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John,
Ideas of hot and cold are relative. For Scott Santa Ana is not too warm. For me it is. I would need a/c all day if I lived there. However, David’s right, it’s all about altitude. Santa Ana, like most parts of the central valley, is butted up against mountains. Drive up a few hundred feet and you’re out of the heat.
Escazú, Santa Ana, and points west is where most of the development is happening. When the highway finally makes it from there to the beach, it will be the most convenient area to both San Jose and the southern Pacific coast. It will also be the most congested.
The south side of San Jose, bewilderingly like the south side of many cities, is the poor side of town. There is some room to grow to the East, towards Cartago, and the temperature drops every kilometer.
If you want cool countryside close to San Jose, I’d go north. Hop on the highway to Limón and in 4 minutes you’re surrounded by coffee fields. It goes up in altitude quickly, and in 10 minutes you’re in a cool cloud forest. Anywhere from this highway to the West to Heredia is my choice for living. There’s plenty of countryside, small towns, little congestion, a cool climate, and you’re right next to San Jose.
Next time you’re down stay a night or two at La Condesa Hotel, above San Rafael de Heredia. It’s a drop-dead gorgeous establishment, not too expensive (I think I paid about $80 a night – it’d be worth at least twice that in the States – including a huge, delicious buffet breakfast), surrounded by cypress trees, green grass, and a few bovines that look like they’re from Wisconsin. You capitalized “COOL”, so I think you’re like me. Put it this way, When I’m in Costa Rica, I don’t drive a car, I drive an air conditioner with wheels.
I guarantee you’ll fall in love with this area. Stop in at Residencial Aves de Paraíso on the way (a nice gated community), as well as Soda La Casita for very inexpensive typical Tico fare and basic atmosphere. If it’s a weekend, go to the left in the fork in the road after La Casita, drive a kilometer or two and eat at Las Chorreras for a family-cooked meal in the open air. Another great place to eat with lots of antique atmosphere further down towards San Rafael is Añoranzas.
Again, most of the development is from San Jose to the West. As a result, there are less housing options here. Oh well, you can’t have your cake and eat it too.
Scott, are there any decent condo developments going on around here? Remember, Lincoln School is relocating near Barrio Socorro, right off the Carratera a Limón.
Yeah, I misspoke when I said that the US helped create radical Islam, it was late and I think that must have been the tequila talking. I do think that our actions are playing right into their hands though.
Scott B,
Your right of course, running away does no good. Still, there are many who do. For me it was only one reason among many. Furthermore, I didn’t leave because of a single campaign loss (there were 14 losses out of 15), I left because I lost faith in the American people, which is far more devastating.
You say that the world’s problems are not because of the US. However, in many ways we, ourselves, helped create radical Islam and that loony toon in North Korea. In spite of our good intentions, we were forced to in the course of the Cold War. Korea and Vietnam were sidebars to that war, like pawns being sacrificed to keep the kings and queens from a direct confrontation, and we propped up the Shah of Iran, Pinochet, Saddam, Batista, etc. all with terrible consequences for the people of these countries. Now it’s coming back to haunt us.
Of course, Mao & Stalin shoulder a lot of blame as well, but the Soviet Union is gone, and Communist China has changed quite dramatically. They never apologized either.
Yes, there are others in this world much worse than us, but if we’re going to move on, we must recognized our own faults as well.
Also, US expats bring wealth to CR, and poor Nicas bring cheap labor.
BTW, I truly appreciate your open mind, as well as that of most other participants in this forum. As for me, it’s hard to see anything in black and white, all I see are varying shades of grey. It’s the politicians and extremists that like to polarize things, which only aggravates the discussion. I truly believe that when you take away all the dogma, there’s so much we can all agree on.
Bill,
Thanks for posting the text of the TLC. I am by no means an expert on it, but I did brief it, and as expected it generally talks about eliminating tariffs, and insuring freer transport of goods across borders. In other words, eliminating friction in the market, which is good. There are protective measures for key items, such as coffee and bananas in the case of Costa Rica, which is good as well, since an abrupt leveling of the playing field would simply hurt too many people.
I can only imagine that you’re right about the bigger companies gobbling up the smaller ones, and in a more perfect market, the pendulum would eventually swing the other way with smaller companies finding niches, and out-maneuvering the bigger ones. But, alas, because of the corrupted political system, that process has been greatly hampered. That said, even in the US where few small traditional farmers still exist, there’s a growing market for organic, and farmer’s markets are popping up everywhere.
It is sad that small traditional farmers are put out of business, but isn’t it true that the rest of us are paying for their inefficiencies? And isn’t that wasted capital limiting our investments into something that creates wealth? Again, I’m no fan of the big agro-business boys and big pharma (like Maravilla), but eliminating economic friction has its benefits.
Change is inevitable. Those who resist it do so at their own peril. Stagnate, and you’ll find yourself way behind. Expose yourself to the front runners and you’ll hone your skills much faster.
Regarding big US companies taking over agro in CR, isn’t the terrain too rough for it? In the tropical lowlands you do have the right geography for bananas, palm, and pineapple (this is already big agro anyway), but I can’t imagine a Caterpillar Coffee Harvester on those mountain sides.
Yes, TLC will hurt. But no pain no gain. The funny thing is that people against the TLC in the US are just as fearful as those in Costa Rica. The US did experience some pain with NAFTA in some sectors, but benefited in others. The same is true for Mexico, and if CAFTA is put into effect, Costa Rica will decline in some areas (where they can’t compete), and rise in others (where they can). As a matter of fact, I believe that Costa Rica has the most to gain. Due to the high rate of education, the many professionals, and the political stability, I think it will become the administrative capital of Central America, attracting all sorts of foreign investment. Hasn’t Intel made a hugely positive impact in the CR economy? SC Johnson, Unisys and other companies already choose CR for their corporate base for Central America, and if CAFTA goes into effect, many more will follow.
Will this make CR lose some of its cultural beauty, of course. But the alternative is poverty, and falling behind in a world that is charging ahead.
Let’s face it, you can’t get elected in the US without lying. The 5 second sound byte electorate isn’t interested in truth. Good salespeople know that illusion is much easier to sell than reality, witness the marketing for perfume.
In other words, the best possible politician is one who lies his arse off until he gains power, and then unexpectedly does the right thing. Unfortunately, these people are few and far between, and given the cost of running, our representatives are already bought and paid for. Too bad lawmakers are the ones who are responsible for campaign reform – it’s the foxes running the hen house, and we’re the hens.
Costa Rica is a to the world for publicly financed campaigns. That doesn’t stop them from taking bribes though, but at least they’re putting them in jail for that now.
The one thing I disagree with Bill on is TLC. It’s not perfect by any means, but many CR companies sell inferior products at high prices in a relatively closed market. In CR, it’s definitely who you know, not what you know. If you’re not part of the 50 families (or so), you’re out. This has a cost to society. TLC would make them compete in a freer market. Change is always painful, but what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.
In my opinion the American farmer can only say that because he’s subsidized. So much for our free market.
I’m not advocating laissez-faire capitalism – that would be extreme. But closed economies are like doting parents. If you never kick the hatchling out of the nest, they’ll never learn to fly.
There is a striking truth in economics regarding trying to produce something internally when you can import it less expensively from abroad. The extra expense robs the consumer, and diverts capital from investments into products and services in which the country has a competitive edge, ones which could exported at a profit. Costa Rica disregards this fact in the fuel market, and the US disregards it in the agricultural market.
I lived just below Braulio Carrillo, not too far from Zurquí. That probably made the difference. The Atlantic and Pacific weather systems collide there, and although the temperature was absolutely perfect most of the time (for me), we did get quite a bit of rain and mist. I think Grecia is drier.
Brad,
It only makes sense that expats have a higher likely hood of distaste for the developments in their country of origin, otherwise they would have been less likely to leave. While I imagine Gringo expats in CR generally have a more liberal bent, there are plenty of conservatives as well. Case in point – one of the reasons I left was that I had been active in politics (on the left), and after Reagan was re-elected, I just felt I was living in the wrong country. I still feel that way, but to tell you the truth, Reagan looks much better to me now in hindsight. So does Nixon. Anyway, I stayed long enough to meet a bunch of expats who moved because they were disgusted with Clinton, and fed up with the US “welfare society”, the immoral media, and the disintegration of the family. I think the pendulum swings both ways.
You are certainly right that expats have greater access to alternative media – both local and CNN international, which provides coverage that is not perversely skewed by the need to sell advertising space in the gringo market. Furthermore your point about living abroad and seeing things differently is right on. After all, you’ll never know what color your house is if you don’t go outside.
Personally, I think it should be a requirement that all high school students spend one year in study abroad. The US is such a large and powerful country that egocentrism leads many to never even think about leaving, much less even caring much about what’s going on in the rest of the world. But that world is shrinking rapidly, and the US represents only a decreasing fraction of the world economy. If we wish to retain our economic leadership, we must come to understand more fully the world in which we live. The only way to do that is to experience it.
Here’s something to think about. GM, Ford and Chrysler have been moaning and groaning for a decades about loosing ground to foreign cars. How many American cars do you see outside the US?
As a veteran, you’ve fought to defend our ideals, and you’ve seen your comrades die for them as well. It’s too bad the politicians put you into these circumstances so flippantly. One of the definitions of war is, after all, a failure of diplomacy. However, the true fault is with the electorate who put them there. That huge mass of internationally ignorant gringos that want a cowboy gunslinger to impose our will on the rest of the world.
The average Tico on the street knows a great deal more about the world than most Gringos. This is because the country is so small, the impact from outside is much more significant. Alas, with greater knowledge and understanding does not come greater power. In fact, ironically they are powerless, while we ignorant Gringos are running things.
Like Scott, I also hope this thread doesn’t sink into a polarized mudslinging event. There’s enough about the U.S. to be distasteful to all people who are fortunate enough to see it from the outside, no matter what the political persuasion.
At 5,750 feet above sea level, I had severe mold problems in my house. Our beautiful hardwood floors rotted within 2 years after installation, mushrooms grew under my tennis shoes in the closet, all my video tapes got moldy, and I developed bad allergies. The Arenal area may not be as bad, but certainly precious pieces of art should be protected, from the elements, and from thieves. Thieves can be held off only by not leaving the house unattended EVER (which is why condos are the way to go). Mold can only be eliminated by a dehumidifier. You may have to bring it down with you because I never found a place in CR that sells them. Maybe that has changed by now – ask around.
Copier stands in offices in San Jose have a cabinet below for paper storage with a light bulb that’s never turned off. This keeps the paper dry so it doesn’t jam. A hot light shining on the art work would protect the front, but not the back.
Edited on Oct 09, 2006 06:33
Mad Dog,
The Arias administration is going forward with a plan to bid out port operations. The port workers union (JAPDEVA) is peeved. On 9/28 there was an article in La Nación (www.nacion.com) about the police basically declaring martial law at the port, and at the current time the port workers are working normally under the watchful eye of the local cops. They were worried about violence, but none ocurred. There still may be a strike, but a “huelga de tortuga” is more likely. This is when the union, in lieu of walking out, simply works really slowly (turtle strike).
Whether it will happen or not is anyone’s guess.
There’s a flip side to this – Ticas cheating on husbands. This is also wide spread, although the repercussions if caught are probably greater. Machismo swings both ways.
I second Scott’s advise. Nonetheless, it is very common for Tico sellers to carry some paper for the buyer (mostly due to the difficulty of getting sufficient bank financing in CR). A lein is placed on the property, just like in the US, which serves as collateral for the loan. I’ve done it myself, and fortunately no foreclosure process was necessary – he paid off as promised. Like everything else in life, it’s a gamble, though a calculated one. Don’t carry all the paper, just a small part of it. This will limit the downside.
Don’t worry Bill, if you’re speaking Spanish correctly, nothing is your fault. Whenever someone makes a mistake in Spanish, they use the “reflexive” form. “I forgot” becomes “Se me olvidó”, which means “It was forgotten”, “I dropped it” becomes “Se me fue”, which means “It fell from me”.
So you see, the error must have imposed itself on you through no fault of your own.
Pura Vida!
I’m traumatized. I lived high in the mountains near Braulio Carillo. The temperature was perfect (for me), 70 during the day, 60 at night, but the humidity was excessive. Mushrooms grew out of my wood floors within two years after they were installed, and everything rusted, even when elevated from the floor. I hear it’s just as bad by the ocean. There are dryer parts in CR where it’s probably not such a big issue.
To clear the record, I had previously thought one of my posts had been censored, and it was, but by my own cybersitter software, not by Scott. I edited that same post with an explanation, but here it is again.
David, They only stamp your passport if you bring it in with you. I have several such stamps of “bonificación” at the back of old passports. I don’t know how they keep track of things that are shipped. As a matter of fact, I’ve always had the impression that the exemption only applied if you brought it in with you. Since we’re talking about appliances, the airline might have a problem with that additional piece of luggage… Has anyone out there received duty expemtions for shipped items?
I also don’t think CR customs gives preferential treatment to DHL, I just think DHL knows how to deal with customs much better than Fed Ex. They’ve been doing it for much longer.
Regarding shipping illegal items, just like US ports, there’s no way every package is inspected by customs. Customs depends on the shipping company for accurate information. These companies have too much to lose if something slips by, so you can bet they’re keeping tabs on it as well as they can.
