Costa Rica Bureaucracy – Adopt a tranquilo attitude and survive!

My husband John and I do a trivial play on the famous moon quote and pronounce ‘another small step for mankind’ whenever we triumph with another hurdle of bureaucracy or mad system in Costa Rica. There’s no point in indulging in histrionics, it’s the system, and its always delivered with charm.

Having access to the internet has been a life line, but with huge frustration – with a lousy line running between 21 and 28 Kbps, one loses the will to live waiting for stuff to load.

Imagine our delight when loads of burly ICE blokes moved through the village to install high-speed cables. I check progress regularly… Yes it will be installed in December, then January, then March…

Come April, there’s nothing for it but to go to ICE’s shiny new office in San Isidro to get the truth. Here’s the sequence:

• My queue ticket is 267 but they’re still at 183. Engrossed in ‘Mary Queen of Scots’ I’m content for an hour, monitor progress and realize my number will emerge at 8.30 p.m. (and the doorman is still dishing out tickets!)
• Remember there’s another office in the mall south of town; hot-foot there, only 24 waiting and I’m seen in an hour and a half.
• The truth?? – we won’t get high-speed, its going from Rivas village up two mountain valleys, we’re on a different circuit where there are no plans yet for high-speed. I’m threatening the nervous breakdown.



• But ask about 3G satellite – charming Pablo says Yes, that might be possible, a techie will come to visit in the afternoon – WOW, what service! Except he doesn’t appear.
• But techie AND Pablo arrive the next day – they get a connection, terrific, and we say – very clearly – we’ll have the service. Data cards are out of stock but they will be in in a fortnight and Pablo promises to keep one.
• Two weeks later, queue again, and the charming Pablo says he’s been waiting for us to confirm we really wanted the 3G service! I don’t believe this… and there are no data cards available.
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• Return in another two weeks, still NADA (nothing) and no idea when they will arrive – advised to try the best stationers/computer goods store in town. They have data cards on order and they should arrive on 8th June, they’ll keep me one.
• Return with guarded optimism – and there’s the box with our name on it… Gold dust, 20 have gone before 10.30 am! I could hug this guy… race back to ICE, queue again, and Pablo gets the paperwork organized. He’s all triumphant too, the fact that it’s taken 6 weeks and nearly 6 hours of queuing doesn’t phase him whatsoever. That’s life in Ticolandia!

With a new computer, we’re up and running at 3.6 Mbps – stuff flashing up in seconds, wonderful. If people had to queue for 2 hours in a public utility office in the UK, they would be over the counter and tearing throats.

But here, Tico’s sit patiently for hours. Yes, they’re frustrated too but they just don’t do the anger and spitting bullets bit. ‘Tranquilo’ is the name of the game and ex-pats have to adjust; if they can’t, they’re certain business for the cardiologist.

Its terrific, we’re up to speed – another step forward for the Richards, but hardly mankind!

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Written by VIP Member Sheelagh Richards. Sheelagh is originally from Scotland and her husband John who is from Wales are two inveterate British travellers who fell in love with Costa Rica, the beauty of the Talamanca mountain range and the perfect climate of the Rio General valley where they have established a small Bed & Breakfast called Casa de Los Celtas.

You can see more about John and Sheelagh’s very affordable B&B outside San Isidro here and photographs and prices here and you can also see a free online video interview with John & Sheelagh Richards here.

Andrew Makarik

to@welovecostarica.com

Andrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.