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Just read that Skype may be discontinuing their “person to person” service in the future. It has something to with their acquisition by a big corporation and the copyrights on the platform that allows my free video calls to go thru. I am trying to find out more, but I sure was counting on Skype for constant/good communication with friends and family when I move to Costa Rica next summer. Has anyone else heard about this?
Arden Brink is just now finishing an excellent book on moving/shipping/settling in Costa Rica. I don’t know how far off the publication is but it is chock full of great information about all the pesky details regarding a move. I believe the best way to contact her is through ShipCostaRica.com.
Holy Moley! Is this going to happen EVERY time we renew our cedula after we arrive? Or is this a one-time only occurance that has something to do with a new law? We will be arriving in summer 2010. So will our new pensionado/cedula (after we have received it) serve as the beginning in a process, or will we have to make all these changes every time we renew our cedula? If so, I guess we will have to keep an attorney on a constant retainer!
Out of curiosity, I have worked with a few real estate agents there in different areas in the last four years. I know for sure that three of them did not have Residency status. Is this common? They had been agents there for some time. I even met one agent who was working directly for one of the big condo projects in Jaco and was not a resident. It was apparent that a couple of them were making a nice living. Are you all saying that they are in danger of being “turned in” by fellow Costa Rican real estate agents because the economy is bad?
We have discovered several Argentinian and Chilean wines on the shelves in Costa Rica that are not available in the US. Often, the prices were outstanding and the quality superb. We have been trending more and more towards South American wines in the last couple of years, so are looking forward to that aspect of life in Costa Rica. Also, we have been sampling some excellent South African vintners. Are these available there, and do import duties cause them to be prohibitively priced?
The Landcruiser is now in our hot little hands and with the help of Arden at ShipCostaRica, I now know the total cost for getting it “in-country”. Considering the purchase price, a real bargain. Thanks to you all for the great input.
Thanks David and I agree! But the guy I am buying it from has already taken that hit. It has been up and running (reliably) for over a year! Sounds as if this will be a good car for us there. The hubby is already excited as he can drive it up to Moab for the next big mountain biking event in a few months. These are very, very cool with the mountain biking guys. So he will get the juice of being a cool (older) dude before we ship it off to Costa Rica. We are also paying very little for the vehicle – even better as we will have to bear the import duties and shipping and all the other fun fees.
As always – go to this forum for the BEST input. I am looking at a 1984 Toyota Landcruiser with pretty low miles for the year (160K – it was garaged for seven years). The upside is that this thing is a BEAST – will go anywhere…the downside is the gas mileage @ 15MPG and it doesn’t go very fast. They have a tendency to do about 70-75 mph without too much difficulty. Is this top speed an issue on the autopista???? It is in excellent condition and I can pick it up really cheap. Any thoughts on this specific model?????
Well, here is a more immediate effect of all the hoopla. I am supposed to be flying to CR on Saturday with a friend to look at properties in Grecia, San Ramon and Atenas. (My husband has to sit this one out because of work.) So my friend calls this morning and says “We can get refunds on our flights – you probably don’t want to go because of this swine flu thing – RIGHT????” So I explained patiently to her that I’m not particularly worked up and will still be going. I did say that I would pick up some infection masks for us to wear on the plane – probably a good idea on any flight because of all the wretched, re-circulated air.
I went to FIVE pharmacies before I could find any masks – they are all completely sold out! Jeez……..we’re probably safer in Costa Rica than here in Arizona. (We currently have no reported cases.)
And really, has anyone worked out the actual risk per capita in Mexico City? For heaven’s sakes, there are 20 million people living there. In our little town of 30,000 there are regular deaths than can be attributed to the flu every winter.
I get that a pandemic would be atrocious, but this has not elevated to pandemic level yet and may not do so for another one or two months. Am I the only person driven crazy by the news cycle hype?
I recently saw a report on one of the national news shows about a very nice new development going up near San Miguel Allende, Mexico. This project offered manageable smaller homes with lots of services and then a full-on nursing home as an option for folks who needed higher levels of care. Alzheimer’s care was going to be included. The report noted that the nursing home costs were going to be less than half of comparable care in the U.S. The developer said that the units were nearly all spoken for.
This topic is of real interest to me as I am going to be leaving my 88-year-old mom behind in the U.S. At this time she doesn’t need any help (bowls twice a week, Tai Chi daily, volunteer, etc.) but eventually she will. I am already weighing my options to bring he to Costa Rica at some point. It would be terrific if one of the developments noted above was available. This seems to be an immense growth opportunity with the millions of baby boomers entering retirement – certainly some who already are experiencing health issues. Does anyone know expat retirees in Costa Rica who are trying to “age in place” with home health???
Thanks guys! I will reserve today. Actually, I am arriving too late to get the car at their office, so they are bringing it to the hotel the next morning! I am communicating with Javier and he has really been great! Also, they have given me full disclosure about fees, which is really nice. I also like that my week-long rental will get me a “free” cellphone, although the minutes are really expensive. Still, nice to have it in case of emergency. I also added the $6.00/week coverage for tow-truck service.
Can’t WAIT to get back!
Our Spanish is, at best negligible and we visited Costa Rica three times in eighteen months. We didn’t rent a car for any trip and since we are not “tour” people, we just used the excellent TripAdvisor and excellent advice from this forum (mainly using the “search” option). We were in: Escazu, San Jose, Dominical, Ojochal, Jaco, Montezuma, Monteverde, Arenal and the exquisite Orosi. We used a combination of transportation: group shuttles, private taxis, and local buses. Literally everywhere we went, we were treated with kindness and graciousness. Of course, we used common sense and followed the advice of the forum members. I (the woman part of our team) am returning in May (alone) and will see Atenas, Grecia and San Ramon. We are looking at property and this trip should help us make our final decision about where to land and make our home in 2010. Good luck and enjoy!
Scott: Have to agree with you on my response to “actual” books. It is such a luxe feeling to hold and enjoy a book. But I am such a massive reader that I am concerned about this aspect of our upcoming residency in Costa Rica and have actually looked into Kindle. I will follow this thread with interest. We will probably settle in the Atenas or San Ramon areas, so will have to check the high-speed download capacities there. But would certainly also be interested in hearing more about the English-language bookstores in and around San Jose. I prefer to use a lending library, but would be happy to purchase.
Do you know if there is a regular “book swap” among expats there???
Sue
A family member thought that “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” was such a great book that she gave it to her son-in-law. He bought in to the book’s plans completely and after a brief and meteoric rise to financial success crashed. He took his family of six along with him into bankruptcy and ruin (and this was before the current financial crisis).
I read about four chapters before I knew it was nonsense. Jeez!
