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.

I am always asked about television programming on my monthly relocation and retirement tours and at the many lectures for potential retirees that I give. It is important to many English-speaking foreigners to have television as a form of entertainment. Many expats want to continue to watching their favor sitcoms like “Two and One-Half Men, ” to follow sporting events on ESPN, stay up the latest news on CNN and watch movies on HBO and Showtime.

Currently their are several options that allow you to view all of your favorite shows and more. Both Amnet and Cable Tico offer cable television and Internet access. If you want a satellite television dish in your home, Sky TV is similar to DirecTV who they replaced. Finally, the Satellite Dish Network is also available here through small private companies like Sun Sat TV (www.sunsattv.com).

These choices weren’t always available in Costa Rica. In 1960. Costa Rica only had a little over one million people. René Picado Esquivel became the pioneer and visionary of television in Costa Rica. On August 5, 1959 a contract was signed with the ABC network which eventually gave birth to television on Costa Rica with the founding of Channel 7 by Señor Picado. At first he had to make due with second-hand equipment that was donated by the ABC network. All of the equipment had to come by boat and be reassembled once it arrived in Costa Rica. This proved to be a daunting task. Finally on April 6, 1960 channel 7 Teletica was inaugurated. From that date on Costa Rica would never be the same.

Some of the first programs shown on Costa Rican television were The Lone Ranger, I Love Lucy, and Combat. In the 1960s not everyone could afford a television. So, it was not unusual for neighbors who were fortunate enough to have a TV to invite friends to their homes to view programs.

By the 1970s not just the wealthy had televisions in their homes. Programs began at 4:40 p.m. and ended around 10 p.m. At 6:30 the news called, La Palabra de Costa Rica, was broadcast. Telenoticias as we know it today soon replaced the original newscast. As strange as it seems at first it was difficult to get advertisers to sponsor TV programs. Merchants in San José thought that newspapers were a better way to advertise their products than on television. This eventually changed when TV became very popular and everyone wanted to advertise their products through this new form of media since it became the best way to reach the people.

The success of channel 7 led to the birth of channels 9, 4, 6 , 11 and 13 in the 1960s and 1970s. Starting in the 1980s satellite TV led to cable television coming to Costa Rica. Cable Color which eventually became AMNET was the first cable station followed by Cable Tica which was started by the Picado family who started channel 7 the country’s original national television station. The next novelty, which is in the works already, is television programming over the Internet.

Nearly everyone who takes my retirement tours asks if they should bring their belongs from the States or purchase everything here. Really this is an individual decision depending on a person’s particular situation.

For those who choose to buy everything here there is good news. It was just announced that the free trade zone in the southern city of Golfito will now let residents and Costa Ricans purchase $1000 worth of goods every six months instead of the $500 as before. Unfortunately it isn’t accumulative. That is to say if you don’t use your tax free exoneration for two years you can’t buy $4,000 worth of merchandise in one single shot.

Merchants say the new limit will also give them a chance to offer a wider variety of products.

The Golfito Free Zone was established on November 4, 1985 when Law 7012 was signed to create it.

Costa Rica is so small yet very big at the same time — sort of like a “little giant.” Simply put, there is a lot to see and do in this country. Tourists flock here to view the country’s many natural wonders. As one of my clients remarked, “The country is a nature lover’s Disneyland.” So, if you plan to live or retire here you shouldn’t get bored.

Recently Costa Rica’s famous Monteverde cloud forest was selected as “one the 100 best” places to see by the prestigious Newsweek Magazine. Costa Rica was number thirty-eight on the list and Kauai, Hawaii was number one. Newsweek describes Monteverde as a habitat for a multitude of animals and plants where there are more than 100 species of mammals, 400 types of birds and thousands of insects.

Monteverde is just one of the many places to visit if you choose to move to Costa Rica. Wonders never cease here.

For anyone interested in retiring of living in Costa Rica, you will be pleased to know there are 100s of interesting activities from which to choose to keep you busy and happy. For example, most recently the Hotel Tabacón Resort was awarded a prize for being the most outstanding international spa by the prestigous Condé Nast Magazine.

If you move to Costa Rica you can visit this resort and explore the surrounding area. The resort is situated at the foot of the Arenal Volcano. Underground heat from the volcano warms the water which feeds the Tabacon’s natural hot springs. You can also access the hot springs without going to the resort. There are more affordable hotels in the area where you can also bath in the warm volcanic waters.

Nearby Lake Arenal is another place to visit in the area. The town of Fortuna with its spectacular waterfall is also worth checking out.

On my combination beach and central valley relocation tour my clients experience the beauty of the Dominical area which really has to be seen to be believed. The area is reminiscent of a tropical Big Sur where the mountains meet the sea. Photos cannot do this place justice.

Costa Rica is a small but big country because there is so much to see. The Tabacón/Arenal and Dominical areas are just a couple of the many places to visit as you explore this magical country during your retirement. You have absolutely no reason to be bored unless you are just plain lazy.