COLORFUL NEIGHBORS This morning’s Toucan is so much better than last night’s I think! |
Chestnut-Mandibled Toucan
A good first day of the tour and over 500 photos coming out of San Jose, a bicycle race, soccer match, Talamanca Mountains, several towns and beaches along the South end of Costa Rica’s Pacific Coast, plus the beautiful grounds of the Villas Rio Mar. But on my late afternoon walk along the Baru River I saw several flocks of Great White Herons flying back to roost, then best of all a huge flock of Chestnut-Mandibled Toucans stopping for snacks in some hotel trees on their way to their roosts. They call it the Toucan Flyover which happens here every evening. They are in the tops of very high trees, but I got one or two usable photos and this is one. Maybe tomorrow I will post a beach photo,
Art, Play, or Vandalism?
Art, Play, or Vandalism? In Sabana Park. |
Good, long flight from Nashville to San Jose through Charlotte of all places! Arrived about 1:30 this time which is Central Standard Time (no daylight savings thank goodness) which means in the summer it is like the U.S Mountain Savings Time. It was lightly raining on arrival and at supper time now is raining hard. May through November is “Rainy Season” which is mostly afternoon showers. And yes, I planned to come in rainy season on purpose. If I move here, this is what it will be like, half the year. December to April is “Dry Season” with no rain in most places except the coastal rain forests which have rain year around. The northwest part of Costa Rica, called Guanacaste, is dry year around with some rain during rainy season. It is like some of our American West.
Well, anyway, I was in my hotel by 3:00 in downtown San Jose and with only a mist and my umbrella I walked two blocks to Parque Sabana which is bigger than New York’s Central Park and made a few photos. I promised to just do one a day, so I chose the weird one instead of the cute boys playing soccer, a tree I liked, or the beautiful yellow hibiscus across from the hotel. This monster eating a picnic table next to a slide made of logs intrigued me and maybe I will learn more about it later. The children were playing on the regular playground. So, is it art, play, or vandalism? Click photo to see it larger.
Call From Tour Leader – Ready to Go!
Now that it is widely known what I am doing next week, it is fun hearing the questions and comments from friends who find this concept of moving abroad rather strange and some even dangerous. Of course I’m the forever educator and helping many Nashvillians learn a lot about life in Costa Rica. 🙂 While other friends who know be pretty well are not surprised at all that I would consider moving to Costa Rica!
Landing at the San Jose International Airport 2009 Click to enlarge. |
10 Reasons to Go to Costa Rica
One View from a Rainforest Trail In Corcovado National Park by Me |
10 Reasons to Go to Costa Rica is one of the later posts on Chris Howard’s “Living in Costa Rica Blog” could almost all be my reasons for both visiting and moving there. I would just substitute nature photography and affordable living for the zip-lining and surfing. 🙂 Check out his article and continue to watch his blog which is probably the best one on living in Costa Rica! Or if you just want the 10 reasons, I’m copying here:
1. To find happiness
Costa Rica has been ranked as one of the happiest countries in the world, based on its high quality of life, good life expectancy rate and small ecological footprint. The country abolished its army in 1949, and it’s been one of the most peaceful countries in Latin America for the past five decades. The main saying in Costa Rica is “Pura vida” which means the good life – something that people say all the time, with big smiles on their faces. Often when you ask people how they are, they respond with “Pura vida”. It’s inspiring, infectious and incredibly heart warming to spend time in a country that has so much invested in being joyful. The rest of the world could definitely learn a thing or two from Costa Ricans’ approach to life.
2. Eco tourism
I’ve never been to a country that wears its green credentials on its sleeve as proudly as Costa Rica does. The country is one of the top eco-tourism destinations in the world, and it’s easy to see why: over a quarter of Costa Rica is protected land, the government is very active in conservation efforts and the country plans to become the first carbon neutral nation by 2021. Costa Rica’s eco commitment doesn’t seem like tokenism: the local people and guides we met were genuinely enthusiastic about conservation, most hotels have watercoolers to encourage guests not to buy plastic water bottles, and there are recycling bins almost everywhere you go.
3. Birds
Costa Rica has a whopping 900 species of birds, from the incredibly beautiful green-and-red resplendent quetzal (which I was lucky enough to see while zip lining through Monteverde Cloud Forest) to glorious scarlet macaws and 54 species of jewel-coloured hummingbirds. In just over a week of travelling through Costa Rica we saw dozens of species, including the elusive great potoo, the pretty northern jacana and four species of herons. I’ve been teetering on the edge of becoming a birder, but Costa Rica was the trip that took me to the other side: I’m now a committed twitcher.
4. Wildlife
Costa Rica is staggeringly diverse when it comes to wildlife. With half a million species, it’s home to 4% of the world’s total species, which is quite something for a relatively small country. In fact, it’s considered to be one of the planet’s most biodiverse nations. Expect to see butterflies, frogs, (incredibly cute) sloths, snakes, loads of monkeys, anteaters, caimans, bats and iguanas. More rare are the cats: jaguars, ocelots and pumas.
All over Costa Rica there are opportunities to encounter the country’s wildlife, whether it’s going on a canal cruise in Tortuguero National Park under tunnels of trees (which felt like being in the Amazon), or a catamaran cruise with dolphins in Manuel Antonio National Park, or walking through the misty Monteverde Cloud Forest. The best thing is that Costa Rica’s amazing animals are everywhere: monkeys hanging out in the trees outside your room (or even inside your room), sloths sleeping in trees next to the highway and crossing the path next to the park entrance and raccoons coming to watch you eat a post-hike snack in the car park.
5. Forests
What I loved most about Costa Rica was its magical forests, where time seemed to stand still the air was alive with the sound of insects and birds and everything smelled like green. Much of the country is forested with either humid, tropical rainforests and misty, cool cloud forests, which you can explore on guided hikes and by walking on shaky suspension bridges.
6. Zip lining (and other adventures)
Costa Rica is an adventure lover’s dream destination. Just about everywhere you go in the country there seems to be some kind of adrenaline-inducing adventure on offer, from white water rafting to zip lining through forests. My favourite adventure was cayoneering in the Lost Canyon near Arenal volcano, which involved abseiling down sheer rock faces and scrambling through the canyon and jumping into cold poolsunder a cover of huge trees.
7. Beaches
Costa Rica has two coasts – the Pacific on the west and the Caribbean on the east – lined with over 1500 kilometres of beautiful beaches, with sand ranging from cappuccino to icing sugar, flanked by palm trees and rainforests. My favourite beach was in Manuel Antonio National Park on the Pacific side. Not only was it a perfect beach, with a long stretch of white sand and palm trees for shade, but to get there you have to walk through a forest where you can spot sloths, birds, lizards and monkeys – so you get a wildlife walk and beach bumming in one.
8. Turtles
Tortuguero National Park, on Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast, is the Western hemisphere’s main nesting site for green turtles: during the nesting season (April to October) there are as many as 700 turtles laying their eggs on a 30-kilometre stretch of protected beach. You can hire a certified guide to take you to the beach at night to watch turtles nesting – a truly magical wildlife experience which feels like watching a dinosaur in action.
9. Volcanoes
Costa Rica sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire (almost a Johnny Cash song) – an area of high volcanic activity. The country has 122 volcanoes, of which four of active. The most famous of Costa Rica’s volcanoes is Arenal, which was active up until 2010: it hasn’t spewed lava since then, but it does smoke constantly (which makes for great photos). Around Arenal and some of Costa Rica’s other volcanoes you can go hiking and mountain biking on lush hilly slopes and (my favourite) soak in hot springs. There are hot springs all over the place in the area around Arenal, and many hotels have their own hot springs, or you can go to ahot spring resort and spend an evening swimming around in pools as warm as a bath, drinking pina coladas (highly recommended).
10. Surfing
Surfers love Costa Rica: the swells and breaks are great, water is warm year-round and the surf is good on both the Caribbean and Pacific sides. There are plenty of surfing schools and retreats lining the coasts, especially on the Pacific (where you can find the best waves during the rainy season from May to November.
This blog post was originally published on Duff’s Suitcase. This article, 10 reasons to go to Costa Rica, was originally posted on the Getaway Blog by Sarah Duff.
— o —
Another reason I am so seriously considering the move is that I plan to expand what little online business I have to give a better supplement to my meager pension and I can do it just as easy from Costa Rica as I can from Tennessee. In fact I have just enrolled in an online class to help me build a strong online business that really works. We will see! But I’m believing it will happen and will include a lot more than me just trying to sell my nature photos. So that could be my eleventh reason to move! 🙂
—2020 DISCLAIMER: Looking back at the above paragraph today made me realize I should say that the online course ordered from International Living Magazine was a big hoax and I quit before finishing, losing money. Yes, some people make money online – but what they were pushing was not for me! I get by fine on my pension and Social Security and have never tried to make additional money since moving here. Live simple! 🙂
Two weeks from today I go on the tour with Chris Howard. I’m excited and now I’m now looking for reasons why I shouldn’t move. I’ll share my list later, but so far more positive than negative. The two-week trip will probably be the decider.
Essential Costa Rica
10 Qualities of Successful Expats
You might be able to see it at this link if not coded for subscribers only! 🙂
http://retireforlessincostarica.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Top-10-Qualities-of-Successful-Expats-in-Costa-Rica.pdf
In case not, here are the ten characteristics without the wonderful, detailed discussion of each:
- Do your homework.
- If you are married, both of you must agree.
- Rent for at least one year.
- Enjoy the simple things of life.
- Have a positive attitude!
- Learn to speak Spanish.
- Join the Caja (national health care system).
- Hook into the local Tico culture.
- Hook into the local Expat community.
- Get involved . . . volunteer.
A Grand Exit or Powerful New Start?
Is God Laughing at Me?
If you are following this decision-making process, I hope you click above and read that one post, my most thought-out post yet.
My Study of the Areas of Costa Rica
Costa Rica Pacific Coast Sunset by Charlie Doggett |
I’ve pretty much decided that IF I move to Costa Rica, I will start with a monthly rent apartment in the center of the country while I find a rental house or apartment that I could feasibly live in the rest of my life. Always getting ahead of myself, I’ve been reading two books and lots of websites about the various sections of the country where expats live. There are pluses and minuses for each and mostly has to do with the individual person’s interests and lifestyle. Here’s my quick synopsis for now:
- THE CENTRAL VALLEY is where 80% of all residents live, both Tico and expats. It has the perfect weather staying around 72 degrees year around; the capital San Jose is there with all its good shopping, arts, entertainment and international airport; and it would be easier living there except that the costs are not always lower there. But the further from the big city you are the more affordable it generally is. It includes some mountain villages.
- THE NORTHERN ZONE is mountainous, more rural, more affordable, and has the possibility of some great views from your house or deck. I would especially like to have a view of the Volcano Arenal like I did from my hotel near there on the Caravan.com tour. There is also Monteverde and other mountain rain forests or cloud forests that would appeal to my love of nature. Though for that I would probably like the Talmanaca Mountains south of San Jose about as much and be closer to the coast.
- THE NORTHERN PACIFIC or Guanacaste is possibly the most expensive area where a lot of rich people are building mansions and it doesn’t interest me unless I got a real deal. The combination of mountains, forests and Pacific coast beaches are beautiful and otherwise appealing, though really dry in the dry season, like 4-5 months of zero rain.
- THE CENTRAL PACIFIC is very appealing and closer to San Jose for shopping, etc. and has both rainforest and beautiful beaches. Jaco is the big tourist center which I would avoid, preferring around Quepos and Manuel Antonio National Park rainforest. But it is getting more popular too and possibly crowded, but still closer to San Jose than the South Pacific.
- THE SOUTH PACIFIC seems perfect in many ways for a nature lover like me and might be my first choice, though the new coastal highway has made it more popular and the rich are buying up the land fast. It would be an area I would explore closely before a final decision. And this would be closer to Corcovado National Park and Talamanca Mountains, both of which I love. There are many waterfalls in this area, the Cinca Vintanas (5 Windows, an ocean rock formation and blowholes) all of which appeal to my photography.
- THE CARIBBEAN is probably the least popular for expats other than surfers and reggae-loving young people. But it has the most beautiful tropical beaches in the country, is less expensive for housing, has jungle right up to the beach, and is a real paradise for those who live there. It is very appealing to me except for the 4-hour drive to San Jose. The closest big shopping is Limon, the Atlantic-side port, not too far. If here, I would live in the south. The north Caribbean coast has Tortuguero park where I photographed more wildlife than any other one place than maybe Corcovado. But there are no roads to Tortuguero, you have a boat if you live there!