Nov 27, 2007 | Banking, Colones, Cost of Living, Culture Shock, Economy, Living-In, Money, Political Blah-Blah
Must be nice to be a government, able to muck around with the money when the mood strikes. Grab a little here, a little there… I would have said "Stealing 4%" but that might sound a little caustic. Slanderous, even. For instance. Last Thursday –...
Nov 16, 2007 | Cost of Living, Medical Care
I’ve been using my lifesaving bio-identical hormone cream every night for 10 years now. Lately it feels a little off and, since I’ve never had any blood work done to see if the dosage was just right, I thought, "Why not have it done in Costa...
Sep 17, 2007 | Cost of Living, Culture Shock, Expat, Living-In, Recovering REALTOR®
My friend (we did actually meet once) CR Jones wrote a comment on Foolish: "Be careful, as it’s my understanding that you can get slammed for hiring an undocumented worker, and especially not filing the correct papers or paying the employment tax. The...
Sep 4, 2007 | Cost of Living, Crime
We fired our third maid yesterday. Maid #1 wasn’t a great cleaner, although I believe she was honest. And, in truth, looking back, she may have needed to come for a full day to get the job done, not just a half day. Just as I was becoming more and more...
Aug 6, 2007 | Cost of Living, Crime, Culture Shock
Our first few months in Costa Rica, we were taken aback by the intense security around homes: high gates, electric fences, massive bars covering every window and door. Many subdivisions (and some private homes) have guards, from casually dressed bicycle guards to...
Aug 4, 2007 | Bureaucracy, CAFTA or TLC, Cost of Living, Driving, Expat, Living-In
Last month, Manrique wrote a comment on a post and I loved getting it. Write more, Manrique! So valuable to hear perceptions from his side of the fence:Hi Saratica!First please excuse my english if I don’t write it perfectly (I read it more than I write it). I...
Jul 14, 2007 | Cost of Living, Living-In
A couple, Tim and Alice, who are thinking of moving here took us to lunch to grill us about life in Costa Rica. Yes, we can be bought. They stayed at The Pura Vida Hotel and when we spoke to confirm our lunch plans, she said, "We are thinking of retiring here...
Jun 23, 2007 | Cost of Living, Driving
This is a common sight in Costa Rica. You are stopped behind a bus or a truck, the light changes, they take off and you choke. Exhaust fumes make it pretty much impossible to drive with your windows open. Diesel is cheap and an engine that lives on diesel lives...
