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Just have a look at the map, where we have shown just some of the local spots. There are plenty more. We will continually add to this page more and more establishments as well as reviews.
While it’s not that close to Hostel Bekuo, this is where you are likely to find some of our guests and most certainly some of the staff on Wednesday nights. Negotiate the quirky wrought-iron-and-burlap revolving door at the entrance, and you’ve made it into one of San José’s few Middle Eastern restaurants. The Lebanese owners serve a wide variety of dishes from their native region, so if you can’t decide, the mezza serves two people and gives you a little bit of everything. For your own individual dish, try the juicy shish kebab de cordero (of lamb), or if you’re feeling especially adventurous, the raw ground-meat kebbe naye (with wheat meal) and kafta naye (without wheat meal). A hip bar in the back serves the same menu, and on Wednsesdays is the hot spot in San Jose featuring local Dj’s and an incredible mix of locals and young ex-pats.
You don’t have to go to Limón or Cahuita to get good home-cooked Caribbean food. In addition to rondon, a coconut milk-based stew or soup, you can also get the classic rice and beans cooked in coconut milk, as well as a range of fish and chicken dishes from the coastal region. I like the whole red snapper covered in a spicy sauce of sautéed onions. There’s a small bar at the entrance and some simple tables spread around the restaurant, with an alcove here and there. Everything is very simple, and prices are quite reasonable. After a dinner of fresh fish, with rice, beans, and patacones, the only letdown is that the beach is some 4 hours away.
San José has hundreds of Chinese restaurants, but most simply serve up tired takes on chop suey, chow mein, and fried rice. In contrast, Tin Jo has a wide and varied menu, with an assortment of Cantonese and Szechuan staples, as well as a range of Thai, Japanese, and Malaysian dishes, and even some Indian food. This is San José’s only true Pan-Asian restaurant. In the Thai room an 11-meter (39-foot) mural depicts a Buddhist temple. You can select from all of the above cuisines, with menus to match the varied dining areas. It’s also a restaurant that pays attention to the details. Some of the dishes are served in edible rice-noodle bowls, and the pineapple shrimp in coconut-milk curry is served in the hollowed-out half of a fresh pineapple. Dishes not to miss include the salt-and-pepper shrimp, beef teriyaki, and Thai curries. For dessert, try the sticky rice with mango, or banana tempura. The waiters here are some of the most attentive in Costa Rica. The decor features artwork and textiles from across Asia, and you’ll have real tablecloths and cloth napkins. Tin Jo is also a great option for vegetarians, and even vegans.
Tin Jo stands out with always exceptional food, attention to detail, and attentive service that make it, hands down, the country’s top Asian restaurant.
Mon-Sat 11:30am-3pm and 5:30-10pm (Fri-Sat kitchen open ’til 11pm); Sun 11:30am-10pm
Calle 11, between avs. 6 and 8
Phone: 2221-7605, 2257-3622
Many people visiting Costa Rica find themselves a little confused about the addresses or lack of them in Costa Rica. It takes a while to get used to, but they have a system that works for them.
Costa Rica is a country comprised of seven provinces: Alajuela, Cartago, Guanacaste, Heredia, Limon, Puntarenas and San Jose. Just like in the United States, one may find cities named the same in different provinces. However, since Costa Rica is a small country, approximately the size of West Virginia, one doesn’t expect cities in different provinces with the same name.
One of the cities that causes the most confusion is Playa Hermosa. It isn’t surprising that there is more than one beach named this. The name translates to beautiful beach and almost all of the beaches in Costa Rica are beautiful. One is located in the Guanacaste province, in the northwest portion of the country. It is a lovely, protected beach that is ideal for families. The water is calm with little current. Another Playa Hermosa is located south of Jaco on the central Pacific coast, in the province of Puntarenas. This is where the 2009 Billabong ISA World Surf Games were held. This is another beautiful beach, but one with 4 – 8 foot waves. So it is always important to get the full information on where you are going.
While most individuals and businesses have a post office address, the physical address can be rather confusing. In San Jose proper, avenidas (avenues) run east and west and calles (streets) run north and south. Even here, exact addresses are a problem.
Many streets, particularly out of the center of San Jose, do not even have names. So the address is given by the distance to the nearest well known location. You will often see addresses given as 100 meters north of a hospital, 100 meters west of a bank or even 100 meters south of McDonalds. These distances are not exact, but more of an estimate. Normally 100 meters is the equivalent of a block. Occasionally, the address will reference something that no longer exists, but everyone in the country remembers. A good example of this is the Coca-Cola bottling plant. This is now the main bus station in San Jose and is a common landmark that is used. This confuses many tourists and newcomers.
United Parcel Service (UPS) and Federal Express deliver packages and letters according to these addresses, although it is sometimes challenging to get the address to fit in the space allotted. Additionally, it can be a daunting task to convince a company to ship to this type of unconventional address.
GPS’s are available and do work especially in the main cities and tourist locations. Here again you search for a specific location, such as a hotel, as opposed to an address.
Jazz Cafe, located right on the Pan-American “highway” (it’s a two lane street) is a great place for food and drinks, while enjoying amazing live music. The atmosphere is a little up-sacale but not pretentious at all. Along the wall, there are hand made clay busts of the worlds most famous Jazz musicians. While it’s call Jazz Cafe, the live music ranges from Jazz, to rock, as well as some amazing 100% percussion shows.
Cover charges vary, depending on the prominence of the musical act, but usually fluctuate between US$4 and US$6 for local groups. It’s 50m west of old Banco Popular.
What do underwear, surf boards, tires, submarines, sharks and wigs have in common? They have all been used as a vessel in thwarted attempts to smuggle cocaine through Costa Rica.
With more than four months left to go in the year, 2009 can already be considered a dynamic and record-breaking year for drug busts in Costa Rica. From the “white city” of Liberia in the north to the unpatrolled shores of Golfito in the south, there are few regions in Costa Rica that the international drug trade has left untouched.
Costa Rica has long been a key transit point along the principal drug route from Colombia to the United States, and is now used as a warehouse to store larger quantities of cocaine every year. Cocaine seizures in the nation increased from 2,955 kilos in 2002 to more than 90,000 kilos over the past three years during the Arias administration.
Most of the drugs are shipped, flown or driven through Costa Rica en route to Mexico, from where 91% of drugs enter the United States. The Pan-American Highway is the major shipment artery running through the region, allowing one to infer that Central America just might have more cocaine in its blood than Robert Downey Jr. and Courtney Love combined.
With 755 miles of coastline on the Caribbean and Pacific Ocean, poorly patrolled roads, a lack of border security in the south and limited police resources and specialization in rural areas, Costa Rica is one of the top targets for drug movement. However, with a never ending chain of command ranging from cartel leaders down to the local drug dealer that hangs out behind the church sampling his own goods, the best laid plans of mice and drug dealers often go awry.
Below are the top five drug busts of the year, plus our all time honorable mention:
1. Refurbished Evidence
In March of this year, the Judicial Organization (OIJ) investigators that found 320 kilos of cocaine in an abandoned speed boat along the coast of Golfito had their celebration cut short when it was stolen from the police house three days later. The cocaine was left there due to a lack of air transportation necessary to deliver the evidence to San Jose. Taking advantage of the delay, a motley crew that included three police officers, an ex-police official and the night guard devised a plan to have a false 911 call distract the two officials on duty that night. This opened a 20 minute time slot in which they swiped the cargo valued at $9 million on the U.S. market.
The amateur group enjoyed their winnings for nearly three months before eight of them were detained in a series of raids. Humility was not a virtue shared by the men who were found with a total of four brand new vehicles and more than $335,000 in various currencies.
2. That Won’t Fly
Time flies when you’re transporting excessive amounts of cocaine for profit. Helicopters don’t. In May of this year, a helicopter with two passengers and 396 kilos of cocaine crashed into the “Mountain of Death” or Cerro de la Muerte in the southern region of Costa Rica under the strain of the illicit cargo. The passengers were found dead along with the wreck and drugs with some difficulty due to the remote location.
The pilot, a Costa Rican native, had rented out a small hotel near the scene of the crash prior to the accident. He had no previous criminal charges and actually used the same helicopter to assist the Judicial Investigation Organization in searching for evidence in the past when police resources were limited. We can assume he learned his lesson. The passenger was of Mexican origin and had entered the country earlier that year without cause for concern by local officials.
3. Stuffed Shark on the Rocks
Shark, a controversial delicacy often gratuitously killed just for the dorsal fins, becomes even more controversial when it’s stuffed with cocaine and sent on ice to Mexico on a cargo ship. Thus was the fate of 20 shark carcasses used to conceal 894 kilos of cocaine that departed Caldera, a Pacific coast port of Costa Rica, en route to the Yucatan peninsula in June of this year.
To make things more interesting, in looking for a commercial fisherman connected to the shipment, Costa Rica police uncovered a private island property in Golfito outfitted with underground tunnels and vaults three meters deep that were used to store drug shipments. Access points to the vaults were covered by wood and ceramic flooring and then by concrete covers.
This same band of drug traffickers with Mexican ties responsible for the shark shipment are now being connected to a more recent drug seizure of 419 kilos of cocaine that was found covered in frozen red snapper in a truck along the Pan-American highway outside of Golfito. In both cases the fish were contaminated when several bags of cocaine broke open, which helped tip off authorities that something wasn’t right. The cocaine in the truck came from a 40-ft speedboat with two 100-horsepower motors that was found abandoned along the coast. The real losers in both cases were the fish, which had to be disposed of.
3. Three Times a Charm
Costa Rican and Panamanian authorities detained two bus drivers for transporting multiple bags of cocaine on a passenger bus traveling from Panama to Costa Rica this past July 2009. At first the bus was stopped in Panama thanks to tips to the authorities who uncovered three bags containing a total 22 kilos of cocaine. The drivers and two other men were arrested and a replacement driver was sent by the bus company to continue the route.
Later at the Panamanian-Costa Rican border, the bus was revised again when a bag with 3 kilos of cocaine was found, thought to be part of the original shipment. Then in the southern area of Costa Rica, passengers called the police when they noted the substitute bus driver acting odd. A third revision was performed and another 8 kilos were found in a bag and the replacement driver was also arrested.
It is a common tactic for drug traffickers to send anonymous tips to border police regarding a small shipment of cocaine by way of bus or truck in order to divert attention and allow larger shipments to pass through.
5. Stubborn (or stupid) as a Mule
This final umbrella category refers to the “mules” or humans trafficking smaller quantities of drugs on their person, luggage or vehicle. In just the first half of this year, anti-drug authorities detained 32 drug traffickers or “mules” in the Juan Santamaria airport in San Jose, already beating the 26 people arrested throughout all of 2008 at the international airport. Most of these people are foreigners en route to Europe (mainly Italy, Germany, France and Spain) where the market prices are the highest. Those that are caught take a detour of 8 to 12 years in jail.
While some of these mules are suspected to be part of a new trafficking association that moves drugs from Costa Rica to Spain, would be considered entrepreneurs. Airport detainees have ranged from 18 to 60 years old and were caught with drugs in coffee bags, surf boards, their underwear, printer cartridges, sewn into wigs, wrapped in gift boxes and hidden amid extra compartments in their luggage, among other locations. Most recently, a 60 year old man was detained with one kilo of cocaine in his stomach.
All Time Honorable Mention: Escobar Meets MacGyver
The best drug trafficking feat of all time proves the phrase that with necessity comes ingenuity. In 2006, U.S. Coast Guard officials discovered a handmade wood and fiberglass submarine floating 100 miles off Costa Rica’s Pacific Coast. The 50-foot submergible craft was cruising along at 7 mph just six feet below the surface of the water and concealed three tons of cocaine.
The four-man crew including two Colombians, a Guatemalan and a Sri Lankan, were found using plastic pipes as breathing devices. Among the bags of cocaine were several tanks of gas and utensils to bail out water, leading authorities to believe they had not and would not get too far. The four men were arrested and taken to the U.S. for trial.
The Vyrus bars is located in Los Yoses/San Pedro, just 2 blocks from Bekuo, and is considered one of the best bars for rock music in San Jose. While you definitely won’t be impressed by the decor (picture 80′s dive bar, then make it half as nice) but the music is great if you’re looking for a night of 80′s or 90′s flashbacks. The upstairs balcony overlooks the street and it’s refreshing to sit outside. They also have a large projection screen outside showing old music videos, it’s definitely entertaining. The prices are great and if you’r elooking for some decent, cheap bocas, then it’s a good spot. If you get bored, you can always head next door to Roots, San Jose’s most popular reggae bar.
The Costa Rican Ombudswoman’s Office announced on Thursday morning that it has serious doubts about a bill that would modify the limits of Las Baulas National Marine Park in Playa Grande, a beach in the northwestern province of Guanacaste.
The bill, which is currently under review by the Legislative Assembly’s Environment Commission, would change the status of the national park to that of a national wildlife refuge, which would permit construction within its limits. Building is not allowed in the area under its current designation as a national park.
The office declared that the bill “endangers the integrity of the National Marine Park” and “affects even the aquifers of the zone, which are cataloged as very vulnerable.”
A recent study by the National Groundwater, Irrigation and Drainage Service (SENARA) claims that the fragility of the water table near Playa Grande “does not permit any activity, with the exception of conservation and preservation.”
The ombudswoman’s office cited the study along with article three of Costa Rica’s biodiversity law and articles 50 and 89 of the constitution – all of which deal with conservation and environmental protection – as reasons for legislators to carefully evaluate the bill before deciding on a verdict.
Recalling the government’s Peace with Nature plan, ombudswoman Lisbeth Quesada said lawmakers “must respect pro-nature environmental principles in any proposal that deals with the environment.”
Legislators who support the bill have deemed the project a necessary step if the state is to control development inside the limits of the national park without the need to expropriate private properties. Landowners who live in the park have insisted that the land is worth approximately $1,200 per square meter.
Maureen Ballestero, a National Liberation Party (PLN) legislator and president of the Environment Commission, told The Tico Times that she “does not agree with the change in category of a national park,” but she said the state needs to find a way to protect the land without having to pay for it.
Costa Rica Blogger has made no secret as to what driving in Costa Rica is like; “dangerous”, “insane”, “crazy”, etc., etc., etc. It appears even Costa Rica’s President agrees as he is quoted as likening Costa Ricans to ‘Dr. Jekyl and Mr .Hyde’, in reference to the widespread recklessness encountered on the roadways of a nation recognized for peace and natural beauty.
It came as no surprise then, when Presidente Oscar Arias supported the passage of a sweeping reform to the Costa Rica traffic laws (Ley de Transito) that intends to rectify the situation by force, and as rapidly as possible. As of September 23rd, 2009 Costa Rica will put all drivers and the new traffic law system, to the test!
The cornerstone of the new reform is the computerization of drivers’ license records, and the use of a strict and stringent license points system to force drivers to re-evaluate and change their driving practices. All license holders will be credited 50 points to their Costa Rican license. With each infraction issued by the Transito for roadway violations (including non-moving violations), points will be deducted from the electronic file of the license holder. Additionally, fines ranging from $391.00 for driving a motorcycle with an un-helmeted minor -to- $39 for throwing garbage on a public roadway will be levied.
The Costa Rica Roadway Security Council (Consejo de Seguridad Vial -or- COSEVI) will be the record keeper for the drivers license points system and in charge of collecting all fines.
Laws are great but the success of any such changes hinge on enforcement. To address this issue the Costa Rica Ministry of Public Transportation (M.O.P.T) is adding 400 new Transit Police Officers (Policia de Transito) to its existing 800 member force. New changes include:
* Speeding in excess of 120kph / 74.5mph (50 points/2 year license suspension + $293 fine)
* Minor passenger without helmet (50 points/2 year license suspension + $391)
* Running a red light or stop sign (25 points + $293)
* Turning into an intersection without yielding to a pedestrian already crossing (25 points + $293)
* Reckless driving / speeding in excess of 20kph / 12.4mph above posted
speed limit (20 points + $293)
* Using a cell phone without a hands-free system [yes they do this while driving motorcycles!] (20 points +$293)
* Speeding in excess of 25kph / 15.5mph in front of a hospital, clinic, or school (20 points + $293)
* Riding without a helmet (20 points + $293)
* Passing through the middle of traffic, exploiting spaces between vehicles, zig-zagging through traffic whether the traffic is stopped or moving or at stop lights (15 points + $196)
* Incorrect passing, passing on the right in any circumstance, improper passing (15 points + $196)
* Passing on left in oncoming traffic lanes in no passing zones (10 points + $293 fine)
* Not keeping distance with the vehicle in front of you or tailgating (10 points +$117)
* Illegal U-turn (10 points + $293 fine)
