Posts

What Costa Rica Taught Me About Loving a Reliable Truck

I love my truck more than you love your vehicle. I’m not a car guy. I never have been. I always owned used vehicles from my teens to my early twenties. I didn’t give my car much thought. It was my way of getting to work and not much else. When my wife and I were living together in Pittsburgh, PA, I gave up my car completely and used the bus. When we decided to leave Pittsburgh and move to the tropical beach, I thought Costa Rica was going to teach me something deep and meaningful about life and how to live it. And it did. However, the methodology was nothing like I had expected. Costa Rica was going to teach me to appreciate the things I have and one of the ways it was going to do it was through cars. I’ve documented my Costa Rican vehicular experience before but I’ll quickly share the highlights. I’ve been the owner of three old, unreasonably expensive SUVs whose problems included three exploding windows, one exploding battery, constant AC deaths, a brake failure while descending a...
Post a Comment
Read more

Costa Rica Puma Makes Miraculous Recovery

A puma survived a vehicle collision in La Fortuna de San Carlos and returned to the wild after officials provided veterinary care. The incident took place on March 9 in the Las Perlas de Los Ángeles sector. The Arenal Huetar Norte Conservation Area received the report of the collision between a vehicle and a large feline. Officials went to the scene with a veterinarian. They gave the animal an initial assessment and then transported it to a clinic. Staff there ran X-rays and an ultrasound to check for fractures or other injuries. Veterinarians monitored the puma and delivered care to address any trauma from the impact. Examinations the next day confirmed the animal showed no serious health problems. Authorities released the puma on March 12 in a mountainous area that matches its natural habitat. The rescue involved coordinated work from the Public Security Forces, SINAC-MINAE, private veterinarians and environmental organizations. The Ministry of Environment and Energy urges drivers ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Yard House Opens First International Restaurant in Costa Rica

Yard House opened its first restaurant outside the United States in Costa Rica. The U.S. chain selected the country for its international expansion and set up shop at the Avenida Escazú shopping center. AR Holdings released a statement Wednesday about the new site. The company handles operations in Costa Rica. The restaurant covers about 902 square meters and sits in one of the Greater Metropolitan Area’s main dining hubs. “AR Holdings is proud that Costa Rica has been chosen as the first international market for Yard House’s expansion. This opening confirms our partners’ confidence in our operational capabilities and in the potential of the Costa Rican consumer. Once again, we reaffirm our commitment to offering an experience that respects the essence of the brand while connecting with the lifestyle and preferences of the local market,” said Miguel Ramírez, VP of Operations at AR Holdings, the company that will operate Yard House in Costa Rica. The menu features more than 60 of the...
Post a Comment
Read more

Costa Rica Travel Bookings Rise as U.S. Flyers Act Before Costs Climb

Travel demand to Costa Rica is rising right now in a way that reflects more than seasonal patterns. It also shows how travelers are reacting to uncertainty. Concerns about the Transportation Security Administration, expectations of higher fuel costs, and smarter timing strategies are pushing many people to book trips earlier than usual, with Costa Rica standing out as a major beneficiary. One of the biggest factors is the sense that air travel in the United States could become more difficult in the near term. Reports of staffing shortages, longer security lines, and operational problems at TSA checkpoints have created concern that flying may soon involve more delays and less predictability. Even if conditions do not worsen much, that perception alone is enough to shape behavior. Many travelers are deciding to lock in trips now rather than risk complications later. That book now before it gets worse mindset is helping drive demand, especially for destinations that are easy to reach and...
Post a Comment
Read more

Panama to Begin Resettlements for Indio River Reservoir Next Year

The public agency that operates the waterway plans to build a 4,600-hectare reservoir on the Indio River, west of the existing route, to store water and protect canal operations from future droughts. Officials said Tuesday that roughly 50 families, or about 200 people, will move first as preparatory work advances in the priority zone for the dam. The full project will displace around 500 families, or some 2,000 people, who live in modest conditions and depend on subsistence agriculture across communities in the river basin. Construction of the main works is scheduled to begin in early 2028 and finish in 2031. The total investment stands at $1.6 billion. Karina Vergara, the socio-environmental manager for the Indio River project, said the initial group will relocate from the town of El Limón de Chagres in Colón province on the Caribbean coast, where preliminary dam site activity will occur. The authority will first purchase land for new homes and complete land-use planning before an...
Post a Comment
Read more

Costa Rica Expands Traffic Monitoring Ahead of Holy Week

Costa Rica’s Ministry of Public Works and Transport is expanding traffic monitoring and enforcement ahead of Semana Santa 2026, as one of the year’s busiest travel periods approaches from March 29 to April 5. While officials have not announced a brand-new Holy Week live camera platform in recent days, MOPT has continued to push a broader road surveillance plan while preparing the usual Easter traffic operations on the country’s busiest corridors. The longer-term plan is ambitious. In January 2025, MOPT said it aimed to install 2,000 cameras on highways before May 2026 as part of a system meant to strengthen enforcement against speeding and other dangerous driving. The project has been presented as a way to give authorities more consistent oversight on high-risk routes where traffic police cannot be everywhere at once. For Holy Week, the more immediate changes are familiar ones. MOPT has already outlined traffic management measures tied to the Easter travel rush, including reversible...
Post a Comment
Read more

Senior Lecturer in Automatic Control with focus on the intersection of optimization, learning, and control

Lund University was founded in 1666 and is repeatedly ranked among the world’s top universities. The University has
Post a Comment
Read more