Broken News
(All the News That's Fit to Reprint)
"Circunvalación" Ring Road in San José Expected to Complete Shortly
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| Circunvalación Under Construction |
Press headlines recently touted that the infamous ring road under construction around San José, known as the Circunvalación and also as Ruta 39, is finally expected to be completed in the second half of this year. This will mark the end of a struggle, begun with the inauguration of the route in 1979, that has been waged for more than 40 years, because of "setbacks, legal problems, and expropriations".
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| Route 128 Tech Trade Center |
The news made me think of when I was growing up in the Boston area and the construction of Route 128, a ring road around Bean-town that was designed to connect with major routes north, south and west of the city and thereby relieve traffic congestion in the big city.
Route 128 was often joked about derisively as "the road that goes nowhere". Construction on Route 128 commenced in 1936, thereby earning the title as "the first ring road in the U.S. (really?)". Construction was suspended for almost 10 years during World War II, and then finally completed in 1958. Most impartial observers credit Route 128 for the development of a large number of firms and companies in what is now referred to as Boston´s “high tech corridor”.
One difference between the Circunvalación and Rt. 128 is that the latter was largely constructed through suburban and unoccupied land (and it still took 22 years) while the Circunvalacion is being constructed largely through densely populated and industrial areas.
Progress is slow but steady. ¡Pura Vida!
Post Covid Tourists/Visitors Number Back To Normal
With the pandemic hitting Costa Rica in 2021 the number of international visitors plummeted to less than 30% of the previous year (see chart left). The people at ICT (Instituto Costarricense de Turismo) were happy to report that January 2024 posted a new record and was greater than the January of the last year before the pandemic began. That meant over 270,000 international arrivals in Costa Rica were posted for this January.
Of particular interest was the fact that the primary tourist markets of the United States and Europe, as measured by international arrivals, have come back strongly. Some of the arrivals data by country for January are posted right.
In another interesting recent development, Air France has announced a plan to increase flights to Costa Rica from the home country beginning in the next few months that will make Costa Rica one of the preferred destinations for that airline.
Soyez les bienvenue, mes amis!
New Safety Feature Using Uber
Uber is touting it´s new PIN safety feature which became mandatory in the second week of March. Upon completing a transaction for a route Uber issues a PIN number (lower right in the illustration left). The Uber user then provides the PIN to the driver when he shows up; failure to provide the proper PIN for the previously characterized trip will not allow the trip to commence. The user receives a trip confirmation once the PIN is verified.
Uber notes other security measures that parallel this one:
- Share the trip with up to five trusted contacts
- Option to call 911 directly from the app in case of emergency
- Record audio during a trip and share it with the support team in case you feel in an uncomfortable situation
- Availability of RideCheck technology, which detects anomalies during the trip and offers options to address them
GG has used Uber several times and found them above average in service. It´s thinking like this that keeps Uber the largest ride-sharing company globally. It operates in about 70 countries and over 10,500 cities, making it a dominant force in the industry.
Comic Con Set For May 3,4,5
An interesting annual event called Comic Con Costa Rica (C2CR) has been scheduled for May 3,4,5 at the Costa Rica Convention Center. The center is located 8 km from Juan Santamaria Airport and 10 km from downtown San José just off the General Cañas Highway.
This event brings together a wide selection of artists including Japanese anime specialists, composers, singing artists, colorists and musicians (including the 30+ piece Costa Rican Orchestra). To read more about this event including ticket purchase (basic price 16,000 colones or about $30) go here: www.comicconcostarica.com
New Minister of Transportation
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| New MOPT Minister Batalla (Chaves Right) |
The Minister of MOPT (Ministerio de Obras Públicas y Transportes), Luis Amador was recently terminated by President Rodrigo Chaves due to irregularities (described as a $2,000,000 "overpayment") related to the repair of the main runway at Guanacaste Airport (Liberia).
The minister was quickly replaced with a new one, Sr. Mauricio Batalla, who was the Director of CONAVI (Consejo Nacional de Vialidad), the organization of the Costa Rican government responsible for overseeing the planning, administration, financing, control, and maintenance of the national road system.
On Wednesday, March 20 the Chaves Government officially filed a complaint against Luis Amador with the Fiscalia (Prosecutor’s Office) "for the case of the repair of the Guanacaste Airport (LIR) runway".
U.S./Costa Rica Agree on New Port Scanner Program
This past month Rodrigo Chaves, the President of Costa Rica, received a visit from US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and Lieutenant General Laura Richardson, Commander of the US Southern Command. The intent is to coordinate efforts to improve security here with support from the U.S. in the form of port scanners, training and tools to combat drug trafficking that the Chaves administration has been undertaking.
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Raimondo (Left), Gen. Richardson (center),
Pres. Rodrigo Chaves (Right) |
Said Gen. Richardson: “President Chaves and I have spoken about Costa Rica’s collaboration in the shared fight against drug trafficking and the Herculean efforts that this government is making to increase security and prevent drug traffickers from using the country’s ports...
I intend to allocate funds for more port scanners for Costa Rica, to assist with this bold effort. And this request has received extraordinary support from the United States Congress and I am happy to make this announcement today."
World Happiness Report: Costa Rica #1 In Latin America
And #12 in the world. Each year in March this report is published by Gallup on the International Day of Happiness (March 20) and is based on a series of traits and characteristics rated in countries worldwide. This year the rating for Costa Rica jumped from #23 to #12 in the world and to #1 in Latin America. This versus the North American countries of the United States (#23), Canada (#15) and Mexico (#25).
One of the things taken into consideration is the differences in perceived happiness that occurs among people of different age groups. As the researchers put it: "In this issue of the World Happiness Report we focus on the happiness of people at different stages of life. In the seven ages of man in Shakespeare’s As You Like It, the later stages of life are portrayed as deeply depressing. But happiness research shows a more nuanced picture, and one that is changing over time."
To read more on the happiness report go HERE.
__ __ __ __ __
The monthly edition of the Chronicles for the next month comes out on the last day of the month which happens to be March 31 for this edition and which also happens to be Easter. GG would be remiss not to wish our readers a happy Easter" so here goes:
¡Pura Vida!
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Economic Drumbeat
(Costa Rica Business Happenings)
Costa Rica Highest Minimum Wage in Central America
Recent data (table left) shows that Costa Rica has the highest minimum wages of any Central American country. In that comparison Costa Rica´s monthly minimum was $720, followed by Panama ($640), Honduras (540), Guatemala ($460), El Salvador ($365), Nicaragua at $222.
Some economists were also quick to point out that Costa Rica has some of the highest taxes, social charges, and energy costs that contribute to a higher cost of living. Regular gasoline, for example, at the time of the analysis, cost in Costa Rica $4.07/gal, $3.52 in Nicaragua, $3.45 in Honduras, $3.04 in El Salvador, $3.02 in Guatemala and $2.83 in Panama.
Dollar Exchange Rate Continues Decline
The amount of dollars in the Costa Rican economy has continued to increase and is a continuing pressure on the $/Colon exchange rate. The official exchange rate set by the Central Bank of Costa Rica or BCCR for buying a dollar with colones recently dropped to about $507 while, at the same time, several private banks were quoted offering dollars at 500₡/$. Recall that, at the height of the pandemic the rate peaked at 700₡/$.
The official word about the cheaper dollars is that it is due to:
- the attraction of multinational companies or attraction of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)
- greater exports of products and services from Costa Rica to other parts of the world
- greater generation of foreign exchange by the national tourism industry
On the other hand, the "word on the street" scuttlebutt is that the surplus of dollars is linked to drug trafficking.
To help identify the sources and placements of dollar transactions the BCCR is instituting a new rule beginning April 1: "The BCCR will require intermediaries to send transactions with the respective client identification number of anyone buying and selling dollars to banks and financial institutions." This is to improve the knowledge of where dollar cash flows occur, where, for example some 46% of foreign exchange flows in 2023, equivalent to $1.7 Billion, had been classified then as "others" without specifically identifying buyers and sellers.
In the meantime, on March 12 the dollar/colon exchange rate continued to decline, reaching 498₡/$.
Roughing It On Semana Santa
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| Now That´s What You Call a Day Off |
Besides being the most holy or sacred time of the year for Christians, Semana Santa (Holy Week or Easter Week) is also a favorite time for Ticos. To help that along the law requires Thursday and Friday (this year it was March 28-29) of Holy Week to be paid holidays.
Also it should be noted that: "No worker is obliged to work on those days unless they agree, no matter what activity they carry out. Nor can you be sanctioned for refusing to work on those dates".
How´s that for respect for religion.
¡Pura Vida!
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Latin America Updates
(Major Events In Neighboring Countries)
Argentina
Cookie Diplomacy - The Right Pastry Solves Everything.
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| Milei Meets Francis |
The new president of Argentina, Javier Milei, who has often been described as a "maverick libertarian" was unkind, sometimes downright rude, in describing the current Pope who is also an Argentine. He once called him an “imbecile who defends social justice.” But MiIei recently met with Pope Francis at the Vatican and this time the new president described him to the press as "the most important Argentine in history”.
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| Alfajores de Dulce de Leche |
Milei brought the Pope´s favorite homeland dessert to St. Peter´s, alfajores de dulce de leche, as a peace offering. How schweet it is, sandwich cookies stuffed with a buttery cream of dulce de leche. In addition the Prez brought a home brand of lemon cookies the Pope also likes.
This was cookie diplomacy at its finest. At stake is the first visit by the Pope to Argentina since becoming pontiff, an event that could give an air of support to Milei. The meeting became so cordial that Milei at one point asked if he could hug and kiss the pope. Said the Pope: "Yes, son, Yes".
GG has gotta get me some of those Alfajores.
Colombia
Helping Panama Fight Forest Fires. The dry conditions and elevated temperatures experienced due to El Niño have resulted in conditions that exacerbate fire. One example is the fire at Cerro Patacón, the largest landfill in Panama. A fire there produced a toxic gas that threatened the Panamanian capital and its surroundings.
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| Smoke From Cerro Patacón Fire |
The Colombian Air Force has been working with the Panamanian Navy to quell the conflagration by dropping thousands of gallons of water on the fire. Air pollution and health warnings to the capital have been issued by The Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology of Panama (IMHPA) regularly. This open-air landfill (130 hectares or 325 acres) contains 40% of the garbage in Panama and normal decomposition of the garbage produces methane which is itself flammable.
Once the fire is out the Colombian Air Force will return to its base in Bogotá. Right neighborly of the Colombians.
¡A Machete!
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Feature: Progress or Environmental Disaster?
(The Struggle Between Nature and Economic Growth)
One of the things that attracted GG to Costa Rica, and particularly to the Quepos area, was what I viewed as the careful balance that had been developed between the wildness of the forest and jungle areas here and the pursuit of economic growth that permitted the average Tico family to flourish. Sometimes, however, these dually important objectives come into conflict with each other.
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| Artist´s Rendition of Islas Manuel Antonio |
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| Islas Manuel Antonio Site from El Avion, Elephant Island in the Background |
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| Close-Up of Site Early March 2024 |
Take, for example, a new construction project under development in Manuel Antonio called Islas Manuel Antonio. It consists of a 16-floor residential tower, consisting of about 100 condominium units built into the side of a hill (see artist´s rendition left). The lot size involved in the pictures left is about .77 hectares or just under 2 acres.
The spot overlooks the forest that proceeds down the hill and borders the Pacific Ocean. Also in the distance is a large uninhabited rock island, locally known as Isla Elephante, as well as several of the small islands off the tip of Manuel Antonio park. Indeed this a gorgeous view that GG knows well from often meeting with friends on the second floor of El Avion restaurant for breakfast and that room looks right down on the site as shown in the middle picture left.
The project is seen by environmentalists as the felling of trees in a protected area. They are concerned that the project would not only affect the scenic beauty of the area, but would also put endangered species such as the squirrel monkey and the scarlet macaw at risk. This assessment was given by the Corcovado Foundation, a non-profit organization and leader in conservation in the Southern Pacific Zone of Costa Rica.
The problem or concern on the part of many is that the location is what has long been considered as being in the middle of a protected forest conservation area. That brings into question how the developer (one Manuel Gonzales, a former Costa Rican Minister of Foreign Affairs and Costa Rican U.N. Ambassador) obtained the necessary permits. MINAE (Ministerio de Ambiente y Energía), and SINAC (Sistema Nacional de Áreas de Conservación and part of MINAE) had both declined access to the permits as of mid-March.
One environmental activist attorney, Señor Wálter Brenes, has filed a criminal complaint with the Sala IV (Constitutional Court) seeking "the annulment of the viability, environmental license and permits granted to Manuel Antonio Islands for invading a forest area". He is awaiting the Sala IV judgment. In the meantime, since June of 2023, over 25,000 Costa Ricans have signed a petition to stop the condominiums, yet currently the project construction is still active.
Vamos a ver que pasa (we´ll see what happens).
¡Viva Costa Rica!
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Rumble and Weather Talk
(Shaky Happenings & Weather Observations About the Pacific Rim)
Rumbling - Series of Moderate Magnitude Quakes
There were no dramatic shakers in March but instead the greater Central America region was subjected to a series of more than 30 moderate tremors (i.e., +4.5 magnitude) with a half dozen in the range of 5-6. See U.S. Geological Survey map left for tremor locations.
GG found it interesting that the nearest tremors that came to Quepos were near the northern border with Nicaragua and the southern Pacific border with Panama but not in Costa Rica directly. My guess is this is why I felt only a twitter in my bed one night that signaled something was going on but it barely woke me up.
Doesn´t that line of shakers well define the location of the Pacific Rim?
Check Out Recent Earthquakes All Around the
World Posted by the U.S.G.S. Recent Quakes |
Weather - The Scorcher Continues
Back in December the Meteorological Center at the University of Costa Rican warned us that we were likely to experience a "scorcher" of a summer chiefly brought on by the anomaly in the weather pattern called El Niño. They were right on the money and since December we´ve experienced several all-time record high average temperature months.
The hope is that we get back to normal which means a start, even if slowly, for more and more rain beginning in April and carrying through May. After all it is still called the rain forest. The maps left (April) and right (May) above show the typical distribution pattern of rain in the next two months.
GG remembers vocally wishing an end to the last rainy season but this time I think I´ll just be quiet and enjoy the cool, wet weather.
¡Pura Vida!
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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.
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Futbol In Costa Rica - Always!
(History of the National Stadium)
This story begins in 1921. Costa Rica was then even more of a simple, lush and tropical rain forest than we see today. At that time more than 400 years had passed since Christopher Columbus had landed on the Caribbean Coast of Costa Rica. During Chris´ 18 day stopover (I presume they slept on the ship rather than at a B&B) the natives became so friendly some of them brought him gold items, which may have been the pretext for him and his crew naming it the "Rich Coast".
Futbol in Costa Rica traces its beginnings back to the late 1800´s purportedly having been brought back by a visitor to Europe. By 1921 the population of Costa Rica was still only about 350,000 (now 5.1 million) but by then futbol fever (it´s futbol, not football or soccer) had spread throughout the country and the need for a major stadium became obvious. So, of course, in 1924 a national stadium was constructed and a photo of the first-edition stadium back then is shown to the left. (Looks more like a NASCAR track and I suspect it was used for foot races and other meets as well). Seating capacity on the early stadium was somewhat more that 20,000 people.
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Also in 1921, a national futbol league was organized in Costa Rica. Part of this organization was the start and appointment of a national team that would compete internationally. This team is now known as the "Selection" or more affectionately as the Selle(y). And in 1927, having met the basics in team structure and stadium, Costa Rica became a member of FIFA (in the original French: Fédération Internationale de Football Association). Ah qui, bien sur.
FIFA was originally founded in 1904 to bring standards and unity among participating teams. It is a non-profit organization, and recognized as the international governing body of futbol, futsal (indoor futbol), and beach football. FIFA is headquartered in Zürich, and its membership now includes more than 200 national football associations. FIFA is also the organization that is responsible for structuring the competitions and tracking the results that lead up to the Futbol World Cup which has been held every four years since 1930 excepting 1942 and 1946 due to World War II. The next World Cup will take place in 2026.
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| Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica |
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| Estadio Nacional During Entertainment Event |
By the late 1900´s the old national stadium was showing it´s age and the design of a new Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica became of interest. Ready to finance the new stadium was the government of China who put up the $110 million investment to construct, furnish and absorb associated costs.
- The old National Stadium, based in La Sabana park, was demolished in 2008 and construction on the new one begun in 2009. The Chinese company responsible for the construction used some 800 Chinese immigrants in the workforce. (The fact that we have some really good Chinese restaurants in San José these days may have been a fallout from this effort).
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The new stadium was officially opened and inaugurated on March 26, 2011. The feature that day was a non-FIFA friendly game between Costa Rica and China that ended in a 2-2 tie.
What we got as a stadium was a modern building and field with a seating capacity of 35,175 and which is still described as the "First modern sports and events infrastructure in Central America, providing a vibrant stage for football matches, cultural events, and memorable moments". Some of the features include a 160-square-meter (1,700 sq ft) video screen located in the southern section and a similar one in the northern section used for both games and events.
¡Pura Vida!
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¿Que es Eso? Department (¿What is That?)
What are these?
Warning system lights?
Bus route signals?
Answer in
What´s-in-a-Word
Section Below.
¡Pura Vida!
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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. Fighting the Screwworm
July 2023 saw the first case of an infection of the Guano Barrenador (screwworm) disease in a dog in the Canton of Corredores in the southern end of Puntarenas Province near the border with Panama. Since then almost 300 cases of screwworm disease, including the first and only one in a human, have been reported and the disease has spread to different parts of the country. The worm attacks farm production animals as well.
Screwworm is a disease caused by the larvae of the fly (Cochliomyia hominivorax) that lays its eggs in any open wound of a warm-blooded animal, including people. Hours after they have been deposited, the worms are born and feed on the living tissue. One of the ways to fight the disease is by releasing large numbers of sterile male flies that interact with worm larvae and pass on their sterility.
The United States Department of Agriculture and Costa Rica´s SENASA (Servicio Nacional de Salud Animal or National Animal Health Service) are working together to manage a grant from the U.S. of $10 Million to control and eradicate the disease.
b. Fighting Obesity
One of the conditions that seems to prevail in societies and cultures that grow well in good industry and business is a tendency towards obesity. Costa Rica is no exception. In Costa Rica currently, 34.2% of adult women and 24.7% of adult men are living with obesity, both numbers higher than regional averages. Add to that just being overweight to some degree and the total of the population having a weight control problem comes closer to 60%.
Add to that the eating behavior that might have been caused by sitting through a pandemic and the possibility can become a national concern.
The CAJA (Health Ministry) reports that "discharges" (simply the number of people that went through triage for one thing or another at national health service hospitals) were noted to show obesity increased in 2023 over the previous year by 38%.
International standards for obesity are measured by the Body Mass Index (BMI) which is a measure of the weight of a person in kilograms divided by the height of the person in meters squared or BMI=kg/mts2. (Must be an engineer that thought that one up as it sounds more like weight per square foot)
The BMI is a convenient rule of thumb used to broadly categorize a person as based on tissue mass (muscle, fat, and bone) and height. Major adult BMI classifications are underweight (under 18.5 kg/m2), normal weight (18.5 to 24.9), overweight (25 to 29.9), and obese (30 or more). GG just did his BMI and got 27.5 (don´t tell anyone).
Here´s what persistent obesity can cause: Cardiovascular Diseases such as hypertension (high blood pressure), coronary artery disease, and heart attacks, Type 2 Diabetes including insulin resistance, Stroke, Respiratory Problems, Joint Problems, Cancer (including breast, colon, endometrial, and kidney), Liver Disease: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, (NAFLD), cirrhosis, Gastrointestinal Disorders such as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and gallstones, Mental Health Issues (depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem, even Reproductive Health (complications during pregnancy), Sleep Disorders (sleep apnea, insomnia and hypersomnia as well as Increased Mortality (premature death).
One of the things that GG has noticed about living here is the propensity for adults to supply kids with a constant stream of processed snacks. It´s so easy to placate youngsters with a bag of chips of corn, wheat or rice based products that are usually sugar-sweetened to some degree. The kids are happy and the parents are placated.
But in the future?
¡Pura Vida!
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Travel Quote of the Month
¡A Cachete!
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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
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| Warning Sir! |
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| You´re Out of the Game Sir! |
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The yellow and red squares represent the cards used in futbol (call if soccer if you must). The practice of cautioning and sending off players has been part of the rules since the late 1800´s and these rules cover everything from the condition of the ball to acceptable practice in Penalty, Throw-In, Goal and Corner Kicks.
The use of red and yellow cards to indicate a penalty were suggested by Ken Aston, a British World War II veteran and teacher who became a futbol referee, and then not until the 1970 World Cup in Mexico. Aston was tasked with overseeing all the referees where he noticed that there was a lot of confusion regarding foul calls, cautions, and send offs. The referee's decision wasn't always clear to the players, coaches and fans.
The confusion was in large part due to the wide variety of languages used at the World Cup.
Aston´s idea of color-coding was first implemented at the 1970 World Cup where referees handed out yellow cards to caution players and red ones to dismiss them entirely from the game. Current practice is such that receiving two yellow cards in one game is the equivalent of receiving one red card and the player is required to leave the game.
Now, more than 50 years later, this color-coding system is the standard used around the world.
¡Pura Vida!
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ROMEO Corner
(Retired Old Men Eating Out)
Enso-Sushi, Manuel Antonio
Location: Top of Manuel Antonio Hill just before Plaza Vista and across the street from Cafe Milagro.
Parking: Street Parking Only
Hours: 2 PM to 10 PM Daily
Contacts: Tel.: 506 2101-7622; N/A; Website: (20+) Facebook
Reviewing ROMEOS: Annie C., Barry S., Bob N., Carl M., Lawrence L., Joe R., Karen M.
To Review Our Rating System Go Here: R.O.M.E.O. Rating System
This is a small, inconspicuous restaurant located on the west side of the road in a small strip mall as you approach Plaza Vista (where Promerica Bank and Lambretta Pizza are located). It has a small seating capacity (maybe 20-25) with the back side of the restaurant opening to the forest as it proceeds down the hill to the Pacific. The table and chairs are basic but there is some padding on the chairs.
The group gave a composite score for Ambiance to Enso-Sushi of 3.5/5.0 Max.
 The menu as expected offered a rather extensive variety of sushi variations plus a few meat and pasta dishes. GG ordered a sushi roll labeled the Enso-Sushi Roll thinking it would be the house specialty since it carried the restaurant name. I was not disappointed. What came was a construction that included fresh salmon, shrimp and carefully sliced cucumber rectangles surrounded by the rice and topped with a creamed fish and something that looked like salmon roe - it was absolutely delicious.
Other ROMEOs selected noodles & chicken, chicken teriyaki, beef & noodles, a garden rice bowl, chicken soup and crab croquettes.
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.jpg) .0 |
| $$$.9 |
Value Index= 104 |
The composite score for food quality came in at 4.0/5.0 max.
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| ROMEOs at Work |
We were served by a young gent named Jefferson who was polite and helpful and put up with our machinations about seating arrangements. The composite score for service came in at 4.5/5.0 max, giving an average score for ambiance, food quality and service of 4.0/5.0 max.
GG´s house Sushi and a michelada (salted glass, ice, limone juice and ginger ale), including 23% sales tax and required gratuity, came in at 12,900 colones (about $25). The composite score for cost came in at 3.9 making the Value Index = 4.0/3.9 = 104, coming in mid-range in the list of restaurants we´ve evaluated in this area.
If you like sushi and Japanese flavors, Enso-Sushi can give you a good selection at a price consistent with Manuel Antonio levels.
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Pura Vida!
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April 11 is a paid holiday known as Dia de Juan Santamaria or Juan Santamaria Day and is dedicated to the memory of a young man credited as a Costa Rican hero in the famous battle of Rivas, Nicaragua in 1856. 
