Hola from New York City!

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I am visiting New York again and will be in the area for one month. Last time I was in New York for an extended period of time—this past February—I got a bit of criticism from anonymous commentors (why not post your name?!) asking me how I could be away from the B&B for a month, particularly during the high season? It is a good question (though really not anyone’s business but mine) so I wanted to answer this question here and set the record straight.

Since I moved to Costa Rica, I’ve been back in the U.S. three times, and never for fun/vacation. I’ve only visited the U.S. because I’ve had to have a series of serious surgeries to fend off a potentially fatal disease and my doctor in Costa Rica thought it would be better for me to have these surgeries here. That’s the deal. I should also mention that I have a very good manager/staff and all is taken care of at the B&B while I am gone. Now back to more fun stuff!

Being a New Yorker again….

It is very fun being here again, especially at Christmas time. The city is bustling with activity and the shoppers are out in force. I spent several hours at Macy’s today, just wandering around checking out the huge selection of things for sale. Costa Rica has a lot to offer but certainly does not have the variety of products you can get here—which is just fine with me honestly.

Each time I come back here I do go through “sticker shock” as I’m continually amazed at what it costs to live here. These days you cannot find a decent hotel for under $250/night, expect to spend $50 for dinner, and between taxis, and other items, it takes a lot to be here. However, the sites and sounds of the city make up for it and I always enjoy my time here (even with the surgeries).

I am definitely no longer a city person even though I was here for a long time. It’s just too much sensory overload and I think as I get older I’m getting used to the countryside in Costa Rica and more than that, the fact I can nearly everything I need easily in my quaint little town of San Ramon! If I can get back sooner than one month, I will!

Boomers Tour!

Alex and I had our December “Boomers in Costa Rica Tour” (www.boomersincostarica.com) for four days last week and what a terrific time it was! We toured the towns of Escazu, Santa Ana, Grecia, Naranjo, Atenas and our home town, San Ramon. We had some great meals and spent a lot of time going over how to move here, what to expect after moving here and of course, where to find affordable real estate deals. One of the best things we did was to introduce our clients to many of our friends in these towns and think our clients feel very comfortable knowing there are other people living here who are just like them. It makes the transition easier and makes them more confident in their decision to move here. The pictures on this entry are from the tour.

Doing tours of the Central Valley is more fun than I thought it would be. It is a terrific feeling to have people come to trust us for our knowledge of Costa Rica and to provide them with an honest assessment of living here, and most importantly, in buying real estate here. We’ve seen so many shady developments and brokers here so filtering out these people and deals is helpful to our clients as we want them to be happy with their choices as we don’t just do the tour and walk away—they’re life-long clients and likely new friends and neighbors!

That’s it for now. I’ll have more when there is more to say!

Pura Vida!

Andrew
[e-mail]
www.BoomersInCostaRica.com (4-day/3 night relocation/retirement tour!)
www.CostaRicaRealEstate.typepad.com (Boomers in Costa Rica blog!)
www.AngelValleyFarmBandB.com (the B&B!)

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Photos

Cow on the Road...
Our neighboring cows got out again. This one blocked my road but eventually moved out of the way.

Clients
Boomers clients with Joanna, owner of Vista Del Valle Hotel

Comments

[Mark]

expect what you get
I posted a comment about people wanting progress in Costa Rica and how it would be a negative in some respects to the culture. One other result of progress (better mail service, better roads, shorter lines and more access to cable tv and internet), is the prices for everything will go up. This includes real estate taxes and other taxes. There has been talk in the CR government of taxing expats on income. Remember, foreigners pay very little in taxes and expect alot in service. I highly recommend that anyone thinking about living in CR rent a place for 6 months before buying. As for as the people that want US style services and amnenities, think, sooner or later the cheap Costa Rica will not be so cheap.