Britt added three more in the shops located outside the airport in Miami, Florida.

Café Britt, Costa Rica’s premier brand of coffee, is looking to expand its empire. With fifty stores in seven countries the company now wants to install stores in the island of Antigua’s airport, in Peru, Chile and a roasting plant in Cancún Mexico. The company already boasts over $60 million in annual sales. In addition to coffee they sell local handicrafts, their own brand of chocolates, books and more in airports and hotels.

This is another example of a Costa Rican company expanding beyond its borders. Dos Pinos, the country’s largest producer of daily products and Florida Ice which makes several types of beer, are already selling their products in neighboring countries and abroad. Costa Rica’s famous Imperial beer may be purchased in many areas of the U.S. The author downed a couple while visiting New York City a couple of years ago.

All of this points to the county’s continued growth which could not have been achieved without political stability.

The clients on my monthly relocation/retirement tours inevitably ask me if there is a problems with insects in Costa Rica. I am quick to tell them that where I live in Heredia, I have no screens on my windows nor do I have screen doors. I admit that I do have a few flies, ants and an occasional cockroach, but none are a real problem. So, insects don’t seem to be a concern in the Central Valley.

In some beach areas and in the the country’s rain forests and jungles there are many insects. Nevertheless I take my clients to the beach every other month and surprisingly nobody has had a problem with bugs. I do remember that around sunset there there are a few bugs that come out but after the sun goes down they don’t bother you. None of my clients has complained about being eaten alive by insects. Most of them bring their bug spray and douse themselves with it in the evening. Perhaps this is the reason they don’t get bitten at the beach. Anyway, i don’t use repellent and have never had a problem bugs at the beach.

It’s only been 47 years in the making, but finally the Costanera Sur will be ready by December the Ministerio de Obras Públicas y Transportes (MOPT) promises.

The Costanera Sur connects the communities Central Pacific communities to the Southern Zone and once completely finished will save drivers up to two hours, the time it takes now to make the 42 kilometer trip between Quepos and Dominical.

The Costanera Sur also eliminates the need to cross the Cerro de la Muerte to get to Pérez Zeledón, offering an alternative from Puntarenas and Guanacaste without having to pass through San José.

At this time only 20 of the 42 kilometers have been paved with the first lawyer of asphalt, with the work continuing daily.

In addition work continues on the important bridges from Parrita to Dominical. In the coming weeks it is expected that the contractor will begin pouring the concrete slab of the new Parrita bridge, which once completed, will be a two lane wide bridge that will eliminate traffic congestion, that at peak hours can add an hour or more to the trip, replacing the current one lane bridge that saw its better days decades ago.

The Costanera Sur is a project that began as an idea back in 1942 by the Banco Centroamericano de Integración Económica (BCIE). However, the recommendation to begin construction of the project did not occur until 1962. In 1979 the administration of Rodrigo Carazo received financing for the project, however, the money was all spent on appeals and “improper” payments.

In 1982 the government of Luis Alberto Monge signs a contract with the Spanish constructor, Agroman and the building of the Costanera is on its way. However, in 1987 the Contraloría (Comptroller’s office) found irregularities with the contract whose cost went from ¢445 million colones to ¢1.8 billion, of that time, creating a scandal of proportions which forced the then ministro de Transportes, Guillermo Constenla, to rescind the Agroman contract.

In 1997 the Belén construction company was awarded the contract for part of the project, but bad weather and lack of financing setback the project.

In 2004 the cost of each kilometer of road for the remaining 42 kilometres that connects Quepos to Dominical was estimated to cost us$1 million dollars and as such the project comes to a complete halt.

It wasn’t until earlier this year (2009) that the MOPT gave the order to complete the highway that included widening eight of the bridges, all financed by the BCIE.

Once complete, the 222 kilometre road runs from Barranca de Puntarenas to Palmar Sur in the Osa Peninsula, providing a direct route to Panama without having to go through San José.

The crime here is really miniscule compared to the other countries in the region.

Yes, you read right! I have not gone off my rocker. Let me explain the title of this article. Proa, the Sunday magazine section of La Nación, had a cover story about crime in Latin America’s cities. The lengthy article mentions Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro, Lima, Quito Ecuador and surprisingly Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Many of the Costa Rican on-line news groups in English talk about the rising crime in Costa Rica, especially in the capital city of San José. After reading the article the Sunday edition of La Nación, San José seems like paradise. The crime here is really miniscule compared to the other countries in the region.

Caracas, Venezuela now has the dubious distinction of being the most violent city in Latin America. There are 130 homicides per 100,000 people there. In the first third of this year there were 1,448 violent crimes in Caracas and 8,040 in the whole country. The kidnap rate is double that of Colombia. The worst part of this situation is that police are believed to be involved in 20 percent of all of the crimes.

Rio de Janeiro is also drowning in a sea of crime. There are now 73.2 murders per 100,000 people and last year 2,069 people were killed. There are nearly one thousand slums or favelas and all are controlled by drug gangs.

Crime in Mexico City is also out of control. Every day there are 547 crimes reported there. You can’t feel safe taking public transportation either. Between January and June of this year there were 1,997 crimes reported aboard buses, the subway and private taxis.

Lima , Peru also has its share of criminal activity. There are at least ten people robbed per day in taxis. Gangs like the colochos are also raising havoc among the citizens of the city. Lima now has a specialized police unit called El Comando “Robo Cop” to try and combat the crime problem.

Quito, Ecuador is riddled with crime. The government reports that 35.3 percent of the population have been victims of robbery and/or physical violence. In addition, 49.6 of all businesses have been affected by some type of robbery. I had a friend who was stabbed to death in his bar in Mata, Ecuador.

Even Argentina has been affected by the crime that is sweeping across many of Latin America’s cities. Besides an increase in all types of crime, violent car jackings are rampant.

In Central America San Salvador and Guatemala City are leaders the pack when it comes to violent crime. Over 150 bus drivers died last year in robberies in Guatemala City alone. El Salvador is rumored the highest homicide rate in Latin America. As if things were not bad enough in these countries, there are over 30,000 gang members in the area who are responsible of a large part of the violent crime.

San José, Costa Rica is not without crime. Fortunately it is nothing compared to the other countries in Central America or the rest of Latin America. I have lived Costa Rica for almost 30 years and have basically remained unscathed like most people foreigners know.

Crime is an important consideration when selecting a place to live south of the border. On my monthly relocation/retirement tours I am always asked about crime here and try to put it into perspective. I tell people, “I would not be living here if I thought that crime was out of control or my family was in danger.”

The U.S. Is probably as dangerous if not more in some ways as any of the cities I mention above.

More Americans are drawn to Costa Rica because of the country’s excellent universal health care.

Lately, I have been following the events which are transpiring with regard to a national health care system for all Americans especially the uninsured. Basically, President Obama is committed to working with Congress to pass comprehensive health reform in his first year in order to control rising health care costs, guarantee choice of doctor, and assure high-quality, affordable health care for all Americans. Unfortunately many people oppose this universal plan.

After watching the debate night after night on the evening news I feel even luckier to live in Costa Rica. The country manages to offer affordable “cradle to grave” heath care for all of its citizens and foreign residents. If a poor country like Costa Rica can do this, Why can’t the U.S? Furthermore, the rest of the industrialized world gets universal health care. The U.S. gets limited access at a far higher cost. Isn’t it about time for Americans to get the health care system they want, and the savings that go with it. If America is so great, where is their healthcare?

Here you have two health care options from which to choose: the public and the private. As I mentioned above the public system is universal and available to foreigners at a low cost. If the public system is not your cup of tea and you required more personal care then there is the private system. The latter is also affordable and enables you to choose your on doctor. The yearly cost for a family of three or four is under $2,000. Some people in the States pay that per month. I have use the private system and am very satisfied with the quality of care.

Increasingly more and more Americans are drawn to Costa Rica because of the country’s excellent universal health care. However, its spring-like climate, endless natural beauty, political stability, friendly people, good investment climate and so many more intangibles are the other reasons why baby boomers and others are moving here. I discuss all of this at length on my monthly relocation/retirement tours.