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Valoarte 2010
Art exhibit featuring more than 150 national and international artists, benefits Hogar Siembra home for at-risk girls, inauguration Sept. 28, 6:30 p.m., through Oct. 20, La Aduana. Info: www.valoarte.com.

Theater at Noon
Features UCR Guitar Orchestra, Sept. 28, 12:10 p.m., National Theater, Av. 2, Ca. 3/5. Info: 2221-5341.

UCR Planetarium Programs
The Traveling Astronomer, Mon., Wed., 8:30 and 9:30 a.m.; The Celestial Zoo, Thurs., 8:30 a.m., and Sat., 10 and 11 a.m.; Solar System Phantoms, Mon., Wed., 10:30 a.m.; Zodiac Constellations, Tues., Fri., 8:30 and 9:30 a.m.; The Sun and the Planets, Tues., Fri., 10:30 a.m.; Myths and Legends, Thurs., 10:30 a.m.; Jewels of the Firmament, Tues., Thurs., 7:30 p.m., all at UCR Planetarium, road to Sabanilla. Info: 2511-6302.

Immigration authorities have begun checking the entry stamps in tourists' passports at the country's international airports to ensure that they have not overstayed their visas.

Under the new Immigration Law, tourists are required to pay $100 for every month they stay beyond their 90-day limit. If they fail to pay, they must stay out of the country for a period of three times the time for which they were in Costa Rica illegally.

However, according to Immigration Department spokeswoman Heidi Bonilla, tourists who have overstayed their visa won't be required to pay a fine until the Immigration Law takes full effect, which could be anytime between now and Dec. 13.

“The truth is that authorities are not yet applying the fine,” she said.

Although the law went into effect on March 1, immigration officials have dragged their feet in drafting the law's regulations, which are the rules that will interpret the law and govern how it will be administered. Bonilla said that Dec. 13 is the deadline for the regulations to be published.

According to one traveler, the point where authorities review the entry stamp is right before the security check for travelers, after tourists have already paid their exit fee and checked in with their respective airlines.

Slovenian long-distance swimmer Martin Strel will swim across Lake Arenal in north-central Costa Rica on Wednesday in an effort to raise awareness for the protection of water sources and biodiversity conservation.

Strel, 56, will start his dip at 7 a.m. at Hotel Los Héroes in La Unión de Arenal, swim to the opposite side of the man-made lake and return, a distance of roughly six kilometers.

The swim is part of the Criterio Ambiental environmental film festival in La Fortuna de San Carlos, which is taking place this week. Organizers hope that Strel – whose motto is “swim for peace, friendship and clean waters” - will help echo the event's pro-environment message.

“Martin's swim in the Arenal Lake … will have great symbolic value to accompany the spirit of our festival,” said Gustavo Solís-Moya, the festival's director. Strel recently was featured in the documentary “The Big River Man,” a film that records his swim down the length of the Amazon River – 3,375 miles – an accomplishment that Guinness World Records recognizes as the longest swim to date.

Punishing weekend rains resulted in the closure of the bridge above the Río Pital, which connects San Gabriel de Aserrí to San Ignacio de Acosta, mountain towns southeast of San José.

According to the National Emergency Commission (CNE), strong rains Friday and Saturday caused the river to swell to three times its normal size. The current of the river caused rocks, trees and trash to crash into the bridge, which damaged the retaining walls at the base of the bridge.

On Saturday, the CNE elected to close the bridge while the damages are repaired. No date has yet been specified for its reopening.

In San Juan de Tibás, just north of San José, the Public Works and Transport Ministry (MOPT) began construction on Monday to widen a bridge that connects Cinco Esquinas in San José with Tibás. The bridge will be widened from one lane to two lanes.