Costa Rica Any Way You Want It

Costa Rica continues to capture the headlines. Besides being Latin America’s premier retirement destination, Costa Rica continues to stand out for its natural wonders. The country has been described as a Disneyland for eco tourists.

People come here as tourists and fall head over heels in love with the country to the extent that many of them and up moving here. I don’t know how many times I have heard tourists say, “I wish I could live here.”, only after having spent a couple of weeks touring the country.

To se the recent new York times article praising the country please go to this link: http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/03/22/travel/22CostaRica.html?pagewanted=1

Costa Rica’s national motto “Pura Vida” (pure life) is really true in a country that offer one of the best quality of life in the world.

It looks like Costa Rica’s  national motto “Pura Vida” (pure life) is true. According to a study by the Inter American Development Bank (BID), Costa Ricans are the most satisfied people in Latin America.  The study is based on the country’s educational system, health care and employment opportunities. Costa Ricans value their high quality of life above materialism. “At the end of the day it is not the number of toys a person has but one’s personal happiness and satisfaction,” according to Costa Rican economist Alberto Franco.

Not only do Costa Ricans enjoy a great lifestyle but the majority of foreign residents here are very happy. It almost seems that the great quality of life is contagious. The minute you step off the plane you are overwhelmed by it.  I personally know hundreds of people who have moved here who wouldn’t trade what they have found in Costa Rica for all of the tea in China.  On my monthly  relocation/retirement tours one of the things I do is tell my clients about many  options they have here and all that the country has to offer.  I can see people’s eyes light up when the hear about all things that makes living in Costa Rica so fantastic. It seems that once foreigners get bitten by the Costa Rica bug there is no turning back.

As I have said in previous articles, “Costa Rica has something for everyone and everything for someone.” I feel truly blessed to live in such a wonderful country.

Costa Rica seems to be out of the mainstream of the world news.

I was watching the evening news and was saddened to see so many people who have been affected by the collapse of the world economy. In Sacramento, California people are living in tents just like during the Great Depression. The same thing is happening in Seattle and other cities. I saw a piece on Japan and they are also in terrible shape.

I really consider myself to be lucky to be living in Costa Rica Rica. We don’t have people living in tents nor have we been hit like the States and the rest of he world. There have been layoffs and a trickle down effect which have affected tourism and other sectors. However, we don’t have large manufacturing  like the U.S. auto industry so we haven’t been affected that much.

As I mentioned in a previous article we are used to being self-sufficient here. We can grow almost everything we eat and the people have been living off the land here for hundreds of years. Costa Ricans are used to living with a lot less which is good. Most people who retire here adopt the frugal style of the locals and learn to spend less money. Fortunately, consumerism isn’t as big as in the U.S. so there are less things to waste money on.

Costa Rica seems to be out of the mainstream of the world news . You never hear anything negative mentioned in the U.S. media about Costa Rica. The country has a low profile when it comes to world events. No news is good news for us. However, there was a great story on the evening news recently about the area of Nicoya, Costa Rica that has a huge number of centenarians due the healthy lifestyle of the people who live there.

I really feel blessed to have discover this beautiful little country where life is so good.

If you are considering Mexico for retirement you should read this article. It is just one of many we have published warning potential retirees about the dangers of living in Mexico.

Crime-ravaged México considers reinstating death penalty

Violent murders linked to organized crime are soaring in México with nearly 6,000 people killed last year, double the number for 2007. As a result, Mexico’s tiny Green Party has decided to campaign for the reintroduction of the death penalty.

Violent murders linked to organized crime are soaring in México with nearly 6,000 people killed last year.

The Green Party is pressing for the death penalty for kidnappers who torture, mutilate or murder their victims. If this measure is adopted by the country’s legislators, it would reverse a 2005 decision to formally scrap capital punishment. It has been almost 50 years since anyone was executed in México.

More than 5,600 people were killed by drug traffickers in México last year and analysts say Mexico is now the most dangerous country in the world for kidnapping. But 97 percent of the country’s kidnapping cases go unsolved by police, one of the reasons many critics of the death penalty question its effectiveness in deterring crime.

But public anger is fueling the debate. A poll conducted last year found that more than 70 percent of those asked supported the death penalty.

The Green Party has launched a hot line to inform the public on the issue. It has received thousands of calls supporting the death penalty for kidnappers who brutalize their victims.

Green Party leader Jorge Emilio Gonzalez says voters are demanding a fitting deterrent to counteract these vicious crimes.

“It is not the answer,” said Jorge Emilio González. “But it is part of the answer. It is a message that we are going strong. They are going to think twice. They know that if they get caught — in six, eight months — one year, they are going to get the death penalty.”

Diego Cobo, Green Party vice coordinator, explained the legislative proposal is specifically designed to protect the kidnapping victims.

“The purpose of our proposal is not to kill criminals,” said Cobo. “The first purpose of our proposal is to protect the victim, to tell the criminal that if he kills his victim, he is going to be killed also. So the first effect of our proposal is the protection of the victim. The life of the victim.”

Lorenzo Meyer, a College of Mexico International Studies Department professor, is a specialist in the history of Mexico’s political development. He said Mexico’s police forces are too corrupt, and its legal system way too fragile, to consider using the death penalty.

“In Mexico, the only people that are in jail  . . . well not only, but basically 95 percent, are poor,” said Meyer. “And nobody, really nobody trusts the judicial system. So introduce the death penalty here, and you would have a lot of executions that are unfair. In the case of México, it could be really criminal to introduce the death penalty with this sort of judicial system.”

Lawyer Alonso Aguilar Zinser agrees with Meyer. He said the death penalty is not the way for Mexico’s legal system to progress.

“Criminals are a product of the society,” said Aguilar Zinser. “And something is failing in society if you have criminals. You do not have the right to have a revenge, if you have problems in society. You have to resolve the problems. Not revenge, because an eye for an eye is not the position of a modern state.”

Outrage over kidnapping in México surged last year after the kidnapping and murder of 14-year-old Fernando Martí. After his wealthy family paid a substantial ransom, the boy was murdered. Those subsequently arrested included the commander of a police detective unit based at Mexico’s international airport.

In the aftermath of the crime, the murdered boy’s father demanded politicians do more to curb kidnapping or quit their well-paid jobs.

Thousands of people dressed in white marched through Mexico City last year as they had during the previous administration of President Vicente Fox, but the rampant level of kidnappings has not decreased. The death penalty issue is due to be debated in Mexico’s congress.