Riteve Part II - Vehicle Inspection in Costa Rica

We have our own car.

In my blog entry on October 28, 2018 I reported on the need to have a vehicle inspected in Costa Rica.  Inspections are done by a company known in Costa Rica as Riteve SyC or simply Riteve. It is part of a worldwide group of companies which operate under the umbrella of an organization known as Applus+.

In Costa Rica, all vehicles are required to have a sticker on their front window confirming that a required inspection has been done and that the vehicle passed. Serious issues can arise if you drive with an out of date sticker or, if it is out of date, without a paper indicating that you have an extension of time to correct any problems found during inspection. 

Last year, we elected to handle the matter ourselves. To say the least, the experience was interesting. But, the time and inconvenience was a bit much. This included time spent driving to and from Riteve, time spent parking and standing in a line-up of people to pay Riteve and be assigned to one of several inspection stations, time spent slowly progressing in a stop and go line-up of vehicles to the station, time spent progressing through several inspection points in the station, and time spent waiting while an inspection report was produced.

This year, we took a different approach. We knew that the car required maintenance and servicing - including a tune-up. It is a previously owned 2006 Subaru Forester with about 141,000 km (76,000 miles) - meaning that it is due for inspection on an annual basis. But, the engine was coughing and almost stalling on some start-ups. The air filter was making an obnoxious resonating noise when the car was struggling up steep hills while being forced to maintain speed. The dashboard lights … well … there weren’t any - so it was sometimes difficult to tell how fast we were going whether uphill, downhill or on the flat. 

We decided to take the car to Carlos Morera at Superior Automotriz in Grecia for servicing and also to ask whether he or an associate would be willing to take the car through Riteve. Happily, he was willing to do both. He was familiar with the vehicle and had previously done a first class job addressing a transmission problem.

Had we elected to take the car to Riteve ourselves before having the servicing done, the car would have failed miserably. Although not particularly noticeable, one rear shock was blown and leaking oil. The brakes required attention. The air filter had a cracked rim. The fuel injectors and spark plugs were on their last legs and needed replacement to cure the coughing problem - without which the car would have failed an exhaust emissions test. New dashboard lights were required.

In the end, the car passed Riteve without incident and was returned to our doorstep. The charges for taking the car through Riteve totaled 26,000 colones (about USD $45) and that included 16,000 colones paid to Riteve. I don't know, but the charges may have been more if the car had been in good condition beforehand and all Superior Automotriz was called upon to do is take the car through Riteve. In any case, it is highly unlikely that we will ever again take a car through Riteve ourselves.

Eyes on Costa Rica and Weather Records - August 2019

In August, visits to this blog were received from the following countries:

The total number of countries for the month of August (25) is unusually large. The total number since November 2012 has increased to 127, the most recent being Congo, DR the official name of which is Democratic Republic of the Congo. The location source or sources of the two visits from that country was not identified. The connection was probably by satellite internet.

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

The rainfall in August was about 2 inches (5 cm) more than in June and July but far short of the almost 15 inches (38 cm) in May. With a couple of exceptions, most days with rain in August began with a clear or partly cloudy morning.

Increased cloud cover during any 24 hour period tended to produce higher overnight low temperatures and lower daytime high temperatures.

Sold!

I’m very happy to report that this painting has sold. “Colores de Costa Rica/Colours of Costa Rica”:

It is acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas. The reference image is my own. I took the photo at one of the annual Atenas, Costa Rica, oxcart parades. I decided to just feature one half of the pair of oxen and without the ox cart. The team was beautifully turned out, with girth ribbons in Costa Rican colours and the same ribbons on their horns, which were polished to a high sheen. The yoke is also painted in the traditional Costa Rican manner with colourful designs.

But the best part of the story of this sale is that it has been purchased by a Costa Rican. He and his wife live in the United States but were visiting Costa Rica recently and staying at a house in Pica Flora, a community just outside Atenas. In this house is another painting of mine, “En tanden/In Tandem”, which the owners had purchased from me, and which I created from my own photo. This is the painting:

So they saw this painting (which is quite large) in the Pica Flora house and asked the property manager for the name of the person who had painted it. She has my business card, gave it to my new client who went to my art web site and the rest is history.

Better yet, my new patron is the brother of a lovely Costa Rican lady in Atenas that we know. This painting could not have gone to a better home. I am so happy that a Costa Rican will own it ... perhaps a little reminder of his home country when he returns to the United States.

You can see my art work here on my own art web page. I am also represented by Kyo Gallery in Arlington, Virginia, and you can click here to see my work displayed there.

Philip Marlowe, Ginger Beer and an Ice Cream Bean Tree

I was recently listening to one of the old time “The Adventures of Philip Marlowe” radio shows. This particular episode is titled “A Young Man’s Fancy”. Here is a link for all kinds of old radio shows, including Philip Marlowe.

 It was a hot day in Los Angeles and Marlowe decided he needed to buy ginger beer to make Moscow Mules - a cool drink to have on a very warm day. The ginger beer intrigued me, as did a Moscow Mule.

So I did some sleuthing (like Marlowe) and found an article in the Tico Times on how to make ginger beer here in Costa Rica. I also found out what a Moscow Mule is. Making the ginger beer is easy with just a few items - fresh ginger, water and tapa de dulce which is readily available here in any store and is quite inexpensive.

Here is the tapa de dulce melting in hot water. The syrup is used in making the wild yeast garden and also the finished beer.

Below on the left is the wild yeast garden. It is covered with a cloth to keep bugs out and let air in. Every other day, I added a bit of tapa de dulce and grated ginger. In two to six days in tropical weather, wild yeast begins to grow and the culture is active and can be used to brew the ginger beer. You can read the directions in the Tico Times link mentioned above. On the right is the mixture fermenting. In about two to three days it can be used. The cap has to be opened once a day to release any pressure. The longer it sits, the more alcohol levels will build up. Both containers are kept in a darkened cupboard. Once the ginger beer is ready, it goes into the refrigerator. Aside from Moscow Mules, it makes a nice drink by itself over ice.

The finished product is really good and my Moscow Mules are quite tasty.

Now - the ice cream bean tree that I mentioned. There’s a large tree in the vacant lot next to us and I had noticed that it had dropped a lot of large seed pods that I erroneously thought were tamarind. Yesterday some people were picking the pods from the tree so I wondered what that tree was. I got a pod and slit it opened.

It looked like this inside - olive colored seeds covered with what sort of looked like cotton candy. The pod itself is about five inches long.

I had never seen this before. In Costa Rica, you don’t taste, eat or sometimes touch anything until you know exactly what it is. So I put the picture up on my Costa Rican Facebook gardening site and before long my expert gardening friends had the answer. It is from the ice cream bean tree or more properly inga edulis. In Costa Rica, it is known as the guabo. The white cotton candy substance can indeed be eaten and it tastes really good - kind of like vanilla and cream. The beans can be cooked and apparently taste like garbanzos. So now I know why people were picking the pods. I’ll have to go and get more myself.

The Ark Herb Farm

Recently we drove to the Ark Herb Farm, an interesting botanical garden on the side of the Barva volcano, Santa Barbara de Heredia. It’s a huge operation and well worth visiting. They have over 1600 species of plants.

There’s a closed entrance gate that they will open when you ring the bell. A really nice young lady met us at the sale nursery and gave us brochures and explained where things were. Entry cost is reasonable - 4,000 CRC each (about $7 USD). You can wander around on your own or take a tour with an expert guide. We decided to mosey around on our own. There appeared to be a lot of work going on. A large restaurant was being built and some of the garden areas were not yet planted. The weather wasn’t the best that day so we didn’t go on the trails.

Of course I had to go into the sale nursery and came out with a culantro plant and a sage plant. Every month I get an email from the Ark Farm listing every herb, bush, tree and plant they have to offer that month. You can place your order via email and they will have it ready for you when you get to the farm. One building was called The Meadery and this is where they produce mead using honey from their own bees.

Random photos:

The meadery building:

The sale greenhouse:

Overcast day:

This would be a great place for a plant aficionado. They offer different activities and courses on the weekends, including a “farm to table” lunch. There’s also a treehouse that’s for rent!

Eyes on Costa Rica and Weather Records - July 2019

In July, visits to this blog were received from the following countries:

The total number of countries from which visits have been received is now 126, the most recent being Uganda identified above. The source of the one visit from that country was Kampala (the capital city).

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

The amount of rain was marginally less than that in June. Although there were several days with rain, the amount on most days was quite small - less than 1/10 inch (.025 cm). A number of days were cloudy all day. Distant thunder could be heard but no rain was produced in our area.

The high temperature of 87 °F (30.6 °C) was a one time event. The high on most days was significantly cooler.

Puntarenas, Puntarenas

Yesterday we drove to the port town of Puntarenas in Puntarenas Province, on the Pacific Coast. Our reason for going was to attend the Puntarenas Gastro Tour at the Pacific Plaza and the House of Culture.

However, there didn’t seem to be a whole lot going on other then people standing around listening to a speaker - not at all like what the promotions promised. So we abandoned this idea and walked across the street to the open air cafes that line the waterfront. We were enticed into the Kiosko Acapulco by the promise of ceviche, one of my favorite things to eat. This restaurant has been around since 1962.

We shared one large order of shrimp ceviche - it came with banana chips - and was cold and tangy with lots of cilantro. Also had cold fruit drinks - mine was tamarindo and Lance had mora (a type of blackberry grown here). I can’t get enough of these drinks and always order one - a different fruit each time.

Our ceviche - large enough for two to share.

The copo man pushing his cart - you have to try one of these treats.

Cruise ship pier - no boats today.

I like Puntarenas a lot. It’s a Tico town so we get to mingle with the locals. Super fresh seafood comes in on the fishing boats and there are lots of excellent seafood restaurants. The restaurant prices were a bit higher then we are used to, reflective of tourists disembarking off the cruise ships I guess.

I wanted to use the washroom (baño) before heading home so I asked one of the restaurant workers where it was and he took me to it, apologized that they only had one, and said “Welcome to Costa Rica” (haha, guess I will always look out of place). I knew enough to tip him in colones so maybe he rethought his first impression that I was a tourist.

 We retrieved our car from the watchiman and headed home. This was a nice day trip.