Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
I do not live in CR but have visited about a dozen times. My husband plays the banjo and most Costa Ricans we have met (mainly in rural areas) have no idea what a banjo is. I doubt you would find any bluegrass unless you found some expats with an interest…
By comparison, here is what the Canadian travel advisory site says about crime in the US:
[i][*] Street crime can spill over into commercial, hotel, and entertainment areas. Riots, though rare, occasionally occur; these are usually confined to the poorer districts of major cities, but the violence can spread to central commercial and hotel areas. Full cooperation is recommended when stopped by police.
Violent crime remains a serious concern in Florida. Criminals have demonstrated that they will use violence with little or no provocation. Many attacks have occurred in the Miami area, and others have taken place on rural roads and at interstate highway rest areas. Some rest areas have dusk-to-dawn security on site (which is indicated on the highway sign). Proceed cautiously when exiting a freeway (including Interstate 95) into large urban centres, especially after dusk. Theft has increased, particularly from trunks of parked cars in the North Miami Beach area, South Beach and at airports. Be alert, as criminals use a variety of techniques to steal personal belongings.
Passport theft is on the rise in the United States. Travellers should ensure that their travel documents are secure at all times.
This kind of warning does not seem to deter Canadians from travelling to Florida … especially now that the Canadian dollar is at par with US dollar and predicted to go even higher this winter.
I do not live in Costa Rica but have been numerous times. What scares me is not “crime” but driving accidents. We were involved in a serious car accident in which a car driven by a drunk gringo hotel owner was driving in the wrong lane. We (actually our Costa Rican driver)barely avoided a head on accident, but the drunk ended up side swiping us. Our vehicle flipped over. We were banged up but not badly hurt and the local CAJA clinic patched us up nicely at no charge. The other driver (who was falling down drunk) failed the breathalyzer but local rumor had it that he paid off the cops (who seemed singularly uninterested in our version of events). The locals, who were very kind to us obviously were siding with Don hotel owner because he was a local employer.
But we still go to CR; still drive there; still may move
there someday.Bad things happen everywhere as do good things.
I think you may need an annuity. I think that annuities are generally issued by insurance companies rather than banks.
If you search this site you will find information about George Lundquist’s tours. I have not done his tour but did the southern add on tour with Jane and Mike. It concentrates on the San Isidro area. I think it is a little more easy going than George’s part of the tour and we just traveled in two 4wd’s – they really tried to tailor to our interests. Also Jane rents small apartments and is very connected to the gringo and costa rican communities there. We enjoyed the tour and the area – but do not have children so cannot comment on schools. If you are not wedded to the central valley it might be worth doing the add on tour to see if that area captures your interest.If you google George, you will find info on his site about his tours and the southern add on tour. The regular tour would likely be too much for your child but you could ask if they could tailor something that your daughter could stand.
I think it takes quite a long time these days.
Here is a link to relevant info.
http://www.torontopolice.on.ca/recordsmanagement/clearance.php
