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grb1063Member
Panama is much more humid, jungle-like environment without any large towns at a higher altitude. Costa Rica is quite diverse with very dry, arid areas to the north and more humid, jungle areas to the south + many towns at various altitudes. Politics aside, Panama only has very recent political stability in the “Post US Canal” era with an Italian Panamanian in power, but coups have previously ocurred. The advantages appear to be more financial incentives for expats and Panama City is the only true “metropolis” in Central America, courtesy of the canal.
grb1063MemberDoes anyone know if it is quicker to ship from Long Beach/L.A. or San Diego than 25 days? How long did the ship stay in dock on each end after you loaded the vehicle? I am curious as to the time from in port in Limon to Atenas.
Thanks,
July 19, 2010 at 2:39 pm in reply to: Seeking Guidance/Input RE:Possible Costa Rica Retirement #203105grb1063MemberThe Valley has some fantastic private schools offering the International Baccalaureate. The list is posted somewhere and they all have their own web sites.
grb1063MemberRegardless of whom one uses as a real estate transaction go-between, someone is going to get their 5% chorizo.
grb1063MemberThat was US bashing? Wow, your threshold is very low.
As a matter of course, I don’t use any US banks anymore, I much prefer member owned credit unions.grb1063MemberFarmer’s Markets are a huge deal in Washington State with virtually one in every town and the most famous being Pike Place Market, the longest continuous running market in the country. But the growing season for greens and berries is short, so most of us have freezers in the garage. We also have the benefit of having our grocery stores stocked with local organic produce, including Costco. The San Jose area has numerous farmer’s markets (ferias) with the most spectacular one in Grecia. Even lowly Cobano has a produce store and a farmer’s market on Saturdays. It is the only way we buy produce from May-October, then we depend on Chile for fruit, with the exception of apples.
grb1063MemberCould you elaborate on the private mortgages via e-mail?
Graciasgrb1063MemberI knew it could not be that easy David. I guess the only advantage of having an HSBC account would be possible free ATM service @ CR HSBC ATM’s? Or a check written on a US HSBC account should clear within one day at a CR branch? I am fine with BN, especially after I got an on the phone tutorial from Veronica in Cobano on how to use their online system; that would never happen in US.
grb1063MemberDavidCMurray:
Please post what you find out about the HSBC account link.
Thx
July 5, 2010 at 6:05 pm in reply to: 46 US warships & 7,000 US Marines on route to Costa Rica? #171753grb1063MemberThe soldiers are “on leave”, which to me classifies them as tourists, so why should they be exempt from the $26 exit tax. $182,000 should pay for all the added law enforcement and drunk tank stays.
grb1063MemberThe unions are just as guilty for turning a blind eye (i.e. Laborer’s International). If you are a sizeable contractor in Seattle, you are likely union. The union puts the responsibility to determine if [u]their[/u] members are “legal” with e-verify, which is a joke to begin with. Prevailing wage in Seattle is $47/HR for a journeyman laborer!!! The illegals don’t care if their med. benefits & pension money are going to fictitous SSN#, they just want the $31/HR wage. The gov’t. s still getting the FICA, FUTA & FIT taxes from the employer. It is symbiotic this way as far as the feds are concerned.
grb1063MemberYou can find long and short term rentals. We found a 4-unit apartment on a property with a house in Piedades (between Santa Ana & Colon) we stayed in for 3 months before, during and after our daughter was born. It is called LindaVista; the owners are Wilfredo & Sadie.
http://www.lindavistacr.com/
Also try La Nacion (Spanish or use translaton feature), local property management companies or search “aparthotels”.grb1063MemberThere has been a group of Israeli’s that have been buying prime ocean view property in the Montezuma/Mal Pais area. Is this the same group?
grb1063MemberBread flour is a high-gluten flour that has very small amounts of malted barley flour and vitamin C or potassium bromate added. The barley flour helps the yeast work, and the other additive increases the elasticity of the gluten and its ability to retain gas as the dough rises and bakes. Bread flour is called for in many bread and pizza crust recipes where you want the loftiness or chewiness that the extra gluten provides. It is especially useful as a component in rye, barley and other mixed-grain breads, where the added lift of the bread flour is necessary to boost the other grains.
All-purpose flour is made from a blend of high- and low-gluten wheats, and has a bit less protein than bread flour — 11% or 12% vs. 13% or 14%. You can always substitute all-purpose flour for bread flour, although your results may not be as glorious as you had hoped. There are many recipes, however, where the use of bread flour in place of all-purpose will produce a tough, chewy, disappointing result. Cakes, for instance, are often made with all-purpose flour, but would not be nearly as good made with bread flour.
There are so many wonderful Italian breads in Costa Rica, even in Montezuma, that someone is doing something right.
grb1063MemberDo the math; how many days per year do you need to rent it out to cover your annual costs, considering some very slow months? If it is 50% of the time or less, then covering your cost is more realistic.
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