Puntarenas, “La Perla del Pacífico” (Pearl of the Pacific) or “El Puerto” (the Port”) as it is more commonly referred to by the locals, is getting spruced up for tourism. Puntarenas has always been a day trip destination and a favorite vacation spot among Costa Ricans. Before the beach areas […]
New immigration law to attract retirees Recently, a modified version of the country’s former Pensionado Law was proposed to attract more expat retirees. The government realizes that currently retirees contribute around 500 million dollars annually to Costa Rica’s economy. So, it is in the country’s best interest to attract more […]
It was just announced that Costa Rica’s 11,800 regular taxi’s or fuerza roja, will soon be using a new app whereby users will know the rate beforehand. The new app is called Batsë, which means “the color red” in the cabécar indigenous language. This is part of an effort by […]
With the whole world’s topsy-turvey due to worldwide pandemic, Costa Rica still continues to receive the attention it deserves. 1 It is predicted that by the end of 2021 some degree of normalcy may return to the world. For anyone thinking of retiring abroad, International Living, a website about living […]
The world-wide pandemic has devastated the world’s health care systems. Poorer and underdeveloped countries have specially been hit hard by the current health crisis. For years relocation organizations have been promoting Panama as a retirement haven. Panama’s drawing card is its low cost of living and perks that it offers […]
Part of this article is from a previous piece I wrote about 7 years ago. If you listen to the news in Spanish or know enough of the language to read the Diario Extra, La Teja or La Nación newspapers, you may have seen or heard the word “farándula.” La farándula” is a group of local characters consisting of figures […]
During the 41 years I have lived in Costa Rica I have had the opportunity to observe expats in a variety of different situations. Most Americans, Canadians and Europeans who relocate are honest hard-working people who are living their Costa Rican dream. However, a few “leave their brain on the […]
Costa Rica was placed in the first place as a destination for retirees in 2021, according to the annual ranking of the International Living.com publication, surpassing countries like Panama, Mexico, Colombia and Portugal. According to the 2021 Global Retirement Index, which has existed since 1979, Costa Rica advanced, as it was in third place […]
Costa Rica has oodles of outdoor activities for retirees. Hiking is just one that is growing increasingly popular among Costa Ricans and expats. Here are two popular scenic hikes that should be considered. The first option is a long treck but definitely worthwhile because of the amazing scenery. El Camino […]
No, I am not talking about credit cards but the plastic bills that will replace the paper money (papel moneda in Spanish) that has been circulating. But first let’s look at how to calculate the rate of the local currency, the colón, in dollars. On my monthly exploratory retirement tours […]
