www.CostaRicaTicas.com

The northern central part of Panama has very mellow weather, not much different than San Jose. However, there is no big or even medium city in Panama with that mild clilmate. Boquete is a town and yes the prices have gone up. There is still Volcan and some other places in that area that are semi-undiscovered as yet.

As far as Escazu goes, I don't think it's the climate as much as the existance of a very gringo-style environment, complete with lots of fast food, chain restaurants, mega malls and free parking! (English is spoken quite a few of the 'natives' as well) In addition to highland weather, that is.

Speaking for myself, I have not considered Chile or Uruguay because of the distance. It isn't a weekend destination for anybody who isn't already south of the tropic of cancer. (hope I got that right)

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"The only normal people are those you don't know very well." Joe Ancis

Are you out of your Volcan mind???

I think Bilko is right. There are many areas in the central valley with a similar climate to Escazu. So why do gringos concentrate there? I think the reasons are exactly as Bilko laid out. Personally, I'd be going to CR partially to get away from much of that or, put another way, if that's all I wanted I might just stay in the states. OTOH, to be fair to guys like VB that choose to live there, in Escazu one can have the best of both worlds - the US-style "amenities" but with CR weather and prices. Most gringo expats are looking more for affordability without giving up their US lifestyle than they are looking for a different cultural experience.

That is exactly why Panama is also so popular. After years of US influence from the canal and military base, there is still a large number of north americans both servicing the canal and retirees and they tend to live in concentrated enclaves where they don't even have to learn to speak spanish if they don't want to. This is why places like Boquete and Escazu are so popular and why the prices in those areas have risen so much above those in other parts of the country. Eventually prices will rise to the point that more and more people will be seeking other areas in each country such as, what is it, Volcan(?) in search of bargains and possibly even other countries.

There are certain factors though that up until now has favored CR and Panama. Here is what escapeartist.com has to say about Panama:
Confronted with the spiraling cost of living in the United States and Canada, people from all walks of life and all ages - including baby boomers and seniors - are searching for an affordable place to live or retire without sacrificing their current lifestyles. Panama, one of Latin America's best-kept secrets, just might be the country many of these people are seeking. Located only two and one-half hours by air from Florida, Panama has everything for potential retirees and residents -

Year-round spring-like weather in the mountains and tropical weather in the rest of the country; political stability with NO army; friendly people; the U.S. dollar as currency; a low cost of living with the most generous discounts in Latin America for foreign retirees; a first-world modern banking system, a first-world capital city; inexpensive medical care; excellent transportation and communication systems; affordable housing opportunities; excellent U.S. style shopping and goods, the best incentive-filled retirement program in Latin America plus a government that makes relocating as easy as possible for foreigners-all combine to make Panama one of the world's most desirable expatriate havens. The AARP rated Boquete Panama the fourth best retirement place in the world. Many of the same things could be said about CR, except that the incentives for foreign retirees are disappearing and the costs are going up. The main thing that CR seems to have over Panama is mongering action and that may be changing too. Close to US, mild climate doesn't apply to Chile or Uruguay. Political stability, modern banking, first world capital, US style shopping doesn't apply to those places or Nicaragua or anywhere else in Central America. Hey, maybe I should start checking out Panama after all. A lot of people think I'm a Vulcan anyway.

I would definitley consider Panama EXCEPT that there is no mongering scene anywhere where the weather is tolerable (to me). When I get to the point of total limpness I think Volcan or Sereno would work just fine. But other than going down to David and taking streetwalker potluck, I didn't see a lot of play options. But Panama does have a nice infrastructure and cheaper prices, all in all. But life without chicas is like... life in the USA?

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"The only normal people are those you don't know very well." Joe Ancis

I have a different view on retiring to Costa Rica.I want to live out of San Jose but within easy reach on day trips.You can live far cheaper ,local towns are safer than the city and it is very much more the real Costa Rica which is where I prefer to be. I personaly don't want to live in a town like Escazu which is so much like an upscale US suburb .My most likely location so far is Grecia one of the tidiest towns I have had the pleasure of visiting out of many and a very pleasant climate.It is about an hour by bus to San Jose which would make an easy day trip into town.rbc100

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In Search of Fine Kittens,
Please... Bring back the Muff

Grecia is out in the sticks. It's really country living. I'm not knocking it-- I may need to investigate it more, myself as a bug-out domicile. But by car, it took me an hour to get their from Escazu.

I think that what people say about Escazu being like an upscale US town is far over-dramatized. Sure, there are nice restaurants and nice malls which are very convenient.

But I'm living in a gorgeous complex in Escazu, but two blocks down the street, there are Ticos living with chickens and a rooster that wonder along the road, another guy a block over who takes his goat (one of the big ones!) for a walk, a Pulperia with K*ds who play pinball in front, and a taller/pintura (auto paint shop) that some Tico named Carlos runs out of the garage of his house.

Now, where you gonna find all that in Beverly Hills?

Best I recall Grecia is an hour and ten or fifteen minutes my bus with buses on hour. It is a very nice town of medium size.Like I said, I want to be out of San Jose and the suburbs.I often leave the city during the days on my trips as it is too beautiful of a country not to take advantage of points out of San Jose.I realize that kind of life is not for everyone but would be my choice.I know lots of places I could hobby both MP's and bars on day trips. I wouldn't buy property any where as I might want to move somewhere else eventually.rbc100

What do you do, out in Grecia? (Serious question.)

I enjoy the culture of the country out of the city myself. Truly I expect I will travel about Costa Rica some for a few years after moving down. It is really not a big deal to take the bus into town on any given day.I don't expect to have desire to hobby every day and with time and effort some action could be found there. I am sure I will figure something out.I hope to continue to work on a limited basis and can likely do that with computer access.It is all 5 to 7 years away for me so time will tell unless I figure a way move earlier.rbc100

RBC, next time we are in the country at the same time we need to explore some options in the 'outback', talk to some taxi drivers and see if any of the smaller cities have any 'action.' San Isidro does, from what you have said. I like smaller town environments but I am not ready to be that far from available chicas.

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"The only normal people are those you don't know very well." Joe Ancis

RBC,
I'm with you. Get out of San Jose. But be close enough that you can take a bus or a car (if you have one) into town when you want. Its the rest of the country that makes CR so beautiful. That and the slower basic tempo of life in the country that I would seek after a lifetime of running around US style. Give me a porch with a nice view of the valley (and my laptop so I can continue to post on CRT ). I'd be the guy with the goat and 2 chickens and probably a few fruit trees so I can pick my own mangos for breakfast every morning. Relax and take life easy.

I don't need to monger every day either and would probably get bored with it if I was able to do it 24/7/52. Going to SJ once or twice a week would probably be more than enough for me. Besides, even if I still was a hound-dog, if I lived in CR as a permanent resident I'd be better able to develop semi-normal semi-permanent novia relationships with my chica of the season, and that would be my focus rather than paying some MP girl by the hour. Maybe I'd find a local girl or maybe I'd find a city girl that wouldn't mind coming out to visit me for a few hours or the day or weekend. When I got tired of her (or her of me), I'd just find another.

Plus if you get into a small community, live basically like a local (modestly by our standards though perhaps a bit more luxuriously than most ticos), learn the language, greet your neighbors when you pass them on the street, maybe help teach the local K*ds English or how to use a computer, treat your neighbors as equals rather than just as maids and yardboys, basically contribute to and become part of the community, they will also look out for you. You don't have that anymore in the city of SJ and you certainly don't have that in the US.

As for particular areas, I'm not really close enough to doing it to have really worked that out. And by the time I am I don't even know if CR will still seem practical. But I do have a few ideas. First, I'm not as keen on the east valley but from what I understand there are some good deals still to be had in the Cartago area. If I can find something nice for a really good value that could trump focusing on a specific area as long as the area it was in was also nice and fulfilled my basic criteria. However, presently I tend to prefer places in the western valley. Grecia may be a little too far out but by the time I buy anything closer may be priced out of my range. If I had to pick something now, I'm thinking either the Atenas area because its warm, close to both the coast and SJ and has some nice country views or at the other end someplace like Barva in the hills over Heredia because its cool with beautiful views and still close to Heredia and SJ. I'll probably rent for a while after I move down, until I'm sure I want to stay AND I'm sure where I want to be. I'd have to really experience different parts of CR at different times of the year to decide what elevation I'd want to live at, or what balance of city/country I'd really prefer.

But this all me, everybody has their own idea of paradise.

Well Said Prolijo, All the best of Costa Rica lies out of San Jose.Cartago is my second choice by the way and very well might try both.I am not sure Costa Rica is the place but most likely I have found to date with convenient access back home.I am definitely looking as I want to get to Latin America in time.The simple life with access to the city would work for me. I mix with the locals when I travel and have been very well recieved all over the country.San Isidro de General is anouther very nice town but to far from San Jose for me.There is local chica action there though and it is the gateway to points South.Definitely a place worth spending some significant time. Might even live there for a while.rbc100

After spending a day last week with El Ciego, PacoLoco, and RBC 100 I had got to see a side of CR that I had not seen before. RBC was kind enough to guide us to a a few local Tico Bars and MP's. The wide array of talent that appeared before my eyes that afternoon was astonishing. There was a many different types of Ticas, Nicas ext. to choose from. RBC is a true gentlemen and a scholar.

Hey Tuxedo,Was a pleasure meeting you and seeing some of my favorite spots.By the way after I saw you your last morning went back to Veronicas the last MP we stopped at and saw that spinner that caught your eye the afternoon before just before we ate at the Cuban Soda.She was off the map and made a great finish to the trip.Hope to see you soon.Rbc100

Just have to add a quick response to a couple posts here on Panama. It can be hot, but it is about the same temp as living in Miami or any Caribbean destination...and there is always a breeze. The mornings I usually walk to a favorite breakfast place and dont break a sweat.

The monger scene is not as developed and "easy" to find, but I have not had a problem finding temptation on many corners...and I'm not talking about streetwalkers. There are plenty of outcall services for P4P, and there are a number of regular girls posting for dates on Yahoo and other personal connections online. If you have any game at all, you will not have a problem hooking up in Panama. My travel connection in Panama who can also hook you up is www.giggitravel.com . Marty there can set you up with the 3 Gs...Girls, Gambling, and Golf.

For residency, retirement and business...well, there is just no comparison between CR and Panama. Panama hands down... I plan to make the best of both worlds ...