Estimated Reading Time: 4 Minutes We have lots of bugs in Costa Rica, so for those who have a bug phobia… My first meeting with a monster spider, made me ask myself what I was doing on a coffee farm in Costa Rica. Gradually I adjusted to my new life in the tropics and learned…
Estimated Reading Time: 8 Minutes Everyone wants to learn about grocery shopping and department stores in Costa Rica. Almost every town has, at least, one Pali supermarket. The department stores have a different location and are usually in larger cities. The Pali grocery stores are structures carrying the bare bones of grocery and sundry items…
Estimated Reading Time: 4 Minutes Carole and her husband Don live in Atenas and met a toucan for the first time in their life. They are baby boomers and retired in Atenas, Roca Verde to be exact. It’s a pity that Carole’s blog doesn’t exist anymore. But you can order her book “Flying High with…
Estimated Reading Time: 5 Minutes Do you know what a MacGyver in Costa Rica means? TicoNuevo wrote a blog about hardware stores in Costa Rica this week. I would like to go a bit deeper into the matter. He said: “be prepared to substitute or make do with something other than the perfect solution”. If…
Let me tell you all about hardware stores in Costa Rica or ferreterías in Spanish. For your shopping pleasure in addition to supermarkets, mini-supers, ferias, central markets, carnicerías, and librerías, in towns of any considerable size, generally included are ferreterías or hardware stores, the standard Ropa Americana store (new and used clothing), jewelry repair, paint…
Estimated Reading Time: 6 Minutes Shopping in Costa Rica, for just about anything and everything, is a change from what you are used to in North America. The shopping environment in Costa Rica is much more similar to what I experienced in Europe about 40 years ago. By that I mean, chain stores are here…
Estimated Reading Time: 6 Minutes Do you have any idea of what to wear after moving to Costa Rica? I have just moved to Costa Rica. I came from a place where during the summer, it can be 110 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and windy and 55 degrees F. at night. So, I was…
Estimated Reading Time: 4 Minutes I found yoga when I turned 51 and I’d like to tell you a bit about it. I am a fan of Ivo’s blog and especially enjoyed the recent submission, some suggestions on what to do with your free time in Costa Rica by guest blogger, TicoNuevo. Humbly, I would…
Did you know that Costa Rica is a tropical country? And that there a few things you should know about living in a tropical country before you move? You may have already guessed, I’m from the West Coast. A second-generation native Californian, in fact. Both sides of my family lived In California for about a…
Estimated Reading Time: 6 Minutes What to do with your free time when living in Costa Rica? Have you arrived without a job, without a mission, or without a business to found? Then that probably makes you a retiree of whatever age. Also, those who do have a job, or run a business, will have…
Estimated Reading Time: 5 Minutes Expats and visiting tourists should know about the behavior of trucks and buses on the Costa Rican roads. Most Costa Rican roads originated as oxcart paths in the valleys and on the winding hillsides. When these roads got converted to asphalt, they weren’t widened much. Buses in Costa Rica are…
Estimated Reading Time: 6 Minutes How difficult is driving in Costa Rica? I am now assuming for a minute that you have a valid drivers’ license. The kickback style of Costa Rica’s citizens is reflected in the posted speed limits throughout the country. Remember, I said “posted” speed limits. Sometimes, even I find it hard…
by Ivo Henfling City planning and public works departments in Costa Rica are not as well organized as you are used to. Actually I don’t think the locals have ever heard of city planning and therefore planning their public works. The not planning of a city is part of the Latin mindset: live the…
After moving here, you will need a bank account in Costa Rica. Without it, you’ll be in trouble. How are you going to pay your bills? I certainly hope you paid attention to my previous blogs and prepared for gaining easy and ongoing access to your funds back home. At the moment, it’s difficult to…
Estimated Reading Time: 7 Minutes When buying a property, you will want to know how much the closing cost is, right? You just found this absolutely gorgeous property in Costa Rica and you want to purchase it. Before you start negotiating the purchase price, you would like to know what the final cost of that…
Estimated Reading Time: 6 Minutes Our arrival was exciting, just like our decision of moving to Costa Rica. Now that we are here living in Costa Rica, I’m throwing my chronological approach out the window. I’m trying to cover topics that may have value for you. Hopefully, they’re interesting subjects and observations that perhaps will…