Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
[quote=”ihelpit”]Hi,
Does it make financial sense to drive your car instead of buying one ?
( we are 4, so we will be saving about 2800$ – plane tickets)[/quote]You don’t tell us if you are coming to visit or are going to be permanent.
If you are just vacationing it makes more sense to fly down here and rent a car.
If you are moving down here it makes more sense to ship the car along with your household goods which is what I did with my pickup.
Under any circumstances do not expect the registration process to go smoothly.
In my instance customs merely looked at the pickup, noted the year on the documentation and assumed it was a diesel because only diesels of that year, make and model were imported in Costa Rica and filled out the documents as such. It took me three months with competent help to get the vehicle registered correctly as gasoline powered. 😕
Shipping and import duties cost me less than 40% of what I would have had to pay for the same vehicle here.
[quote=”bogino”]Came across this item this a.m. and wondering what the board members think about this:
U.S. Diplomats: “Costa Rica Is No Paradise ”
There is truth in the article and I can’t see where the Japanese loan needed to be debated.
We have a small creek that runs along our property but we are near the source and those who live above are on septic systems. I wouldn’t live near the beaches to save me.
[quote=”2bncr”] “Ticos, not Ticans, was what Costa Rica was all about. Will the country have the same allure in ten years when the Tican tide covers the rich coast? Smiles, acceptance, dignity and compassion are what I have learned from Costa Ricans. Losing these qualities would be a national tragedy.”
My prediction is that after the tide has changed you will see the soulful Gringos living the traditional Tico lifestyle while the no souls and Ticans pave paradise to put up social and financial parking lots (sorry about that Joni Mitchel).
So all you wavers and pointers who thumb your nose at Spanish, Tico culture and customary behavior will no longer need to feel embarrassed because soon your neighbors will be workaholic isolationist just like you! Confidentiality agreements will flourish and the Costa Rica coastal skylines will be wall-to-wall cement, monuments to vanity and greed, the monkeys will in the zoo and everything will be just like back home. The Ticans and no-soul Gringos will feel fine drinking their coffee while texting in a silent café. The gap between the haves and the have-nots widen and crime escalates, the walls grow higher and barb wire sales increase and the country becomes known as “Costa Tican.”[/quote]
My wife and I were very ignorant of the changes that were occurring in Costa Rica when we first arrived here but we deliberately purchased a home in a semi-rural area among the Tico’s in order to experience the laid back Tico lifestyle rather than the closed in city life that I had been forced to live with all my adult life in the States.
As were drive through the calles and avenidas of Escazu and Santa Ana we are aware of the “ex-pat ghettoes” with their high walls topped with razor wire and the antisocial attitudes of those who live within. They stay conveniently on the periphery of our consciousness and are, in the main, ignored. We have been aware, subconsciously, that all of this is slowly moving our way. As Ticos are offered sums that they cannot refuse for the land in our area we know that it will eventually become just another area much the same as Escazu and Santa Ana.
I have had pleasant and helpful dealings with Phil Baker in the past although we have never met face to face. Without him we might not have the home we have.
It would be easy to hate Phil for putting these facts so blatantly in our faces except that we know that his words are true. My hope is that I will have passed away before it comes true.:)
[quote=”markus”] [i]U.S. families—by defaulting on their loans and scrimping on expenses—shouldered a smaller debt burden in 2010 than at any point in the previous six years, putting them in position to start spending more.
Total U.S. household debt, including mortgages and credit cards, fell for the second straight year in 2010 to $13.4 trillion[/quote]
That’s only $167,500 debt for a family of four and only a touch more than three years wages for the average American middle class worker. What are you waiting for? 😆
That article had to be written by some idiot in the credit card industry. The greedy financial institutions are reaping huge rewards off of personal debt and are out to break the middlee class. 🙄
Best advice is to pull in your horns, live as cheaply as possible and pay down debt as quickly as you can. Crying over gasoline prices is a non-starter. It’s not as convenient but cheaper to use the bus system that to drive.
[quote=”sprite”]Unless the Americans or Chinese come into CR and manage to convince (bribe) a politician, I can’t imagine the Costa Ricans ever saying yes to nuclear power. But I never underestimate the power of greed to overcome good sense and social conscious.[/quote]
My comment was more as a comparison of environmental impact rather than anything else. The situation in Japan is, so far, had been an indication of the safety advances made in nuclear power plants but the shutdown of the water cooling systems indicates that the fat lady hasn’t even arrived on stage yet.
It’s hard to tell what politicians will do. I wouldn’t have expected that Costa Rica would allow open pit mining but it’s happening.
One of the reasons we moved here ws Costa Rica’s commitment to the environment but the Arias administration’s idea that planting trees will reduce the national carbon footprint to zero is a non-starter. With the new import rules for alternative energy vehicles I hope the new administration is realizing that pollution needs to be reduced at the source.
The biggest advantage of nuclear power over hydroelectric production facilities is footprint. The amount of water storage required for a hydroelectric plant runs to many square kilometers eliminating huge tracts of the natural landscape while a nuclear plant requires one to four square kilometers.
The current situation in Japan is showing us that advances made in construction of nuclear facilities has improved greatly since the days of Chernobyl and Three Mile Island.
There is one huge drawback to nuclear facilities in the disposal of spent fuel rods. Until this issue can be resolved in a viable manner these facilities should not be constructed in Costa Rica. If a viable solution can be found to eliminate this problem Costa Rica could stop putting valuable natural land under water.
[quote=”sprite”] I can’t see how such a thing could be possible with a language barrier and I assume those of you who do not speak Spanish, are making a serious effort to do so. In the meantime, have you been able to establish some social connections?[/quote]
My wife and I spoke no Spanish when we arrived in Costa Rica and do have friends among the Ticos.
My wife joined a couple of organizations of women who speak English but other than that our only social contact is with the local families.
We deliberately avoided moving in to an area populated with Americans and I have almost no contact with expats except on welovecostarica.com.[quote=”sprite”] I guess I better plan on leaving my Toyota FJ Cruiser behind when I move to CR. At 17 MPG, I would be paying $15 for each trip to San Ramon in that vehicle. The Dai-shit-su 4X4 is looking better and better.[/quote]
I bought a 1986 Nissan Vanette here and the motor is only 1200CC but it will climb a hill better than my light in the back-end Datsun pickup and the mileage isn’t bad. The newer ones are probably more gas conscious than that.
[quote=”costaricabill”] soon to be $6.00/gallon gas in CR! But I’ll take that over $5.00/gallon gas in the U.S.
crb[/quote]Those in the U.S. don’t realize that subsidies to the petroleum industry only hides the true cost. If those subsidies are eliminated drivers are in for pump shock when they pay what we pay here.
[quote=”markus”]Great subject. Rhode Island reds are good for eggs and meat. I am planning to raise chicken. Has anybody tried purchasing from the universities or agricultural schools? Sometimes they sell to local farmers.[/quote]
If you are ging west toward Puriscal, I bought mine at the local agrocenter in Ciudad Colon. Headed toward San Jose, just past Pali on the right, turn left. The agrocenter is halfway down the block on the left.
They always have Rhode Island chicks and usually some layers.
There is always one that will sit the eggs so we hatch our own replacements and use the older ones for the table.
[quote=”mdpfeifer”]Hi,
I am just curious to know if anyone on the forum is raising or keeping chickens for eggs. If so, I would really appreciate any information on what breeds, predators, and any more information one would want to provide.
Thanks:D[/quote]We have chickens here for eggs and I think they are Rhode Island Reds. They are good layers with large eggs and are producing at a cost under the market.
When buying chickens in Costa Rica you have to go by what you know about chisken breeds and what they look like. They don’t specify breed.
[quote=”sunshinegirl”]Is it worth it to ship household goods to Costa Rica or just buy new when you get there?[/quote]
To buy equal quality here will cost as much as in the States for appliances. Quality bedroom, diningroom and livingroom furniture can be found at decent prices from competent builders if you have the help of someone who knows their way aroundin finding them.
We brought most of our “stuff” (LR,DR & BR, computers, freezer, refrigerator, washer & dryer) and a pickup in a 40′ container for under $9,000 in late 2007. For us it was cost effective.
[quote=”hasselwander”]I placed this inquiry as a serious request for information, but with the exception of a semi serious response from Scott, all I got was adolescent bathroom humor. I got a better response from Wikipedia. But I have not found an answer to either question from eiher Wikipedia or this source. Does anyone know where any are for sale, and if it is legal to own them. Scott reiterates my concern that they may be protected archaeological artifacts. Does anyone know, or know where I can find out?[/quote]
There is a place in Ciudad Colon that has several of them but I believe they are replicas. As Scott said, They are archeological items and probably illegal to own the real thing.
[quote=”user979024″]We are flying into San Jose for the first time and are planning on spending a few weeks in diferent ares of Costa Rica. We are planning on renting a car and was wondering if anyone has a suggestion on where and what type of car to rent.[/quote]
If you are going to drive in Costa Rica I hope you have a sense of adventure.
Is your Spanish adequate to ask directions?
We have no street numbers and everything is located by landmark rather than address.[quote=”bogino”]Is “INS” the Government healthcare system? When I think of “Government” healthcare I think of long lines…hours and hours of waiting…months to see a specialist…etc. which is why I’m differentiating between that system and the availability of private insurance.
Like you, I am diabetic and in the event I decide to explore living in CR I want to be able to have the ability to see not just an endocrinologist every 3 to 4 months but a retina specialist..podiatrist…etc. I am very “proactive” when it comes to my care because I feel that’s the best strategy to avoid complications and that involves the discipline of going to these various specialists on a regular schedule which I have here in the US. If that is not a realistic option in CR then it makes my decision making process very easy.
Thanks for the feedback.[/quote]
My wife and I use Caja exclusively. She is diabetic and has fibromyalgia and receives regular check-ups. She was also diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer and is now cancer free but gets regular check-ups for this too.
I just went through appendicitis, peritonitis, hernia, septic infection from inappropriate home care and spent 29 out of 62 days in the hospital.
In our experience the Caja system is quite similar to medical care in the U.S. and the stories about long lines and long waiting times come from overwrought Americans.
