Life Here in Sámara

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Sámara is located on the western Pacific coast between the beaches of Nosara and Montezuma. It is said to be one of the safest and most beautiful beaches in Costa Rica.

Wildlife here abounds and not a day goes by without us seeing monkeys, lizards and birds from the deck of our condo. We’ve also spotted in our back yard a crocodile who has become quite famous around town for his survival skills. The “lot” next door to our condos apparently has only recently come into existence. To the dismay of locals, what used to be an estuary was destroyed in the middle of the night by folks dumping dirt to create what now looks like a “lot”. The owner figured he could get more money if he sold this section of his land to developers instead of keeping the original estuary intact. Unfortunately, 3 crocodiles were killed during the land dump - buried alive from what we’ve heard - and now the water that used to flow from the other side of the street, through the estuary, into the nearby river and out to sea, now sits in pools in our backyard, no longer able to drain appropriately. Locals have told us about all the wildlife that used to exist here, the old trees and forest which used to be so beautiful. Now all that stands here is a dirt lot. The locals seem quite happy when we tell them that we’ve seen the one surviving croc sunning himself on the now vacant lot. They weren’t however too pleased when we told them he’s been eating trash from the pooling water. Since we don’t see him all the time, we think he makes his way through the drain pipes still in the ground to get himself back to the river, however the area that used to lead to the ocean is quite shallow compared to what it once was. It’s amazing how much damage one person can bring to an eco-system.

Weather here is quite beautiful however much hotter than the cool mountains of Barva. We do however get a nice ocean breeze which helps to soothe the 90 degree temperatures. The sun here can be brutal, though, and if you are fair skinned, you seriously need to be aware how much time you spend basking in it. The sun is so powerful here that our pool is actually not refreshing. It’s more like stepping into a warm bath.

Considering this is the rainy season, it should be raining every day. We should be getting torrential downpours like clockwork. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been happening and many folks are worried that come the dry season, Sámara could run out of water. With the dry season, apparently, comes even hotter weather, which Mike and I truly did not want to hear. You don’t know how you’re going to deal with the heat until you are in it every day knowing that there is no end in sight. There is no fall season coming to cool things down. If you come here on a permanent basis, just be prepared to sweat.. and often.

With weather being what it is here, we do get some amazing storms. Very loud thunder that can shake the walls, and lightning so bright you’ll suddenly think you’re walking in daylight. Sunsets here are the most amazing I’ve ever seen.

For someone coming to Costa Rica on vacation and looking for a nice beach town, I would definitely recommend coming to Sámara and spending a few days; any more than that may be overkill.

In my opinion, Sámara lacks two things, one of which is variety. You can only go to the same restaurants so many times before you want something new. There are no movie theaters here, however we do have a small video store. Mike and I have rented so many movies that we joke about when we will have seen them all. We’ll be hanging out at the shop waiting for “new” releases to arrive. There are soccer games to watch, however teams are packed with players, which doesn’t provide a great opportunity for a newbie to jump in. There don’t seem to be many cultural events, exhibits or classes. If you want to learn something new like pottery or martial arts, you’ll need to go to Nicoya or San Jose. If you are an active person, living here permanently can be difficult.

While there is a sense of community here, unfortunately we have found that it seems to be more segregated than we originally thought - and would like. We are definitely foreigners. On the surface it appears that foreigners own most of the bigger houses and most businesses while Ticos work and provide cheap labor. On average, someone in construction here gets paid roughly $1.75 per hour. While out with some expat friends, I overheard a conversation about one expat who wanted to pay the guy sanding and painting her wooden interior roof a little more than the going rate. It’s backbreaking work and let’s face it, it’s HOT here (imagine painting, sanding by hand, being around fumes, etc in 90 degree heat). The other expat we were with explained that she had been told to never offer construction workers more than the going rate because it “messes up the system here” and then people will no longer work for the lower wages. In a sense I understand what she’s getting at, but the humanity in me tends to take over and it irks me a bit that locals here can’t make a decent wage because so many people want to keep this oppressive system in place. No need for you economists out there to email me nasty-grams. It’s just my personal opinion. If you’re going to live in what looks like a mansion here, the least you can do is pay Ticos a rate that allows them to also own a nicer house. With the system in place as it is, that’ll never happen. Rich expats will continue to love living here because everything is so cheap and Ticos will never see a huge benefit from foreign investment. Yes, I know that foreigners are now providing more jobs than would have existed before, however I just think “sharing the wealth” a little bit would go a long way. It seems that many people complain about the roads being bad here, they complain about crime, they complain about the fact that there is no sewage treatment plant or trash removal service, yet they are the same people that lie to the municipality about what their land is worth (here in Costa Rica, the price you tell the municipality your land is worth determines how much you pay in taxes). I know there are many expats out there that are helping rather than hurting, but on the surface, this is what I see.

The other thing I see lacking in Sámara is a strong infrastructure (which is a problem all over Costa Rica). The country simply cannot handle its growth. I will use Sámara as an example because this is where we live. Our town has 600 year-round residents and in the high season the town can hold approximately 10,000. Considering that tourism is still so new to the country, many laws are not in place to protect the beauty that is here. Even if the laws are in place, there are no police around to enforce them. Crimes happen here all the time that are not reported. What’s the sense in reporting something if nothing is going to be done about it anyway. It’s like the Old West here of sorts. Take care of your own! Many people are not comfortable leaving their houses for periods of time and often the community seems to be scrambling for reliable house sitters. We have met some young folks here who own businesses who really want to sell because right now, they can never really leave. They can’t travel and can’t take a break. It seems as though once you’re here, you’re really here. Great for the grandfolks who don’t have to work and want to simply sit in the rocker for the rest of their lives. Not so good for the younger folks who still feel like they have a lot of living left to do and many places yet to see.

Aside from that, think about public works. As I mentioned earlier, we have heard that Sámara often runs out of water in the dry season. Many new homes have been built with water storage tanks to get people through these dry spells. Imagine if the town experiences a very dry rainy season? Then add on top of that visitors coming in droves and not being conscious of their water conservation.

Think about our sewage systems at home. Here, many folks simply have a hole in the ground to handle sewage. It breaks down like it did in the old days and no one has an issue… provided your neighbors live far enough away. However, what if all the land in an area is bought up and developed, how many “holes” can be put in the ground before the ground becomes severely contaminated? How many drainage systems can spill into the rivers before those too are severely polluted? We’ve heard a story here about one large hotel that was dumping its waste water directly into the river which flows out into the sea. Without a sewage treatment plant, where else can it go? Many new homes are now being built with septic tanks, however some folks laughed when we spoke of this and told us, “sure, if it makes you feel better that someone is coming out and pumping your septic tank, great… but think about the fact that he has no real place to dump it and could potentially be unloading his tank in the river up the road” .. scary thought.

Also, if you live here, you may want a phone.. HAHA.. no can do. The system has run out of switches which means there are literally no more phone numbers to be given out. They are supposed to be putting in an upgrade which will provide more phone numbers in the future, but who knows. We have one friend that waited 3 years to have a phone installed in his house.

At least you don’t really have to worry about which day is trash day here because there is no trash day. Actually, at least here in Sámara, the citizens have gotten together and now there is trash pick up in certain areas of town. Those that don’t have trash pick up still burn their trash. A recycling program is in its infancy, which is a good sign.

I see a lot of these issues as simply a third world country that now has many first world foreigners. In a sense, it can be a good thing, as foreigners will demand a better infrastructure. In another sense, they are only compounding the problem - and besides someone has to pay for it! It’s a catch 22.

And on that note, Costa Rica really is a beautiful country with amazing wildlife and flora. It has a natural beauty that few can compare to. In my opinion, it just needs time and money to help it catch up to the growing tourism industry that I believe is here to stay. As a tourist, I never saw any of this. I simply was not exposed to it. At dinner last night in a local soda (sodas are like small outdoor Tico restaurants), to my dismay, there was a large cockroach climbing up my calf. Chances of that happening in one of the touristy restaurants are probably not great. My point is, come here as a tourist and enjoy yourself. See the beauty that is Costa Rica and move on. If you are thinking of moving here permanently, rent first and see if it’s right for you.

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Photos

Looks Pretty Huh?
That's what we thought until someone told us that a developer had planted these trees to make this lot a large hotel. It used to be an estuary as well and is now held up in the courts. Because of the restructuring of the beach front, there is more erosion here than ever before.

Trash Day
Burning trash is commonplace.