Arenal put on an impressive show for tourists on Thursday.  At about 3 pm, the volcano began spraying increased quantities of pyroclastic material. (ash, lava fragments and vapor).  One group of Canadian and American tourists was surrounded by a cloud of red smoke which did not dissipate for over 15 minutes.  Locals reported that this kind of activity hasn’t been seen in months from the volcano.

OVSICORI (the Costa Rica Volcanic and Seismic Observatory) reported that the volcano has experienced a significant increase in lava flows on the west and southwest faces in the last two months.

Believe it or not, the President of Costa Rica - and those of the other Central American countries - had to submit a photo and ID number to the US Secret Service prior to the Friday morning meeting with US President Bush.  Only four aides per president were allowed and the presidents also had to specify the license plate numbers of the cars they would be arriving in.

Pacheco was expected to try to explain to Bush what remaining procedures were needed in order for Costa Rica to approve (or not) the CAFTA agreement.

The Director of Immigration, Johnny Marín, announced that appointments will no longer be necessary on Thursdays and Fridays.  He credits the success of the program on the first three days of the week, for Ticos who need passports,  for the new (old) procedure.  However only 300 residents will be attended to on a daily basis, also those who need replacement permits must still make an appointment.

Call (good luck) or visit the web site for last minute changes before going:
http://www.migracion.go.cr/ 

On Wednesday, the Lapa Rios Ecolodge in the Osa Peninsula, owned by John & Karen Lewis, was announced as a winner of the Award for Corporate Excellence (ACE).  This distinction is given out by the US State Department and the announcement was made via videoconfrence by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

Only 60 companies operating in 45 countries were nominated for the award and there were ten finalists chosen by the ACE selection committee: Amman- Cisco Systems, Inc.; Beijing- Merck; Beijing- United Postal Service; Budapest- General Electric; Jakarta- Chevron Indonesia; Kuala Lumpur- Intel Malaysia; Mexico City- Johnson Controls; New Delhi- Ford Motor Company; San Jose- Hotel Lapa Rios; Sofia- American Standard.

The only two winners were Lapa Rios and CISCO Systems of Jordan.  The awards were established in 1999 to recognize the role played by the American business community overseas.  Each year, U.S. ambassadors nominate companies based on their employment and environmental practices, contributions to the host country’s local economy, and compliance with U.S., international and local laws.  Lapa Rios won the small to medium sized category for their work in the local community and  their rainforest reserve.

The Attorney General has opened new lines of investigation and intensified the search for proof in Costa Rica, Panama, the Bahamas and the US in the case of ex-President Rafael Ángel Calderón, known as the Fischel-Caja case. According the the state attorneys, over $1.8 million was handed out to public officials in this case. 

The average rate hike will be 32%. That means ¢20 more in the first kilometer, which will cost ¢330. Each additional kilometer will cost 300 colones. A trip between Central Park and Tibas would cost 1,080 (195 more).

Rural taxis (4×4) are more expensive since they are less efficient and suffer more damage and relatively worse roads.

Fill your tank up this weekend! (at least partially)  Although Super and Regular grade gasoline will go down by 46 and 27 colones within 1 week, the price will rise by 3.5 colones Monday or Tuesday, due to an inflationary adjustment on the gas tax by the Ministry of Finance.

This is only the second time prices have dropped this year against multiple hikes, because of high oil prices..

Yesterday a bus travelling with 48 passengers from Cartago to San José lost its brakes on the downhill section near Tres Rios and crashed.  39 people were injured in the crash, which took place on a side road as the driver had exited the freeway in an attempt to get the bus to slow down on its own friction.  Fortunately, when the bus left the road it landed in soft earth and did not roll over completely. 

The bus company SACSA was under investigation for multiple complaints by users over bad treatment by the drivers, non-compliance with schedules and poor condition of the buses. Although the bus did pass the technical inspection this year, it was on the second attempt due to grave faults in the axles, suspension, steering and brakes.  In 8 of 9 inspections performed there was a persistent flaw in the equality of force among the brakes.  In 7 of  9 inspections, the brake pressure guage did not function properly.  Which would not permit the driver to know whether or not the brakes were working properly on any particular run.

Authorities from multiple agencies will investigate the accident, results will be made public as they become available.