Costa Rica Expertise LLC

By Garland M. Baker
Special to A.M. Costa Rica

The rule of thumb in Costa Rica is when you cannot plan — or do not plan — panic.

This malady is part of the culture. People in the campo, the rural areas, learn this from childhood. Parents instruct kids sent to the pulperia, the corner mom and pop grocery, to buy one egg for breakfast. Not two, one for breakfast and one for lunch, or three, one for breakfast, one for lunch and one for dinner. Just one. One for breakfast.

Why, because the parents were not taught to plan and organize by their parents, so they do not teach their kids to do so.

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By Garland M. Baker
Special to A.M. Costa Rica

Semana Santa, Easter week, is just around the corner and it is longer this year.

Law 8442 reformed the Labor Code, Law 2, Article 148, last year moving several holidays from their calendar day to the following Monday. The holidays include April 11, July 25, Aug. 15, and Oct. 12. This year April 11 falls on Tuesday of Semana Santa week. Based on the law, the day will be celebrated Monday, April 17, thereby extending the holiday.

Customarily, San José closes down for the Easter holiday, and almost everyone heads for the beach. This year most people will be able to leave after work on Friday, April 7, and can holiday until Tuesday, April 18.

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Procuraduría General Web Site

By Garland M. Baker
Special to A.M. Costa Rica

Going to get into a legal fight in Costa Rica? Here is a great resource and it's free.

Most people do not know about the incredible Web site of La Procuraduría General de la República, the Attorney General’s office of Costa Rica. This authority is the superior juridical organ and public administration technician for the country. The attorneys of the Procuraduría represent the country in legal matters when affairs of the state are at stake.

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Years later, they are getting act together

By Garland M. Baker
Special to A.M. Costa Rica

What do entropy and the Big Bang Theory have to do with the Registro Nacional, Costa Rica’s public registry center, Tributacion Directa, the country’s tax authority and other public institutions in Costa Rica?

Entropy is a measure of the disorder or randomness in a closed system, and The Big Bang Theory is the dominant scientific theory about the origin of the universe. According to the big bang theory, the universe came into existence from a cosmic explosion that hurled matter in all directions.

In the simplest of terms, some theorizers believe order comes from disorder, as with the universe.

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Law gives the public a weapon against delay

By Garland M. Baker
Special to A.M. Costa Rica

Have you ever felt helpless in front of a government office in Costa Rica? There are ways you can fight back.

Costa Rica currently has approximately 200 public institutions. They are probably the No. 1 cause of frustration for those living in this country.

The number of requirements to most procedures seems sometimes like a never-ending story, turning even simple requests into huge challenges.

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