Thanks John, very enlightening and meeting with the ex president must have been a thrill. Costa Rica has wonderful people and many other great things about it that Canadian culture could learn from. I just worry that the weeds are growing there and they need strong and compassionate leadership to see them through
A wonderful piece that captures the reality of our current situation. I am a 15 year veteran of Costa Rica and thoroughly enjoyed your piece.
We absolutely should have more solar, but state monopolies like ICE make it difficult for local private firms to compete. It is at times hard to understand why some of these state monopolies continue to exist. Furthermore, while Costa Rica has a long tradition of investing heavily in education, the results don’t always reflect that spending. Deficiencies in the public education system have pushed many middle-class families to enroll their children in private schools they can barely afford. Adding to these challenges is a very strong local currency, which has made the country prohibitively expensive for many.
And if you do see him again, please ask about public transportation. We’re desperate for solutions, and it would be important to understand why his administration, like so many others, failed to make this a priority.
We did talk a little about that, David. The inability to get projects done on time and budget is universal but seems particularly problematic here. He suggested the small number of contractors have no interest in building things efficiently. The bus companies plead poverty and so 2 million people go to work in antiquated rolling stock. Etc, etc. Namely that the political will met the financial and administrative won’t.
But agreed - taking cars off the road would transform the Central Valley.
Costa Rica has an admirable climate and gorgeous flora. However, Brazilian Wandering Spiders and the various local snakes and other fantastical fauna make Costa Rica a place (like Australia) where I probably would have a difficult time convincing my wife to move to for retirement. :)
Thanks John, very enlightening and meeting with the ex president must have been a thrill. Costa Rica has wonderful people and many other great things about it that Canadian culture could learn from. I just worry that the weeds are growing there and they need strong and compassionate leadership to see them through
A wonderful piece that captures the reality of our current situation. I am a 15 year veteran of Costa Rica and thoroughly enjoyed your piece.
We absolutely should have more solar, but state monopolies like ICE make it difficult for local private firms to compete. It is at times hard to understand why some of these state monopolies continue to exist. Furthermore, while Costa Rica has a long tradition of investing heavily in education, the results don’t always reflect that spending. Deficiencies in the public education system have pushed many middle-class families to enroll their children in private schools they can barely afford. Adding to these challenges is a very strong local currency, which has made the country prohibitively expensive for many.
And if you do see him again, please ask about public transportation. We’re desperate for solutions, and it would be important to understand why his administration, like so many others, failed to make this a priority.
We did talk a little about that, David. The inability to get projects done on time and budget is universal but seems particularly problematic here. He suggested the small number of contractors have no interest in building things efficiently. The bus companies plead poverty and so 2 million people go to work in antiquated rolling stock. Etc, etc. Namely that the political will met the financial and administrative won’t.
But agreed - taking cars off the road would transform the Central Valley.
Costa Rica has an admirable climate and gorgeous flora. However, Brazilian Wandering Spiders and the various local snakes and other fantastical fauna make Costa Rica a place (like Australia) where I probably would have a difficult time convincing my wife to move to for retirement. :)
No bears though, Tom! The only thing I worry about are the snakes on the golf course. My take: a ball in the bush….is lost.