Costa Rica Relocation Blog

I get so much accustomed to the culture that sometimes I forget the obvious. Have you noticed while living in Costa Rica that no one will ever tell you “no” they cannot do something or “no, I don’t want to do that?” You probably have not because it just appears that the Tico’s and Tica’s are being polite by going your way all the time. The secret is Costa Rican’s do not like the word NO for some reason.

If you ask someone if they want to go to the mall, they will tell you “ok” or “yes” every time. They will never ever tell you “no I don’t want to go” because they would consider this rude.

This is one of the things that make the natives of Costa Rica so endearing. They at all cost will not hurt your feelings by telling you “no” they can’t do something or “no” they don’t want to do something.

Long and short of it… their Yes means No in some instances.

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Filed under: Family and friends, Living in Costa Rica

The Blogs and maybe some parts of the website will be under maintenance while we switch servers.

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The cost of cars are rising as is anything else in Costa Rica.  Gas and diesel are now about equal where diesel was 150 colones less per liter, now they are running neck in neck to keep up.  This doesn’t help when you are looking at a car to buy.

When we were looking at cars, we always looked for diesel because the fuel was so much less and the mileage seems to be a little better for a diesel car.  Some might disagree but that is our experience.

Renting a car can be a harrowing experience.  You will settle on one price when you get the car, then when you get ready to turn it in there are all of these added charges.  Many of the big name companies do this on a regular basis.  The solution to this is to go with a smaller company.  One where you can meet the owner.  There are a couple of these in Escazu but they are not any cheaper than the big companies.  Renting a car for a month (small car) can run anywhere from $600 -$1000.

To buy a car is really your best bet if you plan on living in Paradise.  But you must be very careful who you buy from and have a mechanic look at the car for sure.  Second hand cars in Costa Rica often have problems that can only be detected by a good mechanic.  People drive the life out of them and with the roads being as bad as they are, they really take a beating.

Low miles and newer car are really the way to go if you don’t go new.  Each car that we have bought has been used and we have had some good cars with only minor repairs needed.  The good thing about repairs is that if the car has easy to find parts like a Hundai or a Nissan, labor is very cheap.

Another point mentioned above…get a car that is popular to Costa Rica and you will be able to find parts.  Many of the cars that Expats bring into Costa Rica, the parts are not readily available and must be ordered from the US, costing mucho dinero.

Hundai’s are very popular and less expensive to work on than say an older model Jeep or Dodge.

Mitsubishi and Nissan are too other cars that are easier to work on and find parts.

Transferring title to the new car is subject for another post and will be up later.

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Filed under: Living in Costa Rica, Moving pets to Costa Rica

Last year, as many of you living in Costa Rica might know, for the first time in almost 50 years, the 4th of July picnic was canceled.  This was very disappointing to all of us that meet many of our friends there each year.

Approximately 3500 expats attend this celebration each year and many plan their vacations around this event.  I know our family never misses it as many of our friends.

You must have a US passport to enter the grounds where it is held.  So only Americans or spouses of Americans are permitted to enter provided you have a US passport.

This year the fun is back on and I’m sure it will be great fun as always for everyone.  Besides all the hot dogs and beer you can consume, there are games for the little kids. There is enough cotton candy and frozen yogurt to keep the kids on a sugar high for the balance of the day.

I think the highlight each year is when the Marines come out in all of their uniforms and straight faced look to raise the flag and sing the US National Anthem.

It still brings a tear to my eye, each year, when thousands of people gather to celebrate their heritage in another country.

We are still, very much, Patriots even though we live in Costa Rica.  Don’t let the term “Ex-Patriots” fool you for a minute. Ex-pats as we are called only means that we are citizens living outside of our home country.  It in no way implies that we are no longer patriots or followers of our country as you can see each year at this fabulous event.

Hope to see you there!

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Filed under: Holidays in Costa Rica, Kids in Costa Rica, Living in Costa Rica

Two to three times a year we pick up the paper or read online that another fugitive has been captured in Costa Rica.  The last bad guy was picked up in Playa Garza last month.  This one was a convicted child molester.

Tom Noel Mastin is the latest of several fugitives that have made their home in Costa Rica and gone unnoticed for years before being captured.  He had been in the country since 1999. Officials deported him in 2007 into the custody of Florida law enforcement.

On February 21, 2008 he entered a plea deal in Florida and was placed under house arrest.  Amazingly, he was seen again in Playa Garza only 7 days later after sneaking back into the country.  Mastin was deported this past Monday for the SECOND time!

Several questions come to mind when going over this recurring problem we seem to have in Costa Rica;  With the new laws in place in the US one can no longer travel outside of the US without a passport but don’t they take that away from you when you become a convicted felon?  If Mastin didn’t have a passport, how did he get out of the US?

When you enter Costa Rica legally, your passport is scanned and sirens, bells and whistles start going off if you are a convicted felon or have been kicked out of the country. CR does not let you back in for 10 years if you do something worthy of getting kicked out ie., working under a tourist, pensionado or rentista visa just to name a couple.  Being carried away by US law enforcement means that you are never allowed back into the country.

Hundreds of Nicaraguans “sneak” into the country every year but the idea of a 70 year old man (Mastin) coming in the way that these others do is mind boggling.  Had it not been for some good Samaritans reporting Mastin in the country, he could have lived his life out in Costa Rica and the police nor immigration would have ever known.

Guardian Angels CR received a call last year asking what the extradition laws were in Costa Rica.  We promptly told the caller that if they were running from the police and found in Costa Rica they would spend time in the Costa Rican jail before being sent back to the US.   They didn’t request our relocation assistance after that response.

I feel that Costa Rica has become a sort of haven for criminals from many countries because of the non-existent police presence and immigration laws not being enforced in the outlying areas.

If you get robbed or your home gets broken into it is your responsibility to go down to the central police headquarters and file a report.  No one comes to your home to investigate or take your complaint so many crimes go unreported and many fugitives are still running around free.

I suppose other countries in Latin America have similar problems, however living in Costa Rica, all I care about is the safety of my children and my family in Costa Rica.

Costa Rica needs to enforce their immigration laws, do something about border control and catch the bad guys before they catch us at a vulnerable moment.  Sounds like some of the same complaints I hear about the United States.

where the police force is basically non-existent.

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Filed under: Living in Costa Rica, The Dark Side