Eyes on Costa Rica and Weather Records - April 2020

During April, visits to this blog were received from the following 16 countries:

At some time in April, the total number of visits to this blog since November 2012 exceeded a threshold of 40,000. These visits came from over 4000 different towns, cities and other places throughout the world including over 1900 places in the USA and over 500 places in Canada.

The following is a summary of the weather for the month in the area where we live:

The rainy or "green" season has begun. For the first three months of the year and until April 12^th there were only 3 days with measurable rain. During the remaining part of the month, there were 10 days.

There is a very large Guanacaste tree across the property from our yard. During the dry season, it loses all its leaves:

Then, the leaves start to come back as they did towards the end of April this year:

Now (early May), it is in full bloom:

The Guanacaste tree is the national tree of Costa Rica.

We Now Have Permanent Residency in Costa Rica

Just over a year ago, we finally applied for permanent residency status. We could have done it after living here for three years with legal residency - either pensionado, rentista or investor. We had pensionado status. We were just lazy in getting it started.

As is our custom, we always use a lawyer for anything relating to our residency and we have always used Romulo Pacheco at the Association of Residents of Costa Rica (ARCR). It was very easy - we initially met with Romulo, signed some documents, paid all the necessary fees then went home and let his staff deal with everything. Just over a year later, we were contacted by ARCR -  both of us had been approved. An appointment was set up to meet with one of the legal staff and he took us to the main post office in San José. This is where the last of the processing was completed. A small fee paid for the actual cedulas (ID cards), stamping of documents, photos taken and so on and we were done!

On April 27 of this year, we picked up our new cards.

Why have permanent residency? Here are some reasons:

•  you only have to be in Costa Rica one day a year to maintain this residency
•  you can now work in Costa Rica
•  you can own a company and receive income from it 
•  renewing your status is easy compared to renewing temporary status (not as much paperwork involved and not as expensive)

But I think the best reason is that it demonstrates a commitment to this country that so graciously permits us to live here.

Coronavirus, Gallo Pinto and Costa Rica

We are now under new driving restrictions, curfew hours and so on - a relaxation of the stricter requirements imposed during Semana Santa (Easter Week). This Tico Times article explains the latest requirements to help the country deal with COVID-19.

Another Tico Times article from today has the current information on the coronavirus stats in this country. 

We cannot drive on Fridays and Sundays but this is no real hardship (our licence plates end in 9). We can attend dental and doctor appointments, go to drug stores, the hospital/clinics and grocery stores. Yesterday I had a dental appointment in the late afternoon. Lance was waiting for me in our car - he brings a book to read. If the appointment is going to be a long one, he drops me off and I take a taxi home. As we pulled away from the curb after my appointment, we realized we had a flat front tire. Curses.

I went off to the parada de taxi (taxi stand) not far from us to see if one of the drivers would change the tire for us. They do this all the time. One driver agreed to help after he checked with his dispatcher. Meanwhile, Lance was doing just fine as two young men had already volunteered to change the tire. This is Costa Rica - somebody is always ready with a helping hand. I’ve had a flat tire when on my own and experienced the same thing.

They observed that the spare was a bit soft and needed air and to drive to a gas station right away to get that done. One of them advised us to buy a stronger jack. We were ready to go in ten minutes! Nobody would take any payment and when we persisted, were told to give it to the taxi driver as he may have missed a fare helping us out.

We decided to buy two new tires and went to our local tire shop today. We had bought two tires from them a year and a half ago and the two that needed replacing came with the car when we bought it. We considered this an essential trip. The shop was practicing the recommended precautions - hand gel, face coverings, keep your distance. They had fresh, strong, hot coffee too!

Back home, I decided to make gallo pinto - Costa Rica’s famed rice and beans - a national dish. It is called gallo pinto (spotted rooster) because the black beans and white rice resemble the speckled appearance of a rooster. I turned to my trusty Costa Rican cookbook:

I see that I bought it in August, 2011 - a couple of months after we moved here.

Here’s part of  the recipe:

I used ghee (clarified butter) and achiote when sautéing the bell pepper, onion, and garlic. I bought the achiote from a vendor at our Grecia feria (farmers’ market) and the ghee is a Costa Rican product.

I cooked the rice in our rice cooker. For the black beans, I cheated a bit and bought canned:

The brand name Goya is an interesting one. I see their products here in Costa Rica and have no hesitation in purchasing them.

Here is my final version of gallo pinto. I love cilantro so used lots of it. Lance was my taste tester and pronounced my pinto “very good”. That’s high praise because he is a fan of gallo and rates every restaurant that serves it. So now we have a delicious addition to our morning eggs.

Covid-19, Costa Rica - Update

After not being able to drive our vehicle since Monday, April 6, because of Covid-19 control measures during Semana Santa (Holy Week/Easter), today we had no restrictions except a curfew of 5:00 pm. Restrictive days are based on the last number of our placa (licence plate).

So we decided to take advantage of PriceSmart’s (Latin America’s version of Costco) seniors only hours - 7:30 am to 8:30 am. We left home at 7:00 am and were at the Alajuela PriceSmart by 7:30 am. A very quick drive with minimal traffic. It was rather strange to see the almost empty roads. 

Hardly any vehicles in PriceSmart’s parking lot and no wait at all to get in. Carts are cleaned on entry and hand gel was available at the door. Staff were all wearing gloves and masks. This was the best shopping we’ve ever experienced at this store - no crowds at all (and they can be mega) - maybe six or so other senior shoppers. We breezed through our shopping list in no time. The usual - kitty litter, frozen berries, a big block of aged cheddar, mozzarella balls, olive oil, razor blades, a BBQ chicken, etc. - items that are sometimes hard to find in our usual groceries. Kitty litter is very pricy here and PriceSmart has the best price and it’s in bulk packaging so lasts a while. We also treated ourselves to a large box of Ferreo Rocher chocolates.

Checkout staff were protected behind plexiglass and wearing gloves and masks. We keep hand wipes in our vehicle so once we’ve loaded up our stash, we wipe down our hands. We have cleaning methods in place once we get home.

Starting tomorrow, the vehicle control measures have relaxed a bit until the end of the month. We can now drive from Monday, April 13 to Thursday, April 16, and also on Saturday, April 18. This continues until the end of April. Curfew is now from 7:00 pm to 5:00 am. We had cancelled dentist and doctor visits at the beginning of April. Today my dentist emailed me and said he can see me tomorrow so I took that appointment. Beaches, churches, parks, public gatherings, etc., are still off limits and being strictly enforced. Borders are closed.

Here is recent information from the Tico Times regarding our novel coronavirus figures: https://ticotimes.net/2020/04/11/costa-rica-confirms-health-measures-and-vehicular-restrictions-to-continue-all-month-coronavirus.

Totally unrelated to the virus and just to take a break from it all, here is a photo of one of my orchids presently flowering. It is of the Brassia genus and the flowers resemble spiders! It’s not the best of photos but the wind was blowing the very large basket around.

Eyes on Costa Rica and Weather Records - March 2020 / Covid-19

During March, visits to this blog were received from the following 19 countries:

There were no new countries and the overall total since November 2012 remains at 129 countries. 

Interestingly, the number of countries from which visits were received in March of last year was only 13. So, Covid-19 seems not to have deterred interest despite the fact that Costa Rican borders are totally blocked to the entry of people from foreign countries until at least April 30th.

The following is a summary of weather for the month in the area where we live:

The dry season continued with marginally higher average temperatures than February and no rain (at least none in our locale). There was one day with a record high for the year: 94°F (34.4°C). But, on most days, the high was below 90°F (32.2°C). On 16 of those days, the measured high was 88°F (31.1°C).

With regard to Covid-19 it may (or may not) be noteworthy that at this time of year the season is the "dry season". There is little or no rain in many parts of the country and it is not "cool" or "cold" as in many northern climes. Except for hot, humid temperatures on the coasts, the temperatures are comfortable or at least tolerable from a North American perspective (Canada or the USA).

With regard to Covid-19, it will be interesting to see whether tropical climates like that in Costa Rica mitigate the dangers. At the present time, on a per capita basis, Costa Rica in one aspect can seem to be doing significantly better than Canada or the USA. The population of Costa Rica (CR) is just over 5 million. That of Canada is about 7.4 x CR and that of the USA is about 65 x CR. From March 1 (the first case) and as of April 7, the Costa Rican Ministry of Health reported 483 confirmed cases with 2 fatalities, 24 recoveries, and 5,042 cases testing negative. Since March 26 and 27 when the number of new cases per day peaked at 30 on each day, the number of reported cases has been on a generally downward curve.

However, there is another aspect. Apart from being on a downward curve at the present time, the number of Covid tests so far in Costa Rica seems to be disproportionately lower than that in Canada and the USA. Roughly 0.1% of the population in Costa Rica has been tested. In Canada, the number appears to be close to 0.9%. In the USA the number appears to be just over 0.5%. If Costa Rica catches up with the number of tests relative to its population size, then its comparison with Canada and the USA may change significantly. That is, unless the tropical climate makes a difference.

Covid-19 - Coronavirus in Costa Rica

From the first case confirmed on March 6, 2020, the La Nación newspaper provides a detailed graphic account of the evolution of the Covid-19 coronavirus in Costa Rica. It is updated daily. If you want to read it in English, the Google Chrome browser works well for most but not all of the text.

This link is to the graphic account. Many pages of interesting info.

Should we panic and run back to Canada as a family member imagined we would want to do? Not likely!

Costa Rica acted quickly when the virus arrived. We are under Yellow Alert, which means the government can mobilize additional resources to prevent the spread of Covid-19. These are some of the actions the government has taken:

• Schools, beaches, bars, casinos, dance clubs, churches and parks are closed.
• Borders are closed to foreigners.
• Vehicle transit is restricted from 10pm to 5am. Fines are heavy if you ignore this.
• All businesses must close their doors at 8pm on weekends (Friday, Saturday, Sunday).
• Foreigners with residency cannot leave the country without losing their residency privileges if they do. No hardship for us - I can’t think of a better place to be during this crisis than in Costa Rica - sunshine, warm temperatures, tropical breezes.

How are we coping? Staying at home except for grocery runs. No visitors in the house. No restaurant meals or meeting up with friends. Avoiding the feria (farmers’ market). We have our gardener and housekeeper on paid leave through April. We’ll see how things stand in May. 

Many stores and banks have hours in the mornings for seniors only shopping. The grocery store we were at yesterday had a guard and an employee at the entrance, controlling when a person could go in - which was when another person came out. Checkout staff were wearing plastic face guards and gloves. One store had plastic barriers in front of the cashiers. Carts were being wiped down after use. Lots of gel stations, paper towels and spray bottles of disinfectant available. I noticed customers were keeping a respectful distance from each other.

There is no lack of fruit, vegetables and goods available in the shops. Nobody seems to be hoarding and some stores have posted notices about how many items one can purchase at one time. Many restaurants are offering takeout and delivery only. It’s one way for them to try and survive in the meantime and we are encouraged to buy local.

On the downside, this is a country that depends to a large part on tourism and it has been hit hard. Here is an article addressing this issue.

I receive daily updates on Facebook from the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social (medical system) on the virus, plus many reminders to wash those hands! (¡lava esas manos!)

We are impressed with how this small country is handling the coronavirus threat.

Remember - stay one tapir away from each other!

How To Get Things Done in Costa Rica

When we cleared out our storage locker in Delta, British Columbia, Canada a few years ago we had to return to Costa Rica with all my paintings and painting supplies. Paintings had to be removed from their stretchers so they could be rolled into mailing tubes and brought on board airplanes.

Unfortunately, I had to leave the wooden stretchers behind. Flash forward to the present - what business in Grecia can re-stretch paintings?  I posed the question in my Facebook Grecia group and soon enough had a recommendation.

This company has been in business for ages. A friend of mine whose daughter is an artist had all her paintings framed here. She drove from Atenas to Grecia just to use this business. They are fast and reasonably priced. They have stretched four of my paintings so far.

Facebook groups can be really useful resources for expats. I belong to quite a few - different towns, cooking, gardening, orchids, restaurant reviews, art, bus routes, activities/festivals and right now a lot of info is being shared regarding the coronavirus. This is how we found our fantastic mechanic and other needed services. There’s always somebody who can help. I strongly suggest joining Facebook groups if you are an expat.

Here are the paintings Marcos en Molduras stretched for me. You can see all my artwork here. All these images were from photographs taken either by me or my husband Lance.