Costa Rica exports the most pineapple in the world in 2011!!

Exports of the fruit totaled $743 million.

Costa Rica finished 2011 as the top exporter of fresh pineapple in the world, after increasing the value of its exports by 8 percent, according to a statement from the National Chamber of Pineapple Producers (Canapep).

Sales of the fruit generated a total of $743 million, including $63 million in concentrates and another $19 million in juice.

Pineapple production has been criticized for alleged environmental contamination of groundwater and rivers and streams due to the use of pesticides, the Canapep statement acknowledged. Producers are being trained in best farming practices to support sustainable agriculture, the statement said.

Executive branch pulls measure to tax corporations

Just 24 hours after including a proposed tax on corporations in the legislative agenda, Casa Presidencial inexplicably withdrew the measure.


The action means that owners of corporations will not face a $300-plus assessment in the first 15 days of January.


Casa Presidencial withdrew the measure Thursday by means of a decree signed by President Laura Chinchilla Miranda. The day before a similar decree added the proposed tax to the legislative agenda.


During periods when the legislature is not obligated to meet under the Costa Rican Constitution, the executive branch controls the agenda.

Six traffic officers detained on suspicion of bribery

The Judicial Investigating Organization detained traffic policemen Monday morning on the allegation that they were extorting drivers who they pulled over and asked them for bribes in place of facing a hefty fine. The group of six detainees, five men and one woman, operated primarily along Route 27, the San José-Caldera highway, and were stationed in Orotina in Alajuela. The accused officers had anywhere between two and 10 years experience working as traffic officials. Included were a pair of brothers. In an effort to disclose the supposed scam, judicial agents launched an investigation and discovered that transit officials supposedly stopped drivers and accused them of going at high speeds on the road. Typically that carries a fine of about $600, but the transit officials are accused of instead offering to settle with a bribe. The investigation began after one of the victims reported a similar incident to judicial police in September. According to the investigators, the bribes varied by driver, depending on the on-the-spot amount each person could pay. Investigators claim foreigners and locals were targeted equally without discretion. Monday agents raided the local transit patrol center in question and confiscated radar guns and record logs and made arrests of the officers.

Plan to transfer money by text message, great idea!!

The Central Bank of Costa Rica (BCCR) and the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE) are designing a plan to facilitate money transfer using a simple text message. This tool is already used in other countries such as Kenya, the Philippines and the Dominican Republic, among others. Users would need to have both a cell phone and a bank account.

Florida Beverage Corporation acquires Musmanni Bakeries

Costa Rican company Florida Ice and Farm Company (Fifco) has acquired the Musmanni corporation, which operates a chain of great bakeries. According to a press release from Fifco there will be no immediate changes to the chain of 30 company-owned and 150 franchise stores. La Fortuna has one of these bakeries and all the locals seem to love it and buy fresh bread there every day. 

Renew my passport

I had to renew my passport this week. It’s one of those tasks that demand time and energy and are easily put off. But don’t!

If your children have passports,  check them for expiration. If it was first issued at 16 years or under, passports are issued for only 5 years instead of 10.  You don’t want to be surprised the week of your trip that your child’s passport has expired!

Throughout the process of renewing my kids’ passports, I was reminded of tips to make it go smoothly:

1) Remember your check book and ID. There is an $80 fee for each passport renewed and the Dept of State doesn’t take credit cards. If you need it expedited, it will be another $60 per passport – that adds up to a lot of money for a family so allow yourself at least 8 weeks before your trip.  I was told we would get our new passports within 4 weeks since it is a slower time for passport processing.

2) Check your local libraries for passport processing. Post offices are always busy, and the larger the institution, the more misinformation and confusion. Plus -  some libraries process passports on Saturdays.

3) Call to find out the hours for the passport office lunch break. Really. These government workers are serious about their lunch hour. It is often posted, but call ahead and make sure the person in charge of passport processing knows you are coming so you coordinate with their hungry stomachs.

4) This past  April the U.S. Department of State began requiring the full names of the applicant’s parent(s) to be listed on all certified birth certificates to be considered as primary evidence of U.S. citizenship.

5) Make sure both parents are with present, or one has had a notarized letter… If one parent is deceased, the remaining parent has to bring proof.

6) Minors under age 16 must apply in person – they can’t renew by mail.

And while you are at it… you may want to check your own passport if you are planning a trip. Some countries require that your passport is valid up to six months past exit date… Asia…and even in Europe there are places that require three months validity past exit date. Travelers have been turned away because of insufficient passport updating and you don’t want to be one of them.

If yours has expired, this is a good time.   travel.state.gov/passport/

I hope you get to use it to visit exciting places , in good health and happiness,  in 2012!

What is the best Internet Service in Costa Rica

Costa Rica WIMAX, WIFI, Cable, DSL, Satellite, and 3G Internet

People ask us on a regular basis what is the best Internet Service in Costa Rica? First off you need to look at the types of Internet Service Providers (ISP) available. DSL or ADSL is typically provided by a phone company in which your Internet service comes through your phone line and then is connected to a modem. Cable TV companies can provide you Internet in your home by way of a cable modem. WIFI, WIMAX, and satellite typically use an antenna of some type located on the outside of your home to get the Internet signal. That service is passed into your home through a network or RF cable. 3G service comes directly to your fingertips through your cell phone, USB stick, router, or similar device. With exception to 3G all of these systems are extremely fast providing Broadband Internet to people around the world.

So What’s the Best?

Now that comes down to determining who is the best Internet Service Provider. Here is what you want to know.

1. What is the Internet uptime guarantee for service? In other words, how often is the system down? 2. Are the speeds guaranteed all the time, or does the Internet get really slow during peak usage? 3. How is customer support? Are they multilingual, technically inclined, and respectful? 4. Are they licensed by SUTEL (with proof) to legally provide you Internet in Costa Rica? 5. Can they provide any form of special services? Voice quality, firewall, VPN’s, bandwidth management. 6. Do they offer a money back guarantee? 7. Do they charge you for system downtime? 8. Is a vacation status available with a reduced rate, or no monthly fee? 9. Can they provide QOS (quality of service) at your home or office?

These are a few of the points you need to know up front. If your provider can not give you good answers or solutions to any of the above questions then maybe you should consider a different Costa Rica ISP (internet service provider).

CRWIFI Ltda. - Commercial and Residential Internet

Our company was built from the ground up based upon North American engineering and design. We put the client first by backing our residential Internet service with a 30 day money back guarantee. You can checkout our customer testimonial page if you want proof that our customers just love our service. Many clients praise us as one of the best companies they have ever worked with here in Costa Rica, and that's not only pertaining to Internet service

Wireless Internet General Coverage Areas include:

Grecia, Atenas, Western Central Valley, Alajuela, Heredia, San Ramon, Santa Ana, Puntarenas, Miramar, Orotina, Naranjo, and many other locations.