www.CostaRicaTicas.com

For those interested, I started a blog on living in Costa Rica. For those who don't know, I have been here for six years. I'm married to a Tica and have Costa Rica Permanent Residency. We have three beautiful Ch*ldren. Two of the three Ch*ldren have US citizenship! The last one is in process right now. Man... I'm going to put loads of information about that!

It has been a very rough six years!!! Its not easy living here! I hope this blog can help people out.

I have had all sorts of ups and downs in this crazy country, including having things stolen and getting them back, dating chicas, dealing with bad girls when I was single, getting mugged by drug addicts in Escazu, dealing with bad people generally, taking a company to arbitration and winning, buying a home, getting a real job that pays decent money. HINT - You can even work here without residency, providing you have what it takes to get hired, and a few other items that you should be aware of...

I have struggled with making this available to this community, as this somewhat ruins my anonymity. However, I feel that maybe I can help someone out.

Visit http://www.TipsCostaRica.com and download my FREE eBook. With your name and email address I can give you access to post new questions or comment on the blog.

I forgot to say.... For those who don't care, or don't know me, or don't like me... That's cool too!! just ignore this.... Pura Vida!

Thanks for this. I've considered making this move at some point and your experiences are helpful!

Hmmm...I just spent about 30 minutes on your blog, Chi. You got some pretty good stuff posted, some of it's personal and heartfelt, which is great. I don't think I want to live in CR but since visiting there a couple months back it has inspired the possibility of me retiring in Latin America, perhaps Ecuador. Still, CR has a very strong pull. I just can't figure out if the pull comes from the chicas or from the extremely beautiful countryside and slower pace of living.

One of the things that stood out to me was your telling of the gringo friends you had during the first few months. I found this very interesting because it matches my own short experience. When I was sitting at the bar(any bar in the Gulch), I noticed that some of the guys were...shall we say, odd. It was weird because some of these guys I could tell were alcoholics, drug dealers, and basically dudes I don't really hang with in my neck of the woods. In fact, some of them scared the hell out of me. It was like the Mos Eisley bar scene in Star Wars.

I'd be interested in knowing how you raise your little ones? Do they speak Spanish or do you teach them English? Do you speak Spanish fluently yourself? I've heard the public schools in CR are terrible and few make it past the 8th grade. In either case, I've bookmarked your blog and look forward to any/all future posts. Rock on, dude.

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Yo, I'm off on a Jett/relaxed to the monger set/
Got the chica pro-flo headed out the doe/
Got cien dollar bills-n-bags for my Del Rey shags/
Scoping out Tica heels wit the flaca feels/
No novia para me cause its extra fee, not "free"/
Gonna get a Pura Vida meeta not a gringa skeeza/
Dis is how it goes wit hoes in Santa Joe's/
No need for the true player/just a true payer
Ya dig?

thanks for the excellent response. I don't think its a good idea to consider other countries in central america. Costa Rica is hard enough!
Go visit Bogota and report back to me.

My K*ds are sunshine and natural anti-depressants. My wife is a stubborn tica that only speaks spanish. Thus, they speak spanish words to her and english words to me. They are awesome! and I never had K*ds in the US.

I just visited Ecuador last month. And if I wasn't already settled and comfortable in my little pueblo here in Colombia, I would be taking a hard look at Ecuador. A beautiful country...very affordable and no exchange rates to worry about (the US$ is the official currency.) You have your choice of tropical (the coast and Amazonas) and cool alpine climates (the central Andes region).

Yeah, I hear you about the Mos Eisley Bar scene... I've also observed an "oddness" among ex-pats as well. That trite adage "home of the wanted and unwanted" nails many who choose to become "ex-pats" not just in CR, but in other places of the world as well. Here in Colombia, I don't go out of my way to search out my "fellow countrymen". I give them a wide berth. Many appear to be living in a house of cards that could topple at any moment. Loneliness, boredom and addiction (drugs, booze, hookers, etc.) seem to be common especially among solo ex-pats. Making enough money to make ends meet is always an issue for ex-pats without a sufficient pension or other type of annuity income. For this reason, many try to pull off hair-brained money-making schemes that fail before ever even leaving the ground, while others have a viable plan, knuckle down, and land on their feet. Still others are self-styled vigilantes and the "keepers of the faith". IMO, these are the most dangerous and a must to avoid.

In spite of my natural cynicism, I have met a handful of ex-pats from Europe and North America who I now consider good acquaintances and friends. But to be perfectly honest, my new "support system" is derived from my circle of local paisa family and friends.

The transition from being a long-time citizen in one country to becoming an ex-pat in another can be very trying. Ultimately, some sacrifices and compromises need to be made for greater returns in the future. For me, I went up a few rungs on the ladder of life when I traded the pits South Jersey for my pueblo in Antioquia.

Yeah, I hear you about the Mos Eisley Bar scene... I've also observed an "oddness" among ex-pats as well. That trite adage "home of the wanted and unwanted" nails many who choose to become "ex-pats" not just in CR, but in other places of the world as well. Here in Colombia, I don't go out of my way to search out my "fellow countrymen". I give them a wide berth. Many appear to be living in a house of cards that could topple at any moment. Loneliness, boredom and addiction (drugs, booze, hookers, etc.) seem to be common especially among solo ex-pats. Making enough money to make ends meet is always an issue for ex-pats without a sufficient pension or other type of annuity income. For this reason, many try to pull off hair-brained money-making schemes that fail before ever even leaving the ground, while others have a viable plan, knuckle down, and land on their feet. Still others are self-styled vigilantes and the "keepers of the faith". IMO, these are the most dangerous and a must to avoid.

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Best post I have read in years!

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I said hey baby, take a walk on the wild side.
Lou Reed

You guys are hitting the nail on the head. Many guys come down here with NO INCOME PLAN. Once they realize that Costa Rica is not that cheap, because they are eating up their savings, they resort to all kinds of schemes. I honestly know a guy that sells light bulbs to hotels. Not only does he sell them, he re-brands them as his own _________ brand light bulb. Super energy efficient. Its a bunch of snake oil. The exact same bulb is for sale in EPA. In fact, he buys them in EPA. Marks them up. And goes around by bus selling them to remote hotels that don't have a clue.

That's only the tip of the ice-berg of my experience in Costa Rica. I have seen guys selling property that they don't own. I have seen guys selling fake stock in fake companies to tourists. I even had to listen to a guy claiming to own a very valuable piece of technology. He wanted me to invest in it. I have had real estate offers of instant $$$. Its all bullshit.

What people need to understand, you have to have some street sense and good instincts. If it sounds like bullshit, walk away fast. Put distance between you and THEM. Honestly, the first objective of some gringos down here, as well as ticos, is to separate YOU from your MONEY.

Guys - please comment on my blog. I need feedback so I know how to grow and what stories to write. I have hundreds of stories that people probably want to hear.

For example, I can write about having a baby in Costa Rica, or even, how to find a good Tica. I know lots of them. My strategy also worked. So, I hope you view my blog as interactive. I want to know, what you want to know. I want to be able to help!

You're right about CR not being cheap. You don't begin to see "third-world prices" until you are far away from San Jose and other gringo strongholds. And selling real estate seems to be the "preferred poison" for making ends meet in CR.

The prices are not cheap anywhere. The price of gas for example is controlled by the government. Its the same everyhwere. All of the grocery store chains have fixed prices, so it doesn't matter if you go to an Automercado in Escazu or Hatillo. Its all the same prices.

The government publshes that you can live here for $2,500 per month and $1,000 per month for pensionistas. I can't seem to live on less than $4,000 per month. However, I am supporting a family of five..... minor caveat.

You should also put Colombia on your radar for retirement. It was the most pleasant suprise of any of my travels. Its a beautiful country and I felt totally safe. You can walk around Bogota at night without fear. In San Jose, you need to sprint or hop taxis place to place.

I didn't realize it had gotten that bad in Costa Rica. I haven't set foot in CR in over 3 1/2 years. Sorry to hear about that. Prices here in Antioquia, Colombia (if you exclude Poblado) are still very reasonable and affordable especially rents and utilities. I live in a new condo development, in a quaint pueblo near Medellin, and my cost of living is 50 - 60% of what it would be had I stayed in NJ. I don't think my standard of living in the US would be anywhere near what I have here in Colombia on my fixed incomes. The only thing of concern, though, is the Peso/Dollar exchange rate. I have to keep a close eye on that, and when the opportunities strike, buy pesos like mad. That's one advantage places like Panama and Ecuador have over Colombia, the official currency in these countries is the US Dollar. And to a degree, that is an advantage in CR which has dual currencies (the colon and US Dollar).

BD, take that with a grain of salt. Prices have increased and CR is certainly not a cheap place to live. If you read the local papers you will see that when the government sends out shoppers to compare prices which they do periodically they find a wide range even in stores of the same chain and you are definitely not going to find an Automercado in Hatillo. Not totally unlike the U.S. where a chain such as Publix have different price structure for different markets.

The government does not publish any figures on how much it will cost to live here. The figures cited are income requirements for those seeking residency and are not tied to the cost of living. Many people, even with a family, can live in Escazu on an income much less then $4000.00 per month.

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Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine

Don't know where this fits, but maybe Chi can write an article on some of this stuff.

I hear about disgruntled Americans leaving the US, because of gov't policies and as soon as they get to another country, they order up CNN or Fox to hear all the political taking heads speak (really, enough to make me scream, why subjective yourself to this BS is my wonder. I've not subscribed to any TV service in over 6 years now). The way I see it is if you are going to move and then tune into CNN or Fox most of your day, well, you haven't really gone anywhere really. Your mind is still back in the USA.

Another thing about the disgruntled folks is that they think leaving the US will somehow make them feel less American. This isn't true. No matter where you go, you'll not be able to escape feeling like you are American and if you are tuning into American politics, you'll even more so feel like it is "we" that is doing whatever in the world, not "they" as in those Americans.

People need to be careful about why they are leaving.

As far as how cheap it is in various countries - I find people speak about how expensive imports and food are in CR, but don't talk about the savings they are getting from property taxes or income taxes (just an example). In CR and elsewhere, one might also be able to afford a maid and/or way more Ch*ld care help than they could in the US, because labor rates are way different.

I work in technology so I know a lot of Indians. On professional salaries in India, they can have maids, drivers and gardeners, but not here in the US. So maybe food is expensive, maybe imports are expensive too in India, but having a maid, sometimes 1 for each K*D, is great for mom and dad's stress and relationship.

Nice piece of selective editing. Why did you neglect add this portion

"In addition to building in the public zone, Kalina was accused of cutting trees, building the drain lines to dry parts of the wetland and altering the ecosystem of the area. Officials also said he blocked ditches and destroyed coral. So complete restoration will be a big job."

I have no idea of what the facts are and if he was or was not unfairly treated. I do know it is not fair to take a piece of an article leaving out some of it to create an impression that may or may not be factually correct.

_________________
Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine

My take is Greengo (amazingly I just 'got' his handle) was being entertaining, using what suited his discourse.
It was just another lesson in the Costa Rican experience.

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It is cheaper to pay now and get it over with.
It is also easier to get them to leave.