gdp's Comments

http://doingcostarica.blogspot.com/ : the real costa rica arcr blogs websites

Mon, 1 Oct 2012 03:47:00 +0000

Looks like you definitely picked the winners here. Can definitely sympathize with the difficulty of finding accurate, and up to date information.

http://doingcostarica.blogspot.com/ : YouTube Costa Rica travel costa rica videos

Mon, 30 Jul 2012 18:20:07 +0000

I had wondered why you never put those videos in the Youtube partner program. You had enough critical mass a few years ago. Here is another gotcha..... The partner program is not available for Costa Rica Adsense accounts. You will have to move/open an account in the U.S.or one of the other 19 countries where its allowed. I assume you just found out about it because youtube opened it to all accounts. In the past you had to be invited, and normally you would have been invited beased on the amount of content you have...... unless its's a Costa Rica account.

http://doingcostarica.blogspot.com/ : TripAdvisor is the EVIL EMPIRE

Tue, 12 Jun 2012 13:24:37 +0000

I agree with your overall assessment in that there is no way to confirm or even investigate the validity of comments posted on Trip Advisor. One new feature that may help is Facebook and Trip Advisor integration. I was logged into Facebook while looking for a hotel in San Juan del Sur, and Trip Advisor showed me which comments were posted by my friends on Facebook. Since I am selective about friends on Facebook I can assume these comments are legitimate. Of course this has a long way and some possible evolution before it may be useful for most destinations. However, I do expect Trip Advisor to work in this direction because it greatly improves their bottom line when they have detailed statistics and social network integration for their page visitors.

San Jose, California to San Jose, Costa Rica : The Accidental Slumlord

Mon, 7 May 2012 00:45:53 +0000

Precarios in Costa Rica are usually built on vacant land, which usually turns out to be owned by the government. So, this is why there is no title. The right to live there is called in Spanish, "usufructo". It usually starts with squatter's rights.

Costa Rica Expertise LLC : With proposed tax, they'll get you coming or going

Thu, 11 Aug 2011 21:50:38 +0000

Ticos have been using the idea of "inactive compaies" along with the concept of wrapping up their cars, homes and other assets in shell corporations for a LONG time. The gringos who come here are just following the lead of the rich people who run Costa Rica.

http://doingcostarica.blogspot.com/ : Working in Costa Rica- Can you? Legally?

Mon, 1 Aug 2011 02:17:39 +0000

Consider that also to really manage or work at your own business it is necessary to be a PERMANENT legal resident, which is a status only available after living in Costa Rica for three years as a TEMPORARY legal resident under one of the programs offered to retirees with guaranteed income. Factor in another year or two for paperwork processing delays. You can try to get permission to manage your own business, but those requirements are complex and require minimum levels of investment certified every step of the way by a local accountant. The bottom line is that if your business idea requires a public presence or labor relations, then it will be necessary to hire a Tico manager if you want to get setup quickly.

San Jose, California to San Jose, Costa Rica : Touch a Butt, Go to Jail! Rob a Bank… well…

Tue, 31 May 2011 15:30:52 +0000

The facts in the case of the man who was arrested for sexually assaulting a female employee of the Banco de Costa Rica were not completely reported in the English language press. According to reports in La Nacion the man initially grabbed the woman's butt, and then proceeded to chase her down, hold her down, put his hand up her skirt and insert his fingers in her vagina. This was a full on sexual assault in broad daylight, and was only stopped when several other women came to her rescue and brought the police. The man was arrested and taken to the flagrancy court, because he was caught in the act. He was required to serve the full sentence because he was already on probation for a weapons violation. I do not dispute the thesis of your article, but again this particular incident is being misreported over and over again in English.

English Speaking Expatriates in Costa Rica : Costa Rica Invites Intel to Expand

Wed, 25 May 2011 08:08:55 +0000

I really do not think Intel is paying the same rates as the rest of us for electricity in Costa Rica. Their operations are already tax free, and what they are essentially saying is they will not expand unless they get a better deal. Asking for special considerations is possible when you have the president of the country pay you a visit in your own country.

http://doingcostarica.blogspot.com/ : Making a LOVE Connection in Costa Rica

Tue, 24 May 2011 00:01:41 +0000

Yes, having children in Costa Rica is like voting in Chicago, early and often :) The best way to protect your assets in Costa Rica is to keep it in the United States beyond the reach of the local judicial system. The multiple corporation thing does not work anymore when dealing with a divorce. Anyone can go to the Registro Comerical in Plaza Mayor and do a complete search on your name and find all your shell corporations, which had previously been anonymous.

English Speaking Expatriates in Costa Rica : Narcopublica de Costa Rica

Fri, 18 Mar 2011 23:15:11 +0000

The primary reason why I think the ten year security plan will fail is that it does not have any constitutional mandate to reform the judicial branch of government. Under the Costa Rican system the judicial branch of government has the exclusive power to investigate criminal activity, and in fact the police investigators take their orders from the attorney general who reports to the supreme court. The president and the executive branch have a very limited role in fighting crime. I am hoping to address these subjects in another article. Thanks for the informed comment.

English Speaking Expatriates in Costa Rica : Narcopublica de Costa Rica

Fri, 11 Mar 2011 00:34:00 +0000

Thanks for your comment Casey. Some day I might get around to revising that because it's more difficult than it may seem.

English Speaking Expatriates in Costa Rica : ICE 3G Data Cards Now Available

Mon, 7 Mar 2011 18:15:18 +0000

I wouldn't be discouraged. Sutel has actually been getting money refunded from ICE. Before they existed I never heard of that happening.

English Speaking Expatriates in Costa Rica : ICE 3G Data Cards Now Available

Sat, 5 Mar 2011 20:15:28 +0000

I have to say the quality is not that bad in San Jose, meaning its possible to get the relatively low bandwidth they offer in many places downtown. However, I understand that the service is far from reliable in the countryside or at the tourist destinations. http://wp.me/p1563s-yI Check out the above link where the telecom regulator is now asking for official complains related to the 3G service. It seems they want to obligate ICE to pay when the service is not as advertised.

San Jose, California to San Jose, Costa Rica : Arggh! Them Pirates Be Costa Rican!

Mon, 28 Feb 2011 18:07:21 +0000

Great article. I have to agree there are quite alot of street vendors out there with pirated movies. The funny thing is that the municipal police only deal with the problem, and the regular Fuerza Publica stands there and watches them. I'm not sure if bringing them into the fray would solve the problem, but they certainly have more manpower than the city police.

English Speaking Expatriates in Costa Rica : Narcopublica de Costa Rica

Sun, 20 Feb 2011 22:05:08 +0000

Hi Luis. http://www.aldia.cr/ad_ee/2011/febrero/14/naciona... The above is an article (spanish) from Al Dia that confirms the numbers. "Narco" banking is not something you would perceive unless you were involved with the banking industry. The existence of such activity is not the domain of the average citizen, and instead related to the banks, attorneys and other professionals who legitimize and protect it. $4.4 billion is a great deal of money. Like I said, it is more than the entire Costa Rican government collects in taxes every year. It's enough to totally rebuild the road and school infrastructure.

English Speaking Expatriates in Costa Rica : Narcopublica de Costa Rica

Sat, 19 Feb 2011 14:53:28 +0000

My name is not that difficult to find, but it also does not need to be on top of the page. Instead of finding fault with me personally why don't you present an argument to the contrary. Of course be sure to find the numbers to back up your points. After seven years of living in Costa Rica I would not just trash the country unless there was some basis in fact, which was really the point of the article; to put the economic reality in perspective with relative numbers. Narco banking brings in twice the revenue of tourism for Costa Rica. That's a problem.

English Speaking Expatriates in Costa Rica : Calling Costa Rica

Thu, 17 Feb 2011 14:23:29 +0000

I totally agree with John. The 3G network is not reliable enough for making phone calls, especially in rural areas. Your only chance is if you have exclusive access to your own ADSL connection. If you are sharing an Internet connection, then you are at the mercy of the other users. Upstream bandwidth on ADSL is limited to 512-768k.

English Speaking Expatriates in Costa Rica : Express Bus to Jaco Beach

Mon, 24 Jan 2011 17:57:36 +0000

Thanks for the catch, I had confused Tibas with Desamparados. It's corrected now.

http://doingcostarica.blogspot.com/ : Living Costa Rica perpetual tourist residency

Fri, 21 Jan 2011 16:34:25 +0000

The seventy two hour rule applies to the customs exemption, meaning that if you would like to bring in $500 of goods duty free as allowed once every 180 days it is required to out of the country for that period. The Nicaraguan border has usually been easier for perpetual tourists than the Panama crossings. Last year many people reported they were being hit with 30 days visas instead of the usual 90 day visa. The new immigration law has a requirement that anyone with two consequence tourists visas remain out of country for at least fourteen days prior to returning to Costa Rica. However, most of the new law is not in practice until the executive branch formalizes the rules, which may happen this year. It is possible to get a work visa to teach English from the Centro Cultural Costarricense Norteamericano. They are a non-profit language school, setup in the 1950s, however they only hire in person at certain times of the year, and will require a teacher to work for some time before requesting the visa.

English Speaking Expatriates in Costa Rica : ICE 3G Data Cards Now Available

Mon, 17 Jan 2011 23:49:25 +0000

Allen, the problem is reliable Internet bandwidth. You will not get it with the Kolbi 3G service that is in Costa Rica. The max transfer rate is 1mb downstream and 256k upstream, which is far slower than in the United States. Ther service is also very poor, especially in rural areas like Dominical. If you are serious about getting phone calls, then buy a prepaid phone in San Jose, and foward your calls from the United Stats and pay the interantional long distance. Since you are only staying a month, then perhaps look into a rented cell phone service.