What are those concrete phone booths?
Actually they are holding cells at the local police station - which was built by Gringos some years ago. Oh and the locals (mostly gringos) help keep the police motorcycle repaired and funded for gas! It is staffed with 2 officers and only until 5 pm. I assume they have a phone, but not sure I know where to find the number, and if you could call them it would be at least 20 minutes for them to arrive (no 911, what's your problem, I'll stay on the line til help arrives) - and they only speak Spanish. So that means you pay attention to strangers, listen to the strange noises, have a panic button and a machete, call your neighbors for help.
When will the road be paved?
Outside of San Jose, except for the major highways, most roads are dirt (dirt, clay, rock) and are like driving on a washboard while avoiding the exposed boulders and giant potholes (especially if it is raining and you don't know if the 'puddle' is 1" or 1' deep). Road maintenance is a full time job. The torrential rain changes the road daily - creates new holes, fills others and moves rock and dirt. It carves out gutters - along the side of the road, down the middle of the road and sometimes right across the road. Attempts to pave these roads disappear in a single season. You drive slowly and follow the clear track - even if it is on the wrong side or switches back and forth.
Do you have a defibrillator?
Really? One of our friends was asked this by a potential land buyer! Maybe not a bad idea, but the concept of emergency medicine needs to be put in context. The Hospital (fully equipped and very modern) is 40 minutes away - 20 minutes of that is on dirt road, across a river and up a mountain - there is an ambulance service, but there is no "address" so they need to be able to find you, and remember no '911 how may I help you". Even if the neighbor had a defibrillator, unless they are ''right next door' it is likely 5 minutes before they could be there. So, you pay attention to your health, rely on Dr. Dean, Dr. David and Nurse Barb, and if you are smart, act early.
What are we going to do with that!?
My question over the appearance of fire hydrants throughout the phase. Do we have a fire department? There might be one in Uvita (20 minutes) or Dominical (40 minutes), but even if they came, it is unlikely a truck could cross the river and conquer the mountainous roads. Do we have a hose? No! Is there a wrench to open the hydrant? No. They certainly are bright and shiny and red! Given that the homes are largely concrete, the most likely thing to burn in the vegetation.
Where is the nearest mall?
Another potential buyer question - and certainly a relevant one for those of us with spouses who require regular courses of retail therapy! The answer - San Jose - but don't buy stuff you aren't going to use regularly. Enough clothes for a change or two (you seldom wear anything but shorts and a t-shirt) two sets of sheets (one for the bed and one in the wash). If you aren't going to use it regularly (read daily) it will be moldy, smelly, or rotten when you next pull it out of the storage space. My leather sandals (covered in black and green fuzzy stuff) , 3 baseball caps growing mold in a week. Stories of dress shoes and sports jackets off to the trash. Simplify - Minimize - Use It!
How long does it take to ...?
Get somewhere or do something - the answer is - it depends! It took us 4 hours to get home from Uvita - 3 1/2 hours of that spent waiting to be able to cross the river. There is the slide or washout that blocks the highway, the sloth crossing the road, the farm vehicle or the local festival. Getting a bank card or dealing with an issue with the electric company is many trips over many days and includes legal documents and lawyers fees. So you learn to plan ahead and be patient.
I always laugh to myself at the reaction of our friends in Toronto over these things. We have all grown to expect a great deal of our society and infrastructure - everything organized for our convenience because we are such busy people. In some ways it is actually nice to be able to say "all I have to do today is go to the bank"!
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