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May
31
San Jose – Limon Highway 32 Reopens 24 Hours a Day
May 31, 2010 | Tags: Transport | Comments Off
The highways ministry (MOPT) has announced that Highway 32, the main route linking the capital with the Caribbean Coast, will now be open again 24 hours a day, weather permitting.
Travel had been restricted to daylight hours so that police and others stationed there could see landslides starting and halt traffic.
The 24 year old highway is frequently closed due to mudslides leading to criticisms of the way the road was initially planned and built. When the road is closed, residents, tourists and the large amount of truck traffic bound for the port in Limon are forced to take the safer but very slow and winding route via Turrialba which adds 1 to 2 hours to the trip.
This aerial photo from MOPT shows clearly how vulnerable the road is to slides.
May
30
Cahuita Police Officers Receive 72 Year Sentences
May 30, 2010 | Tags: Crime & Punishment | Comments Off
 Two police officers are arrested in June 2008. Photo by Mario Rojas courtesy of La Nacion |
On Thursday, former Cahuita police officers Wálter Angulo Durán and Jorge Jiménez Saldaña were each sentenced to 72 years in prison for their role in two murders which occurred in June 2008.
Two other men, Mauricio Ocampo Cordero and Johansy Mora Rojas, were previously convicted and sentenced to 70 years each for the actual murders.
Angulo and Jiménez, the policemen, used their authority to round up four young men in Cahuita. With drawn guns they confronted the four in the local park, tied them up and eventually delivered them to members of a rival drug gang in Valle de las Estrellas, also on the Caribbean coast, according to testimony. Ocampo and Mora took a knife to their hostages. Two, Roy Sotela Prendergast, 23, and Natanael Rodríguez Obregón, 17, died. Another man suffered serious injuries. A fourth man fled and survived.
May
20
Earthquake Shakes Costa Rica
May 20, 2010 | Tags: Accidents and Natural Disasters | Comments Off
Everyone’s talking about it in Puerto Viejo – the earthquake that shook Costa Rica at 4:16pm today.
The earthquake was reported to be of magnitude 6.1 on the Richter scale and the epicenter was 30km southwest of Quepos in the Pacific Ocean.
While the earthquake was felt in many places in Costa Rica including the Caribbean Coast there are no reports of injuries or significant damage.
More: La Nación: ‘Ojalá todos estén bien’, dice Laura Chinchilla tras sismo de 6,1 grados
May
18
Free Ice Cream!
May 18, 2010 | Tags: Community Calendar, Helping Out | Comments Off
| May 22, 2010 | ||
| 9:00 am |
Project Green Jungle is having a beach cleanup this Saturday on Playa Negra.
They meet at Caribeans Coffee at 9am. Free ice cream for all participants courtesy of Caribeans!
Help the environment and treat your tummy!
You can get more details and confirm your attendance on their facebook event page.
May
17
Government Posts Rules on Extending Tourist Entry
May 17, 2010 | Tags: Government and Politics | Comments Off
 Bocas del Toro will continue to benefit from tourists to Costa Rica needing to leave the country for a few days |
A new law passed recently (Ley Migración 8487) opened the possibility of tourists who wish to stay more than 90 days in Costa Rica extending their stay by applying at an immigration office and paying a fee of $100.
The old rules required tourists who wanted to stay longer than 90 days to leave the country for at least 72 hours. For those who wintered in Puerto Viejo that usually meant a trip over the border to Bocas del Toro in Panama for a few days.
The immigration department has now posted rules on how this program will work in practice and what documentation is required.
The new law states that “Las personas extranjeras autorizadas para ingresar al país y permanecer en él bajo la categoría migratoria de turista, por un plazo inferior a noventa días, tendrán la posibilidad de prorrogar su permanencia”. In other words that persons who entered under the tourist category with a period of less than 90 days are able to apply to extend their stay.
The bureaucrats in charge of implementing the program seemed to have interpreted the law in the most restrictive possible manner such that the change will be effectively useless for the majority of tourists. The have indicated that the language will be strictly applied and that the extensions will only be available to those who received less than 90 days on their initial entry whereas most North Americans are automatically granted a 90 day stay when they enter the country. As such, they will not qualify for the extension.
As well as the $100 fee, the government will also require a long list of documentation to accompany the application, including a certified copy of the person’s ticket to leave the country and a copy of the passport translated into Spanish.
And so it seems likely the over the border runs to Bocas will continue.
The full rules are available here.
May
16
Reef Runners: Expanding Your World
May 16, 2010 | Tags: Local Business News, Tourism | Comments Off
It’s a little disappointing but we have to face it: humans cannot fly without the aid of a flying contraption.
But if you’ve ever wanted to know what it feels like to swoop, hover and move in 3 dimensions there is a way to experience that: Learn to dive.
Underwater you can move like a bird moves in the sky…you can hover, swoop, nosedive…actually you can also do a few things birds rarely do – like back flips, cartwheels and lie motionless on your back viewing fish above you.
The feeling of diving is an exhilarating sense of freedom and conversely deeply calming – a feeling quite incomparable to those we experience in our everyday lives. Imagine yourself moving in slow three dimensional motion, with the sound of your breath and the static of the water as accompanying rhythms.
Of course it’s not only about freedom of movement and different sensory perceptions: as most divers will tell you, it’s about discovering a different world. And that underwater world is beautiful, fascinating, stunning in its diversity and just off the beaches of this coast. You could say that the difference between snorkeling and diving is that the snorkeler remains an observer and the diver becomes a participant. Below the surface you become part of that underwater world and that is a thrill in itself.
It’s easy to become enthusiastic about diving before you’ve even tried it when you listen to Robin (Dive Master), Jessica (Dive Master) and Esteban (Instructor) describing diving with turtles, getting up close and personal with multicolored tropical fish, sponges and healthy coral reefs. Robin, Esteban, Jessica and Austin are passionate about what they do and they are the team that form Reef Runners.
Reef Runners was the first dive shop in Puerto Viejo, opening in 1997, so Reef Runners have been exploring the local reefs for 13 years now. One of two operating dive shops in this area Reef Runners has good relations with Punta Uva Dive and the friendly competitors regulate their prices to benefit both customers and operators. The current team run a tight ship at Reef Runners. Professional and efficient they are also approachable and friendly – and passionate about diving! Safety is paramount and equipment is new, maintained in good condition and regularly replaced. Robin, Jessica, Esteban and Austin all agree that the focus at Reef Runners is Customer Service with an emphasis on Quality rather than Quantity – which means that you won’t be one of the masses.
It’s 8.30am at Reef Runners on a Monday morning and the diving conditions are perfect: calm and sunny. The sea is like a bolt of blue silk laid out in front of us as we sip some coffee and prepare to leave for Uli Fish Reef.
There are 10 of us: 2 students taking the Advanced course with Austin (Instructor), 2 students taking the Open Water course with Esteban (Instructor), and a certified diver with his buddy.
The short boat trip is a pleasure in itself … Puerto Viejo from the water looks almost uninhabited. Kitted up, the divers disappear off the boat, returning with enthusiastic reports of great visibility (25 meters), colorful reef and myriad types of tropical fish. (Attention Divers: According to Robin, the best visibility on this coast is usually during May, end of August, all of September and most of October.) It’s been a good dive and we head back for a lunch of pizza and watermelon before the afternoon dive.
Chatting with Esteban and Robin back at Reef Runners (one of the prettiest views in town incidentally) I acknowledge that diving for them is a way of life, but what do they think makes diving special for the rest of us that do it occasionally? Esteban replies: “There are two answers to that: Land and Sea. Most places that offer good recreational diving are also beautiful places with much to offer visitors. And diving, you feel part of the environment you are in, rather than just a spectator. You move within that world rather than observing it from a distance.”
Reef Runners offers the diver plenty of choices:
- All PADI courses from Open Water up to and including Dive Master
- Recreational Dives for Certified Divers: 2 Tank dive including all equipment and lunch: US$ 90
- Discovery Dive: US$ 55
If you still don’t feel like getting up close and personal in the marine sense, Reef Runners offer other treats in and around the ocean: How about Dolphin-spotting off the coast at Manzanillo or taking a Sunset Booze Cruise followed by a beach barbecue? Naturally there are snorkeling trips to be had too: allow the experts to take you to the best spots and en-joy a boat trip too!
Drop by, have a look at their newly updated Tour book and have a chat – with a good soda right next door Reef Runners is a fun place to spend an hour or two.
If now, you’re even just a little bit curious about what it feels like to ‘fly’ underwater, be adventurous and try a Discovery Dive in the clear, warm Caribbean ocean.
Reef Runners can be contacted via their website www.reefrunnerdivers.com, by telephone at +506 2750 0480 or book online through Gecko Trail Adventures at www.GeckoTrail.com/tour.htm?tid=scuba
 Article by Zoë Courtier. Zoë along with her husband Tom Keller are the proprietors of Geckoes Rainforest River Lodge. Two luxurious holiday houses with private plunge pools in a magnificent rainforest and river setting minutes from Playa Cocles. More information at www.geckoeslodge.com |
May
14
Community Fundraiser for Puerto Viejo School
May 14, 2010 | Tags: Community Calendar, Helping Out | Comments Off
| May 16, 2010 | ||
| 7:00 pm |
Sunday evening there will be a community fundraiser for the Puerto Viejo School at Loco Natural Restaurant.
The event will feature yummy Loco Natural food (of course), entertainment and raffles. It starts at 7pm.
The funds raise will help the Puerto Viejo school with much needed funds for school repairs and construction.
If you can’t make the event but would like to make a donation and help out, you can do so via the Puerto Viejo Satellite community donation page. Go to the form at the bottom, select Other project and enter “Puerto Viejo School”.
May
14
Census in Panama Sunday will Disrupt Tourist Schedules
May 14, 2010 | Tags: Community Calendar, Tourism, Transport | 2 Comments
| May 16, 2010 |
This Sunday, May 16, is census day in Panama.
Panama has an interesting census system that counts the entire country in one day. To do so, the government requires that everyone, even tourists, remain in the building where they slept that night until they are given a document confirming they have already been counted.
If you are in the street, you will be ticketed and possibly arrested and detained until counted. This applies to captains of the boats, drivers of minibuses and tourists, everyone.
As such, the entire country shuts down until this process is complete. Sort of like putting the whole country under house arrest, but is the only practical way for the government to count everyone in one day. Most people should be counted by noon, so that businesses can open and life can return to normal.
Shuttle and boat services from Panama to Puerto Viejo will therefore not operate on Sunday morning so travelers planning to leave that day will have to do so later in the day.
Caribe Shuttle which normally operates a morning service from Bocas del Toro to Puerto Viejo has advised that they will pickup passengers who are booked for that service for their afternoon service instead. Hotel pickups will begin at approximately 1:00pm.
May
6
Video Tours Now on Puerto Viejo Satellite
May 6, 2010 | Tags: Site news | Comments Off
The newest feature on the Puerto Viejo Satellite website is video tours for those properties that have them.
Look for the video tour 
icon on the properties detailed listing page (such as Le Cameleon or Banana Azul) or you can see all the hotels with video tours for example on the hotels page by looking for the “See video tour” text.
This is a great way to really experience a place before you and see if it’s right for you.
You can also find all sorts of other videos shot about Puerto Viejo on the Photos, Blogs and Videos page.
If you know of a property which has a video and it is not already listed, please let us know at info@puertoviejosatellite.com. This option is available for all upgraded listings.
May
2
Puerto Viejo Open Pro Surf Tournament
May 2, 2010 | Tags: Community Calendar, Sports | Comments Off
| May 15, 2010 |
 Jordan Hernandez, Winner of the 2009 Puerto Viejo Open & Airshow, Photo by Beto courtesy of www.CRSurf.com |
The Puerto Viejo Open Pro surf competition is set for May 15th, 2010. The entire event is planned and organized exclusively by local surf instructor and legend Alberto “Beto” Miguel Torres Speranza. This much anticipated event is guaranteed to bring the best of the best in surfing to the area, and will surely prove to be an amazing experience.
The competition began back in July of 06’ and was first dubbed as the “Legalize” Surf Tournament. The idea behind the competition was to simply bring friends together for a day of partying, music and spectacular surf. It soon proved to be a huge success and therefore grew bigger and bigger each year with the support of the community growing as well. Competitors and spectators alike, from all over the world, come together for a day of friendly competition, stunning talent and gorgeous views.
Read the full article on www.Caribizine.com or look for it in the May issue.
May
2
New Magazine Launches About Costa Rica’s Caribbean
May 2, 2010 | Tags: Community News | 3 Comments
The new publication is called “Caribizine”, and will focus on community events, tours, restaurants, hotels and much more in the area.
The free publication has gone to the printers and is expected to be available all over Puerto Viejo any day now. They have also launched their website, www.Caribizine.com.
One of the magazine’s writers, Brooke Heaverlo, explained that the goal of the new magazine is to provide community residents and visitors an easy way to access information and reviews on everything in the area. It will also offer free classifieds, a calender featuring monthly events that can be hung up, as well as guest articles and local photos.
The launch issue includes articles on the upcoming Puerto Viejo Open Pro surf tournament, articles on local activities such as horseback riding with the Caribe Horse Club or getting a chocolate facial at Pure Jungle Spa, and restaurant, hotel and shopping reviews.
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