A dear reader named Camille recently sent The Costa Rica Star the following questions via email. If you have any questions about Costa Rica that you would like answered in a news article, contact us as time permits and we will do our best to find the answers you are seeking.

Here are the questions that she sent to us.

1. What’s up with the high cost of traffic tickets?
2. Should you bribe a policeman?
3. What are some of the best places to buy meat?
4. What is that new card that is needed to access your bank account?
5. Where can one find exceptional value in lodging in a great area to see?
6. What do Ticos really think of us expats?
7. What can you bring in your luggage to Costa Rica?

Here’s our response:

You are a curious one, aren’t you Camille? I presume you are an expat due to the context of your questions, but otherwise I would think you are a Tica based on your thirst for knowledge. You see, Camille, some of the questions you asked in your nice e-mail to us are the kind that Ticos like to have loud conversations about when we go to the pulpería to buy two fresh eggs and 50 grams of natilla for breakfast.

1. Those unconscionable traffic tickets you speak of just got more expensive, according to a report from La Nación. Starting on New Year’s Day 2012, some fines will be increased by 14 percent, which is exactly the amount of the salary raise that judges, prosecutors and other employees of our judicial system will get. That means that drunk and reckless drivers will pay about 468,000 colones for their transgressions – that includes the 30 percent that goes to the Children’s Protection Agency (PANI). Driving without marchamo could now cost you 351,000 colones.

We all agree the fines are steep, but do you think they may be unconstitutional Camille? If you do, then by all means file a complaint before our beloved “Sala Cuarta” (Constitutional Hall). This is one of our most beloved democratic institutions, the highest court in the nation and the most accessible to the public. Anyone can walk to the steps of Constitutional Hall and tender a new filing, without having to go through the arduous process of lower courts and appeal courts; just be sure to explain how you think the fines impinge upon the articles of our Constitution. The tribunal has an obligation to respond within three working days (after all, they just got a nice 14 percent raise), and they will let you know if your case merits further scrutiny. If that’s the case, you would be given the benefit of the doubt and an immediate order to put a stop to the seemingly unconstitutional process would be issued until a final resolution is adopted. This is colloquially known as a “salacuartazo”, and it has managed to stop egregious acts against the citizenry on various occasions.

2. Based on what we discussed above, you should never, under any circumstances, incite a bribe. Here’s why: On the surface, bribery may seem like a reasonable transaction that can fuel the vibrant engine of the underground economy. According to a 2010 survey by Transparency International, 1 in 4 adults around the world confessed that they had engaged in bribery of some sort. Bribes in Latin America usually take place in the spirit of moving things along and keeping things on the hush-hush; and some experiments have shown that bribing children to eat their veggies can be quite effective.

But what happens when bribes backfire? They end up costing a lot more than the original amount of the infraction, which is what happened earlier this year to 236 drivers who heard about a fire sale on license plates at COSEVI -between 50 and 100 thousand colones each. OIJ is now patiently waiting for those drivers to return in 2012 to renew their plates.

Don’t take your chances, Camille. I’ll leave it up to you to decide what to do when a cop asks you for a bribe, or out on a date.

3. Do you live in the Central Valley, Camille? If so, you should take a trip downtown and check out the butcher shops at the Mercado Central, Mercado Borbón, and Mercado de la Coca Cola. The area is a bit chaotic, parking is non-existent, and if you go after 5:00 pm there’s trash everywhere and it resembles Sarajevo circa 1993 -at least until the sanitation army from the Municipalidad tidies everything up the next morning. Other than that, the area is kept safe by constant patrols by members of Fuerza Pública and the Municipal Police, the prices are unbeatable, and there are great cuts to be found if you shop around.

4. Camille, I believe the card you are referring to is the Documento de Identidad Migratorio para Extranjero (DIMEX). This is a new measure that has been postponed until July 12, 2012. It should only apply to foreign residents who wish to make transactions through the Sistema Nacional de Pagos Electrónicos (SINPE). This system allows for easy bank transfers in Costa Rica, and foreign residents would have to present a DIMEX card to be in compliance with the national anti-money laundering law. DIMEX can be used as a form of identification, but it is not required to access bank accounts. It is not yet clear whether the DIMEX requirement will extend to other transactions, which is one of the reasons why it has been postponed. You can learn more about our intricate banking system here.

5. Do you enjoy camping, Camille? I’m not sure what your preferences are regarding lodging, but if you are looking for exceptional value in a scenic part of the country, you should consider Junquillal in Guanacaste. This is a pristine beach populated by marine birds and surrounded by a dry tropical forest filled with parrots that is also known as a premier spot for whale watching. The camping area features picnic tables, barbeque grills, showers, toilets, and fresh water from an artesian well, all for the bargain price of about $2 per night.

6. If you ask every Tico for his or her opinion on expats, you’d come up with 4,031,712 different views, according to recent statistics released by INEC. But if you really want to know what we think of you, Camille, there is a short answer for that. We love you. I believe I’m speaking for quite a few of my fellow countrymen and adorable countrywomen. We are often perplexed by the reasons you have chosen our country to settle in, but globalization is slowly making us understand why. For example, if you come from Nicaragua or Haiti it’s easy to infer why you are here. But we also tend to make silly conjectures; for example, we think Canadians settle here because we believe Canada is a frozen tundra 362.5 days of the year.

7. Articles 114 and 365 of the General Customs Law state that international travelers can bring any type of personal effects or merchandise in “reasonable quantities” as to allow them to live or ply their trade for three months. While this provision of the law leaves itself open to various degrees of interpretation, bringing 4 gallons of Pert shampoo or 7 new iPhones still in their box may fall outside of the law and thus become subject to our exaggerated taxes on imports.