New ‘Monster’ Invades Costa Rica

Siri is very much in demand and the fact that she can speak in English or in Spanish only makes her that much more desirable to the public.  This not only makes her a neat gizmo phone but a terrific teaching tool for those that want to learn better their second language.

CR doesn’t yet have a plan for iPhone 4S so far as the service goes which seems rather illogical since the phone is coming out on Friday but then again that falls under the “why” category so we won’t go there.

Hope everyone wanting the precious Siri is lucky enough to get her this coming weekend!

There are so many more questions that I could list here than what I mentioned above. Doesn’t a day go by when the question of why comes to mind at least once but please for your sanity take this advise…..

Remove the word WHY from your vocabulary when you move to Costa Rica!

IF you are able to find out the reasoning behind the question you are asking, you would be one up from the rest of us left to ponder the reasoning behind why Tico’s do what they do.

It will drive you crazy if you question things all of the time and it won’t change anything, they will still drive down the middle of the road. They will still run you off the road with no regard for the rear view mirror. You will never understand even if someone answers your question as to WHY they do what they do.

Remove the word WHY from your vocabulary and you will live a much more peaceful existence in Costa Rica.

I am sure that some of the larger corporations have better results than those of us relying on ICE for a connection. Those with their own server surely have better service than those of us waiting on ICE to turn on the juice and boost up the power.

Meanwhile we keep asking, “Lost Internet?”

There is not a new law. This is an old law that the government is now enforcing on pets coming in on their own ticket or airway bill. The customs officials at the airport were not aware that Continental pets were not coming in as excess baggage until a very important woman (wife of someone high up in the government)threw her weight around on the 18th of April and flashed her airway bill at the customs officials demanding her pets.

This upset the customs officials and brought to their attention the fact that Continental was allowing pets to come through the passenger terminal with an airway bill when they should go directly to the cargo facility like all other pets arriving as manifest cargo with their own tickets.

Several meetings took place over the following days and the result of these meetings were that for now, only Continental would be affected by this ruling since all of the other airlines were already following this protocol. All pets arriving on Continental as quickpak on their own ticket (airway bill) will go directly to the cargo facility rather than be released in the passenger terminal as previously allowed.

Now you must acquire an import permit prior to arrival in order for your pet to be released when you arrive. This should be applied for at least 4 days prior to your arrival in Costa Rica through a broker so that your pet does not sit in the customs warehouse for many unnecessary hours unattended.

There will be taxes and customs duties charged as well as fees charged now that were never charged before as a result of the pets coming in through the cargo warehouse. The tax rate is 24.30% of the adjusted value. Pets are automatically insured at $50.00 above the amount shown on the AWB. Value is set at $50-$60 above the amount shown on the AWB and the taxes and costs are based on this amount.

You still must have a current rabies under one year and vaccinations (for a cat FVRCP, for a dog DHLPP) current within one year. Tick and tapeworm treatment prior to arrival as well. All of this must be documented on the APHIS 7001 International Health Certificate and it must be endorsed by the USDA within 10 days of arrival in Costa Rica.

I hope this information helps clear up some of the confusion that is out there about what is now necessary to bring your dog or cat into Costa Rica.

Everyone is at the beach. You cannot find a hotel anywhere near the beach unless you booked it months ago.

Buses are not running on Thursday or Friday so the laborers and domestics cannot get to work on these days either. The country pretty much shuts down for Easter. I tried to call the bank today and they aren’t even answering the phone

The airport is closed for transporting animals because all of the government agencies are closed that approve the documents for the animals to come in and go out.

Today is Holy Thursday, tomorrow is Good Friday. Nothing is happening business wise. This is a long weekend for rest and relaxation. Most people are spending time with their families and friends during this long holiday in Costa Rica since they don’t have to work. Aside from Christmas, this is the biggest holiday of the year.

Happy Semana Santa to everyone!!!!

The president, Nobel-Peace Prize winner Óscar Arias Sánchez, issued a formal decree to assist those local clinics, medical professionals and the foreigners who wish to come here.

Among other actions, the president said the country would promote international accreditation of hospitals and clinics which specialize in foreign patients. Already Costa Rica has hospitals that are highly respected. One even is associated with Southern Methodist University.

Accreditation will give visitors a guarantee that highly trained professionals from elsewhere have studied the education, facilities, practices and philosophies of those organizations offering health care.

Arias already has told the educational ministry to make sure high school graduates are functional in English within a few years. That goes double for the health professions, because many physicians, dentists and nurses have studied in the United States, Canada and Great Britain.

Arias also said that his government would work with foreign insurance providers to make certain that medical care here will be covered by  companies in the home country.

In 2007 some 8,500 foreigners, mostly U.S. citizens, came to Costa Rica for health care. Costa Rica has a dynamic system covering most of its citizens, and many practitioners share their time between private and public hospitals and clinics. So they have the advantages of both.

Why is health care so reasonable here? A lot has to do with the bureaucracy of the U.S. system. Some sources estimated that fully 40 percent of the money spent on medical care in the United states goes to administration.  Costa Rica is a country that is not known for its high insurance rates on medical professional. Plus the overall cost of living is much lower.

Costa Rica is convenient and just a few hours by air from most of the United states. And as a recovery spot nothing can beat the great climate, the great service and the many possibilities a medical vacationer can find in Costa Rica.

A couple of the changes that are coming about are the following:

1. All children 12 and under MUST be in a car seat
2. All vehicles MUST have a first aid kit

There is much controversy on just these two items.  The first being that most families cannot afford car seats for their smaller children nor do they have room in their car for one car seat let alone car seats for the older children.  If you have not been to Costa Rica to see how families pack 5 or 6 small children into the back seat of a car you cannot fully appreciate this statement.

The second concern is the first aid kit contains liquids that go bad if the temperature exceeds 85 degrees.  Again, if you have been to Costa Rica, you understand that this is the case most days so the first aid salves don’t do you much good.

Then there is the issue of the fines…. I have not actually seen the breakdown of the fees but from preliminary reports and what I have seen so far, it is not looking good for the average Costa Rica family.  The fines are higher than what some will make in a week and more than what many will be able to pay.

I hope that in this case the people will not lose.

If you are a family with children, you are of course going to want to bring more than if you are an individual traveling alone.

The cost to replace a house full of furniture and household items can far exceed the cost of bringing down what you already have in the States.  This is a rule that fits a larger family.  If you have a family of 5 for instance and a house with say 4 bedrooms.  The cost to bring it to Costa Rica from most locations in the US will be far less than the cost would be to replace all that you have with the same quality of items once you get to Costa Rica.  Shipping your household items, while it may seem expensive, is not near as high as the price of quality furniture, electronics and appliances in Costa Rica.

Now, if you are single and light on baggage, shipping your personal items down might not be such a good idea.  The above example was a 40′ packed container.  Usually a single person can’t fill even a 20′ container.  If you are a person of simple means and only need a one or two bedroom home/apartment, you can furnish one less expensively than you can ship a container down.

What to take to Costa Rica really depends on who you are and what your needs are.  Maybe this will give you a basic idea of which way to go.