As my immediate crew already knows, Virago has overstayed her welcome in Costa Rica. It seems there is a new law dictating that a vessel visiting Costa Rica cannot get its 90 day Temporary Import Permit extended. There are a couple of ways to stay longer, but they involve having a contract with a marina that meets criteria set out by the Costa Rican government. Unfortunately for Virago, the Costa Rica Yacht Club doe not have such an arrangement with the authorities. In addition, her TIP has already expired. Some people are of the opinion that an exiting vessel need not provide its TIP when applying for an International Zarpe--the document that is required to enter the next country, in Virago’s case, Panama. Our friends Paul and Tamar on S/V Xanadu were required to present their TIP when they recently left CRYC. We expect to pay a fine and be required to leave CR. The net result is that I am here at CRYC preparing Virago for an early departure as early as next week.
On a lighter note, I had a wonderful experience on the trip down. I flew from SFO to San Jose, Costa Rica arriving at 5:22 AM. I had a reservation to take InterBus to CRYC in Puntarenas. The pickup point is a near by restaurant called Calalu where I planned to have breakfast. I told the driver that I wanted to have breakfast and he asked if I wanted an authentic Tico breakfast. When we saw that Calalu was not open yet, he told me that the cab company office is next door and that I could get breakfast there! There is no sign outside to indicate the existence of a small breakfast counter with a smiling woman named Sobeida behind the counter and a group of joking and laughing cabbies chowing down.
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| Cabbies Chowing Down | Sobeida Slinging Hash |
There are no menus here, but with a little help from an English speaking cabbie I was able to order. I had Gallo Pinto (a traditional rice and bean dish), scrambled eggs, fried plantains, and coffee for 2,000 colonies or a little less than four dollars.
