Today I sit in my home in Heredia Costa Rica bathed in summer sunshine. Meanwhile the northeastern U.S. has been blasted by a historic snowfall. The roads are shut down; almost 1000 flights have been delayed and train travel is virtually paralyzed. According to weather reports almost 20 inches of snow have fallen and there is still more to come.

Fortunately here in Costa Rica we enjoy one of the most best climates i the world , especially in the country’s Central Valley. In fact, Atenas which is a small town in the area, has the best climate in the world according to National Geographic Magazine. Costa Rica’s almost perfect climate has turned the country into one of the world’s prime retirement locations and winter refuge for snowbirds.

I really feel lucky and spoiled to live in such a fantastic country with great year-round weather. I shouldn’t take anything for granted.

The dictionary defines Reality as “the state of things as they actually exist.”

Let’s look what’s real in Costa Rica

1. Fantastic year-round weather
2. Excellent health care
3. A myriad of activities to stay busy and happy
4. Many real estate options and living situations taking all lifestyles into consideration.
5. The country’s stellar international reputation
6. Friendly people
7. Good and bad highway
8. A user-friendly country for Americans, Canadians and Europeans
9. The only country in Latin America with a Resident’s Association to assist foreign residents
10. Some crime but nothing in comparison to neighboring countries like Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras. Panama and Nicaragua also have crime.
11. Bad traffic in and around San José. The country is working on improving the roads and reducing traffic
12. The most democratic country in Latin America with NO army since the 1940s. No external enemies.
13. One of the BEST lifestyles in the world.
14. Costa Rica is a brand because of its incredible lifestyle.

What things and people are real and unreal in Costa Rica

1. Costa Rica is paradise. The country is one of the best places to live in the world because of its natural beauty, incredible lifestyle and other intangibles. However NO place is perfect. Utopia doesn’t exist.
2. A proliferation of self-serving websites and videos put up by foreigners who pass themselves off as Costa Rica experts after living here for only a few years. A friend who lives here once asked, “Isn’t it strange? Gringos seem they think they know everything about the country despite only having lived here a short time.” Expertise takes time in anything in life.
3. Websites that scare foreigners with alarmist information in order to solicit services of the people who own the sites. These sites make people look like messiahs.
4. Blogs and chat rooms that provide some useful information for foreigners but disseminate more opinions than facts. The Internet is a useful tool in many cases but can give anyone their 15 minutes of fame and an air of expertise.
5. The pontificating foreigners who profess their self righteousness as the only ones who can show you the way to the promise land. These guys are a dime a dozen.

Although Thanksgiving is not a Costa Rican holiday, it widely celebrated among the country’s expat community, especially in the Central Valley. A few weeks prior to the festivities the the Automercado (the county’s grocery store with the most products from the U.S.) begins to sell Thanksgiving related products: frozen turkeys, Stove Top Stuffing, cranberry sauce and all of the other goodies. Several casinos, hotels and restaurants which cater to Americans host their annual thanksgiving dinners. When my son was younger we used to go to the Marriot Hotel’s annual Thanksgiving buffet. It has to be seen to believed. They used to have a separate room for all of the desserts!

Many expatriates host Thanksgiving dinners for their friends and families. For the last six years I have attended my friend Joe Brennan’s annual party at his home overlooking San Rafael de Heredia. On an average about 40 or 50 Americans and their Costa Rican friends and family show up for Joe’s dinner party. Everyone brings something so there is more than enough food to go around. I really look forward to visiting Joe every year.

This year I was doubly blessed. I was also invited to a second dinner on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. My old neighbors Dan and Geri Spitzer invited about 25 close friends and neighbors to their home in Lagunilla de Heredia. The food was delicious and the I enjoyed reminiscing with all of my old friends and neighbors.

As you can see, if you decide to relocate or retire in Costa Rica you won’t miss out on many of the activities and holidays from home. There are hundreds of interesting things to do like the one I mentioned above to stay busy and happy in Costa Rica.

You are in shock and awe when someone shows up “on time”.
You are in shock and awe when YOU show up on time.
You haven’t looked at your wrist in years to see what time it is.
You can even travel in other countries without a watch.
You call everyone “mi amor” or “cielito”.
You know that 3 oçlock means 4, four oclock means 5 etc….
Being stood up doesn’t even phase you. You already had a back-up
plan. Actually you expect to be stood up and are pleasantly surprised when you aren’t.( This specifically applies to dating situations)
You stop to drop people off in the middle of the highway
You signal turning your car buy sticking your hand out the window and make a motion like you are petting a dog on the head
You “loan” people money and never think of being so rude as to ask for repayment
You feel like yo cannot enter a room without shaking everyone’s hand
When given an option…you choose the longest line
You miss the chaos when you leave the country.
You miss the way black beans in restaurants used
to be whole and had a different flavor.
Diay and puta come out of your mouth like you were born to them.
You watch a Spanish language movie and you
understand the body language that gives another layer of nuance to the acting.
You start to prevaricate so somebody else can save face.
You answer bien por dicha even when the other
person doesn’t ask you how you were, but you were
expecting them to, so you say it automatically.
The sound of a gringo accent in Spanish makes your ears bleed.
You get pissed off when your friend slams the door to your car.
You go to an English speaking country and when
you want to ask for a glass of water the first
thing out of your mouth to a waiter in a
restaurant is “mae, regalame….” and you don’t
get why he’s looking at you funny.
You point with your lips.
You snap your index finger against your second (bird) finger when you think something’s funny or incredible.

A few weeks ago I wrote a similar column but want to elaborate on the subject.

As most of my faithful readers know I have been living in Costa Rica for 30 years. I came here when I was young and gave up the security of a well-paying job to do it. I fell in love with the country on my first trip and became addicted to the pura vida lifestyle found here.

Immediately I realized all that the country had to offer: great people, unparalleled natural beauty, one of the best climates in the world, first-world medical care, good real estate investments, a lot to do to stay busy and happy, an incredible lifestyle, and a lot of intangibles. I feel so luck to have been able to come here and start a new career and to be extremely successful at it. My best selling guidebooks and monthly relocation/retirement tours have been successful beyond my dreams. My real estate investments have also paid off very well. So much so that I just finished a 554 page book (Christopher Howard’s Guide to Real Estate in Costa Rica) about investing in Costa Rican property. It is for the neophyte or layman who wants to invest in Costa Rica’s real at estate market. It is designed to help people make safe and profitable real estate investments in a foreign country.

I have seen a lot of North Americans move here since 2000. Now they are enjoying what I have experienced for more than half of my lifetime. The difference being is that I came here when I was young and most of the recent arrivals are middle age and seniors. I feel fortunate to have experience this country in my youth and to have lived her for over a quarter of a century. Don’t get me wrong. You can enjoy the country at any age. That’s what makes the place so popular with tourists and above all with retirees.

You may order Christopher Howard’s Guide to Real Estate in Costa Rica from amazon.com, by calling toll free 800-365-2342, in U.S. And Costa Rican bookstores or the eBook version at Escape Artist