USA Embassy Trip

We just got back from our trip to the USA Embassy - it's just across town, but it took essentially all day!

I had a document that needed to be notarized by a United States notary public - not that easy to find in Costa Rica... Well, the embassy has a notary as part of its consular services for USA citizens (no, it's not free - it was $30). We had tried to do a similar thing earlier, so we knew that this service is available Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, from 1:00 to 2:00 (or maybe 3- can't remember).

So, we headed out a bit before 11 this morning. First stop, gotta get my documents printed at the local internet cafe. Well, there are a lot, and so (of course) some never make it to the printer.

We hop on the Periférica bus in San Pedro some time after 11, changed to the Pavas bus (push the button when you see this funeral parlor (nervous? hehehe), then walk back to it)
about 40 minutes later, and were at the Plaza del Oeste across from the embassy just after noon. To get the right stop, push the button after the Mas x Menos on the left. The embassy is on the right side. If you miss this stop, there is another part way down the embassy (it's *huge!*). We decided to treat ourselves, and had some ice-cream :), you know, to kill time...

We meandered across the street and got through the embassy check-in by 12:40. At the entrance, you hand over all your electronic devices, including remote door openers, cameras, cell phones, computer memory sticks, ipods, and you-name-it. They lock all these up into a bag, and hand you the key. Then (just like at the airport) you put all your metal and bags through a screening device, walk through a sensor, get hand-wanded if you beep, and collect your things. Then we got our ticket and got to sit in line! Well, one o'clock came and went... Finally, we got our turn - I think I was only 4th in line, but didn't get to the window until 1:30! But, by 1:45, we were done - we collected our electronic gizmos, and went back across the street to catch the return bus.

By 2:15 we were eating lunch at a soda, and shortly after we were at ARCR faxing the documents - just in time for another earthquake! Well, most of the pages were done, but the earthquake messed up the fax line, so... They'll get there eventually.

We Have Internet!!!

YES!!!
We have *internet!* In our *apartment!* I think I'm excited...

Oh, what a *saga* - we moved into our apartment December 10th. When we talked to our landlady, we said we wanted internet on the phone, and she indicated that it was possible. So, a few days later (we did have to move in, after all), we (ok, all this "we" stuff is really Rick) called ICE (the phone and power company) and requested internet on our existing apartment land-line. They said that because the phone was not in our names, they needed a copy of the owner's (our landlady) cédula, a request form filled out and signed by her, and a copy of our phone bill.

We called our landlady (she is awfully difficult to contact), and she said that she had already requested the internet - YAY! - and that it was supposed to be available to us within 15 days. Well, that put it right *on* Christmas, so we hoped, but didn't count on getting it by then (things reeeeaaallly sloooow dooown here during the Christmas season).

Well, Christmas came and went, and we saw our landlady again. She mentioned in passing that ICE had said that it would be faster to get wireless than to get DSL, so she said "sure, do wireless!" ARG! We explained that wireless wasn't secure enough for us, and that we needed the DSL line. So, she goes back to ICE and starts a new request. Yes, a *new* request...

Meanwhile, soon after the earthquake... Our phone starts to get flakey. And it quits working. Now we worry that if the phone isn't working when ICE comes for the internet install, we'll need a *third* appointment (no-no-no!). We find our landlady, and after a few days she changes the line between the phone and the wall box - and it works! YAY! But! only a couple of days later, it quits again - what a *rollercoaster!* We thought maybe the bill hadn't been paid (it wasn't ours yet), so we paid it (no effect). The landlady eventually comes and checks the phone, and says she will come back tomorrow (uh-huh, we've heard that how many times?).

January has come, and now it has gone. Still no phone. We called ICE, and they estimated that the internet would be connected in the first week of February. We're still worried about that phantom third appointment looming. Fortunately, a person-who-knows tells us that 5,000 colones to the ICE guy will get any wiring problem fixed - but quick!

So! the night before last (February 1), the landlady was here, checked the phone line, had her fix-it guy come by and check it, and thought that the wire was broken somewhere between the apartment and the outside switchbox. They planned to come at 11:00 am the next morning to finish fixing it.

Well! Yesterday at 9:00 am (Nine - that's earlier than eleven!), the ICE internet guy shows up - they (of course) had been trying to call us to confirm this appointment, but couldn't reach us - duh. He is not too happy that the phone line isn't working. When he tried to track down our phone line to check it, he found that our *phone number* wasn't even working at the switchbox! The fix-it guy had left the line disconnected - geez! So he couldn't even *find* the right line to *check!* He thought that the phone number was dead because we hadn't paid the bill, but (YAY!) Rick showed him the receipt (hehehe). So, back to square one (that's the phone connection, in case you lost track)!

AHA! Some Very Important Wire out in the street was loose! It was probably shaken loose during the earthquake - truly minimal damage for us. He eventually got the line fixed and the internet connected! It took a second trip, but fortunately it was in the same morning. AND all with no 5,000 colon tip :-). YAY! (are you suspicious yet? 'cause I sure am).

Rick spent the rest of the morning and most of the afternoon trying to get our router connected and working. The box we got from ICE is a combined router and DSL modem, and the two were set to the same IP address by default, so they got in each others' way. But, Rick "es listo" (is clever), and got it to work :-D.

I got to check my email in comfort finally - but (of course) after so long without internet, I have too much to get through in any reasonable amount of time. We also got to call my folks using Skype! It was great to actually speak to them - no echo, no delay, clear as a bell! whoo hooo!

Naturally, I stayed up waaay too late last night, and am dragging my you-know-what around today!

Earthquake Info

Fellow blogger and e-friend Saratica has a great summary of the current earthquake news. *Some* people actually have TV and in-house internet - hmmph! Well, ours is on the way - mañana...

Shake It up, Baby!

January 8, 2009

Shake It up, Baby! Yeah! Twist and Shout - What a way to start off the new year!
We had a doozie of an earthquake today - 6.1, and only about 20 miles away; 1:21 pm CST.
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Quakes/us2009bpba.php

We are fairly used to earthquakes (California gets plenty), but this one was a little different. First, we are in an apartment on the first floor of a concrete building. Fundamentally, I know reinforced concrete is a reasonable material, but deep down, I just *know* that brick (and therefore all brick-like material) is not good for earthquake country. Our place weathered it well tho - no cracks, no falling pieces... Second, the earthquake wasn't sharp - it sort of rolled and sloshed. And it lasted a while!

When it was over, we were in the doorways (conflicting "wisdom" abounds - go for the doorway, or go for a triangle space) - as were our neighbors. We did the usual "wow, some earthquake, huh?" and guessing game as to how big it was. I guessed waaay low (4.5).

The electricity was on for about 15 minutes afterwards (long enough to get the details online), then - off!

Wait! no INTERNET!?!

Oh, what a fragile thing it is - I just now got a connection. I've been out of touch a lot lately...