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Thanks Mediatica, no one at the banks ever suggested that when I asked and it’s well worth the extra time it would take to notarize the copies rather than take the chance of having to replace a passport. Pura Vida!
Scientific info tends to scare us into compliance about a lot of things, but I would always take it with a grain of salt and remember how many times that info is later reversed. Our bodies were meant to digest real food not much of the processed food and imitation food we’re sometimes told is better for us. I can show you studies where coffee is not considered bad for you nor some wine and even liquor now and again. I would much rather eat a roasted/BBQ chicken (as long as you’re not making a solid carbon ball out of it) than to eat “food” from a fast food chain. You’re right, wood stoves cause an awful lot of respiratory problems for many families (mostly women & children) of the less economically endowed countries of this world and they also use other fuel forms such as animal waste which can’t be that healthy nor attractive, but it keeps them warm and allows them to cook their meals. The hope would be to provide conditions that allow them to have options that would lead to better health. In Guanacaste there are a group of women that cook with solar ovens in order not to use their wood burning stoves as much and I don’t really know if getting everyone on electric stoves would be the answer environmentally unless they’re solar powered.
As far as indoor air quality it’s not only a lower economic condition, I don’t mean to make light of this problem for others, but I also don’t think I have to tell you that some of the most beautiful houses in the US have been built with such toxic materials that they end up making everyone ill and either having to be remediated or condemned as the proverbial light bulb goes off and the indoor air quality is tested. Everything from insulation, wood preservatives, carpeting and fabric additives to prevent stains, and the list goes on and on. The testing and remediation of indoor air quality has become big business in the US. Thankfully, in CR the climate allows for plenty of aeration and that helps dilute airborne toxins, but I wish we would also become more aware that what may be trendy and pretty may not be that great for your health and the same goes for food. If it’s real food, that has been eaten with good results for a long time–it’s probably good for you and if someone came up with it in a chemical or fast food laboratory–I’ll pass. I hope you will find food that is good for you and that you enjoy eating and sharing with friends & family. It’s one of the joys in life…Pura Vida!
Davidrushton, Until they get to the bottom of this, I would make sure to get something in writing from any other bank (national or private) because even though some suspect it is an inside type of job, no one is sure of this. If it is a hacker working on the outside, what would prevent him/her from doing that to another bank or another inside job happening at another bank? There are lots of banks to choose from in CR, but if the CR laws have not automatically been able to address this, then the banks internal statutes have to protect you and that’s what you need to find out from any other bank you want to do business with. BTW, BN was also a stickler with me regarding signatures and document id #s used to open up accounts–it can be quite annoying when you show them every document (expired and current) with your photo and they still question your signature… Obviously, they haven’t handled this very well, but now that the issue is out there, just get documentation from your banks if you choose or need to do your banking thru the Internet as to how they would handle something like this. I found another public bank, Banco de CR and even private banks much easier to deal with then BN, especially when you had a legitimate complaint.
I believe the article was in today’s A.M. Costa Rica and Trevor Chilton (who is mentioned in this article) gave me permission to post his contact info here in case anyone else has also been affected by the cyber thefts at BN: his email address suenosdeamigos@racsa.co.cr. He’s currently trying to get the word out, get info and get together with those affected in order to pursue joint criminal action in this matter so that banks will become accountable. I really think something needs to be done or the public trust factor will be lost and that can never be good for any financial institution.
That makes a lot of sense when you have a cedula (official id card for residents or citizens). I guess if you’re a tourist you still have to bring that passport to the bank–maybe they’ll revise that like they did with the other instances davidcmurray mentioned. Thanx Maravilla…
When Banco Anglo closed it doors, there were laws in place in CR that protected the depositors and our monies were returned without much hassle. I certainly didn’t have any huge amounts of money and they were prompt and efficient in returning my monies. However, I was once left holding the bag with “bad money” that I received in Banco Nacional when I withdrew some dollars to pay the host families of the language-cultural program I ran there. The money went from Banco Nacional to the host family and when she went to deposit it in her bank they said the hundred dollar bills were fake. Needless to say that I wrote letters and spoke with various managers, but they would not take responsibility since they felt an exchange could have taken place somewhere between BN and the other bank so I just made sure that I was much more diligent when withdrawing monies from that point forward. I didn’t accept money that they had at the teller windows which could come from the vault or from the previous customer, I always asked for money from the vault that had been properly documented already, I also wrote down the id # of monies given to each family and then if any of that money turned out to be fake, I would have legal recourse.
The banking situation now going on in BN is apparently only through their online banking system and unfortunately, there also seems to be a legal void in CR laws regarding responsibilities in case of this type of theft. I don’t pretend to tell others what to do, but I certainly would not expose my monies online at BN and maybe not in any other bank in CR until they get to the bottom of how this is being done, by whom and who will give the customers back their monies. I’m sure that the people that have been damaged by these actions will seek legal recourse and the legal void (if in fact it does exist) will be fixed, but who knows how, when and if reparations will be made. My Hopefully, there will not be any more thefts, but my best advice to you is to be proactive and ask your current bank in CR to answer your questions about this issue–not just verbally, but in writing just in case it starts to happen elsewhere…
I love animals and my daughter was fascinated by this immense pig just watching us, but I guess you gathered that I wasn’t so comfortable being stuck in “un pozo” with him there and I think he wasn’t too amused either that we were interrupting his nap…. 🙂
Davidcmurray, do you know if banks are now accepting the copies in lieu of the original passport? I’ve grown accustomed to carrying the copies of those pages of my passport since mine was stolen in ’82 and it was a hassle to get temporary papers right before my trip back. The copies are accepted in most places, including the police road check in Limon. However, as of this past July, banks still wouldn’t make any money exchanges/transactions unless I could show them my original passport…
San Ramon is indeed a beautiful area and the people are proud of their town and are warm and welcoming! The worst case of culture shock I’ve ever experienced was in Miami International Airport in 1983 after having spent my first year in CR–I always tell my friends that the realization that I had just landed in the “no help zone” was a slap in the face after having been so incredibly welcomed throughout Costa Rica the previous year! I’m sure there must be many other places throughout the world that are very welcoming, even in the US today, you and many of us on this Forum have just been lucky enough to have the privilege of experiencing that wonderful small town hospitality throughout CR to this day and that is one thing I sure hope never changes-It keeps my heart feeling like a kid too even if the rest of me certainly isn’t 🙂
Pura Vida Sprite!Edited on Nov 07, 2007 17:25
Sprite, You know how they say that we’re all 6 degrees of separation from one another? Well, in Costa Rica I imagine that’s less than half of that because everywhere you go you can find someone you know or at least someone that knows someone you know. I guess partly because it is a small country, partly because the people are so friendly and also because they love to travel and meet people within their own country 🙂 I’ve seen people I know from the San Jose area that I hadn’t seen in a long time suddenly appear on one of the most remotest paths of Corcovado National Park, or sitting at the next table in Tabacon because they’re on a day trip with their family and having lunch at the hotel or to my surprise get to see someone I hadn’t seen in 20 yrs because he ran into my sister at the Mas x Menos and found out I was coming into town. CR is still very much like a small village in that respect.
I certainly agree with you Jenny and I can tell you that it took me a few years to get my health back after the Prednisone I took for the asthma ruined my health, but it didn’t happen until I took my power back from Big Pharma, narrow minded doctors and decided that I would question everything, find information with substance and make wiser choices. Fear is the one thing that is effectively used to keep patients “in line” and have them just unquestioningly follow doctor’s orders and diagnosis. Even if it’s true that “there is more time than life” (“hay mas tiempo que vida”), our life is a gift to us and hopefully we live it so that it’s also a gift to others and OUR own responsibility–we shouldn’t abdicate that no matter what degree or title someone may hold or because we’ve let fear become our only counselor. Pura Vida amigos/as!
My ’72 Land Rover was a great truck even if not as comfortable as a newer one, the parts were easily available used and many times I also purchased new ones and it was a much easier car to understand than much newer ones. Ticos love Toyotas and I know plenty of people that have had and have older models. I am by NO means mechanically inclined, but my mechanic showed me some of the working parts in the vehicle and on a trip to Guanacaste, in the middle of a knee deep stream with a HUGE pig nearby and my 6 year old in the back of the car, it stalled because the accelerator bar had come loose which was clearly evident when I climbed over the car & opened the hood–I was able to temporarily attached it with my hair band and drove back to SJ without a problem until I could get it fixed. Now how many other cars can be that easy to handle for a mechanically inept person as myself in the middle of no where? It’s no secret that the older the car is, the more acquainted you will become with your mechanic, I still visit mine just to say hello when I’m in CR, but the older cars were made to last much more than some of the more recent models. Just take a quick look at what the Cubans on the island still drive in today….Today I own a newer Land Rover Freelander which doesn’t suffer from the problems some of the more expensive LR models of the same year have had (those you definitely should stay away from) and that’s what I will be bringing to CR–but new or old you just need to know what you’re getting into including the car’s limitations and then take good care of it.
Like I said in my first post, just make sure you check that the car has been properly maintained, take a good mechanic with you. If you buy an older Land Rover, do not let it run out of fuel or you will have to purge the air out of the gas line–not a very tasty maneuver–When I first bought the car I wasn’t aware of this and I will forever be grateful to two wonderful Ticos that saw a lady in distress, told me what was wrong, purchased the diesel for me and purged the air out of the line so I could go on my merry way.
You might want to consider, if you’re going to be in CR for a short period, working out some sort of a “rental type” agreement with someone that has a four wheel drive car like the one you’re looking for instead of just buying it. Just a thought….
Brugmansia sp. or Datura sp. as it was known before is usually pollinated by moths and the bats which are hunting the moths end up in the mix and some can self pollinate. It’s so beautiful to see it growing wild and cultivated in CR and the aroma is absolutely wonderful, I guess you can say it’s actually intoxicating :-).
I’m sure Maravilla would probably know of more places, I’ve seen them in San Pedro Plaza del Sol (in the natural food store) and some spas, but make sure they are true essential oils and not artificially perfumed oils.
Essential oils have become much more available with the growing trend of Aromatherapy these days and they can not only be wonderful to aromatize our surroundings, but also have mood producing qualities such as lavender which tends to calm, but you have to be careful not to use them indiscriminately since some can be cause skin irritations and some can actually produce negative health effects if not diluted in a carrier oil and even once diluted some should not be used at all. Even though putting some vanilla beans, cinnamon sticks or cloves in a pot, sprinkling it with water and putting it in a low temp oven will produce a great smell in your home, the essential oils from everything, but the vanilla will probably irritate your skin and need to be used with caution. Try to avoid using these essential oils unless you know the proportions to put them in a carrier oil & how they might affect you: Allspice, Camphor, Cinnamon, Clove, Oregano, Savory, Thuja, Thyme, Turmeric and Wintergreen-similar to Birch which is less toxic. Try to just stay away from Hyssop (except for H. decumbens which is much gentler), Rue (Ruta graveolens–from the citric family and has a pretty powerful abortive/mutagenic qualities)–it doesn’t smell very good so I can’t imagine someone buying it for scenting purposes, but Penny Royal (Mentha pulegium), Narcissus, Santolina and even Parsely may smell good, but are very toxic and shouldn’t be used without extreme care–maybe not at all. Whenever purchasing essential oils for scenting purposes you should really ask about them from a knowledgeable source before buying anything other than some of the more common flower aromas. People gathered lavender and mint sprigs and put a little bundle nearby to scent their rooms and with everything that grows in CR having wonderful scents can be pretty simple. The Ylang ylang flower is really small, but you can smell that scent from far away on a warm Caribbean evening during the tree’s flowering period and the essential oil is pretty innocuous too so you could also scent your car or your home with it, but there is a beautiful flowering bush in CR that is called Reina de la Noche (Brugmansia sp. or Angel’s Trumpet) that has a bell shaped flower, is pollinated by bats and has an even more intense aroma than Ylang Ylang in the evenings. I find its scent alluring, but you should definitely NOT use this for inside your home or car since the whole plant is incredibly toxic including the aroma in large doses. I guess as with everything, just a little caution can go a long way while enjoying the best perfume maker in the in the world, nature…
I was telling a fellow Cuban on another thread that the people on this Forum not only know about CR, but that they’re also very knowledgeable about many other things. I hope he’s reading this thread because it certainly has been very interesting and educational. Unfortunately, my mother carries a pharmacy in her bag and my dad and I are always telling her that more people die from prescribed meds each year than from being a junkie, but it only seems to sink when she becomes aware that one of her meds is making her ill and I get her an alternative option that actually removes the side effect and the need for that med. People have to come to their own conclusions and sometimes it’s frustrating to see them flounder before making a better choice for themselves, but having the information available certainly helps. Thanks for all the great info!
I also use vinegar, but I had never thought of using it in the wash so I really appreciate that tip. Scott, as always, you’re comments are thought provoking and interesting…
