[jonnyb]

This post is not entirely on point, and it’s certainly coming from someone who LOVES to hate Walmart, but… a friend recently drove me to a new Walmart in, uh, somewhere west of San Jose, like maybe Alajuela, and I was stunned by the presentation of goods and the variety and quality. The store I saw was nothing like the cheapo Walmarts I’ve seen in the U.S. It seemed very much geared toward gringos who miss their Kalamata olives (oh, wait, that’s me), their Reggiano Parmesan (me again) and their well-lit stores with wide aisles (at least that’s one thing I don’t care about). Prices for Kalamata olives, Reggiano Parmesan, and items of that ilk were high, of course, but whoever planned this store made sure it would appeal to gringos and offer items they won’t see in many other places in the Central Valley. I don’t know how many Ticos will frequent the store, but I’ll bet the Walmart team wasn’t after the Ticos anyway.

[jonnyb]

Thanks very much, rosiemaji. So prior to receiving our cedulas, we can spend as much or little time as we like in country. After receiving our cedulas, the clock for the first year starts ticking and we must spend four months in CR during that year and convert $12,000 USD into colones during that period too. Do I have that right?

[jonnyb]

I’m glad to see this topic. How about Al Anon meetings in English? I looked online and could find only one (I think it was in Grecia). Is that really the case? Thanks.

[jonnyb]

I’m so glad CR has at least one animal rescue operation. Go, Lighthouse!

Voting to help them win a grant is easy. Just:

1. Go to The Animal Rescue Site at http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/.
2. Click the link to donate free food to abandoned animals. The system will display a page that has a Vote Now message at the top next to a red heart.
3. Click on the Vote Now link.
4. Type in Lighthouse and select Costa Rica. Then click Search.
5. Click the VOTE button on the line for Lighthouse Animal Rescue.

Let’s all help Lighthouse continue to help homeless animals by voting every day between now and Dec. 19.

[jonnyb]

Hey, all you animal lovers! In trying to find a place to stay when Warren and I are in Costa Rica next month, I started corresponding with a woman who runs Lighthouse Animal Rescue in Atenas, Costa Rica. She’s hoping to win a grant to support the rescue operation. The grant for a shelter outside the U.S. is comparatively small but it’s important to folks who run their operation on a shoestring. The winner of the grant will be the shelter that gets the most votes online.

I hope you’ll do what I’m doing and help this shelter win the grant. You (and everyone else) can vote once a day between now and December 19. To vote:

1. Go to The Animal Rescue Site at [url=http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com]http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com[/url].
2. Click the link to donate free food to abandoned animals. The system will display a page that has a Vote Now message at the top next to a red heart.
3. Click on the Vote Now link.
4. Type in Lighthouse and select Costa Rica. Then click Search.
5. Click the VOTE button on the line for Lighthouse Animal Rescue.

More info on the Lighthouse Animal Rescue is available at http://mrbudbud.blogspot.com/.

If you have animal loving friends, please pass this on to them and ask them to vote every day. The dogs and cats and other critters of CR will thank you.

[jonnyb]

Thank you all for the helpful info. I especially appreciate the info on upload/download speeds and locations on the east side of San Jose. I’ve heard good things about Hospital Catholica, so I’m delighted to learn about nice areas to live that aren’t too terribly far from there.

Are there other areas we should check out? I hear traffic is pretty bad in Heredia. We want to avoid areas where traffic is the worst, that’s for sure, but my husband doesn’t want to be so far out in the country that he couldn’t readily get to stores that sell more than the bare essentials.

Thanks again to all of you for the great information!

Best,
Jonny

[Author]

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