versatile

I just spent three months living in the LA MILPA district of Heredia. A lower middle class to poor district. A great bunch of people. I was asked many times if i like La Milpa. My answer was always yes! I miss the guys walking by every day selling Huevos, Huevos. and other foods. A huge amount of work carrying several flats of eggs up the very steep hills. Ticos and Ticas walk quite a bit and buses are essential to them. One thing i noticed is just like in the USA almost everyone has a cell phone and has their head stuck in it. Even the kids had a better phone than me! Only on the 2nd to last day did i notice that i needed a Piarita and of the several down on the corner the 1st one in line wouldn't come pick me up.Nor the 2nd The third one readily did so and i had used him before and how he drives a new vehicle i have no idea. The politeness of CR people was really appreciated. I think i saw a true CR and not the USA version.

Allen Dickinson pretty well washed his hands of me and i cannot blame him! Well to get this monkey off my back i decided to have my sis in law just go get the vehicle and take it to her house.This way i have no more storage to pay. This vehicle requires only 4 qts to change the tranny fluid. The storage guy sent me this email. I won’t know that until it’s cleaned up, but it’s bad. The size of the oil spill is the size of the whole front of the car. Then the kid that was here backed it out of the bodegas and left a trail of oil from where it was parked on the sidewalk. It’s really bad Ben. I couldn’t rent that bodega right now if I wanted to.It’s going to cost me $150 or more I think that is very high. My sis in law took photos and the spill is less than 1/2 quart and someone has been driving the vehicle. This what my in law said: just wash it with hot water and soap. The garage.

I think i will appoint my sis in law or her son. She is a Transito and he is very fluent in English and does Translations. I will send it to them and let him take it to his attorney and get the attorney to ok it before the buyer ever goes there.

I might have to do that.

I phoned the Consulate in Houston this morning and the Secretarysaid i needed to talk with the Consulate General. She informed me that i needed to call him back at 11:30 am when he would be there. I have called several times and they are not answering the telephone. I then called the Consulate in Los Angeles and the recording said for POA that the document must be generated by an Attorney in CR and sent to them and then you must have an appointment and they will only give me an apointment after the document has been sent and the appointment fee is $100.00. The recording goes on to say that the Consulate no longer Authotizes documents but they will accept an Apostille Document from the USA. Talk about talking out of the side of your mouth! The sale of the Tracker has fallen through due to an email from the storage facility owner to the buyer that he arranged for me to connect with. Th email stated that i would be required to appear back in CR in front of the attorney doing the transfer. He also told the buyer from the USA that he had anothet buyer to purchase the Tracker.I contacted him by email and he said he had no other buyer and suggested that i recontact Allen and have him sell it. Allen had planned to go look at it on last Friday and i emailed him to say it was sold. I have emailed Allen to this effect and asked him to go pick up my Tracker and store it there. Hopefully i will use my sister in law or her son whom speaks fluent English and does Translations. What a headache!! I will inform as i learn it. The CR Consulate in Los Angeles phone number is 213-380-7915 for anyone that might desire to call and listen to the recording themself. Thank you. I need an Aspirin! lol

I will phone them on Monday.

Well the Tracker was sold today. Larry from Lion Share Bodegas turned me on to a man in Ca. that bought it. Allens Attorney said don't waste your time with sending a American Power of Attorney form down because it is worthless. His Attorney says that a Tico Attorney has to write the POA in Spanish and then send it to a CR Consulate in the USA. I emailed the Consulate and they have not replied. Allens Attorney was inquiring and has not replied. As i was sitting here it came to me that all i need to do is write the POWER of Attorney , have it NotaRized and then have it APOSTILLED. Just the same as for Residency. Google is my friend and i found this web site. Read under GENERAL Documents AND IT SAYS SO. They want only $85.00 to do it and in reality i just take it to my state office building and pay $25.00 and the buyer has to have it translated in CR. http://www.wcss.com/services/apostille/costa-rica/

I don't mind one bit sharing my experiences and silly mistakes. Hopefully others will benefit and enjoy Costa Rica and save money and grief. The people are so great and i do miss my Cost Rican family. They accepted me as a person.

I emailed Allen. I will give further updates. Allens reply: A US power of attorney has NO STANDING in Costa Rica, so don't waste your money getting one. Let me talk to my attorney and see what we can do. OK? I also spoke with Joaquin, the owner of the shop where I work, and he and I are going to go look at the car Saturday. I'll know more then and let you know. -Allen

Thanks i will call him.

My sister in law has backed out of buying my vehicle. I have decided to have Larry of Lion Share Bodegas sell my vehicle. Please read this portion of his email and give me an opinion. The vehicle is a 1991 Geo Tacker with 140,000 miles and excellent mechanically etc. I only paid $3300.00 for it. Email: I’ll do what I can but I need the paperwork. Otherwise, someone will buy it without paperwork as parts and you might get $500, but that’s just a guess. With paperwork, who knows? You can send it to me via the US Mail to my address here. Otherwise I cannot sell it, I’ve been through this before. It may take a while and I hope you will maintain the rent on the storage here until I can sell it. The last time I tried to do this for a client it took four months.

She is a Transito So that might help?

Thank you so much.

Thank you eleanor2 I should have thought of that. Now how do we handle the transfer of ownership with me being in the States?

I am back in the USA and i want to sell my vehicle to my sister in law that lives in Heredia. I have no bank account at any Costa Rican bank. How can the sale be accomplished with me here in the USA and how should she transfer the money to me? My wife is in Costa Rica but is untrustworthy to be involved at all to accomplish this due to her BI POLAR condition. Her family has advised me to not trust her at all.