ARCR’s English Language Magazine January / February 2019 $3.95 Free for members Published by ARCR Administración S.A. Apdo. 1191-1007 Centro Colón San José, Costa Rica (www.arcr.cr) El Residente FIFTY YEARS AGO IN COSTA RICA Also in this issue: Beware of The Dog… Sitter Stick Arround! A “Clean Well-Lighted Place” for a Drink The Monteverde Narco January / February 2019 Contents Editor's Note Across the Board ARCR Board of Directors 4 Fifty Years Ago in Costa Rica Happy New Year, Everyone! Steve Jonhson 6 s a follow-up to last year’s cover theme, “Historic Costa Guest Column Rica” this issue begins a year-long series on what it was Katya De Lusia 12 like to live in Costa Rica fifty years ago. Interesting reading. When you compare then with now, you can see how A Day in the Life 14 muchA Costa Rica has changed, very quickly, and has earned the Allen Dickinson sobriquet “a developing nation.” Our thanks go out to the author, Wild Side 15 Steve Johnson, for this captivating series. As always, this issue contains some important information for From the Embassies residents and visitors. If you are concerned about the new tax laws U.S. and U.K. Embassies 16 and how they might affect you, be sure to read “Legal Update.” Design Wise Shelagh Duncan 18 If you like to have a good night’s sleep, “Design Wise” has information about something that can have a major effect on the Legal Update quality of your sleep. For lighter reading, check out “Monteverde Rómulo Pacheco 21 Moments” which tells how a previously upstanding resident of a small town bought a new vehicle and discovered he might have The View From Downtown achieved the reputation of being a “narco.” You can learn about Michael Miller 24 stick bugs in Costa Rica in “Wild Side”, if retiring here on a budget On the Grid is possible in “On the Grid”, or how people who pay big bucks to Ivo Henfling 29 visit here sometimes spend more time looking at their email than they do enjoying the experience of meeting humpback whales up Monteverde Moments close and personal in “Paradise, We Have a Problem.” And more! Marshall Cobb 32 Making a Difference All-in-all it’s another great issue and I am confident that you Martha Rollins 34 will find something that is of interest and helpful to you. As always, your comments, good or bad, are always welcome. You Guanacaste... from a Hammock can contact us by email at: [email protected] Geoff Hull 37 Paradise, We Have a Problem 38 Contact Information Tony Johnson Published by: ARCR Administration / www.arcr.net Club Corner Email: [email protected] 41 Managing Director: Rómulo Pacheco Business Directory 43 Editor-in-Chief: Allen Dickinson Associate Editor: Bob Brashears Graphic Design: Eduardo González Rubén Chavarría This magazine has been published every two months since 1995 as the Advertising graphics: Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. official communications media of ARCRAdministration . Our organization Office hours: provides service to thousands of foreigners who have chosen Costa Rica Main office, Av 14, Calle 42, San José, Costa Rica to reside for short periods or for permanent residence. San José: (506) 2220-0055, (506) 4052-4052 Mailing address: P.O. Box 1191-1007 Centro Colón, Since 1984 we have been offering reliable services, information and San José, Costa Rica advocacy to Costa Rica’s foreign residents. We have the experience Advertising and and ability to help you with your residency application, immigration, Publicity: [email protected] business and financial management, real estate purchases and rentals, Insurance Office: [email protected] property management, insurance, pet importation and much more. General information: [email protected] If you wish to place an ad in El Residente, please contact the Advertising Caja account info: [email protected] and Publicity desk in the ARCR Administration Office or at the email Residency info: [email protected] address listed in the masthead. Goods & services offered are paid Facebook page: www.facebook.com/ARCR123 advertisements. Neither ARCR Administration nor El Residente research ARCR Forums: www.forums.arcr.net the companies and take no responsibility for the quality of such goods ARCR Webpage: www.arcr.cr and services. Some articles published in El Residente may have been written by non-professionals. El Residente attempts to check all facts included, but takes no responsibility for their accuracy. Cover Photo Credit: Stock photo El Residente 4 Across the Board Notes and News from the Board of Directors BENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIP. Like to save PHONE UNLESS YOU INITIATED THE money? Remember, keeping your membership current CALL TO THE INSTITUTION INVOLVED. can reap you financial benefits such as the discounts you can get from being part of the ARCR group JOINING CAJA. In this column you were advised insurance plans for health, automobile, and home or the the Caja was contacting some members to verify condo insurance. And, save attorney fees by getting their data. Good News! The survey has been completed free advice about renewing driver’s licenses or cedulas. (for ARCR members) and ARCR can once again Another way to save colones is by taking advantage submit applications to the Caja for new members. of the discounts merchants give when you present your free ARCR membership card. Then, there is the CREDIT CARD PURCHASES. A new Costa Costa Rica Corporation tax filing assistance program, Rican tax law has been passed. Part of that law plus other benefits too numerous to list. Renew your mandates merchants and service providers to offer membership and ask at the office what other ways you customers the option of using a credit card for can save your hard earned money. ANY purchase over 15,000 colones. Additionally, every business is obligated to provide a customer an RAILROAD CROSSING BARRIERS. Recently electronic receipt for their purchases. For that reason several Central Valley railroad grade crossings have you may be asked for your email address. For more had new, automatic safety arms installed. Do not information about other changes brought about by the get caught inside or underneath one; the fine is new tax law, read “Legal Update” in this issue. 53,000 colones plus damages, (fines can go as high as 200,000 Colones for a damaged arm) and as much as The Board of Directors wishes everyone a happy and 2,000,000 colones for damage to an operating unit. prosperous 2019! SCA M ALERT. Everyone should be aware that if someone calls you saying they are from your bank, hang up; bank personnel DO NOT telephone clients! A new variation of this scam has surfaced; persons calling saying they are from the Hacienda, the taxing authority for Costa Rica, and that they can “help you with a problem.” One CRL member was recently fooled, and when the crook guided her through creating a factura electronica, using the victim's bank account access codes, all but USD 90 cents was removed from her bank account and transferred to an unknown third party. DO NOT GIVE OUT PERSONAL ACCOUNT INFORMATION OVER THE ARCR Board of Directors: From the left, back row, Earl Tomlinson, Allen Dickinson, Bob Brashears, Terry Renfer , Terry Wise. Front row, Mel Goldberg, Linda Leake, Martha Rollins. To ship from HERE to HERE call SHIP TO COSTA RICA [email protected] Door to door shipping of FULL CONTAINER LOADS or CONSOLIDATED SHIPPING Commercial shipments - Household goods Cars - Boats - Anything Custom Brokers Toll free: 1-866-245-6923 • Phone: (506) 2431-1234 • Fax: (506) 2258-7123 El Residente 6 Fifty Years Ago in Costa Rica by Steve Johnson Part 1: San José to Villa Neily The following is the first of a series chronicling my life as a Peace Corps volunteer in Costa Rica from 1968 to 1971. It is interesting to make the comparisons between what it was like then and what it is now. All the changes, some good, some bad, have brought the country to what it is today, fifty years later. and about 30 others, arrived in Costa Rica on a rainy After disembarking we had dinner in the airport restaurant Sunday evening in November of 1968; we were fresh with the Peace Corps Director, Toby Orr, and the U.S. out of college and had just completed three months of Ambassador, whose name escapes me. It was a small airport IPeace Corps training in Puerto Rico. As we landed at El and seemed pretty empty; the only flights scheduled to Coco Airport (now Juan Santamaria) there was a moment arrive that night were our Pan Am flight from Miami and a of silence after the wheels of the aircraft hit the tarmac with LACSA flight from Guatemala City. a jolt, then the Costa Rican passengers broke out into wild Later we were bused into San José where we were put up cheers and applause. I asked the man sitting next to me why in a swanky hotel on Avenida Central. It was a dreary, they were cheering and, after making the sign of the cross drizzly evening and we should have just gone to bed, and kissing the tiny crucifix that hung around his neck, he but we were excited to see what our home for the next responded, “Señor, we are lucky we survived the landing. two years looked like, so a bunch of us took a puddle- In Costa Rica, this is not always true.” Welcome to jumping stroll down Avenida Central and then over Costa Rica! to the Parque Central. Having spent my two previous 7 January / February 2019 summers in Mexico, I mistakenly assumed San José shouting.