www.CostaRicaTicas.com

AM Costa Rica had this tongue in cheek piece on how Costa Rica intends to foil any invasion in spite of having no army.

"Costa Rica's secret plan to repel any invaders
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff

Expats worry about Hugo Chávez and his military ambitions, particularly if they result in operations in Central America. The bad news is that Chávez is rattling his sabers at the eastern border of Colombia, and some fear a full-scale Latin American war.

The good news is that Costa Rica, despite not having an army, is prepared to repel any kind of military aggression.

The first major problem an invading force from the south will meet are striking Panamanian truckers. Periodically the main southern access route is blocked by unhappy drivers. Sometimes they are joined by the Tico brethren.

Even if the truckers are on vacation, there still is the matter of crossing the boarder. Anyone who has taken the bus north from Panamá knows of the interminable delays at Costa Rican customs and immigration. Just imagine trying to get a whole bunch of invaders and their tanks across the border. How many stamps is that?

But the real secret weapon are the country's roads.Some think that the central government has just been neglectful with the nation's roads. Actually the state of the highways is a secret plan to bog down invaders so that the United Nations can thrown paper at them.


Consider the case of a 46-ton AMX-30 battle tank trying to navigate the Interamerican highway. Passenger cars have a hard enough time. The tanks will just fall off into the jungle.



Then there is the problem of fuel. Some South Americans are used to subsidized 10-cent a gallon motor fuel. Will the military commanders bring
their credit cards to keep the troops moving on $4 a gallon Costa Rican fuel?

Even after surmounting these defensive obstacles and avoiding disaster from wild Costa Rican motorists on the crowded autopistas, the aggressor force will face the reality of a country without street addresses.

Where the heck is Casa Presidencial anyway?

Even a modern military force is not prepared for the local sneak thieves. Invading troops will wake up without their pants, their wallets and their tanks reduced to skeletons, thanks to ladrones and scrap metal crooks.

And if all else fails, the invading troops have to face the well-outfitted, professional commando force based at the Hotel Del Rey."

_________________
Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine

Funny!
To change the topic a bit- ID do you notice an increasing trend for CR media and local politicians to keep taking potshots at the HDR? It seems the activities of the gulch weren't talked about much a few years ago, then occasionally you'd see a negative letter or story about prostitution or crime downtown. Yet lately it seems to be one thing after another pointing a finger at the gringos, hookers and HDR. Hopefully the CR politicians and media aren't going to act like some nanny-savior gringo counterparts and think they need to become do-gooders with a cause to save and protect everyone from the sins of the gulch.

Not really Paco. Politicians are politicians anywhere in the world. The HDR is a convenient whipping boy who can be dragged out whenever a politician wants to make a point about the horrors that await CR if a certain project is allowed or a certain action is taken.

The proposed Russian casino is a case in point. The government does not want the Russians here so they point to the fact that the casino law is to loose and needs to be tighten and enforced. Fair enough not many would argue that point. However that is hardly exciting news so lets throw in the prostitutes at the HDR, who are an embarrassment to many Ticos, to jazz the story up and give it greater impact.

In the long run there might be significant changes in allowing open prostitution. Look at the Presidente. Slowly they tighten the noose on mongers with things like the dress code and now they have asked to be removed from any mention on this site of being a sponsor. Remember they have always been a sponsor and active in donating door prizes to CRT events and generally being very supportive. As the eco-tourist market grows I think they will eventually go full circle and make the hotel unfriendly to mongers. It is working at the larger upscale properties like HI, Gran Hotel CR, Sleep Inn, etc.

As the eco market grows and becomes more and more a revenue producer I think you will see the government take steps to rein in the monger market. That is just my take and I have no knowledge that supports that so I could be totally off base.

_________________
Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine