Surfing Playa Grande

We all have heard those horror stories of when someone’s passport is either lost or stolen. I have had first hand experience of this situation happen to my cousin when he was here for a visit in July. My cousin had his backpack stolen when he left it in the car, which of course had his passport in it. As the number one rule while visiting Costa Rica, never leave anything behind in a vehicle. Our car was broken into and his backpack was stolen from the trunk. Here are a few steps you need to take if this happens or you loose your passport. The first thing to do is get a hold of the authorities. With our case the Tourism Police were the ones we had to contact. If you don’t know who to call or don’t have a number go to a restaurant, hotel or store where someone can help you . You will need to file a report with the police. You also need to contact the U.S. Embassy immediately as well. Unfortunately no matter what anyone tells you, a trip to San Jose is required. This can change your travel plans as a trip to the U.S. Embassy can take a day or two. As we made our trip to San Jose finding the Embassy can be frustrating. Here are directions on how you can get to the embassy in San Jose with easy landmarks to identify.

Directions

Head toward Liberia and take a right turn at the busy intersection with the stop lights, here you will see Burger King and McDonald’s. Once you take a right you are now traveling on the Panamerica Highway ( Highway 1) this will take you all the way to San Jose. Once you arrive into San Jose you want to continue on Highway 1 past the airport (right hand side), drive about 15 minutes and you will pass a Best Western (on left hand side), shortly after you will see a sign for a street named Sabana Norte. This is the first stop light you will see. Take a right here. A huge recreational park will be on the left hand side, this is also were they are building the new soccer stadium. You will soon approach another stop light; this is at a “Y” intersection. You want to take a left here, there is a big Scotia Bank located at this intersection. After your left you want to take a right at the next stop light. Even though street names are hard to find, the name of the street is called Rohmoser. Follow this street for about a mile or two and the U.S. Embassy is located on the right hand side. You can’t miss it as it takes up one entire block and there are tons of U.S. Flags. Be aware that you have to park across the street and head in towards the front of the building, there will be guards there to direct you on where to go.

Once You Arrive

Before you go into the building, you need two photos of yourself. There is a Fuji Film store located across the street. Do this first as you will waste your time by waiting in line in the Embassy then once you get to the counter you will be turned back since you need your photo taken for the new passport. The process of getting another temporary passport is between 1-2 hours depending on the lines. Make sure you have a copy of the police report as they need this as proof of evidence. The cost for a temp passport is $100 as well.

U.S. Embassy Information in Costa Rica

Location: At the intersection of Avenida Central and Calle 120 in the Pavas Section of San José, Costa Rica.
Street Address: Calle 120 Avenida 0, Pavas, San José, Costa Rica
Local Mailing Address: 920-1200 San José, Costa Rica
U.S. Mailing Address: US Embassy San Jose, APO AA 34020

Telephone: [506] 2519-2000 From the U.S.: 011-506-2519-2000

After Hours/Emergencies: [506] 2519-2280 or [506] 2519-2279
From the U.S.: 011-506-2519-2280 or 011-506-2519-2279

Embassy Fax: [506] 2519-2305 From the U.S.: 011-506-2519-2305

Consular Fax: [506] 2220-2455 From the U.S.

So there I was, in the ring with the bulls at the latest fiesta in Matapalo which is the next town to Playa Grande.  These fiestas are great culture experience for those who want to experience Costa Rica.  For us who live here we enjoy the fantastic food, bull riding, cervezas, dancing and mingling with the locals.  As I decided to take some action photos of the bull riding events I decided to take some video clips of the bulls while I was in the ring.  I was well aware of my distance from the bull at all times.  Unfortunately for this local, he got caught being at the wrong place at the wrong time.  The bull bucked off his rider then zoomed in on this man.  It looked like the guy had a chance as he started sprinting toward the fence, but as within seconds as we were watching the bull tracked down the guy and hit him right when he reached the fence.  The man was knocked out for a good 5 minutes as people came to his aid to make sure he recieved medical attention as the rodeo clowns distracted the bull.  The crowd grew silent and hoped that the guy was alright.  He got carried off on an ambulance but I was told the other day that he is okay and received some good cuts and scratches.  Pretty lucky if you ask me.  As for me, I am pretty sure I will never jump in the ring again based off of what I saw.  It is definetely worth the adrenalin rush but not worth the risk of getting gored or chased down by a bull.  If you forward the video clip to 2 minutes 45 seconds that is when the bull is released from the gate.

Dear Clients,

We hope you are well and headed our way in the near future. Here is some news on the happenings in our area.

Parque Marino Las Baulas and Construction:

There have been a lot of rumors floating around recently regarding Las Baulas National Park and the SALA IV (Supreme Court) decision regarding the buffer zone. Eddie and Johnny attended a meeting in Playa Grande last Saturday where Emel Rodriguez, director of SINAC-MINAE, was the main speaker. Don Emel is in charge of the national parks in this part of Costa Rica.

Don Emel made some important clarifications. The first clarification that he made was that there are two different issues at the moment. One issue is that the SALA IV has attempted to halt construction unsuccessfully and has asked the MINAE to submit a report stating the impact of development up to 500 meters inland for areas including, Playa Ventana, Playa Grande, Tamarindo and Langosta. There is a six month time frame that started in late December. Although the report is not complete yet, Don Emel’s comments about his work to get the national park clarified by congressional vote on a new law says a lot about the MINAE’s opinion about the situation.

Don Emel is currently working to have a law passed that will clarify the boundaries of Parque Marino Las Baulas and what will be called a zone of mixed use, which is a sort of buffer zone where building will be allowed, but with greater restrictions than a normal lot outside of this zone. Should the law pass, none of the lots in Palm Beach Estates will be inside the national park. The beachfront lots, lots across the road, the two large parks, and some of the lots going inland on the ends of the figure eight will be in the zone of mixed use.

In Playa Grande Estates and Playa Ventana, no lots will be in the national park, but the first and second row as well as lots inland as far as the eastern border of the large undeveloped portion will be in the zone of mixed use. It is important to note that the MINAE will not require alterations to building structures in this zone. Responsible use of light will be required, however.

Building permits will be granted within the zone of mixed use, but there will stricter requirements. A portion of each lot shall be left natural, perhaps 20%, low density, responsible use of light, etc. You will be able to get building permits for a lot in the mixed zone as long as they meet the requirements. Don Emel confirmed that even beachfront owners in Playa Grande Estates and Playa Ventana will be able to get building permits but shall be required to plant a heavy buffer of trees to block out ambient light towards to the beach. He also said the length of this buffer will be determined on a lot by lot basis so that all lots will be usable.

Some other clarifications that Don Emel made are important as well. He says the MINAE has no plans to expropriate as they do not feel that the national park should be in direct conflict with citizens’ property rights and also because the cost would make it impossible. The Costa Rican government has roughly $2,000,000 a year for expropriations including road expansion a year budgeted nationally, and the Leatherback Trust has roughly $5,000,000 available. To expropriate only the un-built lots in southern Playa Grande would cost more than $400 million, so it is completely out of the question.

Another clarification he made is that the SALA IV’s decision to attempt to halt permitted construction has not been received well by the rest of the Costa Rican government included Oscar Arias. Many in the government feel they are out of line and are putting pressure on them to rectify the situation.

Hidden Coast would like to thanks Oscar and Leonel Marenco, who have spearheaded a campaign to keep locals aware of what is actually going on, as well as Don Emel Rodriguez who has attended multiple meetings in the area in the last few weeks and is working with the community to reach a solution that works for everyone.

“Fe de Agua” to Film in Tamarindo and Playa Grande:

Many locals are working together to produce a short film based on the story of a local boy who becomes a professional surfer. The film will be roughly 20 minutes long and will feature local talent in front of and behind the camera. Filmmakers hope to generate enough interest to produce a feature length film.

Preparations Underway for the National Stadium:

Temporary housing is being set up already near the site of the future national stadium to house the 600 Chinese workers that will begin the project in earnest shortly. The estimated cost of the stadium is $80,000,000US, but it will be paid for as a gift from the Chinese government. Some 2,500 containers have already arrived in Puerto Caldera with supplies for the project.

As I prepared for my third trip to Nicaragua, I found myself again trying to figure out a way to get to the border. In this article, I will share with you my experience of getting to Nicaragua from Playa Grande on a budget along with some tips that may help you should you decide to head to Nicaragua from Costa Rica.

Every trip that I have taken to Nicaragua has been different thus far and somewhat a different adventure. I was lucky enough on the first two times to get a ride to the border with the people I traveled with avoiding trying to figure out which way would be the cheapest way to get to the border. Of course there are the options of taking a shuttle or a taxi to the border but I was on a budget and wanted to experience taking the local buses to the border to save money. If you are in no big rush, it is definitely a way to go and to save some money.

Costa Rica to Nicaragua: So I decided to leave on a Thursday and was lucky enough to get a ride from Playa Grande to Huacas. The bus arrived near 10:00am and cost 850 Colones (Approximately $1.54). Typically the trip from Playa Grande to Liberia is just under an hour, but because I took the public bus it stopped about ten to twelve times along the way to pick up other people at the designated bus stops in other towns. It took roughly 2 hours to get to the bus station in Liberia. It may take longer depending on the day and time. From Liberia, I had to take another separate bus to head to the border or what they call “Fronterra.” I was lucky enough to only have to wait for ten minutes when the bus showed up. I believe that they have buses that leave every half hour to go to the border. The cost was 800 Colones (Approx. $1.45). It took about one and a half hours to get to the border but as mentioned above it may take a little longer than this depending on the day and time. Once I got off the bus, I needed to go to the Costa Rican Customs to get my passport stamped, this is required. You need to fill out a Migration Registration form which will be handed to you or they have at the front of the line to fill out. This is the sheet that you fill out on the plane when entering Costa Rica. You then have to walk about 200 yards while your are checked by a Costa Rican and Nicaraguan border patrol man to make sure the passport was stamped to get to the Nicaraguan Customs building. They may check your luggage as well so be prepared. Once I got to the customs building I had to get my passport stamped to enter Nicaragua. To me it always seems as if the lines are longer here in all my experiences. You will also notice once you get into Nicaragua you will be surrounded by Nicaraguans asking you if you need a taxi, money exchanges, etc. This can be sometimes overwhelming especially if this is your first time or don’t speak Spanish. As I stood in line to get my passport stamped, you will get people asking you if you want to buy a Migration Registration form which is required to fill out. These forms are free but it is $1 to get from one of the people selling these. I typically just pay for one so I have it when I get to the front of the line so I don’t waste anytime. I was approached by a local to see if I wanted to pay him some money so he can cut in line and expedite the process. I call them runners and they always do this to foreigners. I have mixed feelings about this for a few reasons. I was giving my passport to a stranger, and he was cutting in line in front of 25 people or so who have been waiting there for an hour plus. I have done this before and have been taken advantage for a decent amount of money. Typically they will charge you $10 to do this. This time though the runner only charged me two dollars which was a deal. You can bargain this amount with them. I saved an hour of standing in line. I would recommend staying within 10 feet of them when they go to the front. In addition, there is a $7 entrance fee to Nicaragua. Once you get stamped and paid your entrance fee, I decided to take a taxi to San Juan del Sur which is an hour away. This is probably your best bet plus it is a cheap taxi ride for an hour of traveling. It won’t be hard to find a taxi driver as there are probably 50 to choose from. I bargained with my driver and paid $25 for my trip. Before we got to his car, we had to go through another inspection point in which they check your passport again for the stamp and charge an additional $1 municipal fee. Here is the breakdown of the cost to get from Costa Rica to San Juan del Sur.

Bus rides: $3
Migration Registration form (Nic): $1
Entrance Fee to Nicaragua: $7
Cost to pay runner to cut in line to get passport stamped: $2
Municipal Ticket: $1
Taxi: $25
Total: $39

Nicaragua to Costa Rica: I coordinated the time and day with the taxi driver on when I wanted to be picked up from San Juan del Sur on my return. The fee was $25 again. Once you get to the border you have to pay another $1 for the municipal ticket. You then have to get an exit stamp for your passport at the Nicaraguan customs building. I decided to stay in line and not pay a runner to cut in line. I did pay $1 to get my migration registration form so I could fill out when I stood in line. The exit fee for Nicaragua is $2. I then walked back through the border check points of Nicaragua and Costa Rica then went to the Costa Rican Customs building to get my entrance stamp on my passport. There is no cost to enter or leave Costa Rica. I then waited half an hour to get a bus from the border to Liberia, same cost and time duration. From Liberia I got on the bus to Tamarindo which stops in Huacas, same cost and time duration. I then got a ride from a friend of mine from Huacas to Playa Grande. Here is the cost breakdown to get from Nicaragua to Playa Grande, Costa Rica.

Taxi ride: $25
Municipal ticket: $1
Nicaraguan exit fee: $2
Bus rides: $3
Total: $31

I hope this article may help you on your travels from Costa Rica to Nicaragua. Overall I had a good experience and plan to go this route in my future trips to Nicaragua. If you have a unique experience traveling through the border I would like to hear it. Feel free to comment or write something about this article.