www.CostaRicaTicas.com

I guess that I have been lucky in the past. My passport has become dog earred and frayed, and sometime about a year ago I ran it through the washer. The picture has deteriorated to the point that, altho half still looks like me, it could be argued that it was someone else. Then in Sept. upon leaving CR on my forth trip this year, a middle aged, reddish brown haired, female agent took my passport in the backroom, came back out asking questions and for my driver's license. She came back out again and let me leave the country. My friend, who hasn't been to CR since he was there in Feb., was all excited about going down for four days after a meeting in Miami. He was all loaded up with body glitter and thongs for the chicas, a large container of vitamins, all kinds of pictures of Dead Presidents, and enough condoms for an army. He was calling every day from Miami on a countdown to his arrival to the Land of Plenty. I had even left money earlier in the week with Cristina to buy him his first drink. Yesterday he left Miami at noon scheduled to arrive at the DR at 3ish and be elevator surfing by 4pm. At 8 I got a call from him(which was surprising because I knew his cell didn't work in CR). The same female agent that had questioned my passport in Sept. noticed that that plastic had separated a little by the picture on his passport, and she proceeded to stick her finger into the small opening and tear the plastic right open, exposing the whole lower quarter of his passport. She then said passport malo, to which he said "you made it malo". It was all downhill from there. Another male agent put him on a plane back to Miami--his shortest trip to CR in 8 years---and he didn't even get to stop by the Duty Free store to pick up some Flor de Cana. Needless to say, we are both going to get new passports this week. If any of you get in the line with this immigration agent made sure your passport is in excellent shape

It doesn't pay to give those agents a hard time, they can play hardball with you if they want.

My passport got a little rugged 2 years ago when I took a CR nature river tour looking for sloths, monkeys, birds, alligators, etc., etc. I got up at 5:00 am for the tour. I sat in an open boat with a poncho on. My passport was in my back pocket. We went down the river in what had to be the hardest rain I ever experienced. My passport got soaked and frayed. To this day, they can't scan my passport like they usually do. They have to enter my numbers manually and this seems to frustrate the agents.

Zebra

I travel the world often and I keep mine very very well kept. I even have a leather cover I keep it in so it is almost as new looking as the day I got it. It does pay to take care of your passport cause getting stuck in another country is not alway a good thing.

On a recent trip I was told by a female agent (could be the same one) that I was running out of pages and I needed to get a new passport. Went to the US embassy and they put in about 12 more pages while I waited for free.
LVSteve

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Just an old horney, fat gambler.

LVSteve,
I'm getting to that point. I only have 3 more empty pages left in my passport, but it doesn't expire until 2008. Once all my pages are full, is there somewhere in the U.S. that I can go for more pages, or do I need to get a whole new passport? Thanks for any info on this.....
Mikey-B

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You ALWAYS have an option ....... "NEXT" !!!

Mik;
No, you don't need to get a new passport. Either go to the passport office nearest you in Fla. OR, go to the US Embassay here in Pavas (all the taxis know where it is). They will insert and bind in more pages to your existing PP for free. Takes about an hour, so be patient.
LVSteve

_________________
Just an old horney, fat gambler.

LVSteve,
Thanks for the info. Maybe I'll see you in MIA next time we cross paths !!!!
Happy Holidays.
Mikey-B

_________________
You ALWAYS have an option ....... "NEXT" !!!