As everyone knows gourmet coffee shops are the rage in the U.S. In some cities like New York and Seattle it seems like there is a Starbucks or other gourmet coffee shop on almost every corner and in most malls. In Costa Rica gourmet coffee shops are not as widespread but they do exist. So by moving here you won’t miss out on your favorite coffee drink. You’ll also have the opportunity to savor the country’s world-famous coffee for less than you would pay for it in the States.

McDonald’s McCafes  are the most ubiquitous gourmet coffee shops here. Almost every McDonald’s has one in their restaurant. Besides coffee drinks they offer a selection of mouth-watering pastries and cakes.

Java City, Trigo Miel, Spoon, the Hotel Costa Rica and  El Patio are other establishments offering similar products. Café Delicias with branches in Grecia, Alajuela and San Ramón, is very popular with expatriates.

Just as in the States many of these cafes offer wireless Internet to attract customers. McDonald’s even supplies their own computers. Every morning I try to go to the McCafé in my hometown of Heredia where Costa Ricans and foreigners can be found reading the local newspaper, socializing with friends or using their computers while they sip on a cup of steamy coffee. I really relish this part of my daily routine. In fact, my day feels incomplete if I don’t go to there.

One of the major concerns of people moving to another country is boredom and what to do to stay busy.

In Costa Rica one of the most enjoyable activities is dancing. Not only is it fun but it is incredible aerobic exercise. Thus, you can have a good time and stay fit all in one.

Costa Ricans love to dance. They can been found heating up the dance floor almost every night of the week. Dancing is a great way to learn about the culture and make Costa Rican friends.

The most popular dances here are merengue, salsa, cumbia (several versions) and bolero.

If you don’t know how to dance, don’t despair! There are several schools that offer classes in Latin dancing for a nominal fee. If you are the self-conscious type they even have private lessons.

A couple of years ago I took private lessons for almost three months  and really progressed . I studied at the Merecumbé Dance School in Heredia. My teacher Flori was very patient with her clumsy  and stiff student. After learning to avoid tripping over my own feet I eventually mastered the basic steps and turns for Salsa and merengue and had a fantastic time in the process. I’ll never by a Latin Fred Astair on the dance floor, now hold my own.

I plan to go back soon for a refresher course so I can hit the local dancehalls once in a while.

I just came back last night from a week in Panama. Yes, I saved about $1.50 on a tank of gas in Panama. But most other things were comparable in price. When I spoke to my Panamanian friends about electric and phone costs in Costa Rica they were jealous because theirs are higher. They have more and cheaper electrical devices, but how many TV’s can anyone watch?

In Cerro Punta and Volcán, which are really the breadbasket of Panama, I could not believe the few vegetables and poor quality of them that I found. They don’t have weekly ferias, and most good quality fruits and vegetables are shipped to Panama City. I went to five supermarkets in Volcán, and three vegetable sellers, and only found a small portion of what I have come to expect in vegetables here in Costa Rica. And in such poor condition that I ended up without tomatoes and lettuce. I couldn’t even find cauliflower, broccoli and leeks. Things were much better there 25 years ago!

I would agree that compared to Escazú, prices are lower in most all of Panama except Boquete which has become the playground of a lot of Hollywood stars. But compared to where I live in Paraiso, housing is really on a par with Panama.

There may be less problems with thievery in Panama, though having had my house broken into twice in Panama, I wouldn’t say it was that much better. You simply need to protect yourself as with anywhere in the world these days.

I was amazed to see the changes in Panama City. They have constructed or have in construction over 120 skyscrapers over 40 floors high. 17 are over 50 floors and several will be over 100 stories tall. A large number of these are being constructed on Punta Pacifica which was a landfill when I lived in Panama 25 years ago.

Panama is geologically active, also. I remember living on the top (fifth ) floor of a building in Einstein Circle during a quake that was centered in the Darien, and waking up as I was literally tossed out of my bed, and I’m no light weight. Looking thru my windows I saw buildings swaying in the quake which was much stronger than any I’ve felt here. I can’t imagine living in one of those high risers build on a landfill and I wouldn’t have faith in their having “earthquake resistant” buildings like in California.

I have friends in both countries, but to me, the Ticos win hands down. I have never seen such open friendliness as here. Perhaps it is because I don’t live in the city, but for whatever reason, I am constantly amazed by them. My daughter and granddaughter have come down and are renting here, also. While I was in Panama, her Tico neighbors got together and brought over a Christmas tree and decorations knowing that she didn’t have a car to go find one. They shared the lights and decorations that they had and helped her set up the tree and decorate it,. They have all made them feel welcome and have set up a date to make tamales and gingerbread cookies.

In the 15 years I lived in Panama, I never saw a neighborhood pull together to make virtual strangers feel welcome as I have here.

We love both countries, but we live in Costa Rica.

For years the gathering place for Americans who live in Heredia was the Azzura Cafe on the northwest corner across from Heredia’s Central Park. Unfortunately, the Azzura was demolished a few years ago to make way for a department store. What a big loss! All of us were in mourning for a long time.

Now Americans frequent other establishments. The first is La Espiga across  from the southwest corner of the Central Park. The food is good, especially their breakfasts.  The ambience is also very nice and the people watching is good. Surprisingly this quaint cafe is not as popular with Americans as La Casita.

La Casita is a funky establishment located in back of the city’s Central Market. The whole facade is open making La Casita another great place for people watching. It’s slightly seedy ambience is what really makes the place unique. A group of about 7 to 10 Gringos can be found gathered around the front tables everyday as they try and solve the world’s problems with their animated discussions. The single men also love watch the many voluptuous Costa Rican women who pass by.

Another less popular hangout is the Trigo Miel Cafe and Bakery a half block from the National University of Heredia. From time to time on any given Sunday a group of foreigners gets together in the late afternoon to play soft rock.

For the last 27 years I have been  helped 1000s of people successfully relocate to Costa Rica. During this time I have been lucky to work closely with time-tested organizations like the Association of Residents of Costa Rica (ARCR) and Charles Zeller’s Ship to Costa Rica. Both of these organizations have outstanding track records and have withstood the test of time.

Unfortunately the coming of age of the Baby Boomers and Costa Rica’s growing popularity as a retirement/relocation have  given birth to similar companies who have tried to jump on the bandwagon. Most of these neophyte ship ping and relocation services are run by foreigners who are not even legal Costa Rica residents. A few of them are still tourists with no legal foothold in the country. They farm out most of their work to other people instead of actually doing it themselves and are really just middle men.  Also many of these people don’t even speak Spanish nor do the have a  real knowledge of how the country works. They are just here to take advantage of naive people who stumble onto their glitzy web sites and fall for the  verbiage. A couple of these organizations are located in the U.S. and consequently are really out of  touch when it comes to Costa Rica. Most of these people have never worked in the relocation business until they moved to Costa Rica and think just because they relocated here they are experts.

Would you trust a doctor straight out of medical school of one that has many years of experience. The same logic should be employed when choosing a person who offers relocation services.

We heard of one instance where one of these companies changed someone five times the normal fee to ship their pets to Costa Rica. Obviously the people didn’t do their research and consult an organization like the Association of Residents of Costa Rica or Ship to Costa Rica.

People should shop around and not be fooled by some websites. They should also ask to talk to people who have used a company’s services and try to do a background check on the owners to see if what they say about their experience is really true.