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We ended up getting in costume and going to the White House hotel in Escazu for their Halloween party, in the pouring rain, and none of our friends showed up, so it was just me and Debbie. The quality of the costumes blew me away, especially one guy who worked all day to look just like the Penguin. Debbie found a pair of angel wings in San Jose, while I scoured the closet to produce a poor Gringo Tourist impression:

The other people, for the most part, looked a lot better:

And of course a certain SNL skit showed up for the party (and no, the box wasn’t empty!):

Jeff :: Nov.21.2007 :: Livin' in Costa Rica :: No Comments »

So it looks like CAFTA is going to be ratified here in Costa Rica. As a Canadian I’ve seen many of the economic benefits of the NAFTA deal, and free trade usually turns out to be a good move for any country. Can’t wait to be paying a realistic price for canned soups…..

Jeff :: Oct.08.2007 :: Livin' in Costa Rica :: No Comments »

I can identify a lot with this story. I hear a fair number of horror stories involving a new arrival to Costa Rica who trusts the first person he sees, only to get shafted in the end. That being said, this guy takes the cake over in neighboring Panama. If I ever get my car windows tinted, and the guy doing the work says he’s got connections with attorneys and recommends people to handle my finances, I’ll ask him what the !@#$ is he doing tinting windows for a living.

He owned a BMW M3 convertible, Lexus LX470 and GS400. In Panama. A third world country. With rampant poverty. And Colombians hanging out there. Smart.

Update: Bad guys hire design people to make professional-looking web sites. Even the guy with the security tinting products has his own personal site. You can also buy real estate from him and put money down before even coming to Panama. Sounds like a job for 419eater!

Jeff :: Jul.19.2007 :: Livin' in Costa Rica :: 3 Comments »

Last night Saprissa Basket won the opening tournament of the first-division basketball league, 68 to 57. Basketball isn’t nearly as big and popular as soccer down here, but you wouldn’t have noticed from the excitement and the chants of the second half of the game.

Saprissa is better known here for being the name of the top soccer team in league play, being the returning champions, and it looks like they’re also on top of basketball for the moment. My girlfriend Debbie has an older brother (at 6 foot 5, surprisingly tall for a Tico) who plays for Saprissa Basket, and blocked a good number of shots during last night’s game.

Jeff :: Jul.12.2007 :: Livin' in Costa Rica :: No Comments »

Well, it was bound to happen. Here in Costa Rica lots of local neighborhood supermarkets are called “Super X,” with X being either the business name, or if the owners are less imaginative, their own names (as in Super Carlos). It was only a matter of time until someone by the name of Mario started a supermarket. I wonder if it sells plumbing supplies?

Jeff :: Jul.11.2007 :: Livin' in Costa Rica :: No Comments »