Bob Normand - The Golden Gringo
27 Nov 1943 - 01 Aug 2024
Click here to read The GG's obituary
We are sad to report that this will be the last edition of "The Golden Gringo Chronicles." Words can't express how much Bob enjoyed writing this monthly publication. He loved learning about Central America, Costa Rica in particular, and sharing that information with all of his devoted followers. The family hopes you truly enjoyed reading the chronicles as much as he enjoyed writing them.
Pura Vida!
Broken News
(All the News That's Fit to Reprint)
Costa Rica Chosen "Leading Destination Central America"
The WTA (World Travel Association) recently completed its Grand Tour 2024, a global search for the best travel and tourism organizations and listed Costa Rica as the “Leading destination in Mexico and Central America”.
Our own Gaia Hotel & Reserve here in Manuel Antonio took the coveted title of “Leading Boutique Hotel in Mexico and Central America”. (Not sure why WTA joined Mexico and Central America as a region, which would be a population of 180 million)
In other selections, Las Vegas was voted “North America’s Leading Meeting and Conference Destination”, Miami Beach was honored as “North America’s Leading Destination City”, Peru was chosen “Leading Destination in South America”, and its innovative gastronomy was recognized as “Leading Culinary Destination in South America” as well as Machu Picchu being “Leading Tourist Attraction in South America”.
Nice group for us to be included in.
Costa Rica Low on Emigration Attraction
CID Gallup (Interdisciplinary Development Consulting), founded in 1977 in Costa Rica, is a regional company engaged in market research and conducting public opinion surveys. A recent survey in January this year asked the following question: "Are you “very likely” to emigrate if you had the necessary resources?" Costa Rican respondents answered affirmatively 23% of the time, a ranking lower than 9 other Latin American countries.
The ranking of the 10 Latin American countries went this way:
- Dominican Republica, 47%
- Ecuador, 43%
- Honduras, 41%
- Bolivia, 39%
- Nicaragua, 37%
- Peru, 35%
- Guatemala, 30%
- Colombia, 30%
- El Salvador, 27%
- Costa Rica, 23%◄
- Panama, 20%
Nuff said.
Extradition Law Change Sought
 |
| Costa Rica Legislative Assembly |
Article 32 of the Costa Rican Constitution establishes that no Costa Rican “may be compelled to leave the national territory.” The current administration is considering a change in the constitution that would permit the extradition of Costa Ricans for cases of international drug trafficking and terrorism. Some of the law enforcement folks are looking to expand the crimes related to drug trafficking even further and a special commission has been set up to come up with appropriate recommendations.
Of course, the ability to effectuate an extradition depends on an international agreement with the country which would receive the extradited person. Costa Rica currently has joint extradition agreements with the United States, Nicaragua, Panama, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Italy, Belgium, Spain and China.
The approval of a constitutional change must go through this process:
- Special commission recommendations including any other crimes to be included beyond drug trafficking.
- The motions for constitutional reform are discussed and approved in the plenary session of the legislature for first debate, requiring an approval of 38 deputies of 56 total.
- The bill may be adjusted and is passed in a second debate with the same required majority.
The wheels of democracy grind on.
No Tope/Carnival This December
 |
| El Tope San José |
 |
| Carnival San José |
Costa Ricans love to celebrate and many cities and towns across the country hold different types and reasons for celebration. Some of these celebrations can be traced back in time to the year 1825.
Among the more common types of celebration is the El Tope or horse parade (top photo left), a celebration that commemorates the times when there were no motorized vehicles and horses were the pride.
Another festival is a local celebration called Carnavales (Carnival - bottom photo left). Both El Tope and Carnival have traditionally been held in the days following Christmas.
Not this year. The new mayor of San José, Señor recently announced there will be no Tope nor Carnival in the city. The reason? Budgets. These two celebrations cost the city ₡120,000,000 each year (about $230,000) and the mayor feels this money may be better spent on community projects.
I don´t know Mister Mayor but empty streets at Christmas time may be difficult to accept by many - maybe you need commercial sponsor(s) to cover the cost.
¡Pura Vida!
TOP
Economic Drumbeat
(Costa Rica Business Happenings)
Dunkin Donuts, Now Called Dunkin´, Opening New Stores
Dunkin Donuts was founded in 1948 in Quincy, Massachusetts about 50 miles from where GG grew up. Always a favorite to many, the chain now operates nearly 600 restaurants in countries such as Aruba, Bahamas, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and Peru.
Sales in 2019 at Dunkin´were about $1.37 billion in revenue worldwide and just under 3 billion donuts. They are often compared to Starbucks in the coffee shop category.
In 2019 the company also changed it´s name simply to Dunkin’ and the local franchisee, AR Holdings, recently announced the opening of the first Dunkin´ shop in July in Santo Domingo de Heredia. Plans call for opening seven to ten more locations in Costa Rica in 2024, including Escazú, Sabana, Heredia, Alajuela, Santa Ana and Moravia.
Fuel Prices Down
Latest approved prices show a 3₡/liter drop in Super, a 16₡/liter drop in regular and an 11₡/liter drop in diesel. Details below:
New Internet Data Transfer Speed Record
The press release from Japan´s NCIT (National Institute of Information and Communications Technology) stated that a new network data speed record had been accomplished using standard optical fiber cable:
- Record data-rate of 402 Tb/s in a standard commercially available optical fiber. That´s terabytes per second or 402,000,000,000,000 bytes (think characters) per second.
- 37.6 THz optical bandwidth achieved by combining 6 doped-fiber amplifier variants with lumped and distributed Raman-amplification to cover all of the low-loss transmission bands of silica fibers (of course baby, I could have told you that would be needed).
Taking up residence in the Matrix doesn´t seem that far away anymore, does it? Duuude, now I can make Internet errors even faster.
Coopeservidores Bankrupt - 13 Branches Ordered Closed
Coopeservidores is a Costa Rican savings and loan institution with 15 branches that has been declared not "viable" by Conassif (Consejo Nacional de Supervisión del Sistema Financiero), the government branch overseeing financial institutions. Being declared non-viable is another way of saying bankrupt.
Conassif stepped in and ordered the closing of 13 of the S&L´s branches effective July 29 leaving only two branches open for counter transactions, one in Perez Zeledon (San Isidro) and one in Rohrmoser.
Officials at Conassif are reorganizing assets of Coopeservidores to determine how and when customers and loan receivers will or won´t be paid.
¡Pura Vida!
TOP
Latin America Updates
(Major Events In Neighboring Countries)
Bolivia
Bolivian Presidency Survives Coup Attempt. On June 26, an apparent rogue military operation headed by one general named Juan José Zuñiga stormed the presidential palace but failed to breach the sealed doors.
The President, Luis Arce, "stood firm and named a new army commander who ordered troops to stand down". This gave the president´s forces enough time to expand their opposition to the coup including many citizen demonstrators and even ministers flying the national flag; and subsequently the coup failed.
As throngs of supporters sang the national anthem, President Arce shouted: “Thank you to the Bolivian people,” he said, “Let democracy live on.” Hours later, the Bolivian rebel general Juan José Zúñiga, was arrested and the Bolivian attorney general opened an investigation against him.
Panama Canal Returns to Normal Shipping This Month. One of the effects of the El Niño drought conditions we´ve experienced this year was to drain, or at least lower significantly, the lakes that feed the Panama Canal ("Gatún” and "Alhalueja" lakes). To mitigate that effect the Canal had reduced the number of cargo ships from the daily 35 to 36 down to 22, a reduction of 37%.
 |
| Cargo Ship Waiting to Enter Canal |
Starting in July, with return of the rains, the authority began slowly increasing the number and size of the ships being processed. They hope to be completely back to normal by mid-August.
One of the interesting points made in the press information released about this problem was that the authority can actually predict how much water they will need by adding together the volume of water that will be released calculated from the length, width and draft of the ships in the Que. This information, of course, is helpful in planning for the eventuality of ever-increasing size of cargo ships.
 |
| New Presider José Raúl Mulino |
New President of Panama Sworn In. José Raúl Mulino, aged 65, was sworn in and received the presidential sash for a five-year term beginning July 1, 2024. The king of Spain, Felipe VI, and the presidents of Colombia; Costa Rica; Honduras and the Dominican Republic, among others, were present. Señor Mulino won with 34.2% of the vote after a turbulent campaign in which he was supposed to be the Vice-President candidate for another candidate, former president Ricardo Martinelli but Martinelli had to quite the race after he was "sentenced to more than ten years in prison for corruption and seeking asylum in the Nicaraguan Embassy in Panama".
The legislature continues but with more of an uncertain mix. The government party, which has 13 of the 71 seats, obtained the presidency, the second vice-presidency and the general secretary of Parliament with the support of the traditional parties. But independents are, for the first time in the country’s democratic history, the first parliamentary minority with 20 seats – well above the 5 they had in the last legislature.
 |
| Crossing the Darien Gap |
Panama Strengthens Darien Gap Controls. The Darien Gap is the jungle that separates the south of Panama from the north of Colombia. It is a treacherous area to pass on foot but many have done so to be a part of the migration northward to Mexico, the U.S. and Canada. It being dangerous and treacherous didn´t stop over 500,000 illegal immigrants passing through the gap heading north in 2023 alone.
The new president of Panama, Sr. Mulino (photo above) recently signed an agreement with Alejandro Mayorkas, the Director of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in which the U.S. will support (read pay for) the deportation of Darien immigrants back to their country of origin. The new policy is expected to go into effect shortly.
¡A Machete!
TOP
Feature: Infusing Awareness In New Expats
(International Living Fast Track Conference)
International Living Magazine, headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, is an organization that strives to enlighten its subscribers and readers as to the conditions and requirements for living in various countries around the world. It publishes monthly editions of its magazine with insights, tips, and stories for those living abroad or for those interested in doing so. As such it provides a valuable resource to those contemplating being or are already an ex-pat.
IL currently does this for over 81,000 paid magazine subscribers, 160,000 e-letter readers, and over 754,000 visitors to their website every month. (It appears that their is quite an interest in expatriation these days) Using their own set of criteria, IL has come up with the list above on what countries might be considered the best for retirement. GG is not surprised to see Costa Rica at the top of that list.
The magazine has three-day events in a number of countries annually where they bring together specialists in various disciplines as well as representatives who live in various areas about the country. This event is labeled by IL as the Fast-Track Costa Rica event and this year it was held on July 18-20 at the Intercontinental Hotel in Escazu just west of San José. GG represented the southern Pacific region we call Quepos/Manuel Antonio. This was the fifth time since 2018 that I´ve had the opportunity to address the assembly (2020-2021 were pandemic years with no meetings like this). This year the audience was about 300 strong to which I could brag about the southern pacific coastal region, particularly the Quepos-Manuel Antonio area.
My talk was simple and brought out what I think are the underlying strengths of the Q-MP area, namely a warm friendly small town atmosphere, yet incredibly close access to all the things that ex-pats find alluring about Costa Rica: mountains, jungle wildlife, beaches and world-class fishing.
Accompanying me as event assistant and my best friend was Jessie Ponce (in the photo with GG left - he´s the one with the flat stomach). Jessie is a native Tico, born and grew up to his adolescent years on the Caribbean coast, then lived a number of years in the central valley and for the last ten years has lived in the Quepos-Manuel Antonio are with his wife and stepson. Jesse has been a tour guide, a surfing instructor and is currently employed at Marina Pez Vela running the tool shop in support of the fleet as well as helping to run the dozen or so fishing tournaments held there annually.
Jessie is now pursuing a university degree in psychology and with his native background he was able to offer invaluable insights about his country to the people we met at the IL event, particularly to the inquiring minds who stopped by our table in the exhibition hall.
In total over the three days of the conference there were at least a dozen different geographical areas of Costa Rica talked about by various speakers. In addition to area presentations there were a number of topics covered such as "How to Go About Obtaining Legal Residency", "How to Navigate Cultural Differences", "Alternative Investments such as Numismatics", "Basics on Purchasing Property", "Using Rentals as an Investigation and Investment Tool", "Learning About Costa Rica´s Health Care System", "Medical Insurance Options", "Dental Health Care" and a number of other topics.
As mentioned above, there is an exhibition hall near the main ballroom and in that exhibition hall there were about a dozen tables staffed by various representatives of the topics mentioned above. It encourages visitors to move around and ask questions. GG personally knows that this kind of exchange works as a friend who I met at the 2022 FTCR made a decision to move to Costa Rica and actually ended up as a neighbor only two blocks away from me in Quepos.
GG can only suggest that International Living is one of the resources future ex-pats should consider when the urge to migrate or retire occurs.
¡Pura Vida!
TOP
Rumble and Weather Talk
(Shaky Happenings & Weather Observations About the Pacific Rim)
Rumbling - Another Quiet Month
While San Pedro Pinula in Guatemala, some 500 km north of us, was registering a 6.2R tremor on July 22 and about the same time a 5.7R hit an area called Puerto Armuelles, Panama not too far from the Costa Rican/Panama border. The registration of both of these in Costa Rica was minimal. Other than those fairly local shakers most of the activity, in the 6-7.5 range, occurred in Asia.
Check Out Recent Earthquakes All Around the
World Posted by the U.S.G.S.
Recent Quakes
|
Weather - Tis the Rainy Season
No doubt of that but comparisons of this year versus last or how it stacks up against the long-term average are yet to be drawn. Costa Ricans still remain happy that the rain came at the appropriate time to avoid electricity rationing which was a distinct possibility a couple of months ago.
¡Pura Vida!
TOP
Search the GGC Archives for Topics That Interest You
You can use our Archives to search for anything that has been written in more than 320 feature articles of the Golden Gringo Chronicles plus find Broken News items and ROMEO restaurant reviews. Enter your topic or item to search in the Google Search Routine below and follow the links offered from the search results.
Suggestion: Enter only a simple, precise and unique as possible key word or two in order to narrow the number of references retrieved:
Golden Gringo Chronicles - Enter Search Here
Readers: Our publication is open to suggestions regarding future articles
and will accept pieces written by others but we reserve the right to decline
anything that the
editorial staff (that's GG) thinks is inappropriate for this format. Send proposals, comments, suggestions, ideas, meaningless statements and jocular observations concerning the Chronicles to GG here: gg@goldengringo.com.
¿Que es Eso? Department (¿What is That?)
What the heck are these?
They look like hairy eggs.
Miniature coconuts?
Answer in
What´s-in-a-Word
Section Below.
¡Pura Vida!
TOP
Health Stuff
| Note: The information given in this section is offered as news information only and does not indicate GGC confirmation or denial of the accuracy of the treatment or a recommendation to pursue it, nor can we or do we guarantee the efficacy of the results nor validity of the conclusions proffered.
(How's that for a disclaimer amigos?) |
A better month as there were no pandemics, epidemics or otherwise unpleasant encounters with mother nature that reared their head.
¡Pura Vida!
TOP
Travel Quote of the Month
¡A Cachete!
TOP
GGC Bookshelf
GGC Publications Group is the parent organization that publishes the Golden Gringo Chronicles as well as a number of books and paraphernalia related to the Chronicles and Costa Rica. The GGC Bookshelf also includes works from a number of other authors that belong to the Quepos-Manuel Antonio Writers Group in which GGC has been a founding member.
Here are the books currently on our bookshelf:
All of the above books are available on Amazon.com and the "Read More" links above will lead you to them. You can find more detail on all of them on our GGC Publications Page.
GGC Products Store
GGC Publications also offers some accessories and paraphernalia related to the Chronicles and with Costa Rican themes, to wit:
T-Shirts:
a. Golden Gringo Chronicles with Logo
b. Official Golden Gringo with Monkey on Banana Hammock
c. ¡Quepo en Quepos! ("I Fit In Quepos!") with Photo of Quepos
d. Wanna Monkey Around? - Come on Down! (shown) with Photo of White Faced Monkey, e. It's OK to be Slothful with photo of Three-Toed Sloth.
The t-shirts are available in several themes, colors, styles and sizes. See them all
HERE.
Coffee Mugs:
a. Golden Gringo, b. Wanna Monkey Around?, c. It's OK to be Slothful
See them all HERE:
What's life without a great cup of Costa Rican coffee? And it tastes even better in a Golden Gringo Chronicles mug!
To see ALL the products available in the Golden Gringo Store go here: GGC Store.
¡Solo Bueno!
What's-in-a-Word
"Tell me and I forget; teach me and I remember; involve me and I learn"
– Benjamin Franklin
Answer to Que Es Eso
Not hairy eggs at all. These are locally known as Mamon Chinos or even Mamones, but as a formal biological name they would be classified as Rambutan. In effect they might be considered lychee nuts. My guess is they arrived in the form of plants when large numbers of Chinese laborers were imported to work on the Panama Canal and later, the Costa Rican railroad.
The fruit is sweet and easy to digest - simply crack open the shell with a counter-twisting motion of your two hands revealing the white fruit in the center. GG has learned to simply extract the fruit from the shell with his teeth but be careful not to bite down on the fruit too hard as there is a very hard, almond-shaped nut at the center that is not edible. Then, "pitoooey" goes the nut.
¡Delicioso!
TOP
ROMEO Corner
(Retired Old Men Eating Out)
Cafe Milagro, Manuel Antonio
Location: Top of Manuel Antonio Hill, across the street from Plaza Vista.
Hours: Open daily 6:30AM-9:30PM.
Parking: Limited street parking around the restaurant.
Contacts: Tel: 2777-2272 Website: El Patio de Cafe Milagro - Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica
Reviewing ROMEOS: Alma L., Annie C., Barry S., Bob N., Carol C., Glen N., Lawrence L.
To Review Our Rating System Go Here: R.O.M.E.O. Rating System
This restaurant is a perennial favorite among both residents and tourists. It was started by a young couple straight out of college who visited Costa Rica and quickly wanted to be a part of it. In founding the restaurant they also hit upon an idea to offer freshly ground coffee and have had a flourishing ground coffee business ever since. Their coffee products are based on Costa Rican grown beans. GG first encountered their coffee products while visiting Quepos in 2003 and from then out I shipped their products by the case to my home in the states and passed them out as Christmas and special day gifts. Their dark roast product is without peer!
The main dining room is located in the back and far enough removed from the main beach road that the traffic noise is virtually indiscernible. The ROMEO group reported an average rating of 4.1/5.0 max for Ambiance.
The menu was structured for lunch (we were there at 12 pm) so, if there were dinner options we didn´t see or use them. GG ordered fish tacos and received a plate with three circles of soft dough, more like a tortilla that a hard taco, on which was piled fish pieces and a tasty blend of chopped veggies and tomato-based chimichurri. Very fresh and tasty.
We asked for a dessert menu and were presented with a list of some seven items which included a nice thick slice of cheesecake covered in passion fruit sauce. GG went for it - delicious.
Other ROMEOs tried quesadillas, both beef and veggie, shrimp tacos, a chicken sandwich and a salad with chicken. The composite score for Food quality came in at 4.1/5.0 max. |
 |
.jpg) .1 |
| $$$.4 |
Value Index= 121 |
 |
| ROMEOs Once Again Hard at Work |
We were served by a waitress who was proficient and helpful with requests. The composite score for Service came in at 4.1/5.0. That made the average score for Ambiance, Food Quality and Service (4.1+4.1+4.1)/3 = 4.1 (I don´t think we´ve ever had a situation before where Service, Food Quality and Service all equaled the same number).
The bill for my fish tacos, cheesecake and a ginger ale michelada came to ₡13,284 or about $25. The composite score for cost came in at 3.4/5.0 which in turn yielded a Value Index = 4.1/3.4 = 121.
The ROMEOs can report once more that Cafe Milagro continues to be a good place for a fun meal in a pleasant setting and at reasonable prices.
TOP
Bob Normand, Editor & The Golden Gringo
Pura Vida!
To Contact GGC World Headquarters (yuk, yuk) to makecomments, suggest topics or criticize my bad jokes, just send an email to: gg@goldengringo.com.
Be pithy but kind; I'm sensitive.
Unsubscribe from Golden Gringo Chronicles
