I normally only read La Nacion or some other Spanish language newspapers as they tend to get it right… and as I suspected, the information reported was not quite accurate.  The actual number of tickets was far less.  By 4 PM yesterday,  218 tickets had been handed out nationwide.

These tickets were for:

Using mobile phones without a hands free device or failure to use seat belts. (¢ 220,050  or $400.00)  (Yeah!!)

Driving in San José in violation of vehicle plate restrictions (¢ 29,340 -   $53.00)

Driving with polarized (darkened) rear window (¢ 117,360 – $213.00) and finally,

two people who were caught driving without a driver’s license (¢ 293,400 – $533.00 ) and whose cars were impounded on the spot. Wow!

Also, La Nacion staffers apparently did a bit of reconnoitering around the country and found that many transit officials had apparently not even been on duty, prompting the response “Promise Fulfilled” by Joselito Ureña, secretary of the Unión Nacional de Técnicos y Profesionales en Tránsito the transit officers union.  Interestingly…. Those officers did give out tickets  were officers who were working directly  under the supervision of Marin Germain, transit director aka the big cheese. Guess that confirms who is the real boss.

So the verdict?  None of the big cheeses (transit bosses nor the diputados) are thrilled about the officers not obeying orders and  handing out those tickets…  still it would be wise to keep your foot under control, not talk on your cell phone,  use your seat belts and generally be good little boys and girls!

In fact I have re-written this post about 3 times, the last time being Friday when they decided not to enforce some laws requiring everyone carry fire extinguishers, those reflective triangle thingies, and a couple of other items (like child seats)  that they probably should have left in! I was running out of time… but my guardian angel told me to wait until Sunday…

So I did wait, only to learn last night that the least likely group of all (that would be the transit police officers union) voted overwhelmingly to not enforce the new laws, but will enforce really tough drunk driving laws and those regarding reckless driving!  Sadly, those are the laws the courts are ignoring with only eleven convictions in over a year. I am thinking now that the police officers (that would be the group with the brains) should perhaps trade places with the diputados!

Interested?  Read on!

Sometimes Costa Rica is kinda like that old fairy tale about the king has no clothes. Everyone sees something is not going to work well, but they plunge ahead.  Oh… yeah!  I guess the USA is about the same, with pols trying to force the stupid, hugely expensive. and almost universally hated Obamacare, down the throats of voters who already know how dumb it is… HA!  And you thought Costa Rica was a better option! But I digress!

So immediately, the transit chief starts making noises (probably correctly) that officers who do not enforce these new laws will be  derelict in their duties.  The diputados, not to be outdone by management, join in the hue and cry for enforcement.  Should be interesting!

OK, so what is the big deal and why won’t the new laws work?

Basically, they are overkill. Costa Rica drivers are arguably the world’s worst. I have driven in a lot of countries, but drivers here just scare me to death. Therefore, new laws are a good idea… right?

Yeah…  unless you make the fines  so large that they can come close to the salary of the police office whose job it is to enforce them.

Oh… and before I begin, there is also a point system.  Once you get 50 points, you lose your license for two years.

Let’s look at a few: (If you want to know how much in US dollars, the formula is colones/550 = $$$  Example: 165,000 colones = about $300.00

Red light / U Turn – 165,000 colones – 20 points ($300.00 – now you do the math!)

Taxi or bus drivers who are rude to passengers 90,800 colones (no points)  (not a joke)

Talking on a cell phone while driving - 165,000 colones – 20 points (castration would be better!)

Taxis that fail to use the meter (la maria) - 90,800 colones (no points)

Driving without a license – 227,000 colones ($410.00)  – 25 points – HUH?

Bribing a police officer – 227,000 colones – 20 points

OK so why am I on a rant?

These fines, for many Costa Ricans, can represent all or close the monthly income of some families!   The last time I checked, a rookie police officer only made perhaps $250,000 colones (around $450.00)  per month.

Now what do you suppose will happen when that officer stops someone to issue a $300.00 traffic ticket? Or maybe a drunk driving citation that costs the driver 293,000 colones ($530.00) plus loss of license, car and jail time?

To put this into perspective, it would be like someone in the USA, earning $60,000 per year, having to pay about $4,000.00 for blowing a red light.

Now, the police officers union is also thinking that trying to ticket a driver who may not only lose his license but may be unable to feed his family or pay his mortgage just might tend to cause a conflict.  Gee… ya think?  The actual wording (translated) is that “officers could be exposed to dangerous situations.  Now you wags could argue that that is their job… but clearly, the officers do not relish these types of confrontations.

Oh… and did I forget to mention? When you go to court, you are asked about your income and if it is larger, these fines can get larger! Ahhh, and as these fines are tied to a base number, they will rise automatically every year. Just gets better and better.

Now…. raise your hand if you think any of this may affect tourists? Tourists won’t care about the points, but they can get tagged with the fines…even after they leave the country if renting a car…  and they won’t fight it. There are many, many stories about bribes being solicted and/or offered.  Most are true.  The nice thing is that tourists won’t report an officer for bribery either way.  They will just pay up and move on!

Another goofy think is that all new and (as I understand it) first time renewals of drivers licenses will now require a psychological exam! Cost will be about $30.00 and INS, your friendly local monopolistic insurance company will not be assisting. This means first time and maybe first renewal of licenses will cost a whopping 85,000 colones!

Life goes on.  The law will be in effect for most of you who will be reading this with your Monday morning coffee.  I have no idea if it will be enforced…. Be well, be careful out there… and pura vida!

The long awaited (30+ years) highway from San Jose to Caldera opened a couple of weeks ago. I had a hunch that anything that long in the making would draw the curious and traffic would be a disaster.  Turns out that I called it, and the touted 45-60 minute trip to the Port of Caldera (Puerto Caldera), Costa Rica’s only commercial and cruise terminal on the Pacific coast, took up to three hours for much of last week

Not so yesterday!

Yesterday, I thought it might be worth a chance, so my wife Maria Luisa, my sister Pamela and I jumped on the new highway and found ourselves pretty much alone with pretty minimal traffic.  Better yet, we were in Orotina in 45 minutes and in  Caldera in 60.  Another 15 minutes put us in Puntarenas and walking on the beach. this is a big deal to expats and Ticos and will certainly have a positive commercial effect in all those locations.

Thirty years or not, this was worth the wait.  Interested?  Read on!

Before the completion of this highway, the alternative was to take the Pan American Highway (aka Route 1, or the InterAmericana, etc) northwest to the Atenas/Jaco cutoff in La Garita, then deal with horrendous traffic to the beach… or, you could continue a bit further on Route 1 and get off around Puntarenas.    Either way, you were in for a nasty time having to  follow trucks moving at 8 mph through winding, but admittedly beautiful, mountain roads.  You were looking at a minimum of 2 hours, or  more likely longer, to get to Jaco or Puntarenas.  Two hours of breathing exhaust, and that was if you were leaving from the San Jose airport.  From downtown San Jose you’d need to add an (optimistic) thirty minutes more. You can see how this will make things a lot better for anyone wanting to get to the the beach quickly and comfortably.

The drive is pretty spectacular too.  The new bridge over the Rio Grande is quite beautiful and the mountain views are worth the trip.

Cost?

This trip is not cheap, and by Costa Rica toll standards, it is a fortune.  There are three toll booths (peajes) en route,  The first and third are 490 colones each and the second is 640 colones. This is a bit under $3.00, cheap by most US standards, but huge by Costa Rica standards. Still, with gas prices at ridiculous levels and the time saving, I am guessing this is not going to deter anyone.

I picked yesterday as I thought that many Ticos might choose to hang around their homes in preparation for today’s presidential elections. Lucky guess!

Road conditions

The road is in beautiful shape as you might expect from something two weeks old. It is generally two lanes wide (one in each direction) though it widens to an additional lane going uphill (for use in passing slow traffic). Now saying that, Costa Rica drivers may be the worst drivers in the world. Patience is a word few Ticos (and some really dumb tourists) understand when behind the wheel of a car.  Illegal passing on all highways (autopistas) is a primary cause of many incredibly violent and needless accidents every week.

Yesterday, I traveled at the 80 kmh speed limit (about 55 MPH) as I was not at all in a hurry and wanted to take it all in.  I was passed by no less than TEN cars traveling at an estimated 120 kmh minimum and at least twice more by semis at the same speed.  All but one of these required crossing a double yellow line.  There was no police presence at all except two on motorcycles chatting under a bridge and I suppose getting out of the sun

This illegal passing thing places everyone in real danger, and while the trip down was a piece o’ cake, the drive back, took nearly two hours because of a really  bad head-on collision (see photo above right), doubtless caused by illegal passing.

Planning

Why only two lanes? Now there is a question.

I love Costa Rica, but honestly, the concept of planning seems to evade the Costa Rican government(s). One might argue that planning for this highway began long before there were so many cars and so many tourists, but to me, that dog won’t hunt. Traffic to and from Caldera certainly could have been predicted ten to fifteen years ago allowing for widening of this toll road. Granted, widening roads here in Costa Rica that wind through mountains and cross many rivers would clearly be a major expense… still,  if they were not planning to enforce the driving laws, then the real cost of reckless driving will must include numerous lost lives.

Another example:  To reach the toll road to Caldera from say the San Jose airport, the most direct route (but maybe not the fastest) would be to access the toll road using the Lindora highway that runs between Panasonic and Santa Ana. The problem here is that there are at least 6-8 new high rise office buildings, several dozen new stores, strip malls and supermarkets, every fast food outlet known to man, a zillion new restaurants  and several hundred new condos and houses lining Lindora which remains not 6 inches wider than it was ten years ago when it was almost all farm land.

That means that the (perhaps) 1.5 mile drive from Panasonic to the toll road can easily take 40 minutes.  Yesterday, it took 15 minutes and the traffic was not all that bad. Still, they are continuing to all new construction almost daily.   Oh well!

Anyway… we had a fine time walking along the beach in Puntarenas and stopping at the many dozens of kiosks selling jewelry, souvenirs,  and clothing.  It was warm (high 80’s) but there was a fine breeze making it all tolerable.  I also got nice brownie points for buying my wife new earrings and a pair of shorts. Life is good!

The question is always something like this: “I have heard I cannot fly to Costs Rica using a one-way ticket.”

My answer is, as always, “No, you can NOT unless you are a citizen of Costa Rica or have in your possession a valid and current residency ID card (cedula) proving that you live here. If you try, you will almost assuredly not be permitted to board the plane. If you do make it on board, you may well get caught at THIS end by immigration. Airlines are required to verify that any person attempting to fly and using a one way ticket is, in fact, a legal resident of Costa Rica. Most airlines (read that as all) try to follow the procedure religiously as they are faced not only with large potential fines, but also for paying for the return flight for the passenger when he is refused entry in Costa Rica.

Now please, before you start composing your comment telling me that you, your friend, your friend’s girlfriend and her auntie, etc flew here on a one-way ticket with no issue, please remember my “job” on this blog and in the RCR Web Site is to deal with facts, not luck or urban legend.

Read on if you wish!

First? What is the big deal?  Why require a round trip ticket for non residents?

Simple!  Like most countries, including the USA, (and actually many grandparents entertaining their grandkids), Costa Rica wants you to come and visit… and then go home.

In my various companies and in the various work I do, I come in constant contact with folks wanting to move here, moving here, returning here, etc. as well as numerous tourists.  I see this refusal thing at least once per month!  Further, I see a lot of folks refused entry who do not have at least six months remaining on their passports before it expires.

The most recent example was last week when two friends (ages 75+), flying US Air, were refused passage at the Phoenix airport. They were required to buy return tickets (at the last minute attractive price of $1,100.00) in order to continue their flight. They were told they could easily get a refund in Costa Rica losing only $50.00 cancellation fee for each ticket.  As a side, that did not go well.  US Air apparently is only open in downtown San Jose one day per week, and cancellations cannot be made at the San Jose airport.  Oh well.  They actually knew this, but forgot in the rush of moving and packing and all the last minute crappola involved in relocating to Costa Rica.

Anyway, while you might get lucky and NOT get stopped, the inconvenience, possibility of missing your flight/connections, maybe not having big $$$ for that last minute return flight, not to mention trying to get your money back… well it is just not worth the risk.

Before you fly here:

1. Make SURE you have a least six months remaining before your passport expires. they may let it pass with only ninety days, but I do not recommend taking the chance.

and

2. If trying to use a one way ticket, remember that you must prove that you are a legal resident or citizen of Costa Rica. That does NOT mean that you have applied for or are in process of obtaining residency.  It means you have that ID card in your grubby little hand!

OK~ Now you have been warned.  Any questions?

These taxis have had a monopoly at the San Jose airport for many years, and for many years, they have had free reign to overcharge visitors to Costa Rica.  I say visitors as most of us who live here know the rates are just over the top and we arrange other transportation.  The news today is that they will probably be gone in 90 days.

Over the years, I have given two hints to folks traveling here: First, NEVER use the currency exchange inside the San Jose airport and second, avoid using those orange taxis. The exchange rate offered inside the airport is just ridiculous and you will lose 15% to 20% over exchange rates offered elsewhere.

As for those airport taxis?

Taxis here are required to use the meter, called “la maria”  for all fares.  Most do, and if they do not, they will if you ask (and point to the meter).

The issue with the airport taxis is that for many years, they did not even have them installed. Now, most do… but they never use them even if you ask! Instead, you must go to the dispatcher’s window at international arrivals and pay the flat rate from the list of locations. Those rates are almost ALWAYS higher than the metered rates… often 2,000 – 4,000 colones more.  It is also not uncommon for the driver to add “other charges”.

The regulatory agency here has given the airport taxis ninety days to clear out.  Now, they may appeal this, but it appears this is not likely… so that market will now open up and hopefully be more fair to tourists.

As a side note, these taxis were not permitted to provide service to anyone other than at the airport. This meant that those taxis had to hightail it back to the airport for their next fare.  There are few of us who have traveled the Pan American highway (the general canas or la pista) running between San Jose and the airport, who have not been passed by theses orange devils… often even forced to dangerously change lanes while an airport taxi flew by 30 – 50 KMH (20 – 40MPH) over the speed limit.  I will NOT miss that.

If you are following this topic, read on!

I received this canned response from AA:

November 29, 2009
Dear Mr. Lytle:

Thanks for contacting Customer Relations. I’m pleased to respond to your email.

Our goal for every employee is to provide friendly, courteous service. However, flight attendants have an especially crucial role in achieving that goal because they spend more time with our customers than any of our other employees. Therefore, I am concerned about the flight attendant behavior you described and hope you will accept my apology for the disappointing service you and your traveling companions received. We work hard to provide professional, courteous service to our customers, and it is clear we fell short when you traveled with us to Dallas/Fort Worth from Costa Rica. There is never an acceptable excuse for rude behavior, and I have forwarded a copy of your comments to our Vice President of Flight Service for review. Please rest assured, the situation will be addressed.

Mr. Lytle, please travel with us again soon. We’ll do our very best to serve you better the next time we welcome you aboard.

Sincerely,

Stephanie J. Davenport
Customer Relations
American Airlines

What a joke!  I especially liked the part, “…please travel with us again soon”  Clearly she has taken leave of her senses!

However, I waited until today to see if this “Vice President of Flight Service” (her name is Lauri L Curtis), would respond. She has not.  It would have astounded me if she had… but I thought it fair to wait.

Before I post my email response sent today to Ms Davenport, I want to thank those who commented and the many more who emailed me. For the three who actually switched airlines, I bow to you. My readers are GREAT!

Anyway, here is my response sent today:

Dear Ms. Davenport,

Thank you for your canned response.

I am sorry, but I do not accept your apology. It was not YOU that made insulting remarks.

The correct thing is to receive an apology from the flight attendant who was so offensive.  Why are you apologizing?

I would also like to know what disciplinary action was or will be taken. Has she been moved to a route where she will not offend Latinos because they do not speak English? Maybe the Kansas City to Columbus Ohiop route would be a good placement. She would certainly be MUCH happier not having to deal with foreigners.

I have waited a week for a response from your VP of Flight Services, Lauri l Curtis.  I have received NOTHING. I also notice that you did not copy Ms Curtis when replying to me. It seems clear that you neither forwarded my complaint to her as you said, or you have decided to just file the whole issue in the trash.

If you read my Blog (http://blog.therealcostarica.com/2009/11/25/american-airlines-and-how-they-handle-latinos/), which I am sure you did not, it shows a number of complaints from other users complaining about similar lousy service and rude flight attendants. Clearly, AA has an issue and is doing nothing to resolve it.

Additionally, I have receive 41 emails directly either from the blog story or from Facebook.

THREE people have cancelled reservations with AA, and more promised to NEVER fly AA in support of this matter.  Nobody had anything favorable to say about AA.

Small numbers yes, but this is NOT going to go away!

Please send me the email address of your VP of Flight Services, Lauri l Curtis so I may communicate with her directly. It is clear that this matter is not of concern at the customer relations level. She may not care either, but at least I will know she is in the loop and at least knows about this matter.

Thank you,

Anybody offer odds on a response?

Finally, many of you asked about my wife after her recent surgery. The surgery went just great. No issues.

What went terribly wrong was first a serious infection resulting from (apparently) a none-to-clean IV. This showed up about 48 hours later. That resulted in a midnight trip to the hospital where she was given an antibiotic drip. this was followed by three MORE trips to two other hospitals; one for an ultrasound of her arm and the second for a refill of antibiotics.

The ultrasound revealed blood clots in her arm (phlebitis) that grew to the size of a ball bat. That meant blood thinners and MORE drugs.

It was ugly, but I am happy to tell you she is back on her feed, at home, yelling at me, and therfore acting normal!

For the many of you who contacted me via phone, email, and via comments, you are just so cool!  I thank you and ML thanks you too.  I have the classiest readers!

There was no wireless when I arrived here many years ago  and just a few hotspots (wireless locations) until maybe 2-3 years ago. Since then, wireless has “gone viral” and has become available in numerous locations, especially in the central valley around San Jose. Nearly every hotel offers wireless and/or direct connects in the rooms. Internet cafes offer wireless as do bagel shops and pizza parlors.  More and more people are getting familiar with wireless both for home and for “on-the-road” use and they ARE using it.  A lot!

Sadly, the vast majority of the people I deal with think wireless is is a reliable, convenient, safe and secure form of communications. Reliable and convenient? Maybe. Safe and secure? Absolutely 100% NOT.

This is one of the topics I cover in my REAL Costa Rica Tour, and it is so very important, I have decided to add it here. Also, I cannot cover it sufficiently during a tour, so this will be a reference for my tour clients.

If this topic is of interest to you, (and it should be!), read on.

Let’s start with a quick video from The Discovery Channel!  Just click this link to open in a new window!

Scary huh? Well read on for some ideas on how to protect your (virtual) life!

It is a bit technical, but I will try to explain it in layman’s terms so far as possible. If you intend to use a wireless connection, whether in your home, an Internet cafe, a hotel, or anywhere in any country, (not just Costa Rica), then I would urge you again to read this post. I will tell you why it is not safe and secure and then I will teach you how to make it secure… or as secure as today’s technology can make it.

Let me start by repeating that using wireless, while wonderfully convenient, is just plain incredibly dangerous. In essence, what you are doing is sending information from your computer (email, files, photos, passwords, etc) through the air as a radio signal. As with any radio signal, all one needs to listen to what you are sending is a “radio”. The radio a bad person uses costs nothing.  They are free for the downloading on the Internet, and they are called “sniffers‘ or more formally, packet analyzers, network analyzers, or protocol analyzers.

With a sniffer and some other tools, also free, a semi-knowledegeable person can see pretty much everything you are doing. Some people think that protected network will save them. While there are password protection schemes that are more difficult to crack, I can assue you that most can be opened by a pro within minutes, and it is the pro who will be after data that can compromise your identity, your finances and your privacy. With a sniffer, they can see almost everything you are sending and receiving.

People think that their firewall will save them… or their anti-virus. This is not a virus we are discussing. this is invasion of your privacy. Firewall?  No help.  The bad guy is reading your data from the air.  As a side issue, most firewalls protect from attacks from the outside which is not the case here, right?  Windows XP firewall would be an example. What about data being sent FROM your PC?  It is incredibly easy for someone to put a small program on your computer, without your knowledge, that captures every keystroke you type (even if to a “secure” connection like a bank). This is then sent to the bad guy!  This little program is called a keylogger and can be downloaded for free from the Internet. It may surprise you that some companies place these on the computers of their employees to monitor their activity.  Doubtfully legal… but true. OK back on topic!

Once your data is compromised, for instance someone gets your email password, they can read all your incoming AND your saved email. Saved email (never a good idea), may contain logins and passwords to other services you use.  It may also contain stuff you prefer not be public.  Now, you have real issues.

How easy is it to know if a free hotspot is legitimate?  It is not.  Here is cool but easy trick!  A semi-knowledegable person can sit outside a hotspot (a location that offers a wireless connection) and from the comfort of his car, in some cases parked blocks away, logs in to any free service. He then creates his OWN open wireless network.  It is quite easy. You then go to the coffee shop, restaurant, etc, and you see an open network, let’s call it “Beetles Bagels Free Access”, and you login thinking it is service offered by that bagel shop.

You just logged into that person’s PC and everything you send and receive is piped right through his computer… and you never knew it.

OK…. you think you are safe because you check into an hotel and connect directly to the Internet (no wireless). As soon as you login, your data can be captured by another person on another room using the same network. Seldom do hotels or other hotspots have the hightened security required to protect guests from such intrusions.  In fact, it is likley your home connection is more secure.

Last, any time you connect to the Internet, you are connecting through the Internet Service Provider (ISP) that is used by that location to provide Internet service, and they too can see everything you send or receive. This, in reality, is pretty unlikely, but certainly is possible.

You use Voice Over IP (VOIP) to make calls, send info etc thinking they are private calls.  Think again.  These too can be easily “sniffed” and decoded.

Have I got your attention? Scary huh?

So is there any way to protect yourself…. especially when using wireless? The answer is yes, and it is really very, very effective. It does cost a bit of money, often about the same or a little more  than a good anti-virus program.  It is called a Virtual Private Network or VPN.

VPN’s

Many companies use VPN’s to protect their employee’s data when accessing the Internet from outside the office. It is common practice, but few people think of setting up such high security for themselves.  If your company has a VPN, that is fine, though many companies prohibit personal use of the Internet through the company connection (VPN).

So what does a VPN actually do? In as simple words as possible, a private network (a VPN) is created within the main network that you are using (hotel, hotspot, Internet Cafe where you connect directly not using their PC’s etc.).

The geek word for this is an “encrypted tunnel”. You have probably used a VPN and never knew it as such.  When you shop or bank online, you may be using an HTTPS:// connection to protect your data. With your own VPN, you open a secure “encrypted tunnel” from your computer the instant you login.  Therefore, it is not tied to any particular web site that you go to. Your security and privacy is always ON regardless whether  you see that  https:// or not.

Further, a VPN protects every piece of data you send and receive including VOIP, email, instant messaging, and of course browsing. All data is encrypted instantly, send to the VPN where it is decoded and sent on. Any data sent to you is likewise encrypted before coming back to you! You computer decodes it and you then see it as “normal”. Does this slow things down? Nope.  I use a VPN on my laptop and have found no significant loss of speed. As all data is decrypted in a secure data center, it is virtually impossible for your information to be intercepted.

So now you have true Internet security, whether from a hotel room or at a wireless hotspot!  Remember the guy who created his own “fake” network outside the bagel place?  No worries. He cannot even access the tunnel and even if he could, he sees nothing but highly encrypted data.  He gets nothing!

Other Benefits

I’ll mention here a few more items of interest.  A good VPN also provides you with a new IP address.  Your IP address identifies you, where you are located, your country, town, etc. Is this a problem?  It can be.  If you are in Costa Rica, you may have issues shopping online as when you order, your location is provided by your IP and often companies will not accept a credit card issued in one country if you are using it from another country. My VPN gives me a US IP address, so I now have no issues!  Any one checking see me as being in Dallas.  Further, companies like Netflix.com and others will not permit viewing of their material if you are outside the USA.  With your new US IP address, you will have no problems.  These companies “see” you as being in the USA.  Some VPN services will offer you an IP in Europe or even in Hong Kong (though I suspect you would notice a service degradation if using a VPN in Hong Kong from Costa Rica.

For you privacy/conspiracy nuts (and I know who you are!) Google, Yahoo and in fact all search engines track and record all your searches and tie them to your IP address.  So…. If they don’t have your real IP… heh, heh!

Finally, there are still countries that limit access, censor, monitor content, block VOIP services (SKYPE, etc), or restrict Internet access. A good VPN handles those issues completely. Now you can travel to Cuba!

Expensive??

You decide.  Mine costs $60.00 per year.

$5.00 per month to protect my identity and the security of my data, my email, my passwords, etc., is, quite frankly, not even worth my consideration.

Hard to set up?

I use a MacBook Pro, and setup time was 9 minutes (including the time to download the software). It was a 100% no brainer. I have not tried it on a Windows machine, but I expect it is equally as easy. I am a bit of a geek, but really, this was NOT hard.

Where do I get one?

Use a search engine.  Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc.  this:  ”personal vpn service” (quotes not needed).

You will see several companies offering VPN’s.  Check them ALL out and compare their service offerings.

Summary

I truly hope I have gotten your attention… especially but NOT limited to you wireless users. You really are at risk.

This is really important stuff, and I would urge you to consider protecting yourself. If you don’t feel comfortable doing this yourself, find a pro to help you with the install, but please, do not do nothing.

The second is GSM and truly  is lousy, but requires a more expensive phone that is more sexy, and everyone knows, women go for a guy with a sexy phone even if it does not work. The GSM system was installed by Alcatel a French company, apparently after they paid a few bribes to various government and ICE officials.  As a matter of fact, January marks the month for the trial of still another ex-president of Costa Rica who alledgedly accepted the chorizo (bribe).  Costa Rica seems to routinely send ex-presidents to jail, the last one just a few weeks ago!

So what is happening? If this topic interests you, read on!

ICE has been threatening to discontinue the TDMA system for a long time but has now backtracked.  This is because, as a result of the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), they have lost their monopoly and now face the possibility of having competition, a dirty word for sure.

ICE’s president, Pedro Pablo Quirós stated that cancelling the TDMA service might give people the option to move to a competing network.  WOW!  Nothing gets by THAT guy!  Imagine anyone considering switching from ICE after so many years of superb customer service!  Why… the mind fairly boggles… but this is true.

He also states that customers currently using TDMA will be able to choose to stick with the service or move to the 3G when it is available in December and they will be able to keep their numbers.

That brings up the new Third Generation (3G) system rolling out next month with 950,000 lines. Well, it seems there are a few problems!

1. ICE is already hedging by complaining that “someone” is buying up all the good tower sites.  Imagine! Someone apparently got their hands on the list locations ICE needed and made deals with the owners of the land making ICE search for alternate spots and negotiate a purchase. Oh the PAIN. It seems clear ICE has not yet gotten clear on what it means to be in a free market!

and

2. When the 3G system does roll out, it will only have calling, text messaging, Internet (sort of) and voicemail. All the cool goodies will be rolled out “at a later date”.  Hmmmm!

So to all the many folks who have asked my advice on this topic, I would suggest you wait.

Wait to buy those new and much more expensive 3G phones.

Wait to see who else enters the market for cell service.

Wait to see if THIS system works better than the old 2G GSM system.  If ICE has not solved the tower issue, you might be a very unhappy camper.

Wait to see who DID buy up all those “good” tower locations and see what they will offer.

Wait for some sucker (maybe me) to buy a 3G and thoroughly and honestly review it… probably in six months IF the new goodies become available.

There are two or three US holidays that are not celebrated  here… well more if you add all those goofy ones like President’s day where nobody does anything special.  Of them all, Thanksgiving is the worst for me maybe followed by the 4th of July. No fireworks.

First, everyone is working on a Thursday… everyone meaning everyone in my family who would normally be invited to celebrate, so we celebrate it on the following Saturday.

Turkey is easy to buy, but ludicrously expensive.  I cannot buy sage here, required for traditional sage and onion dressing. I also cannot find rutabagas! I know rutabaga is not for everyone, but it is an integral part of my family tradition.  One nice person brought me **ONE** from the USA a couple of days ago. I am hiding it.  We have maybe 8 people coming Saturday and one is not enough to split 8 ways.

I miss the Thanksgiving day TV stuff too.  Football, parades, you know, all the things we do.

It may be the only day when I really miss living in the USA.

Worse, today is the day my wife is having surgery. Just another Thursday.  That was at 7 AM this morning, supposedly no biggie, maybe 45 minutes, but no one has called to let me know she is OK.  It is 10:30 AM I am worried and after posting this, I am heading out to the hospital to find out what is going on.

To all my readers… I have much to be thankful for, and I wish all you you the very happiest of Thanksgivings!

I especially wish a happy Thanksgiving to anyone serving in the armed forces who cannot be with their families.  You are very special people, too many times not appreciated, but by me, you are very appreciated.

Be well and be safe.

Recently, my wife and I flew back to the US and we used American Airlines (AA) for our flight to Dallas. It turned out kinda ugly. It seems AA, or at least their international flight attendants, have an issue if you do not speak English!  Rather than re-write it all, here is the email I sent to AA:

I am VERY upset about American Airlines treatment of Latinos, in this case my wife who is Costa Rican.

While flying to Dallas, a flight attendant named “Sherrill” (or similar) was VERY rude.  There were three of us in the row. Sherrill asked first the man in the window seat what he wished to drink.  After that, she asked my wife in the center seat and I replied, “she would like apple juice”. The flight attendant then states very loudly:  “Sir, I am talking to the woman not to YOU!”  So I replied “that is fine, but my wife does not speak English so you must speak to her in Spanish”.  Sherril then said: “I do NOT have to speak Spanish,  I am an American and I live in Texas!”

This remark was heard by a large number of Latinos seated nearby and was VERY insulting both to them AND the 3 other folks who later told me how bad they felt.

If you do not want Latinos to fly American, SAY SO! I always thought international flights required bi-lingual attendants and were the plum jobs. This rude person insulted MANY people, not just my wife. If at all possible we will NEVER fly AA again and this story will appear on my two blogs (http://blog.therealcostarica.com/ and http://www.hisfault.com/) as well as in Facebook.

You should be ashamed and while I am 99% sure NOTHING will happen to this employee, no apology, NOTHING, I WILL do what I can to spread this story so other Latinos know how AA stands on flying Latin minorities.

That should be clear enough!

As I found out later, AA policy is that only ONE person need speak Spanish on a flight to/from Costa Rica.  ONE person for what… 120 people or more? In this case, that person was the head flight attendant in first class (John) and as we all know.  the first class attendants never associate themselves with the hoi polloi or in Spanish, la chusma.

To the many Ticos and other Latinos who I know read my blog, I would urge you to let your spending show AA that this kind of rude treatment is not acceptable.  Delta, Spirit, Jet Blue, Taca, Lacsa and others all have service to the US.

I am pretty sure I will get the “canned BS” from AA if I get a reply at all.  That flight attendants union is pretty strong so she will certainly be permitted to continue venting her disrespect for Latinos…

If I do get a reply, you’ll see it here.