Here’s the rundown of what the new Yourville is all about:
Yourville brings you and your neighbors together to share and discover reviews of the pros and cons of your experiences with local businesses, as well as meet new people in your area, and gain insight into other important information in, and around, your region. Think of Yourville as a Yelp for those of you that live in, or travel to awesome locations outside of your home country. We’re currently available in Costa Rica only, but expect us to launch new countries in the first half of 2010.
Who’s using Yourville, you ask?
- You might be an Expat working or going to school in Costa Rica.
- Or, you just decided to pull up stakes and move to an exotic destination and immerse yourself into the local culture.
- You could even be a traveler going on a backpacking trip throughout Latin America.
Either way, Yourville is for you. You can now get trusted recommendations and share your experiences of local businesses and service in Costa Rica (more countries launching soon).
Go to http://www.yourville.com to check us out for yourself. If you don’t live in Cost Rica, that’s ok. You can still add reviews for businesses that you experienced when you last visited, or look for recommendations for a great Hotel or Bar on your up coming visit. If you live in Costa Rica, then you know how important it is to get trusted recommendations for businesses. Whatever your status is, we hope you discover how useful and fun Yourville is.
We would like to thank Vesess for all of their help with this project. We couldn’t have made it this far without them. Additionally, we would like to thank all of our current members and beta testers for all of their patience and dedication.
If you have any questions, please email me cmullins (at) yourville (dot) com or use our contact form.
]]>“As legislators debate endlessly over a new health care bill in the U.S., many people are increasingly wondering if they’d be better off growing old elsewhere. Health care has become a primary motivator for many people in making that grand leap abroad.”
]]>
Much interest continues to be shown about the rules and regulations regarding bringing pets into Costa Rica. The following from Livingabroadin.com will answer many questions and help clarify the procedure. In this case, dogs and cats.
For dogs and cats and other small pets, you’ll need to prove to both the airlines and Costa Rica customs officers that your animal is healthy. Schedule an exam with your local veterinarian a week or two before your departure date—the vet should fill out a health certificate stating that the animal is disease-free and has been vaccinated against distemper, hepatitis, leptospirosis, parvovirus, and rabies. The rabies vaccination is supposed to be more than 30 days but less than a year old, and is necessary only for animals 4 months or older. The health certificate should then be endorsed by a Veterinary Service (VS) veterinarian, but need not be notarized. The Costa Rican consulate says the examination for the certificate must be conducted within the two weeks prior to travel to Costa Rica, though anecdotal evidence suggests that a certificate up to 30 days old will do the trick.
Pet owners also need to get authorization from the Costa Rican Health Ministry; go through your nearest Costa Rica consulate or embassy to obtain this permission.
When you arrive in Costa Rica, the customs officer will do a visual inspection of your pet (for which you will be charged US$1), and look over the health certificate and the authorization from the Costa Rican Health Ministry. If all is in order, you’re through, and can find a pet-friendly taxi (not an easy task) and stuff your Irish wolfhound in the backseat. Some people traveling with pets report that they weren’t even asked for their documents, but you can’t count on encountering such relaxed attitudes yourself.
If you’re missing any documents or the officer decides your pet looks ill and might transmit disease, the animal will either be temporarily released to your care (kind of like being out on bail) or (if the official decides there’s a real health risk) kept in a state kennel for up to 30 days, until you work out what to do next—arrange for the necessary paperwork, or contact a local vet if your animal needs care.
Photo By: Petteri Sulonen
]]>Launched roughly a month ago, the site is getting a boost in the volume of long-form, HD quality programming, according to Forbes.com. Pablo Silva, vice-president of global online publishing at Fox International Channels, said the site has attracted 1.5 million unique visitors and “millions of streams” since its launch.
To view the new site and the various features of its programming, visit www.mundofox.com
]]>
In addition to Costa Rica, the rankings included, in order, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Guatemala, Vietnam, and Colombia. According to an article on its website, www.amcostarica.com, the results seem to be correlated highly with the size of the country, although Brazil is rated highly, too.
]]>The German loves his beer;
The Englishman loves his ‘alf and ‘alf,
Because it brings good cheer.
The Irishman loves his ” whiskey straight,”
Because it gives him dizziness.
The American has no choice at all,
So he drinks the whole d—–business.”
[Circa 1903, "Hello Bill" Toasts]
People in countries throughout the globe have their own favorite libations. And some might surprise you. Here are a few toasts just to whet your appetite as we raise a glass to hospitality and good times.
Universal – Cheers!
Chinese – Gan Bei
Japanese – Kanpai
Thai – Che Loong
Armenian – Ge Natz
Serbian – Ji Ve Li
Spanish – Salud
German – Prost
Italian – Salute!
Hebrew – L’Chaim
French – A tes amours
Greek – ya’sou!
And here’s just a sample of the alcoholic beverage offerings of various nations.
In Peru, It’s “Chicha”
Take, for example, Peru, where their favorite alcoholic beverage is Chicha – said to be made solely of corn and water. The kernels are first germinated or sprouted, then boiled in water for three hours; this mixture is poured through a large basket lined with straw and set on a pair of wooden slats over a deep ceramic jar. The liquid ferments for 24 hours before it is boiled again with some of the strained corn mast, filtered and fermented an additional 24 hours. Villagers will often bury the jars in the earth, for the longer the brew stands, the stronger it gets.
Beer still Canada’s most popular alcoholic drink, but wine catching up
Canadians purchased $18.8-billion worth of alcoholic beverages in 2007-2008, up 4.3% from the previous year, Statistics Canada reported yesterday. The federal agency attributed the increase to three factors: increased sales of imports, only a slight increase in the price of liquor and a growing adult population. Beer remained the top choice for Canadians, accounting for 46% of alcohol sales, but its popularity is waning, StatsCan said. In 1993, 53% of alcohol sales were from beer. Wine accounted for 29% of sales in 2008, up from 18%, while spirits made up 25% of sales, dropping from 29%. Sales of red wine have more than doubled since 2000, statistics show. “Sales of red wine, which includes both red and rose wines, accounted for 62% of the total volume of red and white wine sold,” the StatsCan survey found.
In Costa Rica, Take Your Pick
Costa Rica has no national drink, but very popular in the cultural tradition is guaro, the campesino’s nearly-tasteless yet potent alcoholic drink of choice. But one libation continues to grace the palates of thirsty Ticos: ImperialBeer. You can find it everywhere.
A Survey of Europe and the U.S Reveals:
In Europe, Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com) in a 2005 survey, reported that alcoholic drink represents almost 6% of total household expenditure in the UK, and a spend of around GBP 750 (EUR 1,080) per head of population over the age of 15. Consumption of alcoholic beverages in the UK exceeded 8 billion litres in 2004. Beer accounts for more than 70% of alcoholic drinks consumption, with wine taking almost 16%, and spirits marginally more than cider, at almost 7%.”
“Out of the five European nations covered in our “Drinking Habits in Europe” report, the British retain the highest propensity to drink alcohol – the 88% of adults in Britain who had drunk alcohol in the previous year was matched most closely by the French. Some 70% of Germans appear to drink alcohol on a regular basis compared to a mere 54% of Spanish adults.”
The United States produces the most beer but Germany, Denmark, Luxembourg, and England have a higher per capita consumption
Which Country Drinks the Most?
The Economist released a study on which countries drink the most, and guess which came in first? Luxembourg, the tiny, landlocked country nestled between France, Belgium and Germany. But why Luxembourg? “One explanation is that the duty on alcohol is relatively cheap in the tiny nation, encouraging booze tourism from its more heavily taxed neighbours.” There’s no explanation for Ireland being second, however. I guess they just drink a lot.
1. Luxembourg
2. Ireland
3. Hungary
4. Moldova
5. Czech Republic
To see the rest of the list, visit The Economist.
But, what’s the world’s most popular alcoholic dining beverage? Not surprising, it’s red wine.
But let’s not stop there. What’s your country’s favorite libation?
“I was speaking to the owner of one of the larger moving companies some while back, and he told me that he is now moving back “home” more than 50% of the customers he moved here originally.”
For learning Spanish, TRCR blog mentioned Coffee Break Spanish, which I’ve been listening to for some time. There are also a few other Spanish/language learning sites that I would recommend as well.
- The learn Spanish Survival Guide
- Insta Spanish Lessons
- Donquijote Spanish Word of the Day
- Learn It Lists
- palabea.net
- mango languages
They also reminded me that if you’re moving from the USA that it’s also a good idea to learn the metric system. It’s things like that, that will make your transition into another country/culture, so much easier.
]]>1. Its Official Name is the Republic of Costa Rica, La Republica de Costa Rica.
2. It contains 19,730 square miles. About the size of Vermont and New Hampshire combined.
3. It has a population of 4.3 million.
4. Costa Rica’s capital city is San Jose with a population of 2.1 million.
5. Costa Rica’s literacy rate is 96%. Higher than the U.S.
6. The life expectancy is 74.6 years for men and 79.9 years for women. Both higher than the U.S.
7. Approximately 50,000 U.S. citizens, including many retirees, reside in Costa Rica. More than 700,000 U.S. citizens visit the country annually.
8. Approximately 31% of the country is contained in national parks or private preserves.
9. Costa Rica has one of the oldest democracies in the Americas. It became an independent nation in 1821.
10. Its present constitution was adopted November 7, 1949.
11. Its government is comprised of executive, legislative and judicial branches just like the U.S.
12. The country has seven provinces.
13. The GDP in 2006 was approximately $21.5 Billion.
14. 62% of the economy is devoted to the service sector principally tourism and related services and banking; 29% industry principally electronics, food processing, textiles, medical equipment and construction; 9% agriculture principally bananas, coffee, pineapples, sugar, rice, daily, fruits and vegetables.
15. The U.S. is Costa Rica’s most important trading partner accounting for half of its exports, imports and tourism and more than two-thirds of its foreign investment.
16. Natural resources include hydroelectric power, fisheries and forest products.
17. Costa Rica abolished its armed forces in 1949.
18. Major Fortune 500 Companies with significant investments in Costa Rica include Intel, Proctor & Gamble, Glaxo Smith Kline, Motorola, Abbott Labs, Baxter Health Care, Roche and Pfizer.
19. Costa Rica is served by three international airports at San Jose, Osa and Liberia. There are direct flights from Miami, New York, Houston, Atlanta, Denver, Washington, Los Angeles, Pittsburg, Phoenix, Charlotte and Ft. Lauderdale.
20. Major hotel and resort companies in Costa Rica include Marriott, Westin, Mandarin Oriental, Four Seasons, St. Regis, Hilton, Hyatt, Ramada, The Palms, Wyndham and the Ritz-Carlton.
21. The country is investing hundreds of millions on infrastructure improvements including roads, telecommunications and services.
22. Costa Rica recently approved participation in the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) which will attract continued investment to the country.
23. The Costa Rica Power Team is the leading real estate consulting firm in Costa Rica!