www.CostaRicaTicas.com

If you consider a loss of a little over 15% in a year and a half as holding strong I would shudder what you would consider being weak.

CR does not and has not had high inflation, compared to what was the norm before, for the past 3 years. A few years ago 15% was common but the past few years has been 4% or less.

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

Sorry you are wrong here the historical rates are as follows:
they dont seem like "4% or less for the last three years" lol although I know you will think of something but you are just wrong I dont know why you always have to take the opposite side of every post just to be the devils advocate

2006 13.80 %
2007 12.10 %
2008 9.40 %
2009 13.40 %
2010 7.80 %
Source: CIA Factbook
Yes for 2011 they are projecting lower rates 5.8%but whatever I will believe it when 2011 finishes out.
And it is my opinion that the Colone should be much weaker than the dollar given these inflation rates Im not saying im right its just my opinion, I noticed how different my grocery store bill is from 2006 to 2011 it seems like double although compounding those numbers would not give that.r

It would seem the CR government and the U.S. CIA use a different formula for calculating inflation. Hard to explain how the CIA can publish a rate of 13.4 for 2009 and the CR government says it was 4.05.

http://amcostaricaarchives.com/2011/01/ ... figures-s/

There is little doubt that your grocery bill has shown a dramatic increase from 2006 to 2011. However. grocery prices are just a part of the overall inflation rate. A major part of the figure in Costa Rica is fuel prices as all petroleum is imported and the lack of refinery capacity causes some of the imported product to be refined product which is more expensive then crude product that is refined in country. Throw in the fact that Recoupe is a government monopoly and all transportation costs are predicated in a large part by fuel costs and petroleum becomes a major player on effecting the inflation rate.

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

Interesting statistics for inflation. Now, I still don't know what's going on between the USD/CRC. But, wish to comment on the inflation figures in a way that we will all understand. Given those inflation numbers, let's assume that on 1/1/06 you went the HDR. Most of us here on the board knew CR in 2006. You make your choice for the deal and of course, she asks you for $100/session. We all know they were asking $100 in '06. You simply can not resist and do the deal for $100. Fast forward to January 1, 2011. Walk in the HDR, meet the woman of your one hour dreams. Gotta have her and she quotes you $100. Monger psychology screams NOO. But, the reality is that she would have every right to ask for her own personal COLI. Cost Of Living Increase. Given the inflation figures given in the previous post, she has every right to ask for $170/hour. Yes, you read it right, $170/hour. A 70% increase in only 5 short years! I did some research on the history of the CRC/USD trade and on 1/1/06 the CRC was..... 497. Today, it is 500 on the nose. So, no real erosion there. But, through that time period, of course it has fluctuated widely. But, for the sake of this post, on 1/1/06 it was 497 and today 500. A wash.

Now,I realize this is off topic as well but.. How can we justify our international hobby? Really, if you are getting a hottie for less than the $170/hr, then you are getting a bargain. This, according to the numbers. I haven't been to CR in over a year but I am willing to bet they are not asking more than $150, nor is anyone going to pay that for 1 hour. If it ever gets to that point you are far better off finding your local $200/$250 an hour backpages girl. I mean, instant gratificiation, no travel, no hotel, no excuses for long weekends, no language barrier. Likely no RFM's. No nothing. I would like to do this same experiment for Colombia. Maybe I will spend the time later and do it. The yearly inflation rate and the erosion of the dollar vs. the Peso. I am sure the result will be much more dramatic.

dapanz1

Just checked CIA Factbook and they list only 2009 est (7.80%) & 2010 est. (5.8%) Please advise.

Dapanz

No comparison in the amount of fun you have with a CR girl vs a backpage girl. Most backpage girls are strickly in and out. No partying/dancing. I think it actually sucks to be with a USA escort.

Totally agree. Just making a comparison.

d1

If you think the exchange rate is bad now, you should have experienced it years ago. I can remember when the dollar got you 98 colones. I am sure some of you remember that. Years ago (early 90s) I was taking a spanish class in the SJ area and there was a backpacker type in the class. However, I knew he was more sophisticated than the normal backpacker. We went to eat after class one day and he told me a banker friend of his told him that the colon was going to be significantly devalued. Obviously that turned out to be true. Now I believe the dollar will increase when the US economy improves and interest rates go up. There will be minor fluctuations in the mean time.

I just recently found this web site. In the early days I found my info from cab drivers and ads in TT. I also did a lot of exploring and exchanged info with other travelers. Now I am a member of numerous mongering web sites.

Good Luck on that happening.........Say hello to the new USA.....looks like Greece and tastes like Chicken......

When you were getting 98 to the dollar you were far better off then now when you are getting 500 to the dollar. Now you get 5 times the amount of colones but you are paying far in excess of 5 times the price for basic goods and services. Check the inflation rate for the years between 1990-2010 and that will tell the picture not the current exchange rate.

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

They don't call those Eurozone losers "PIGS" for nothing--and we may be indeed fixin' to join them. Austerity measures? Political will to fix otherwise intractable problems? Not them or us. PIGS = Portugal, Ireland,Greece, Spain

_________________
"A man accustomed to hear only the echo of his own sentiments, soon bars all the common avenues of delight, and has no part in the general gratification of mankind"--Dr. Johnson
"Amen, brother"-ED

You missed the point. Would you rather have the exchange rate was the same as then? Also, the rate didn't change until sometime after 1994. I don't remember exactly which year. I am not sure what (far in excess of 5 times) actually means, but I'm not sure I agree with you on that.

Well you guys have a point, but I am an optimist. I know Medicare and Social Security have trillions in unfunded liability, government keeps growing not the private sector and we continue down the socialist path, but as a patriotic American I am hoping conservative thinking will prevail.

There are a lot of things that affect currencies. The colon may increase more if inflation continues and the trend for interest rates in CR is up. However, even though the world is looking for a new currency to chase, in times of crisis, they still flock to the dollar, for now.

And censorship/not reporting the news is quickly becoming the new normal......
Has anyone heard about this being covered up?
Fort Calhoun Nuclear Plant Underwater- References of 10 Mile Mandatory Evacuation Area Scrubbed From News Sites

Snippit:
The reason there is a problem and why they aren’t telling the truth is because, while Fukishima is equivalent to about twenty Chernobyls, Ft. Calhoun is equivalent to about twenty Fukushimas.
Not because it has a lot of reactors – or even a very big one. But because it is holding an immense amount of nuclear fuel in its cooling pool.

This isn’t some elevated bathtub like the cooling pools at Fukushima. Oh, no. This cooling pool is forty feet UNDER GROUND AND forty feet ABOVE GROUND. It’s EIGHTY FEET DEEP IN TOTAL. If they can’t cool it, the corn belt is in trouble.

I’m guessing that it’s the big rectangular building behind-left (actually touching) the round nuclear reactor containment building.

Why do I think that? Because it has no windows or ventilation and it’s about the only building on-site large enough to hold the amount of spent nuclear fuel it has to hold – and, by the way, it was filled up to capacity in 2006 – which is why they had to start storing the excess spent fuel rods in those concrete dry casks outside of the pool. But I could be wrong. If I am, please send me a diagram – not an opiniongram.

The dry casks are visible near the top of the picture. They are grey concrete blocks set together on the large, grey square area.
The casks have white doors facing a little to the left in the photo. The NRC says there is ‘no problem’ should the casks become partially submerged by Missouri flood waters.

The back-up generators are probably flooded as well. They were ALSO what the rubber dam was in place to protect. Even if they aren’t, there is water in the electrical system. That’s what the yellow cards from the NRC were about last year – and those cards were never signed off as safe. There are at least six and probably dozens of NRC and government people there ‘closely monitoring’ the plant. All they can do is watch.

The ‘emergency’ plans were only thought up when the water started rising and were only implemented beginning on June 6. Before then, the plant owners were still pissing back and forth with the NRC that a flood that bad couldn’t happen. And the brilliant rubber condom around the plant didn’t just burst by itself. The dumbasses were piddling around and managed to pop it themselves!


http://blog.alexanderhiggins.com/2011/06/28/fort-calhoun-nuclear-plant-underwater-references-10-mile-radius-evacuation-order-scrubbed-internet-news-sites-32161/

[quote="Foos"]And censorship/not reporting the news is quickly becoming the new normal......
Has anyone heard about this being covered up?
Fort Calhoun Nuclear Plant Underwater- References of 10 Mile Mandatory Evacuation Area Scrubbed From News Sites

They have a no fly zone over it. I think that went into over a week ago.