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As you know, I hate to complain. But a coupla things are ticking me off lately. Like…
1. Gringo Pricing. While ticas and I are the same height, all resemblance stops there. Ticos see me coming. Like going into the local pulperia [mom and pop grocery] for eggs last week. A flat of eggs in Auto Mercado is 2,800 colones. (Eggs are sold by weight, but this is average price.) Well, Juan charged me 4,000 colones and these were not heavy eggs. Nor were they fresh.
Like at Spoon yesterday in Alajuela's International . . . → Read More About My 2 Least Favorite Things About Costa Rica
Over on Costa Rica Living, we've been havin' ourselves a good ole time ranting and raving about Honduras and is it a coup or not. (It's not.) You can read the posts here (this is a 44 page pdf document… you have to be really interested!) The CRL camp is divided: half think coup, the other half think legal constitutional action. Both sides quote Honduras' Constitution. They've read it once and are certain they understand the details. I wonder . . . → Read More About Coup or No Coup?
Google images may have saved Morgan’s life. He’s on his way home from the hospital now (it’s Sunday morning). WARNING: graphic photos below.
Let’s just get me out of the way here: I am a basket case. Between Ryan’s mass and surgery, Mango’s being lost and found and my mother’s intense disapproval and blame, and now Morgan’s weekend emergency hospitalization because he developed a heart-stoppingly dangerous infection, the last 30 days have been quite a ride. If anything bad happens to Hal, I might just leave his body on the road in Escazú . . . → Read More About Snot Again
"In America, you'll get food to eat. Don't have to run through the jungle and scuff up your feet. You'll just sing about Jesus and drink wine all day. It's great to be an American." – from Sail Away, Randy Newman's clever slave-trade ditty
All true, so far. We're here in the good ole U.S. of A. Hal's mom was not well (she's better now), Spirit Air had tickets for $250 each = a good time to see what's up here. I guess the USA is still the same… but . . . → Read More About In America
Listen to this while you read. Such a beautiful song. Go ahead, sing along. Everyone else does.
We are in hell. The property behind us is used for parties occasionally. Not too often, THANK GOD. Because ticos, like their friends in the frozen north, are WILD for karaoke. And beer. In combination. Who knew? It’s almost 10pm here and OH MY GOD the wail emanating from over the fence is painful. Every once in a while we all look at each other, roll our eyes and laugh. You have to laugh. Because you aren’t going to sleep… Mercifully, . . . → Read More About 58 & Income Update
Just now at Volcán Arenal with Mom and Aunt Gay, mom’s baby sister. This was my third time at the volcano, my favorite place in Costa Rica so far. Volcán Arenal is flawless, when you can see it.
Did you know, on a clear day, you can see the top of Arenal from San Ramon, two hours to the south of it? Huge and magnificent, an incredible sight. This picture (right: you click on it to make it bigger, Arenal’s peak is smack in the middle) . . . → Read More About Where’ve I Been?
Jacqueline’s pistol-whipping break-in, along with everything else I wrote about yesterday, is upsetting our apple cart. Not to mention today’s A.M. Costa Rica article about how the I.R.S. is "helping" Costa Rica redefine it’s income tax laws. Because, you know, the U.S. is the expert when it comes to owning its citizens. Apparently, Costa Rica sees this as a good thing.
Back in the discussion of the surprise dollar devaluation against the colón, I totally skipped reporting on the inflation rate. El pais [pie-EESE, country] says it’s 10%. My pocketbook – and those of other expats . . . → Read More About Knee-Jerk Reactions
Ok, this is ridiculous. I’m having a flood of anti-Costa Rica experiences. Maybe if I get them out of my system, this rock in my gut will disappear.
IN THE NEWS. Don Oscar seems hellbent on getting Costa Rica into the 21st century. Only I don’t approve of the way he’s going about it. I don’t know why he didn’t think to ask me first, but he didn’t.
On the plus side, he’s fixing the roads – lots of painting activity, new timed streetlights in downtown San José, spending millions making the center of downtown into a paved . . . → Read More About Back Down
Must be nice to be a government, able to muck around with the money when the mood strikes. Grab a little here, a little there… I would have said "Stealing 4%" but that might sound a little caustic. Slanderous, even.
For instance. Last Thursday – Thanksgiving Day, ironically enough – if I gave someone a dollar, I got 520 colones in return.
Late that same day, without notice, the BCCR (Banco Central de Costa Rica) quietly revalued the colón in an attempt to gloss over Costa Rica’s runaway inflation. When we woke up Friday morning, if . . . → Read More About Grabbing 4%
I’ve been using my lifesaving bio-identical hormone cream every night for 10 years now. Lately it feels a little off and, since I’ve never had any blood work done to see if the dosage was just right, I thought, "Why not have it done in Costa Rica?" You know, where’s it’s cheap.
My doctora [doke-TORE-ah, female doctor] told me to have the tests done and bring in the results. She recommended a lab, said I should request the Anti-Aging Workup. I’m liking the sound of this already. I go to the lab, the clerk prints up the Anti-Aging Workup . . . → Read More About Blood Work
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