If you intend to live or retire in Costa Rica, there are many gorgeous natural wonders to see. Manuel Antonio is one of them and is the second most visited national park in the country.

The park lies just south of the city of Quepos, Puntarenas, and is 82 miles from the national capital of San José. Established in 1972 with an area enumerating 4,014 acres (the smallest of any Costa Rican national park), it is the destination of as many as 150,000 visitors annually and well-known for its beautiful beaches and hiking trails. Four beaches are contained within the limits of the park: Manuel Antonio, Espadilla Sur, Teldoro, and Playita. With their large light sand berms, it is easy to see why they attract beach goers of all ages.

Although Manuel Antonio National Park is Costa Rica’s smallest national park, the diversity of wildlife in its 3 square miles is unequaled with 109 species of mammals and 184 species of birds.Both Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth and Hoffmann’s Two-toed Sloth (perezosos) are a major feature, as are three of Costa Rica’s four monkey species — the Mantled Howler monkey, Central American Squirrel Monkey, and White-headed Capuchin monkey. Black Spiny-tailed Iguana, Green Iguana, Common Basilisk, White-nosed Coati and many snake and bat species are also common in the park. Included in the 184 bird species are toucans, woodpeckers, Turkey Vulture, parakeets and hawks. Dolphins can be observed there, as well as the occasional migrating whale. Scuba diving, snorkeling, sea kayaking, mountain biking, and hiking are some of activities you can experience at Manuel Antonio.

Most recently Forbes Magazine chose Manual Antonio as one of the most beautiful national parks in the world and number one in central America.

If you choose to live or retire in Costa Rica Manuel Antonio is just one of the countries 28 national parks you can visit. The country has designated large part of its territory as protected areas. As I have mentioned in previous articles there are hundreds of interesting activities you can participate in to stay busy while living in Costa Rica. Visiting the country’s national parks is just one of the things you can do in your spare time. Because the country has so much to offer you can take scores of mini-vacations within the country.

Until a few years ago the only beers available in Costa Rica were the ones brewed by the local brewery like Imperial and Pilsen. Now things have changed.

Currently there are over thirty foreign beers available in Costa Rica for retirees and others. So, if you miss your favorite brew from home there is an increasing chance you may find it here. Beers from Mexico like Corona, Dos Equis and Sol are now found here.

U.S. Brands include Coors, Budweiser and Old Milwaukee.

You can also find beers from the Philippines, China, Italy, Colombia, Nicaragua, Germany, Ireland, Denmark, Belgium and Japan on supermarket shelves.

Foreign beers cost between ¢600 and ¢1.000 colones, depending on brand, origin and supermarket. While domestic beers run between ¢500 and ¢600 colones.

By the way, there is also a wide selection of imported wines from Chile, Argentina, Europe and the U.S. I must add that the Argentinian and Chilean wines are excellent and affordable. Rum, Scotch and other types of liquor are also available here.

Drinking can be a problem for some retirees with a lot of time on their hands. Over the years I have seen a lot of Americans retirees become alcoholics and ruin their health, so please drink in moderation.

About ten years ago I started to notice working-class Costa Ricans wearing brand name clothing from the U.S. One time I even saw a construction worker wearing a T-shit from Harvard University. I knew that a lot of the clothes these people were wearing could not be purchased in Costa Rica so I assumed some of these people traveled to the States or had relatives that sent them expensive clothing from there. I assumed wrong!

I soon realized that the clothes these people were wearing were from one of the many “Ropa Americana” stores that we have in Costa Rica. It turns that there is a thriving business of importing second-hand clothes from the United States and selling them in these local stores. These businesses have really flourished because imported clothing, especially the kind sold in the malls, is about double the price or more of what it is in the United States.

Anyway I was contacted by a person who had taken one of my monthly relocation/retirement tours and eventually moved here. She wanted to know where she could find cheap clothes and I suggested one of the many Ropa Americana stores. I had never visited one of these establishments because I had the habit of stocking up on inexpensive clothing when I made my yearly trip to the United States. Well I finally decided to check out one of these stores. Much to my surprise I couldn’t believe the amount of quality clothing that they had for sale. Some of the brands of clothing I saw were: Levi, Nike, Tommy Hilfiger, Lacoste, Gucci and a whole lot more. I must admit that I even ended up buying a nice double-breasted spot coat for under five dollars. I have used it on many occasions since then. In the most recent edition of my best-selling guidebook, “The New Golden Door to Retirement and Living in Costa Rica,” there is a photo of me posing with Costa Rica’s Noble Peace Prize winning ex-president, Oscar Arias. In the photo I am wearing my five dollar jacket. Who knows how much Mr. Arias paid for his attire?

On another occasion I went to another used-clothing store with my Costa Rican girlfriend and she found a used Louis Vitton hand bag which had to have cost hundreds of dollars when it was new. Since then she has a had a field day combing these second-hand stores. If you saw her you would think she is very wealthy because all of the expensive name brand clothing she wears from the Ropa Americana stores. My girlfriend is a lawyer and has to dress very well and look her best at all times.

I also know a single 70 year-old male retiree from the U.S. who buys all of his clothing in these stores.

My whole point here is that any retiree who moves to Costa Rica and is living on a small pension can find affordable and good quality used clothing here for a fraction of what it would cost I the U.S.

Tom came to Costa Rica to retire about five years ago. He was originally from upper New York state but moved to Orlando, Florida in the 1970s to work as a school teacher. Eventually he earned a Master’s degree in education and became a elementary school principal. He was always very dedicated and the schools he administered were very well-run.

During his annual three-month summer vacations he always took the time to travel which was always his main hobby. Being a teacher gave him the opportunity to see over 40 countries. Of all of the places he traveled he had a special fondness for Mexico, Central and South America. His dream was to retire some place south of the border but he had to decide where. He eventually narrowed his list to Mexico, Costa Rica and Ecuador. He liked Argentina and Uruguay but they were just too far away. After weighing his options he selected Costa Rica.

Tom retired with a comfortable pension towards the end of 2006. He moved to the town of San Antonio de Belén which is about five minutes from Costa Rica’s main airport in the Central Valley. He choose this area because of its great weather and proximity to everything – good shopping, medical care and entertainment.

A couple of years into his retirement Tom started to get the urge to do something. Despite staying busy he had just too much times on his hand. His first thought was to write a book about Costa Rica. He soon changed his mind because it seemed that almost every American that moved to the country was becoming overnight author and writing a book and then trying to sell it on Amazon.com. He really yearned to do something different. So, he went back to the his roots of being a dedicated educator and teacher and decided to start a school.

Tom had been in the Peace Corps in Colombia so he did speak fairly good Spanish. He then hooked up with a bilingual Costa Woman who had an advanced degree in education and English. Together with a mutual friend who had a business degree they started a small bilingual school for Costa Rican and American children. So far the school has grown by leaps and bounds and they have over 150 students. Tom and his partners are currently looking for a larger site to house their growing school. They eventually want to buy a piece of land to build a new school but have to build up their funds to do so. At the rate their school has been growing they shouldn’t have to wait too long.

One thing I almost forgot to mention. Tom’s school is a trilingual school in that students study Spanish, English and Japanese. Eventually he would like to add Mandarin to the curriculum. Private schools that offer several languages are not unusual in Costa Rica. The Humboldt School offers Spanish, English and German to their students. I have several friends who were educated there and they speak all three languages fluently.

Going into business here is not for the faint of heart. But if you have the passion, patience and do homework by doing a feasibility study, you can increase your chances of success. There are countless stories of retirees and other foreigners who have failed in business here but there are also many success stories.

Aside for Thailand, Brazil and the Philippines is a single man’s paradise. Older retirees will especially benefit from this perk.

Costa Rica A few days ago I ran into a friend in downtown San José who I hadn’t seen from for quite some time. My friend, Mike, moved to Costa Rica about four years ago after making at least 40 to 50 visits to scout out the terrain.

Mike has an interesting background. He earned a masters degree in Spanish from a major university in the Midwest. He was very lucky in that he studied in Mexico for a couple years when he was an undergraduate and like me developed a deep love for the Latin American culture. Originally he thought he wanted to retire in Mexico or Brazil but after considering all of the factors he chose Costa Rica.

Due to Mike’s language training hit fit into the culture immediately. When I saw him the other day he was as happy as ever. Every time we get together we end up talking about Costa Rica and especially the beautiful and accessible Costa Rican women. Mike was married in the U.S. but things just didn’t work out. He isn’t worried at all about companionship here. He probably has a black book with women’s names as thick as the bible. He has a great personality and treats his female friends very well. He toll me that he spoils all of his lady friends too much but just can’t help it. He realizes that he is living in a single man’s paradise and that his social life would have been miserable if he had chosen to retire in the United States.

Here are some of the reasons he just adores Costa Rican women or ticas.

1. Ticas really know how to take care of a man and are very considerate

2. Costa Rican females are totally unashamed to be sexy, feminine and beautiful.

3. They are not overly demanding and have much more realistic expectations from men.

4. Most women here are drop-dead gorgeous and know how to show off their femininity. They are not embarrassed or ashamed by using their sex appeal and seem to have mastered the art of knowing what turns men on. They know how to “let it all hang out” Costa Rican women just know what to wear. Costa Rican women are more direct in their desire for sexual relations.

5. They don’t play complicated mind games.

6. The women here are amazingly easy to to approach. Most single Ticas will be happy to give you their phone number or E-mail, accept a dinner or coffee date, go for a drink or partake in any other interesting activity.

7. Best of all for single retirees and Baby Boomer men, the women here go for older men. Here is what one expat’s Costa Rican wife said about her relationship in a recent edition of a local English newspaper. “Most of the time when a young woman marries an older man, people think she’s doing it for the money. I like older men. They are experienced; they’ve had a lot of fun in the past, so they start to think, ‘I want to stay now with someone for the rest of my life.’ Plus they have their life set up, so they have time to spend with their woman.”

8. Plus all of the intangibles and perks you’d have to experience to believe.