Living in Costa Rica and Creating the Arenal Botanical Gardens, Tiliran, Costa Rica

This short story is about Doug Ward's life in Costa Rica.   Doug  came from Miami, Fla  on a vacation and instantly fell in love with Costa Rica.  He bought a farm, transformed it into a Tropical Botanical Garden, and opened it to tourist to learn and enjoy.

Written by Doug:  I first came here to Costa Rica's  first international orchid show in 1986 on one of those 4 day/3 night adventures. It was in March.
I returned in July and spent six weeks cruising around the whole country.
It took five hours to get from Boyeros ( stop light in Liberia) to Flamingo and I had to un-stick the Land Rover twice with a winch to get there !
On my way back to SJ; I passed through Tilaran and spent the night in Cabinas Los Lagos.Rode dirt roads to view the lava that night.
I told myself "this is where I retire".
20 years despues....I DID !  Pura Vida!

Yes. I consider this area of Tiliran to Be Costa Rica's  Pura Vida without the need of living in a cage.
I have a greenhouse, several garden areas, uncountable varieties of fruit trees, rabbits, meat chickens, egg laying hens, meat chickens, a small pig pen. I moved here to live like a Tico.
I have zero interest in PriceMart or Multiplaza.

I'm bringing some hams and also a beef brisket to make some corned beef this morning.
Come on by.

As to the wood for my projects, two Cabins and my house... It was harvested in the farm below me.I paid a good price but made the old guy some nice outdoor furniture( Adirondack chairs) as part of the deal.

This is what Doug had to say about living in the countryside--outside of the Central Valley area of San Jose and Alajuela:

WOW. You need to get out of the Central Valley. I pay 4200 a kilo for lomito de res, my cleaning girl is 850 colones an hour. My mechanic charges 2500 an hour, works fast and is good. The Honda shop in Miami charges $60 an hour and they're morons.
Put that water heater on a timer. I only run mine from 5 to 530 AM and can still take a fairly warm shower at 8pm..
I recently finished a cabin. It's all tricked out with hand made cedar doors, windows and furniture, etched glass,custom plaster ceilings with exposed beams. Italian ceramic, REAL plumbing and electric, alarm.
$42 / sf- turn key with dishes, coffee maker, stove, fridge and a new 32 inch TV.

Sounds like a real "Pura Vida" Doug!

 

Thinking of Retiring to Costa Rica? Then the video Costa Rica A Travel Adventure Spectacular is for You!

"IT'S SUMMER TIME AND THE LIVING IS EASY"

If you are thinking of retiring to Costa Rica and want to hear first hand what is it like from North Americans who have done just that, then our video Costa Rica A Travel  Adventure Spectacular offers you the opportunity to hear the  testimonials of three different couples from North America who have moved to Costa Rica to retire or to work.  One couple is from Canada and live in Grecia.  He commutes to Canada where he is a consultant for a large corporation.  Another couple live in Escazu.  She works in the US part of the time.  The last is a writer and relocation tour specialist who makes Costa Rica his home full time.  Learn from these people all the reasons to come to Costa Rica, the excellent climate, warm friendly people,  great fresh food, excellent affordable medical care, and much more!

You can do this by purchasing our fifty eight minute video on the home page of costaricalearn.com   First you can preview the film by watching the two minute trailer.

We are confident that you will love the film!

Stop the World and Let Me Off In Costa Rica

Live a simple life in Costa Rica.

Time is passing faster than the hands of a clock can rotate around its face.  I want to stop the clock, stop the passage of time.  Live in the moment.

Yes, live in the moment.  Live a simple life of leisure in Costa Rica  free of the mounting stress of day to day existence.

I came to retire in Costa Rica, live in a remote mountainous region of Costa Rica.  Costa Rica is a  tiny country in the middle of a long stretch of land leading from southern Mexico to northern Panama.  Here the trees are giants with outstretched arms covering vast mountainsides with streams as wide and deep seemingly as river they flow into.  Here people live 100 years in simplicity, free from the modern world of cells phones, fast cars, laptop computers,  fast food,  and divided families. Here there is a sense of community in harmony with nature.

I came to live off the land, build a house of wood, and help my neighbors.  I built the house of wood, planted a garden, established a vineyard, and yes,  helped my neighbors.

We planted trees, built a new school, recruited a  young doctor, and established a small clinic.

The summer rains came.  But only in the late of the day after the tropical sun had warmed everything beneath it.

This is a unique place where I awake to the songs of birds and the smell of  pure mountain air.

A True Sanctuary of the Mind!

If you would also like to get off in Costa Rica,   Ann welcomes your comments and questions.  At end of the post  click on comments  (although it may say no comments)

Retire in Costa Rica Why?

First, it's the climate. The weather is

GREAT!  Most foreigners settle in the central valley in and  around San Jose,  Grecia,  Atenas,  Heredia, and  Alajuela. .... and depending on how high above sea level you are ( 3,000 feet is average ) the weather is great. Around 72 degrees F. most of the time all year round. No air conditioning needed and no heating.  Lots of tropical breezes and warm sunshine.  Rains in afternoons May thru mid November.  The dry season comes t in late December thru mid April. Very little rain comes during these months and hundreds of tropical flowers are in full bloom including the many species of orchids.  On the other hand if you settle around the beaches, weather is much warmer, around 80-85 F. year round. Air conditioning is needed in the beach areas,  and  most all hotels have it.  But, the tropical breezes blow constantly and add relief to the heat.

Natural Beauty: Abundant beauty...especially outside the cities in the countryside.  From the rainforest to the coffee fields,  to bananas, to sugar cane, to pineapples...a thousand shades of  GREEN.  Tropical flowers are a million different colors especially the many species of orchids which are in full bloom February through April and May. Then there are the mountains, volcanoes, beaches, wild rivers,  and 350 species of colorful birds.

Lifestyle: Slow and easy..never get in a rush!  Costa Rican people are friendly and helpful. Democratic government with elections held every four years..no military coups,  or communist  takeovers.   Peaceful if  you live in the countryside.  Cities are noisy and polluted.  Biggest  problem is petty theft.

Cost of living: Depends on your lifestyle.  If you are  a high roller then of course you will spend a lot of money here.   However:  the overall cost of living is cheaper in Costa Rica than in the USA,  Canada, or Europe.   Fresh vegetables and fruit can be purchased weekly (Friday afternoons and all day Saturday) at the local farmers markets (in every town)   at great savings. ( Local supermarkets prices are much higher and the produce is not nearly as fresh) Housing comes in all shapes and prices.  So if  you take your time and do your ahead of time research you will find what fits your budget. In Escazu , San Jose, Santa Ana, and surrounding the homes and apartments cost more... Nicer ones built to American standards start at around $700.00 and up. The farther out you get from the larger metropolitan areas the less you pay for housing Places with views to mountains usually cost more.  Nice places on the beaches built to American standards are expensive ...I dont want to quote prices here because depending on rainy or dry season, the prices vary.  Cars are unusually expensive in Costa Rica so investigate this ahead and budget for it.  If you import your auto from your home country...the Costa Rican government will hit you with a BIG import tax.  So take heed...investigate this ahead of time. Contact The Association of Residents of Costa Rica  (ARCR)   www.arcr.net  for resources to help you with this.

What makes the cost of living in Costa Rica less expensive? Household help is cheaper.  The ladies love this. Usually one hires a maid by the hour.  You can ask other foreigners who live here the going rate per hour, but the last I checked it was less than $2 per hour but some benefits have to be added to this.  Some women want a full time maid and this is around $250 a month..again the benefits must be added to this. So be sure to get all the facts before hiring your household help,  gardeners, or drivers.  Check ARCR -Association of Residents of Costa Rica  www.arcr.net   Next: Private medical care and  private medical insurance is much cheaper in Costa Rican and is considered to be very very good.  Many of the doctors speak English and have trained in the US . Private Hospitals Cima (private hospital ) and Clinica Biblica.   Both serve very well the foreign community and are much  cheaper to receive care there than in the US.   Also medications are cheaper.

Real Estate taxes are much cheaper.  I pay $400 annually on my $180,000  home.

Dental is excellent and much cheaper.  I pay $350 for a crown..and I love my dentist, who is in Alajuela.

Recreation: Out door nature orientated activities are too many to list here so Ill tell you about a few of them.  Beaches, mountains, National Parks and wildllife reserves, white water rafting,  rainforest, deep sea fishing,  bird watching, golf...and more.

Social Clubs-Enough to keep you more than busy- meeting new and interesting people and learning new things.  to mention a few: Newcomers Club-headquarters Escazu   2. Womens Club of Costa Rica-headquarters Escazu , Wine Club,  Cooking classes and Gourmet Club, all headquartered in Escazu.  People come from all the surrounding areas come to attend these clubs. For the guys there is tennis, golf, computer club....and much more.

These social clubs and their meeting places, times, and dates are listed in the Tico Times English language newspaper published every Wednesday.  You can buy it in all the places expats go..grocery stores, airport, book stores. A condensed version is online www.ticotimes.com  (but social calendar is not in the condensed version.)

So who would like to live and retire in Costa Rica?  Burned out baby boomers looking for a simple life.  A more relaxed  and less expensive life style, and a little adventure when they want it.

Those wanting to "start a new life"  open a new business,  make new and interesting  friends,  explore a new part of the world,  learn Spanish, or find love and companionship.  And people who just searching for  a great adventure in a new land  of sunshine and gentle rain.