I recently had the experience of traveling around Costa Rica with clients, and the Police at a check-stop stopped us. The Police officer asked for the Drivers License and Passport of the person driving. The driver handed over her Driver’s License, and realized she did not have her passport with her. She had made the choice that morning to leave it in her room.
The Police proceeded to chastise her for not having her passport…and went to his truck. We were thinking he was just going to give us a warning, and tell us to always carry our passports with us.

However; when he returned to our vehicle he handed her the equivalent of a $200 ticket. He then told us again, very sternly, that we needed to always carry our passports with us at all times while in Costa Rica….we even tried the “we did not know this” tourist card….he would not budge!
…the point of my story is ALWAYS, ALWAYS have your passport with you!!

Heading to Costa Rica? Or anywhere else abroad? When was the last time you checked your passport?
If you’re planning a trip to Costa Rica, take a look at your passport’s expiry date, even if it doesn’t expire during your travels, you might not be allowed into the country. Or any other country for that matter.
Costa Rica, like many other countries have three month or a six month minimum expiration for your passport, meaning that you have to have at least the minimum three or six months on that passport before being allowed in.
One case in the U.S. media is that being reported by KABC-TV Los Angeles, California, of Anna and Jason Protopappas, an Aliso Viejo couple on their way to Costa Rica over the Christmas break to visit friends.
“We arrived in Costa Rica at 12:45 Christmas morning”, Anna told KABC. “We had been flying all day Christmas Eve and we arrived about the last flight into Costa Rica to San Jose Airport”. The couple had taken an Aeromexico flight out of Los Angeles that had a long layover in Mexico City.
“No puedes entrar” (you cannot enter) said Anna were the words by the Costa Rican immigration officer. Jason got through, but Anna’s passport was close to expiring and that made ineligible to enter the country.
The story related by Anna to the Los Angeles television news channel was that the Costa Rican officer explained her how she and anyone else in her position could lose their job and even worse, go to jail, in allowing someone in.
Although an airline will allow a passenger to board it does not mean that you will be allowed in. It is the responsibility of the airline to ensure that a passenger meets the minimum requirements to enter a country, but is no consolation in the case like that of Anna and Jason.

Another requirement, overlooked by travel agents and airlines, is a ticket out of the country.
Costa Rica, like many other destinations, have a rule about requiring a temporary visitor about having a way out of the country – by land, sea or air.
According to Costa Rican immigration, a visitor arriving must have their return ticket. Although some airlines are not strict about this rule, the visitor could be denied entry. In such case, the airline will be responsible for flying the person home or their point of embarkation.
Airlines like TACA and COPA, although will sell you a one way ticket to Costa Rica, will refuse boarding if the passenger does not have a ticket out of Costa Rica.
So, if traveling abroad remember one to have at least three to six months validity on your passport and have a way out of the country.

In Costa Rica there have been a lot more changes and improvements!  It is amazing to me all of the changes that have gone on here in the past few years!  The availability of things, services, infrastructure simply amazes me every day!  In order to keep you, our reader, up to date, we have written this newsletter with updates for you to print out…

The Costenera / Caldera Highway saw a few problems over the last two years with the very heavy rainy seasons.  The highway repair people have done a great job of keeping it open as much as possible. There are minimal remaining repairs ongoing, overall, travel is easy.  There are few to no delays most days!  This highway sure does make travel to the southern zone easy!

The southern Costenera from Jaco to Ojochal is being re-paved! The rough parts are getting better.  Over all, it is now such a pleasant drive compared to what we used to deal with!

We have posted directions to and from the airport on the blog / website. Go there to print out the directions.

NEW “EPA” STORE

Across from the Cariari Mall, near the Country Inn and Suites, the DoubleTree Hotel, etc. there is now a new EPA hardware store…making 3 in total in San Jose.  So if you stay at one of the hotels along by the Country Inn and Suites, the Double Tree, etc…there is now one of our favorite hardware stores close by!

 CELL PHONES

You can now get “Pay As You Go” Cell phones in Costa Rica!  The cost for usage of airtime is minimal, and cheaper than a “regular” cell phone.  They are really easy to get!  No more standing in line-ups, purchasing stamps and waiting months to get a number!

You can get one at any cell phone store. Then, take it to an ICE office where it will be activated, you will have your number, and it will be ready to go when you leave the office!  I had the person at ICE set up my voice mail, because I had a hard time understanding the recording instructions in Spanish.  The cost for the set up is c2,500. After having my phone for over a year, I am finding that the minutes seem to last forever…I put c1,500 on it most months and my balance keeps increasing, even though I make many ling distance calls to Canada, etc!

When buying your phone it is important to ensure that you are getting a 3G… they have better coverage over all of the country and cost about $120.00.  And they are getting cheaper all the time.

All of the “Pay as you go” phones are allowed to make and receive international calls…. it is such a dream for us North Americans to be able to make and receive calls from home so easily.

….over all it is Easy, Breezy!

Crossing the Panama Border at Paso Canoas update….

I recently did the Panama Border/ Paso Canoas and shopping in David experience.The border crossing has had few changes from what we wrote on page 69 in the book.

When I entered Panama, the Immigration person wanted to see my parking ticket, to ensure I had traveled there in my car.  They did not want to see the paper work for the car.

They also searched our bags in a room behind you, as you stand at the “enter Panama” window.  They did not do this when we returned with all of our shopping!

When I exited Panama, I did have to buy a stamp for $1.00.  A person came through the line selling them, and they only take US$.

Entering back into Costa Rica was no problem at all. I told her I had a house in Costa Rica.  She said, “I thought so” and stamped my passport for the 90 days!

The process is getting so much better;  I don’t think anyone should need the “help” of the people trying to get you to pay them to help you through the process any longer.

I did have a young man try to sell me his help, to get my 90 stamp without leaving the country for 72 hours, for $20.00. This is far less than what they used to charge…and now a lot of the folks who live here just do that on their own, when they don’t have time, or don’t want to go out for the entire 72 hours.

We took the bus, from the bus station a few yards from the Panama Customs to David for $2.00 each.  We rode to the bus terminal in David. The buses are mostly quite new, 14 or so passenger shuttle busses. The seats are small, designed for tiny locals! They did not take our money till just before we arrived at the terminal.  The bus ride took about an hour and a half.  At the terminal we then took a taxi to our hotel for $2.00.

After we shopped for 2 days and filled our 2 large suitcases., we hired a taxi to take us back to the Fronterra for $30.00 – a 45 minute drive.

 Staying in David

We made reservations online at Hotel Castilla without any problems; the cost was $39.00 for 2 people per night.  The room was clean, the windows did not open, the air conditioner worked well, the beds were firm ….too firm for our liking! So we moved to the Best Western / National hotel 2 blocks away from the Castilla. There we paid $55 for our room. This hotel has been recently refurbished and the beds were wonderful!  Everything is new, white and fluffy!  The flat screen TV was a treat!  There was no hot water in our room.  The restaurant and bar were nice and the pricing not too expensive for being in a hotel.

 Shopping in David

We love the Do-it-center!  We bought new taps, some lights – good brand names for a lot less than we would pay in Costa Rica!

Conway, a larger department store in the same complex at the Do-it-center is also wonderful! They have American sizes, and brand names with good prices.

We found canning jars in Novey!  Some of us have been looking for canning jars for years …. and now we know we can get them there!  Yahoo!

 Paso Canoas – the border town

There is now a department store on the Costa Rican side of Paso Canoas called “City Mall”.  It is a two-storey building with a MacDonald’s in it.  It is to the left when you come to the crazy intersection in the middle of Paso Canoas; after you pass the Costa Rican Immigration building and before the Panama one.  You go up the street about half a kilometer, follow the MacDonald’s signs.  It is on your right, and you can park in front and on the side of the building.  There is usually a couple of young men there to help you park, watch your car and help you back out…for a small fee.  Pay them a little before you go in – maybe 100 colones to ensure they do watch you car…and them some more when you leave.

The store has a lot of products, and brand names that we are used to in North America. We can get cheeses, canned soups, etc at good prices!  A lot of us make the trip to the border just to go shopping here… it is a treat!

….A new shuttle / transfer service 

More Than Transfers  -www.morethantransferscr.com

They have an office in Uvita.  I have had a few people use these guys and they tell me that they are first rate!

new transfer service

…. I recently did the Panama Border/ Paso Canoas and shopping in David experience. The border crossing has had a few changes from what we wrote on page 69 in the book.

When I entered Panama, the Immigration person wanted to see my parking ticket, to ensure I had traveled there in my car. They did not want to see the paper work for the car. They also searched our bags in a room behind you, as you stand at the “enter Panama” window. They did not do this when we returned with all of our shopping!

When I exited Panama, I did have to buy a stamp for $1.00. A person came through the line selling them, and they only take US$.

Entering back into Costa Rica was no problem at all. I told her I had a house in Costa Rica. She said, “I thought so” and stamped my passport for the 90 days!

The process is getting so much better; I don’t think anyone should need the “help” of the people trying to get you to pay them to help you through the process any longer. I did have a young man try to sell me his help, to get my 90 stamp without leaving the country for 72 hours, for $20.00. This is far less than what they used to charge…and now a lot of the folks who live here just do that on their own, when they don’t have time, or don’t want to go out for the entire 72 hours.

Staying in David

We made reservations online at Hotel Castilla without any problems; the cost was $39.00 for 2 people per night. The room was clean, the windows did not open, the air conditioner worked well, the beds were firm ….too firm for our liking! So we moved to the Best Western / National hotel 2 block away from the Castilla. There we paid $55 for our room. This hotel has been recently refurbished and the beds were wonderful! Everything is new, white and fluffy! The flat screen TV was a treat! There was no hot water in our room. The restaurant and bar were nice and the pricing not too expensive for being in a hotel.

Shopping in David

We love the Do-it-center! We bought new taps, some lights – good brand names for a lot less than we would pay in Costa Rica! Conway, a department store in the same complex at the Do-it-center is also wonderful! They have American sizes, and brand names with good prices. We found canning jars in Novey!

Some of us have been looking for canning jars for years….and now we know we can get them there! Yahoo!

Paso Canoas

There is now a department store on the Costa Rican side of Paso Canoas called “City Mall”. It is a two-storey building with a MacDonald’s in it. It is to the left when come to the crazy intersection in the middle of Paso Canoas; after you pass the Costa Rican Immigration building and before the Panama one. You go up the street about half a kilometer, follow the MacDonald’s signs. It is on your right, and you can park in front and on the side of the building. There is usually a couple of young men there to help you park, watch your car and help you back out…for a small fee. Pay them a little before you go in – maybe 100 colones to ensure they do watch you car…and them some more when you leave. The store has a lot of products, and brand names that we are used to in North America. We can get cheeses, canned soups, etc at good prices! A lot of us make the trip to the border just to go shopping here… it is a treat!

From the Airport, you will get on the Pan American Highway (Hwy. #1) going north, and follow the signs to San Ramon; pass a Dos Pinos factory and a Puntarenas Ferry sign – it is about 12 Kms.

You will pass signs for La Garita, Sarchi, RECOPE fuel storage tanks, and then see a sign for “ATENAS 14 KM”. This is where you turn right and curve around, following the signs to Quepos / Jaco.

YOU WILL NOW FOLLOW  SIGNS TO THE CALDERA HIGHWAY, MERGING WITH IT AT THE  “LA GARITA” TURNOFF.

You will pass through a number of toll stations and just before you get to the Jaco / Costenera exit, you will go through a Blue Pay station and pay the toll. Just past this toll station, you will exit off Hwy. # 27 by turning left and entering on to the Costenera highway.  As you pass through the outskirts of Jaco and are on the north side, you will see the Crocodile Bridge. This is a great place to stop.  You can see many Crocodiles hanging out in the river and there are some great shops.  As you are driving though Jaco, you will pass Playa Hermosa – a famous surfing beach. It is on the right hand side of the road …a nice place to stop for lunch.

At Quepos, you will come to a Y intersection. Veer left.  You will see the sign at this Y saying left to Dominical and right to Quepos.

Be sure to go left, otherwise you will go through the town of Quepos and it is longer that way; unless you want to visit the lovely beach town of Quepos and have lunch.

Keep following the newly completed Costenera Highway, passing a large Gas Station on your right at Baru, you will then come to a check point, a bridge, and now are in Dominical.

This Highway will take you to Uvita, Ojochal, Cortes, Palmar Sur and all points south.

FROM ESCAZU TO DOMINICAL AND ALL POINTS SOUTH

From here you simply follow Highway #27….this becomes the new Caldera Highway, and you follow it through the toll booths to the Jaco turn off.  See directions above for Jaco / Costenera Highway.

FROM DOMINICAL TO the AIRPORT VIA THE COSTENARA HIGHWAY

The Costanera road, driving through Quepos and Jaco is becoming the best way to travel to San Jose.   There are no dangerous mountain roads to drive this direction.  At this time, there is about a three and a half hour drive from Dominical to the Airport.    Highway 27 runs directly from San Jose near the airport to the Costanera.

Follow the new Caldera Highway till you come to the “la Garita” exit….this will take you through villages and eventually onto the PanAmerican highway.

The last turn will be on your right, at the Recope sign. (Recope Plant) You will see a San Jose sign to make a right at this same spot.  Just a short way on this highway, the airport will be on your right or you can continue on the highway to reach San Jose.

FROM DOMINICAL TO SAN JOSE VIA THE CALDERA HIGHWAY / HIGHWAY # 27follows:

Get on the Costanera (only highway) in Dominical, go north towards Quepos.    You will not turn into Quepos, but will continue on the Costanera towards Jaco.  You will pass a very good grocery store in Jaco called the Auto Mercado.  It will be on your left.  Continue on the highway and you will cross over the famous “crocodile bridge” where many crocs can be seen.  You can’t miss it as there are always people standing on the walkways on the sides of the Tarcoles  Bridge to see the crocodiles.

Once you reach the other end of Jaco, in a few miles, you will come to a large sign on your right showing you the exit to San Jose, Atenas and Orotina.  Veer right towards San Jose,  onto the # 27. Follow this road, it becomes the New Caldera Highway; and you will come directly into Escazu, passing PriceMart, Cima Hospital, etc on your way into San Jose.  This is so very simple!!

A rip tide, or undertow, is a small but strong channel of water moving out to sea. Rip tides are characterized by darker, deeper and foamier water, sometimes with floating debris. The area where the rip is is usually calm with a rippled surface and smaller waves.

Rip current happen when breakers cross sand bars off the shore, the water travels back to sea through the gap in the sand bars, creating a fast “rip” current.

Causes and occurrence

When wind and waves push water towards the shore, that water is often forced sideways by the oncoming waves. This water streams along the shoreline until it finds an exit back to the sea or open lake water. The resulting rip current is usually narrow and located in a trench between sandbars, under piers or along jetties.

A common misconception is that ordinary undertow or even rip currents are strong enough to pull someone under the surface of the water; in reality the current is strongest at the surface. This strong surface flow tends to dampen incoming waves, leading to the illusion of a particularly calm part of the sea, which may possibly lure some swimmers into the area. The off-shore path taken by a rip current can be demonstrated by placing colored dye at the start of a current at the shoreline.

Rip currents are stronger when the surf is rough, such as during high onshore winds, or when the tide is low.

Dangers

Rip currents are a source of danger for people in ocean and lake surf. They can be extremely dangerous, dragging swimmers away from the beach. Death by drowning comes following exhaustion while fighting the river or ocean current.

Escaping a rip current

• Stay calm, and do not swim directly against it.
• If you are a strong swimmer, swim parallel to shore until you are past the current, and then swim toward the shore.
• If you are a weak swimmer, signal to the lifeguard and either float with the current or continue to tread water until help arrives.

Although a rare event, rip currents can be deadly for non-swimmers as well: a person standing waist deep in water can be dragged into deeper waters, where they can drown if they are unable to swim and are not wearing a flotation device. Varying topography makes some beaches more likely to have rip currents; a few are notorious.

A swimmer caught in a rip current should not attempt to swim back to shore directly against the rip. This risks exhaustion and drowning.

A rip does not pull a swimmer under water; it carries the swimmer away from the shore in a narrow channel of water. The rip is like a treadmill which the swimmer needs to step off.

The swimmer should remain calm and swim parallel to the shore until he or she is outside of the current. Locations to aim for are places where waves are breaking. In these areas, floating objects are generally transported towards the shore.

A swimmer in a strong rip, who is unable to swim away from it, should relax and calmly float or tread water to conserve energy. Eventually the rip will lose strength, and the swimmer can swim at a leisurely pace, in a diagonal direction, away from the rip but back to shore.

Coastal swimmers should understand the danger of rip currents, learn how to recognize them and how to escape from them …..this will keep you safe and ensure you play another day!

It is January of 2011…and “From Gringo to Tico” is one year old!

….as we expected…In Costa Rica there have been a lot of changes and improvements!  In order to keep you, our reader, up to date, we have written this newsletter with updates for you to print out…

The “new” Costenera / Caldera Highway saw a few problems over the past year with the very heavy rainy season.  The highways people have done a great job of keeping it open as much as possible. There are repairs ongoing, but travel is easy.  There are few to no delays most days!  This highway sure does make travel to the southern zone easy!

The southern Costenera from Dominical to Ojochal saw more slides and washouts…that in the past would have shut the highway down for at least a week, and would have taken months to repair…this year was open in 2 days and all the repairs are completed! In 2 months!  It was amazing to see the repair and construction equipment mobilized and repairs done so quickly!

We will post directions to and from the airport on the blog / website.

NEW “EPA” STORE

Across from the Cariari Mall, near the Country Inn and Suites, the DoubleTree Hotel, etc. there is now a new EPA hardware store…making 3 in total in San Jose.  So if you stay at one of the hotels along by the Country Inn and Suites, the Double Tree, etc…there is now one of our favorite hardware stores close by!

CELL PHONES

You can now get Pay As You Go Cell phones in Costa Rica!  The cost for usage of airtime is minimal, and cheaper than a “regular” cell phone.  They are really easy to get!  No more standing in line-ups, purchasing stamps and waiting months to get a number!

You can get one at any cell phone store. Then take it to an ICE office where it will be activated, you will have your number, and it will be ready to go when you leave the store. All you have to do is make sure you take your passport with you!  I had the person at ICE set up my voice mail, because I had a hard time understanding the recording instructions in Spanish

When buying your phone it is important to ensure that you are getting a 3G… they have better coverage over all of the country and cost about $140.00.  And they are getting cheaper all the time.  I put the equivalent of $5.00 on the pay as you go; and it will last me a really long time!

If you want to make international calls, you may need to go to any ICE office and have them check your account to ensure that your phone is allowed to make and receive international calls.  This may take some effort to get completed, you may have to stand in line ups, but is worth it for us North Americans to be able to make and receive calls from home.

…over all it is Easy, breezy!

NEW RESIDENCY LAWS

New Immigration Law effective March 1, 2010

Approved in August 2009 by the Asamblea Nacional, a new Costa Rican Immigration Law took effect as of March 1, 2010.

The new law, formally known as Law 8764, Ley General de Migración y Extranjería, made extensive and important changes to the requirements to apply for legal residency. The new income requirements apply to applications filed starting on March 1, 2010.

Pensionado – Income:
The new monthly pension income requirement is US$1,000. One pension allows both husband and wife to apply for residency

Rentista – Income:
The new Rentista monthly income requirement is US$2,500. The exact same amount of US$2,500 applies to all applicants, whether or not the applicant is single, or married, or married with children.

Inversionista – Investment Amount
The investment made must have a registered or verifiable value of at least US$200,000 (Two Hundred Thousand dollars).The investment of a lesser amount in tourism is no longer available.

Mandatory Membership in “La Caja”
The new law made it mandatory for all applicants to become members in Costa Rica’s medical system, La Caja Costarricense del Seguro Social, known simply as “La Caja.” The applicant must show proof of membership in La Caja at the time the residency identification card is issued.

Location where applications can be filed
Applications can now be filed abroad, in the applicant’s country of origin, or directly at Migración y Extranjería in San Jose, Costa Rica.

Residency applications under the Vínculo Program can only be filed in Costa Rica.

Applications for Vínculo Status by Spouses of a Costa Rican citizen
The application of the spouse of a Costa Rican citizen, filed under the Vínculo Program, will no longer be granted as a permanent resident if the marriage took place less than 2 years from the application date. Under the new law, spouses are granted temporary residencies for the first three years. At the end of the third year the spouse can apply for permanent residency.

Higher fees
The new law codifies the increase of the fees charged by Migración for the filing of the application, the review of the application, to file for change in status from temporary to permanent residency, and for many other services.

The Immigration law now in effect brought substantial changes to the application process and increased the complexity and time-consuming paperwork requirements built into the process. Working together as a team, Residency in Costa Rica helps you navigate the complex application process step by step.