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I went with a neighbor yesterday to do errands in Grecia. After dropping me off, she parked on the side street by the PeriMercado, and came back after buying one thing to discover her plates had been removed. The officer was still there and gave them back to her with a ticket for $220. After picking me up, we then stopped at her dentist so she could make an appointment for another day. While she was inside a police car came up behind us and honked to get my attention. I told him I would go inside to get her, or I would move the car, but he wrote another ticket! I read about the same thing happening in Atenas recently. The fines seem excessive, and there was no “grace” period. The officer said the next time they will take her car!
It is my understanding that the Ministry of Transportation will be closing the bridge on the autopista just north of the Grecia/Sarchi exit sometime soon for extensive repairs. All the autopista traffic is to be rerouted through Grecia and Sarchi to Naranjo. That, I believe, explains the recent changes in one way streets in Grecia and the extensive painting of yellow zones on the curbs.
If this rerouting of traffic actually takes place, local residents and visitors will have to be very obedient to the new driving and parking restrictions or Grecia will experience a traffic gridlock unlike any in history.
And, by the way, apparently the bridge in question is in terrible condition.
That’s good to know, I was wondering why they have been working on the road between Sarchi and Naranjo, even on Sundays. But it doesn’t explain why Ken in Atenas or the other driver in Tilaran were given such expensive parking tickets. Does anyone know what the fines are for speeding or running a red light or DWI?
they must have parked in a yellow zone??? they have stepped up measures to keep people from doing that with great big fat tickets. The gua patrols the streets of San Ramon looking for offenders. Ticos, and even some gringos, seem to think you can park anywhere without consequence. yes, the tickets are pricey, but it would’ve been worse had the gua taken your car.
That’s funny… I was just in the dentist office and the receptionist yelled “La Gruja es afuera!” (The tow truck’s outside). I walked out and the transito had my plates in his hand and said, “Congratulation you won the big prize (in English) a $200 fine and you get to go to La Uruca to pick up your plates! And you are lucky you are here because I was going to tow the car!”.
It ended up costing me C10,000 (That about what $188) ).
If you obedient gringos would start to act and think like Ticos life would be so much simpler and better for the Tico and Gringos. I was happy I didn’t have to go to La Uruca and have to pay a $200 fine and the Transito was happy too.
But noooo, it’s above your gringo scruples to put being human with one another before the letter of the law, and it’s turning Costa Rica into a mini US. When will some of you learn it’s more important to be human with one another than obedient little rule followers. When are the majority of the Gringos going to learn to do as the Ticos do? It ain’t rocket science you know.
Growing government nauseates me and you all sure did do a hell of a good job back home now didn’t you, and is it now the plan to grow government here too through participating blindly with laws and modling that behavior to the locals, who by the way think that most of your are naive know-it-alls – and the majority of the Gringos I meet here are exactly that – as they always think they are superior and know what’s best for those “uneducated poor Ticos(LOL).”
The longer I live here the more I understand why the rest of the world views Americans as arrogant. Gringos need to learn people skills not only for the sake of this country but to help their own pocketbook – as that is what most of them define themselves by.
Wake up. All you had to do was be humble and take the edge off with a little humor and an “I am sure you can understand” attitude – and you and the Transito would have had a better day.
Dollars to donuts I bet you all scowled and complained… Or maybe you have not bothered to TRY and learn Spanish yet. Why should you, you are superior and don’t need to learn their little language… Ha! Let them learn English. Ha! Hijo de punlla!
Instead of looking at the behavior you focus on the rules – well we will all have to be obedient, and that’s just the way it is because the government makes the rules, and they are fixing the bridge, and my God, who are we to not obey? Funny, many Gringos think Tico are cowardly because they don’t get in your face and respect one another for the most part. But they never give them credit when they have the courage not to participate with the thieving government.
The true American patriots and the Emerson’s and Thoreau’s of the world would love and understand it here, but the socially cushioned Americans with their flat screens and fat cars and couches don’t have a spine left. It has been surgically removed by the government and worse yet most have now become operating room nurses assisting the removals as they just won’t speak up to the oppressors by not participating.
Ever hear of civil disobedience????? You know people used to do that to keep the government honest before they got lazy. Well if you have not or have forgot this once true American behavior, just look around you at the Ticos and you may remember it or learn something. Can anyone say Tortugismo? That’s the blockade by those civilly disobedient pirate Taxi drivers.
Take note all you spineless ones….
[i]Wake up. All you had to do was be humble and take the edge off with a little humor and an “I am sure you can understand” attitude – and you and the Transito would have had a better day.
Dollars to donuts I bet you all scowled and complained… Or maybe you have not bothered to TRY and learn Spanish yet. Why should you, you are superior and don’t need to learn their little language… Ha! Let them learn English. Ha! Hijo de punlla![/i]
We did not scowl or complain. We were very humble, we were pleading with him not to ticket us again.
Are you suggesting that we “bribe” him. Is that how you got off with only paying 10,000 C ?
My friend (the car owner) does speak spanish, and was explaining to him that she would move the car.
gringos have been beaten into submission by their government with the threat that if you don’t do such and such, you can suffer all manner of draconian consequences from getting labeled to having your property seized. yes, we are good little sheeple up there in gringolandia. and for good reason. can you imagine getting stopped by the fuzz and handing them a twenty along with your license? oh boy, you would be hauled out of that car so fast you wouldn’t have time to think what to do next. bribing the city tow truck driver? oh my, that would never happen. up there.
If, as anticipated, all the autopista traffic is routed through downtown Grecia (literally, the only option) and you opt to block a lane of it with your illegally parked car, then I, too, hope the police don’t give you a ticket, don’t accept your bribe, and don’t take your license plates. I hope they take your car directly to the chipper, chip it up, and send you a big, fat bill.
You know, these restrictions don’t just happen in a vacuum. There are reasons.
i almost always obey the law because i don’t have the time to deal with the consequences. the one time i got stopped in CR they busted me for being here more than 90 days and not having a CR license. i cajoled my way out of the ticket, shed a tear or two at the thought of having to go to SJO to get the license, made a joke or two with the cop (in spanish), only to have him tell me (in perfect English) that he wasn’t giving me a ticket THIS time provided i get that license right away (which i did). when i said to him, “YOU speak English? And you made me do all of that in SPANISH?” he just laughed and said, “oh, yes, lots of gringos here; we need to speak english, and your Spanish is VERY good!”
2BNCR says,
“Dollars to donuts I bet you all scowled and complained… Or maybe you have not bothered to TRY and learn Spanish yet. Why should you, you are superior and don’t need to learn their little language… Ha! Let them learn English. Ha! Hijo de punlla!”
What does that mean?
Hey how about one of my favorites, “driving is a privledge not a right.” Maybe the same could be said about walking our blowing bubbles?
Most Gringos just don’t get it.
Where have you gone Don Diego,
our nueterd fourm turns its lonly eyes to you – wuwuwuwu.
Probally chasing Mrs Robinson…
Oh and by the way – have fun in La Uruca getting your plates with your Gringo scruples intact – me and my missing diez mil colones truly sympathieze (not). And in case you forgot – Money Talks – BS walks /// that’s how we rolled in my hood.
Insert shepole “Bahaaaa” here.
Goverments will only have my respect when it’s earned. Like it says on my wall “In God we trust. All others pay cash”
Oh one more thing:
Look it John, don’t even begin to imply you have never broken a law when it was to your benifit to do so. Never made an illegal U turn or got a ticket. I guess you and christ are in a league of your own. Give me a fricken break.
don diego is too old for mrs. robinson by about 15 – 17 years. i just spewed ice cappuccino all over my keyboard from reading your post 2B. sheesh. where have YOU been?
[quote=”2BNCR”] Oh and by the way – have fun in La Uruca getting your plates with your Gringo scruples intact – me and my missing diez mil colones truly sympathieze (not). And in case you forgot – Money Talks – BS walks /// that’s how we rolled in my hood.[/quote]
When I was still naive and late making the run for the border I got caught by trafigo within 10K of Sixaola I was threatened with los of my pickup, a fine of 100,000 colones and a long bus ride back to Uruca to pay and pick up my plates then find out where my vehicle was and retrieve it. All would have to be accomplished after the exit was taken care of.
The words (in English) “I can help you out if you can help us out” were welcome indeed.
I still had my pickup, the plates and avided a ton of inconvenience.
All my life when I was wrong I accepted the consequences but if I was right I fought till I won but being faced with being wrong in an impossible situation changes ones attitudes. Cost…10,000 colones.
They probably had a couple of cevezas and congratulated themselves on being able to get a little something for their families.
One word of advice – MAKING AN OFFER can get you into something deeper than you want.
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