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Now considering renting a vehicle. Can anyone recommend a good car rental agency? We have heard that it can be difficult to obtain the car you want in January or February because of the high demand during those months. 8)
Has anyone had experience with http://summerlandtourcompany.com/ ? They have a payment page on their web site; checks, credit cards, seems like an honest business.
[quote=”Imxploring”]It seems government’s push to a cashless society where they can track and control every aspect of your life is becoming the accepted normal with people. Quite insidious. When did paying cash become a crime? Or somehow an indication of some sinister conduct. I prefer to pay with dead presidents. Keeps the banks and all the other entities out there that make a living skimming from my spending out of my pocket.
Sure the politicians want to convince you that they have to have the ability to track all transactions to keep you safe from terrorist… but who are they kidding. There’s a much bigger picture here.
I don’t know George. I’ve never done business with George. If he prefers to deal in cash perhaps he just doesn’t want to deal with bounced checks, bank fees, processing fees, credit card fees, transaction fees, account management fees, charge backs, processing holds, credit and check fraud, and all the other hassles that exist in trying to run a business. Cash is a simple and straightforward transaction. No middleman or banks grabbing a piece of the pie. As for receipts, did anyone ask for one? I’m sure he’d provide one if you needed it for some reason. I’ve taken numerous tours and excursions that didn’t hand me a receipt…. after all it’s not as if I’ll be returning the “product” for a refund.
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Plan B seems like a better option; Christopher Howard’s tour. His web site explains clearly different payment methods. Method of Payment
Reservation Deposit and Payments: A $250.00 pp deposit and completed Tour Reservation Form is required for all tours. Deposits and full payments may be paid by [u]credit card*, money order, or check.[/u] A written confirmation of your reservation will be sent once the deposit and signed form are received. Payment in full is due 30 days prior to tour departure date.Cancellation Policy: Deposits are fully refundable if cancellations are made, in writing, within 60 days of the first tour day. There are no refunds or credits for cancellations made after the 60 days.
* A 4% surcharge for any payment or portion of payment paid by credit card. Additionally, any refunds on payments from credit cards will be subject to an additional 4% administration fee.
So why aren’t cash paying customers given written receipts by Lundquist? Tax evasion? I would also ask about his insurance coverage for his tour vehicles and passengers.
I did not see any “payment information” on Lundquist’s website. So I talked to a couple of people who took the tour and I became concerned because they had to send a deposit to his family member in the states and then pay George in “cash” when they got to CR. BUT…they were not given any written receipts. That is weird.:?:
ARCR is now run by a lawyer. $50,000 reward offered for capture, conviction of Canadian expat’s kidnappers. Nine months have passed since Canadian expat Ryan Piercy was kidnapped in Costa Rica, and authorities here appear no closer to solving the case despite assurances this week from detectives that they are aggressively pursuing all leads. But with the threats continuing, anonymous donors now are offering ?25 million (roughly $50,000) for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the kidnappers. Citing safety concerns, the donors asked The Tico Times not to publish their names.
Anyone with information on the case should contact the Judicial Investigation Police’s confidential tip line at: 800-8000-OIJ (800-8000-645).
The Asada La Palma in Puriscal charges a monthly fee of 2.690 colones, plus whatever you consume at the rate of 170 colones per m3 of water.
Did anyone get a letter from the immigration lawyer last week?
No? It is not rocket science, just ask the agent for his cedula number. Done.I am not an immigration lawyer, but does this mean that he has spent 9 wonderful years residing and brokering in Costa Rica as a “tourist?” Or will his lawyers letter state that he is currenlty able to legally work in Costa Rica while his application is being processed? Confused.
I was recently attacked at night while walking my dog in a gated neighborhood. I have 6 witnesses, the police came, did nothing. All they did was give me the guys name and ID and said to file a complaint.
Want to see how slow the wheels of justice turn in Costa Rica, file a denuncia with the courts.
Friends said that I should put a denuncia because I am an ‘adulto mayor’ and the assailant is 40 yrs. old.
Now I have an ‘orden de protection’ from the Juzgada de Violencia Domestica, and I bought a red pepper defense spray to take with me when I walk my dog.
Bottom line, there is no guarantee of personal safety in Costa Rica, especially for expats.
About 200 expats live in the Puriscal area, great climate at an ave. of 3200 feet in elevation. Puriscal is up in the beautiful inland mountain range, located some 45 km ( 30 miles) west-south-west of San Jose. Here, you can have the best of many worlds: a comfortable spring-like climate all year round, close to the Pacific Ocean beaches. In Spanish, a “puriscal” is the flower of the common bean. http://www.puriscaltimes.com
Intel Corp. should be boycotted and they should apologize to all USA citizens for moving to Saigon City.
Vietnam War Casualty StatisticsTotal number of U.S. soldiers deployed to Vietnam
536,100
Total number of U.S. casualties in the Vietnam War
58,220
Total number of U.S. soldiers wounded in the Vietnam War
303,644
Total military casualties from both sides
1.475 million
Total wounded from both sides
2.094 million
Total civilian casualties from both sides
4 million
Age of the oldest man killed during the Vietnam War
62
Total number of KIA’s soldiers who were less than 20 years old 11,465Well, the Minister of the Hacienda just released “his plan.” He wants more discussion and feedback on how to fix the problem. He said that public salaries should be a top priority because they consume 70% of the national budget and public jobs pay on the average 23% higher salaries than in the private sector for similar jobs. Since we are in an election cycle with a new govt. coming into power in February, most economists say that nothing will happen this year and 2014 will remain the same, an increase in domestic and foreign debt, deficit and generating more pressure on interest rates and the exchange rate.
The fiscal deficit of the Central Government in August reached the equivalent of 3.4% of production, higher than the 2.9% that was reported in August last year.
Finance minister Edgar Ayales is supposed to lay out proposals for new taxes this week. What to expect? A value-added tax (VAT), a one-time tax on all the wealth held by individuals in the form of “renta mundial”, a tax on money earned elsewhere in the world by Costa Rican taxpayers? Will SS payments be taxed? A special tax on luxuries and a tax on financial transactions? Will they eliminate the many exemptions and exonerations that are now contained in the Costa Rican tax laws? Will the new tax plan be voted on by the legislature or will the President just issue a binding decree while she dismisses a study calling her least popular president in Americas?
For the past several years, the CR government has passed law after law in order to tighten up its tax structure to avoid evasion and keep receiving loans/bailouts from other countries and international banks. Can’t wait for Oct. 3rd report from Edgar Ayales, Minister of Hacienda, [u]“Fiscal Consolidation Plan” that will probably raise taxes. The writing is on the wall. Hopefully an expert will explain the new PLAN and its’ impact for folks in Costa Rica. Gotta go, there’s a meeting for the new “1856 Patrol.”
