was slipping and in danger. I will never forget this and no matter how shattered this whole mess has left me, I have never stopped believing that I will return to that sunshine.

Respectgully
Brian
 

At the risk of offending the well-intentioned Fuerza Publica of Quepos, InsideCostaRica might want to assign a reporter to find out how many sexual assaults of minors were reported there during the last year, and of those, how many involved the exchange of money for sexual favors. Then, your reporter might want to check the rates against those of cities in developed countries.

My guess is that this is a "tempest in a teapot," as my grandmother would have called it, and publicizing it does a major disservice to Costa Rica.

John French
Philadelphia