Progress Report

Jun 20-25 , 2005 // CONSTRUCTION LOG #37

Contact phone numbers

Internet Phone:
New York 315-279-6711 // Toronto 416-907-5758

Costa Rica:
Cell 506-305-3965 // Land 506-282-0910
Pictures: 4 of unit 107.

CONSTRUCTION

Permit: I have to make a sworn declaration that I won't do what I wasn't planning on doing. It appears that I have to be in the country to do this. In the meantime, we are re-acquiring letters which we previously had but which are now outdated. I had hoped to have this swearing done by the CR consulate in Toronto but not so; it has to be done in Ottawa by the embassy. That being the case, it is just as easy to return early to CR. This document feels like the final hurdle we will have to jump but we don't know for sure. More than anything, it is a sworn statement (and there's a double meaning here) saying I'll obey the relevant laws re. Not allowing mud and black water to contaminate my neighbors, that I will deal with rain water and not flood my neighbors, and a few other similar things which I don't fully understand (my Spanish isn't that great).

Roadways: curbs continued. We are about 85% done and we will hold here until the balance of the construction is done on the west side. I don't want to put curbs and defined parking in before Units 106 and 107 are completely built.

Unit 107: work continued. The installation of roofing tiles has commenced, interior boarding and taping on the ground floor are substantially finished. Exterior stucco work has started.

Unit 106: As Unit 107 and the roadway near completion, the 4plex Unit 106 approaches the horizon. It's still a bit muddy for my preference but the rains may (they usually do) back off a bit in July / August.

Marketing: I'm in discussion with a number of people as a result of Scott Oliver's second article in his news letter: WeLoveCostaRica.com -a very extensive and informative web site. In addition, we have two parties who are each seriously considering purchasing units.

After some technical challenges in transferring pictures around the world, we now have the basis for an advertisement in a CR based real estate magazine. Other ads, eg. one in the Tico Times should start appearing.

I just reviewed an article written by Scott Oliver of WeLoveCostaRica.com -a fantastic website full of all types of useful and well researched information on Costa Rica. Scott is a person who speaks his mind and is also the author of a recently released book on how to buy real estate in CR without loosing your shirt -an advisable read for anyone looking to buy. The article I reviewed was on my project. He came to his own conclusions -his assessment is not a paid advertisement by me and you only have to read the chat forum to know that Scott doesn't mince words when he sees a shady or ill conceived development. Anyway, take a look at

http://www.welovecostarica.com/articles.php?a=read&aid=461

and while you're there, check out other articles.

OUR LIVES

This week: there are two institutions I hate dealing with -governments and insurance. I've been dealing with 5 insurance companies this week -there have been no "acts of kindness to report" but I believe they are now all dealt with. I have one favorite gov't dept. to deal with this coming week. I can wait but the meeting can't.

The heat wave which enveloped Toronto before we arrived has dissipated. We've needed a heater several nights and sweatshirts during the day -the Canadian "summer".

More reunions with friends and more to come this week. As of Saturday, I have relocated the irrational passion of my wife -her 1976 MGB -to another storage place for a year, in this case. Now my to-do list is down to 25 items... one of which is to get tickets back.

As one looks more closely, the contrast in the cost of living and the implications it has for lifestyle become more striking: a liter of 2% milk: Cdn. $2,40 ; CR $.62; gas-Toronto $91.3 L // CR about $1.03; at 115 kph I'm an obstacle to other drivers; Capital gains tax in Canada -none in CR. Pint of beer in a pub -$7.00.

I guess one of the biggest decisions we're now faced with is what to do with our boat; it has been and continues to be our preferred "home" when in Canada -many of our friends and social live revolve around the marina. Our boat, however, is also an expensive love and pretty impractical when we expect to use it only for 3 weeks this year and maybe no more in the future. Emotional attachments are, however, difficult to sever objectively; we severed before and it was the right thing to do; we'll have to deal with this as well.

Brian, Lita, lonely Hugo and irreverent Vicka, the pigeon toed parrot.

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