I like to look at the REALLY BIG picture!!
What NOT having a car (& taking taxi's) represents to me is FREEDOM:
• From worrying about open manholes (& swinging into the next lane/oncoming traffic to avoid going down 10 or so feet),
potholes (& they're even in "Good" areas),
• From killing some fool that ran out in the middle of the street between 2 suv type cars (I know TWO people that's happened to. Imagine the nightmares they're STILL having!!!),
• From worrying about if it's ANOTHER unmarked one-way street &/or if it's changed this week,
• From worrying about someone slashing my tire at a light & then robbing me when they're trying to "help me",
• From worrying about where I'm going to park,
• From paying someone to "watch" the car (which isn't always an honest person),
• From worrying about walking from my parking space to where I'm going &/or back,
• From BAD/incomplete directions/descriptions (which they seem to be 95+% of the time),
• From Insurance,
• From Registering the car (& getting it passed which surprising can be a bit challenging)
• From Road Rage (from either side [normally pretty much a pacifist & a VERY considerate driver, it's amazing how much this side CAN come out when IDIOT/FOOL drivers get in my way!!!]),
• From accidents & car dings (especially not unusual in rainy season),
• From getting lost in the "wrong" part of town,
• From hardly any signs (including the entrance to the pista/highway that takes you to the airport & even other MAJOR places - to say nothing if you're going back roads!!),
• From NO addresses & VERY few street names,
• From having to speak good Spanish (I'm learning but luckily I have numerous English Speaking Taxi drivers),
• From needing to know where I'm going!! I just get in the taxi & tell the driver where to take me & 95% of the time they know!
• From Traffic (being from Calif. I have ZERO tolerance for traffic & there is a LOT here in CR!!),
• From Time - taxi's tend to know the backroads, etc. & can often get there faster. Flying is MEGA fast!!!
To say nothing of how EXPENSIVE cars are in CR, gas (I think it's around $5++/GALLON??), repairs (IF you can find the parts), taxes if you're shipping (REALLY HIGH!!).
When I want to go explore some place in CR I either hire a LEGAL driver/guide that can REALLY show me the ins/outs - things I'd NEVER see driving myself! I also get to REALLY ENJOY/take in the scenery (something people with cars RARELY get to do since they're tooo busy worrying about all above). Or I take NatureAir.com which often has AWESOME last minute airfares throughout CR!! (I just checked & if I wanted to go to Arenal Fri. & come back on Mon. - just $75 round trip & it's just 30 minutes of my time [my time is worth $$$ so this IS an issue for me often] vs. 3 1/2 hours & it's a BEAUTIFUL FLIGHT!!).
Of course it also depends on where you live (I live in Escazu so I have taxi's available to me 24/7 & 98% of the time they come within 5-10 min.) & your lifestyle (I"m still working from home with an internet based biz).
This also allows me to go out with Purpose - not just to run up for a thing of paper towel which helps me do my part for the Environment/BIG PICTURE beyond me! I go & do a bunch of things at one time & at $8 or so an hour for a taxi when they're waiting - it's STILL WAYYYY CHEAPER than when you add up ALL the costs/expenses involved with owning a car in CR! At least for ME!
MOST IMPORTANTLY - NO ulcers!!! CALM - Peace of mind (I drive like Mario Andretti - looking all over - NOT in CR!!! [& I've NEVER had/been involved in an accident!!) & I get to ALWAYS ENJOY the ride!! That's what I'm working towards in my life - EASE, CALM, ENJOYMENT & TRUE FREEDOM!!!
At the end of the day it's still WAYYYY more cost effective for me - again - when I'm looking at the BIG picture!!
As usual - here's a DIFFERENT way of looking at life (the BIG picture!!).
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Check out my info • schedules, etc on BUSES at:
LivingLifeInCostaRica.blogspot.com/2011/02/bus-schedules-costa-rica.html
Check out my info • schedules, etc on BUSES at:
LivingLifeInCostaRica.blogspot.com/2011/02/bus-schedules-costa-rica.html
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LEGAL TAXI DRIVERS & TOURISM DRIVERS
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LivingLifeInCostaRica.blogspot.com/2007/11/do-you-want-ease-in-your-life-to-me.html
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LivingLifeInCostaRica.blogspot.com/2007/11/do-you-want-ease-in-your-life-to-me.html
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We were calculating, roughly, in US: IRS allows about 40cent/mile, times average of 15,000 miles/year, equals, roughly $6,000, (not my lifestyle, as our insurance alone costs almost that much, annually,) divide by number of days, allows a budget of about $20/day for cab fare here in Costa RIca: you could do a lot of moving around doing errands, lunching etc for $20 day. So, we agree, using cabs is certainly preferred method over cars, even just from the financial perspective. I can't imagine overcoming all the other aspects you mentioned, such as dealing with road hazards, pedestrians, bad drivers (no one obeys the traffic signs), insufficient signalization, and, then, to top it all: having to GUARD your CAR 24 hours a day!
ReplyDeleteWe use BUSES as much as possible. Does anyone have any info as to a published local bus route guide? We can only find them for trips out of SJO, and want one for local use, such as: Heredia central to Barrio Socorro, Sto Domingo (we can do this, now, using three buses each way, going thru "Cuatro Esquinas".
Ruth