[cheryl4313]

[quote=”schlabra”]After reading everything on CR, My wife and I are planning an exploratory/retirement trip in June(1 month long). Just a few questions.

1. Are George Lundquist’s tours worth the time/money?

2. Is the caribbean side worth a visit?

3. Any members on this board rent apartments or have B&B’s?

We are 2 “almost” retired educators ages 52, 51 looking for any info., help, hints etc… on CR from residents.

Thanks,
Steve and Tracey Schlabra
Fairfield, Texas

I took George’s Central Valley tour back in 2009. I have never regretted one cent of what it cost. George is straight forward and honest about any questions you may have and full of information. He takes excellent care of his guests. I am still living in the States but have thought of Costa Rica every day since being there. As a matter of fact, I’ve recently been contemplating doing the Southern Tour featured on George’s website in order to see if that area of the country would appeal to me.

Regarding apartments or B & B’s, I have a whole house I’ll rent you; the only problem is it’s in Maine where it was 17 above this morning around 10 am! If you’re interested, I’ll use the rent money to spend the winter in CR!! LOL

All joking aside, do yourself a favor and do a tour with George!

Cheryl DuPlessis
Greenville, Maine

[cheryl4313]

[quote=”DavidCMurray”]Here’s the link, maravilla:

http://www.stevequayle.com/News.alert/11_Global/111210.Costa_Rica_home/111210.Costa_Rica.home.html

The page raises at least as many questions as it answers. For one thing, one wonders just which jurisdiction’s laws govern this raffle. In most or all U.S. states, and in Costa Rica, you cannot just start a raffle. There’s bureaucracy involved, legal restrictions and requirements.

Then there’s the matter of the tax implications. If one spent $200 on a ticket to win a $400,000 house, I think the profit ($399,800!) would be entirely taxable, as are other gambling winnings, in the U.S. And it might also be taxable in Costa Rica. Do you have the cash to cover the tax levies?

Of course, just whose word do we have that this property really is worth $400,000 anyway? No mention of that.

And how do we know that the whole thing isn’t a scam? Who is the owner? Who are the accountants? Might the latter actually be a subsidiary of Sticem, Dogem and Desaper who are, I believe, also the accountants for Paragon Properties?

This might be the deal of a lifetime, and likely no one’s life will be materially changed if they wake up one morning $200 poorer, but before I skipped my next house payment, I’d want to know a whole lot more, pretty pictures and glowing descriptions aside.
[/quote]
Loved the accounting firm, David! Too funny. My instincts on this put me on the same wave length as what you suggest the tax implications could be on this one. Also, the person doing the raffle obviously thinks the place is worth $400k, but is it really? If the governments in both countries used the 2000 X $200 as a means of valuation, it could get rather pricey. Too many unanswered questions for me.

Thanks to everyone who has responded to my question!

[cheryl4313]

[quote=”ticopaz”]Hi Everyone,
Well… LOL you do not realllly need a license… however, I was up to San Gerardo de Dota this time last year after having fished there for years. When I got riverside there was a sign by MINAE (Ministerio de Ambiente y Energia) saying fishing was not allowed! Well I ask the locals and they say sure go ahead! If you see any MINAE folks just hide! Well of course we went fishing and had a great time… small trout and lots of them, it is so beautiful there and fun. Later we go to another area and first stop at the MINAE station to chat them up. After a cold welcome they warmed up to us and we became good buds. They told us where else we could fish. Even gave one ranger a ride back to San Jose later in the day. He wasn’t sure about all that fishing gear in the back LOL. Anyway, you don’t need a license… you will not be asked. There are many fresh water rivers to fish for native species like Bobo, Machaca and Guapote (don’t have time to check spellings) Your go to lure is the basic spinner, gold or silver. I also have caught on Prince Nymph bead heads and Hare’s Ear among other bugs from the box. Funny you have this post today as I was going to call my attorney tomorrow to verify the law on what distance from river is public access when rivers run through private land. I will be sure to post this back. My Tico friend says 10 meters is public but I want to make sure. Access is the most difficult thing… so you usually have to find a bridge and then go up or down from there or a pull out. Be sure no belongings are left in view in your vehicle. That’s it for now!

Tight lines to you all!
Ticopaz[/quote]

Thanks, Ticopaz, for your input. I’ll be anxious to hear what you find out about the public access.

[cheryl4313]

[quote=”alexander69″][quote=”cheryl4313″]Thanks for the info, Scott, I’ll check out the sites you mention. I was thinking of taking some time during my visit to do a little fly fishing in the mountains on the road between Cartago and San Isidro El General.[/quote]
Hey Cheryl, if you fly fish in a stream and catch a fish please let me know. I love to fly fish and do it here in the mountains of NC. It will be informative to let each other know our results. I’ll be fishing near Puriscal in a week or two. Good luck! Alexander[/quote]

Hey Alexander, where are you fishing in Puriscal? That is the area I’m using for home base while in CR. I’ll be there in a couple of weeks myself. Have you done any fly fishing there before? We have some pretty good fly fishing for trout and landlocked salmon here in Maine.

[cheryl4313]

[quote=”Scott”]Sounds like fun…

I have no idea whether you are “supposed to” ask permission to fish in these areas.. And, please also bear in mind that A: There are plenty of dairy farms in that area – don’t want to get your articles about being chased along the riverside by a furious bull – and B: I have come across a few snakes walking in that region…

Scott[/quote]
Thanks for the advice about both the bulls and the snakes, Scott. Me running across a pasture with a bull right behind is not a good visual! Maybe I’ll check around for a guide in the area.

[cheryl4313]

Thanks for the info, Scott, I’ll check out the sites you mention. I was thinking of taking some time during my visit to do a little fly fishing in the mountains on the road between Cartago and San Isidro El General.

[cheryl4313]

I’ve seen a couple of comments that indicate VISA is more acceptable than MASTERCARD. Can anyone tell me why? And, will I have difficulty with an ATM under the MASTERCARD logo?

[cheryl4313]

[quote=”Jonavon”]If one is thinking of retireing to Costa Rica possibly. How should one visit on a guided tour to show a person what they need to know? Or should they rent a car and travel. My husband and I sure could use some advice here. we also want to have fun on daytrips, not listening to seminars all day.Of course we don’t have a clue where to go and want to be safe also. Some tours cost an arm and leg too. Any advice is Greatly Appreciated![/quote]

I also would highly recommend George Lundquist’s tour. George is a dynamic individual who is willing to share his story and experience of relocating to Costa Rica. He gives a great tour, covers a lot of ground (literally and figuratively) for anyone considering relocation. He is a very forthright no B.S. kind of guy that tells you what you can expect moving to CR. He likes to see people well informed about the reality of relocating and makes very sensible and realistic recommendations. He promises to put you on information overload and easily fulfills that promise. I have not regretted for one minute taking his tour. My tour was June 2009, and I’m anxiously looking forward to my next trip to CR in May/June of this year to spend more time in country exploring but also having as “home base” a great B&B I stayed at on George’s tour. Good luck with your plans!

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