Find Yourself In Costa Rica

Oct. 1, 2008
Panama City, Panama

PLUS:

n One Question Never To Ask In Latin America…
n Why You Shouldn’t Take A Driving Tour Of Costa Rica If Your Marriage Is On The Rocks…
n “Weren’t We Just In Santo Domingo?”…
n What Axis Of Evil? U.S./Venezuela Relations Couldn’t Be Friendlier On The Ground…

AND:

n  Don’t The Chinese Own Panama?...

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Dear Overseas Opportunity Letter Reader,

“I think Ticos must be born with homing devices in their brains, like homing pigeons,” writes Costa Rica correspondent Lucy Culpepper.
 
“Both seem to be able to find their way back to base no matter how twisted around they get. They don't need addresses, road names, or even maps…just a feeling for the lay of the land.
 
“I've been in Costa Rica with my family now for close to five weeks, and we seem to spend a lot of time driving around in circles and doubling back on the same roads. I think I have a good sense of direction, plus I had seven years of practice on poorly marked roads in Spain. But nothing compares to Costa Rica.
 
“To start, there are no clear and detailed road maps available of or in Costa Rica. Period. (Great business opportunity!)
 
“To complicate things further, homes, shops, and offices don't have actual addresses, such as 30 Calle Mariposa. They have locations in relation to other, bigger buildings or entities. A typical address, for example, could be ‘200 meters east of the football pitch and 500 meters north of the church.’
 
“Even if you do have a street number (as in San Jose), the locals generally won't know it. They might know the address by the name of the store on the corner, for example, which you won’t know because you've never been to that store…

“In my travels in Latin America, I have learned never to provide an answer to a question as part of the question. Asking, "Is the bank to the left?" probably will get you lost, because it's too easy for your friendly Tico to say, ‘Si, señora,’ even when the bank is to the right.

“I don't think they do it because they want to laugh at another gringo heading off in the wrong direction (though I'm sure that happens). It's more to do with keeping face. They don’t want you to know that they don't know either. So asking, ‘Which way is the bank?" is a safer bet. At least it makes the person think. The answer may well still be wrong, but at least you’ve improved your chances of getting a right one.
 
“In the Central Valley, where we are located, every town and city seems to have more than one barrio (district) with the same name. There can be Santo Domingo de Heredia and Santo Domingo de Alajuela, but only the ‘Santo Domingo’ part appears on road signs.

“So the inevitable conversation goes like this:

“’Weren't we just in Santo Domingo?’

“’Yes, 10 minutes ago.’

“’But, look, there's the sign again. We must have missed the exit. Let's go back…’
 
“If you and your co-pilot have navigational arguments at home, where roads are clearly marked, maps are reliable, and hosts have given you clear instructions…whatever you do, don't attempt driving together in Costa Rica. It’s sure to lead to divorce.
 
“What can you do to cope?
 
“Buy the best quality road map of Costa Rica you can find as well in advance of your arrival in the country as possible. Then pin it up in your kitchen or study and look at it each day as you do your online research before getting here. I can recommend the Rough Guides' ‘Map of Costa Rica & Panama,' available online.
 
“When you arrive in Costa Rica, hire a guide to drive you around for two or three days to give yourself a chance to get oriented.
 
“Print off lots of mini-maps and annotate them with your own references and landmarks as you drive around with your guide.
 
“If the cardinal points are not your strength, also invest in a compass before you arrive here and get used to using it in your car. It’ll be your only hope for knowing which end is up once you hit these streets.
 
“I have heard from another expat that GPS does work here. He has a Garmin 330 and purchased his maps from www.navsatcr.com. You should also be able to rent GPS equipment through most of the major car rental companies.
 
“Finally, my best advice: Make sure you have a full tank of gas before you set off!”

Kathleen Peddicord

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TODAY:

“Venezuela's not very popular with much of the developed West right now,” writes correspondent from that country Don Ellers, “but things may change dramatically after the election in the U.S., no matter who wins. I don't think Chavez is so much anti-America as he is anti-Bush. The Bush regime and the CIA are known to have financed Chavez's opposition party (the 'blues'; Chavistas are the 'reds'). Chavez refers to Bush as ‘the Devil’; Bush calls Venezuela ‘the Axis of Evil.’

“What does all this posturing amount to? News. It gives the folks at CNN something to report. Meantime, the economies of these two countries remain as intricately inter-woven as ever. The United States buys 80% of Venezuela’s oil, and more than 30% of Venezuela’s imports come from the U.S.

“And Venezuela/U.S. relations couldn’t be friendlier on the ground. An American visiting the country has no problem passing through customs and immigration. In fact, you’re treated like gold if you hold a U.S. passport.

“Stopped at an alcabala (routine checkpoint) in your car? You're rarely delayed a minute past the point when your passport and license are verified. The Venezuelan people (including police and the National Guard) are helpful and friendly to foreigners, as they are in most of Latin America. Why wouldn’t they be? They want you to spend your dollars and euro and to enjoy your visit so much that you return.

“Chavez has passed a government charter protecting the rights of foreign investors and foreign property purchase. The man is trying to recoup the international investment that fled his country after he became president. It's beginning to happen, with people seeing that Chavez isn't the boogeyman many have feared him to be since he took office. He likes to flex his muscles and to show his authority, but he's not running an authoritarian government.  It's ego more than anything.

“Venezuela is no police state, believe me. I worry more about run-ins with the police back home in New York. Seat belt not fastened? $250 fine. Open can of beer in the car, even if the driver isn't drinking it? Heaven help you. Tail light, turn signal, or headlamp burned out? Forget about it, as they say in this part of the world. Fix it in 24 hours or be prepared to write a check to the county or state big enough to take the family to dinner.  In Venezuela, if you're not causing a problem, you're left alone. I appreciate that freedom and miss it as much as I miss the blue Caribbean when I return to Long Island.

“Besides, Chavez is serving his final term. Both reds and blues voted against the Venezuela national constitutional referendum last year to extend the number of times someone can run for presidential office. The proposed legislation was voted down in a landslide. This country values its democracy.”

Don is happy to answer questions about Venezuela. Reach him here: Venezuela@LiveAndInvestOverseas.com

FROM THE MAILBAG:

“In your many messages about life in Panama I do not recall you ever mentioning anything about relations with the Chinese who operate the canal or what influence they have on the rest of Panama, which must be something significant. What is the attitude of the Chinese toward the American re-expatriates? Do any Americans work in the canal zone? Just how much of the place is owned by China?”

-- F. W. Maguire, United States

Nearly 10,000 people work for the Panama Canal Authority, the Panama government agency that manages and operates the canal. How many of them are Americans? I couldn’t say. Anecdotally, I can tell you that, when I visit the Miraflores locks, for example, the staff to me looks mostly Panamanian.

A Hong Kong-based company operates the ports of the canal, but, again, the Panamanians themselves operate the canal itself.

And, by all accounts, they’re doing a bang-up job. Under Panama’s management, traffic through the canal has grown year-on-year both in terms of number of transits and of vessel tonnage, and revenues have increased by as much as 17% to 18% a year.

How much of Panama is owned by China? Well, I can tell you that the Chinese operate a lot of vegetable stands and dry-cleaning operations, including the best place to buy fresh corn in Paitilla and the cheapest dry cleaners in San Francisco.