Tamales are a typical dish at Christmas time in Costa Rica but also available year-round. They are similar to Mexican tamales, however there is one big difference: the Mexican ones are wrapped in corn husks but Costa Rica tamales in banana leaves. There is a joke about Costa Rican tamales. An American comes to Costa Rica […]
Costa Rica is a popular destination when it comes to health tourism. People from all over the world flock here for joint replacements, cosmetic dentistry (Implants) and plastic surgery. Regarding the latter, both female and male expat retirees can indeed find the “fountain of youth” while living here. Most of […]
Every year thousands of tourists flock to Lake Arenal. This perfect cone-shaped Arenal Volcano is one of the main attractions in addition to a whole gamut of adventure sports and numerous hot springs. When there are no clouds, the volcano is an imposing and breathtaking sight rising high above the […]
I just spent three weeks in Washington State visiting my sister. A few days after I arrived I fell ill with an intestinal malady. I tried to treat the problem myself with Pepto Bismol, a lot of Gator Aid and a bland diet but my condition only got worse, so […]
Part 3 In Parts 1 and two of this series, I went into different aspects of the cost of living in Costa Rica and how to save money. This article will deal with monthly budgets. I will provide a couple of sample budgets below in order to break down basic […]
Part 2 In part one of this series I made it clear that how much you spend in Costa Rica really depends on one’s lifestyle. I went on to include the cost of items based on recent data found at number.com, which has the approximate cost of living in most […]
What you spend really depends on your lifestyle. Some live for as little as $1500 monthly while other spend two and three times the said amount. I would say that the for between $1,500 to $2,700 per month you can have a comfortable lifestyle, and splurge occasionally. Remember if you “go local” […]
Alcoholism is a serious problem among some Costa Ricans and expats here. Unfortunately, as many ticos say, “We have a very deeply-rooted guaro (drinking) culture.” This really comes as little surprise since drinking establishments are found on what seems to be almost every street corner. The nation’s main beer company, […]
The Cost of Living in Costa Rica is 23 percent lower than in United States according to Numbeo A lot has been said about the cost of living in Costa Rica, and for the most part we can safely say that you can save money on services such as medical […]
About 10 years ago I wrote an article about allergies in Costa Rica and how to deal with them. When I moved here about 40 years ago I remember that I started to experience allergic reactions. I made an appoint to see a nose, ear and throat specialist called an […]