Romería update …..

La Negrita was flown by helicopter to towns this past weekend to accomodate those who would have made the pilgrimage to Cartago on August 2nd.  They were prohibited from doing so by the Minister of Health who cancelled the annual event due to the threat of the H1N1 virus.

August 2nd Pilgrimage to Cartago

Due to the H1N1 virus, the annual pilgrimage – romería – to Cartago was cancelled this year.  I was told that a statue of the Virgin of Los Angeles would be carried through towns, but I don’t know if that is a rumor or the truth.  Over a million people make the annual trek to Cartago, many of them on their knees.  Without a doubt, there will be fewer sore feet tomorrow morning than there were last year!

H1N1 (f.k.a. Swine Flu Virus) in Costa Rica

On Tuesday, President Arias and the Secretary of Health responded to the swine flu pandemic by signing an emergency health declaration giving health professionals in Costa Rica the authority to implement whatever measures necessary to prevent the spread of the virus. To date, there have been two confirmed cases and thirty-five suspected cases in Costa Rica. The medical community anticipates more cases in the coming days and weeks.

The Costa Rican government has urged people to avoid the traditional cheek kiss upon greeting one another. (Hopefully, everyone has gotten the message so no one is offended if I avoid this friendly overture.) Shaking hands is out too, unless, like Monk, you have a “wipe” handy to use immediately afterwards.

Remember: Cover your mouth if you sneeze or cough and wash your hands frequently with soap and water or an alcohol sanitizer. This holds especially true when you are out in public. The virus can live on surfaces for several hours so a grocery cart, door handle or handrail at a mall can harbor the virus left several hours earlier by an infected person.

This is a global issue. Hopefully, the dire predictions will not materialize and the virus will cease to be a threat very quickly.

Thomas L. Friedman NY Times Op-ed

In his editorial today in the NY Times, Thomas Friedman applauded Costa Rica’s commitment to protecting the environment.  Although he may have been subjected to a bit of propaganda during his recent visit, Costa Rica has been making more concerted efforts to reverse and impede destruction of the environment, particularly at the beaches.  It appears that the government is working to improve its monitoring and enforcement of land use restrictions.  Hotels have been given warnings or been closed due to improper sewage treatment.  Structures illegally built or without proper permits have been removed.  It’s about time!  Hopefully, this trend will continue and the country’s precious eco-system will be preserved.  Costa Rica’s beauty, flora and fauna are unparalleled and should be carefully guarded.

Here’s a link to Mr.  Friedman’s article:  http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/12/opinion/12friedman.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=friedman%20costa%20rica&st=cse

(Unfortunately, I must have been out when Mr. Friedman called to drop by for coffee.  Rats!  Maybe next time.  I seem to miss Mel Gibson’s calls when he’s here, too.)

New York Times buzzes about Costa Rica!

Just in case you missed it, here’s a recent article from the New York Times extolling the virtues of an adventure in Costa Rica. http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/03/22/travel/22CostaRica.html?pagewanted=1&emc=eta1

Whole lot of shakin’ goin’ on – earthquake!

Today’s 1:21 pm earthquake, reportedly 6.2 on the Richter scale and lasting about 20 seconds, has left people homeless, roads impassable, towns inaccessible, bridges unsafe, landslides, buckled roads, flooding (due to a cracked dam), downed electric lines, household furnishings destroyed, shattered windows, broken pipes and, sadly, 3 people dead (2 young sisters and a woman). Following the initial quake, strong aftershocks were felt on and off for several hours, forcing frightened people to remain outdoors, some even planning to spend the night in tents. Friends have reported having to crawl out of their houses, losing TV sets, cars being on 2 wheels, ocean-like waves on their swimming pool, having walls collapse in their homes, electricity going out, tiles falling off roofs, china crashing to the floor, etc. I was standing talking on the phone when it hit and was thrown onto a chair and the phone went out. Pots and pans banged in the kitchen, closet and cupboard doors swung open, pictures on a bookshelf fell over, the floor felt like it was rolling, boards in the wooden ceiling creaked and my cats ran frantically from room to room. In the aftermath, car alarms were sounding off, people were standing in the street and dogs were barking. Hopefully, we have seen the end of this. No doubt, tomorrow there will be more information available in the news. My heart goes out to those who have lost their homes, belongings or loved ones.

Farmers Market

Beautiful flowers and the freshest produce available!

Expecting visitors from out of the country?  Treat them to some local “flavor” by taking them to one of Costa Rica’s weekly farmers markets.  These events provide an array of unusual fruits and vegetables, as well as a conglomeration of non-edible items.  Where else can you find fresh produce, cut flowers, bootleg DVDs, orchids, fresh juice, hot pejibaye, herbs and cellphone cases for sale under one roof?  In nearly every town, there is a farmers market.   Heredia’s market stretches for blocks every Saturday, beginning before daybreak.  The time I went to Alajuela’s market, there was live music and people were dancing.  San Rafael de Heredia has their market on Sunday morning.  (A friend bought rabbits there once!)  My hometown of San Joaquín de Flores recently started having a market on Friday … under roof, which is especially nice during the rainy season.  There’s plenty of parking, friendly vendors and granizados made with freshly cranked ice cream.  The only problem with the market is that it’s easy to buy too much!  For a real treat and some fresh, fresh produce at below grocery store prices, try your local farmers market.  (Photo taken at the market in San Joaquín de Flores.)

Hear the waves

The sounds of rain dancing on a metal roof or of waves crashing on a rocky shoreline are relaxing for many people, myself included.  As each wave comes to shore, breaks, runs up on the sand and then retreats, I become mesmerized by the sheer power, beauty and vastness of the ocean. If you are a “water lover,” perhaps this video by David Culver will transport you from your desk and keyboard to a place far away in Costa Rica and give you a moment of escape and relaxation.  You can almost feel the mist on your face.

Costa Rica addresses – creative and confusing!

Not long ago, an L.A. Times columnist wrote an article about mailing addresses in Costa Rica.  Although a few streets in larger towns here are numbered and called calles (running north/south) or avenidas (running east/west), most locations are described in relation to landmarks, current or former.  For “old-timers,” a direction like “300 meters east of Bar Victor” makes perfect sense and they know the exact location (even if they don’t, they’ll often give you directions to get there anyway!).  What makes this so confusing for a “newcomer” is that there is no Bar Victor anymore.  It may have closed, been re-named, burned down or been torn down years ago, yet it is still used as a reference point.  Recently, I was making plans to meet someone in Bello Horizonte, Escazú.   I had to laugh when we finally decided where we would meet … at the mango tree!  After umpteen years, the road just grew up around the tree and it has become a charming, colorful reference point.  Ya gotta love it!  (The address for this home is “de la esquina sur de la iglesia calle Viquez, 100 m. al este, casa esquinera, mano derecha, con verjas azules.”  No kidding.)

Buying a used car in Costa Rica

For the first five years in Costa Rica, I rode the bus.  I enjoyed it – it was cheap and easy and I didn’t have to worry about traffic.  When bus routes didn’t go where I wanted to go, I would take a cab – often riding with neighborhood piratas (unlicensed cab drivers).  After much mental hemming and hawing, weighing the pluses (going where and when I wanted to go some place) and minuses (waiting in pouring rain for buses or taxis that seemed to evaporate at the first raindrop) and changing jobs (to one requiring a car), I decided to buy a car.  Here’s how I did it: I put gas in the tank of a friend’s car and he drove me around and we visited used car lots – they are everywhere (replacing the coffee fields, I think) and can pop up overnight.  I finally landed on exactly the car I wanted and had my friend’s trustworthy mechanic look it over while I checked out the car’s history online via the VIN (vehicle identification number).  The mechanic made a deal with the used car dealer to fix everything that needed fixing and the dealer covered those costs (must have had a nice profit margin built into the price I’d been quoted before the dealer spoke with the mechanic).  In Costa Rica, you have a 30 day guarantee on your used car (by law).  According to the person who sold me my car, this guarantee does not cover electrical systems, CD players, etc.  The car dealer did whatever paper work was necessary to transfer title and have the car licensed (a lawyer was involved and this was included in the purchase price).  The seller also took the car to Riteve for its compulsory safety inspection.  I would not have bought the car without it being inspected and approved by Riteve.  (Each year cars must be inspected.  Once a car has passed inspection, the owner receives a sticker to display in the windshield of their car.  The inspection costs around $20.)  Prior to closing on my car, I spoke with a representative of INS (Costa Rica’s insurance company) so the car would be insured the moment I started driving it.  The insurance representative referred to a chart created by INS (according to make, model and year of car) to determine the cost of insurance.  I went with the best coverage and it was quite expensive relative to the cost of other things in Costa Rica.  (Cars are valued at about double what they are in the US.)  Each year between early November and the end of December, car owners must pay a marchamo.  The marchamo provides very basic insurance and gives cars the “right of circulation” on the roads.  Marchamo payments can be made online, at designated banks or at INS offices.  The fee is determined by the year and type of car.  After paying the marchamo, you are given a sticker to put in the wind shield by your Riteve sticker.  Then you are good to go!  A few tips:  Don’t worry about shopping around for the best deal in gas – prices are regulated by the government.  And when you park and see someone wearing an orange vest wandering around, you are to give this person a few hundred colones when you return to your car – they’ve been “guarding” it for you!  If you burn up your engine and have to replace it (talking from unfortunate experience here), a lawyer will need to do paperwork so the new VIN gets changed in the registro (national registry).  Riteve will give you the necessary papers to file the first time you go for an inspection after changing a motor.  You can probably do this change ahead of time with an attorney, but I didn’t realize I needed to do anything.  Fortunately, I had all papers involved in the purchase of the motor with me when I went to Riteve.  Hopefully, this “new motor” information is something you will never need to know.