I made my plans and within six months, here I was! Retirement seemed like such a good idea at the time, but sadly, it just did not work out. After five months, I was bored to death. I traveled Costa Rica and enjoyed the life, and after a while, I just settled down near San Jose and tried to just.. well… retire. I found myself watching TV and doing nothing… and frankly, just how much Oprah can anyone watch?

Since that realization, I have started 5 companies here not including The Real Costa Rica web site, that, while not a business, takes a lot of my time. I now work about ten hours per day, but working here is most assuredly not like working in the US. In fact, it is not like working at all! I am happy with life and enjoy the work and meeting new people.

However, the hours are long and my wife, who has worked at Costa Rica’s second largest hospital for over 32 years, is now wanting to work less, travel more, and have me available far more than I am. She has the right to spend more time with me, and I told her I would cut back. I therefore have decided to sell one of my companies and make myself available to her. If you have an interest in owning a (quite profitable) business that requires about 15 hours per week to manage, read on!

I am not going to get into a lot of details here… just enough to let someone decide if they might be interested. Those who are interested and meet the minimum requirements can contact me at the email address below.

The business is somewhat tourist/visitor related but is not seasonal. It was profitable within the first month four years ago, and it has grown consistently since then. I spend between 12-16 hours per week managing the business. It is not a sexy business… not a B & B, restaurant, bar, hotel etc. It is a simple and easily run business that just makes money and is priced reasonable at $80,000.

Requirements for ANY person who wishes to make inquiries are:

• You must live here in Costa Rica now or be arriving (permanently) within 30 days. This business would be difficult if not impossible to run from another country and you must be here to receive training and support for the first few weeks or a month.
• Live in or near San Jose. This business is in the San Jose area and would be quite difficult to run if you do not live in the Central Valley and preferably within 30 minutes of  San Jose
• Must own a car or have access to one 24 X 7.
• Must have the funds required to purchase the business.
• A basic knowledge of the Internet, especially email.
• Residency is not required to own a business in Costa Rica.

This would be an excellent business for anyone needing a decent or supplementary income and not wanting to have to spend a ton of time working. Perfect for a couple maybe not yet ready to retire 100%.

PLEASE, do NOT contact me if you do not meet ALL of the requirements above. Those who do meet the above requirements, please email me here.

*** Include your full name, address, telephone number(s). and a bit of your background. I’ll get back to you promptly.

I received another comment yesterday and again I have decided to reply here as I think more people read the posts than the comments. OK OK… it is sort of another rant and probably should have been posted on July 4th, but here it is. It started out as a simply enough reply… then grew. However as my readers know, at times my self control fails me…which might be why I am not exactly thin!

Ohhh. Haters of the USA or those embarrassed to be an American will probably find this post not to their liking.

Below is a comment sent in yesterday and the stimulous for this reply. If my response might interest you… read on!

I don’t want to come off as a conspiracy theorist, but I do find it to be interesting that this is a problem for you now. My point, a lot of people are disenchanted, to say the least, regarding the current political, economic, etc… here in the US, and are hoping to relocate. Well maybe the powers that be prefer this not to be so easy to do. And therefore prefer not to have someone help make this possible, meaning you. You provide us with the much appreciated, and needed info. Seems as though with the recent CAFTA activity, that Costa Rica wanting to do trade with the US, is going to be pressured to do whatever Uncle Sam asks of them. Remember the disintegration of the middle class, means the corporate big wigs need all the slaves to stay here and consume in order for them to continue to make a profit. Now if we want to live elswhere, we are not here to keep them nice and fat. Ok, after previewing my post, I have to admit I do sound like a nut, or do I? (twilight zone music plays in background).

Yeah… a bit

But I think you are a little confused… at least about me and my status. My permanent residency renewal is not dictated by the US government and the renewal process seems to be going exactly as it should. I doubt there will be issues, but I thought I’d post my experiences so others could follow along to see how it goes. I expect it to go smoothly.

The USA has serious issues for sure, but to blame the current administration is just naive. The fault lies with every administration and congress for the past 20-30 years that exhibited not one modicum of leadership and a complete failure to deal with unpleasant problems like the current oil crisis, social security and numerous other issues.

The current Democratic congress does nothing… no leadership at all… preferring to blame the woes of the world on Bush.

Bush does nothing to demonstrate his leadership preferring to fall into stupid disagreements with congress about Iraq. The result is that nothing gets done on critical domestic issues. What people seem to forget is that either congress or the administration can take a leadership role and begin an initiative. Neither does and neither has for many, many years, preferring to pander to the George Soros’ of the world and to the other big campaign contributors and lobbyists. Want an example? In almost eight years neither Bush NOR congress has made even the slightest real attempt to ween the populace from being just plain pigs when it comes to using fossil fuels… nor did the administration before that nor the one before that… ad nauseum.

The US has about 4% of the world’s population yet uses 20% of the worlds oil. What is wrong with THAT picture?? Now we are at the mercy of high oil prices as China and other countries bid up the price of oil. Everyone blames big oil but they just don’t get it. Oil is a commodity… nothing more. Simple supply and demand. We now buy a ton of oil from the Saudis who then use their profits to fund terrorism and anti-American activities. Really intelligent! I like to think that every time you fill up, you are paying a nice little terrorist tax. We buy from the Saudis because we cannot seem to develop our own oil supplies or better yet, cut back on the use of oil completely. No leadership… again!

This current scenario was clearly visible decades ago, and MANY people warned that this would come to pass. EVERY administration and congress did NOTHING to keep us from being in this position… and they could have! We could have built refineries, encouraged or even forced the use of alternative fuels… Can’t be done? Pottywash! Take a look at Brazil if you want to see how it could have been done!

Now everyone bitches about the $4.00 per gallon gas prices. How silly. If you live in the Netherlands, you pay $12.00 per gallon. England? $11.00 last time I checked. Costa Rica? Over $6.00 probably starting this week! $4.00 fuel is nothing.

People have to leave the USA every day because they can no longer afford to live in their own country. My sister is in the process of moving here as she is in the same position. She gets a nice social security check and has savings, but is living hand to mouth… no room for anything unexpected and she is scared to death. Now she must leave her country.

She and many others will have no choice… but be aware it is not the rich and famous coming here. The ones with money might buy a vacation OR rental home here, but they have no intentions of moving. The ones that are moving here (not all of course) tend to be the less conspicuous consumers e.g. the middle class. I can promise you that a few tens of thousands of people planning to try ex-pat living and who are not at the top of the spending food chain, will not affect the economy of the USA one iota!

CAFTA is enormously complex and I am sure it will both help and hurt some Costa Ricans. Time will tell. In general, I think it will help more than hurt, and clearly the Costa Rica people agreed as it was they who voted YES to the TLC though admittedly not by a huge margin..

I would urge you not to fall into the trap of thinking that anything done by the USA is automatically bad. Those big (and sometimes small) businesses that everyone loves to hate is why the USA is by far and away the greatest country in the world. They were and are the engine. People forget, in the face of the all the recent anti-American press, just how wonderful IS the USA.

I believe the USA has serious issues and is broken. I believe we have wandered away from the basics that made us great. I also believe that it can be fixed, but not with the current lack of leadership in the congress and the white house. Nobody wants to rock the boat, and for sure, the boat needs some serious rocking.

The person who seems to be the forerunner in the US elections has 143 days of experience in the senate and it seems likely he will be soon be in the most important post in the world. To ME this is incredible! Talks nice though. He is, however, sadly lacking in experience and woefully ignorant of world affairs… but there you have it. The system continues.

We elect people simply not up for the job or simply not qualified. Many of those who could do the job want nothing to do with politics. Go figure! Obama will be surrounded/supported by a completely useless democratic congress that has already demonstrated that it is incapable of doing anything positive on behalf of the people they represent, and like all the congresses before, is totally lacking the leadership to make tough and unpopular decisions to save our country. They are far more interested in kowtowing to their monied supporters than in doing what is necessary to save our country.

The once honorable press distorts or fails to report the news unless it serves their own interest. They feed a never ending stream of untruths and encourage Americans to hate their own country. I mean can you IMAGINE actually working for The New York Times or CNN?? How embarrassing! How can they face their children at night?

I do not have a solution. I’d like to see people elected who care about the USA and will take strong and decisive action to lead and protect the USA. Ain’t gonna happen this election year I fear, and soon, I think the USA will soon become vulnerable once again to terrorism and attack as Obama tries cut the military and to placate an armed force whose only interest is the total destruction of the United States.

In summary, I love the USA and I am very proud if its accomplishments and forgiving of its failures.

Every once in a while I like to listen to a broadcast from back in 1973. Thirty five years have passed, but listening to and reading it still makes me want to just stand up and cheer. Thanks to our press and the naysayers, we can easily forget just how great is our country.

Thirty five years have passed, but the intelligent reader/listener will still see amazing similarities to our world today. Listen, read and think.

To read and listen to this broadcast and learn the background, click here … or you can just listen here to the The Americans

I listen to it a couple of time a year. Every time I do, it make me feel very proud to be American with all the good and bad that comes it.

For sure we are not perfect. We stumble and fall… but wow. What an honor to be called American.

Stand Proud America

However, I did not want to discard it, and I decided it might be of general interest to a lot of readers, especially to older folks considering a trip to Costa Rica and more especially to older women who might like to travel together! Here is the account or the trip taken by Della and her female companion and written by Della.

My friend Joanna was treated to a Costa Rica ‘resorts only’ trip by her son and daughter in law last December. She came back psyched about living there and wanted to explore more of Costa Rica. So, I signed up on the ‘Real Costa Rica blog’ and started following comments -

We left San Diego, Ca. March 27th, having taken Frontier Airlines (cheapest, and least time spent) to San Jose. We had reserved a 4wh. dr. SUV, and headed out to explore the Nicoya Peninsula. We had a map from the rental office, and headed out, the hair on our back rising as we maneuvered getting out of San Jose. Once accomplished, and taking the ferry from Punterenas, we were much calmer and happier starting on our adventure.

We did follow the ‘rules for tourists’ as you mentioned, always taking our bags in at night, always having our auto within our sight. We did not wander at night -

Ticos seemed curious, interested and surprised to see two Sr. Citizens out and about, through back roads and inland, through small communities and farmland, and everyone we met was friendly, kind, helpful, and informative. Most did not speak English, we do not speak Spanish, but we learned the important words and used sign language to get around. We had such a wonderful time. We wanted to be in the culture, among the people, and we did just that. Pharmacias, cabinos, bancos, agua, banas, fruitas, we got by. Oh yes, we learned to say ‘mucho gusto’.

We stayed in family run cabins, and felt very safe.

I did most of the driving, and the mountains were the adrenalin pumpers for me – blind curves, large trucks, with only room for one vehicle at a time – sideless bridges, ruts in the ‘roads’ more like mud or gravel trails, that was more scary than anything else, but, we managed well.

Being able to stop when we saw a little ‘art shed’ and seeing the lovely art work, and being invited to meet the family – see the baby parrots, and Tucan, in the back yard, meeting the family’s children, both of us willing to try to communicate, giggling at our attempts – even in the off the beaten path, money was no problem as nearly everyone counted in dollars.

We usually were given a ‘typical breakfast’ included with our cabin, in the a.m. I like eggs over easy, and this is not very common I guess so I asked if I could make them myself, so they let me make them, in their kitchen.
Fun…

We found a glorious little teak cabin that one family had put up, cut into the mountain, overlooking the vastness below, and the ocean way in the distance. Breathtaking.
Since it was the end of the dry season, water was sometimes low, and these people were so sorry the town had cut the water, that they gave us not only a wonderful breakfast, typical style, but made fresh corn tortillas and lots of rice and beans, and cut mangos to take with us for lunch. They showed us their cage full of quail and eggs they considered a real delicacy.

It was odd to me that near the ocean, it was so hot – due to the proximity to the equator. Hadn’t thought of that….

Montezuma we liked a lot, we stayed in a very nice hotel, and the restaurants were superb…. Cobano was like going back in time 60 or 70 years. our last two days we stayed in San Jose, with our auto parked in the hotel ‘basement’ at night. We found the hotel as it was getting dark, and were glad of it, because a few blocks away as we were looking for a bed and breakfast sign we had seen, we found ourselves in a huge very ‘ghetto’ neighborhood, then a few blocks further, a neighborhood with lovely homes, completely ironed in, driveway and all, and men with billy clubs and dogs guarding the streets.’

The hotel staff was friendly, informative and fun to converse with as well. A huge park several blocks away had an art festival every Sunday and we found some great treasures.

My friend is still interested in living there, but I have a bad back, and cannot imagine driving the roads there, where about l% of the country, it seems, is paved.

I am thankful we had the ‘Real Costa Rica blog’ as our guide -

If she does move, she has no rose colored glasses on now, and will more than likely rent, and not buy. Very good help on that.

I will come again to visit!!! – and learn more Spanish as well. We arrived back home on April l3th. It was the best l7 day adventure we have ever had. People are people, everywhere, and looking for the similarities, and being willing to explore the differences, using common sense, looking forward to each day’s difference as we headed out in the am was really very special.

So this is a great thank you for the time and effort put into keeping the blog going, and people contributing as well.

Thanks for the nice words and thanks for sharing your vacation with us. I enjoyed reading your account, and I hope my readers will also.

(Next time you come, do read The REAL Costa Rica main web site. Then you will know just how hot are the beaches in Costa Rica.)

I was speaking to the owner of one of the larger moving companies some while back, and he told me that he is now moving back “home” more than 50% of the customers he moved here originally. That is a helluva statistic, and he should know. I tend to believe this as I get more and more email from people who have made the decision to move here after spending little and sometimes no time in this country. Sadly, some have no option as they are just now realizing that they simply cannot afford to retire and live in their home country. This is true especially of many folks from the USA.

So can anything be done so that you do not become one of those statistics returning home tail twixt your legs? I think so! The first thing that you must realize is that every single thing you do every day while living here will be different than it was before. Getting a haircut, stopping at the drug store, going to the cleaners, taking kids to schools, shopping for food or clothes, dealing with the metric system… everything will change.

The key to all this is communication! Supermarkets, drugstores, dry cleaners here look about the same as they do “back home”. The difference is the language. If they all just spoke your native language like English, things would be great, right?

To those who have visited Costa Rica or will do so prior to coming, you must remember that you will be living (or lived) in an bubble. You’re surrounded by English speakers and in some hotels, French and German speakers as well. This is the tourist Costa Rica and not the REAL Costa Rica. In the real Costa Rica, Spanish is the language, and to really get comfy here and enjoy the expat lifestyle, you gotta learn Spanish.

There are numerous language courses, a few of which are advertised on the side of this page. The problem is that the good ones are not cheap. So with that in mind, I thought I’d introduce you to Coffee Break Spanish (CBS). CBS is presented more or less free, and they take you from nothing to survival Spanish pretty quickly and easily. You can listen online, download the lessons to your computer or listen on your iPod or mp3 player. You can even burn them to a CD.

So to all you future expats… start now and pick up the lingo. I cannot promise and 100% easy transition to Costa Rica, but I can promise it will go a whole lot smoother.

Helpful link: Spanish Schools in Costa Rica

I have ranted about that area for some time now, and only the people who actually live there knew what I was referring to. The old saying about “S–t flows down hill” has always been correct, and now, “down hill” means Jaco and points north and south.

This first came to my attention about four years ago when I read the incredible book, Costa Rica from Space, now no longer available. This book, published by Earth University, first detailed concerns and gave warning about the lack of sufficient waste treatment in Costa Rica and its long term effects.

This was confirmed only a year later by friends with beach property north of Jaco who were even then unable at times to use their beaches because of the black water (agua negra or raw sewage) flowing untouched from nearby rivers. Now the unrestrained growth in that area has finally gotten official attention.

Featured in today’s La Nacion, the headline reads, “Playa Jacó en peligro de ser insalubre dentro de 5 años”, or “The beaches in Jaco will be (unhealthy – but this really means unusable for use due to pollution) within 5 years.”

I am sure this will delight all those who have plunked down vast sums to get in on the Jaco-Quepos land rush.

I have no doubt the folks at Marriott’s Ocean & Golf Resort, Los Suenos are just thrilled to be reading this. What was not said is that already people have complained about the water as far south as Manual Antonio!

Above is a chart published by the (Costa Rica) water department.

You must click on it to get a readable size, but it bodes a scary future for those who live or plan to live in that area.

I guess the thing that concerns me the most is a number of baby-boomers who are moving into that area totally unaware of the potential problems.

The good news is that if they (and the developers) take strong action now, this dismal 5 year forecast can avoided.

I am now doing a 100% change in that position. If this subject interests you, read on…

When I first arrived in Costa Rica, the colon was valued at about 372 colones to the dollar. I watched it devalue every day until last October, 2006 when the Central Bank changed its policy and allowed the colon to float against the dollar, thus allowing the market to determine the exchange rate. I blogged about this here. The Central Bank permitted both the state and private banks to set their own exchange rate.

At the time, I had no idea exactly what would prevail, but after ten months, I am amazed that that the colon has maintained total stability against the dollar. If you look at the exchange rate chart in that October post, you will see the exchange rate today is within 1-2 colones set by the banks in October 2006! Incredible…

So why the change in position?

It is becoming more and more clear that the correct exchange rate against the dollar should be (depending on your source) somewhere around 464-468 colones to the dollar. The Central Bank has been making noises about this for some time now as have the World Bank and others. This makes perfect sense if you think about it as the dollar here in Costa Rica has not seen any devaluation even though all other major currencies (The Euro for example) have reflected this devaluation. Why would the dollar be worth the same here when it is worth less in nearly every other country?

It is now my opinion that sometime within the time period of from 4 to 8 months from now, the Central Bank may very likely set the exchange rate to somewhere in that range (high 460’s). See why below. This will devalue the dollar against the colon and THAT will have a profound effect on those of you with dollar accounts or CD’s here in Costa Rica.

Just some of the effects will be:

• You will be able to buy dollars with fewer colones.
• You will receive fewer colones when you exchange dollars. Not good.
• Anyone receiving a salary or other income in colones will receive a windfall increase in pay or income.
• The cost of tourism will increase accordingly as the dollar will buy less as it does now in numerous other countries. The Euro is a great example.
• Money kept in a dollar account will be worth about ten percent (10%) less overnight.
• Those who have their social security benefits sent to Costa Rica will find they will have less buying power.

The Central Bank has for some years been very concerned about dolarization (see other Post) and this change would not only resolve that issue completely, it will have a profound effect on the national debt.

The national debt is currently running to about $10 billion, and has become a huge problem for Costa Rica. To retire this debt would require a payment of almost $3.000 per person, a staggering number given that that is about the average yearly income for a family in this country. In fact, the servicing of this debt is so expensive that only a small portion of the country’s income is actually being spent on maintaining Costa Rica. This helps explain the poor roads condition, insufficient policing (crime), and numerous other issues with the country’s infrastructure. Thus it is easy to see why it is truly is a possibility that the the Central Bank may take this action. This in turn, would likely allow the country to borrow at lower interest rates.

So what if the Central Bank does not do this? Well before October 2006, if you held colones, you watched as your money devalued daily. Not a happy condition! But since October 2006, this is no longer an issue! The currency is stable.

So as you now have a choice, why take the chance? You have nothing to lose and a lot to gain.

Therefore, it is my opinion that the smart person now hold colones and not dollars. If the Central Bank does revalue the colon, you stand to make a windfall of about 10% if your money is in colones! If they do not revalue, who cares? You really lose nothing as the colon is now stable against the dollar.

Comments welcome!

Follow-up and related posts have been made.

To see them please click http://blog.therealcostarica.com/category/banking-in-costa-rica/

Our money needs change as we age. A thirty-something person or couple can afford a lot more risk in their money management style knowing that they have another 30-40 years to “balance” the ups and downs. A bad stock decision is far less important at age 32 than at age 62. Therefore, I am directing this post to the over 50 crowd who are not in the market for a $2 million beach front home in Costa Rica. If you can afford that, then you have little need for anything I have to say.

My preference for security of funds is of course is still the United States. Why? You have options! The FDIC for one. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation makes keeping your money safe in any number of banks and S&Ls about as worry free as you can get. You do pay a price for this. Savings deposits in the US earn truly horrible interest rates, often barely keeping pace with inflation. If you are willing to waive the FDIC security blanket, the US stock market can provide a much nicer return on your money, but the risk of course is greater. It is still, however, the only way I know of to earn more than the Costa Rica inflation rate (see below). But what about Costa Rica?

First, there is no FDIC or equivalent here though the state banks of Costa Rica do guarantee your deposits (but not so if you use online banking!) though the recovery process is, as I understand it, very slow… maybe measured in years.

There are also a number of private banks that offer various investment instruments, but theoretically they could close the doors and be gone. Costa Rica does a fair job of monitoring both state and private banks, so while closures of private banks have occurred, they are certainly not frequent. Me? I keep my funds in savings accounts in three banks here. Two are private and the third is a state bank. The interest I receive is pretty crummy, maybe 1-2%, so I started investigating my options.

As inflation is running at 8% (government figures) or 13.2 % (TicoGrande figures), getting a 2% return is not so wonderful. You can buy Certificates of Deposit (CD’s) here for terms of from one to 12 months at rates of from 5.25% to 6.7% (source BAC – 28 July 2007) which is better as you are now only losing 2 % of your money to inflation. But… I found something pretty interesting along the way!

As everyone knows, the US Federal Reserve Bank is not a real bank. You cannot run down and open an account. Here in Costa Rica though, the Central Bank here IS a real bank and operates as such. Therefore it should not have been a surprise when I came across this page on their web site. It appears that the Central Bank is offering interest rates as much as .8% more than the other banks, state or private. While this is not a huge deal, you never have to go to the bank to avail yourself of this. You can subscribe over the Internet, transferring funds in as needed.

So what are the advantages?

1. You get a bit more interest.
2. Your money is in the most secure location in Costa Rica that it can possible be in. If this bank fails, your money would be the least of your worries. It would mean Costa Rica itself has failed.
3. Sometimes you may simply have extra money in an account and you want to put it to work for as little as a few days or for as long as a year but do not want the hassles of going buying a CD which requires a trip to the bank. It also might be great for businesses with excess cash flow.

Here is a chart showing the yield information as of today.

Currency is in colones but I added the equivalent in dollars.

Here are some links to assist you. Spanish required of course.

https://www.centraldirecto.fi.cr/OpcionesInversion.aspx

https://www.centraldirecto.fi.cr/Principal.aspx

This post is copyrighted 2007 by The REAL Costa Rica Blog and may not be used in any form without permission.

This was submitted to me complete with a great photo by Ronna von Knorring, a transplant from Kansas who blogs here.

As a fair number of my readers seem to be very curious about the creepie crawlies who live here (no, I am NOT talking about those guys hanging around the bars in Jaco), I thought I’d publish her submission! Enjoy!

I don’t know much about these beautiful caterpillars other than that the have a nasty sting. They were out in FORCE on our southern Pacific coastline property in Costa Rica in October 2005. They seemed to really enjoy eating the leaves from our balsa tree as well as crawl into our home. We would find them making their cocoons in the strangest places like a fold in a hammock, in a dark corner near our ceiling and in tarps hanging here and there.

I had seen enough shows on the Discovery Channel to know that the “flashier” and “brighter” some animals and insects are, the more harm they can cause. Having encountered another fancy caterpillar previously that I got too close to, I knew to leave these well enough alone.

One day I was at our outdoor sink when I saw one that had fallen from the tree overhead. Not wanting for it to be in a place where it couldn’t get out, I picked up a nearby leaf and scooted the beauty on to it. As I attempted to toss the leaf and caterpillar over our hedge, I got struck by one of the barbs. OUCH!

They really pack a punch. I instantly felt the pain that is similar to a wasp sting. The intensity lasted about 10 minutes.
I’ve seen pictures of the Morpho Butterfly (the blue one) in its caterpillar stage, and it is even more extravagant looking than this one. As beautiful as they both are, and as “soft” as their spikes might seem to the touch, stay away from these, and other, character filled creatures.

For readers who want to learn more about the various bugs, snakes and other critters, check out The Real Costa Rica.

I am doing a midterm report on your website, and was wondering if you could answer some questions (10 or so) for my report. My report is due in a few days so hopefully I hear back from you soon.

I get about five of these each month. My response is always the same. Sorry kid. I had to do my own homework… now you have to do yours. It is a rule of life. You have 500 pages to work with. Go read it.

Yes, I AM mean. I spent a lifetime getting to be an old curmudgeon and I am proud of it.

Someone told me that Docker type shorts are unacceptable in the Central Valley.Long pants only.

Good question! Shorts of any brand are perfectly OK in San Jose on the street, hotels, restaurants, etc, BUT many government ofices and ministrys do not permit the wearing of shorts in their offices, nor will the State run psyciatric hospitals (don’t ask me how I know this).

Do shuttle drivers usually get tipped in Costa Rica as it is here in the US? What would be consired sufficient funds required to enter Costa Rica?

Everyone expects a tip including shuttle drivers, and as for how much cash to bring, how would I know that? You can always get cash here at an ATM. Bring lots. I expect a tip too.

I will be traveling to CR very soon and I would like to know if I am able to use any kind of credit card while I am there. You know like your most popular ones MC, VISA, DISCOVER, or AMERICAN EXPRESS.

All but Discover. Nobody accepts that card (except for me).

I have read in books on Costa Rica that children and babies drink coffee, is this true? Is it regular or decaf? How much do they drink in a day? One bottle?

When I received this, my first thoughts were, “How Silly!” Then, because this IS Costa Rica, I thought maybe I’d just better ask! Glad I did! In Costa Rica, it is not uncommon to give coffee to babies (in their bottle, with milk) and to young children. I found this astonishing! Having had the “pleasure” of the company of various two year olds at times in my life, I simply can not imagine a two year old on espresso! Good question!

I’ll be heading there for a month this summer with my firends(a group of girls) and I was wondering if you have time could you tell us what areas that are unsafe or any cultural information we should know about

When traveling here, be cautious. Crime is VERY comon, especially in San Jose and more especially, at night. Take taxis and don’t be out on the streets after dark in the city. In beach areas, it is the same. Travel together in groups. Do not carry valuables… and most of this is already covered in The Real Costa Rica as is cultural stuff. Did you read it?

we are planning on retiring in CR, are you allowed to bring plants in the country

Generally not… and definitely not without a ton of paperwork from both your country and Costa Rica. Also, not sure why you would want to? Brings to mind the old saying about bringing coal to Newcastle.

We actually love the accomodation and ease of living in a yurt. Do you know of any reason we would not be allowed to purchase land and put a yurt up, rather than build a house.

What’s a yurt?

Seriously, for those of you great unwashed who know not what is a yurt, I have provided a couple of photos. Yurts, among the oldest indigenous shelter designs, were originally conceived by nomadic Mongolians, whose Shamanist beliefs dictated the round shape that connects North and South, West and East.

The original ones did not have windows (not a good idea in Costa Rica), but the modern ones do and even have doors! Not sure about plumbing though… and if they do, you can sorta kiss off the privacy thing. Everthing and everyone is sort of “out there”.  I think though, you have to revert to the days of the privy! This might be ideal though for you aging hippie boomers who missed the communal thing… but I digress.

As there are few if any zoning laws in Costa Rica, and the few that exist are seldom enforced, I am guessing a yurt would not be a problem at all! Considering that many dwellings, especially in the country are little more than shacks, a yurt would seem to be a fine upgrade to the general vistas. Another good thing is that you can place the bars on the inside!

So come on down and build your yurt. You can commune! Why you could practice yoga in your yurt! (neat alliteration huh??) I wanna see it when you’re done!

Some of the questions are pretty good and my reply may be of interest to others… so here they are! As always, I generally do not edit emails though I DO protect the identity of the writer as, sadly, some folks appear to be borderline literate. I may also shorten them a bit showing only the relevant question.

I am gogin to be in Playa Grande area soon and would liek to know where teh nearest Catholic Church is. KNow of anyone I coudl email for wheres and whens?

This is a seriously Catholic country. As such you will never be farther than a few hundred yards from a Catholic church in nearly any town in Costa Rica.

What would be avg rent of a house 2 bdrm of a annual salary of 35000? near beach anywhere in costa rica

Huh?

One thing, do you have the names of some reputable dentists/doctors in CR that you could forward on to me? I will be travelling over frequently and badly need some attention to my smile!

I get a LOT of these emails. I generally do not make these recommendations except to those folks who have actually moved and are living in Costa Rica. Just like in the US, many (especially cosmetic dentists) are overpriced and cater to “rich” foreigners, and I will not assist in their promotion. I have a new dentist, and I will recommend her AFTER at least one or two years as it takes that long to determine if a dentist is doing a good job. Most can do fine for cavities… it is the more evolved stuff that takes time to evaluate.

… We plan on looking for a nice area that is safe, and friendly on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica. Any local knowledge you can give, or suggestions from your own experience would be great! Thanks. I am an avid surfer, so I will be bringing my board too!

First, the Caribean side is almost like a different country. It is generally hotter and more humid at any time of the year. It also (despite what many say), wetter. It is also worth a look if you are thinking about a move to Costa Rica. It is raw beautiful and not overbuilt.

However, I do not ever make recommendations as to where to live in this country. There are just too many options and I compare making suggestions as to where to live as me choosing what toothbrush is best for you. You have to try it. Time and again, I tell people NOT to buy anything when they first arrive. Spend at least six months to a year exploring the country. There are so many excellent choices, but where depends on you. Do you like the heat and humidty of the beaches? Many do. I do not. Other factors may include proximity to important infrastructure like theaters, shopping (not much on that coast BTW), and medical care. The latter is very important for those of you not on the sunny side of age 60! Medical care, and by this I mean serious emergency care, is generally not available at the beaches, east or west. Can you afford to be a 3-5 hour drive to San Jose if you suffer from any serious health issue? A stroke? Heart attack? While there are certainly facilities in these beach areas, they do not compare to the services offered in the Central Valley by the Cima or Clinica Bilblica hospitals or even the local CAJA hospitals.

In any case… LIVE here before buying. Learn the culture and the country, and remember that about 40% of those who move here return “home” in a year or less. In fact, I would urge anyone coming here to not enter into any arrangment that cannot be “undone” with a few phone calls. Living here is NOT the same as visiting, or as I am fond of saying, the tourist Costa Rica is not The Real Costa Rica.

Finally, the surfing on the Caribbean side is beyond dangerous. Unless you are rated by your peers as a near-pro, be so very careful. The reefs and coral are killers and the seas on that side are very different than on the west coasts.

Thank you for the abundance of information. Very good stuff. Some of it funny, some a little scary. Not quite sure if I should be excited about moving to CR or scared to death!!

The answer to the question you did not ask is, “Be both!”.

where are the multitude of good golf courses in cr?

Great question! Every time I think I covered everything in The Real Costa Rica, along comes a question like yours and I realize I blew it. Sadly, doing some research on this, I found there are no really good web sites that list all of them. Odd!

In any case, here are six that I know of:

• Cariari is located just off the Pan American Highway between the San Jose airport and San Jose. Considered by most to be the premier course in the country, it is open to members only, but I believe it is also available to guests staying at the Hotel Cariari. Fairways are diffilcult and appear to be about 9 feet wide. Not true of course, but use your irons anyway.
• Parque Valle Del Sol is located near Santa Ana. Nice 18 hole course, fun but not too challenging. If you see my son out there, tell him to bring back my clubs.
• Los Sueños Marriott is cleverly located at the Los Sueños Marriott close to Jaco. As with a beach areas, it is hotter’n hell so bring your deodorant.
• Playa Conchal Northwest. THE Garra de León Golf Course Garra de León Golf Course is an oceanside course is located in Guanacaste at the Paradisus Playa Conchal Hotel. Very popular course in beautiful surroundings.
• Hacienda Pinilla is just a short drive from the Playa Conchal course. I have no more reliable info on this course.
• The Four Seasons. If you have more money than God, by all means consider this course. It is part of the Four Seasons hotel chain also known as “If you have to ask our room rates, you should not be staying here” hotel. As I do not have such funds… I have no personal experience. In fact, I cannot even afford to visit their lobby which I understand requires a payment of $50 (if you don’t stay over). This may be an urban legend, but I don’t think so!

I also believe there is a course in Tambor, but could not find any info.

The courses above are all 18 hole courses. There are several 9 holers, but for true golf nuts, playing nine holes is like kissing your sister.

This is not a real question. It is a composite of about 50 emails: “We are moving to Costa Rica. How much should we pay for a house, condo, townhome, apartment located on the beach, in the mountains, by a volcano, in the country, in San Jose, blah blah blah.

I am not a realtor and I will never answer these types of questions. I will provide the following suggestions which about 80% will ignore. This is GOOD as it keeps the realtors very happy! You, however, will not be so happy.

Buying

Do not buy anything until you have lived here for at least six months and have traveled the country. If you do, you will almost assuredly overpay AND you will be in a location that very likely will not be where you want to live. You MUST learn this country to avoid getting taken. There are no Multiple Listing Services here, and you WILL pay more than you should

Renting

Come to Costa Rica and stay a few weeks at a decent aparthotel. This is a combo apartment/hotel with full kitchen, etc. Then explore the SPANISH newspapers such as La Nacion for rentals. This means you must learn a bit of Spanish. When you find something, have a Tico call and verify prices. Then YOU call to see if the price is the same. If so… go take a look. That is how you will save a ton of money and get a nice place to live until you do decide to buy. NOTE: Figure you will overpay by 30-70% if you shop for rentals in a English language newspaper. Ticos are not stupid. They know you will be at a disadvantage if you do not speak the language.

My wife and I want to do a late honeymoon. I have been attracted to Costa Rica because of the tropical setting that some more destinations cannot match. We are looking to go in the Summer (possibly July). Is it worth comming then. I have read that this is peak rainy season. Will there be too much rain? Would the heat be unbearable? I know that I should probably just break down and see a travel agent. But I think this site is fantastic and was hoping you might have a suggestion.

Is a “late honeymoon” also known as a vacation? Got kids?

Like the real estate questions, I generally do not give travel advice as I just don’t know you. I will, however, provide a but of guidance about some of your concerns. First, read this. If you come in the rainy season you will save money. You just need to plan ooutdoor activities for the morning as the afternoons will be very wet. This obviously limits your activities and only you can make that decision.

July… and the North American summer is not the hot season here in Costa Rica. The hottest month is March… in the high season.

As for what to do and where to go, break down and speak with a Costa Rica travel agent. By this I mean a travel agent located in Costa Rica. While there are some fine TA’s in the states, many have never set foot in Costa Rica and really have done nothing more than read the literature sent to them by hotels, B&B’s, canope tour operators, white water rafting companies and so on. Many CR travel agents have toll free service to Costa Rica and you can actually speak to someone who lives here and has visited these places and done these things. They can make suggestions based on what your input is to them i.e. your general health, preference for activities, love of heat and beaches, social life, budget, etc. There are so many “hidden” treasure spots here and so often, they either choose not to advertise heavily or are just crummy at marketing themselves. As a matter of fact, next week, I am taking my wifey to just such a spot less than 30 miutes from San Jose that is just delicious! Only a handful of people here know about it. I would guess that 90% of US agents have no idea it exists! Good luck!

Who the hell says, “my brand spanking new wife”. MORON

Dear Moron,

Or was that you calling ME a moron.  Who knows!

Well, I guess I do. Sounds like something I could have said. Thanks for commenting! Gosh! Guess I need”cool” lessons huh?!

Fondly,

The (other) Moron