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On Opening the Mind

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On Opening the Mind

As I write these words this the morning of the 20th of January, 2017, Donald J. Trump is preparing to take the oath and assume office as the 45th president of the United States.

Needless to say that I need to obey my own advice on opening the mind.

It’s impossible to begin anything new without dragging the past along with us. The freshly-minted expat will arrive in Costa Rica bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, but harboring preconceived notions about how things are supposed to work. Notions that were shaped and formed over many years spent in a world very different from the one he or she is about to enter.

This will become apparent rather quickly. You’ll notice it in those little language barriers you face when trying to order food in a restaurant, or get help in a store or bank, or simply past pleasantries with your tico neighbor.

And language won’t be the only place you’ll notice the difference. You’ll notice it in the ticos’ general attitudes about life and the time it occupies. You’ll notice that they have this “c’est la vie” style of getting along with life that is foreign to the American-style of “get’er done.” You’ll notice that in Costa Rica things get done…when they get done…and not a minute sooner. You’ll notice that if you push against that mindset, your efforts will be met with resistance at best and passive aggressiveness at worst.

Now, granted, all this will be irritating, it will get under your skin like a stubborn rash. If you itch it, the irritation will worsen.

So, what do you do? Well, you just don’t, that’s what.

First, open the mind to the fact that this is newly chartered territory for you. Try to remember back when you embraced new experiences, if you can. There was a time in all of our lives when the experience of something new, even though uncomfortable, was exhilarating and exciting. Splashing in a mud puddle was big fun back then, wasn’t it? That’s the attitude you have to dig deep in the recesses of those memory banks to find and resurrect as you face this new life as a Costa Rica expat.

Because, believe me, your new life is going to be chock full of mud-puddles…especially during the months of May through November.

All this will be uncomfortable at times. But it can certainly be a whole lot of fun too. That is, if and only if you keep an open mind.

In all seriousness, an open mind is a positive human trait in just about any circumstance of life. And that’s especially true with regard to one as momentous as pulling up roots and planting them in some foreign land.

Right now I am trying to keep an open mind about the presidency of Donald Trump. It’s damn hard I will readily admit. But closing the mind to all positive possibilities won’t serve me, now will it? By the same token, closing your mind to the “tico way” as just not being up to your American snuff won’t serve you either.

Oh and I must tell you that you are apt to encounter “closed minds” when it comes to certain tico attitudes about us gringos. Attitudes that paint us all as arrogant, materialistic and universally rich. Yes it does cut both ways. But remember, you are in their country and you can only control your attitude. If you ever feel a bit slighted as the victim of Latin American prejudice against gringos, rejoice in the experience. Now you know what it feels like for others. You’ve just had an empathy growth moment!

Bottom line is that you want to make the best of this new experience…correct? You want to be one of those expats who finds joy and happiness, rather than misery and defeat…correct? You certainly don’t want to be one of those who sits in a dark and grungy gringo bar for hours every gorgeous day complaining about the ticos, or, worse, one of those who heads back to the States with his or her tail tucked between the legs…right?

Well then, take my advice on keeping and open mind and just do it!

There is No Place Like Home

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There is No Place Like Home

You might be thinking, do expats get homesick?

Of course we do!

After all there is no place like home. Home is where the heart is. It’s where the memories of a lifetime reside. We expats carry those memories with us to our new home. We carry them stored in our memory banks, but also in tangible items, like photos and videos, as well as the family and life-long friendships we leave behind.

Being an expat doesn’t mean one has to burn the ship, in the fashion of a Hernán Cortés. As if that’s the only way to successfully invade and conquer our new homeland. We can and should maintain ties to our motherland.

For some, that feeling of being homesick can grow overwhelming. That’s usually the result of maintaining too much “linkage” with what you left behind. After all, you are now living in a far different place, in terms of just about every experience of life…from the language you read, hear and try to speak, to the products you see on the supermarket shelves and the programs that appear on your television set in the evening.

In short, you ain’t in Kansas anymore.

That’s part of the challenge and adventure of being an expat. That is, having to learn to function, to make yourself feel at home, in a place that looks and feels far different from your actual home. Granted, it can be a daunting challenge, but with an open mind and a good dose of patience and good humor, you can do it.

I maintain close ties with my home country primarily by being a bit of a political junkie. Costa Rican politics is quite boring. But U.S. politics is and will always remain fascinating for me. I try to retain some sense of an influence with my peers in this realm, via expressing my opinions in blog posts and social media. I get a kick out of it, but it also makes me feel as if I am somehow making an impact by contributing to the discussion.

Other expats maintain close ties via sports, following their favorite teams and struggling to create the same level of excitement as was felt back home about the “big games.” It’s a little harder to do that down here, but with a little effort, you can be an avid “athletic supporter” of U.S. sports in Costa Rica. You’ll get along and make friends with the locals a lot better if you also embrace their sport, soccer, or fútbol, but that’s your choice.

Now there are some expats, too many actually, who try to convert Costa Rica, at least all the parts of it that annoy them, into an “American pie-like” experience. They are usually frustrated and often fail in that effort, or spend far too much money in the attempt. And I believe going this route detracts from the joys one should experience as an expat. The joy of adapting to a new and strange place, rather than trying to force that place to adapt to you!

There’s a little give and take involved in settling in and feel at home in a country like Costa Rica, as I’m sure there is with any other foreign country for that matter. Remember, you are the alien. You are the one with the strange habits and customs. You are the invader. However, you’ll never be a “conquerer”, so best not even try.

As the old saying goes, when in Rome, do as the Romans. Same goes when in Costa Rica…try, as best you can, to do as the ticos. After all, they consistently rate as some of the happiest souls on the planet. So, the effort might really pay off for you!

An attitude of embracing the new culture you find yourself immersed in will certainly go a long way in keeping the natives from growing too restless with your presence.

But at the same time, it’s good to remember that there is no place like home, the one location on earth that best defines who you really are.

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Hey, my new book The Definitive Guide to Costa Rica Expat Living is live on Amazon. If you’re thinking about making an escape from the rat-race, whether for political or mental and physical health reasons, or all of the above, The Definitive Guide to Costa Rica Expat Living was written just for you!

Get the Book!

Playa Matapalo – Truly A Costa Rica Hidden Beach

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Costa Rica Hidden Beach

As you zip down Costa Rica’s version of the Autobahn, that short stretch of highway between Quepos and Dominical, it’s very easy to miss Playa Matapalo. Oh, I believe there’s an inconspicuous sign and a restaurant, actually a really good one, called La Langosta Feliz (Happy Lobster), but not much else.

Nevertheless hidden down at the end of a dusty dirt road is an authentic Costa Rica hidden beach. If you go there any other time than the weekend, you might find yourself, along with your accompaniment, completely alone. That’s a rare find in Costa Rica these days. Yes, the word is out about Costa Rica. There aren’t that many “secret spots” left. I probably shouldn’t even be writing this and taking the risk of letting the cat out of the bag concerning Playa Matapalo.

To make it even better, just next door there’s another secluded beach called Playa Linda, which looks a lot like its twin brother (Matapalo), and is perhaps even more “hidden.”

There was a time when getting from Quepos to Dominical was a real chore. For years the remaining unpaved stretch of the Costanera was that roughly 40 kilometers between Quepos and Dominical. And it was one of the worst roads, to my knowledge, in the country. You had to ford rivers, maneuver gigantic rain-filled potholes, endure convoys of trucks bringing in supplies to the southern zone, and by the time you arrived some two hours later, your car, and your person, would be literally covered in filth. Yes, it really was that bad.

But all that is no more. Now that stretch of road is a stunning and long overdue achievement, which ranks as one of Costa Rica’s best examples of trying to catch up with the rest of the world, infrastructure-wise. You can make the trek in about a half-hour or less, rather than the 1.5 to 2 that it used to take.

Many thought that the paving of this stretch would bring a huge development boom to the southern zone. That really hasn’t happened, yet.

I always thought Matapalo would surely be a prime benefactor. Matapalo is where the coastal mountain range, what locals call the “fila costeña, begins to appear and hug the coastline all the way down to the Osa. That makes for some spectacular vistas. There are some really cool developments up in those hills, with panoramic ocean views, like Hills of Portalon, Ridges of Portalon, and the old Zacatona development.

There was a group called Hacienda Matapalo that years ago tried to do a large-scale development and failed miserably when they ran out of cash. Many poor investors were taken for a ride and it was a stain on the southern zone real estate market for a time. But that’s ancient history now.

Portalon is a great expat option, if you don’t mind being a bit secluded. It’s about half-way between the busier areas of Quepos (Manuel Antonio) and Dominical. You can get up high enough in the mountain to have a nice cool micro-climate and a truly spectacular view of the southern Pacific coast. Western-facing sunset views abound in this area. Property values are certainly less than in nearby more developed areas, like Manuel Antonio, Dominical and Uvita. And of course you’ll have a beach, Playa Matapalo (or Playa Linda), virtually all to yourself.

Playa Matapalo certainly has to rank high as a Costa Rica hidden beach. Many others try to stake a claim to that adjective (hidden or secluded), but few truly earn it.

The Manuel Antonio Expat Appeal

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Manuel Antonio Expat

After perhaps the most tumultuous presidential election in my lifetime, culminating in a very controversial result, many are thinking more seriously than ever of making an expat move.

Of course, there are many countries one could consider. Certainly Costa Rica ranks high on the list of most aspiring expats and for good reasons…

Costa Rica is politically stable. It is geographically diverse, with gorgeous mountains and two incredible coastlines. The people of Costa Rica are peaceful, naturally friendly, and offer a warm welcome to us gringo expats…well, as long as we mind our manners.

So, yes, Costa Rica is an expat haven. However, once having made the decision to move here, one is still faced with a wide variety of choices concerning where to live. You can opt for the big city of San Jose and the surrounding grand area metropolitana, or you can head for the countryside into the mountains, or down to one of Costa Rica’s many beaches.

It seems more and more are choosing the Quepos/Manuel Antonio area as an optimum expat beach destination. What are the reasons behind this Manuel Antonio expat appeal?

This post will offer 10 reasons that support the Manuel Antonio expat appeal…

1. Accessibility – Manuel Antonio is easy to get to from San Jose. You just take the Caldera Highway over to the Costanera, Costa Rica’s coastal highway and one of its greatest infrastructural achievements, and in about 3 hours, or less, you’re there. You’ll endure far less pain in getting to Manuel Antonio than you will for many other Costa Rica coastal destinations.

2. The Beach – Manuel Antonio truly has some of Costa Rica’s most beautiful beaches, both inside its popular national park and out. Many go there to visit the beach and then come back to stay.

3. The Biodiversity – You’re really in the jungle in Manuel Antonio. And it’s not hard to notice that, both due to the lush tropical vegetation, the monkeys, and other wildlife that abound in the area. Even though the animals and the people rub shoulders in this small geographical space, both seem to get along pretty well.

4. Quepos – Quepos is the little fishing village just before you arrive at the beaches of Manuel Antonio. There you can find most everything you need and these days, there are a lot of dining and nightlife options that are bringing more activity to this once sleepy town.

5. Great Food – Manuel Antonio boasts many great dining options, for local as well as international cuisine. It is a top tourist destination in Costa Rica. In fact, one of the three “crown jewels” of Costa Rica tourism (the others being Arenal and Monteverde). So, that encourages a lot of touristic development that can make life quite enjoyable for expats that live there, in addition to the tourist who are just visiting.

6. Good Nightlife – Same reasoning as with the dining options. Nightlife options are many in the area and there’s always a party somewhere.

7. The Quepos Airport – Another great accessibility advantage is the Quepos airport with frequent flights to San Jose and other destinations. The flights are relatively cheap and this makes other areas of the country inherently accessible to expats in Manuel Antonio.

8. Growth Opportunity – Manuel Antonio is undergoing a growth spurt. I’ve written in the past about my opinion as to the future direction of that growth. Investing in the right area of Manuel Antonio can reap great returns.

9. An Inclusionary Attitude – Manuel Antonio grew early on in popularity as a destination for gay people. They have always been welcome there, even when it wasn’t that much of an acceptable lifestyle choice in many parts. That inclusionary attitude has certainly persisted and folks of any persuasion can find a welcome home there.

10. The Pez Vela Marina – The downtown Quepos area is undergoing strong development, largely due to the relatively new and rapidly expanding Pez Vela Marina. It has become a high-end focal point that is attracting a lot of attention to this once little sleepy fishing village.

Manuel Antonio definitely has the expat allure and the election of Donald J. Trump as the 45th U.S. president might only heighten the Manuel Antonio expat appeal.

My First Experience of Manuel Antonio

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Manuel Antonio from 2001 Until Now

I remember my first experience of Manuel Antonio back in 2001. I was working on a business deal in San Jose and I had some time over the weekend for a quick adventure. So, I asked my Nicaraguan buddy, Yuri, about Manuel Antonio. He told me he could take me there and that I definitely should see it.

So, off we went…

Back then getting to Manuel Antonio was quite a different experience than it is today. There were two one-lane and very rickety bridges you had to cross. The traffic crossing those bridges would back up forever. From time to time, during the rainy season, the bridges would be completely inundated and impassable. Nowadays, there are new two-lane bridges that make the trip much easier and a lot less stressful.

I remember that Quepos, the little fishing village one has to pass through before arriving at Manuel Antonio, gave me the impression of being just that, a dirty little fishing village. It remained that way for years. These days, however, with the ongoing development of Marina Pez Vela making an impact, Quepos has become an attraction in itself. Quepos now offers many accommodation options that are quite nice and more economical that what you will find just on the other side, in Manuel Antonio.

As soon as you get though the busy streets of Quepos and start heading up the hill and then down to the beach, what strikes you is the jungle. Up until that point, I’d seen a lot of green in Costa Rica, but nothing like this. The jungle overwhelms you. It brings you to the full realization that you’re definitely not in Kansas (or, for me, South Carolina) anymore.

Back then Manuel Antonio had already arrived on the scene as one of Costa Rica’s main tourist attractions. However, the development was far less dense than it is today. Nevertheless, there were numerous places to stay. Yuri and I had taken off on an impulse, without booking anything in advance, thinking we’d just wing it once there. It was the weekend and the high tourist season, so place after place was booked solid. We finally arrived at this one small hotel overlooking the ocean. I believe it was called La Roca. It’s still there. The guy at the reception told us they did have one room available, but with only one king-sized bed. Yuri and I had no intention of sleeping together and asked if there was any possibility of adding another bed. The guy looked at us oddly, as if wondering what the hell for? Little did we know that at that time La Roca was a hotel that catered mainly to homosexuals. In fact, Manuel Antonio made a name for itself initially as a get-away for gay people.

These days it’s much more than that, as high rollers, families, romantic couples, young backpackers, and everything in between, make Manuel Antonio a must-see Costa Rica destination. Since that first visit I founded and still operate a vacation package business and perhaps some 80% of our tours included Manuel Antonio as a destination.

Of course, the main attraction is the national park and I will never forget my first experience of it. Since then, I’ve had many others, but that first one was really special. We hired a guide to walk through with us and one of our first nature encounters was a large boa who was in the process of swallowing an almost equally large iguana. That shouldn’t have been surprising as there were iguanas literally everywhere. And the monkeys, my god, the monkey’s. Yuri had told me a little about the park, but nothing prepares you for the intensity of the biodiversity you come face to face with in that place. There’s no wonder that it’s one of Costa Rica natural wonders and its most popular national park. That’s saying a lot when 25% of the entire land area of the country is basically some form of national park.

Since my first experience of Manuel Antonio I’ve had the good fortune of visiting Manuel Antonio countless times. In fact, I live only about an hour away from it in Perez Zeledon. It seems that every time you go there now there’s something new, either a new hotel, restaurant, bar, or club. And then there’s the incredible development of the Marina Pez Vela, which is now one of the most upscale resort locations in the country and it continues to expand.

And yet, even with all that development, Manuel Antonio still manages to make you feel like you’re really in the deep and dark jungle of Costa Rica. That’s because when you’re there, you really are.

Let’s hope things stay that way!

Here’s a photo gallery of one of my early visits…circa 2003, I believe (hotel pictured is La Mansion Inn, one of my favorites)…

Manuel Antonio

Manuel Antonio Growth – Where Will it Go?

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Manuel Antonio Growth

Where Manuel Antonio growth will go is a very good question. The road that leads from Quepos down to the National Park is about as densely developed on either side as it can be. To the west of that road is the Pacific ocean. Much of the immediate east side, behind what’s already there, is not developable, nor really even accessible.

There’s not a whole lot of room for Quepos to expand. The pueblo itself is getting a shot in the arm, economically, by the new Pez Vela Marina, which is undergoing rapid commercial development. But area-wise, the only direction really for the entire Quepos/Manuel Antonio are to grow in is to the east of Quepos and the Costanera.

Currently there’s not a whole lot going on in those locations. To the east of the Costanera, the area behind the hospital and the Quepos airport (Aeropuerto La Managua), there are popular tico barrios, such as Lomas del Cruce and Lourdes. Could those barrios one day become “gentrified” gringo enclaves, the way many tico barrios up in the mountains around places like Dominical, Ojochal and Uvita have become?

Well, it’s certainly a possibility!

One thing’s for sure, the impetus for growth is there. More and more expats will be looking at this area, with its easy flights from San Jose and its 5-star marina, as the place to call home. Developers will surely take notice and be on the lookout for good, cheap and plentiful land. I believe the locations where they will find that available are those tico barrios to the east of the Costanera. Developments on the “high ground” in those areas will feature easy airport access, ocean views, and quick access to Quepos and, of course, the gorgeous beaches of Manuel Antonio.

Recently I had a conversation with my old buddy Cornelius. I’ve known Cornelius since way back during my first visits to the area in the early 2000’s. Back then he was first a bartender and later manager at the famous La Mansion Inn, which was always one of my favorite places to stay while in the area. It still is, by the way, and has always been a favorite of many of my vacation customers. There’s nothing like the views of the bay from the pool area and I love the cool bat cave bar!

Cornelius, or Corky, is now the marketing manager at Hotel Kamuk, the largest and one of the oldest hotels in Quepos. Over the years he has become a real VIP, politically and otherwise. Someone you definitely want to know. Plus, he’s just an all-around great guy. He told me that growth in the area will definitely go in the direction of those tico barrios out behind the airport and hospital. He took me for a quick tour as I had never had reason to go over there before. That’s where Manuel Antonio growth has to go, Corky informed me!

There is only so much density that the “jungle road” that leads to the park can handle before it begins to really take a toll on the rich biodiversity that draws people to Manuel Antonio. Manuel Antonio growth needs to spread out a little and going east is the way that can happen without damaging the biodiversity and ambiance with too much additional high density.

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Hey, my new book The Definitive Guide to Costa Rica Expat Living is now live on Amazon. If you’re thinking about making an escape from the rat-race, whether for political or mental and physical health reasons, or all of the above, The Definitive Guide to Costa Rica Expat Living was written just for you!

Get the Book!

The Evolution of Quepos

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The Evolution of Quepos

Quepos has been a “sleepy” little pueblo for as long as I can remember, but lately it’s waking up! The evolution of Quepos, from sleepy little fishing village to prime tourist destination, can be summed up in a name…

the Marina Pez Vela.

For many years Costa Rica had only one true world-class marina, the Los Sueños marina in Playa Herradura. For years there was talk of one taking shape in Playa Flamingo in the Guanacaste region. But that talk never seemed to evolve into anything concrete. Then all of a sudden the secret was out that a new marina was to be built in Quepos.

Marinas are difficult things to develop in Costa Rica. The government, as well as the local population, tend to view them suspiciously. There is always the concern about the potential for negative environmental impact that marina development poses. The locals also view marinas as a sure way to change the entire complexity of their communities, from those dominated by locals, to those taken over by gringos with the big bucks. And when that happens, the price of life tends to rise for everyone.

Nevertheless, it was inevitable for a world-wide tourist phenomenon like Costa Rica, whose very name means “rich coast”, to attract marina development. If you own a luxury yacht, why wouldn’t you want to sail it into port in Costa Rica?

Unlike the situation in Flamingo, the Marina Pez Vela did actually take shape, albeit slowly. These days, however, the pace of its growth has definitely ratcheted up a notch or two.

My first visit to the marina several years ago didn’t impress me that much. However, a more recent visit certainly did.

The Evolution of Quepos

The marina is now home to a wide variety of shops, restaurants and tourist venues. They’ve built a new large parking deck. There seems to be a whole lot more luxury yachts in port than I remember from before. The whole place has become alive with excitement and activity. And that has the entire community of Quepos buzzing as well.

The Evolution of Quepos

I talked about it all with my old friend Cornelius Mesen, the marketing manager of Hotel Kamuk, the largest and one of the oldest hotels in downtown Quepos. I asked him if he’d seen much of a tourist effect from the marina. Cornelius told me that had not happened as of yet, but he envisions that great and positive change is on the not so distant horizon.

Most tourists bypass Quepos and make a b-line to Manuel Antonio, with its gorgeous white sand beaches, plethora of ritzy boutique hotels, and super cool restaurants, bars and shops. These days, however, Quepos is offering more and better accommodations than in years past. Hotel and Casino Kamuk is definitely an example.

The Marina Pez Vela will surely put Quepos on the tourist map. It has long been that bustling and dirty little fishing village one had to endure before arriving to the main destination of Manuel Antonio.

However, in the future, the evolution of Quepos is surely for this place to become a noteworthy tourist destination of its own right.

the-definitive-guide-ebook-cover-small

Hey, my new book The Definitive Guide to Costa Rica Expat Living is now live on Amazon. If you’re thinking about making an escape from the rat-race, whether for political or mental and physical health reasons, or all of the above, The Definitive Guide to Costa Rica Expat Living was written just for you!

Get the Book!

Setting Up Your Life as a Costa Rica Expat

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Life as a Costa Rica Expat

This is chapter from my new book, The Definitive Guide to Costa Rica Expat Living. The book covers a whole host of issues on starting a life as a Costa Rica expat…

You’ve arrived. You have a new home in Costa Rica, hopefully just as you envisioned. Now it’s time to start living your new life in Costa Rica, hopefully, just as you envisioned.

So, what’s next?

Setting Up Routine Services

Well, you’re going to need internet, telephone and cable TV, of course! There’s a little problem for expats who are not yet residents when it comes to setting up routine services like the aforementioned. It all has to do with this thing called a “cedula.”

A cedula is basically an official government issued identification. For you that would come in the form of a residency card. However, getting one of those is harder than you might think and I cover that in more detail below.

When you go into the phone company, or an internet service provider and try to contract for their service they will first ask to see your cedula. If you don’t have one you’ve got problems. However, there is an end-run around that. You can use the corporation you formed to take title to your property.

There is no restriction for a foreigner to own and manage a Costa Rican corporation. And the corporation, once legally formed, has a cedula juridica, or an identification number. With that you can contract for services in the name of the corporation, just as you could with your own residency cedula.

You will need a document called a personaria juridica, which basically shows that you have authority to act on behalf of the corporation. An attorney can do this for you at a fairly small cost, or you can go into a national registry office and get one even cheaper. However, registry offices aren’t located in many places, so you might end up paying your attorney every time you need one. They generally have to be “fresh”, or issued no more than 3 months prior to the date of use.

In opening a bank account, which by this point you probably have already done, you will encounter the same problem. Nonresidents will have to open the account in the name of a Costa Rican corporation. You will find that opening a bank account, and banking in general, in Costa Rica is both an adventure and an exercise in patience.

Driving Legally

There once was a time when this wasn’t that big of an issue. A nonresident could easily get a drivers licence in Costa Rica. I had one for years as a nonresident. All that has changed. Now the issuance of a license requires a cedula. Your valid license from back home will serve you for the duration of your tourist visa, usually 3 months, but beyond that you can’t legally drive on Costa Rican roads without a valid Costa Rican driver’s license. This has made getting a residency all the more important for expats who want to have cars and drive them in Costa Rica. I guess that was the point of changing the law. Each time you leave the country you renew your tourist visa and your right to rely on your home license for an additional 3 months, but that’s hardly a sufficient consolation for the expat desiring to establish a new and mobile life in Costa Rica.

Residency versus Perpetual Tourism

There are many expats living full-time in Costa Rica without residency. We call them perpetual tourists. I did this for years, while I was trying to get my residency via my investment in a tourism business I founded in Costa Rica. I went through many bad attorneys who promised the world for a hefty fee and delivered nothing. So, I just kept leaving the country every 3 months for a 3 day vacation, usually to Nicaragua. I actually enjoyed these trips. However, it’s anxiety producing to have the stress of knowing you must leave the country every 3 months, or become an “illegal.”

When I got married to a tica (actually a Colombian lady who was a nationalized Costa Rica citizen) all that changed. I was able to easily get a permanent residency, without restrictions. That’s the most coveted form of residency and is reserved for familial ties, like marriage or having a child on Costa Rican soil.

There are several other forms of obtaining residency. These forms of residency will be temporary. They do not allow you to work in Costa Rica. However, you can own a business, manage it, and draw out the profits. I will cover that in more detail in the Making a Living chapter. Nevertheless, to maintain your residency you will have to be a member of and pay into the Costa Rica health care and social security system, known as the CAJA.

The main types of temporary residency most expats take advantage of are rentista, pensionista and inversionista. The first two require a guaranteed source of income like social security, a pension, or annuity. Under a former law, residency via investment, or inversionista, was first appraised by immigration authorities to determine whether it was a “good investment” for the country, based on considerations such as whether it had a direct impact on key industries or created new jobs locally.

However, this changed with the new immigration law, which has already been in force now for several years. Currently, the investment is defined as any new capital contribution made by the foreigner in either shares of equity of local companies, or registered assets.

These would include the purchase of a lot, an apartment, or a home, as real estate assets are “registered assets” in Costa Rica. To qualify you must be able to document that the real estate asset purchase, with your own money, was at least $200,000.

The many nuances of obtaining residency are well beyond the scope of this eBook. Having a residency in Costa Rica is not a prerequisite for owning real estate here, or even living here part-time. You can join the legion of perpetual tourists who leave and return periodically. If you are planning to do that anyway, then perhaps residency is a hassle and expense you really don’t need to cope with.

However, most expats who really want to transition to a “permanent” life in Costa Rica will probably want to obtain a residency. It will make life easier in many ways. You will be issued a “cedula” as was discussed above. You will feel like you’re a part of the country. My advice is get a good attorney who knows what he or she is doing. You can attend the residency conference of the Association of Residents of Costa Rica (ARCR). That is a great source of information and guidance on obtaining your residency in Costa Rica.

Be patient with the process. The immigration office in Costa Rica is the most disorganized and bureaucratic government agency of all! It can take up to a year before you have your cedula in hand.

Good luck!

Language Barriers

I believe expats get a little too anxious when it comes to the “language barrier.” First of all, there are lots of Costa Ricans who speak English. And virtually all Costa Ricans are quite used to hearing English spoken and communicating with gringos who don’t speak much if any Spanish. Costa Ricans are by nature peaceful, easy-going and patient people. That is especially true where their language is concerned. They will appreciate and assist attempts to learn and speak it.

Do you need to learn the language? Yes! If you really want to immerse and feel a part of the culture here, you need to at least have a conversational level of Spanish. So, get on it. There are many opportunities for courses and you will certainly get a ton of practice. The only way to really learn it, once you have the fundamentals, is practice, practice, practice.

Don’t be afraid to embarrass yourself. You will! It’s all part of the adventure and the fun of being a Costa Rica expat.

Setting up your life as a Costa Rica expat requires patience and persistence. Take your time, get and follow good advice, and celebrate each victory. Don’t try to cut corners as many do, thinking their money will help them jump to the front of the many lines one has to endure in Costa Rica. Usually what that mentality does is just make them a little poorer and a lot more frustrated. Do things the right way and you’ll be rewarded.

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The Costa Rica Convenience Concept

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Costa Rica Convenience

The Costa Rica convenience concept is something quite different from what you’ve likely experienced back home, as you will quickly learn after just a few weeks, or months, as a Costa Rica expat. Once the honeymoon period wears off, you’ll soon realize that “you ain’t in Kansas anymore”, especially where convenience is concerned.

Here are just a few inconveniences you will experience on a regular basis in your new home…

1. Frequent power outages – due to storms, rationing or perhaps just because the system had a hiccup.

2. Rain, Rain, and more Rain – Rain will become part of your life in Costa Rica. In fact, if it weren’t for rain, there’d be no Costa Rica, or at least not the lush green one that drew you to consider the Costa Rica expat life.

3. Bad Roads – I watched an old documentary from 1947 the other day. It said Costa Rica has some of the best roads in the world. Really? Not the ones I drive on. Costa Rica’s roads are notoriously bad. Like bad enough to loose teeth filings, or induce labor. But that’s just part of the adventure.

4. The Language Barrier – If you don’t arrive moderately fluent in Spanish, and most don’t, you’ll soon discover that routine things like going to the bank become exercises in humility, patience and empathy for those poor non-English-speaking Mexicans in the U.S. that Donald Trump wants to deport.

5. Intermittent Internet – if you’re like me and do about 95% of your work online, well, having a secure internet connection becomes a very necessary convenience. That’s hard to find in Costa Rica. In fact, it’s downright impossible to find in most places in Costa Rica, especially those remote jungly and beachy places where expats love to congregate.

6. Bugs – I get a kick out of gringos who complain about insects. What do you expect, moron, you made a decision to live in one of the most tropical and bio-diverse locations on earth and you didn’t think that there might be bugs? By the way bio-diversity doesn’t just signify a plethora of those fuzzy and colorful creatures we like to snap photos of…it also means insects…and Costa Rica has about a gazillion different species of them!

7. The Slow Pace of Life – wait a minute, isn’t that supposed to be a positive thing? Well sure, but for most gringos who’re used to that fast track, rat-race sort of lifestyle, adjusting to the slowness of Costa Rica is quite a challenge. In fact, it can be quite a stressful challenge as all that gringo impatience is slowly squeezed out of your system.

7.5. Waiting in Line – closely related to 7. Ticos have perfected the art of waiting in line, perhaps because they get so much practice doing it. Bank lines are a notorious example. I’ve literally seen people pass out in a Costa Rica bank line. The line waiting skills of gringos are not quite so developed, but for the expat, you’ll learn them, soon enough.

8. Lack of Easy Access to Stuff – as gringos, we’re used to being able to find pretty much anything we want fairly quickly. That ain’t happening in most places in Costa Rica. If you live in an urban area like San Jose, perhaps it becomes an easier task, but still just not the same.

9. Lack of Easy Access to Cheap Stuff – and even if you do live in a big city like San Jose and can easily find most anything, you’ll still find that it costs a hell of a lot more than back in the U.S.

10. The Metric System – for those of us who’ve spent most of our life in the U.S., the metric system is, well, just plain weird. Who cares if the rest of the world uses it, we gringos are different, and we don’t. Of course, Costa Rica is on the metric system and they don’t give a hoot how different you are…adapt or suffer the consequences.

Now, none of the above “inconveniences” are insurmountable and neither should the fact that you will experience all of them dissuade you from moving forward with your expat plans.

But it pays to know what you’re getting yourself into.

One of the ways you can plan for them is to think about which onces are most important for you to avoid and try to choose a living arrangement where those particular ones are less likely to be routinely experienced at excruciating levels of patience testing.

For instance, if having good reliable high speed internet and access to shopping on a level that you’re used to having back in the states is important to you, then you probably don’t want to opt for a life in some remote jungle, as alluring and adventurous as that might sound.

Costa Rica has a lot of options, from the remote life in some bio-diverse location to highly cosmopolitan city living in a place where new state-of-the-art malls seem to pop out of the ground like the ever-present lush vegetation.

So, think about what’s most important to you and choose wisely. That’s my best advice concerning the Costa Rica convenience concept, as ridiculous as that might sound to any veteran Costa Rica expat reading these words.

Manuel Antonio In a Nutshell

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Manuel Antonio in a Nutshell

This post is the lead-in to a series I plan to do on Manuel Antonio. This one offers a Manuel Antonio overview, or a Manuel Antonio in a Nutshell…

Wait, It’s Not on the Map?

Manuel Antonio is a tiny strip of tropical terrain that extends out into the Pacific just outside of the town of Quepos, on Costa Rica’s southern Pacific coast. It is located in the province of Puntarenas and in the canton of Aguirre. Costa Rica’s coastal highway, known as the “Costanera”, stretching from Orotina to where it meets up with the Pan American Highway in Palmar Norte, runs right by the outskirts of Quepos. This is a very well-maintained and paved stretch of highway, perhaps one of Costa Rica’s best. So, getting to Manuel Antonio from San Jose, a trip of only about 100 miles, is quite easy and these days takes roughly 2.5 hours. Playa Jaco, another popular tourist beach, is about an hour away to the north. Playa Dominical, a popular beach with surfers and nature enthusiasts, is about a half-hour south. There is also a domestic airport just outside of Quepos, with multiple daily flights from San Jose that are are quick and affordable.

A Few Things You Might Not Know

If you look on the map for Manuel Antonio, you’ll likely only see the little town called Quepos. That’s because Manuel Antonio is really just the name of the small, but wildly popular, national park that sits at the end of the tiny strip mentioned above. People often get confused on this point, but in a sense, Quepos and Manuel Antonio are the same place. However, in many respects, they are vastly different.

Quepos is a small town of around 20,000 inhabitants. The name originates from the indigenous people that inhabited the region during colonial times. Quepos is primarily a fishing village. However, it has grown over the years and now features a marina, as well as many dining, shopping and nightlife options for tourists.

The Park

Manuel Antonio in a Nutshell

The big tourism draw in Manuel Antonio is, of course, the national park. The park was created in 1972 and is the smallest, but most popular, of Costa Rica’s national parks. The park encompasses roughly 4,000 acres of land. In comparison, Corcovado National Park contains 104,900 acres. It is home to many of the jungle animals that Costa Rica is famous for. In the park you’re very likely to come across three species of monkeys: the spider, capuchin (white-faced) and howler varieties all live there. You can also see sloths (both two and three-toed), boas, pizotes (in the raccoon family), 100’s of bird species, and many other animals. In the tiny area of the park there are some 109 species of mammals and 184 species of birds. Because of the small area, it’s quite easy to cover many of the hiking trails throughout the park in a day and you’re almost guaranteed to see animals. After all, they don’t have much room to hide! That’s why the park has been such a hit with tourists and has made Manuel Antonio one of the “crown jewels” of Costa Rica tourism.

In addition to nature watching, the park features some gorgeous beaches. The four beaches in the park, Espadilla Sur, Manuel Antonio, Escondito and Playita, are some of the best in the country. At 236 feet in height, Cathedral Point, which lies between Playa Espadilla Sur and Playa Manuel Antonio, provides a panoramic view of the surrounding area and blue ocean waters. In 2011, Manuel Antonio was listed by Forbes as among the world’s 12 most beautiful national parks.

What Else is in Manuel Antonio?

Manuel Antonio in a Nutshell

Okay, so we’ve talked about the major attraction, the beautiful national park, but what else? The draw of the park has created one of Costa Rica strongest tourist attractions. As a result, Manuel Antonio has grown by leaps and bounds in a very small space of time and land area. There are now multiple hotels of all ratings, from hostels to 5-star luxury resorts. There are numerous restaurants, bars and discos providing a vibrant nightlife, as well as many funky boutique shops. Street vendors peddling a wide variety of home-made arts and crafts are also a common site. Manuel Antonio has pretty much everything the tourist could want and expect from a Costa Rica beach resort location. Despite the growth, Manuel Antonio has been able to maintain its natural tropical feel. You are very likely to wake up from your hotel room to the sounds of the monkeys playing in the trees just outside.

There are many area attractions as well. From extreme sports like white water rafting on the Naranjo River, to more gentle river cruises around the Damas Island Mangrove Estuary or on the Rio Savegre. There are several popular canopy tours in the area. Other popular tours include snorkeling, ATV, waterfall hikes, horseback rides, local culture tours, etc. The national park can be experienced with an organized tour, or you can just go on your own. Naturalist guides can be hired for a modest sum at the park entrance. It always pays to trek through the park at least once with a guide, as they can show you things you’d never know were there on your own. Manuel Antonio is a Costa Rica natural playground with a touch of the high class, which is why the tourists keep flocking there year after year in increasing numbers.

The Future Outlook

Manuel Antonio in a Nutshell

Manuel Antonio has changed over the years, but in many ways it retains its earlier remote tropical ambiance. In recent years developers have moved in and have begun to carve up the landscape with private enclaves for the wealthy. The small amount of developable area requires that development be relatively dense, compared to areas like Dominical to the south.

Manuel Antonio has become one of Costa Rica most upscale resort areas, more-so than nearby Jaco or Dominical. It is probably not the preferred destination for tourists wanting to do Costa Rica on the cheap. Where will this growth lead Manuel Antonio in the future?

One thing’s for sure, if your talking about the “tiny strip”, as I’ve referred to it a couple times above, there’s just not much room for a lot more development and growth, unless it goes upwards and becomes even more dense. That type of development will likely be met with fierce local opposition. Proponents of continued growth will have to play a delicate balancing game between development and retaining the natural wonders that attract people to the area in the first place. Much of the growth will likely have to go towards Quepos and the surrounding area, as a result of the fact that there’s more room to grow in that direction.

I’ll conclude this piece on Manuel Antonio in a Nutshell with this thought…

Manuel Antonio is surely to remain one of Costa Rica’s top tourist attractions for years to come. And its aura as an attractive location for expats and foreign investors, will likely only increase as well.

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