Scooters and Pharmacies

So, I posted before about the scooters we got, which we are loving.  This is a good thing, since we have been without a car since August 2.  While our friend was visiting the States, we borrowed his, but since he got back, we have been solely using the scooters. 



Basically, when you move to Costa Rica and drive a car here, you have 90 days to pay the taxes on it.  This is not simple though.  You have to leave the car with a customs agent who has to have someone from the government inspect it and put a *value* on it.  This is not based on USA blue book.  It's their calculation.  You have to turn over a copy of the title as well as the invoice from purchasing the vehicle, your passport copy and some other random items.  Once they determine the value, you pay between 30-50% tax to bring your car into the country.  This seems really high, however, buying a car here is SUPER expensive and will be about 50% higher than the USA anyway, so either way, you are going pay this *tax*.  Anyway, there have been some complications with getting a valuation on our car.  First, our car is a 2013 Nissan Xterra, which apparently has not been valued yet in Costa Rica.  So, this is confusing for them I guess.  We are supposedly going to have the car back next week, but as with anything in Costa Rica, I am not holding my breath or holding anyone to that approximation.  It will be nice to have it back as it is rainy season, so we basically cannot do anything that involves leaving our house if it is raining.  And you totally cannot predict the rain.  Some days, nothing.  Other days, rains all day.  We try to when we see it is sunny, get on the bikes and do what we need to do, like the gym, grocery store, any errands.

Anyway, back when we first started riding the scooters, I started hopping on the back of Kurt's bike because it was just easier.  There is this hill and bump at the end of our street that had gotten worse because of the rain and some work trucks that came through.  The wheel on Kurt's turned weird and the scooter fell.  We were barely moving, so it just kind of tipped over.  Kurt fell one way, I fell the other.  The way I fell, my leg fell on the exhaust? which is very hot.  So, a big part of my leg was burned, like really far down.  I did not even realize this at first.  I thought I had scrapped my leg really badly.  I was shaking it hurt so bad and started to walk home because there was no way in hell I was getting back on the scooter, LOL.  Got home and realized it was burned.  It hurt so bad though, I could not even touch it.  Kurt got some bandages for me and I put those on, but they were not really good since when I would change them over, they would pull skin off that was regrowing.  This was all right before we had Lisa and Brian in town, so I avoided going to the pharmacy to get something.  Once they left, we went to the pharmacy and they gave me a cream that was an antibiotic, pain reliever and something else I can't recall.  This stuff worked immediately.  It made me feel better and it started to heal the area.  So, now it is totally healed for the most part.  However, it is still red and looks crappy.  I am hoping it eventually looks like my actual *leg* again and not like an injury.

I quickly got over my fear of the scooter though and jumped back on.  No falls since.  That part of the road is fixed now and before it got fixed, I was getting off the bike and Kurt would walk it up.  He felt really badly I got hurt and he was not going to fall there again with my on the bike.

Kurt's allergies have started to act up here again, so he took his old Flonase nose spray into the pharmacy to get it filled.  They don't have Flonase here, but they gave him something similar that he says is working.  Whoot.  Love not having to visit a dr to get a prescription. It rocks.