Volunteer Teaching English in Costa Rica

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Volunteer Teaching English in Costa Rica

March 10th, 2009 | Costa Rica - Business | 2 Comments »

A year ago Costa Rican president Óscar Arias Sánchez announced the Costa Rica Multilingüe program, with its goal of having all high school graduates in Costa Rica speak English by the year 2017. (Currently only approximately 10% of Costa Ricans speak fluent English.)

A year later the program has called for some adjustments, with one of the major focuses being the improvement of the quality of English speakers.

The Casa Presidencial has decided to enlist the help of English speaking volunteers to train adult Costa Ricans who are learning English. With some 33.500 residents from the United States, Britain, and Canada living in Costa Rica, the program has an expansive resource at their fingertips.

The program is voluntary, and Read more

Diving Cocos Island with Okeanos Aggressor

February 27th, 2009 | Costa Rica - Business, Costa Rica - Must See or Do, The Best of Costa Rica | No Comments »

I previously posted about taking the 8 day, mostly land trip to Cocos Island with the Friends of Isla de Coco Foundation and Organization for Tropical Studies, but let’s get real. Most people do not go to Cocos Island just to hike around or snorkel. The diving is where it’s at!!!

One of the two main companies who handles dive trips to Cocos Island is Okeanos. The 110–foot Okeanos Aggressor is part of the worldwide Aggressor Fleet, and has been departing from the Pacific port city of Puntarenas to Cocos for the last 20 years.

The trips are open to non-divers, but are geared towards divers, and experience is recommended, as diving Read more

Is the Costa Rica Economy in a Recession?

February 23rd, 2009 | Costa Rica - Business | No Comments »

I am going to start this off by stating I am no expert on the economy… I just try to provide those interested in Costa Rica with helpful information regarding travel, business, and relocation to this beautiful country.

I am an avid reader of The Tico Times, Costa Rica’s leading English News Source. There is where I found an interesting article by Tico Times Staff Member Gillian Gillers, detailing the economic situation of Costa Rica.

It seems all the numbers are currently down in Costa Rica, causing many economists to declare a recession. The Central Bank, however, is not so quick to label it as such. (They have never declared a recession, actually.)

One of the Read more

Cheese Factory in Monteverde

February 12th, 2009 | Costa Rica - Business, Costa Rica - Family Friendly, Costa Rica - Places to Eat | No Comments »

Driving through the countryside of Costa Rica, up the sides of mountains or volcanos particularly lends itself to purchasing one of Costa Rica’s most popular products: cheese!

Many small farms along the highway set up small roadside stands where they sell their homemade cheeses, produced just off the highway at their farm. Fresh cheese, Costa Rican style. (The white bags in the image on the right are cheese for sale!)

The Monteverde region is the most popular for the production of such dairy items largely because of the people who settled here in 1951, a group of Quaker families from Alabama who were looking for a place to live where they could hold to their pacifist religious beliefs. Costa Rica Read more

Discounts on custom-tailored Costa Rica vacations

December 24th, 2008 | Costa Rica - Business, Costa Rica - Must See or Do, Costa Rica - Travel Tips | No Comments »

Less than 10 days remain on this offer from JD’s Watersports in Costa Rica, a leader in customized vacations since 1992. JD’s is taking US $50 off per person on all customized vacations to Costa Rica that are reserved before December 31st.

Costa Rica has long been touted as one of the best and most diverse places for adventurous vacationers to travel with its active volcanoes, incredible hiking opportunities, Canopy Tours and 5 different types of rainforests. JD’s is just the company to help you plan the perfect trip to Costa Rica. With over 15 years of experience in tailoring vacations to match its client’s needs, JD’s knows what they’re doing. What is more JD’s also owns and Read more

Wooden Crafts in Quepos

June 3rd, 2008 | Costa Rica - Best Shopping, Costa Rica - Business, Costa Rica - Culture, Costa Rica - Must See or Do | No Comments »

Costa Rica is famous for its carved wooden crafts. The problem is finding a shop that sells quality products without charging outrageous high-end art gallery prices. The solution comes in the way of Mot Mot, a shop located in the town Quepos.

Like many of the other shops in the area, Mot Mot sells a number of wood crafted products, including little animal sculptures, intricately carved boxes, and kitchen accessories. The shop is bursting with color; the crafters use yellows, reds, greens, blacks and purples in their crafts.

Whether you walk out with a wooden turtle or a cutting board, you are sure to have a great souvenir to keep or to give away. Although they