In: Rants & Raves

Night on the Town
June 25, 2006

Sometimes (okay, pretty often) I run into situations which remind me why I escaped the United States in the first place. Last night was one of them. I went to a club with some friends called Osio in Escazu. I had been there three times before last night, but wasn’t able to get in. It’s one of those places where people crowd to the door outside and wait to get “chosen” by the bouncers for the honor of entering (while still having to pay the cover, of course).

Read More
Cars and Trucks
June 23, 2006

Though there are many things in Costa Rica one can buy for less than in other parts of the world, automobiles and electronics are not among them. About six months after I moved to Costa Rica I bought a 1999 Mitsubishi Nativa (similar to the Sport they sell in the US) for $20,000. I could have picked it up in CA for about $6,000 through a dealer friend of mine.

Read More
Buyer Beware!
June 15, 2006

The legal system in the United States is hard enough (okay, impossible) for me to understand. But then try to figure this all out in Costa Rica! More than overwhelming.

Read More
Shipping Problems
June 8, 2006

Dear Editor:
I wanted to comment about your article this past week about “Tips on Shipping Items into Costa Rica.” I can really appreciate the reason for the article, as getting goods shipped here to Costa Rica can be challenging — at best. But as optimistic as the article presents the subject, I find the reality of receiving packages here in Costa Rica to be much different….

Read More
Detaining Whom?
June 7, 2006

According to the Halliburton website, their “Government and Infrastructure division has been awarded an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract to support the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities in the event of an emergency.” But what does that really mean?

Read More
Manners
June 6, 2006

I often find that, in general, Costa Ricans (Ticos) have wonderful manners. Their mothers have taught them well! For example…

Read More
Stamp Price Increase
June 3, 2006

I thought I’d let you know that the prices of postage stamps just went up about 15 days ago. Now sending…

Read More
Snakes Alive!
June 1, 2006

I finally saw my first Costa Rican snake yesterday. This comes a week after my friend, Colin, lost his dog to a snake bite.

Read More
Podcast: Assimilation
May 21, 2006

This episode is about assimilating to the life here in Costa Rica. Surely not the last time we’ll visit this subject. Today we talk about phone service & internet service with ICE, as well as a bit on mail servcies such as DHL’s Net Express, JetBox and Aerocasillas.

Read More
Barking up the Wrong Tree
May 12, 2006

Colin responds in a surprising way to an organization in the US looking for handouts…

Read More