For those few who are visiting our country and for whatever reason, may not know yet, Costa Rica celebrates its 204th Independence Day tomorrow – September 15. It’s a national holiday that honors the 1821 break from Spain. Parades, music, and flag displays fill the streets, while the day shifts some daily operations. Travelers will …
With mechanical shovels, barges, and by hand, hundreds of soldiers and artisanal fishers are working tirelessly this Friday to remove a floating plant that covers El Salvador’s Lake Suchitlán, in hopes of restoring prosperity to this tourist area. The so-called “water lettuce” (Pistia stratiotes), about 30 centimeters in diameter, has spread across the surface of …
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Independence Day is almost here! If you live near a school, a soccer field, a parking lot, or a barrio with a lot of school-age kids, you’ve probably heard the familiar signs that September 15 is just around the corner: the pounding of drums, a repetitive, seemingly non-stop martial beat echoing through the neighborhood, before …
Read more “Celebrating Costa Rica Independence Day Through the Eyes of an Expat”
The Torch of Independence began its traditional journey through Costa Rica today. More than 22,000 students from across the country carry the torch both today and tomorrow, covering 378 kilometers from Peñas Blancas to Cartago in celebration of 204 years of independence. The welcoming ceremony was held at the Peñas Blancas border crossing, where Costa …
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El Salvador is the country in Latin America and the Caribbean facing the “fastest deterioration” of democracy in recent years, according to a report released Friday by an intergovernmental organization. “El Salvador has experienced the fastest deterioration in democratic indicators over the last decade in the region,” said Marcela Ríos, regional director of International IDEA. …
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The government of Nicaragua published this Friday photographs in prison of a doctor with Costa Rican and Nicaraguan nationality, two days after the United States asked Managua for proof of life of the detainee. Washington denounced on Wednesday the arrest and disappearance in August in Nicaragua of the doctor Yerri Estrada, 30 years old, and …
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The Waldorf Astoria Costa Rica officially opened its doors in Punta Cacique, combining the brand’s iconic luxury with the Guanacaste identity and marking a new chapter for high-end tourism in the region. It is the first Waldorf Astoria in Costa Rica and in all of Central America and Rubén Gabiño, General Manager of the property, …
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We’ve lived in a long line of rental properties over our time in Costa Rica. In sequential order, we started in a tiny apartment where we experienced an earthquake and then a small house where the dirt road out front covered everything in a fine layer of dust. We then moved onto a nice house …
Read more “Costa Rica Rental House Stories – From Doorknob Disasters to Gecko Guests”
The Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ) carried out multiple raids on Friday morning to capture suspects in the murder of Roberto Samcam, a former Nicaraguan military officer and exile in Costa Rica, which occurred on June 19 in Vázquez de Coronado. The proceedings seek to identify those responsible and the intermediaries who participated in the planning …
Read more “Costa Rica’s OIJ Captures Suspects in Roberto Samcam Murder”
FIFA launched a disciplinary case against El Salvador’s football federation after fans directed racist insults at Suriname players during a recent Concacaf 2026 World Cup qualifier. The Salvadoran Football Federation, known as Fesfut, confirmed the action on Thursday. The match unfolded on Monday at Cuscatlán Stadium in San Salvador, where Suriname pulled off a 2-1 …
Read more “FIFA Probes El Salvador Over Fan Racism in Suriname World Cup Qualifier”