If your are a retiree and beer drinker and are thinking about moving to Costa Rica, you have come to the right place. The three most important things in a Costa Rican’s life are beer, soccer and women, but not necessarily in that order. However, one thing is certian, Costa Ricans ARE beer drinkers. Beer is also called “birra” or “una fría” in Costa Rican slang. The saying ¡Pura Birra! (pure beer) is word play on the national motto of ¡Pura vida! (pure life).

There seems to be a bar on every corner displaying the eagle-emblazoned logo of Imperial beer. Since there is a an eagle on the label most Costa Ricans refer to Imperial as “un águila” or eagle in Spanish. If you go into a bar and ask for an “aguila” they will know immediately you want an imperial. Imperial is by far the country’s most popular brand.

In Costa Rica, there is exactly one major brewery. It goes by the name Cerveceria de Costa Rica. It’s owned by a conglomerate called the Florida Ice and Farm Company.

The second-most popular brand of beer in Costa Rica, Pilsen which is also available just about everywhere. It’s somewhat lighter in body and color than Imperial.

The Bavaria label of beer seems to be the upscale image section of Cervecería de Costa Rica’s product line. Bavaria Gold, Bavaria Dark and Bavaria Light are the three beers that comprise this line of beer. Bavaria Gold is noticeably better in quality than either Imperial or Pilsen, with a firmer body, a cleaner flavor. Bavaria dark is a very nice, well-crafted Vienna style dark amber. Bavaria light is a typical thin, watery low-cal and low-alcohol beer.

Rock Ice watery, unbalanced “ice” beer. It was voted one of the worst beers 9n the world according to a poll of beer lovers.

Heineken, Holland’s most famous export, can be found all over Costa Rica. It’s not imported though,but brewed locally by Cerveceria de Costa Rica. It is hard to tell the difference between the Costa Rican version and the Heineken that’s found in every other corner of the globe.

Corona is a popular Mexican beer that is sold in Costa Rica.

Beers from the U.S., Argentina, Ireland, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, and Japan among other are also sold here. However, in much smaller numbers than Costa Rica’s national beer.

It was just announced that a Costa Rican company plans to import Baltika, which is a popular Russian beer.

If you are a movie freak or cinéfilo as we say in Spanish then you will be happy during your retirement days in Costa Rica. Most first- run movies premier here about the same time they do in the States or shortly after at a fraction of the price. Movie theaters are very popular, and have become part of the daily entertainment of Costa Ricans. On top of that, all movies are in English with Spanish subtitles except for children’s movies since they cannot read. We even have an iMax movie theater in Escazú. Some of the newer theaters have stadium seating just like in the U.S.

In the old days most movie theaters were in downtown San José or Heredia. Now most theaters are located in shopping malls. The majority of the old theaters have been demolished.

Every year more and more movie theaters are being built in Costa Rica. Most are located in the Central Valley around San José and its suburbs. CCC Cinemas and Nova Cinemas just announced plans to expand their chains. The former has 37 theaters in Costa Rica. Cinéplois which is another company that operates movie theaters here has also plans to build more new theaters in Costa Rica. Furthermore, many of the older movie theaters in shopping malls are being remodeled and upgraded with better projectors and other equipment.

To find what movies are playing in Costa Rica look at the local newspapers or go on line.

Don’t despair! If your favorite movie doesn’t come to Costa Rica you can always rent the DVD here or wait until we get it on cable or satellite TV. You can also buy movies through Amazon.com and have them brought here through one of the private mail companies.

The bottom line is that by moving to Costa Rica or retiring here, you won’t be missing out on their favorite flicks from home.

As most of you know by now the term “pura vida” (pure living) is the national motto and is reflect by the Costa Rican’s laid-back and carefree lifestyle. Because of this omnipresent attitude and view of life, the people here tend to enjoy life more than we do and live in the moment. Costa Ricans were recently selected as the happiest people on earth according to a study. They also live longer than most Americans. This is probably due to the country’s “cradle to grave’ health care system and the lifestyle. Most Americans who retiree here adopt this pura vida lifestyle and usually end up living longer and happier.

Unfortunately there is a downside to the “pura vida’ lifestyle. The people here tend to procrastinate and take longer to get many things completed. At time this attitude can be frustrating to foreigners. Especially when they are trying to get things done and the ticos seem to be dragging their feet.

Pura vida can also be an excuse for general inefficiency and a pretext for not acting on important matters. Maintaining the country’s highways, combating crime, passing and enforcing traffic laws and fighting poverty and drugs use are important areas where progress is slow. An example of this indifference is the new highways which were recently completed during the Arias administration. The highway between the costal towns of Quepos and Dominical took over 40 years to complete. One administration after another delayed the construction this vital link for one reason or another.

There are countless other examples of the pura vida outlook keeping the country form being proactive and making it more reactive. All of this has combined to stunt the county’s growth. Don’t get me wrong Costa Rica is making huge strides in many areas but could probably be miles ahead if the people were a little less carefree and more responsible.

Despite all of the above I still love living here.

I recently read a post on a Costa Rica news group where a newbie American retiree asked about where he could meet other Americans. Since I live in the city of Heredia, I spend most of my time there. However, there is usually a group of Expats who gather every weekday morning at the Macdonald’s across from the Plaza de la Cultura in the heart of San José.

When I visit San José I usually stop by Macdonald’s to “shoot the breeze” with the guys. The group is made up of Americans and Canadians from different parts of their respective countries. Mo is from Frost Proof which is a small town in Central Florida. John W. is from key West, Florida. Don Pepe is a retired dentist form Albuquerque, New Mexico. Joe is from New York City and Steve is from Detroit. Then there is Canadian Mike who occasionally stops by. He is from Ottawa and now lives in the charming town of Grecia which is about an hour west of San José just off the Pan-American Highway. All of these guys are very colorful and interesting characters. Like most expats you have to be a special breed of person to live aboard.

There is also a group of retired Costa Rican men who hang out at Macdonald’s. Many of them speak English so there is a lot of interaction and comradery between the two groups. About half of the group of Costa Ricans and gringos drift down to a nearby Wendy’s and have a couple of more cups of coffee and talk about their solutions to the world’s problems.

Besides the places I talk about above there are other hangouts in Costa Rica where retirees and others can mingle with their own countrymen and meet a few of the locals. It has been demonstrated that foreigners who move abroad tend to gravitate towards each other making it easier to make new friends.

When I come across good information I like to share it with potential retirees.

If you are planning to live or retire near San José there is an exciting new alternative in the housing scene. Part of this phenomenon is due to an effort to lure people from the suburbs back into the downtown San José area. Lighting is being placed underground, many of the city’s main streets are being repaved, bus stops are eventually going to be moved from the center of the city, traffic is being restricted and rerouted on certain weekdays, there is more police presence to keep away more undesirable elements and in general the city is being made more user friendly.

If you walk around the San José’s Sabana Park you can’t help but notice the changing skyline. Besides the country’s new state-of-the-art soccer stadium, high-rise condos are beginning to spring-up all over. This tendency has now spread to Paseo Colón, the main western entrance to San José.

The most exciting new development is a huge 28-story twin tower condominium complex which will be built soon. It will feature, space for business on the lower floors, 70 offices and 106 apartments, many of which will feature spectacular views. The complex will also feature, a swimming pool, a running track, a spa, a movie theater, a playground for children and parking space for 500 vehicles. The development will also have good security, a sprinkler system in each units for fires, will meet all seismic codes and offer its own private transportation system to major shopping centers. It will be perfect for retirees who want to live in an urban area.

Condos will range in price from $120,000 to $270,000 depending on their location. I am thinking of purchasing one for an investment.