Costa Rica Travel,<b> news </b>and real estate adult vacations for singles, honeymooners and executives in Costa Rica with escorts and travel to beaches, tropical islands, volcanos and ride horses, golf, see volcanos and scuba dive.

COSTA RICA NEWS 2008

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...and remember that we add articles from the top, so the most current are on top, and those from 2007 and back are in our ARCHIVES

(from the BEACH TIMES)

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(We add to Costa Rica News without deleting, so the most current news is on top)

SAN JOSE'S TRUCKS AND BUSSES are blocking highways to protest fuel costs and eliminate the tax on diesel fuel.

AS WITH THE REST OF THE WORLD, Costa Rica's cost of living has risen. Our inflation rate is now at around 14%.

DRIVING IN SAN JOSE has always been a hassle, but more so over the last year.; There has been some sort of law with alternate days and hours based upon the cars' license plates. The Transitos have been writing 750 tickets/day to those who don't understand the law. Now they are banning all car traffic (only delivery trucks allowed). 1 Dream Getaway Territory has never experienced such nonsense.

A 12-YEAR OLD PREGNANT GIRL with health problems had an illegal abortion in Managua, Nicaragua. In return for votes, the Catholic Church got life-saving abortions banned under Nicaragua law. The hospital was faced with the option of saving the girl's life or allowing her to suffer and die, and made the right decision. Now Ortega's government is faced with a dilemma. They have the options of prosecuting the doctors and hospital administrators or turning a blind eye. Either way, an important precedent is in the making. The girl was over 3 month's pregnant. Her father committed suicide after being caught raping her, and her mother abandoned her blaming the girl. Neighbors took her to the hospital.

Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez has offered free eye surgery to anyone who comes, and so far 800 Ticos have taken advantage of it. The Costa Rica health care system is cheap, but inefficient and leaves people standing in lines for days. Costa Rica hospitals have no more appointments for 2008. Venezuela sends eye doctors to Costa Rica for a diagnosis, then flies qualified Ticos on three Venezuela Government planes for free surgery, free bed clothes, and free accommodations, even though President Oscar Arias has publically attacked Chaves.

DEDICATION TO SERVE CUSTOMERS appears to be a lost concept, at least in America. The stories clients tell us about their trips are saddening. From "FLY THE FRIENDLY SKIES" airlines now shout: "JUMP THROUGH THESE HOOPS, KISS OUR BEHINDS, AND WE'LL TELL YOU HOW MUCH IT WILL COST TO TAKE YOUR CLOTHING ABOARD." Of course this after standing in lines to be ordered around by strangers and treated like a criminal. American companies like GE and Westinghouse have no CONTACT information, and people feel as though the company is doing them a favor just to vend their products (which are rarely American-made). If you can talk to a service tech, he is likely in India, while Americans join unemployment lines. As a former GM engineer, I lament reading the words GM and BANKRUPTCY in the same sentence, but the reasons become obvious. Costa Rica is not like that, and hopefully never will be. When you arrive at LIR, you are greeted with smiles and "welcomes", and people who ask how they can help you --- not just by us at 1 Dream Getaway, who are just a few feet away.

When America's products include video games that teach violence and crime, and music teaches disrespect for anything/anyone, causes of moral decline jump out at anyone who can see from a distance. That even ONE school teacher would parade an infant autistic child before the class so his peers can tell him what they hate about him (and that the teacher still has a job) is truly a sad commentary on the American way of life. We refuse to buy any Hallmark products, and certainly understand the protests in other countries about American beef. Videos of a major U.S. company beating sick animals with sticks, ramming them with forklifts, and then grinding them up to sell for school lunches speaks volumes of the new morality. The new GUILTY UNTIL PROVEN INNOCENT creed explains why America has (by far) the largest percentage of its population behind bars (and thousands, who have never been charged with a crime behind bars in foreign countries), and hundreds (or thousand) of American men are added daily to a computer database of woman or child abusers based solely upon a phone call from someone they might not even know. After Waco, you would think the US would temper its attitude, but instead some crazy lady makes a phone call, and a train of buses (chartered with American tax money) invades another Texas church and hauls off hundreds of children from their parents---whose job is now to prove in court that they DID NOT abuse their children. Remember, in these times of economic woes, that you are paying over $40.000/year for each person imprisoned. Add that to the cost of waging war against the people who have oil, and the reasons so many Americans are without homes and struggling to feed their families becomes obvious.

Come to Costa Rica, where the music speaks of love, dancing and gayety. Where businesses try to earn your trade, and check later to be sure you are happy with your purchase. Where people smile at you, and hitch hiking is a way of life instead of a criminal activity. Where church as a place to gather and rejoice, rather than learn to shoot an abortion doctor or strap a bomb around your waist. Where police (not traffic cops) smile and go out of their way to help you. Where there is no army and the people have no knowledge of (or desire for) war. Sure, we have our foibles, but we are good, honest people who want you to leave Costa Rica planning your next adventure here.

SPORT FISHERMEN WITH TOURISTS ABOARD have been attacked by commercial tuna fishermen in the Jaco area. The commercial boys are serious, and using AK-47's and helicopters to harass the tourists.

CAFTA, our Free Trade Agreement, is making progress, as the Costa Rica has agreed to the Intellectual Property provisions and voted to eliminate its insurance monopoly. 13 new laws needed to be passed, and four are left. It must be done by Oct. 1, 2008.

COSTA RICA is considering eliminating their tax on diesel fuel, while doubling it on gasoline. Needless to say, this is not a popular move.

THE TAMPISQUE AQUIFER, which was to supply water for 8000 new homes in Playas del Coco (Coco Beach) has been scrapped, as the new aquifer has been contaminated with gasoline, glass and garbage.

GOOD NEWS: Some mega hotel chains that have been paving Paradise have ground to a halt, having problems getting financing. Maybe there is a silver lining behind the World's financial cloud.

BAD NEWS: Costa Rica has changed its laws regarding medicines, and is now requiring a doctor's prescription to buy medicine. We hope this free country is not changing to another US.

1 DREAM GETAWAY NEEDS YOUR HELP: Since we got set up with our broadband service (with ICE), we are having emails rejected by our clients' servers---and some to us. As best we can understand, it is because ours (ICE) is a "dynamic" server, and whatever that means, it is something used by spammers. We have no options of servers (as ICE is it in Costa Rica), and if anyone has any suggestions as to how to mitigate this problem, we'd love to hear from you. Thanks---AJ Seaman

WE ARE PROUD TO PRESENT OUR 1 DREAM GETAWAY REAL ESTATE OFFERING #6 This is a nice opportunity for a beautiful home or small business---or both!

The BUDGET SUPPORT GROUP (EU countries plus Canada) have basically been given the bird by our neighbor to the North (Nicaragua). Ortega responded to their threats to cut funding by telling them he doesn't want them meddling in internal affairs. It seems clear climates are changing---both climatic and political---and that Ortega is counting on Iran to keep Nicaragua's coffers full. Not too long ago, foreigners doing business in Costa Rica were crossing the border for the cheaper land and labor, but now the messages seems clear that Nicaragua is no longer a place for anyone in the Free World to travel.

At the same time, the IMF has given Nicaragua all A's on its report card of how Ortega and the Sandinistas are handling the country's economy. Another reason to visit our presentation at: www.1dreamgetaway.com/dubais.pps to understand how our own money can be used against us. The best book this reporter has ever read is: THE PATH BETWEEN THE SEAS by David McCullough. It explains in detail how building the Panama Canal (which should have been built in Nicaragua) negatively impacted North America. In fact, so many Ticos died building the Canal that Costa Rica had many incentive programs to attract men here from other countries. The French were desperate to sell their failed project, and LOBBYING (one of the most destructive of all US practices) began as a result. Do yourself a favor and read the book.

TROPICAL STORM ALMA, the first to hit Costa Rica in 120 years (May 29) destroyed 112 homes in the San Jose area, and some areas are still without utilities. Many families have applied for aid and have not received it They are still trying to fix roads and bridges in the San Jose/Quepos area. Alma came just after the San Jose-area coffee farmers fertilized, and over 1000 acres of CR coffee plantations (best in the world!) were damaged. 1 Dream Getaway Territory just got a lot of rain and no real damage. There was also extensive damage (again San Jose area) to a 128 MW hydroelectric plant under construction, as the river washed equipment and supplies into the ocean and many roads disappeared due to landslides and rivers changing their course.

COSTA RICA HAS JUST PASSED A LAW BANNING PARENTS FROM SPANKING THEIR CHILDREN. Perhaps this story relates to the one below. When kids don't get military discipline, parents cannot discipline them and the courts do not punish children or adults for crimes, what is the result?

IT IS WITH GREAT SADNESS that we report the appearance of highway robbers in Costa Rica. This is a common practice in other Central American countries, but until recently the only highway robbers here have been the Transitos (Costa Rican traffic cops) who hide out in obscure areas along the highways and just write tickets (and solicit bribes) until their quotas for the day are met. But now there is a gang of 6 men who are robbing cars (sometimes they take the car) and trucks along the road from Nicoya to Samara. They are armed, have shot people, and wear black ski masks. Costa Rica authorities know who they are, and they have been jailed (for a few days) and just come back to practice their trade. 1 Dream Getaway has never taken clients on that road, and recommends that you avoid that route---and if we encountered them we would run them over rather than stop.

Also (in the Central Valley only), armed robbers are going to homes disguised as flower salesmen, DHL drivers and ICE employees. When the homeowner opens his door, they force their way in at gun point, tie up the residents and rob them. That will never happen in 1 Dream Getaway Territory.

COSTA RICA TOURISM is reporting a 16% increase over the first half of 2007. With many US airlines dropping so many of their domestic flights, only American Airlines has reduced flights to Costa Rica (San Jose---not here). Currently, American flies here 43 times/week, Continental 25, Delta 24, Spirit and US Air 7. Charter companies like Miami Air are picking up any business given away by the airlines.

FOR THOSE OF YOU INTERESTED IN COSTA RICA REAL ESTATE, we should explain the Costa Rica tax system. There are no property taxes on raw land. Most Tico houses are just built---no records, no permits, they just build them. However a Gringo home is carefully monitored and "engineers" come all the time to be certain you have received a building permit. There are no "engineers" who actually inspect the construction, but once you get your Permit your building (and only your building) is registered for tax collection.

Our cable service (Amnet) broadcasts US networks from the local Denver channels, and so we receive Denver news on their three air channels. Yesterday they were talking about Government offices going to a four-day week to save fuel, and said the average employee spends $30/day driving to work. The 1 Dream Getaway home/office pays property taxes of $35/year. If you don't pay, your annual property tax just goes in the records and a 10% surcharge is applied---they do not take your home! In January of every year, a car with speakers on the roof drives up-and-down the streets announcing that you have to go into town to pay your property taxes.

When you apply for a building permit, you have to contract a Costa Rica "engineer" to draw up the plans---which then go to the Engineering College in San Jose where the students review the plans. If you look at the Lighthouse in our May, 2008 Birthday Party, you'll see why you don't want to just "hire an engineer" to draw up your home or business project. The Lighthouse owners did that, and have a $2 million Frankenstein monster on their hands that is actually a liability. I'm sure the AutoCAD renderings (as with our photos) were really beautiful and convinced the Lighthouse owners that they were getting a truly spectacular home. But the Tico designer of the Lighthouse had learned in college how to use AutoCAD and some structural concepts---but both the Lighthouse and the development in which it sits, Paloalto, are completely impractical in the real world. Untold $millions have been (and are being) spent on mansions that the owners cannot use when completed. For instance, at the Lighthouse, the six glass doors do not open and have two-inch gaps where the air conditioning (if it worked) just escapes through the huge cracks. Even the bathroom door doesn't work, and everything came from Brazil---so you cannot even buy a light bulb for your home without going to Brazil. Without a 4X4, it is difficult to enter the development, and impossible to get into the Lighthouse driveway. This problem might have been solved by designing the parking on top of the house, but it is too late now. It is also impossible to have visitors at the house, unless they have good motorcycles and know how to drive them. The Lighthouse owners kept throwing money at the project until they gave up, as it became obvious it cannot be fixed.

This is the value of doing your real estate purchase through 1 Dream Getaway. You travel to Costa Rica on vacation, and see what you want to see/ learn what you need to learn. Certain Gringo projects attract the attention of the Costa Rica Government (Minai) and you are thrown into an endless process of Environmental Impact Studies, Permit Reviews, etc.. With 1 Dream Getaway, you do not hand over your money to a lawyer in return for your deed and then figure out what to do with it. Our sellers are real Ticos with friends, connections, and the ability to proceed with construction without any hassles.

We know many people who have bought property here and years later are still working to get utilities run to their property or the plotting approved. At nearby Playa Grande, Gringo realtors have sold some magnificent beachfront properties (at gringo prices) and the owners have been battling for years just to retain title to their land and arguing over what belongs to them and what belongs to Government. Some have built spectacular beachfront homes and had them claimed by Government. Minai now patrols and "protects" the leatherback turtles on the beach, so even after spending a fortune on a beautiful home on a beautiful beach, you cannot walk out your back yard at night without paying Minai $40. With 1 Dream Getaway, you can actually accomplish actual clear title, building rights and utilities BEFORE you buy. When you deal with Gringo realtors, you are paying Gringo prices and all the red flags are up to the Costa Rica Government. In short, you can turn your dreams into nightmares (as with the Lighthouse), or turn them into realities with 1 Dream Getaway. We don't have all the real estate answers, but we promise we'll get them. As with our adult vacations, we make the introductions, then stick with you until things work out.

IN COSTA RICA, You do not get bills in the mail, as streets have no names, and buildings have no numbers. On the 20th of each month, we go to the local "pulperia" (poor man's 7-11) and the owner has all the town's electric bills, which are brought to him by bus on the 20th. He pulls out the bill (about $40) and we pay in cash. ICE has an Internet service where we could pay our electric bill online, however we would have to print out the paid receipt for the electric bill and bring it to the same pulperia that collects the electric bill, as SHUT-OFF is done by the pulperia turning over the unpaid receipts to ICE a week later, and they then disconnect service to each meter turned over to them by the pulperia. After paying our electricity, we walk down to a crippled lady's house, give her out meter number (260) and pay the water bill (about $10). Again, a guy from the water company (hated by the locals) picks up the unpaid bills a week after they are due, and goes around shutting of water to those meters. ICE's telephone bills used to be only payable at banks, but now the local supermarkets collect them---however you have to pay cash, and cannot use your credit card along with your grocery payment.

AS JULY APPROACHES, our rainy season continues to be unusual with violent thunderstorms in the night and partly-sunny days. Temps are always in the 70's/80's and our roads are better than they were in previous years. Tourism is down (which we like) and 1 Dream Getaway Territory is still Paradise.

BARCELO, THE SPANISH OWNERS of our Southern Beach and Fantasy Party packages, is having their resort in Montelemar, Nicaragua harassed for no apparent reason with liens put against the property. The Swiss International Institute for Management Development has included Nicaragua with its warnings about travel to Haiti, Venezuela and Bolivia as dangerous places to travel or do business. Costa Rica is currently celebrating Fathers Day.

COSTA RICA'S GAS PRICES continue to rise as everywhere, and are currently around $1.30/liter. Our prices do not float with the market, but are set by the Government and include a 3% flat tax for our roads. Since Oscar Arias become President, some of that money actually is being used for our roads and there has been a great improvement. Also as everywhere, diesel is rising most rapidly. As diesel is much cheaper to refine than gasoline, that tells us that the cost of production has nothing to do with the price of the fuel.

SINCE ITS 1968 ERUPTION, Arenal volcano acts up at times. It is now spitting up rocks along with the normal lava flow. There is a 3-mile- radius cloud of ash and gas, and parts of the Arenal National Park are closed. The volcano resorts we use (CR Naturally and the Dry Forrest Volcano) are still great, and we invite you to join us. At our Dry Forrest Volcano, the new thermal-electric plant is now operating. We've been taking our clients on horseback for years to watch its construction.

In the meantime, President Daniel Ortega has bedded up with Iran to build a hydro-electric plant in Nicaragua. As the US's invasion of Nicaragua was to oust Ortega, there are obviously bad feelings, and American interests there are being taken by the Nicaraguan government. As Nicaragua is close to 1 Dream Getaway Territory, we no longer offer day trips to Nicaragua. Iran's unfolding deals with Nicaragua include a farm equipment assembly plant, 4000 tractors, 4 other hydroelectric plants, 5 milk processing plants, a health clinic, 10,000 houses and a deep-water Caribbean port (working with Venezuela). With rapidly-changing political, economic and climate changes, it seems 1 Dream Getaway Territory is anyone's best bet for travel to a safe and beautiful vacation in Paradise.

HAVING BEEN EFFECTIVELY CLOSED due to landslides and parts of the road washing away during tropical storm Alma, the Pan-American Highway (running from Alaska to Panama) is again open in Costa Rica (mid June). Some bridges are still one-lane, and the area affected is 60 kilometers (36 miles) of Highway 1 . This does not affect 1 Dream Getaway Territory in the least. Our roads (Northern Pacific) are better than ever, and we're ready for business. Alma killed 4 people in Costa Rica, and many communities in the Quepos area (in the Central Pacific coast) were evacuated. Highway 1 traffic was diverted to the coastal roads, which were never really built (interesting story!) and the rickety one-lane bridges are causing a huge traffic mess in the Quepos area. Again, we are not affected, and the Pacific Coast has had no problems. Heavy rain and cold (for us) weather continues to plague that area, but not ours.; Alma was the first major tropical storm to hit Costa Rica in 120 years, and 1000 victims have yet to be reached as of mid-June. In 1 Dream Getaway Territory, we just got lots of rain.

JUNE 2008 brings to an end the first half of our most unusual year at 1 Dream Getaway. After buying new computers and getting a new ISP, we still receive notices that emails to/from us do not go through. It seems just sending them again usually works. Our rainy season ended a draught in Costa Rica, and began with our first tropical storm. Since then, we've had ten times our normal rainfall. We are receiving much more spam and Chinese trash and hacking than actual client inquiries for travel to Costa Rica. As tourist travel is really down in Costa Rica, we receive visits and calls from whores looking for work---and lots of letters from "clients" looking for whores. If a prostitute is what you really want, you don't need us. Just come to a safe place in Costa Rica and walk the streets any time of the day-or-night. The hookers will find you. If this trend continues, 1 Dream Getaway will cease to operate.

1 Dream Getaway publishes with Front Page, and we've just learned that is a big mistake. Apparently FP was developed before search engines and SEO's, and puts in all sorts of code the search engines do not like. We ask any reader here to PLEASE email us if you are interested in making our website W3C-compliant, and/or can recommend a replacement program for Microsoft. Front Page.

RAINY SEASON IS HERE, and quite unusual, as we have had two of four rainy days. Usually our season begins much as Florida's, with the sunny days and rainy late-afternoons or nights. The temperatures remain in the low 80's, and the rain is actually refreshing. The scenery has changed from brown to green, and it is a beautiful time of year. After four days without sunshine (May 28), thunderstorms are predicted for the next five days. This is an UNHEARD OF rainy season, and we will let you know if/when it returns to normal. In October 2007, we received 7 times our normal rainfall.

APPARENTLY 1 DREAM GETAWAY HAS BECOME COMPLACENT, as we booked a private Tour for a new Swiss client who declined our invitation to meet him, introduce him to his companion, and take them to their first resort. His companion is now afraid of him and the way he treats her, while he is demanding another girl. This client was very reluctant to exchange emails with us, and we did not really have an opportunity to know much about him. On occasion we have clients who do not wish to talk, but from now on if we are unable to get to know a potential client, he will never become one. 1 DREAM GETAWAY TURNS DREAMS INTO REALITIES is now going to depend on what the realities are.

With $10/gallon US gasoline on its way this year, make your vacation count. Discover your feet! Discover horses! Discover all the wonderful things you can experience that are not petrol-dependent. Write to us at 1 Dream Getaway, and give us the opportunity to give you the best travel of your lifetime. Bring your family. Bring a loved one, or let us find one for you. You ask for it---we give it to you.

YOU CAN READ GOVERNMENT PROPAGANDA, OR THE TRUTH, and a client recently sent this link: http://www.logosol.com:80/_customerservice/news/index.php?todo=show&id=6166, which you can compare to Costa Rica's propaganda and decide how ecologically friendly Costa Rica really is. Now that they are bringing the sawmills directly into the rain forests, our only hope is that the upcoming $10/gallon gasoline will slow them down. They are truly paving Paradise and putting up a parking lot.

A NEW WEB SITE IS UP-AND-RUNNING where you can search bus schedules within Costa Rica: http://thebusschedule.com/cr/index.php?lang=en This may not be of interest to most of you, but may come in handy for us at 1 Dream Getaway, and who knows?, so you might want to keep it handy.

THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO BE SCREWED some good/some bad. When you plan to spend your valuable time and money traveling somewhere to unwind or plan a future, you only want the good kind. If you just want sex or gambling or prostitution, you are better off using your Yellow Pages rather than 1 Dream Getaway (or any other web service). In 2008 a travel agent neighbor of my mother's (and friend of mine) took a group to Costa Rica, as she has done many times before. One of them spent her entire stay (plus!) in a Costa Rica hospital after falling down stairs that we never would have taken her to. As in Costa Rica Archives, some wealthy, hard-working and well-intentioned Gringos bought property and developed a marina in Flamingo, only to have it forcefully taken from them. Hence the value of 1 Dream Getaway personal service. We live in Costa Rica, and are here 12 months/year.

We made a huge mistake for our May 2008 Birthday Party, and advertise that mistake on our website (the Lighthouse). In a way, our clients suffered (for a matter of hours), but in a way we have something to talk about and show our friends in years to come. Either way, 1 Dream Getaway had the error corrected quickly and without hassle or expense. All (but one) of our May Birthday Party guests have been here before, and all are already planning on coming again. Not many travel agencies can say that.

The Lighthouse is located in Monte Paraiso ( http://www.costaricaart.com/photogallery/pages/montep.htm ) , and if you visit the link we provide here, the photos sure make you want to come. In fact, hundreds of people have invested untold millions of dollars buying land and building homes here. They all got screwed (not in the good way) and have million dollar homes you could not even drive to in rainy season. One of our clients for the May Party, an FBI Agent, has already posted an internet warning about this place.

1 Dream Getaway has now branched into real estate, aware of how many people are being screwed (bad way) here in Costa Rica. The owners of the Lighthouse wanted the perfect dream home in the perfect setting with the perfect scenery. 1 Dream Getaway goes on through out www.1dreamgetaway.com about the tragedy of the educational system and work ethic in Costa Rica. It is largely for that reason that our Companions are looking at people from other countries. We copy below a dissertation about the Lighthouse, and what the owners got for their $2 million investment in Monte Paraiso and with a Tico Architect:

My understanding of the problems with this house is they are compounded by the fact that EVERYTHING in the house comes from Brazil and must be imported, down to the special bulbs in the fixtures. This was designed by some San Jose architect who obviously is clueless, from what I can see, The least he should have done was used materials that could possibly be found in CR.

How would you like to spend millions of dollars building a house only to find you have to go to Brazil to buy a light bulb? In truth, Monte Paraiso was Tico-engineered, and the entire development should never have happened. It would not have happened had the developers contacted us before buying. Have a good look at Monte Paraiso and the Lighthouse. Our photos and theirs are not deceptive, and both are, in reality as beautiful as shown. The Tico engineers who rendered the development and the house were not crooks. They just lack knowledge and experience. I am a graduate engineer, but I could have never drawn either Monte Paraiso or the Lighthouse. Yet had you asked 1 Dream Getaway to oversee the project, it never would have happened.

The advantage of locating in Costa Rica is that you have the freedom to do what you wish. I designed and built my home here, and could not be happier---nor could I have built it in the United 'States. The disadvantage of locating (temporarily or permanently) in Costa Rica is that you can do anything you wish. When you are honest and up-front with us, we assure you get what you want, whether for a week or a lifetime.

Another example (of countless) showing the value of our personal service is our canopy tours. There are more in Costa Rica than I can count. On our way to this canopy tour, we passed numerous signs to others. Very few new to Costa Rica could find the one we use, and the guides do not have even one word of English in their vocabulary. For that reason, they give me a really good (guide) horse without charge, and the freedom to monitor everyone on the tour. There are fascinating things to see and do on the tour, but you miss them if they cannot be explained in English. This is an inconvenience---but the safety instructions are a necessity, and you would not have a clue unless you spoke Spanish. People are hurt (and even killed) doing Costa Rica's canopy tours, and that never seems to make the news. It will never happen with 1 Dream Getaway. Children, handicapped and elderly could not take a canopy tour on their own, but if we think we can get you on a horse and up the ladder we promise your safety and the time of your lives.

The same is true with any type of vacation you plan in Costa Rica. More important any real estate transaction or development. Our real estate offing on Playa Hermosa is without a doubt the most desirable and valuable land (possibly) in the world. It is also grossly over priced, and we tell you so in the offering. If that doesn't bother you, we'll walk you around the land mines and give you the most spectacular home or development anyone could hope for. If you did it on your own, you might end up with $2.5 million worth of useless property. Monte Paraiso is a prime example of how that could happen.

In like manner with our adult vacations, we sometimes have both clients and companions pulling our legs, and that usually results in disaster. If we learn that a sincere client looking for a soulmate has a girl who is playing around, we tell him (and can usually get all the dirt). When we have a sincere girl with a client who is playing games, we have our talk with her. As my grandfather always told me: If you always tell the truth, you don't have to remember what you said.

1500 HECTARES (3700 acres) have so far been consumed in a wildfire in Palo Verde National Park (shown in our second real estate offering). In dry season, fire is how Ticos clear their land, and this fire got out of hand. Hopefully rainy season will soon put it out.

LARGELY DUE TO THE EFFORTS OF RICHARD & MARGO (along with our beloved Blue-and Gold Macaw BJ) a Costa Rica macaw breeding program is working, and these magnificent birds are returning to the wild in Costa Rica. You can see their efforts by searching Amigos de Aves.

TAMARINDO POLICE AND POLICE VEHICLES are at risk of losing their homes from the rented space, as there is no more money to pay the rent. If that happens, the police may be relocated to their previous Red Cross location in Villareal (near 1 Dream Getaway) and their cars, trucks and motorcycles taken away. There is a fund drive, and it looks like a few rich Tamarindo residents will be footing the bill.

COSTA RICA CONSTRUCTION rose 11% in the first quarter of 2008, according to Costa Rica's records of issued building permits.

FOR AN INTERESTING LOOK AT THE FUTURE and what happened to the World Trade Center, try clicking on this MS Powerpoint link. PLEASE USE YOUR BROWSER'S BACK ARROW TO RETURN TO US AT WWW.1DREAMGETAWAY.COM when this amazing presentation ends.

LEATHERBACK TURTLES are heading up local news at Playa Grande, a beautiful beach a half-hour drive from 1 Dream Getaway. For years land has been sold as titled land up to 50 meters from the high-tide line. Then Costa Rica extended the borders of Las Baulas National Park to 125 meters of high tide, and people began having their land/homes taken from them by Costa Rica. Various groups have been battling in court for ten years over this issue. Now Costa Rica's highest court has ordered the immediate expropriation of 45 hectares of land from the people who purchased it. However, Costa Rica has to pay the landowners the appraised value of the land ($650 to $1000/square meter) and doesn't have the money, as it relies on donations to do so. A lot of this land was sold by Gringo realtors, like Century 21, so I imagine we'll all be dead before this is finally settled.

Our inside information on the issue and from groups working to save the turtles' nesting grounds on Playa Grande is that thousands of turtles were counted nesting every year until Minai (Costa Rica's EPA) took over monitoring the beach. No one (not even residents of Playa Grande) are allowed to walk on the beach at night without paying $40 to Minai (which I guess protects the turtles). I've taken people to the beach after dark and had Minai soldiers come out of the woods like Sandinistas and chase us away (or arrange a pay-off), and I'm told that after Minai began "protecting" the turtles, nests went from thousands to 57. I am often at a supermarket when some kid comes up on a bicycle trying to sell me turtle eggs. I'm told that friends and relatives of Minai are now the only ones allowed on the beach, and are collecting all the eggs for a percentage.

FIESTAS are an integral part of Costa Rican culture. Here, anyone can ride and anyone can be in the ring, and the bulls are not hurt. Every little town has its fiesta. The larger ones have a bull ring and grandstands, while the little towns have trucks that bring lumber, nail it together, bring in kiddie rides (and walls of speakers), and three days later knock everything down and move on to the next town. President Arias has changed the insurance laws regarding the fiestas following some serious bull-riding injuries and deaths. The people who run the fiestas are now required to insure the riders. The previous insurance coverage only included the cost of their funerals.

A recent client, disappointed with the horses we had rented on a tour, asked for some good horses and a non-tour ride. We drove around and found the guys who have the horses that are used to round up the bulls at the fiestas, and rented them. In doing so, we learned that the people running the fiestas are giving cocaine to the bulls before they go into the ring ---. Possibly an explanation for the recent surge in injuries and deaths. .

COSTA RICA'S EPA had announced it was shutting down a billion dollars worth of construction projects in Tamarindo, Brasilito and Portrero (the Hyatt, Bahia del Sol, and San Francisco) for not meeting Costa Rica's environmental laws. . Now they have changed their minds and given the go-ahead. I imagine some offshore bank accounts got fatter this week.

OUR MAY BD Party was another success, and now we are opening it for reservations again. The first person to reserve sets the date. As two guys this year were born July 13 and 22, we can have another party this year if we get a minimum of thee guys. One of our clients who was here for the party, an FBI agent, contacted the owners of the Lighthouse and advised them not to rent that house in the condition it is in. We promise fist-class accommodations the first time this time. So think about it! Let's have a party.

CAFTA was apparently just a dream, even though it was put to a national vote and won. Since then, there have been no notices or signs that it was implemented. As we said often in www.1dreamgetaway.com, if the free trade agreement were implemented, the first to go would be ICE, the monopolistic utility company and Costa Rica's license to steal. . However, as the US goes monopolistic, so Costa Rica appears to be staying that way. As we were so excited about our new broadband, now we lament, as it is down and no one even answers the phone at ICE. The weather is still beautiful, so come on down! Remember that our answering machine at the office (011-506-2652-9017) is not working, so if we don't answer, call our cell phone at 011-506-8389-7479.

AS MAY and our annual May Birthday Party approach, we find a new world and look forward to sharing it with our old friends. Rainy season should have started here, and it was predicted to be early and heavy with this La Nina year. However, the April page of our calendar tears off without a drop of rain since last November (two exceptions). Costa Rica is resisting America's insistence that it pass "ANTI TERRORISM" laws, which translates to giving the US free access to private banking information in Costa Rica. We are proud to live in a country where a person is secure in his person, papers and effects, and wish some US politician would take the time to read their Constitution. America remains the only country in the world where possession of its own legal currency is a crime. It also remains the only country convicted in the World Court of State-sponsored Terrorism. Costa Rica is concentrating on putting its own house in order, and the world wishes the United States would do the same.

1 DREAM GETAWAY HAS ENTERED THE 21ST CENTURY with broadband. We are connected at 100 mb/sec, and it is like dying and going to heaven. As time passes, we learn the ropes and are anxious to share our experiences to help you if you want to own your piece of Paradise. See our available properties as linked to our Home Page.

ANOTHER WEEK COMES AND GOES. and we still have no idea if/when we will have our Broadband. 1 Dream Getaway is located on a main, paved road one half mile before the central of Santa Rosa on the only entrance road. We requested our telephone and internet in 2002, and got our phone in 2007, although we were promised the phone and internet would come together. ICE, the monopolistic utility company of Costa Rica, has a setting in their main and branch offices throughout Costa Rica that makes their phones ring busy when they are either not there or don't feel like responding to their customers---which is most of the time. For that reason, we help our clients obtain their utilities, and recommend that the first item on the agenda after finalizing purchase of their property is to make their requests for utilities.

ANOTHER MANANA COMES AND GOES, as today was to be the installation of 1 Dream Getaway's broadband internet service. We have now waited six years, and finally had a firm appointment for this morning. However, as the morning passed, we called---and called---and called ICE until we got through. Their technician made a 2 PM appointment, and at two he called to make a new appointment for tomorrow morning. This is what we call TICO TIME. I tell people that in the Spanish language, manana means the next day (or morning). However in Costa Rica, it means NOT TODAY. We are encouraged, however, in that this is the first time in six years that ICE has actually called us.

A 1 DREAM GETAWAY CLIENT has explained the US airline mess, and we pass along his information. As the result of the nose landing gear malfunctions in the past, the FAA issued an edict demanding that all wiring harnesses in the area of the nose gear be placed one inch apart. Not 3/4 or 1 1/4, but one inch. In spot checks of American Airlines, the FAA found variances, and so it grounds planes on the spot which do not have the 1" spacing of the wiring harnesses. Those of you who have flown on military aircraft, where all the plumbing and wiring is exposed, certainly have friends who will not fly or are afraid of flying after watching the wiring and plumbing bounce around in a plane. We see arguments for both sides in this tragedy, and wonder why aircraft not governed by the FAA don't seem to have any problems of this magnitude.

HACKING seems to be an ongoing problem, and again we apologize to our clients and potential clients. First Margarita Island hacked our site and directed our traffic to theirs. Now the Chinese have hacked not only 1 Dream Getaway, but many sites hosted by Godaddy. Apparently email to info@1dreamgetaway.com is being returned (fatal permanent error) and our Client Information Form comes to us with copy/paste nonsense from Chinese translator programs and links to sites like Big Asian Boobs. We apologize, are working hard to stop this Chinese invasion, and assure you that we answer every inquiry as promptly and fully as possible. Aside from buying new computers, we are changing our ISP (even getting broadband!) and will post our new personal email address as soon as we have it.

COMMUNICATION is key to every endeavor. When 1 Dream Getaway clients don't talk to us or are not honest with us, it is their travel that suffers. People listen to the Dali Lama not just because of who he is and what he has to say, but because he is articulate, open and speaks English. That Boeing has a problem with its landing gears and is trying to fix it is something that happens. That American airlines let thousands of their customers come to the airport only to tell them AFTER they arrive that their flights are cancelled is only spitting into the wind. We believe that the concern over Global Warming should include the warming of corporations to their customers.

Years ago when I lived in Coco, I used to laugh at the kid who ran the local Water Company (AYA) office. When we lost water, he would go somewhere and hide, closing the office so he did not have to explain the problem to the people who pay his salary. It was funny because he is a kid, and Costa Rica is a third world country. But the employees and management of the United States airlines are NOT kids, and America is not a third world country (at least not yet). Shit happens, and when corporations have problems and work to resolve them, those problems get resolved. When they go into hiding and make communications difficult or unavailable, they go under. This is a critical period in world history, and everyone should be paying attention.

THE NEWS TRENDS ARE SCARY, as we watch US network news (Denver) report of the countless houses FOR SALE BY BANK and hear of the many homes now being sold for less-than the mortgage on them. A short while ago it seemed impossible that a Republican would move into the White House for the next term, but now the Democrats are proving they cannot even run a Primary and the world laughs at the American Democratic process, while two American states are told their votes in the Democratic Primary don't even count. One of the Super Delegates, who may wind up choosing America's next President, has resigned and may go to prison for using tax dollars to buy $5000 hookers. The military claims victory in Iraq because fewer American boys are being killed. Of course, this is just because they are throwing money and weapons at one side of the civil war.

American workers join the unemployment lines in droves, the dollar nosedives, while the Arabs and Chinese are growing so rapidly that they are straining word construction material supplies. 1 Dream Getaway has a client who collects loans for a number of banks, and his emails become more depressing by the day. It seems the only thing America manufactures any more is weapons and weapon delivery systems. The big moneymen now buy companies and destroy them rather than build a better mouse trap. The Constitution and monopoly laws are totally ignored, and the brightest news is that Bush is sending everyone a check while the country sinks into impossible debt.

As a once-proud American with many family and friends who have given their lives for their country, I suggest it is time FOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE to smell the roses and take back their country. What would the signers of the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution think if they knew what is happening to their country? The decision whether to pull out of Iraq should consider the desires of the Iraqis rather than Americans or American military and political leaders...and what happened to all that Iraqi oil that was to pay for the war?

There is an unusual tree seed here that babies love. It is also an all-natural baby rattle. We tried to offer it as an American product, and were given such an awful list of legalities we gave it up. How hard can it be to grind up a seed (that babies have been playing with for hundreds of years) and determine whether it has any harmful chemicals? I think Shakespeare was right: FIRST, WE KILL THE LAWYERS. Why the leader of an oil-dependant nation would declare war against the people with the oil is beyond me---but if you're going to do it, take the country and take their oil.

IN COSTA RICA, THERE IS THE LAW, and there is how the law is applied. This is why you need 1 Dream Getaway when you plan to own land in Costa Rica.

Cases in point:

1. One day 42 armed cops showed up at Flamingo Marina (photos in our Costa Rica News Archives) and simply threw the owners/builders out. The marina has been closed ever since with periodic talk by the Costa Rica (Santa Cruz) government of letting out a new contract to run the marina. Costa Rica cites ecological reasons, but the true result is that the charter fishing boats now have trucks of diesel and gasoline parked on the beach and stretching fuel lines out to the boats, rapidly polluting this beautiful water.

2. One of the most popular Gringo bar/restaurants, the Happy Snapper (Portrero, Costa Rica), was bulldozed because it supposedly encroached on the Maritime Zone (200 meters from the tide line). However, the huge Tico bar right next door remains open, and at high tide the waves actually hit the side of the building. On the other side of the (now vacant) Happy Snapper lot is another Tico bar/restaurant, where the waves can actually wet your feet while you are eating. These two Tico businesses are doing quite well without the Gringo competition.

The official story of the Costa Rica government is that they are actively patrolling the Pacific Coast, eliminating violations and returning the beaches to the people. Even if you buy-or-rent a long-standing home or business, you are not protected if someone from San Jose picks you. You not only lose your home or business, but are left with a mess and a bill for destroying it:

This beautiful beach side home destroyed by Costa Rica and photos by TAMARINDO NEWS March, 2008.

1 Dream Getaway will protect you, and organize things so you have the peaceful enjoyment of your property without worry or intervention. The difference: We work WITH Ticos, not against them. Write to info@1dreamgetaway.com and set up a trip to find your place in Paradise without Government intervention.

KUDOS to those protesting against China in the Olympic games. We always promote equality and racial tolerance, but if China is allowed to replace the USA as the world's superpower, there will be no more protection for copyrights or intellectual property. We didn't see Bush rushing in to kick China out of Tibet, and if China was made to shine during this period their take-over would happen rapidly, which I'm certain was the plan. Like Lex Luthor, China is wealthy, ambitious and intelligent, but it needs to turn its powers to good instead of evil, maybe even to learn some morals.

NEARLY HALF OF A YEAR AFTER CAFTA PASSED A NATIONAL REFERENDUM it has become a non-item. No mention in the papers and no effect in the stores. Maybe it will be implemented on Tico Time.

FIVE LONG-TIME TAMARINDO RESIDENTS held a rally to save Tamarindo. they had free food and beer, and gave out bumper stickers and stickers. People carried signs such as: LESS NATURE/LESS TOURISTS/LESS WORK, COSTA RICA: NO ARTIFICIAL INGREDIENTS, WE WANT SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, LET'S SAVE LAS BAULAS NATIONAL PARK. When we moved here, a large factor was the proximity to Tamarindo with the beautiful beach and estuary. We often took the ten minute drive to either park our car along the estuary and play/swim all day with our dogs---or go to the beach and body surf. Now I have changed cable companies solely because I had to drive through Tamarindo once per month to pay the cable bill, and that is an absolute nightmare. The protesters want to save the trees, but I challenge you to find a tree left standing in Tamarindo. We no longer swim in either the estuary or the beach because the water is disgusting. In the meantime, Costa Rica reports a 24% annual construction growth over the last two years and is restricted only by a shortage of workers, who are now being imported from all over Central America (even Mexico, Honduras and Ecuador) and the world.

In honesty, last year Tamarindo was evacuated for a tsunami warning, and all I could think about is what a great event it would be for Costa Rica if Tamarindo were wiped out and we could start over again. Aside from Gringo greed, a large part of the problem is Costa Rica government, as one can accomplish anything with a few pesos under the table. The Flamingo Marina was taken by Santa Cruz because a new boss took office in the Municipality, and he wanted all new pay-offs. As the marina had already paid off, they refused to pay again and lost everything. That property is CONCESSION (land rented from Costa Rica) and they have been putting out requests for new contracts to run the marina, but after what happened everyone is gun-shy, and the Tico government has no interest in running the marina itself. In April, 2008, the Tamarindo road remains torn up, and the impossible traffic is now ridiculous.

AT THE SAME TIME, TAMARINDO GARBAGE COLLECTION IS A REAL ISSUE: Although paid garbage collection is now required in Tamarindo, the trucks drip garbage daily through the streets as they bake in hours of traffic, and the smell is horrific. On top of that, they have no place to haul the garbage and pollution progresses to disease (such as Dengue). The Liberia land fill remains closed, and Costa Rica is arguing over a proposal to charge a $3 tax on tourists at the airport to pay for a new landfill. 1 Dream Getaway stays away from these places, and shows you the real Costa Rica. Soon rain will wash the tons of garbage in the dry river beds into the estuary and ocean. One of the biggest polluters is the Tamarindo garbage collector, who lives just before Tamarindo proper and rents half his property to a restaurant. The river bed behind is loaded with garbage.

AS GUANACASTE NOW GENERATES MORE MONEY THAN SAN JOSE, police and government officials are feeling their oats and have become the same type of assholes one normally encounters in San Jose. On a February 2nd a raid on Vista Villas (the Tamarindo Best Western), Immigration and Police raided the restaurant and hauled off 80 people in a buss, because they did not have their passports with them at the table. San Jose TV stations filmed the event, including the manhandling of a pregnant woman tourist just enjoying her lunch at her resort. This is NOT what Costa Rica is about, and could never happen to you when you travel with 1 Dream Getaway.

CORPORATE AMERICA begins April by screwing the people who pay their salaries (again). Crying about higher fuel costs, the airlines will begin gouging their customers as they arrive at the ticket counter rather than when they purchase their tickets (although the airlines have also imposed $25 to $50 fees for calling them to make reservations). As I lament that I simply cannot seem to buy anything that is not made in China, I once-again see American business chasing away its customers. The oil companies say: We can't help the rising oil prices., but they can help the extra third of a trillion dollars in profits, and Government can help the tax breaks it gives to the oil companies.

A 1 Dream Getaway client runs 800 trucks, and when I asked how he copes with the fuel prices, he laughed and explained it this way: We buy oil futures on the commodities market. When fuel costs go up, we lose at the pump and get the money back in the commodity trade. When prices go down we lose on commodities and gain at the pump. We always know what our fuel costs are going to be. Logic would dictate that the airlines are doing the same thing. So who loses? The independent truckers can't afford to play commodities. They have to raise their prices, and the big corporate truckers get a windfall. The consumer gets screwed.

A typical traveler has two bags and a carry-on. Now, after carefully shopping for his ticket, he goes to the counter to get his boarding pass, and learns his second checked bag will cost him $50 to $100, and if one is over 62 inches in length, that will be another $50 to $100. My mother comes here every January for her birthday. Last year, as American Airlines was screwing its senior employees out of their pensions, I booked Mom's flight on Delta (the same people who initiated this latest rip-off). The American and Delta flights were exactly the same cost (What a coincidence!). At 83, Mom would have an easier time getting from one gate to the next in Atlanta than in Miami airport.

THEN I GOT A CALL FROM MOM: Delta had arbitrarily cancelled Mom's flight (without telling me, who purchased the tickets and had written confirmation), decided to overnight her in Atlanta, and charged $210 for a motel room. When I tried to contact Delta, ALL of Delta's email addresses had suddenly changed, and they were impossible to contact. Fortunately, we have a client with connections, and he booked Mom on the next day's Delta flight to LIR, saving us $210 and a full day in Atlanta---but it still cut a day off of our time together.

This same corrupt thinking happens here in Costa Rica, where we often hear complaints that tickets to LIR cost so much more than to SJO. The reason is that friends and family of Costa Rica's government own the businesses and hotels in San Jose, and they want to get you there. Our clients who decide to "save money" by flying into San Jose spend hundreds more in Hotels and travel, plus lose a couple days of their vacations.

THURSDAY, MARCH 20 began the Costa Rica nightmare in 1 Dream Getaway territory. We have the mixed curses of the beginning of Semana Santa (Easter Week), where 3 million people come from San Jose to pollute our roads and beaches along with our new telephone numbers. All numbers now add an eighth digit. For Cell phones you put an 8 at the beginning (so ours is: 8389-7479) and land lines have a 2 in front of them: (so ours is 2652-9017). On top of that, we are setting up new computers and communication (along with transportation) is a mess. That is why we do not do business on Easter and Christmas weeks. The Transitos are hiding in the bushes to compound the mess. So we stay home and hibernate. Enjoy your holidays.

IN THE HOURS I spent this morning driving a friend to work in Tamarindo---only to turn around and bring her home as she learned there was no water in Tamarindo---I had time to reflect. I returned home to see news accounts of the thousands who daily are being evicted from their homes in the US, while the banks go broke. I see this largely the result of a President for whom America voted against who invaded a sovereign nation (in the name of democracy) to avenge his father and turn America's largest budget surplus into its largest budget deficit. For the first time in history, people don't want the American dollar. I think the problem is that Americans want an identity desperately. In their millenniums of history, Europeans know who they are and where they came from. But an American is black/white/red/yellow and traces his history to another country. Now they are the people who develop and manufacture weapons of mass destruction and criticize others for having them. My 83-year-old mother (in Florida) and the mother of my child (in Michigan) are now told their votes do not count, while one of the SUPER DELEGATES, who will elect the next President resigns so he won't go to jail. Two years earlier Americans exercised their democratic powers to radically change American government just to get the Hell out of this "war", only to have more troops sent and the conflict escalated.

As the world readies to send its youth, money and media to provide China its world status with the Olympics, the morally-bankrupt country of China will soon be the world's leader in partner with its oil supplier, Russia. Through out www.1dreamgetaway.com we speculate what will be the result of the fall of the United States for us here in Costa Rica. After today's ride through Tamarindo, with cranes reaching for the sky, it becomes obvious that Gringos are bailing and anxious to turn Costa Rica into a large, polluted ghetto (as they did in San Jose years ago). Come and enjoy us while we last! March, 2008 was to be the initiation of CAFTA, which passed a popular vote, but so far we see nothing resulting. Yet as the US news shows Americans evicted from their homes by the hundreds of thousands, we are thankful to be secure in our home and to be awakened each morning by our neighbors hitching their oxen and heading to work. Pura vida!

IN THE YEAR I WAS BORN, the United States created a new country. The ensuing 60 years saw that country equipped with nukes and the most sophisticated arms and training of any country apart from the US itself, and designed to protect that country from camel jockeys with sticks and stones. Thanks to the current administration, the camels are gone, and the former jockeys now have a worldwide Media, limousines, private jets and modern technology. For every billion dollars White House workers have made on skyrocketing oil prices, the Terrorists have made 100 billion. It is no coincidence that American arms manufacturers also own American media, and we are fortunate to have the benefit of a world view here in Costa Rica.

American intelligence knew about Bin Laden, his organization and his plans before the first attempt on the World Trade Center with a car bomb. Clinton denied their request to eliminate Bin Laden, and so the story continues. Yet the Country became preoccupied with determining whether-or-not he got a blow job from someone other than his wife. After 9-11, Bush set out to revenge his father rather than attack the country which provided the money and people. Now the Saudis are pumping water, and they know the golden goose is dying. Still the invasion of an innocent country continues, and surely Iraq will be a terrorist state when the US finally leaves.

America became great by virtue of its Constitution. In my father's time that Constitution was legally amended to legislate morality, and that recognized error gave organized crime a firm foot hold. The War on Booze ended with the repeal of the Prohibition Amendment. Rather than learn its lesson, America began to negate its Constitution with "wars" like the War on Drugs, and to attack innocent farmers (in Tennessee, Afghanistan, Columbia, etc.) who could care less whether they are growing corn or poppies. Because of this war, the real "cash crop" becomes obvious, and today's organized criminals make Al Capone look like a boy scout. The problem is not the suppliers, but the users. Yet America gives them free needles and "alternative drugs".

Some American politicians have recognized this, admitting that if someone wants to pour a gallon of gas in his ear and light a match he should be allowed to do so. Unfortunately any politician proposing legalizing drugs is laughed off the stage. The War on Drugs has as much chance of being won as the War on Booze did. But the War on Terrorism has created much more than a criminal element. It has shown the world that the US military is in fact vulnerable. It has shown the world that dollars are not in unlimited supply---and now even that they are not necessarily desirable. It has moved the world's financial center out of New York City (and probably soon to Dubai). Deficit spending has literally made a major portion of the United States' wealth foreign-owned.

Costa Rica, a tiny third-world country with no military since the formation of Israel, long-ago withdrew its signature from the bogus Alliance of Nations which invaded Iraq. And now we, who were probably the closest thing to the 51st state, are aligning with China. In 1989, the US became the only nation ever convicted of State-Sponsored Terrorism in the World Court. The US invaded Nicaragua to rid it of Ortega, who is now its President. In the 1970's, Chairman Mao attempted to take Central America by ordering the assassination of all business owners. After that, the US tried doing so by making the dollar the currency standard. With the collapsing dollar and enemies from Nicaragua to Venezuela, this reporter fears there are serious changes coming.

As to tourism, Americans are certainly welcomed (and courted) here. 1 Dream Getaway certainly does. I doubt an American can find a safer, more friendly place to travel. Yet Costa Rica's Government becomes increasingly anti-American. As a Tico can have countless appearances due to our wealth of foreign blood, racism has been non-existent here. Now San Jose is rushing to pass "anti-Gringo" laws to collect taxes exclusively from Americans, and has already stolen significant property from American ex-pats. Tranistos (our traffic cops) stand along Costa Rica's roads looking for white Gringo faces and pull those cars over to write bogus tickets. When highway traffic is light, Transitos set up outside Gringo areas with roadblocks, usually letting Tico drivers pass. I personally have received three tickets for non-working stop lights, and not one cop issuing the ticket ever saw the back of my car until I drove away (my brake lights work fine). Each day I see countless Tico trucks whose open backs are packed with workers, yet a Gringo with a passenger in the back of his pickup will have his vehicle confiscated.

I left the United States after watching a full-scale military attack on a Texas church. Should my new country become ruled by a country whose people seem obsessed with the size of their penises and willing to wipe out the world's endangered species to enhance their penises, I will again be searching for a free country in which to live out the rest of my years. Be careful, because that same country is rapidly emerging as the world's superpower.

COSTA RICA'S CONCESSION ZONES prohibit building within 50 meters of the high tide line, and prohibit land ownership within 200 meters. Those beachfront properties are rented from Costa Rica. Flamingo Marina (see our archives) was stolen from its owners/builders by the Municipality of Santa Cruz. However now Costa Rica is upset because these Concession rights are being sold for large sums of money without being taxed, and they are working on new laws to collect taxes on them. The local Gringo watering hole in Brasilto, Happy Snapper, was bulldozed to the ground because it encroached on the concession. However the two Tico restaurant/bars on either side are still standing and operating, although the waves lap the building at high tide.

TWO DRUNKEN TICO BROTHERS (24 & 32) have admitted beating a Shaman to death for "possessing several families". They said his death was necessary to "clear the town". Our Shaman is still alive and kicking, and awaiting you in our YOUR HEALTH package.

A DOLPHIN & WHALE SANCTUARY, among the first in Latin America, has become reality in Costa Rica. In my last diving experience I was joined by about 40 whales, and it truly was exciting.

A THIRD BODY has washed up on our shores this year. We do have rip currents, and if you cannot swim you should not go in above your knees. You should also be aware that swimming against the current is not the answer---you swim perpendicular to the current until you're out, then you head in. This one was a San Jose Tico visiting Tamarindo. Part of living free is taking personal responsibility.

OUR FAVORITE BEACH has begun to disappear. The place where we drive up under a shade tree, take out the cooler and massage table, and romp with our dogs and play Frisbee is being replaced by a $300 million, 214 room Hyatt hotel. They truly are paving Paradise and putting up a parking lot.

LIKE MANY PLACES IN THE US (Florida, for example), Costa Rica is entertaining more tourists than is sustainable. In Quepos/Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica's government has OK'd the first private utility (PPP) to try to get enough water into that area. In 1 Dream Getaway Territory, 40 residents of Liberia protested and blocked the road for Papagayo Allegro Resort (and others) from trucking their raw sewage and dumping it in a Liberia lot. It becomes harder by the day to find the real Costa Rica among all the tourist traps, but we're still doing it.

GLOBAL WARMING seems to be affecting different parts of the world differently. 2008 is the first year we have not had our constant storm force (Papagayo) winds blowing in December, January and February. Now we are having cloudy days in February, and I'm willing to bet will have rain in this month. And just as this is written, it is raining! We NEVER get rain between November and April. But it is still a beautiful day to be outside, quite different from letters we're receiving from our friends in other parts.

IT IS TIME FOR REFLECTION: As we say often throughout www.1dreamgetaway.com, we began this business to help the multitude of girls in Costa Rica find a real man, and often for their children to find good fathers. We've had some notable successes, and made some people very happy for the rest of their lives. However, either the content of our site has degraded or world morality is disappearing. Long ago we learned to ignore lawyers' inquiries and we deny them access to Paradise through us, as their nature is to be deceptive and their level of morality somewhere below that of a pond leach. We spend hours daily deleting Chinese emails, and they have even hacked our Client Information Form. to send us vulgar information as to how to enlarge our penis or sell Viagra and pirated manufactured goods. It is, in truth, kind of scary that this degenerate race is rapidly becoming the world's next superpower. We've also become disheartened to learn that there are whores who want nothing more from their lives than to be career whores, and clients (or potential clients) who think they will find happiness with them. What could either of them possibly expect when they reach my age (60)?

The US has whores, booze, drugs and gambling, and we really never thought people would want to go trough the expense and hassle to come here for what they could find in their Yellow Pages. We don't even have Yellow Pages here. But then look at Tamarindo. At times we succumb to temptation and speak ill of Ticos, whose shortcomings are due to a lack of parental upbringing and education. But the Chinese we hear from make Ticos look like PHD saints, and now we are receiving letters from Gringos demonstrating the same level of irresponsibility. We don't follow our "competition" , nor do we have any interest in a bidding war over a Dominican prostitute. Please don't waste your time---or ours! From our window, it appears the human population (men and women) has lost its self-respect. What a truly sad observation! Perhaps some day Global Warming will solve it.

PS: If any of our readers knows a certain way to get this Chinese spam software (the emails come from numerous made-up names) off of our computer or block them, we sure would appreciate hearing from you.

HERE'S ANOTHER OPTION FOR SHOPPING AIRFARE:

sun-country-airlines-SY.html and: http://www.discountairlines1.com/reference/south-america.html

Remember to book into Liberia (LIR), Costa Rica---NOT SJO!

THIS FROM A CLIENT, which I read after returning from the beach: Good morning Alan, what a day...tried starting my car...no go, too cold. Tried to plug in my block heater....the plug snapped...Started to shovel the drive way the shovel snapped....Decided to go back to bed. Life does not have to be that way. Write to info@1dreamgetaway.com , and change yours for the better.

BANKING is an enigma in Costa Rica, and so we wanted to share our experiences to provide some local knowledge to those planning on establishing themselves here. Banco Nacional is run by Costa Rica and gives the best (and most) service. For that reason, it is always crowded. To get to a teller, you walk in, take a number, and wait. Sometimes the numbers are color-coded---the color indicting what day is your appointment with the teller. There are also banks who deal exclusively with MasterCard and some exclusively with Visa. As of late, we find the cash machines fairly reliable. As we do not get bills in the mail, we just have to know when to go where in order to ask for and pay our bills. However you can pay your phone bill via internet (and in some places you can also pay water and electricity bills online). Where we are, the local "pulparia" receives our town's electric bills once a month by bus and we must go there on the 20th of every month to pay. We can pay online or at a bank, but if we do not go to the pulparia and take our receipt, our electricity will be cut off, as unpaid receipts are collected by ICE at our local pulparia and given to the guys who cut power to deadbeats. So if we pay our electric bill elsewhere, we have to bring a copy of the paid receipt to the local pulparia. For that reason we just pay at the pulparia. With the recent onslaught of modern supermarkets and local stores with contracts to collect utility bills, do not get lulled into a false sense of security that your utilities will not be cut for non-payment just because you paid them.

As we have waited days just to get to a teller at Banco Nacional, we opened an account at Banco Cuscutlan, which is closer and has no lines. HOWEVER, Cuscutlan takes as long to process one person at the teller as Banco Nacional takes for twenty people. After we opened our account, we were told we could not deposit checks in our account. We are also denied changing the password on our debit card, and Cuscutlan changed our password on our Banking webpage (they do that here every three months), and has yet to tell us what our new password is after numerous emails and visits to the bank. Yesterday I went to a teller at Cuscutlan and asked what the balance is on our account, and he said he could not tell me.I cannot find out online, as Cusctlan will not tell me our new password. Our point is that local knowledge is hard fought and difficult to gain. Take advantage of it and ask around before opening a Costa Rica bank account. The situations and advice you will receive will vary depending upon where you are. Keep in mind that independent thinking, logic, work ethic and responsibility are not Tico qualities.

WHEN I CAME TO COSTA RICA, 200 colones bought a dollar. By 2007 is was up over c500, and dependably rose every month. As America's economy circles the drain, the trend is reversing and the colon has gone up in value to c493/$. We've been waiting to see what effect America's recession will have on us here, but the newspapers are telling us not to worry, so we won't. 1 Dream Getaway's prices have not changed. CAFTA is supposed to take effect in March, and it will be interesting to see what effect that has on us. Hopefully a favorable one. On her January visit, my mother was impressed with the host of new stores and plazas that have sprung up since her visit last year---but shocked by the prices. Paradise awaits you, and we handle the hassles so you can just enjoy it!

HERE IS A FREE SUPER DISCOUNT FROM 1 DREAM GETAWAY: It is also an explanation as to why we are in business. The house in the following photo is where you can buy your drugs directly from the supplier, rather than pay the high prices of the Tamarindo dealers. You also may pick up your own companion, and only have to pay for her booze and drugs.

To get there, you follow the signs along the road from Huacas to Tamarindo for Lomas de Santa Rosa, and make a left. The road climbs a hill, and at the very top is a giant Guanacaste tree. This house is behind that tree.

Costa Rica has a welfare program called "bono". If you are a single woman with children and can buy a lot, Costa Rica will build a house for you free of charge. The only stipulation is that you cannot sell or rent it. This is such a house. The owner, Anna, has a 15-year-old daughter, who she put out on the street as a hooker, and a 9-year-old boy. We are currently treating her abused dog, who ran away from home. As I work with a dog clinic, we went over with hundreds of dollars worth of medications for mange, but Martha apparently sold them---so there are probably Tamarindo tourists now shooting up with Mange medicine: In searching this dog's history, because he did not respond to typical treatment, we learned that he was truly a party animal. His Tico owner raised him on cocaine and loved to show off his stupor to his friends. This is why Latinas do not seek Ticos.

This is the Costa Rica you do not want to see, and that 1 Dream Getaway will never show you. We publish this without fear, as the authorities are well-aware of what we say and show here, and are also well-compensated.: Martha has visitors 24 hours per day, and they all wear back-packs. She also babysits other small children, who are getting more education than Costa Rica public schools will ever give them. 1 Dream Getaway shows you what Costa Rica should be, and used to be.

You should also be aware that under Costa Rica law, if a girl claims she is pregnant with your baby, your passport will be taken from you and your vacation will be extended 6 weeks until blood tests come back from Miami. If the blood tests show that she was telling the truth, your passport will be returned once you have given enough money to provide for the baby until he is 18 years old. This is something else that cannot happen when you travel with 1 Dream Getaway.

Anna is an alcoholic who works in various Tamarindo bars, and if you have come on your own you may know her (maybe her daughter too). She is now pregnant, and living with her boyfriend. A year ago she rented (illegally) her bono house to drug dealers. The father of the two little children of Martha (the renter) was an obnoxious, loud-mouthed, pony-tailed typical Tico drug dealer covered with tattoos and on whom we have never seen a shirt. As we live next door, we have spent countless sleepless nights listening to the parade of drunk clients and public buses delivering the drugs to the distribution point;. One morning about two months ago he jumped on his motorcycle, all hopped up on drugs, and drove into a truck coming down our street. Martha is now available.

This article is inspired by a vendor, who came to our home today as I was washing my car. He was selling junk to "rid Tamarindo of drugs". I pointed to the house and said: How about cleaning up that place?" and he responded that the dealers had the Tamarindo police on the payroll, and so they could do nothing. He continued by saying that was where he bought his drugs until he got "clean". So if you do not wish to pay 1 Dream Getaway prices for a nice resort with a genuine woman, you can find Martha (or her daughter) and spend your entire vacation in ecstasy (although you likely won't remember it when you get home.). As luck would have it, a customer came while writing this, and we took this photo so you can see Martha and the conditions in which two little tots live:...

IT HARDLY SEEMS POSSIBLE, but Tamarindo has actually gotten worse. They are tearing up the cobblestone road, and the normal standstill of busses, trucks and taxis has actually multiplied. Because of the crap in their water (drinking and beach) Costa Rica has cancelled plans to run an aqueduct from Arenal to Tamarindo, in fear that the entire waterway will become polluted. Bulldozers and Immigration are plowing down illegal buildings and deporting illegals (don't worry, the thieves and drug dealers are safe) but the bars, stores, realtors and supers are still selling the most expensive items anywhere in Costa Rica. They do have a new police department, so now at least there is a likelihood that you can get a theft report to give to your insurance company when you get home.

A CLIENT HAS SHARED A GREAT SITE FOR US SQUAREHEADS (Scandinavians) with really great flight fares to Liberia from the cold country of the US. Here it is:

http://www.worryfreevacations.com/

I enjoyed his comment that: Tomorrow it will warm up 60 degrees, but still be below freezing. Thanks Larry. (He's in Minnesota)

As reported in Costa Rica News archives, Tamarindo has long been known for drugs, whores, crime, disease and filth. The Residents' Association made arrangements to run an aqueduct from Arenal to give them clean water. AYA (the Costa Rican water company) has now denied them the aqueduct in fear of Tamarindo polluting the aqueduct. As one must drink shit (literally) when opening the tap in his $million condo, he must swim in the same when going to the beach. Our President, Oscar Arias, got in trouble for publicly stating that Quepos and Tamarindo are "lost", but he was right. Although Costa Rica's streets have no names, Tamarindo has one called Dengue Ally because its garbage collects water and becomes a breeding ground for the Dengue mosquito. We recommend that tourists avoid Tamarindo as well as Coco Beach. We do not know anyone who has not had Dengue in Coco, and thievery is rampant.

OUR CANADIAN CLIENTS now have their own terminal at LIR. Skyservice flies from numerous Canadian cities directly to LIR on Thursdays, and can be booked through Signature Vacations at 667-0923 (note: this is a Liberia phone number, so dial 011-506 first. They speak English. Or you can write to us at info@1dreamgetaway.com. .

UNTIL 1994, Costa Rica had 6-digit phone numbers. As of March 12, 2008 we will have 8-digit phone numbers. Existing landlines will add the digit 2 to the beginning, and existing cell phones will add the digit 8. So at the stroke of midnight on March 12, our office number will be: (011 506) 2652-9017, and our cell number will be: (011 506) 8389-7479.

2008 begins with the most beautiful weather imaginable, all resorts full, and condos, condos, condos reaching for the sky. The trade winds have brought cooler water to the beaches, and fishing is great. 1 Dream Getaway is hiding out and waiting for things to open up and settle down. They are paving Paradise and putting up a parking lot, but we can still show you the real Costa Rica. Our most popular resort, HPH, will close for extensive remodeling in April, so get your reservations in soon. AND DON'T FORGET OUR MAY BIRTHDAY PARTY. Write to info@1dreamgetaway.com to reserve your spot. The wars go on-and-on-and-on, but we have no army---just friendly people, gorgeous beaches, volcanoes, horses, ox carts and beautiful women.

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CLICK HERE TO SHARE OUR MAY, 2007 BIRTHDAY PARTY

Costa Rica May 2008 Birthday Party photos are here!

As two of our guests were born in July, we're opening the May 2009 Party NOW!

You don't have to wait until 2009, and it doesn't have to be in May.

It's PARTY TIME when 3 to 7 people sign up and give us a date!

$2500 for a week in an ocean view mansion with companion.

You get the people, we set it up. Write info@1dreamgetaway.com

for the birthday party of your life!

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