Subscribe by Email!
SALA IV Rules for accessible buses
August 7th, 2006
Ley (law) 7600 ((Igualdad de Oportunidades a las Personas con Discapacidad)) was approved ten years ago and required that all buses be equipped to transport handicapped individuals.
Not too surprisingly, the bus operators decided to wait ten years to see what was going to happen. What happened, of course, was that the law is now being (sort of) enforced and bus drivers are being ticketed whose vehicles are not to the new level. To date, only 12% of all buses have handicap ramps installed.
Continue reading »
Not IE Ready!
July 30th, 2006
GRRRRRR!
The longer I live, the more I HATE Internet Explorer!
So I get this beautiful new theme working just the way I want it, test it in Opera and Firefox, the two browsers I prefer, and make the BIG SWITCH! It looks great (IMHO).
NOW, I get an email telling me that my Blog “looks funny” in IE. So I test it (yeah, I know, I shudda tested it first) and lo and behold, the center column where there SHOULD be posts is empty… until about halfway down the page.
So here is your fair warning… For now, use Firefox or Opera to properly see the new theme or be content with scrolling down the page! I am working on the problem, but the solution so far escapes me. I also asked the designer for a bit of help. so be patient. Besides, Firefox or Opera are BOTH better that IE so use the links above to download ’em.
Filed under Blogging Stuff, Costa Rica, Life in Costa Rica, Other Stuff, Rants | Comments (4)New Design for this Blog
July 30th, 2006
I have received a fairly large number of emails from people who told me they had some difficulty reading this Blog because the colors I used apparently did not permit them to read the words and differentiate headlines from text. That disturbed me as the whole purpose of a Blog is so people can enjoy (or not) my ramblings. With that in mind, I decided to switch to a color scheme with better contrast that visitors will find easier to read.
Filed under Costa Rica, Immigration & Residency, Life in Costa Rica, Moving to Costa Rica, Other Stuff | Comments (3)Advice on Moving to Costa Rica
July 19th, 2006
Sometimes I am not the brightest bulb in the pack.
It just occured to be that very often I answer emails from readers of The REAL Costa Rica who ask questions that might be of interest to readers of this BLOG. Many are on topics NOT covered in that web site, so starting right now I am starting a new Category “Questions” where you Blog readers can see my replies to these emails. Let me know in Comments if you like this idea! Continue reading »
Filed under Costa Rica, Immigration & Residency, Life in Costa Rica, Moving to Costa Rica, Questions from Readers, Retire in Costa Rica | Comments (7)Like Costa Rican Food?
July 12th, 2006
A LOT of folks do… including me. OKOKOK, I like foods from many places which is perhaps why I have to lean forward a bit to see my toes… but I digress.
A recent post to Costa Rica Eateries from Paul Mitchell povides a nice list of Costa Rica cookbooks for those who need their daily dose of something Costa Rican.
Filed under Costa Rica, Food and Eating, Life in Costa Rica, Moving to Costa Rica, Recipes, Travel | Comments (12)How Many US Citizen Expats are Living in Costa Rica?
July 6th, 2006
I must have been asked this question about 4,000 times since I moved here. Odd as it may be, nobody seemed to know… until now. Finally, immigration has announced the figure. Of the 289,237 legal residents (foreigners) living in Costa Rica, only 8,400 are US Citizens. Continue reading »
Filed under Costa Rica, Hmmm!, Immigration & Residency, Life in Costa Rica, Living in Costa Rica, Retire in Costa Rica | Comments (14)Buying a Camera in Costa Rica
June 29th, 2006
Those of you that know me know I like to take pictures. Until recently, I had two cameras, a little Sony P73 and an Olympus E-10. Notice I used the past tense. That applies to the Olympus. The Sony is just for “party use” and to grab for a quick no-brainer shot. The E-10 was my pride and joy. The big E10 is more for pros or serious enthusiasts (I fall into the second category) and requires setting lotsa stuff. Maria just wants to aim it a take it, so she uses the Sony.
When the E10 came out, it was REALLY expensive… like $4,000.00… and built for serious camera buffs. I paid a fraction of that from a good friend who wanted fast cash, but in my mind, it was ALWAYS expensive. It took incredible photos, and I had no desire to ever make a change.
Filed under Cameras & Photography, Costa Rica, Humor, Immigration & Residency, Life in Costa Rica, Moving to Costa Rica, Other Stuff, Rants | Comments (33)Costa Rica Tourism Down – Finally, They Admit it.
June 23rd, 2006
I have been saying for some time that the government’s sunny reports of Costa Rica tourism have not seemed to match up with the reality of what we who live here are seeing.
We now have a new government headed by Oscar Arias, and with the new government, we get new cabinet ministers. The new Tourism Minister, Carlos Ricardo Benavides, is finally admitting what everyone has been noticing for some time. Tourism is declining.
Filed under Costa Rica, Immigration & Residency, Life in Costa Rica, Politics, Travel | Comments (4)Just Exactly What Costa Rica Doesn’t Need!
June 20th, 2006
OKOKOKOK
Maybe a better title is: Exactly What I do not Need!
Wendy’s and Cinnabon are supposedly going to be opening soon in Costa Rica. Now, I LIKE Wendy’s, and I can maintain some level of control. Cinnabon is a different story altogether. For you vast unwashed who know-not a Cinnabon, it is a bun glopped with a fantastic rich sticky cinnamon mixture and covered with icing, and while I have NO idea of the calories or fat levels, nor do I have ANY desire to know, it has got to be just enormous. Nothing can taste that good and be good for you.
Filed under Costa Rica, Food and Eating, Humor, Immigration & Residency, Life in Costa Rica, Moving to Costa Rica | Comments (12)Moving? What (not) to Bring to Costa Rica
June 17th, 2006
I get a lot of mail asking about moving here, especually about what to bring and what to leave behind. I thought this Post from the Forums
of the Association of Residents of Costa Rica (ARCR) might be of interest to those heading for the wetter spots in CR. My wife and I live in San Jose, and while occasionally we get a humid day, it is nowhere near what folks experience who live in or near the rain forests or beach areas. Anyway, here is an interesting story about the moisture problems one couple experienced.
Filed under Costa Rica, Life in Costa Rica, Moving to Costa Rica, Retire in Costa Rica | Comments (2)