| Acquiring your CR Driver's License
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The
logo of the MOPT or
Ministry
of Transportation here in Costa Rica. |
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People waiting in
line at the
COSEVI in its Uruca
headquarters+
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COSEVI, Ritreve, MOPT, marchamos: all words that will make your head spin, but not as much as the process of obtaining your Costa Rican driver's license, that is, before you read this article.
COSEVI is an acronym for "Consejo de Seguridad Vial", or basically Costa Rica's Department of Motor Vehicles (Tel. 2257-72-00), which is a
division of MOPT, or Ministry of Transportation.COSEVI's headquarters, at least, their driver license
bureau and traffic infractions center, has been
moved to the outskirts of San Jose in the area known as
Uruca.
You must apply for your
license in three months time of entry if you plan to live here for any length of time. Otherwise, you...well, just do it then or you'll be sorry.
Uruca is an area you don't want to get caught in at
4pm during rush hour, because the traffic is horrible. A booming, crowded
business strip which has had poor, or no, planning and the warehouse
stores and car dealerships don't seem to be deterred by it in the least.
Go as early as you can in the morning and
still plan to spend all day because of the long lines, bad direction, and the little surprises that spring up.
Bring your
original passport, 2 copies of that passport (and a copy of your entry
stamp if you are applying for the first time) and a copy of your valid
driver's license. Bring in pocket enough colones in cash so that you can
pay the fees. Payments are made through Banco Nacional,
which is the government's bank and they do not
take credit or debit cards.
Also, do not go to the Cosevi if you are in the country illegally because they will deport you there and then. As good advice goes, when living abroad, it is best to follow the country's legal requirements to avoid unforeseen problem in the future.
If you forget your copies, there is a make-shift copy store in the building next door, but be prepared to pay well for it and stand in line. If you forget or don't have enough cash, the only ATM machine is in the gas station about 4 long blocks east. Be prepared for a lot of traffic and perhaps rain.
Next you will need a
general physical examination statement by an authorized
physician . This is so the obvious people who shouldn't be driving are weeded out. They are located in little shanties surrounding the Cosevi. Any one of them should be fine to receive the paper with the seal.
After this you will
need to go to the Banco Nacional along side the Cosevi complex to pay your
fee. There is only one long line, so you can't miss it. Be prepared for the system to be down and the line to move very slowly.
When you have your yellow receipt, your physician's
approval, and your copies. New licenses will
next have to go to the controller who will check to see that you are in
the country legally and review your paperwork. They are located in the back building where the license pictures are taken. Remember no one is available usually between 12-2pm because of lunch.
Once this is approved you will proceed to the area where you will have your papers reviewed and your picture taken and finally receive your license.
This information is current as of
January 2008. Things change and improve, but this should give you a general guideline of what to expect, as well as a resource link to review.
General Costa Rican Car Inspections Info
So now you have your brand new Costa
Rican driver's license with a picture that documents the frustrating and
emotionally draining day you had getting it.
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If you own your car
there are some important, annual rituals you should know about
to avoid being pulled over and having
your license plate impounded.
What may be of a surprise to North Americans is
that the license plate of the car stays with
it for the life of the car . So if you sell your car, you don't take off
the license plate. |
Ritreve Station in
Costa
Rica++
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The last number of the plate usually indicates your
month to have it inspected annually for
general condition and emissions at the "Ritreve" .
(This process will the subject of another article.) And as you can tell
from numerous exhaust belchers here in the country, the process is
obviously corrupt or ineffective. Once approved, you will receive a blue
paper and a sticker which you should replace the one already on the
windshield.
The other important sticker on your windshield is
the "Marchamo" ,
or nation's automobile tax,
sort of like car registration. Everybody knows
to pay this in the month of December at most banks and/or grocery stores. Police will begin
stopping cars in the following January who do not have an updated
sticker.
Basic insurance is not
legally required on your car . The
marchamo goes to pay for that, however, for your own protection, you could
be sued. If decided at fault, you will be required to pay any damages to
the vehicle or passengers.
A Review of our 2007-2008 Concert
Season
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We only had 3
concerts this past season at Casa Holanda B&B, but what we
lacked quantity we made up for in quality. In November, we began
with blues singer and composer, Sam
DeSiato, straight from the Denver, Colorado area; then we hosted
the funk band "Backside Pick" to inaugurate our new Cafe; and
ended with violin virtuoso, Steven Moeckel and pianist Dr. Paula
Fan.
Sam DeSiato stayed at Casa
Holanda B&B in November 2007 as his family was making their
move to live permanently here. Sam has sung a variety of styles of music,
including rock, rhythm and blues, pop, folk, country and
standards. He has been the lead singer for many bands over the
years, most recently Colorado favorites "RoughHouse", and
"The Quirks."
Sam has written or collaborated on a number of
original
songs. |
"Backside Pick" is group of
outstanding twenty-somethings who helped us inaugurate ourCafe New York City in February 2008. Their
original songs are reminiscent of the 70's but incorporate many different
styles with in the jazz/funk medium. After their debut at Casa
Holanda, the band went to an enthusiastic night at Costa Rica's famous
Jazz Cafe in the San
Pedro District of San Jose. You can hear them these days in the Texas area
in the US. Due to their success, there are plans for them to return to
Costa Rica soon.
On Easter Sunday, March 2008, we were delighted with
the dynamic duo of Steven Moeckel, violinist, and Dr. Paula Fan, pianist
, for an
afternoon concert.Mr.
Moeckel and Dr. Fan made the national paper with their following
successful concert in San Jose, close to the University of Costa
Rica.
Mr. Moeckel is an internationally
acclaimed violinist and has appeared as soloist with orchestras in Europe
and America. His extensive command of the solo repertoire includes the
Elgar, Tschaikovsky, Mozart, Beethoven, Sibelius and Berg concertos as
well as the works of Ysaye. As chamber musician, he has appeared at the
Ravinia Festival in Chicago, performing with Leon Fleisher and Menachem
Pressler as well as in other events in the U.S.
Dr. Fan has performed as soloist
and chamber musician on five continents. As one of the first recipients of
the doctorate in the art of Accompanying, she has been in great demand as
pianist/coach for numerous internationally recognized artists and has
lectured on the subject at educational institutions worldwide.
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Violinist Steven Moeckel performing for
Casa
Holanda guests |
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Backstage view of violinist Steven Moeckel
and
pianist, Dr. Paula
Fan |
Order Your Casa Holanda 2009 Photo Calendar Today!
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Every year I choose 13 photos out of my personal collection to include in our Casa Holanda B&B calendar. Even if you've stayed at the B&B or not, this calendar is a great, affordable memory to have of Costa Rica. It is also handy to have the whole year round.
I personally print it out on my printer and bind it for every order. You won't find this in any store and each year there is a limited number made.
Here are some details:
- Each
panel is the size of 8-1/2" x 11"
- Costa Rican Holidays with Closings
- Names of Days and Months in English and Spanish
- Unofficial Transitions and Heights of
Green (Rainy) and Dry Seasons
- US and Canadian Holidays
- Major Christian, Islamic, Hindu and Jewish Holidays
- Phases of the Moon
- Northern Season and Daylight Savings Time Changes
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Our calendar is primarily North
American based, but since it is personally assembled, we can also tailor
it to Spanish, or UK and European holidays for $2USD more. As mentioned above, it notes
all Costa Rican holidays, with partial and full closings. Beginnings and
heights of the rainy and dry seasons. Invaluable if planning a trip
here.
Each calendar is $15USD plus
the cost of shipping through regular mail.
To order, write to:
onlinestore@casaholanda.com
Palmares Rodeo Festival
Dig
out your cowboy boots and hat. Just north-west of the city of San Jose (about a 4 hour trip), is a
late-January festival in the town of Palmares, called the Palmares Festival.
The main attraction is the
"tope," or horse riding exhibition, that attracts cowboys from all over
the country to come and strut their elaborately decorated horse's
stuff.
It is a giant
civic party consisting of concerts, mega-bars, daily bull fights,
bingo tents, dancing, and rodeo attractions.
CH's Arroz con Pollo Recipe
Arroz con pollo, or Costa Rica's answer to chicken fried rice.
We are busily putting the final recipes
and touches into our recipe booklet, which
should be ready before 2008 closes. In the meantime you
can find many of the recipes on our website, like this one for
Arroz con Pollo, or Rice with
Chicken.
Casa Holanda's Arroz con Pollo
(Serves 5)
1 large, iron skillet, or wok
2 cups of slightly under-cooked rice
1 whole chicken breast, both sides, cubed
1 clove of garlic
1 cm of root ginger
1 leaf of basil (opt.)
1 tsp. of cilantro (opt.)
1 large carrot, cut julienne
1 large sweet bell pepper, cut the same
1 medium-sized onion, sliced
1 stalk of celery, small, short slices
1/4 cup of frozen sweet peas, thawed
1/4 cup of peanuts
2 TB real soy sauce
2 TB of cooking sherry (dry white)
2 TB of brown sugar
2 TB of peanut oil, or cooking oil (corn or sunflower)
Heat the oil in the skillet as hot as can be without burning the oil. Do not use olive oil because olive oil has a low burning point. If you want the flavor of peanut oil, take the peanuts for this recipe and soak them in the oil.
Throw in a little bit, but not all, of the garlic, peanuts and ginger for about 30 sec. Sautee chicken until brown but not over cooked. Remove chicken from skillet and set aside. Turn heat down slightly. Put the rest of the garlic and ginger in and briefly sauté until you add all the
vegetables. Cook for about 2 min. until just tender. Add brown sugar and sherry, add meat, then add the rice, tossing it like a salad with your spatula, making it
cook even. When the rice looks like it has absorbed the oil and has a little color, turn heat off and let sit for about 5 min. Add the rest of the peanuts, toss a little and put into serving dish.
Colorful and healthy and one of Costa Rica's favorite dishes:
Arroz con
Pollo, or Rice with Chicken
So that's
it for this edition. I hope to see you soon at Casa Holanda. Any time
is a good time to travel to Heredia and enjoy this great country and its
wonderful people. New things are happening all the time , so
c
heck
often the website to keep up-to-date, and if we don't see you, please tell your friends about us.
E-mail me atjames@casaholanda.com for
reservations or just to say hello.
Chao!
James
Surfer catching the next big wave at
the Gionnes beach, Nosara de Guanacaste.
"Casa Holanda, Bed and Breakfast"
Your place for good times, good
food, and good friends.
You
have been included on this e-mail because you have some connection
to
James Nathaniel Holland or Casa Holanda. I respect your privacy and
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