www.CostaRicaTicas.com

Just back from 10 more days in SJO. Was leaving the gulch area with my novia/amante on Sunday night about 1:30 AM. Transito motioned me over (no PC) harassed me a bit & had me blow into one of the cheapie breathalyzers, then onto the nicer one. I blew 0.061. I was told the legal limit is 0.048.

We went to the Del Ray to meet a friend at 8:00, where I had my first beer. I finished number 7 or 8 at 11:30, 3 1/2 hours later. I weigh 250. I drank water afterwards, leaving at 1:30. I was feeling it a (slight) bit at 11/11:30 & zero when we left. At any rate, ~if~ the limit is 0.048 and ~if~ I blew 0.061, then I was wrong. I bought 6 or seven and my friend bought one; in no case did I have more than 8, most likely 7 - yes I do keep track). I have 27 years experience in law enforcement & have arrested many DWIs, so this was not unfamiliar to me. No standardized field sobriety test was administered.

I told the cop I was a police officer in the US (did not seem to matter) that I was not impaired (did not seem to matter) and how many I had to drink (he basically said I was a liar, which is not/was not the case).

The younger cop takes my novia (33 y/o, gorgeous [by my standards] and intoxicated) over to the side & talks with her. I hear a bit of arguing and hear her say "Como?, plato or sexo?" about 3 times. I motion her to return to me, tell her neither, tell the 1st/older cop he has three choices, impound the car, arrest me or help me. His choice. He basically says "huh?" & I repeat it. Novia says she needs to call her friend who works at Tranisto, they ask who & she tells them.

They leave & return in a bit saying THEY don't want amy more trouble & we can go.

Amante is pissed all the way home, into the night & the next day saying the police in CR are all corrupt & the only reason we were released was because they couldn't shake us down for anything.

Don't know why the suden change in events (in the US I NEVER let a DWI suspect drive off if he's over the limit - park it, get another ride, maybe). The younger cop calls her on our way home and apologizes, saying the older cop is corrupt.

I suspect more calls to her are forthcoming from the young cop though they have not yet materialized. If/when that happens she's been instructed to ask for his full name & tell him not to call any more.

FYI only.

/dddick

Phuck the transitos, they stop every gringo driving in the gulch, looking for an easy pay day. I have gotten pulled (waived) over a few times. They had me blow into their remote control breathalyzer and since I hadn't had any alcohol, he tried to scare me into a bribe because I only had a copy of my passport and not the original. I told him to write me a ticket or Phuck off. He "let" me go. If stopped, be firm but polite, and don't let them scare you into paying a bribe. (And if you'd had 8 beers, you may want to think about taking a taxi, even if technically you are below the legal limit. )

BTW-I recently found out that when driving, tourists are required to have their driver's license and passport on them. Both together serve as the driving document. Missing them will cost you ¢86,000 ($150) each, or the best bribe offer, whichever is smaller. A photocopy is not sufficient (it's analogous to driving at home with a photocopy of your license ).

That is not exactly the case. A tourist was pulled over by a transito and had a DL from their home residence and a copy of their passport but not a copy of their entry stamp. The transito told them they had to have the original passport not a copy and gave them a ticket. When the tourist complained to a local newspaper the paper interviewed the head of the transitos who said that a copy of the passport is acceptable. The confusion apparently came about because the tourist got the impression that the transito was insisting on the original passport when, according to the transitos, they wanted the original passport because the tourist did not have a copy of their entry stamp.

Bottom line is you need your actual DL and either a photocopy of both your passport info page and latest entry stamp OR your original passport.

_________________
Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine

I'm glad things worked out for you. I would have prolly asked the novia for the guys name that she knew in case next time your by yourself..

Maybe he pulled you over just because you were a cop...sux doesn't it?

Kidding of course..

Cujo

_________________
"Pain is the fuel that fans the flames of my pyre. A battle plan is only as good as the general carrying it out on the field. This is my war son, and I have the biggest bombs and the smallest conscience"...

I had a copy of the passport, a copy of the visas (half a dozen though I forgot & the last one was expired by a few days) & my original D/L. Older [more corrupt] cop said I had to have the original Passport. I told him I had talked to at least ten cops & every one said a copy was sufficient. He shook his head and simply walked away at that point. Younger cop said later a copy was fine.

I was wearing my typical gringo camisa (hawaiin shirt to the younger crowd) and because there were other cars near me that may have been why he targeted me. It was at the turn from Calle 11 N/B (just East of the Colonial/HDR), to Ave 3 (after passing under the bridge, making a left turn) to left on that 20 ft section near the parque before you turn right directly in front of the Sleep Inn. As I was making a right in front of the Sleep Inn he stepped in front of another car & motioned for me to stop.

Whatever the issue, it was clear to me none of the cops were in the least bit professional.

BTW - told my amante I wasn't going to drink any more & she said I was crazy - the problem wasn't that I had a few drinks but that they were trying to get a payoff. Haven't decided if I'll cap it at four from now on or skip 'em all together. A taxi to Rohrmoser & back will set me back $30 plus the parking, so if it's that or nothing I'll skip my few beers. Bastards....


/dddick

(She told me the name of her friend but it was one of those typical spanish-sounding names so I promptly forgot it ; I'll write it down when I return next week.)

I would much rather deal with Central/South American cops than their brethren in the USA!

A taxi to Rohrmoser from the gulch or the other way should only be between 3000 and 3500 colones max. I live in Sabana Oeste which is comparable in distance to the gulch as Rohrmoser is and that is what a taxi runs me. How does parking figure into the price?

If I know I am going to have a couple of drinks I never drive. I take a taxi and do not worry about having a problem with the transitos. The 12 to 14 bucks for the taxi is cheap insurance from being hassled or given a very expensive citation.

_________________
Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine

We live very close to Aeroporto Tobias Bolanos & last time it was about 5-6000 by the meter. My car was already parked at the Horeshoe parking garage. So if I plan ahead, it'll be an extra $20-25, which may not be a bad idea.....

/dddick

Triple D,

Isn't that a lot of drinks to be driving? I understand that people have different tolerance levels and limits of impairment, but it still sounds like a lot. A taxi really seems to be the best bet when planning on a night of drinking.

Are the legal limits in Costa Rica different than in the U.S.? What do these limits mean in terms of number of drinks?

_________________
"All them women gonna make me,
teach 'em what they don't know how..." TMIB

Mr. Kick:

In general, people metabolize about 0.5 oz of alcohol per hour (about one beer). In general, the affects of intoxication depend on body weight (the reason slim girls are drunk on two glasses of wine).

So, for me, 5 1/2 hours (8PM - 1:30AM) should have left no more than 2 1/2 equivalent beers in my chubby little body, which should not have been an issue. Time was dramatically in my favor, the same 7 - 8 beers in 2 hours & I would have been blathering. My obesity was also in my favor.

On the other hand, have one accident, kill one K*D after having only had 1/2 a beer & it's a no-win situation you'll regret the rest of your life. In no way am I rationalizing drinnking & driving, just sharing information & my likely plan forward.

/dddick


In the US the typical DWI limit is 0.10 BAC with many states, including my own, now set at 0.08 BAC. Important to understand: WHEN YOU ARE AT THIS LEVEL YOU ARE PRESUMED DRUNK/IMPAIRED. YOU CAN BE ARRESTED & CONVICTED WITH LOWER LEVELS IF THE OFFICER SHOWS YOU ARE IMPAIRED BY OTHER MEANS - HENCE THE TYPICAL STANDARDIZED FIELD SOBRIETY TESTING DONE IN THE UNITED STATES.

That's a pretty big difference in alcohol limits between the U.S. (0.10 or 0.08) and Costa Rica (0.048). The legal limit in CR is roughly half that of the U.S. This is not unusual throughout the world.

A lot would depend on when during those 5 1/2 hours you drank your last beer(s).

Another wild card could be a difference in alcohol content between Costa Rican beers (or imported beers sold there) and American beers in the U.S. Most other countries have beers with higher alcohol contents than the typical mass produced American product.

Of course you could also have been tripped up by the size of your beers. A can or bottle of beer is typically 12 ounces (355 ml) while an American pint is 16 ounces (473 ml) and an Imperial pint (UK) is 20 ounces (568 ml). Of course if you were drinking 'forties' all bets are off

_________________
"All them women gonna make me,
teach 'em what they don't know how..." TMIB

When I first started traveling to Costa Rica, fines were lenient and DUI enforcement was half-hearted. I won't even touch a drop of alcohol now when driving in CR. It sounds like the young cop's infatuation with your amante is what saved the day (or the night, in this case). Be careful, out there!

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Blue Devil

Pura Vida...enjoying life to the fullest...

Mr. Devil: I suspect (and have suspected all along) you are correct.

Another issue, though here in the USA I can't look it up, as I recall, Pilsen is a bit stronger than other beers in CR.

I also suspect my plan forward is zero alcohol while driving, which although a pain in the ass, is probably the prudent/moral/correct approach.

/dddick

CR presently has 2 standards. .05 means you are impaired and are issued a citation and allowed to have someone, who is not impaired, drive you and your vehicle. .075 and above means you are intoxicated and taken to jail. Your vehicle is impounded. These levels are stricter then the U.S. where most jurisdictions use a .08 threshold.

The additional problem in CR is I have never been able to find out if there is any formal protocol for calibrating their breathalyzer equipment. You also are supposedly entitled to demand a blood alcohol test but from what I have heard usually that request is ignored.

_________________
Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine

I live in Sabana Sur and Always use a taxi if I plan to drink. No exceptions. If I'm drinking, I want to relax-not worry about transit police. It's just under 3000 colon to DR and about 3500 to SL.

In addition, I have left my car at the Del Rey many nights and went back the next morning or day to get it.

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* These are the "Good Ole Days". Enjoy Them.

* RENT but, "Don't Buy a Home in Costa Rica" until you have lived here for THREE years.