Costa Rica Cars – Living Without A Car

Henry David Thoreau did not have a car. Neither do we. Cars are a totally unnecessary expense for a retired person here. We only go into San Jose for legal matters and rare other requirements. The roads here are narrow two lane roads with many sharp curves.

We could drive the 30Km to San Jose in about 45 – 50 minutes and then look for a place to park and pay for the parking or we can ride the bus.

The bus lets us enjoy the magnificent and ever changing vistas of the mountains, takes about 60-90 minutes, and we do not have to pay for parking.

We meet many interesting neighbors and travelers as many of the professional people ride the bus because of the lower cost and tension of driving in the mountains. The cost of the bus ride is 65 cents.

It is no problem to buy a six-pack and have a beer or two on the trip home. We like to think of it as our $80,000 chauffeured motor home that we share with others.

While in San Jose, it is easy to walk to most of the places we need to go. It is only about 40 blocks from the East side to the West side and 30 blocks from the North side to the South side. We have never had an occasion to traverse the whole city. Most of the time we need to go only 10 to 12 blocks. This allows for more good exercise and a chance to see the many stores and shops. If we are in a hurry, or it is raining, we can easily get a cab. Most rides are less than $3.

Most of our requirements for travel involve going into our little town, San Ignacio de Acosta. We shop for the items not delivered to our door and visit the Doctor to get our prescriptions.

We usually walk the beautiful 14 minutes to town and take a taxi home. This gives us a little exercise and the taxi only costs $1. Many cars stop beside us as we are walking offering to give us a ride. We explain we need the exercise and thank them for their kindness.

Many of our neighbors have a car and are always offering to take us to visit relatives or scenic spots. We have done this on many occasions and always enjoy the exposure to the real Tico culture.

I do have a motorcycle, which I use to tour the various areas I think would be possibilities for my tour guests to consider living. Cruising on the paved or unpaved rural roads is fantastic. There is very little traffic and I enjoy stopping at the many little villages.

I originally thought my wife could share this experience, but the unpaved roads are so rough she does not enjoy it. Neither of us is as flexible and resilient as we used to be.

I know it is difficult for people from the US to imagine being without a car or two. But, after you try it, I believe you will prefer it. You can use the money saved to buy other toys and/or spend it touring the country and staying in the many fascinating B & B’s.

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Written by our friend George Lundquist, who is the founder of Costa Rica Retire on Social Security. If you are thinking of retiring in Costa Rica, you might want to consider the tour that George offers, his goal is to share his experiences here with you to save you time and money!

Andrew Makarik

to@welovecostarica.com

Andrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.