You’ve heard of rainforests and maybe even remember hearing a few other types of forests from your 7th grade science class. Do you remember learning about cloud forests? I had never heard of these before moving to Costa Rica.
Costa Rica has 12 micro-climates. In a few highland areas you can find cloud forests. A cloud forest’s unique feature is 100% humidity. They are rare and attract scientists and nature lovers because of the immense amount of wildlife that can flourish in this cool humid jungle.
These special forests are worth a visit to! You will be surrounded by clouds and mist and maybe even a rainbow or two! Imagine walking across a bridge through the sky, looking down on clouds below you!
You will want to come prepared. This is nothing like being at the beach. It will be very cold so bring a jacket. I’d also suggest hiking boots and a hat. Of course come with a camera, too.
There are a number of cloud forests inCosta Rica, most notably Monteverde and San Gerardo de Dota. Some people like the cloud forests so much that they live in the closest one to San Jose and commute 1.5 hours each way for work!
Pumas are among Costa Rica’s most treasured species. Photograph: Raul Arboleda/AFP/Getty Images
Ban does not affect Sport Fishing
Costa Rica on Monday became the first Latin American country to ban hunting as a sport, after an unanimous and final vote from the Legislative Assembly. The bill now awaits the signature by presidenta Laura Chinchilla, who has said she will sign it.
Lawmakers had provisionally approved a reform to its Wildlife Conservation law back in October. With a population of 4.5 million people, Costa Rica is one of the world’s most biodiverse nations.
Under the new law, those caught hunting can face up to four months in prison or fines of up to $3,000.
The law, however, permits hunting for personal consumption and does not affect sports fishing, a big tourist industry in the country. The ban is hunting for sport.
The new law, once it goes into effect, calls for smaller penalties for people who steal wild animals or keep them as pets. Jaguars, pumas and sea turtles are among Costa Rica’s most treasured species.
“There is no data on how much money hunting generates in the country, but we do know there are currently clandestine hunting tours that go for about $5,000 per person,” said Arturo Carballo, deputy director at Apreflofas, an environmentalist organization who spearheaded the reform.
Foreign hunters come to Costa Rica in search of exotic felines while others look to obtain rare and colorful parrots as pets.
This is also Costa Rica’s first proposal that came to Congress by popular initiative, with 177,000 signatures calling for the ban submitted two years ago.
Pumas are among Costa Rica's most treasured species. Photograph: Raul Arboleda/AFP/Getty Images
Pumas are among Costa Rica’s most treasured species. Photograph: Raul Arboleda/AFP/Getty Images
Ban does not affect Sport Fishing
Costa Rica on Monday became the first Latin American country to ban hunting as a sport, after an unanimous and final vote from the Legislative Assembly. The bill now awaits the signature by presidenta Laura Chinchilla, who has said she will sign it.
Lawmakers had provisionally approved a reform to its Wildlife Conservation law back in October. With a population of 4.5 million people, Costa Rica is one of the world’s most biodiverse nations.
Under the new law, those caught hunting can face up to four months in prison or fines of up to $3,000.
The law, however, permits hunting for personal consumption and does not affect sports fishing, a big tourist industry in the country. The ban is hunting for sport.
The new law, once it goes into effect, calls for smaller penalties for people who steal wild animals or keep them as pets. Jaguars, pumas and sea turtles are among Costa Rica’s most treasured species.
“There is no data on how much money hunting generates in the country, but we do know there are currently clandestine hunting tours that go for about $5,000 per person,” said Arturo Carballo, deputy director at Apreflofas, an environmentalist organization who spearheaded the reform.
Foreign hunters come to Costa Rica in search of exotic felines while others look to obtain rare and colorful parrots as pets.
This is also Costa Rica’s first proposal that came to Congress by popular initiative, with 177,000 signatures calling for the ban submitted two years ago.
Tammy and Ron Snell visited Costa Rica last year and liked it so much they decided to move there. The North Platte couple has purchased 12 acres of jungle, with plans to build a resort.
Lush green jungle, white sandy beaches, roaring waterfalls – they are sights many people can only dream about. But they’re about to become home for Ron and Tammy Snell.
Tammy and Ron Snell visited Costa Rica last year and liked it so much they decided to move there. The North Platte couple has purchased 12 acres of jungle, with plans to build a resort.
The Snells packed up their personal possessions on Monday – including their car – and shipped them to Costa Rica, where they plan to start a resort. It’s a venture that’s been a year in the making.
“We had been telling people for months, ‘We have this impossible dream,'” Ron said. “Then we said, ‘We have this dream.’ Now we say, ‘Wow. This dream came true.'”
Ron first visited Costa Rica in 1998 when he took his son there for a post-high school graduation trip.
“That began the dream,” Ron said. “Last year Tammy and I went back for a three-week vacation, and she fell in love with the country, too. The first place out of three that we stayed was for sale, and we thought, ‘This could be really fun.'”
On Thursday, the idea came to fruition when the Snells closed on a 12-acre parcel of jungle overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The closest town is Dominical, which is about 10 minutes away.
“At our location, there’s no indication of other habitation,” Ron said. “But, within a 15-minute drive, there are beautiful, uncrowded tropical beaches with an ocean warm enough to swim in and surf in without a wet or dry suit. Our site is also close to activities like zip-lining and waterfall rappelling.”
An engineer is drafting plans for 10-15 cabins. The Snells will stay in a rental house while the buildings are constructed.
“We want to create a gathering place for active, inquisitive, adventuresome travelers who like being around kindred spirits,” Ron said. “The clientele we’re focusing on are lively, engaging people who want comfort and class at night, but during the day, seek a large variety of things to do.”
At the Snells’ resort, visitors will be able to walk jungle paths, stretch on yoga mats in a secluded, natural world and dine alfresco, surrounded by monkeys, toucans and other exotic species. The couple’s long-range goal is to construct a pool big enough for scuba diving, water polo and kayaking. They will also add an event hall for weddings and other social gatherings.
“We would like to have several cabins ready by the end of 2013, and over the next three years, develop the rest,” Ron said.
But for the Snells, who depart on Jan. 10, leaving North Platte will be hard. The couple has a lot of ties to the community. Ron was the director of the homeless shelter for 12 years, and both he and Tammy were instrumental in raising money and awareness for a new shelter building. Tammy has also been serving as the patient and family services coordinator at Great Plains Regional Medical Center.
“We haven’t started saying goodbyes,” Ron said. “But we’re hoping there won’t have to be any. We’re hoping people will come down and visit us.”
Ron said he’s never lived in another place where he’s felt so attached to the people and contacts he’s made. Yet, he’s looking forward to the opportunities to serve and the people he and Tammy will get to know and enjoy in Costa Rica.
“That’s what’s waiting to be discovered,” Ron said. “It’s part of the adventure. I guess that’s my message to North Platte. Don’t be limited by what you can see, because when you commit to something new, what you haven’t seen can be amazing.”
Other than the arch that told me I was in “Barrio Chino”, the only difference of the area known as Paseo de los Estudiantes was that I was walking the Calle instead of driving on it.
Barrio Chino cost ¢800 million colones (US$1.6 million dollars), of which ¢500 million was donated by the government of China. And the only thing I could see for my share of US$1.1 million dollar contribution was a paved walkway and the mounds.
It did not feel, look and smell like a Chinatown. Nothing like the Chinatown I know on Spadina Avenue in Toronto. Or the Chintawon in Hong Kong I visited some years back.
No chickens hanging in the store windows. No dried snakes and other exotic animals. No Orientals all over. In fact, the only Chinese stores in San José’s Chinatown are the same ones that have been on Calle 7 forever, before it was inaugurated as Chinatown.
To quote my long time friend and long time resident of Costa Rica who accompanied me on my walk to Chinatown, “yet another disillusionment”.
I suppose we have to give it some time!
Enrico Cacciatore, Chief cook and bottle washer at the Q!
It was a few minutes before 1am when a jolt shook the house. It was an instant, more like a big truck had slammed into the house. And back to sleep.
The morning news told the story, the middle of the nigth earthquake registered 4.9 and felt across the country, mainly in the Central valley.
The 12:56am Wednesday quake had an epicentre at Palmares, in the province of Alajuela and a depth of 69.8 kilometres, according tot he National Seismological Network (RSN) at the University of Costa Rica.
The Volcanological and Seismological Observatory of Costa Rica (Ovsicori) reported the quake at 5 kilometres east of San Ramón (pretty close to Palmares).
An aftershock registerign 2.5 hit minutes later at 1:10am.
The National Emergency Commission (CNE), reported no damages.
Having been to Costa Rica so many times, I’ve grown used to the different culture, but I am always learning something new about the customs and traditions of the people.
Elizabeth on Cerro Negro in Nicaragua, the second youngest active volcano in the Americas
I discovered even more in the month I recently spent there. Everyone has two last names in Costa Rica. The first part is their father’s first last name, and the second part is their mother’s first last name. So children don’t have the same last name as either of their parents.
“Hora tica” is an acceptable excuse for being late for anything because everyone is always doing things on their own time. If you ask someone to meet you at a certain time, they say: “Si Dios quiere” (God willing).
One day while driving, we saw a father and his young son on a bicycle. The man was holding his son in one arm. It was nighttime and they had no lights on the bicycle. The little boy didn’t even have a seat. Neither had helmets, but his son did have a towel on his head because Costa Ricans are worried the dew will hurt babies.
In November, I also had the chance to visit Nicaragua for the first time and learn about life there. We went boating on Lake Nicaragua, which was huge! It’s the only lake in the world that has freshwater sharks. We saw the homes, restaurants and even the hospital on the islands in the lake, as well as the two island volcanoes in the distance.
We went to a town called Masaya and saw the celebrations of the saint San Jerónimo, which are held every Sunday for three months. There is traditional dancing and parties all over the city. Many people dress up in masks and typical clothing and dance in the streets, which is something you wouldn’t see in Costa Rica.
In León, a group of boys came by our hotel and put on a conventional street performance. A boy wearing a gigatona costume (giant lady) danced around with a little kid dressed as an enano (dwarf) with a huge head. The giant lady represents how the Nicaraguans viewed Spanish women when they came to Nicaragua. Big, fake and hollow. The dwarf represents how the Nicaraguans viewed themselves as having big heads because they were so full of knowledge. While the gigatona and enano danced, three boys played the drums and one recited poetry.
We went to Cerro Negro, the second-youngest active volcano in the Americas. We hiked up and saw beautiful views for miles. Then we traveled down the side of it on wooden sleds, dressed in a jumpsuit, elbow, knee pads and goggles. I was terrified, but it turned out to be so much fun. I never imagined myself in a thousand years sledding down the side of the most active volcano in Nicaragua.
Even though I’ve been going to Costa Rica since I was a baby, there is always something new to experience. Costa Rica and Nicaragua are right next to each other, but both have significantly different cultures.
In November, I learned even more about a country I’ve visited many times, and I discovered its neighboring country, too.
Wyndham Hotel Group, the world’s largest hotel company with nearly 7,260 hotels and part of Wyndham Worldwide Corporation, announced the opening of the 230-key Wyndham San José Herradura Hotel & Conference Centre in San José, Costa Rica.
Remodeled lobby of the Herradura hotel that was for a brief time called the Ramada Herradura and is now the Wyndham Herradura.
The hotel that is known to Costa Ricans and foreigners who have lived here for some time as the Herradura, is now the Wyndham, after being the Ramada for a few years.
The Herradura is further evidence of Wynham Hotel Group’s steady, strategic growth in Latin America and the expansion of the upscale Wyndham® brand in the region, following the November debut of Wyndham Garden San José Escazú (next to the EPA store), the brand’s first hotel in Costa Rica.
The new property also joins sister hotel TRYP by Wyndham (known to one and all as the Coribicí) San José Sabana, which joined the company’s portfolio in November 2011. Earlier this year, Wyndham Hotel Group announced the addition of its 100th hotel in the region.
Wyndham San José Herradura Hotel & Conference Centre, is located just minutes away from Juan Santamaría International Airport.
“We’re thrilled to expand our company’s offerings in the heart of San José, a city that has grown to be an international business and travel hub,” said Daniel del Olmo, Wyndham Hotel Group’s managing director of Latin America. “With its convenient location, first-rate amenities and differentiating, customer-centric ‘Count On Me!’ service culture, Wyndham San José Herradura Hotel & Conference Centre makes for an incredible addition to the Wyndham family that will provide guests with all they need for productive and comfortable visits.”
All hotels are independently owned and operated excluding certain Wyndham, Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham and TRYP by Wyndham hotels, as well as certain international Ramada, Days Inn and Super 8 hotels, which may be managed by one of the affiliates of Wyndham Hotel Group.
Remodeled lobby of the Herradura hotel that was for a brief time called the Ramada Herradura and is now the Wyndham Herradura.
Wyndham Hotel Group, the world’s largest hotel company with nearly 7,260 hotels and part of Wyndham Worldwide Corporation, announced the opening of the 230-key Wyndham San José Herradura Hotel & Conference Centre in San José, Costa Rica.
Remodeled lobby of the Herradura hotel that was for a brief time called the Ramada Herradura and is now the Wyndham Herradura.
The hotel that is known to Costa Ricans and foreigners who have lived here for some time as the Herradura, is now the Wyndham, after being the Ramada for a few years.
The Herradura is further evidence of Wynham Hotel Group’s steady, strategic growth in Latin America and the expansion of the upscale Wyndham® brand in the region, following the November debut of Wyndham Garden San José Escazú (next to the EPA store), the brand’s first hotel in Costa Rica.
The new property also joins sister hotel TRYP by Wyndham (known to one and all as the Coribicí) San José Sabana, which joined the company’s portfolio in November 2011. Earlier this year, Wyndham Hotel Group announced the addition of its 100th hotel in the region.
Wyndham San José Herradura Hotel & Conference Centre, is located just minutes away from Juan Santamaría International Airport.
“We’re thrilled to expand our company’s offerings in the heart of San José, a city that has grown to be an international business and travel hub,” said Daniel del Olmo, Wyndham Hotel Group’s managing director of Latin America. “With its convenient location, first-rate amenities and differentiating, customer-centric ‘Count On Me!’ service culture, Wyndham San José Herradura Hotel & Conference Centre makes for an incredible addition to the Wyndham family that will provide guests with all they need for productive and comfortable visits.”
All hotels are independently owned and operated excluding certain Wyndham, Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham and TRYP by Wyndham hotels, as well as certain international Ramada, Days Inn and Super 8 hotels, which may be managed by one of the affiliates of Wyndham Hotel Group.
In this first “Only in Costa Rica” post I bring you the remodeled Paseo de los Estudiantes, which is now called “Barrio Chino”.
Calle 7 is now a pedestrian boulevard from Avenida 2 to just past Avenida 14.
Crossing the Calle is traffic on Avenidas 8, 10, 12 and 14. To reduce traffic on the Avenidas crossing the pedestrian walkway some “genius” at muni gave the green light to build “topes” which are are really mounds of concrete in the centre of the crossing.
The mounts are almost invisible to drivers in daylight and completely at night. And in typical Costa Rican fashion there is no signage warning of the mounds. NONE.
In the photos I took at 4:30pm Wednesday, you can see that some vehicles hump the mound, while others skirt it. One photo shows where many a vehicle has scraped bottom.
We fear that there will be more than one vehicle lose control and end up inside one of the corner shops. You be the judge.
This new feature will depict the quirky side of Costa Rica, in photos and stories that will make you spin in your head and say “who could come up with something like that? Only in Costa Rica!”
David Mani, on his Facebook page gives us a glimpse of San José of the future with mayor Johnny Araya “changing the identity of San José day by day, San José ives…in China!
By Judith Lipton, M.D. and David Barash, Ph.D., Psychology Today/QCostarica
Success! The witch is dead, I got her broom, her ruby slippers, her DNA, and her mother’s maiden name. I am not going home, alas, to Washington, but at least I am going home to Potrero, as a legal resident of Costa Rica.
My dance with the Costa Rican immigration department has finally concluded for now. Not forever, but I now have a cedula, proof of my legal residency in Costa Rica. It is good for 2 years, then needs to be renewed, and in 3 years I can apply for permanent residency and the paperwork shall be done. The word for paperwork in Spanish is “tramites”. It should be “trauma-tes”.
First, let me complete the story. In my last blog about trying to get a driver’s license, I told you about the need for “ruby slippers.” It seems that the Costa Rican bureaucracy is dedicated to making things mysterious and difficult, by making and changing rules without publishing them to the world outside. I told you that to get a driver’s license, I need to have a cedula and in addition, I need to stay within the borders of Costa Rica for at least 90 consecutive days. Then I can go back to San Jose with my US driver’s license, passport, entry stamp, medical examination, proof of blood type, and Costa Rican cedula, and in theory get a driver’s license. These requirements are not on the official government website, as least as of 2 weeks ago, although the law was passed in June, 2012.
I was notified in May that I had been approved for residency. I was given an appointment at immigration for December 6. There is no way to make an appointment online or by phone. My attorney had to send a runner who spent 5 hours (!) in line in order to obtain the appointment. In addition, I had to enroll for the universal health care in Costa Rica, a two step process. First I had to go to the County Capital, Santa Cruz, to register, and then I had to go to the small local clinic to get a “carnet,” a registration card. In order to get the carnet, I had to arrive at the clinic 2 hours early (7AM). I also read on the US Embassy site that a US citizen who wants residency in Costa Rica has to register with the STEP program of the State Department, and this registration needs to be notarized at the Embassy for $50. I did all this, but it turns out that neither the carnet nor the notarized document from the State Department was requested at immigration.
What nearly stopped me was that my attorney had deposited required fees for my immigration into the same account he had used for many years. Three fees went into the only bank account that was mentioned by number on the letter approving my residency. WRONG. It turns out that two of the fees had to go into a different account that was NOT mentioned by name or number on the approval letter. Immigration had made a mistake! The young man at immigration sighed and said his office was closed on Fridays, and I would have to pay the fees into the correct account and return … 4 days later. My assistant and I took a flying taxi to the bank, to discover it closed at 4, and then we flew back to the immigration department where I put my attorney on the phone with the young administrator. I don’t know what my lawyer said, but the next thing I knew, we had an agreement – I would go to the bank to deposit the money in the correct account (the official handwrote the account number on my residency approval letter) first thing on Friday morning, and then I could return to his office for a photo and to receive my cedula. The immigration office was open on Fridays after all. It all went flawlessly from there. I made the payments, returned to immigration, we barged into his office, he took my picture, and an hour later, I was given a small pink card with my official recognition as a Costa Rican resident.
My attorney, Sr. Luis Alvarez, is a true good wizard. Without him, I would have been lost on numerous occasions. As I sat in line at immigration, watching the huge lines of people, families, and very young babies, surrounded by uniformed guards with hand guns and machine guns, I felt kinship with all of those people all over the world who are trying to make a new life for themselves, enduring meaningless and strenuous difficulty that seems designed only to frustrate, confuse, and finally deter them. Most people are not as lucky or as privileged as I am. But we all want the same things, a safe place to live, good jobs, security, escape from bad governments, and in general, a better life.
Every person who is not of Native American descent in North, South, and Central America comes from people who were foreigners. Some were brought as slaves, involuntarily. They have the hardest lot. Some ran away from famine, religious persecution, war, and poverty. Some people, such as certain Nazis after World War II, came to avoid prosecution for war crimes. Others sought wealth, gold, silver, land, or jobs. Most of the population of the New World came from slaves, refugees, and immigrants. I think that sensible immigration reform policies need to happen quickly, not only in the US, but in other countries as well, so that people can move about, trying to make their lives better. As long as people are well meaning and want to add value to their new homes, wouldn’t it make sense to make the process benevolent? And shouldn’t countries agree on reasonable standards, so that people know what to expect and can meet those expectations?
The Statue of Liberty stands as an emblem of sensible immigration policy. Her words sing of hope:
“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. The wretched refuse of you teaming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
The New Colossus by Emma Lazarus
The US used to be that symbol of hope and freedom, but recently a presidential candidate spoke of “voluntary self-deportation” for illegal immigrants, and the US still lacks a coherent and benevolent plan. Costa Rica was founded by Spanish conquistadores with bad luck. They found no gold, no silver, difficult terrain, and no native labor force. The indigenous population died of European communicable diseases. All immigrants had to work hard for a living. There was a brief period slavery, and a period of encomiendas, or indentured peasants. For the next 300 years, immigration to Costa Rica was relatively easy. People came to Costa Rica from Italy, Spain, China, Jamaica, Germany, and of course North America to create a unique society. It was not easy. Building a railroad through the rainforest of Limon Provence cost the lives of countless people, many Asian. Carribean descendents of African slaves faced discrimination and poverty. However, by 2010, 96% of Costa Ricans defined their race as “mixed.” The military was eliminated, and an entire society had access to free healthcare, education, and suffrage. The Ticos were rated the happiest people in the world by three different international agencies in 2010. What is happening now to make the society so difficult?
In a few short words: Drugs. CAFTA. Globalization. Inequality. Illegal immigration. Human Trafficking. Fear. Corruption. I bought a T shirt in San Jose that says: “Costa Rica – the happiest country around the world.” How long do you think that will last?
Costa Rica’s female judicial functionaries may not wear miniskirts, low necklines, tight blouses or strapless wear. So decided a majority of judges this week.
But, lest feminists think this is discriminatory, men may not wear earrings and visible tattoos. (Fortunately, facial tattooing is rare here.) The dress code was approved by vote Nov. 5.
The 11,000 judicial branch workers were notified by memos in late November and, for good measure, reminders will be repeated in the official publication La Gaceta.
But judicial employee Natalia Gamboa told La Nacion that she was worried that the new regulation contradicts a previous court policy to “eliminate dress codes associated with gender stereotypes.”
She considers the dress code as ambiguous and failed to see a reasonable justification linking dress and the “providing of a public service.” And she isn’t alone; when it was debated in committee, some judges objected.
But the code doesn’t stop there — hair tinting is permissible “always when they are traditional colors, not attention getting.”Denim is out, as are polo tops, T shirts and tennis shoes.
Trousers may be classic, formal and not tight. Not surprisingly, transparent wear is strictly prohibited. Men must wear long sleeves and shirts must never be untucked outside the trousers.
Men must wear ties and a belt. (Suspenders are not mentioned.) If they have a beard, it must be neatly trimmed.
Commentary: Granted, although we at this blog do not like dress codes generally, we must admit that appearing before a judge who sported, say, a mop of bright green hair might be disconcerting.
But wouldn’t it be ironic, should the code be challenged, if the Constitutional Chamber (Sala IV) threw it out as an assault on human rights?
Traveling to and from San José and La Fortuna, that includes the tourist area of Arenal and the community of San Carlos, takes about 3 hours – each way in good weather and traffic conditions – has gotten easier.
Flying into and out of La Fortuna was not a viable option. Until now.
Sansa Regional is now offering two flights to and from La Fortuna to the Daniel Oduber airport in Liberia and San José’s Juan Santamaría. The domestic airline said it will offer flights four times a week: Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.
The flight, to and from Liberia or San José, takes about 20 minutes.
Nature Air, operating out of the Pavas airport also has a daily flight from from San José to La Fortuna, however, the return is by way of Quepos to San José.
During the first 15 days of November, the beginning of tourist season, the tourist police reported an increase in the number of crimes against property. At the same time, Jeison Vargas, tourist police chief in Guiones, assured that this is what the tourist police are here for and that they are visiting the area businesses every day.
The police advise taking necessary precautions to ensure that lodging places are secure. Vargas noted that the experience of being robbed would more likely to cause tourists to avoid the area than having bars on their windows for security.
Luis Eduardo Jimenez, chief of the Organism of Justice (OIJ) for the Nicoya region, confirmed that overall crime in the Nosara area has decreased and that most thefts are happening in the houses of tourists.
Photo Giordano Campini
Vargas related that in the district of Nosara, they were able to detain six people during the first 15 days of November, three for robbery and three for carrying weapons and drugs, specifically two 20-cm knives and 5 joints of marijuana. These men were denounced for selling cellular phones that were suspected to be robbed. However, Vargas explained that upon investigation they found out the phones were really imitations of brand name phones that were being passed off as the real thing. One of the men had just been released from prison for homicide and another had previously been detained for carrying a firearm.
Two men who took a bicycle from a hotel in Samara, one Colombian and one Tico, fled in the direction of Nosara. They were intercepted and pursued all the way to Marbella of Santa Cruz, where the Guiones tourist police were able to capture them.
All of these suspects were released under the order of the district attorney. Although they will do so in freedom, Vargas assured that they will have to face the justice process. “The important thing is knowing them,” Vargas said. “With their photos on file, they are not likely to return to the area”.
It is almost that time of year when employers in Costa Rica have to pay employees their annual aguinaldo or end-of-the-year bonus. Employers must pay an aguinaldo if an employee has worked from December 1 through November 30, or an amount proportionate to the time worked, if less than a year. The amount is usually the equivalent of one month’s salary.
If the worker makes different amounts each month then you just add up the total and divide by 12 to see what has to be paid. By law an aguinaldo has to be paid between the first and 20th of December. Do not forget that live in employees receive an additional 50 percent year-end bonus.
Employers who don’t pay the aguinaldo will have to pay a fine which is the equivalent 20 times the base salary according to the Article 564 of the Labor Code or Código de Trabajo. There is no way an employer can avoid paying this benefit.
Retirees who hire Costa Ricans should should adhere strictly to the country’s labor laws to avoid huge problems.
The tradition of paying aguinaldos exists in other Spanish-speaking countries but does not always work the same way as in Costa Rica.
In Mexico, for example, the federal law establishes that an aguinaldo should be the equivalent to 15 days of base salary and to be paid before the 20th of every December. Workers who have not worked the whole year are also entitled to an aguinaldo based proportionately on the time they have worked.
In Argentina the labor law (La Ley de Contrato de Trabajo) establishes an annual complimentary salary to be paid in two payments, one on the 30th of June and the other on the 31st of December.
In Colombia as in Argentina part of the the aguinaldo must be paid at the end of the first half of the year and at the end of the year.
In Uruguay the payment of the aguinaldo works like it does in Argentina. This custom is perhaps due to the fact that they are neighboring countries.
In Panama the work code (el Código de Trabajo) gives both public and private workers a 13th month payment in two installments on the 15th of April and the 15th of December.
In Boliva The General Work Law or la Ley General de Trabajo stipulates that the aguinaldo must be paid to anyone who has worked for more than three months at a single job.
In some Spanish-speaking countries an aguinaldo is not synonymous with a monetary bonus. For instance, in Venezuela el aguinaldo is a type of Christmas music. In Spain an aguinaldo consists of children going from house to house playing a type of music with instruments like a tambourine. Instead of asking for money the ask for candy and pastries. This custom is similar to what children do at Halloween.
Unfortunatley, since I am my own boss I only receive an agui-nada at the end of the year. Nada means nothing ion Spanish.
A dry air mass will mean hot and sunny days this week, great for pre-Christmas vacationing at the beach.
The metereologist says that temperatures will be above normal this week, skies will be clear and the sun will be beading down. Today, Tuesday, is expected to be hottest day of the week, with temperatures a few degrees above normal.
Staring tomorrow, the IMN (Instituto Meteorológico Nacional) – national weather service – is predicing a rise in winds and cooler weather by the weekend.
The forecast includes even some rain in the San José area for Saturday and Sunday.
However, don’t be fooled by the hot sunny days, the temperatures will dip down to normal cool conditions in the evenings. Have a sweater handy.
A Tamal and Christmas go hand in hand in Costa Rica, when thousands gathers on Paseo Colón Sunday to enjoy a traditional tamal. In total, some 25.000 talemes were cooked and served up free to all who braved the long lines under the hot sun.
Used were 45 bags of Maseca (a brand of corn flour), 900 cans of chickpeas, 900 jars of “petiopoás” ad 250 cans ground beans.
Paseo Colón, from the east side of the Sabana park to the Scotiabank tower was closed off to vehicular traffic, allowing people to enjoy the traditional foods, music and games offered by the sponsors.
This Saturday, Paseo Colón and Avenida Segunda will be closed off for the traditional “Festival de la Luz” (Light Festival).
Costa Rica is set to become the first country in Latin America to ban hunting for sport, a move aimed at preserving the country’s rich biodiversity.
Legislators approved the popular initiative by an unanimous vote on Monday and sent it on to Presidenta Laura Chinchilla, who is expected to sign it into law.
The law would impose a fine of up to US$$3,000 for anyone caught hunting, with exceptions made for individuals hunting non-endangered species for food.
The country’s extensive rainforests and national parks contain hundreds of rare species, including jaguars, tapirs, and several tropical birds.
The law “will allow us to live in peace with other living things that share our planet,” said the president of the Asemblea Legislativa (Legislative Aseembly) Victor Emilio Granadas.
“I believe this is a message we give to future generations, that an activity like sport hunting is not a sport but a cruelty.”
RACSA, the subsidiary of the once-telecommunications monopoly ICE, promises ultra-fast Internet communications are coming for their customers next January.
Company manager Orlando Cascante blamed delays on RACSA’;s Swedish parter, Via Europa, for the January target date for offering the service. Not only is service to be faster but it will be much cheaper.
RACSA’s customers have longed for a break for quite a while. The subsidiary has been a worry for parent ICE when customers began abandoning its service when the market opened up.
Revenues dropped as service declined and customers fled until, in 2011, ICE was forced to give RACSA a company bailout to keep it afloat in a sea of red ink.
RACSA management hopes the rot will stop when it is able to offer 10 Mpbs service for the colon equivalent of $50 per month. Currently, the same service costs customers $100 per month, reported La Nacion.
Cascante said the service will be provided by the lines of the Power and Light Company — also an ICE subsidiary.
Originally, Cascante announced, at a function called last Sept. 24 by President Laura Chinchilla, that the service would begin this month. But what he should have said is that RACSA was ready — but the Swedish partner wasn’t.
Comment: In Costa Rica, all things come to he who waits – – if he lives long enough…
Miguel Ramirez, an engineer who helped build the trail border road known as “La Trocha”, in the northern zone at the border with Nicaragua, on Tuesday appeared before the legislative committee investigating irregularities around the work.
Among his statements, Ramirez said “the former Minister of Transport Francisco Jimenez, betrayed us and jumped ship.”
The engineer said he received instructions from Casa Presidencial (Government House) and the Ministro de la Presidencia, Carlos Ricardo Benavides, saying they “had to do everything in secret because if the press found out everything would be brought down.”
Ramirez added that he and Minister Jiménez worked together on the elections campaing, that RECOPE 9the state refinery) offered up ten million litres of asphalt for the trail road and that the five new schools in the area were built by the project company and not the government.”
Finally, said the emergency decree was signed only on 28 February this year.
By and large most Costa Ricans know this too well, it is part of the culture. Foreigners, especially from North America, coming to Costa Rica however learn this the hard way, “don’t be the first to pay”
The latest is the case of the 2013 Marchamo.
Last month, immediately following the posting of the rates for the 2013 circulation permit by the state insurer, the Instituto Nacional de Seguros (INS), there was an backlash of accusations of “illegal” increases, confused with the protest by the motorcyclists.
The motorcyclists took to the streets objecting to the increased in the “mandatory” insurance portion of the 2013 Marchamo (of which they finally did get a reduction), the rest of the objection was to an increase in the “fiscal” values of many vehicles. The Fiscal is used by the Ministerio de Hacienda (Revenue Ministry) to calculate the annual property tax.
In the end, to shorten this story, the Hacienda rolled back the values by as much as 10% on many vehicles. The Tax people would not say how any vehicles were affected, the Ministro de Hacienda, Edgar Ayales, said in a television interview “not many”.
The minister also talked about transperancy, explaining that in an uncommon move it had published the methodology of the tax calculations, blah, blah, blah, and that “people would gladly pay their taxes if they understood, had it explained to them”.
Hacienda Ministe, Edgar Ayales, always with a smile on his face!
All this is fine, but what about the thousands who paid their 2013 Marchamo promptly and with it the higher property tax? Sorry, tough noogies (my words) was the reply. “Si usted ya pagó olvide que le van a devolver dinero” (if you paid forget about getting your money back). Ayalessaid that it really affected only a small number of tax payers, as if this justified it all.
The same occurred not too long with the traffic cameras. Thousands were ticketed only to find out that the use of the traffic cameras was deemed unconstitutional and that the tickets were illegal. For the thousands who paid promptly, again tough noogies, there would be no refund.
I can go on and take up pages of examples such as these, but in the end it brings home just one point “it doesn’t pay to be the first in Costa Rica in anything”.
This is so ingrained in society, in the culture. Being late to a meeting or social gathering without so much as an apology, well why be first? Waiting to the last minute to buy the tickets to say the Lady Gaga concert, driving the promoters crazy, maybe the last tickets will be reduced in price or even free?
What I am saying is that, if you are a foreigner in Costa Rica you have two choices: accept that this is the way of pura vida or frustrate yourself. You could leave is another option. And many I have talked to recently are considering it. In fact, a good friend and associate who has made a living for two decades moving people to Costa Rica tells me half of his business today is moving people out.
Presidenta Laura Chinchilla and whomever will be in the presidential chair in 2014 take note, the “golden goose” is sick and needs attention!
My advice, you are going to make Costa Rica your adopted home, don’t rush out to be first in anything. Wait it out. Subdue that North American impulse to do the right thing and in a timely manner. Wait until the absolute last minute, until you are forced to have to pay. Don’t expect a refund for something you already paid for. And so on…
PS. After first publishing this commentary, read the news that the motorcyclists got a reduction The rebate, apparently will be added to the obligation of four wheeled vehicles. All the protest paid off. Another commentary for another time!
Quick, what is the tallest building in Costa Rica? If you answered the Banco Nacional you were close.
Torres del Paseo Colon, at 91 metres is now the tallest building in Costa Rica!
At 91 metres (295.75) feet, 10 metres higher, the new Torre del Paseo Colon is now the tallest building in the land, taking the title from the Banco Nacional that was, forever, the tallest building in Costa Rica.
Costa Rica is not known for tall buildings. In fact most of the country has been flat, building wise, for the longest time. However, lately there has been a crop of new, tall buildings, all over the Central valley. And I don’t mean small buildings that look tall sitting atop of the Escazú mountain. No, tall buildings from the ground up.
The trend, however, has been in high-rise condominium living. In most cities the tall buildings house banks and insurance companies for the most part.
In Costa Rica, however, they are home for those who have deep pockets, with prices starting at around US$100.000 dollars to US$250.000 dollars, depending on size and floor. And it is not uncommon to see asking prices of half million dollars or more on the real estate listings for these types of properties.
The Paseo Colon Towers (in English) represents a new style of living. And for living it is, as the 28 storey building is attempting to return life to the city. Joining the trend is the Vista Las Palmas, Condado del Palacio, vista del Parque, Sabana Real, Altos de Nunciature and Torres del Parque, are just a few that surround or near the Sabana park and the new national stadium.
In the past, if you asked if there are there any high-rise buildings in Costa Rica, the answer would have depended on your definition of high-rise.
In the past Costa Ricans not travelling outside the borders, in the past could only know tall buildings from photos or movies.
Now there really are tall buildings. Well, not as tall as compared to tall buildings in Panama, New York or Toronto, but tall in any event in Costa Rica.
The Banco Nacional building in the heart of San José was the tallest building in the land.
A friend who jokes about this tells the story of how a Costa Rican, travelling outside the country for the first time, would compare the tall buildings he/she sees to the Banco Nacional. “Hey, look, this building is taller than the Banco Nacional” as the joke goes. It loses in the translation.
In any event, Costa Rican with money (or the ability to obtain credit) can now really look down on the rest!
Protesting in the streets, even bein rude and vulgar to fellow citizens, has paid for motorcyclists, with the government agreeing to reduce the 2013 Marchamo for two wheeled vehicles by as much as 33%. To recover the some of the reduction, all other vehicle owners will be paying an additional ¢2.500.
2013 Marchamo is payable by December 31.
In effect, owners of vehicles other than motorcycles will subsidize the reduction given to the motorcyclists, who had taken to the streets during the past weeks, causing traffic chaos in many areas, including obscene and vulgar gestures in front of the television cameras.
The government of Laura Chinchilla had said it would not negotiate with “hooligans”. However, in a surprise move, it did sit down in the last couple of days to hammer out an accord.
In respect to the 2013 Marchamo, the Ministerio de Hacienda (Revenue ministry) announced a 10% reduction in the “fiscal” value of small number of vehicles – no exact number has been provided – that in effect reduces the overall cost of the marchamo.
For those – some 151.000 (as of Thursday) – who already paid, tough noogies! The minister, Edgar Ayales, was clear to the press that there will be no refund. Period.
Convergys Corp. will hire 3,000 people in call centers across the United States and in Costa Rica.
The U.S. jobs, to be filled through mid-January, will number 2,500. They’ll consist of “agent positions within multiple Convergys’ call center facilities across the United States, as well as work-at-home positions,” according to a news release.
They’ll pay between $9 and $12 per hour with health benefits, paid time off and tuition reimbursement.
Meanwhile, Convergys (NYSE: CVG) will hire 500 people for a new operations center in Costa Rica.
The 7,000 square-foot facility in San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica, becomes the company’s fourth in the country. The new employees will join the more than 2,000 that Convergys employs in three centers in Heredia and San Jose.
Three years after entering the country, the company has grown into one of Costa Rica’s largest service-sector employers. Costa Rica President Laura Chinchilla attended a launch event for the new center.
“The employment opportunities that Convergys adds to this sector have been very important and marked by the offering of hundreds of job opportunities with stable income, good salaries and interesting prospects for personal and professional growth to Costa Ricans,” Chinchilla said in a Convergys news release.
With 75,000 employees, Convergys operates call centers throughout the world.
Google “Costa Rican restaurant New York City” and what comes up? I’ll tell you what: nothing. In the most densely restauranted city in the world, there is not one Costa Rican restaurant. In our old NYC neighborhood alone, along with the Chinese, Thai, Italian, French, et cetera, we had an entire block of Indian joints, a Burmese, a Tibetan, an Afghani and even an Ethiopian spot. At one point we had a restaurant across the street from us, Cave Canum, which only served food of the ancient Romans (various grasses, I seem to remember, along with four different skate dishes). And still… no Costa Rican restaurants. Why?
Because Costa Rican cuisine is kinda crappy. I mean, it’s not horrid… like haggis. Or matzoh. Or gefilde fish. It’s more like… Kansas; there just ain’t a whole lot of there there.
This isn’t just our opinion; every travel guide to Costa Rica kinda breathes a heavy sigh when the topic turns from beaches and jungles and wildlife to the more prosaic topic of what to eat. Posts on Chowhound asking, “Can anyone suggest some good restaurants in Costa Rica?” grow cobwebby waiting for replies. (I’ll take the liberty here of suggesting two in our small town of Puerto Viejo, neither of which serves “Costa Rican” cuisine; The Point, for the American-style sports bar experience, and Stashu’s, whose eponymous owner knows his way around a curry sauce.)
Anyways, between the biking, snorkeling, surfing, lazing in the hammock and cocktail mixing, we kinda like to eat. Back in NYC, I put at least one hot meal on the table every day for 30 years and had a robust repertoire of family-pleasing recipes — few of which, for various reasons, could be reproduced here.
The gustatory gauntlet had been thrown down. Game on…
The mainstay of Costa Rican cooking is known as casado, which means “man of the house.” This is a big plate (I’ll give it that) of simple rice and beans, a mayo-based salad (more on the Tico love affair with mayo later…), some yucca (have you met the yucca?) and largely unadorned stew meat, fish or chicken. The concept of eating a casado every day of your life brings to mind the charming Australian expression, “ball and chain porking,” a euphemism for married sex.
Of course different is good; we came here for different. But different is always so easy to… digest.
The Good, The Bad and The Weird.
Unlike other Latin American fare, Ticos have little use for spicy. No hot tamales, no jerk pork or chicken, no spicy Dominican chicharrones. The most common Costa Rican salsa picante, Chilero, can be shlurped by the spoonful by a 3-year-old. Señor Blandings builds his dream kitchen.
Another issue is that few Costa Rican homes have ovens. Think of all the things you like to make with your oven; now cross them all off the list of things you can have.
And then there’s the general weirdness of Costa Rican groceries.
Quite often the weirdness is good. There’s the mamón chino, a Dr. Seussian fruit that looks like a Spaldeen with wiry spikes. You peel the spiky outer shell and eat the grape-like fruit inside. Delicious. Another fruit, ackee, hangs from the trees; yeah, it’s poisonous if you eat it before it’s ready, but fry up the ripened fruit in a pat of butter and it comes out looking and tasting exactly like scrambled eggs.
Ketchup, tomato sauce, mustard and mayo all come in squeezable bags (brilliant, really), and lime flavored mayo… where have you been all my life? You can also get mustard- and ketchup-flavored mayo (Ticos love their mayo) but a mayo-based diet? No me gusta.
Milk comes in a box, or you can get organic milk at the farmers market in a recycled 2-liter soda bottle. (And by recycled, I mean you can still see the edges of where the Coca-Cola label once was.)
Eggs are not refrigerated (but somehow, in eight months, I’ve only gone home with one rotten egg).
Every woman I see buying groceries gets Sazón Completa, so I picked some up, only to discover the primary ingredient listed was MSG. (Let’s go Rangers… thunk thunk thunkthunkthunk!). Ehh.
And then there’s the chopped meat issue. There are at least two ranches in our small town and the cows look healthy and happy enough. So what the hell happened to these poor creatures to result in chopped meat with the consistency of farina? Thankfully, a friend who’s lived here for a while told me you have to drain the chopped meat in a strainer before you try to cook it.
You don’t select your fish at the fish stand, Ricardo sells you whatever the fisherman caught that day along with hints on how to prepare whatever the fish may be. (Here’s his recipe for pargo frito entiro — whole fried red snapper: Toss the fish around in flour that’s been liberally dosed with Sazón Completa, and chuck it into a big-ass pan of boiling oil. Drink half a beer and flip it over. Drink the other half of the beer, put the fish on a platter, squeeze lemon everywhere).
Carlos is our go-to guy for organic fruit and veg. I ordered some beets from him, thinking of a nice beet salad. Each beet was the size of a baby’s head. A big head baby. I had enough beets to feed twenty people, not two.
“Carlos, what the hell am I supposed to do with these beets?”
“Eat them! Like this!” And then Carlos goes all Schrute, chomping a beet as if were an over-sized Macintosh. Big raw food guy. But the beets were excellent, and three weeks later they’d finally been consumed — after being boiled, grilled over charcoal, and in the end, pickled with garlic and hot peppers.
Basically, I’m learning to cook all over again.
So when Christmas rolls around, there will be no turkey, ham or roast beef; no green bean casserole; no figgy pudding. I’m thinking we’ll start with guacamole and fried plantains, a kale salad, the pargo frito entiro, creamed spinach with coconut milk, fresh rolls from the bakery down the road and then finish with a no-bake lime cheesecake. And maybe I’ll sneak in a big-head beet somewhere.
Unless Anyone Would Care To Share…
Consider this a Call For Entries: We’ve got a 2-burner stovetop and a microwave. Lots of fresh fish and veg. Weird meat. The ackee, oyster mushrooms, chayote… and some other stuff (if you’ve been around these parts, you’ll know).
Thud! That’s the sound of the other shoe dropping in the case of the corruption riddled construction of the northern border road, Route 1856 or “La Trocha” as it is also referred to. And it was dropped by the Comptroller General’s Office filing charges against 21 officials and ex-officials.
An investigation by lawmakers in the Legislative Assembly was the first shoe, but it had no power of punishment — that is up to the courts. But the Comptroller has legal clout in putting a case on the court docket.
The year-long show in the Assembly Public Spending Committee, with testimony once per week (Tuesdays) was good theater but turned up few revelations and a lot of political maneuvering.
Parallel to the congressional probe, the judiciary and OIJ detectives have been combing confiscated books and computer hard drives, the real work in bringing to justice what will probably turn out to be trials that will go on for several years.
But let’s get to the all-star cast of characters right away, including the cream of the Chinchilla Administration and her National Liberation Party: Vice Minister of the Presidency and anti-drug czar Mauricio Boraschi, Vice Minister of Security Walter Navarro are two current officials.
Then there is the president of the National Emergency Committee Vanessa Rosales, former-Minister of Public Works (MOPT) Francisco Jimenez, ex-MOPT Vice Minister Maria Lorena Lopez and ex-Environment Vice Ministers Ana Lorena Guevara and Andrei Bourrouet.
A Comptroller process server trekked up Cuesta de Moras to the Legislative Assembly to serve papers to ex-CONAVI (highway engineering) director Carlos Acosta and two high CONAVI officials Miguel Ramriez and Manuel Serrano who were all testifying before the epic Spending Committee probe.
The cast also features Juan Carlos Pacheco, Roy Barboza, Jose Villalobos, Adolfo Ortiz, Orlando Esquivel, Mario Quesada, Antonio Caarvajal, Krysbell Rios, Enrique Angulo and Jorge Montero.
Ex-CONAVI director Acosta’s attorney petitioned Legislative Assembly President Victor Emilio Granados to separate three deputies from the probe. They belong to the three largest opposition parties to the National Liberation Party: Libertarian Patricia Perez, Social Christian Unity’s Walter Cespedes and Citizen Action Party’s Manrique Oviedo.
The three just happen to be the fiercest questioners and the most vocal critics of the border road mess on the Spending Committee. But committee chairperson Perez rejected the ploy and continued grilling witnesses about the chummy relations between CONAVI and the consulting firm CACISA.
But now Acosta has more to worry about than just embarrassment in front of lawmakers.
Foreign drug cartels lost tons of narcotics in a week to police here and in Panamanian waters. Local police captured three truck shipments and Panamanian authorities along with U.S. patrols cooperated in another blow.
After a chase that began in Costa Rican waters, a U.S. Coast Guard frigate and Panamanian patrol boat trapped a semi-submersible craft after an unarmed U.S. Orion P-3 patrol aircraft had sighted it. The craft sank, leaving three survivors and one dead.
The semi-submersible craft are sometimes mis-identified as submarines but always navigate with their conning tower out of the water. They can carry up to three tons of narcotics and are nearly impossible to detect by radar.
In this case, the craft inexplicably sank as it attempted to escape and two Hondurans and a Guatemalan crew member escaped. The U.S. frigate picked up the presumed captain’s lifeless body and several packets of drugs.
In Costa Rica, the Siquirres police, acting on a tip from OIJ, captured a truck loaded with 500 kilos (more than 1,000 lbs.) of cocaine, The packets of drugs were concealed in false walls of the truck bed.
Earlier, last Sunday, police confiscated 180 kilos of cocaine in a trailer at the northern border crossing of Peñas Blancas. Unusual for such a capture, police also grabbed 12 kilos of heroin in the cargo trailer.
Only three days before that, police at the border with Nicaragua nabbed another 138 kilos of cocaine in a trailer.
All this action was on the heels of the Nov. 29 capture of a fishing boat carrying more than a ton of cocaine 216 nautical miles off Costa Rica’s Punta Burica in the Pacific Ocean. Four crew members were arrested.Drug Cartels Lose Tons of Drugs
Foreign drug cartels lost tons of narcotics in a week to police here and in Panamanian waters. Local police captured three truck shipments and Panamanian authorities along with U.S. patrols cooperated in another blow.
After a chase that began in Costa Rican waters, a U.S. Coast Guard frigate and Panamanian patrol boat trapped a semi-submersible craft after an unarmed U.S. Orion P-3 patrol aircraft had sighted it. The craft sank, leaving three survivors and one dead.
The semi-submersible craft are sometimes mis-identified as submarines but always navigate with their conning tower out of the water. They can carry up to three tons of narcotics and are nearly impossible to detect by radar.
In this case, the craft inexplicably sank as it attempted to escape and two Hondurans and a Guatemalan crew member escaped. The U.S. frigate picked up the presumed captain’s lifeless body and several packets of drugs.
In Costa Rica, the Siquirres police, acting on a tip from OIJ, captured a truck loaded with 500 kilos (more than 1,000 lbs.) of cocaine, The packets of drugs were concealed in false walls of the truck bed.
Earlier, last Sunday, police confiscated 180 kilos of cocaine in a trailer at the northern border crossing of Peñas Blancas. Unusual for such a capture, police also grabbed 12 kilos of heroin in the cargo trailer.
Only three days before that, police at the border with Nicaragua nabbed another 138 kilos of cocaine in a trailer.
All this action was on the heels of the Nov. 29 capture of a fishing boat carrying more than a ton of cocaine 216 nautical miles off Costa Rica’s Punta Burica in the Pacific Ocean. Four crew members were arrested.
Toyota FJ40 Landcruiser: A Car You Should Drive Before You Die
Buying a used car in Costa Rica is not different than buying a used car anywhere else, an experience that ranks right up there with a trip to the dentist. But, there is one major difference, IN COSTA RICA — USED CARS APPRECIATE IN VALUE!
For most North Americans they get a false sense of security when visiting a used car lot in Costa Rica, be it the corner lot or that of a high profile dealer, for their similarities those in the US or Canada.
While the typical used car lot is plain and simple, usually located in a high traffic area, used card lots at new car dealerships are typical of any car dealership north of the Mexico border. They have a spiffy sales floor, a workshop that you can eat off of and used cars that are supposedly of “better quality”.
One can understand that a “norte”(a term coined by a friend when referring to Americans and Canadians in Costa Rica) will probably feel that items like integrity and warranty are part of the package at the dealership lot, a better class of used car salesman than the corner not. NOT.
The truth is that buying a used car in Costa Rica, corner lot or dealership, one very important rule must be kept in mind, BUYER BEWARE! This is not Kansas, Dorothy.
Buying a used car in Costa Rica is a process. It is unlikely that you happen on a lot, find the car you want and drive home with it.
No, you have to respect the process and here some reasons why.
1. Good chance the car you have your eye on is not owned by the lot, but rather on consignment. The owner of the vehicle has given the car to the dealer to sell, the dealer gets a commission is and when the car eventually sells. The dealer has not stake in the price of the vehicle – the price it will sell or be bought for – just the commission. As such the price is always firm. Look for a car owned by the dealer – one he/she has a hard cash investment in, on this vehicle you can now negotiate.
2. Given that the vehicle being sold is probably not owned by the dealer, the process of transfer takes time. The dealer has to communicate your intent to purchase, that he/she has your deposit and for the owner’s lawyer to prepare the transfer docs. The next step is to visit the lawyer/notary to sign the documents. THIS IS WHEN AND ONLY WHEN YOU SHOULD PAY THE BALANCE OF THE PURCHASE PRICE. And then only after reviewing the car once again to ensure that it still is in the condition you made the deal on, that it has the same wheels, the radio, etc. Yes, you should have made a note of all of that – photos better – of the vehicle once you struck the deal.
3. The car is sold as is. In most cases the dealer knows what is wrong with the car but unlikely will fix the problems. No vehicular inspection certificate is required to transfer the a vehicle from one owner to another. That is, the mechanical problems, unless visible, are not fixed until the car comes up for the Riteve inspection.
4. The warranty is as good as the word of the dealer. In Costa Rica every purchase made at a retailer is covered by a 30 business day warranty. However, the warranty is to repair any problems, no obligation to replace or refund. So, once the car comes off the lot and it starts to develop problems, it could face sitting in the dealer’s shop waiting to get fixed, which unless pressed will not be a priority. Thus it is very important to review the car very closely and factor in repairs as part of the purchase price.
A good practice is to negotiate the purchase price, now bring up the problems and renegotiate. In in the end it will be cheaper – in time and aggravation – for you to do the repairs than argue with the dealer later. A vehicle I bought for a few years back had a negotiated price of US$5.500. The vehicle had a serious transmission problem that the dealer figured would cost US$1.500 to repair. I negotiated the price down to $4.000 and would do the repairs, that end up costing me only US$600 and only when the clutch was totally slipping. An important note, I was asked to sign a waiver of the 30 day warranty. Both I and the dealer knew that it was not valid, but it served ground for the dealer to then protest any repairs.
5. Do your due diligence. Many used cars are bought by dealers at US auctions, cars that have been written off up there and repaired here at less with cheap labour. An example, a dealer can buy a junker in Florida for a few hundred dollars, pay shipping, import taxes and repairs and still make 50% on his/her original investment. That is because a clunker that has no market in the US can sell for thousands of dollars here.
An example is my 1975 Toyota Landcruiser, the original FJ40. In Costa Rica it sells for at least US$4,000, with some models up to double or more of that. And the vehicle is very rare to be seen for sale, let alone at a dealer’s lot. And when one does come up it is picked up quickly, within hours literally. The only dealer who has some on their lot is the Toyota at Toyotaland (yes, a real place with a big sign) in La Uruca. But these are fully reconditioned vehicles and can cost from US$15.000 to US$20.000.
6. Check the Fiscal value. Every value as a Fiscal value or value set by the Finance ministry used to determine the yearly property tax (included the annual Marchamo) and the transfer costs. This value is determined by the Ministerio de Hacienda and can increase – NOT DECREASE – in many cases, as it did this year. Increasing the Fiscal value is a way for the Hacienda to boost tax revenues.
Knowing the Fiscal value of the vehicle will allow you to budget you tax expense every December. If you want to argue this Fiscal value, it is a process of its own, which must be completed before November of each year or the new value – if reduced – is applied to the following fiscal cycle.
7. Checking the Registro Nacional website before making your deal or at least putting down the deposit is recommended. This is where you get the information on the vehicle, more important any “gravemenes” – annotations to title, like a lien for a bank loan, a judicial embargo and unpaid traffic fines, for example. These items are really not your concern, for you are not the owner of the vehicle, BUT if you put up a deposit and the owner cannot or is unwilling to clear title, the sale is not going to go through. You won’t have a vehicle, dodged the bullet there, but now probably have to fight to get the deposit back. Most likely you will, but maybe weeks or more later. Checking title ahead of time can save you a lot of frustrations.
At the start I said used cars in Costa Rica appreciate in value. Typically in the “norte”, as many other parts of the world, a vehicle loses value as the year pass. However, in Costa Rica that does not occur. It may not go up in value, but it will keep its value. An example is my 1986 Mercedes 300SE which I bought used in 2008 for US$4.500. Today, almost five years later I can sell the car for that or maybe a little more, if I can find a buyer.
The high prices of gasoline makes my Mercedes not a car for most buyers, as the 3 Litre, 6 cylinder engine, cannot compete for economy as the three banger, 0.8 litre Chevy Spark.
The point is that used cards in Costa Rica, given proper and regular maintenance, are not only a mode of transportation, a status symbol for some, but a good investment for all.
By Kerry La, Costa Rican Times/QCostarica
