Monday, June 9, 2014

Review of abandoned houses for sale::If you inherit a house and sell it, can you do whatever ...







Review of abandoned houses for sale::If you inherit a house and sell it, can you do whatever ...








               SAN               JOSE,               COSTA               RICA               --               San               Jose               is               a               moldering               old               Central               American               capital               city               set               in               the               center               of               a               country               renowned               for               its               jungle               flora               and               fauna.

On               my               short               vacation,               I               found               it               a               pleasantly               funky,               walkable               town.
               I               arrived               at               Juan               Santamaria               International               Airport               in               the               middle               of               the               afternoon               under               cloudy               skies.

It               was               what               local               Ticos               call               the               "rainy"               season               although               the               "dry"               season               is               rainy,               too.

San               Jose               receives               approximately               74               inches               of               rainfall               each               year,               about               twice               that               of               Seattle,               and               other               parts               of               the               country               receive               three               times               that               much..

It               was               umbrella               weather               when               I               arrived               and               in               San               Jose               people               went               about               their               business               carrying               umbrellas.
               Founded               by               the               Spanish               in               1736,               balmy               San               Jose               lies               in               in               a               broad               fertile               valley               at               an               elevation               of               approximately               3,300               feet.

According               to               government               statistics,               its               year-round               median               temperature               is               70               degrees.

Approximately               the               size               of               West               Virginia,               Costa               Rica               itself               is               home               to               more               than               4               million               people,               many               of               them               migrants               from               neighboring               Nicaragua               where               the               unemployment               rate               is               something               like               58               percent.

Approximately               2               million               tourists               descend               on               Costa               Rica               every               year.
               I               had               worn               a               pair               of               hiking               boots               in               case               of               muddy               weather               and               I               had               a               straw               hat               slung               back               over               my               shoulder,               for               the               tropical               sun.

I               stuffed               a               change               of               clothes,               a               collapsible               umbrella,               an               alarm               clock,               and               very               little               else               into               one               small               bag               which               was               my               luggage               for               a               week's               visit.
               I               am               a               thrifty               person,               and               it               cost               me               what               I               considered               a               fortune               at               the               airport               to               change               a               few               dollars               into               Costa               Rican               colons               (current               exchange               rate:               approximately               500               colons               per               $1               USD).

To               save               colons,               and               to               get               some               of               the               flavor               of               "real"               Costa               Rica,               I               wanted               to               take               a               local               bus               and               avoid               the               $25               USD               taxi               fare               for               the               20               minute               ride               from               the               airport               into               San               Jose.
               Before               I               left               home,               a               check               on               the               State               Department               website               warned               me               about               increasing               levels               of               violence               in               Costa               Rica,               so               the               idea               of               taking               a               local               bus               was               somewhat               daunting.

My               Spanish               is               spotty               and               I               didn't               want               to               get               lost,               but               I               decided               on               the               local               bus               when               I               discovered               that               all               the               San               Jose               busses               all               finish               their               routes               in               downtown               San               Jose               where               I               had               booked               a               room.
               Outside               the               airport,               a               packed               street               full               of               red               taxis               and               gesturing               taxi               drivers               were               hustling               business               from               the               tourists               who               were               blinking               like               so               many               deer               in               the               headlights.

Asking               directions               from               an               airport               employee,               I               was               finger               pointed               to               a               bus               stop               on               the               other               side               of               the               parking               structure,               along               a               main               highway               and               away               from               the               mad               swarm               of               taxis               and               tourists.

I               sat               down               next               to               two               polite               young               local               girls,               and               a               bus               almost               immediately               arrived.
               "San               Jose?"               I               timidly               asked.
               The               driver               waved               me               in.

I               gave               him               500               colons               and               I               was               on               my               way               to               San               Jose.
               I               was               the               only               tourist               on               the               bus.

It               was               not               air-conditioned,               but               all               the               windows               were               open               and               I               relaxed               as               cool               moist               tropical               air               blew               back               through               the               hot               bus.
               The               bus               passed               lots               of               small               claptrap               houses,               almost               all               topped               by               tin               roofs               already               turning               orange               from               rain               and               rust.

Roaring               streams               sunk               deep               into               thickets               of               jungle               foliage               flashed               past               my               window,               but               quickly               gave               way               to               still               more               tin-roofed               houses.

The               population               of               the               province               of               San               Jose               is               1.5               million,               but               the               city               of               San               Jose               has               only               about               350,000               people               so               most               people               live               outside               the               city               limits.

The               bus               pulled               off               the               road               once               or               twice               to               pick               up               passengers               and               soon               we               arrived               in               San               Jose,               where               it               was               rush               hour.
               As               the               guidebooks               suggested,               I               grabbed               a               taxi               at               the               bus               station               (San               Jose               has               several               bus               stations).

I               handed               the               driver               the               card               on               which               I'd               written               the               address               in               Spanish               and               away               we               went               to               the               hostel               near               Kiosco               de               Parque               Morazon.

The               driver               turned               on               the               maria,               a               digital               meter               which               clicks               away               the               mileage               to               assure               an               honest               count               on               the               fare,               and               in               a               few               short               minutes               we               were               there.
               I               had               reserved               a               room               in               a               hostel               called               Tranquilo               Backpackers.

My               private               room               and               shared               bathroom               and               shower               were               $27               a               night               but               I               didn't               want               the               $7               a               night               dormitory-style               room.

When               I               checked               in,               the               desk               clerk               told               me               the               streets               were               safe               downtown               until               10               p.m.

or               so               and               I               went               out               for               a               walk.
               It               was               an               pleasant               walk               from               my               hostel               through               Parque               Morazon               where               skateboarding               kids               and               kissing               lovers               and               old               men               sat               on               benches.

On               the               bustling               Avenida               Central,               I               bought               a               loaf               of               tasty               especial               bread               with               ham               and               cream               baked               into               the               bread               from               a               small               local               bakery,               plus               fruit               and               cheese               from               the               Mas+Menos               supermarket               across               the               street               half               hidden               behind               a               bank               of               idling               tour               busses.

My               first               night               in               Costa               Rica               I               discovered               the               taste               of               a               banana               picked               from               the               tree               was               considerably               sweeter               than               those               purchased               in               the               states               which               are               shipped               green,               and               artificially               ripened.
               In               addition               to               dorm               and               private               rooms,               the               hostel               had               a               big               room               with               a               wide-screen               TV               and               mattresses               on               the               floor,               several               computers               in               the               lobby               for               checking               email,               a               couple               of               hammocks               in               the               front               yard               for               reading,               a               shared               refrigerator,               and               an               airy               kitchen               under               a               tin               roof               where               you               could               cook               or               prepare               meals               for               most               of               the               day.
               The               hostel               also               had               a               free               pancake               breakfast.

While               eating               breakfast,               I               had               a               nice               chats               with               a               woman               from               Holland               who               had               researched               her               master's               thesis               on               eco-tourism,               a               guy               from               California               on               his               way               to               Panama               to               try               and               find               work               on               a               fishing               boat,               schoolteachers               from               Switzerland               and               New               Orleans,               a               refugee               from               the               Florida               real               estate               bust,               a               couple               of               frazzled               Canadian               psychologists               whose               backpack               containing               their               airline               tickets               home               had               been               snatched               on               the               bus,               and               more.
               My               very               simple               private               room               had               one               large               transom               window               overlooking               a               maze               of               tin               roofs.

The               weather               cooled               down               at               night               just               enough               to               require               the               thin               blanket               provided               by               the               hostel.

I               loved               the               cool               evening               breeze               through               my               window,               the               low               rumble               of               tropical               thunder,               and               the               occasional               patter               of               tropical               rain               on               the               tin               roofs               outside.
               Despite               all               the               moisture               and               rain,               I               never               saw               a               mosquito               in               San               Jose.

The               hostel's               friendly               black               and               white               spotted               cat               crept               boldly               in               and               out               of               my               open               window,               sometimes               curling               up               at               my               feet               to               sleep.

In               the               morning,               a               blazing               tropical               sun               woke               me               up               every               day               at               6               a.m.
               The               worst               day               at               the               hostel               was               the               day               that               city               water               was               shut               off.

This               left               hostel               residents               without               morning               coffee,               and               combing               San               Jose               in               search               of               bathrooms               for               much               of               the               day.
               Although               taxis               are               plentiful               and               cheap,               San               Jose               is               a               very               walkable               city.

I               walked               around               quite               a               bit,               to               the               zoo               and               parks               and               museums               and               souvenir               shops               and               butterfly               house               and               markets.

I               always               felt               safe               although               I               did               avoid               the               area               northwest               of               downtown               said               to               be               dangerous.

It               rained               every               day,               usually               in               the               mid-afternoon,               and               I               always               took               my               umbrella.
               Costa               Rica               is               a               neutral               country               with               no               standing               army               but               San               Jose               has               plenty               of               young               uniformed               policemen.

During               the               day               I               saw               pairs               of               cops               every               few               blocks,               and               I               found               them               very               professional               and               helpful               with               directions.
               All               the               streets               in               downtown               San               Jose               are               one-way               and               they               swell               with               traffic               during               the               morning               and               evening               rush               hour.

San               Jose's               traffic               lights               face               only               two               directions,               toward               oncoming               traffic,               so               crossing               the               street               involves               guesswork               as               there               are               no               walk               signals.

Costa               Ricans               just               scamper               across               the               street               when               things               look               clear.
               One               thing               you               learn               right               away               is               that               San               Jose's               taxi               drivers               and               bus               drivers               do               not               stop               for               pedestrians.

This               unsettling               fact               became               frighteningly               real               when               a               Rapido               Transito               bus               hissed               loudly               around               a               corner               when               I               was               crossing               the               street               and               I               had               to               scurry               for               the               curb               like               a               scared               squirrel.
               Downtown               San               Jose's               sidewalks               are               narrow,               old               and               not               particularly               level               and               flat               -               many               are               more               like               a               weird               footpath               of               cement,               rocks,               and               potholes.

And               of               course,               it's               a               third               world               country,               you               can               walk               around               a               corner               and               find               a               six-foot               high               mound               of               garbage               in               plastic               bags               stacked               in               the               middle               of               the               sidewalk,               or               loads               of               fill               dirt               or               concrete               rubble               in               unexpected               places.
               The               city               of               San               Jose               is               a               mix               of               historic               old               colonial               buildings,               many               moldering               parks,               well-tended               federal               government               buildings,               15-story               Holiday               Inns,               schools,               restaurants,               casinos,               plus               miscellaneous               small               office               and               apartment               buildings               and               houses.

Many               of               the               homes               I               strolled               past               were               behind               high               iron               fences               topped               with               coiled               razor               wire,               and               several               decaying               old               mansions               appeared               to               be               abandoned               or               for               sale.
               San               Jose               is               known               for               its               clever               pickpockets               and               friends               warned               me               to               be               careful.

An               American               friend               told               a               story               of               a               drunken               evening               with               a               group               of               guys.

One               of               their               guys               was               suddenly               surrounded               on               the               street               by               laughing,               flirting               Costa               Rican               prostitutes.

His               friends               shouted               to               watch               his               wallet,               but               the               "victim"               eventually               emerged               smiling               and               triumphantly               took               his               wallet               out               of               his               pocket               and               held               it               high.

However,               when               he               looked               inside,               his               wallet               was               completely               empty.

The               beautiful               Costa               Rican               prostitutes               had               removed               all               his               money,               slipped               the               wallet               back               in               his               pocket,               and               happily               moved               on.
               San               Jose               is               laid               out               on               a               confusing               grid.

Calles               or               Streets               run               north               and               south,               and               Avenidas               or               Avenues               run               east               and               west.

However,               the               even               numbered               streets               and               avenues               are               on               one               side               of               the               Avenida               Central               and               Calle               Central,               and               the               odd               numbers               on               the               other               side.

So               you               walk               only               one               block               between               Avenida               1               and               Avenida               3,               and               so               on.

To               muck               things               up               a               little               more,               San               Jose               has               no               street               signs.

A               few               streets               have               the               street               and               avenue               numbers               posted               on               the               sides               of               corner               buildings,15               feet               or               so               off               the               ground               but               many               have               no               identification               at               all.

I               always               carried               a               map               to               make               sure               I               knew               where               I               was.
               Running               east               and               west               through               the               center               of               town               is               the               Avenida               Central,               a               wide               brick-lined               walk               street               flanked               by               clothing               and               appliance               stores               of               a               type               found               in               any               medium-sized               town               in               America,               hotels,               banks,               restaurants,               museums               and               tourist               attractions               mixed               in               with               American               fast               food               joints,               street               vendors               and               other               Costa               Rican               businesses.

Unique               to               Costa               Rica               are               the               many               little               sodas,               or               coffee               shops,               where               I               had               a               glass               of               the               most               delicious               passion               fruit               juice               I'd               ever               tasted.
               Pedestrians               walked               day               and               night               along               the               crowded               Avenida               Central,               particularly               on               the               west               end,               where               there               are               lots               of               street               vendors.

Many               sell               sacks               of               produce,               bunches               of               bananas,               and               avocados               from               push               carts               or               squat               beside               pikes               of               fruit               on               the               street.

Early               in               the               morning,               Avenida               Central               vendors               on               folding               chairs               hawked               lottery               tickets,               crying               out               loudly,               and               at               night               other               types               of               vendors               spread               out               blankets               full               of               things               like               DVDs               and               T-shirts               on               the               brick               street               and               a               few               terribly               poor               and               disabled               Costa               Rica               men               and               women               sat               on               the               ground,               arms               upstretched,               begging               with               tin               cups.
               On               the               narrow               sidewalks,               walking               vendors               opened               their               coats               to               offer               me               Valium               or               boxes               of               Cuban               cigars.

Drugged-out               American               expats               wandered               the               streets.

Amateur               jugglers               and               clowns               bravely               stopped               traffic               at               intersections               to               try               to               amuse               drivers               for               a               few               colons.
               Inside               most               shops,               merchants               would               happily               take               either               credit               cards,               dollars               or               colons,               but               the               street               vendors               in               San               Jose               weren't               the               bargaining               type               at               all.

One               vendor               flatly               refused               to               sell               me               a               handful               of               leche               nuts,               telling               me               gruffly               he               would               only               sell               one               full               sack               for               1,500               colons.

In               a               little               souvenie               shop,               a               saleslady               haughtily               turned               down               my               offer               of               $3               for               a               $4               slingshot               (I               had               only               $3               in               my               wallet).

After               a               couple               more               encounters               like               this,               I               realized               that               Costa               Rican               vendors,               unlike               vendors               in               some               Latin               American               countries,               do               not               like               to               bargain               at               all.
               The               exception               to               this               was               in               a               mercado               called               La               Casona               along               Calle               Central               near               Avenida               1,               where               I               felt               immediately               at               home.

It               was               something               like               a               giant               yard               sale.

Vendors               in               what               appeared               to               be               a               building               full               of               small               shops               waved               me               over               and               immediately               offered               discounts               for               cash.

Salesladies               passed               me               like               a               hot               potato               through               a               dreamy               warren               of               charming               little               shops               offering               among               other               things,               Costa               Rican               wooden               jewelry,               colorful               boxes,               carved               animals,               oxcarts,               framed               exotic               butterflies,               replicas               of               the               pre-Colombian               jewelry               and               other               interesting               items.
               I               had               taken               a               straw               hat               to               Costa               Rica               to               ward               off               the               tropical               sun,               but               as               I               walked               around               San               Jose,               my               straw               hat               slung               over               my               back,               cowboy               style,               I               was               puzzled               that               almost               no               one               else               in               this               tropical               country               wore               or               even               carried               a               hat               of               any               kind.

The               weather               was               often               overcast,               and               I               didn't               see               much               of               the               tropical               sun.

Did               the               somewhat               formal               Ticos               consider               hats               not               necessary?

Then               I               toured               one               of               the               Costa               Rica's               famous               volcanoes               and               experienced               a               sudden               gusting               wind               that               twisted               the               string               of               my               hat               around               my               neck,               nearly               strangling               me.

Hats,               I               learned,               are               a               bad               idea               in               rainy               countries               with               lots               of               wind.
               Costa               Rica               is               the               world's               No.

2               coffee               producer,               after               Colombia.

Although               I               am               particular,               everywhere               I               went               in               San               Jose,               I               was               served               what               I               would               consider               great               coffee.

The               coffee               was               always               A-plus,               even               at               the               hostel,               but               fresh               cream               was               never               available,               even               milk               was               rare.

Usually               it               was               powdered               cream               and               packets               of               cane               sugar.

The               proper               Costa               Rican               method               of               making               coffee,               which               I               enjoyed               on               visit               to               a               coffee               plantation,               is               to               pour               hot               water               through               a               small               cloth               sack               which               is               about               the               size               of               a               hummingbird               nest,               full               of               ground               coffee,               an               interesting               variation               on               the               standard               drip               method               that               works               well.
               For               a               third               world               country,               Costa               Rica               nearly               has               nearly               first               world               prices.

American-style               hotels               and               meals               are               not               really               much               cheaper               than               they               are               back               in               the               U.S.

and               imported               items               like               cars               which               are               not               made               in               Costa               Rica               are               said               to               be               even               more               expensive               than               cars               purchased               in               the               states.
               Getting               local               currency               to               spend               is               difficult               and               expensive,               and               some               businesses               discourage               credit               cards.

My               hostel,               for               instance,               would               accept               only               cash.
               Visiting               a               Costa               Rican               bank               is               like               visiting               a               prison.

Scowling               uniformed               bank               security               guards               pat               you               down               and               scan               you               with               metal-detecting               wands.

Once               inside,               you               take               a               number               from               a               machine               and               sit               down               on               plastic               chairs               with               a               group               of               people               to               wait               for               your               number               to               come               up               on               a               board,               which               directs               you               to               a               bank               teller.
               And               of               course,               there               is               always               a               fee               to               change               money.

I               found               two               ATM               machines               in               downtown               San               Jose               --               one               was               completely               out               of               both               dollars               and               colons               every               time               I               tried               to               use               it,               and               the               other               charged               me               875               colons               or               almost               $2               to               give               me               $20               in               Costa               Rican               currency.
               In               San               Jose,               I               saw               two               Costa               Rican               art               shows,               one               at               the               lovely               Museo               de               los               Ninos               or               Children's               Museum,               an               old               yellow               building               on               top               of               a               hill               near               central               San               Jose,               and               one               at               the               Plaza               de               la               Cultura,               where               the               museums               are               underground.

I               booked               a               couple               of               moderately               interesting               one-day               tours,               and               did               some               other               tourist               things.
               My               most               enjoyable               moments               was               in               the               humble               Parque               Bolivar               Zoo,               a               smallish               zoo               near               the               hostel.

The               funky               little               zoo               is               situated               on               the               bank               of               a               tropical               river               and               the               winding               sidewalks               lined               with               rain               forest               plants.

As               a               warm               rain               began               falling,               most               of               the               visitors               scurried               for               cover.

Almost               alone               under               my               umbrella,               I               looked               at               monkeys,               exotic               birds               and               tropical               snakes               in               the               gently               falling               tropical               rain.

As               I               stood               before               the               parrot               cage,               enjoying               the               rain,               I               realized               a               large               parrot               was               talking               to               me               in               Spanish.
               "Hola!

Hola!"               the               parrot               cried,               tilting               its               head.

"Como               esta?"
               San               Jose               wasn't               exactly               the               tropical               paradise               that               I               expected,               but               I               liked               it               enough               to               go               back.






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