With the beginning of the seven-month rainy season some areas of Costa Rica are subject to flooding, landslides and other natural disasters. Most intelligent people buy homes that are not in high risk areas. However, every part of Costa Rica can be subject to earthquakes. It is not like we have an earthquake everyday but there is seismic activity throughout Central America because of a series of earthquake faults.

Fortunately the National Insurance Institute or INS offers a whole gamut of insurance products to protect your property in the face of a natural disaster. Their Hogar Seguro policy 2000 offers wide coverage for everyone including retirees who own homes. This homeowner’s policy covers your home against lightening, fire, flooding, falling trees, landslides, tornados, landslides, earthquakes, tidal waves and more. For a house worth $60,000, for example, the premium is about $20 dollars per month.

You shouldn’t get the idea that we are plagued by natural disasters but just be aware that good insurance options are available here.

There are also a variety of insurance coverages designed to protect your vehicle if you just happen to have one. In addition, the INS offers medical insurance for a reasonable price when compared to what a similar policy in the U.S. would cost. I have an INS medical policy for my family that runs under $2000 a year with a $200,000 limit. Since medical costs are lower than in the States $200,000 is enough coverage to meet almost any medical need.

Here are two English-speaking insurance brokers who can help answer your questions about any type of insurance retirees may need:

Latin American Coverage S.A.
They work closely with the Association of Residents of
Costa Rica and have many retirees and other foreigners
as clients.
Franklin Martinez
Tel: 2258-7041
Cel: 8318-2255
Email: fmartinez.1@laccr.com
Web site: www.laccr.com

David Garrett
The Garrett Insurance Group
Tel. 2233-9520
Email: info@garrettbrokers.com
Website: www.garrettbrokers.com

There is good news on the horizon, if you don’t.

It will now be easier for Costa Ricans, retirees and others to find their way around San José’s labyrinth of streets. Anyone who has tried to find their way around the city knows it can be a nightmare. Except for the center of San José, most streets have no names or numbers, or they are not in a visible place. People use known landmarks to get around, to locate addresses and give directions. If you are unfamiliar with this system it is almost impossible to find your way around, and easy to get lost. In addition to the lack of signage, rush hour traffic and the layout of the streets can add to your confusion.

Regarding the layout, Avenues, or Avenidas, run east west. All the odd-numbered avenues are north of Central Avenue (Avenida Central). The even-numbered avenues are south. Streets, or Calles, run north south, with odd-numbered streets east of Calle Central and even-numbered streets to the west. However, because most of the streets and avenues are one-way you usually have to go several blocks out of your way and make a few detours to get to where you want to go.

Due to a lack of numerical addresses landmarks, such as corner grocery stores (pulperías), churches, schools and other buildings, are usually used with this metric block system to locate addresses. For example, in finding a house someone might say, “From Saint Paul’s Church, 200 meters west and 300 meters south.”

As you know, Costa Ricans are generally very friendly and are usually happy to help you find the address you are seeking. Be advised that it is always a good idea to ask a second person, because most ticos are embarrassed to admit they don’t know an address and will sometimes give you directions whether they know where you want to go or not.

The good news is that within a year getting your bearings in San José will be much easier. Several companies have been hired by the municipality of the city to manufacture and affix street signs all over the city. Johnny Araya, the city’s mayor, said that the project is scheduled to be completed by the first quarter of 2012. The second stage of this project will require homeowners to place a plaque with a numerical street address on the front their homes.

This improvement along with new high-rise condo construction, more pedestrian streets, a greater police presence, new sewer underground electrical systems, a the construction of a China Town and a whole slew of interesting cultural activities promise to attract more people from the suburbs back to the city and improve the general quality of life in the downtown area.

According to experts from the World Bank no other country in the world has a healthcare system that encompasses what Costa Rica’s does. There are countries with more complex health care systems, like the Scandinavian countries, but none has the features of Costa Rica’s Caja del Seguro Social.

Our system has three main features which set it apart. The first is universal coverage that covers non-members as well as foreigners. The second is that the caja treats all kinds of people for any illness no matter how complex the condition is. The third distinguishing feature is that the caja doesn’t require a co-pay or deductible as in may countries. Anyone can receive the caja’s services whether they can pay or not making it a truly democratic institution.

The caja does have its problems. A lack of money translates into long lines and waiting lists for some procedures. Many individuals, private companies and even the Costa Rican government owe a lot money to the caja. They need to pay because the challenge now is to keep this far-reaching universal healthcare system solvent and functional for future generations of Costa Ricans and foreigners who depend on its services.

According to the prestigious British magazine The Economist in an edition from the year 2010 San José is one of the best cities in which to live in Latin America. The magazine considers San Juan, Puerto Rico as well as San José, Costa Rica the best cities in Latin America followed by Montevideo, Uruguay and Santiago, Chile. In addition, the city San José is ranked number 62 in the world on a list that is headed by Vancouver, Canada and Melbourne, Australia. In determining the ranking the following factors were taken into consideration: quality of life, safety, protection of the environment, the business climate, education, access to social and health services and human development. This high ranking is bound to help San José attract investment and tourists in the coming years.

In another study carried out by CNN in 2008, San José was considered among five best cities in Latin America.

With this in mind the Municipality of San José along with the city’s mayor, Johnny Araya are striving to draw more people back into the city to live. Here is what they are doing: increasing the police presence to improve the safety of the city’s inhabitants; expanding pedestrian streets, more cultural events are being scheduled; a new China town is being built; the sewer system is be revamped; building permits for high-rise condos have been issued in an effort to attract more people and much more.

It really annoys me when uninformed neophyte gringos bash the city on line for a variety of reasons claiming that they would never live there. Some of them have never even spent time in the city, so how can they judge it?. Granted urban living isn’t for everyone but some expats will find it very attractive. Here is what one American says about living in downtown San José. “I can understand every expat has a different perspective about San José. After living in New York City so many years without a car, I have no intention of buying one to live in the suburbs of San José. The city suits me fine. Buses and taxis are always available if I want to travel outside the city. I have a home just a block north of Torre Mercedes, off Paseo, Colón, and easily walk to most things I need such as the weekend flea market in the Cementerio district, theaters and art galleries in downtown San José and Sabana Park. A block or less from my house there’s a supermarket, several interesting restaurants, a major bank and a few bakeries. I know the neighbors on my little street as well as the guys who knock on the door to offer the daily newspapers or a pushcart full of vegetables.”

Here is another expats view of San José. Here is an expatriate’s take on San José: “I find San Jose’s air to be much cleaner than 11 years ago. I go to downtown San José everyday Monday through Sunday. I have walked from Sabana Park to the Central Market many days and then all over the downtown area and never had a problem. Today I went to the U.S. Embassy by taking two buses from central San José and then went back on another bus. I also did a few errands. Then I took the bus back to my house and was home by 2 pm. I know about 20 words in Spanish. For me the city is great. You could not pay me to return to the little town I came from in the U.S. I have been living here less than a year and have accomplished a lot — a Costa Rican driver’s license, a bank, a post office box and a girl friend. So if a 66-year-old man with no Spanish can do it, anyone can.”

The history of humanity from its beginnings has been marked by a series of disputes, wars and destruction. Some historians are saying the the next big war will be over the world’s most valuable resource, water. Time will only tell if this will happen. However, one thing is clear: water is a more valuable commodity than even oil.

With oceans on two of its borders, hundreds of rivers and streams of all sizes, lakes and rain forests Costa Rica is virtually a water world. This is possible because of a rainy season that lasts about eight months. During this period of the year rainfall is almost a daily occurrence. Indeed we are fortunate to have an abundance of this valuable resource for a variety of needs including electricity. Many countries are plagued by droughts and overpopulation which affect the quality of life for their inhabitants. Fortunately this is not the case in Costa Rica. So, if you chose to retire or live here a lack of water should not be an issue.

Costa Rica’s water quality is excellent. In fact, you can drink water right out of the tap without the fear of contracting a bacteria that will raise havoc in your intestines as in many countries. A couple of water companies ensure that Costa Ricans, retirees and others have good quality drinking water. The largest is El Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados or AyA as it is more commonly known. It has been existence for 50 years. Its main job is to supply citizens in their area with drinking water and dispose of sewage. They also have a laboratory that monitors the quality of drinking water and checks the quality of sea water around Costa Rica’s many beaches. They have a rating system that grades the country’s beaches according to their water quality and cleanliness. In addition, they are involved in the modernization of San José’s sewer system with the goal of putting an end to the contamination of some of the rivers in the area.

Empresa Servicios Públicos de Heredia is another company with similar functions as AyA but it operates in the province of Heredia is much smaller in its scope.