The other day I talked to a friend who has lived here for about twenty years. I hadn’t chatted with him for about a year, so we spent time catching up on things. He has an elderly mother in the States who is on her last legs. We got talking about old age and the so called “golden years.” My friend was quick to point out that we are in the golden years now because we are in good health. He is 100% correct!

I feel very lucky to have moved to Costa Rica 30 years ago. Every year has been a “golden year” in this marvelous country. I really feel blessed to live here. On my most recent monthly relocation and retirement tours all of my guests told me the same thing. After seeing all that the country has to offer, my clients said that I was extremely fortunate to have made the correct decision to come here to live.

I gave up a lot when I cam here; a career, security and a whole lot more. But everything worked out because I followed my dream and it came true. Others can do the same if they fall love with the country. Costa Rica just may be the solution to what ails you in your home country. The have a saying here, “Costa Rica cures it all.”

Pura vida!

When I first got connected to the Internet about 14 years ago I remember that dial up was the only option available in Costa Rica. Since it was over the phone line there were frequent interruption when someone called the house and cut off the Internet. I was reminded how inconvenient and slow dial up is when I visited my sister last summer I Seattle, Washington. She has dial up only by choice. She doesn’t use the Internet frequently and feels high speed would be a waste of money.

On the other hand, high speed Internet has been available in Costa Rica for a number of years now. The phone company offers it as well as the private cable TV companies. I really don’t have many complaints about the high-speed Internet here. Once in a while there is a glitch but the same same thing happens in the States.

So in general Costa Rica’s Internet providers are offering good service. On all of my monthly relocation/retirement tours my guests are always curious to know about the quality of the Internet services here and their options. I make it a point to cover everything about the Internet and other relevant topics so that people on the tour understand what life in Costa Rica is really like.

With a growing number of Americans relocating to Costa Rica there has been a proliferation of blogs and so-called hobby websites. Many of the blogs are useful because they give outsiders a view of what living in the country is like through other’s experiences. However, a lot of what people write is done by those who haven’t lived here for a long time and don’t speak the language well enough to understand the culture. Therefore you should take much of what is written with a “grain of salt” and view the writings as personal diaries.

The hobby websites are another toy of many people who move here. Like the blogs they tell about daily life here and what the country has to offer. It seems that almost every foreigner who has a computer makes their own blog or hobby website. Some who have advanced computer skills are even including videos about life here on their hobby websites. A few expats are even posting their videos on You Tube. Most of these efforts are very amateur and the people are not experts about relocating here. Nevertheless, the videos do provide a view of life here.

On my monthly relocation/retirement tours I try to have my guests experience as much possible of what Costa Rica has to offer in a short period of time, so that they can decide whether they want to make the move or not.

Next Sunday is Costa Rica’s presidential election. Costa Ricans are really passionate about their elections. They approach the presidential elections with such enthusiasm that they celebrate Election Day as if it were a big party or national holiday. People wearing party colors, honking cars and bands playing Latin music all contribute to the festive atmosphere.

Last Sunday while conducting one of my monthly relocation/retirement tours we were passing through the town of Grecia and came across one of the presidential candidates and his entourage. Our bus had to slow down as presidential candidate Otto Guevara’s motorcade passed by. There must have been 50 vehicles with each one flying the flag of Otto’s party. All of the cars and trucks were packed with people dressed in the colors of the party. Everyone was screaming and chanting Otto’s name. The people on my retirement tour were thrilled to actually witness the campaign process in Costa Rica. They were really amazed at the enthusiasm and energy of the Costa Rican people. I was so happy my guests could experience this along with the rest of the activities of my tour.

I was also excited about the new addition to my tour. The new feature is a visit to a weekend farmer’s market. My guests really like this activity since they got to mix with the locals and see the huge variety of fruits and vegetables available year-round in Costa Rica. On the tour we also visit several supermarkets and stores to get a good idea of what products are available in Costa Rica. My tours are all about experiencing the country in all of its splendor.

Recently I had a relative from the States in my home for a couple of weeks. It had been five years since her last visit and she was amazed to see all of the home improvements I had made.

First, she noticed my new kitchen. When I told her how much my custom cabinets cost she almost fainted. She remarked, “In the U.S. that would have cost four times the $4000 that you paid here”. Then I showed her my second story addition and asked her what it would cost to do the same work in Washington State where she lives. She said that the same improvement would have cost around $60,000. I only paid $9,000 for a large second-story room with a 180-degree panoramic view of the Central Valley.

If home improvements are so reasonable here, imagine how much cheaper it would be to build your retirement dream home or remodel a home in Costa Rica.