Broken News
(All the News That's Fit to Reprint)
Fifty Year Drought Affecting Electricity Generation
Costa Rica prides itself in recent years on often achieving 99% electricity generation from renewable sources, chiefly hydro-electric generation plants. This year, however, has gone down as one of the hottest and driest experienced in at least 50 years and the water levels in the reservoirs supporting the hydro-electric plants have reached critical lows.
GG had already awoken at 3 AM in the early morning of May 7 only to have a completely dark apartment, no night-light nor any other eminating from various electrical appliances. I stumbled around for a few minutes trying to find my flashlight and when I did, I was happy and grateful to learn I wasn´t dead, because the darkness was that complete. Any reader suggestions on what someone can do for an hour in complete darkness? Sleep I suppose, but that was pretty early and I just couldn´t get back to sleep.
A couple of days later ICE announced their electricity rationing plan, a schedule of planned power outages to conserve water; that for the Quepos area is shown in the table to the left. For us, and for as long as necessary (which they are unable to predict) Quepos will experience 1-hour planned outages on a daily basis from 8-9 pm every Monday through Friday.
The good news is we had a strong tormenta (storm) around May 9 and several rain storms since. The rainy season looks like its finally here and this caused ICE to quickly delay and finally cancel the planned power outages.
The full story on how Costa Rica´s electricity supply works is explained below.
Some Predict Climate Will Change Coffee Taste
Typically 100% of the coffee beans grown in Costa Rica and 60% of those grown worldwide are from the Coffee Arabica plant, commonly known as type Arabica. This specie of the coffee plant lends itself to variations and what we now know as high quality specialty flavors. Costa Rica is particularly suited to coffee production, and of this specie, because of its high altitudes, warm temperatures, steady rainfall, and volcanic soil.
Climate change followers are now saying that we might be facing a change in the taste of our coffees as Arabica plants can be harder to grow as ambient temperature increases and rainfall diminishes, drought conditions which we´ve experienced in 2024. The likely substitute for Arabica would be the Robusta specie which, unfortunately, is higher in acid and caffeine and lacks some of the great variant flavors of its cousin Arabica.
(Please Lord, don´t let anything happen to my coffee, anything but that! It even tastes good in the dark)
To read more about the effect on coffee, go here: Why your coffee may soon taste different.
BCR Trimming Number of Branches
BCR, El Banco de Costa Rica, is the second National Bank (government owned) and is now following a plan to "optimize" it´s physical and financial structure including the closing of branches deemed superfluous. Its latest plan calls for the closing of some nine branches in the Central Valley. According to the Deputy Manager of BCR Personal Banking: "These branches were carefully selected after analyzing the proximity and strategic relationship with other BCR service points, the migration to digital channels and customer traffic. We ensure that the coverage and accessibility of our services are not affected.”
BCR has been targeted by the current Chaves administration for sale to private interests with a price tag of $1.78 Billion which is a very significant amount for a country that has a total annual budget in the range of $15 billion. But the sale will have to be approved by the Assemblea in which the president´s current party holds only 10 of 57 seats, so the outcome is not yet predictable.
GG has a vested interest in this story because it´s his local bank.
Armed Confrontation at Quepos Airport
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| Quepos Airfield (XQP) |
In a scene more reminiscent of CSI Miami than our local airport, five armed men entered the Aeroporto de Quepos late Saturday, May 18 near midnight and attempted to steal an airplane. Because it was so late, long after the last inbound flight, the only people present were two guards in their guardhouse.
The intruders attacked the guards, beat and gagged them but after entering the plane realized that police (Fuerza Publica, the National Police Force) were also patrolling the area. The perpetrators got cold feet and fled. The police freed the hostages and had them transfered to the nearby Quepos Hospital for treatment.
The OIJ (Organismo de Investigación Judicial - the Costa Rican equivalent to the FBI) said that "the case remains under investigation and evidence collection to arrest the suspects."
¡Pura Vida!
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Economic Drumbeat
(Costa Rica Business Happenings)
Proposal to Make U.S. Dollar Costa Rica´s Currency
A legislator of the Assemblea (National Assembly) named Dengo Rosabal of the Partido Liberal Progresista (PLP or Liberal Progressive Party) recently introduced a bill for discussion in the Assembly that would make the United States Dollar the primary currency in the country. Sr. Dengo then resigned his position on May 1, half way through the legislative term, citing family health concerns.
Dengo´s bill sets forth a fixed exchange rate of ¢576.62 colones per dollar which, under the new system would be unalterable. Banks would be required to exchange colones at the fixed rate with no charge for converting. The Central Bank of Costa Rica would also be the provider of Dollars to the banking system. The use of colones as legal tender would continue for 1 year after the law is passed.
The details were proposed and provided in a revision of article 42 of the Ley Orgánica del Banco Central (central bank law) to specify that the official currency of the country will be the United States dollar. To accomplish this will require passing the bill through several assembly committees as well as then having it signed by the President.
There are currently three Latin American Countries (Ecuador, El Salvador and Panama) that have the U. S. Dollar as their official currency.
Vamos a ver que pasa... we´ll see what happens.
Brief Improvement in $ Exchange Rate
The graph to the right shows the ten year trend in the Colone/Dollar exchange rate ihigh point ofr the Colon and low point for the dollar at 700¢/$ early in 2023.before plummeting clear down to a level of a bit less that 500¢/$. In recent weeks the rate has regained slightly, first to 509¢/$ and more recently to 514¢/$. UPDATE: Week ending May 24, the buy/sell range closed at 515-520¢/$, yet another improvement.
Several senior ministers in the government including the President have pointed vaguely to the possibility of pressure on the decreasing dollar rate coming from a large balance of dollars in central bank reserves and which might in turn have been caused by suspicious transfers, i.e., drug related money. Consequently policies are being changed to better track the flow of dollars into and through Costa Rica.
Gasoline Price Up Again
The government fuel pricing authority (ARESEP or Autoridad Reguladora de los Servicios Públicos) announced in early May that prices for gasoline, both regular and super would be increased within two weeks to reflect fuel purchasing costs in the international market (Costa Rica has no oil production capacity and must import finished products). Super grade is up 15 colones/liter, Regular is up 31 colones/liter and Diesel is down 4 colones/liter, The following table gives the latest prices, recent changes and the dollar equivalents.
¡Pura Vida!
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Latin America Updates
(Major Events In Neighboring Countries)
Brazil
Rains Causing Havoc in Southern Brazil. While Costa Rica has been suffering the worst drought in 50 years, the people of Southern Brazil are fighting torrential rains. Hardest hit is the State of Rio Gran do Sul about 800 km southwest of Säo Paulo where more than 140 people have died in the flood waters in the last several weeks. Over 800 people have been injured and an additional 125 are missing.
In Porto Alegre (photo right), the state capital of Rio Gran do Sul, there are frequent alarms and expectations of the water level being 5 meters (16.4 feet) over normal and causing considerable flooding. People have been evacuated from various areas and the governor of the State of Rio Gran do Sul has asked that displaced citizens not return to their homes until the situation is controlled.
Nicaragua
Nicaragua Interoceanic Canal Nixed. In 2013 the National Assembly of Nicaragua, under the direction of the Ortega Government, passed Law 840 that would have granted the planning, construction and management of a Nicaraguan interoceanic waterway intended as competition to the Panama Canal. The control would go to the Chinese group Hong Kong Nicaragua Canal Development Investment Co. Limited (HKND Group), owned by Chinese businessman Wang Jing, for a period of 50 years.
There has been no progress on this project since then. The 278 kilometer canal idea (3.5 times the 80 km length of the Panama Canal) consistently ran into difficulties including the finance cost ($50 billion), the amount of land that would need to be expropriated and the potential polution of Lake Nicaragua, Central America´s largest, through which it would run.
With no progress for 13 years the assembly voted recently to repeal Law 840. The government says it won´t give up but, for the moment. the idea seems dead.
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| Ortega Bros - Humberto Left, Daniel Right As They Were During Sandanista Revolution |
House Arrest for Ortega´s Brother. The current president of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega, is known for his rather undemocratic treatment of anyone that resists his policies and efforts. This included his dictatorship reaction to the protests against him in 2018 when several hundred people were killed by paramilitary groups supported by Ortega. In the 2021 general election his government imprisoned over two dozen opponents, some by forced isolation
One other technique he used was the forced isolation of key opponents in their own homes. Still it was a bit surprising when it was recently learned that Daniel Ortega´s brother Humberto Ortega Saavedra is now on “de facto house arrest”. Humberto was top General of the Army for many years under Daniel. Evidently Humberto gave an interview with Argentine press recently and may have said something that Daniel´s wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo did not like. Point: Never tick off Rosie, the Veep Dictadora.
Latin America Changing to Free-Market Philosophy?
A recent article in a Costa Rican based newsletter pointed out that there are signs of a new appreciation by Latin American countries in acceptance of the principles of free markets and limited government. This compared to the draconian "previous experiments with more socialism-oriented economic policy, modeled on the authoritarian state interventionism like employed in Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua". Here´s what´s been happening in the countries whose flags are pictured above.
Ecuador: In October 2023 Daniel Noboa became Ecuador’s youngest president ever at age 35. A Harvard Kennedy School graduate, his campaign focused on job creation, tax exemptions and incentives for new businesses and he pledged attracting more foreign investment.
Argentina: In recent times inflation in Argentina has been running in excess of 200% per year. The new president, Javier Milei, elected last November, came in vowing to “exterminate” rampant inflation and “put a chainsaw to the state.” In the last four months the rate has been slowed to 8.8% on a monthly basis, still not the best but much improved.
Panama: In an election earlier this month Jose Raul Mulino, a 64-year-old former security minister in the government and staunch free-market advocate was elected the new president and stormed to victory on the campaign slogan “La Promesa de Chen Chen,” meaning “A promise of money in your pocket.”
Signs of free-market enthusiasm are on the rise in Latin America, eh amigos.
¡A Cachete!
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Feature #1: Its Not Just About Plastic Bags Anymore
(We Must Learn the Basics of Waste Management)
In 2019 Costa Rica implemented a new regulation whose intent was to eliminate one-way plastic bags commonly used in supermarkets and other retail emporiums. This was an early signal that plastic bags are one of the problems in the growing waste management problem. What soon appeared thereafter in supermarkets were large woven bags, often exhibiting the logo or theme of the retailer. These cloth bags were priced locally from 3,000 to 5,000 colones each ($6-10) - et le voila, the retailer had a new product they could sell to virtually all their customers.
Many local retailers at first simply eliminated plastic bags and concentrated on the woven versions alone. With the woven bags I would often forget them at home and would either buy another bag or have to make an extra trip after collecting one at home. After buying several of these bags GG had developed a collection of them which I gave to friends. In the past It was much more convenient to simply pass by the supermarket on the way home from various meetings, events or shopping and bring back a couple of plastic bags (of equal weight to ease my back problem - the woven bags also tended to carry more items and were consequently higher in weight).
What went on locally was evidently confusion on how to implement the technicalities of the new law (this according to recent local press reports). As time went on I noticed that plastic bags began to reappear, but now a fee was also attached to each plastic bag of 50-100 colones (U.S. 10-20¢). I´d like to think that the new money went to waste management efforts or how to make plastic bags biodegradable but somehow I doubt it.
It seems to me that what we´re facing here is the fall-out from our success as a planet. World Population has doubled in the last 50 years (4.1 to 8.1 billion) and the accumulation of trash has increased even more than that. It is becoming more and more apparent that, as a civilization, we must deal with both the population explosion and the resulting after-effects, a significant portion of which includes our waste products.
This concern with waste management is, of course, significant in the long-term survival of our species as well as being a worldwide problem. Figures below are expressed as terms of MSW or Municipal Solid Waste. Here are some of the things other countries are doing to help ease or control the problem:
United States
Recent figures (2018) for MSW show that 292.4 million tons (U.S. short tons or 2000 lbs/ton) were generated in the U.S. This is about 4.9 pounds per person per day. Of the total MSW figure, approximately 69 million tons were recycled and 25 million tons were composted (total 94 million tons) were recycled and composted, equivalent to a 32.1 percent recycling and composting rate. An additional 17.7 million tons of food were managed by other management pathways such as: animal feed, bio-based materials/biochemical processing, co-digestion/anaerobic digestion, donation, land application and sewer/wastewater treatment.
In addition to the above, nearly 35 million tons of MSW (11.8 percent) were combusted with energy recovery. That still left the U.S. with more than 146 million tons or 50 percent of MSW that was landfilled.
India
India´s population makes it the most populated country in the world and is currently pegged at 1.442 billion people, slightly greater than China and 17.8% of total world population. Much of the development in recent decades has come from rapid urbanization of its cities.
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| One of India´s Largest MSW Dump Sites |
"Over 377 million urban people live in 7,935 towns and cities and generate 62 million tonnes of municipal solid waste per annum. Only 43 million tonnes (MT) of the waste is collected, 11.9 MT is treated and 31 MT is dumped in landfill sites. Solid Waste Management (SWM) is one among the basic essential services provided by municipal authorities in the country to keep urban centres clean. However, almost all municipal authorities deposit solid waste at a dumpyard within or outside the city haphazardly." The photo to the right is of one of the largest dump sites located near the city of Guwahati.
It is estimated that India produces 62 million metric tons of waste each year, of which only 43 million are collected. From those 43 million metric tons of waste, 12 million are treated through recycling or other disposal methods, while 31 million metric tons are dumped. In recent years the government has instituted what they claim to be a three-fold increase in their waste management program and they further claim their efforts will result in a $13 billion/year industry as well as a significant increase in recycling.
China
China, at a 1.425 billion population, is virtually neck and neck in populaton with India. As an example of their new waste management effort the government is planning the construction of the world’s largest waste-to-energy facility in Shezhen, a city that is likely to reach 12 million people in the next couple of years.
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| Artist´s Rendition - New Shezhen Plant |
The new plant will be one mile in circumference (if I remember geometry correctly that will be 1,680 feet, or 3/10´s of a mile in diameter) and will have the capability of incinerating for energy some 5,000 metric tons per day (that´s a lot of steam baby) to produce electricity. Shezhen is hoped to be a model for other fast growing cities, such as Mumbai, Mexico City, and London, that may need such technology not far into the future. (So, what about New York amigos?).
France
France, at only 65 million population or a little more than 4% of the world still is an advanced, relatively affluent country that produces discarded material that needs waste management. Being the gourmands that they are one of the steps the French took first was to become the world’s first country to ban supermarket food waste and mandate large retailers to donate leftover food. Other countries like Denmark, Germany, Britain, and the US are joining the race to zero food waste, implementing waste prevention strategies and teaching consumers how to be environmentally conscious when disposing of scraps. Excellent travail, mesdames et messieurs!
Costa Rica
We continue to fight the power of the plastic bags but there is much more at stake than that.
Though we brag accurately that 99% of our electricity comes from green sources (chiefly hyrdo-power plants) and even though Costa Rica´s topography probably will offer many opportunities for landfills in the future, we need to join the world in the race for eventual zero landfill waste; methinks it´s the duty of humanity.
Whether we are a small country like Costa Rica or a giant like India we need to learn how to handle (reprocess) our trash beginning with it´s collection, segregation into types and processes to handle recovery and re-use to aim as close to zero landfill as possible; we don´t have that much land to fill.
¡Pura Vida!
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Rumble and Weather Talk
(Shaky Happenings & Weather Observations About the Pacific Rim)
Rumbling - Observetory Syas Rincon de la Vieja Expecting Major Eruption
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| Rincon de la Vieja Eruption 2023 |
A vulcanologist at the Volcanological and Seismological Observatory of Costa Rica (Ovsicori) stated in early May that Rincon de la Vieja, some 189 km (113 miles) northwest of San José as the Macaw flies, is showing signs of a pending eruption. This volcano is one of the more active in the Cordillera Central, or Central Mountain Range and it´s been almost exactly one year since the Rincon displayed its last eruption (in the photo right). Ovsicori has recorded a significant increase in siesmic activity at Rincon over the last five months, usually a tell-tale sign that something is going to happen.
More to be learned, and experienced.
Check Out Recent Earthquakes All Around the
World Posted by the U.S.G.S. Recent Quakes |
Weather - Hello Rains
The break in the drought and the coming of the early rainy season were covered in the News and Feature #2 sections above and below. We´re on our way ro recovery from the drought.
¡Pura Vida!
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Feature #2: Working With The Rain
(How The Drought Effected Our Power Generation)
Over 70% of installed power generation capacity in Costa Rica is of the hydro-electric type, turbines fueled with water from reservoirs that are both natural and man-made feeder lakes. The map below shows the location, chiefly in the Central Cordillera mountain range, where water is accumulated in 18 natural and man-made lakes (points in blue) that feed the hydro-electric power system. These power plants in turn rely on several reservoirs or lakes with names such Angostura, Cachí, Pirrís, and Reventazón (photo of the latter below).
With the drought that ensued in Central America due to this year´s El Niño weather pattern the water levels in the feeder lakes hit a critically low level. To adjust, ICE (Instituto Costaricense de Electricidad), the national power company, announced that they would institute what they called "electricity rationing" where the power is purposely shut down in selected parts of the grid for specified off-peak hours for a limited time and the outages rotated from area to area about the country. This to conserve water usage.
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| Reventazón Reservoir |
The good news is that the rainy season finally started in late April and relieved the scheduled power outage plan ICE had developed to handle the crisis (described in News above). By May 17 enough rebuild in the lakes had occurred because of early rainy-season storms for ICE to postpone the rationing plan. Whether this postponement turns out to be temporary or permanent is yet to be seen. Just how long it takes the power lakes to rebound to completely normal levels is anybody´s guess.
In addition to the hydro-electric power plants, the Costa Rican electrical system relies on two other sources:
1) A Geo-thermal power plant based in Bagaces, Guanacaste called Planta Geotérmica Miravalles III (Miravalles III Geothermal Power Plant) (not sure what happened to I and II plants - Ed.). It so happened this plant was having technical problems as the water resources for the others were declining but ICE says these problems have been solved and the plant is now on line.
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| SIEPAC |
2) A second source of additional power is through a cooperative association called SIEPAC or Sistema de Interconexión Eléctrica de los Países de América Central (Central American Electrical Interconnection System). SIEPAC, was formed in 1996 and included six Central American countries: Panama, CostaRica, Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Guatemala).
This essentially is the formation of an electrical and telecommunications grid across Central America. The director of ICE stated that the grid was essential during the recent drought problem when the geothermal plant was also having problems. So while the rains saved the day, diversification of resources and sharing arrangements with neighbors did also. Thanks neighbors.
So, after many prayers that the rain should come, it did, but with a vengeance. On Tuesday, May 21 along about dinner time, 5:45- 6:30 pm, the clouds burst strongly here in Quepos. The force of the downpour slowly built. GG was watching a futbol game in the local futsal and the noise kept drowning out the players. At it´s peak, enough water penetrated the seals in the corrugated roof above me that a mist descended onto the players as well as onto we fans in the bleachers. The full strength torrent lasted about 20 minutes before backing off slowly to (just) being strong. When it tapered off enough I forged my way back to my apartment, two blocks away, protected only by an umbrella.
One of the characteristics of Quepos is that it is normally drained of rain by a system of rather large underground sewers but they are subject being blocked if there happens to be a high tide that backs the bay up and stops the flow from the drainage sewers. This is exactly what happened on May 21, the strong part of the storm coincided with high tide in Quepos (5:51 pm). The result of the backup was flooding in the lower elevation streets like downtown. The event was captured by a few alert citizens and posted on Facebook, to wit:
DownTown Quepos. This Facebook posting shows what happened in the downtown area across from the Malecón and down a street that has several well known restaurants including El Gran Escape, Tentación, Caffeto and El Mezcal. It also shows vehicles stalled in the rising flood waters.
Quebrada de Quepos. This is the term ("Quebrada") referred to when people are talking about the district that borders the river which exits into Quepos bay (borders Boca Vieja). In this video note the water rising so fast as to create a river which is why the participants in the video are clinging to the rails along the sidewalk.
In the future we might want to be careful (or at least more specific) about what we pray for.
¡Pura Vida!
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¿Que es Eso? Department (¿What is That?)
Somebody´s been chipping wood again?
The face is disturbingly familiar?
Man, that´s a great hat.
Answer in
What´s-in-a-Word
Section Below.
¡Pura Vida!
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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?) |
Nutrition Labeling Coming to Costa Rica Packaging?
A recent article in a local electronic newsletter (not GGC) was titled as follows: "Foods High In Calories, Sugar And Fat Will Have To Include A Front Label". The article went on to say that nutrition labels currently are covered because "Most of the food that contains this information is imported, since there is no national regulation on the matter." A reversal of a recent order by the Ministry of Health by the Courts then removed or prohibited covering the label.
But what of the products that are made and packaged in Costa Rica? It wasn´t clear from the article if and when these products would be included in the front-label regulation. By the looks of the growing obesity problem in Costa Rica we might also consider promoting better nutrition overall to go along with the labeling.
¡Pura Vida!
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Travel Quote of the Month
¡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
There is a talented gentleman named Javier whose workshop is at the Airplane Restaurant (El Avion) in Manuel Antonio. I often spend some time in the mornings talking with friends there and have been able to see his work regularly and, so far, have invested in two of his pieces. Javier is really good at converting local woods into artistic renderings of natural themes including animals, plants and native peoples.
I thought this carving was particularly interesting, the chief similar looking to me and so the piece suitable for my office. I named it "El Jefe, Bobsito" or The Boss. Bobsito is a name a couple of Ticos tagged me with when I first moved here. It also fits my recent induction into the Quepoa Native Clan nearby (if you believe tale I have a jungle hut nearby you might be interested in buying).
¡Pura Vida!
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ROMEO Corner
(Retired Old Men Eating Out)
La Cantina, Manuel Antonio
Location: Across the beach road from Costa Verde Hotel about half way down the south side of the hill.
Hours: Monday thru Sunday 5 pm to 10 pm.
Parking: Small, limited parking north and south of the restaurant.
Contacts: Phone: +506 2777 0384, Manager@lacantinabbq.com, Website: La Cantina BBQ , Facebook: Go Here
Reviewing ROMEOS: Barry S., Bob N., Chris D., Cristian B., Glen N., Key L., Lawrence L., Phyllis C.
To Review Our Rating System Go Here: R.O.M.E.O. Rating System
This restaurant is part of the Coste Verde/El Avion complex and is situated across the main beach road from Costa Verde Reception. The restaurant uses a large collection of local woods and gentle lighting to project a warm atmosphere to the diner including a spiral staircase to reach the upper level. The location is in the woods without a view of the coast. We were given a table for 10 that bordered the beach road and some ROMEOs found it a bit noisy because of traffic. The composite score for Ambiance came in at 3.9 out of a maximum of 5.0.
La Cantina is billed as a BBQ restaurant and the menu reflects that accordingly.
GG, as well as five others, went for the boneless pork rib sandwich.
What arrived was a huge sandwich piled with tender pork redolent with barbecue sauce on top of fried onion rings and some vegetables in an extra large hamburger style bun. GG found the pork very tender and the portion large enough to save half and take home in a monkey bag (that´s the Costa Rican version of a doggy bag).
The composite score for Food quality came in at 4.3/5.0 max.
|
 |
.jpg) .19 |
| $$$.5 |
Value Index= 120 |
We were served by a very pleasant young man named Alejandro who was attentive and helpful. The composite score for Service came in at 4.4/5.0. That made the average of Ambiance, Food and Service (3.9+4.3+4.4)/3 = 4.19.
For a ginger ale michelada, the pork sandwich and 23% sales tax and service GG´s bill came to 11,600 colones or about $23. The composite score for cost came in at 3.5/5.0 which yields a Value Index of 4.19/3.5 = 120 which puts La Cantina right in the middle of the restaurants we´ve evaluated in this area for value.
La Cantina remains a good option for a quality meal at a reasonable price, and particularly if you like barbecue.
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Pura Vida!
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