Broken News
(All the News That's Fit to Reprint)
Riteve Bites the Dust
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| A Riteve Station |
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| Cleaning Up to Hand Back to the Government |
Vehicle inspection in Costa Rica is handled by an organization called Riteve or Revisión Técnica Vehicular (vehicle technical test). This NGO is contracted with a private firm, licensed and supervised by the government. For whatever reason, the government and/or Riteve licensee failed to come to a new agreement, either temporary or permanently and the operation shut down on Thursday, July 14th when Riteve handed out its last inspection stickers.
The government is seeking a temporary replacement of the contract while it plans a permanent revision of the system. In the meantime all 13 Riteve inspection stations have shut down operations, idling some 500 employees. who are now unemployed.
Some pundits and other observers are predicting that
the outage could take anywhere from two months to two years to reinstate. They also note that accident rates declined after the original Riteve process was put in place in 2002. Might one expect the reverse this time? Sounds like a national security priority.
There are about 1.5 million vehicles operating in Costa Rica of which cars represent 63%, motorcycles 19%, light duty vehicles 13% and heavy load vehicles 3%.
More Immigration Officials To Be Added at Airports
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| Recent Immigration Line at SJO |
Over the past two years the change in procedures and documents required to deal with the pandemic has slowed the arrival process at our airports. With the resumption of more tourism and arrivals, the waiting time to get through immigration, baggage claim and customs has increased significantly.
In some cases people have reported up to four hours at our main and central airport (SJO - Juan Santamaria) and not much better at the Guanacaste alternative (LIR - Liberia Airport).
The government announced on July 21 that 75 new immigration officials will be added to the two international airports raising their current specialized immigration staffing to about 120 and expecting that arrival transit times will be reduced to about one hour.
GG found this interesting as I returned from the States on June 1 and zipped right through the arrival process. Well, it was a Sunday...
Prez Nixes Electric Train Project
A big splash was made under our previous president, Señor Carlos Andrés Alvarado Quesada when it was announced in 2021 that testing of electric trains had begun in San José. Current estimates are that the project will cost around $1.55 Billion which is roughly 10% of the entire annual budget.
Our current President Rodrigo Chaves "buried" the project on July 20 saying:
“We found US$1.4 million dollars in studies and in those studies that were given to a Spanish company – without a tender – there is little to no information to decide if this train project made economic sense.” And he went on, after canceling a $550 million loan request from the Central American Bank for Economic Integration: “I do not have the stomach to mortgage the future of the youth of this country with a project that is worth US$1.5 billion in debt and that costs US$150 million a year in subsidies to the operator (…). This whim is buried,” added Chaves.
That´ll teach us to elect an economist as president; he just might want to see financial justification for large expenditures and a return on investment. More to be revealed.
¡Pura Vida!
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Economic Drumbeat
(Costa Rica Business Happenings)
Gasoline Price Monthly Machinations
With the gasoline price trend reaching over 1,021 colones per liter (about $5.62 per gal) for regular grade in June, it was good to see a drop for a change, which occurred on July 3. Regular gas dropped to 993₡/l ($5.45/gal), still very high but trending in the right direction.
To further stabilize the situation, the president passed a law submitted by the assembly that freezes increases in the fuel tax for a period of six months. Despite the reduction above, the regulating authority for gasoline (ARESEP) proposed, on July 21, another hike in the price of regular of 88 colones per liter for regular bringing the price back up to 1,081 colones/liter or $6.01/gal (exchange rate of 676₡/$).
We won´t know for two weeks what the new reality will be.
Government Moves to Offset Rice Tariffs and Electricity Rates
To help stabilize costs and moderate the inflation situation, President Rodrigo Chaves announced that the tariff on imported rice will be reduced to 5% from the current 31%. Rice being an important part of the diet in Costa Rica, this is expected to provide significant relief. Chaves also stated that compensation will be provided to national producers of rice.
In addition Chaves stated that electricity rates from the national power company (ICE) will be reduced by about 5.6%.
Annual Inflation Rate Reaches 10.6%
In early July the government announced that the 12-month inflation rate as of the end of June had reached 10.6%. The rate continues on a trend upward with the January to June period alone registering a 7.35% and the month of June alone coming in at 1.78%. That is the highest monthly rate since 2008 and the highest annual rate in the last ten years.
The major contributors to the higher inflation rate were price increases in fuel, oil, tomato and onion according to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) published by the National Institute of Statistics and Census (INEC).
¡Pura Vida!
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Latin America Updates
(Major Events In Neighboring Countries)
Colombia
TimeOut is an international magazine that has been published in London, England since the 1960´s. They do an annual index rating of restaurants, theaters, art galleries, nightlife, dating apps and which neighborhoods are cool (definition please?). This year´s list of the top 53 cities places Medellin, Colombia as #3. TimeOut said this about Medellin:
"Known as the City of Eternal Spring, Medellín offers more than just good weather year round. Fervently proud of their city (this being the only one in Colombia to have a metro system), the Paisa people are brimming with energy, entrepreneurship and curiosity; it’s really hard not to make good friends here."
Medellin was edged out by two cities: Edinburgh, Scotland (#1) and Chicago, USA (#2) and was followed by Glasgow, Scotland (#4); Amsterdam, Netherlands (#5); Prague, Czech Republic (#6); Marrakech, Morocco (#7); Berlin, Germany (#8); Montreal, Canada (#9) and Copenhagen, Denmark (#10).
Congratulations to Medellin and it was also good to see Chicago on a positive list given all the recent bad press.
Nicaragua
a. As reported by Costa Rican press, "a group called the Misioneras Caridad de la Madre Teresa de Calcuta (Missionaries of Charity of Mother Teresa of Calcutta) arrived in Costa Rica, after being expelled by the Nicaraguan regime of Daniel Ortega".
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| Caridad Nuns Walking Into Costa Rica |
The group of 18 sisters were welcomed by Monsignor Manuel Eugenio Salazar Mora, the Bishop of Tilarán. On his Facebook page the Bishop wrote: “Sisters, welcome to these lands, our Diocese has open doors to receive you, thank you for your example, dedication and service to the poorest of the poor.” Father Sunil Kumar, a catholic priest and Episcopal Vicar for Religious Life for the diocese led the group to the parish of La Cruz.
The action occurred only a few days after Ortega´s government decided to uproot and forcefully expel the Misioneras de la Caridad, missionaries who had been in Nicaragua for 40 years. They did so under police guard and with the pretext that they "failed to comply with the Law Against Money Laundering, the Financing of Terrorism and the Financing of the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction".
Weapons of mass destruction? Really, this must be the only nunnery I know of that has ém?
a. UPDATE 12 July 2022: Just when we thought the expulsion of nuns was a bad enough story, Señor Ortega and company found a way to make it worse within a week of the expulsion. La Prensa, which used to be the largest free newspaper publisher in the country, but which now is not operating because of persecution by the regime, including severely limiting their paper supply, became the latest target when two reporters were arrested and are now being held in "pretrial detention". Their crime? Actually reporting that the nuns had been expelled from the country. As the photo above suggests, the police have now also taken over the La Prensa office.
b. Costa Rica Ambassador Downgraded. On July 13th, the Costa Rican ambassador to Nicaragua, Duilio Duilio Hernández Avilés, had his diplomatic status in Nicaragua downgraded from Ambassador to Chargé D’Affairs by the government . This was probably in retaliation for Costa Rica´s similar action against the Nicaraguan ambassador in June 2021 with the stated reason from the Costa Rican government being the “political conditions in that country”.
Not is all well between the Ticos and the Nicas.
¡Solo Bueno!
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The Curse Is Finally Broken!
(This Is What Was Learned: Never Tick Off a Priest)
Watching and playing futbol (or, if you must; soccer) is not only a pastime in Costa Rica but it is somewhat of an obsession, much like football is in the U.S., even though the type of football is drastically different.
GG eventually started following a certain futbol team here a couple of years after taking up residency. Dare I say I picked it only because I liked it´s name and often heard it bandied about the town? The team is called Saprissa and is stadium-based in the Tibás section of San Jose. Turns out that Saprissa has won more national titles, 36 to be precise, in its 87 year history that any other team in Ticoland. The team is shown below shortly after they won their last and 36th national title in May of 2021.
Founded on 16 July, 1935 (87 years ago) the 36 Primera División de Costa Rica championships that Saprissa has won included six consecutive national titles in the 70s. It stands as one of the more successful teams in the CONCACAF region as well, having won the CONCACAF Champions' Cup three times – in 1993, 1995, and 2005. The photo above was taken at their 36th celebration: note that one of their older team members is the famous
Keylor Navas (white "X" in the photo) who has since gone to Paris (PSG - Paris St- Germain Team) but who still plays as goalie for the Costa Rica national team or "Sele". I´m sure he´ll be doing so at the FIFA World Cup games in Qatar this November and December.
CONCACAF is made up of the North American Zone (Canada, Mexico, United States); the Central American Zone (Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama) as well as 31 islands in the Caribbean. Together CONCACAF´s 41 teams make up one of the six continental governing bodies (shown by map left) that in turn has 211 teams represented by FIFA, the International Federation of Futbol Associations.
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The Blue Force Always Brings Out
the Blue in Their Fans |
But, getting back to the Tico national championship, my Saprissa guys recently lost a semi-final playoff game to their arch rival Liga Deportiva Alajuelense (literally translated as The Alejuela Sports League) but affectionately known as "La Liga".
The other match leading to the finals was won by the team from Cartago, also known as the Cartaginés (incidentally Cartago is the Spanish word version of Carthage just like we have the Atenas version of Athens here) More affectionately; the Cartago team is known as La Fuerza Azul or "The Blue Force".
So the finals for the national championship came down to La Liga versus the Cartaginés. The rules called for two games to be played and the team that accumulates the highest goal total in those games becomes the new champion. The first game on Sunday, July 3 was one by Cartago 1-0 and with that the smell of victory began to pervade the Blue Force Stadium.
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| Basílica Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles |
This is where the story becomes even more interesting. Poor Cartago, founded in 1906 (and making the Cartaginés the oldest team in the Premier Division) has not won a national championship since 1940. Some believe that the reason is because of a curse placed on the team that year by a Priest of the Basílica Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles, located in Cartago. This Basilica is the largest in Costa Rica and revered by Costa Ricans, as well as being the termination point of an annual pilgrimage in honor of the Virgin Mary that often draws more than one million people from all over the country.
So the story of the curse is actually a story of two curses, depending on whose version you entertain. Both are related to an incident at the Basilica after the 1940 Cartaginés team decided to whoop it up by storming the Basilica, even riding their horses into the sanctuary. Version 1 of the curse says a priest in service to the Basilica chased them out and in the process placed a curse on them.
Version 2 is called "the curse of "El Muñeco" and says that a strange voodoo-like doll (muñeco) was supposedly buried under Cartaginés' turf at their stadium in order to prevent them from winning further titles and bringing bad luck to the club. Some of the legend lovers say both happened. GG finds that development of legends and curses is always interesting in Costa Rican culture. That set the stage for the final-FINAL game on Wednesday, July 6 at 5 pm at the Cartago stadium.
As you might expect, the Cartago fans (who seemed to control the vast majority of the seats available in the stadium, and going into the last game with a 1-0 lead in goals, were besides themselves with excitement and anticipation almost all of them wearing something blue. There also was a lot of "TP-ing" and the police had to patrol to prevent that from getting bad enough on the field to injure players. The game proceeded and it seemed to this observer that the Cartaginés were aggressive and badgered the La Liga guys, pushing them around with little mercy except basic futbol politeness which Costa Ricans are good at.
It wasn´t until the last few minutes of the game when The Blue Force slipped one into the La Liga net to take the lead at 1-0, but more importantly the championship lead, at 2-0. When the buzzer finally went off pandemonium hit the stadium.
And the curse of the good Father and the buried Doll was finally broken after 82 years.
¡Solo Bueno!
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Rumble and Weather Talk
(Shaky Happenings & Weather Observations About the Pacific Rim)
Weather
Tropical storm Bonnie turned out to be, fortunately, a bit of a blow out. It came into the Central American Isthmus much like Hurricane Nate did in October of 2017 (which caused nearly a billion dollars in damage), at the Caribbean side of the Nicaragua/Costa Rica border. It then proceeded westerly, again fortunately traveling faster than most storms of its size but not with hurricane force winds, eventually weaving in and out of the border before emerging on the west side of the isthmus. Bye, bye Bonnie!
Let´s not get too comfortable, the weather service is forecasting a series of "Tropical Waves" this rainy season which still could mean flooding and damage.
Five buds including GG were out in the countryside in early June and we personally verified the effect of the rainy season. We were looking for a certain lot that one of our buds was interested in and, though we finally found it, we had to traverse at about 5 km/hr at least a mile of road with mud-holes every 5 to10 meters.
And at one point we had to actually had to cross a flowing stream. Fortunately, some locals had provided large stones below the surface of the water that were strong enough to support our vehicle. One of our party was able to capture the passage and it can be viewed HERE.
Rumbling
All continues to be quiet on the western front - ain´t it bootiful?
Check Out Recent Earthquakes All Around the World Posted by the U.S.G.S. Recent Quakes |
¡Pura Vida!
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¿Que es Eso? Department (¿What is That?)
What on earth happened to this poor butterfly - it looks like it was caught in the spray of a painting device nearby.
It couldn´t be real could it?
Answer in
What's-in-a-Word
section below.
¡Pura Vida!
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Search the Golden Gringo Chronicles Archives for Topics That Interest You
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Sea Turtles of Costa Rica
(And About Respecting Their Habitat)
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| Major Turtle Nesting Areas in Costa Rica |
Part of the amazing diversity of Costa Rica is the number and variety of sea turtles that return to our beaches annually. Up to 13 species (including fresh water varieties) of turtle have been reported seen in Costa Rica but four main species of sea turtle predominate and are discussed below. The primary nesting locations on both coasts are shown in the map to the left.
The four main species of turtle to be found here are as follows:
Leather-back (below, right): This is the largest of all marine turtles found around the world. These gigantic reptiles can reach up to six feet in length and weigh upwards of 1,200 pounds (wow, that´s one heck of a reptile).
Their name derives from the leathery skin which covers their bodies and forms their shells. This thick, rubbery skin is black in color and unlike the hard, bony carapaces (the bona shield that serves as a shell) of other turtles. Leather-backs are prevalent in nesting on the Caribbean side at Tortuguero National Park but may also be found on the Pacific side (nobody tells these babies where they can go). They consume as much as their own body weight daily of invertebrates like jellyfish and are believed to be an important check on jellyfish blooms which can othewise result in marine ecosystem damage.
Leather-backs are believed to be the oldest turtles on this planet, dating back as much as 150 million years and having survived the extinction of the dinosauers "until the last several decades when human interactions have taken a major toll."
The typical nesting time for Leather-backs is from March to July but the cautionary respect for nesting turtles listed below should be observed for them as well as all sea turtles.
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| Atlantic Green Sea Turtle |
Green Turtles (left): These can be found in both Caribbean (Tortuguero is a favorite for these also) and Pacific versions (Ostional National Park in Guanacaste). Greens are somewhat more modest in size than the leather-backs, but can grow up to 4 feet or (1.5 meters) in length and weigh up to 300 kg or 650 lbs.
Green Sea Turtles nest from June to October along the North Caribbean but especially in Tortuguero (looks like Tortuguero is quite popular with many a variety of turtle, eh?).
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| Olive Ridley Turtle |
Olive Ridleys (right). The Olive Ridley is the second smallest of the sea turtles. They weigh in at 75-100 pounds (34 - 45 kg) and reach 2-2 ½ feet (roughly .6 m) in length. The Olive Ridley nests in mass, i.e., dozens to hundreds or even more than a thousand at a time in an event called an "arribada" (roughly translated as "put into port"). Costa Rica is one of only about a half dozen countries in the world where arribadas take place (others are: Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Australia, parts of Africa, and a few beaches along the coast of India.
This turtle is named after the color of its carapace. I´m told that adults reach sexual maturity around the age of 15 years (which is better than some people GG knows).
Olive Ridleys are primarily Pacific Ocean turtles and "omnivores, eating a variety of prey including crabs, shrimp, lobster, urchins, jellies, algae, and fish. In Baja California, Mexico, their preferred prey is the red crab which is abundant in offshore waters".
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| Hawksbill Turtle |
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| Hawksbill Shell Bracelet |
Hawksbill (left). The shell of this one is considered by many as the most beautiful of turtles. It also has been the undoing of the species due to over-catching and poaching for their shells which produces beautiful jewelry such as the bracelet at lower left.
Hawksbill turtles nest four times a season (May to September) producing up to 200 eggs each time. The population of Hawksbills is estimated to have declined by 80% in the last century due to its overfishing and they are currently on the critically endangered list.
Their is another particular and peculiar aspect to Hawksbills. They feed almost exclusively on sponges and, since this helps the reefs grow coral, the action of the Hawksbills helps protect the reef. Unfortunately, sponges contain chemicals that accumulate in the tissue of the Hawksbill that can be very harmful, even fatal to humans.
Sea turtles prefer a darkened, quiet beach on which to do their nesting. Any disturbance, in the manner of too much lighting, commotion, foreign objects such as beach chairs and, particularly groups of humans wandering about can interrupt their intention to nest. To give an example of how serious this can be we go back to 2015 when a group of several hundred visitors showed up at Ostional Wildlife Refuge in Guanacaste to watch turtles do an arribada.
The number of tourists simply overwhelmed the turtles and local press reported it this way:
- Yahoo News Canada's Daily Buzz reported hundreds of people flocked to the refuge's beaches this past weekend in hopes of watching thousands of pregnant sea turtles emerge from the water.
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The crowds got so large that several national police officers were called in to assist park rangers. However efforts to push back visitors came up short.
- The mass of people led some turtles to turn back to the water without laying their eggs, while some tourists were seen taking selfies with the reptiles and even touching them or resting small children on top of them.
- Ministry for the Environment and Energy workers union secretary Leonel Delgado told La Nacion that visitors' actions had "a negative impact." In addition to threatening the health and safety of the sea turtles, the overwhelming tourist presence also threatened the future of the sea turtle population.
- Only a small percentage of the hatched sea turtles will survive, and that percentage may have been further reduced by visitors stepping on nests and interacting with other aspects of the beach.
- In 2015 Costa Rican authorities said they plan to address concerns by only permitting smaller groups led by licensed and experienced tour guides to access the beaches in the future. (In fact they did institute this policy)
Typically, the annual "arribada" event is free from the threat of tourists as heavy river-swelling rainfall usually makes the refuge inaccessible but 2015 was a remarkably dry season which added to the eye-popping numbers of visitors.
Regardless, travelers and nature lovers can learn a lesson from the over-zealous tourists.
Come on folks, give us turtles a break!
Use caution and respect amigos mios.
¡Solo Bueno!
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Health Stuff
| Note: The information given in this section is offered as news information only and does not indicate GGC confirmation or denial of the accuracy of the treatment or a recommendation to pursue it, nor can we or do we guarantee the efficacy of the results nor validity of the conclusions proffered.
(How's that for a disclaimer amigos?) |
New Covid Variant Found Here
A new subvariant of the Omicron version of Covid-19 (this one called XAF) has been discovered in the southern zone of Costa Rica and given rise to a cluster of 129 cases.
According to the health authorities this variant is a recombinant (combination of at least two earlier variants but is neither more contagious nor more aggressive than the previous omicron variant. It does create an aberration in the data however, as the (total) Covid new case load had fallen to a seven day average of less than 1,000 but now shows a spike.
¡Pura Vida!
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Travel Quote of the Month
Travel to enough countries where English is not the native language and you will encounter interesting uses of our native tongue, to wit:
- In a Vienna hotel: "In case of fire, do your best to alarm the hotel porter."
- In a Yugoslavian hotel: "The flattening of underwear with pleasure is the job of the chambermaid."
- Outside a Hong Kong tailor shop: "Dresses for street walking."
- In a Swiss mountain inn: "Special today - No ice cream!"
- In a Rome laundry: "Ladies, leave your clothes here and spend the afternoon having a good time."
- In an Acapulco hotel: "The manager has personally passed all the water served here."
¡A Cachete!
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GGC Bookshelf
GGC Publications Group is the parent organization that publishes the Golden Gringo Chronicles as well as a number of books and paraphernalia related to the Chronicles and Costa Rica. The GGC Bookshelf also includes works from a number of other authors that belong to the Quepos-Manuel Antonio Writers Group in which GGC has been a founding member.
Here are the books currently on our bookshelf:
All of the above books are available on Amazon.com and the "Read More" links above will lead you to them. You can find more detail on all of them on our GGC Publications Page.
GGC Products Store
GGC Publications also offers some accessories and paraphernalia related to the Chronicles and with Costa Rican themes, to wit:
T-Shirts:
a.
Golden Gringo Chronicles with Logo
b.
Official Golden Gringo with Monkey on Banana Hammock
c.
¡Quepo en Quepos! ("I Fit In Quepos!") with Photo of Quepos
d.
Wanna Monkey Around? - Come on Down! (shown) with Photo of White Faced Monkey, e.
It's OK to be Slothful with photo of Three-Toed Sloth.
The t-shirts are available in several themes, colors, styles and sizes. See them all
HERE.
Coffee Mugs:
a. Golden Gringo, b. Wanna Monkey Around?, c. It's OK to be Slothful
See them all HERE:
What's life without a great cup of Costa Rican coffee? And it tastes even better in a Golden Gringo Chronicles mug!
To see ALL the products available in the Golden Gringo Store go here: GGC Store.
¡Solo Bueno!
What's-in-a-Word
"Tell me and I forget; teach me and I remember; involve me and I learn"
– Benjamin Franklin
Answer to Que Es Eso
Yes, that blue butterfly above (and the one to the left are real) and the markings are natural. It belongs to the group of blue-based butterflies called Blue Morphos and the one shown above is of the sub-species Morpho Deidamia. The one on the left however, has elected to have a red fringe on its wings. Blue Morphos are found in forests in the U.S. (southern tip of Florida), Mexico, and Costa Rica but are especially prolific in Costa Rica, Brazil and Venezuela.
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| Morpho Displaying |
GG continues to be amazed to see morphos almost every morning as he walks a few hundred meters down a certain road in Manuel Antonio. Another thing that makes them so beautiful is the gracefulness with which they flutter and fly. The local variety here seems to be a solid and deep blue color on top of their wings with a deep brown on the backside which often can display markings that look like eyes. The Morpho´s amazing and beautiful blue wings can reflect light and become almost luminescent like in the example in the gallery below.
Blue Morphos are one of the largest butterflies in the world growing up to be approximatelty 5–6 inches wide. The diet of the the Blue Morpho changes throughout each stage of its life. "As a caterpillar, it chews leaves. When it becomes a butterfly it drinks its food instead. Adults use a long, protruding mouthpart called a proboscis as a drinking straw to sip the juice of rotting fruit, the fluids of decomposing animals, tree sap, fungi and wet mud. Blue Morphos taste fruit with sensors on their legs, and they “taste-smell” the air with their antennae, which serve as a combined tongue and nose".
The lifespan of a Blue Morpho is one of the shortest in the butterfly world and typically averages 115 days from metamorphosis. Their primary purpose during their brief lifespan is to procreate (GG knows some people who are this way also).
Samples of other versions of morphos are shown in the gallery below:
¡Pura Vida!
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ROMEO Corner
(Retired Old Men Eating Out)
Rico-Tico Jungle Grill at Si Como No, Manuel Antonio
Location: Main Road to MA Beach, About 50 Meters Beyond Promerica Shopping Center in the Si Como No Complex.
Hours: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Parking: Pretty good inside the complex zone.
Contacts: Tel: +506 2777 0777; Website: Si Como No Resort – Spa & Wildlife Refuge
Reviewing ROMEOS: Annie C., Barry S., Bob N., Chris D., Dennis R., Glen N., Harry C., Mark P.; Olga C.; Roger B.; Ruth R.
To Review Our Rating System Go Here: R.O.M.E.O. Rating System
Rico-Tico Jungle Grill is one of two restaurants at this resort, the other being Claro Que Si. Rico-Tico is a poolside restaurant with an ample lunch menu. The dining room is open to the outside and offers one of the best views of the jungle below and the rock islands of Manuel Antonio and the Pacific beyond.
Unfortunately the access to the Rico-Tico requires a diner to negotiate a number of stone stairways and steps which can be a bit difficult for the aging or infirm or for little ones. It may also be why there is a second restaurant in the complex at ground level (Claro Que Si).
The composite score for Ambiance came in at 3.9/5.0.
The menu given us was essentially a lunch menu but offered a number of different sandwiches, wraps and rices - a very Tico assortment. Before our orders were fulfilled we were served chips with pico de gallo salsa and an aguacate or avocado paste - nice touch.
GG decided on a Wrap de Pescado, a large spinach wrap filled with fresh salad greens and a good sized piece of a tender, breaded whitefish. Very tasty and ample enough for GG to request a doggie bag (or is it a monkey bag here?).
Other ROMEOs ordered variety of foods including a pork sandwich, grilled dorado, a trout salad, fish taco, seafood soup, mahi-mahi and fish fingers (methinks there is a seafood undercurrent in this menu).
The composite score for food quality came in at 3.65/5.0. |
 |
 .65 |
| $$$.9 |
Value Index= 94 |
Service was provided by a young lady name Paola and a young gentleman named Alan. While they were not necessarily ebullient in their demeanor, they were polite and helpful. The composite score for service came in at 3.5/5.0 making the average composite score for ambiance, food quality and service 3.65 sloths out of a maximum 5.0.
GG´s fish wrap and a ginger-ale michelada came in just over $20 including the requisite 13% sales tax and 10% service tax. The composite score for cost came in at 3.97/5.0 which yields a Value Index of 3.65 / 3.9 x 100 = 94 and puts it at the lower end of our area-evaluated restaurants for value.
While not an exceptional rating, the ROMEOs can advise that a good basic lunch can be had at Rico-Tico but be prepared to pay full fare for it.
¡Solo Bueno!
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Pura Vida!
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