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Dan, you asked above about insects, snakes and other crawlies. Well, in words of one syllable or less, they’re here.
What the environment holds is very dependent upon temperatures, and temperatures are very dependent upon altitude. In the main, most of the country is wet during the winter and dry during the summer. The variable is altitude.
The higher up you are the cooler it’ll be and the fewer insects and snakes you’ll encounter. At our home (4,100 feet above sea level), we’ve actually seen one live snake and two dead ones in four and a half years. We see an occasional misquito, but none of them reminds me of your ex-wife. We have some toads that we regard as being toxic and thus dangerous to our dog, who is brainless. Otherwise, there’s not much obnoxious wildlife except some biting gnats that inhabit the grass.
Unlike maravilla, we do eat commercially available chicken, pork and fish and cannot actually attribute any of our eccentricities to them. Beef is another matter. The molido is great. For a steak, we go to our local steak house where they do it right.
[quote=”DavidCMurray”]Dan, you asked above about insects, snakes and other crawlies. Well, in words of one syllable or less, they’re here.
What the environment holds is very dependent upon temperatures, and temperatures are very dependent upon altitude. In the main, most of the country is wet during the winter and dry during the summer. The variable is altitude.
The higher up you are the cooler it’ll be and the fewer insects and snakes you’ll encounter. At our home (4,100 feet above sea level), we’ve actually seen one live snake and two dead ones in four and a half years. We see an occasional misquito, but none of them reminds me of your ex-wife. We have some toads that we regard as being toxic and thus dangerous to our dog, who is brainless. Otherwise, there’s not much obnoxious wildlife except some biting gnats that inhabit the grass.
Unlike maravilla, we do eat commercially available chicken, pork and fish and cannot actually attribute any of our eccentricities to them. Beef is another matter. The molido is great. For a steak, we go to our local steak house where they do it right.[/quote]
Nice David, thank you…….I’m more confident every day here……. I have a question for [b]everybody[/b] next.
….FLYING, I am a pilot, and I love ultralight flying and Paragliding, much word from anyone on these sports?Dan.
Here’s a link for ultralight flying in the Dominical area.
http://www.flyultralight.com/index.deel2.htmlI will go further than another responder in saying that there is a whole lot of venomous and nonvenomous snakes, thousands of different creepy-crawlies here, including scorpions, tarantulas, many different types of ants, etc. If you [i]cringe[/i] at the [i]idea[/i] of insects, this is not the place for you.
San Ramon, although a nice place, will suit you fine if you like cooler temperatures but with lots of low-lying fog for the better part of the year. A little like Seattle. After a time, it can get to you….
While we have both meat and egg chickens, I do purchase the chicken here and have found it to be very tasty. We also purchase pork, veal and beef and have no problem with that either.
I [i]do not understand[/i] why you feel you may become a vegetarian after residing here. The ease of purchase, variety and price of veggies is good though, and I do cook many meals that do not include meat.
Over at the Pacific beaches one can see paragliders, go here for some [url=http://www.paraglidecostarica.com/launch.html]Launch Sites[/url].I have no intention of doing anything but play by the rules…and I didn’t make myself clear I have income– teaching would be a suppplement and I would only move there if I have secured a job and I am well aware of how little teachers make and as I stated I am working with a teacher placement agency that helps you arrange everything legally I am not assuming there is a shortage of teachers, in fact I am not assuming anything! and I plan on checking out Costa Rica for a couple weeks before all of this.
I wasn’t looking for a lecture or advice on my work, my ethics or legalities or finances, my question was to those of you who live there –on the cost of living there and whether $2000-$2300 would allow you to live decently….that’s all–Thanks![quote=”DavidCMurray”]John is absolutely right. If you don’t play by the rules, you could find yourself in serious trouble with more than one government agency. What John failed to note is that obtaining a legal work permit can take a year during which time you are not allowed to work. So how will you support yourself?
Also, you should not assume that there is a shortage of English instructors here. They may not have your credentials, but they’re not in short supply.
And John is also right that typical Costa Rican wages are much, much less than those in North America. Our first Spanish teacher also taught in the public schools. He earned about $12,000US for full-time teaching (with 450 student contacts a week). If there were more lucrative teaching opportunities in the private sector, you can bet that he’d have jumped ship.[/quote]
[quote=”costaricafinca”]I will go further than another responder in saying that there is a whole lot of venomous and nonvenomous snakes, thousands of different creepy-crawlies here, including scorpions, tarantulas, many different types of ants, etc. If you [i]cringe[/i] at the [i]idea[/i] of insects, this is not the place for you.
San Ramon, although a nice place, will suit you fine if you like cooler temperatures but with lots of low-lying fog for the better part of the year. A little like Seattle. After a time, it can get to you….
While we have both meat and egg chickens, I do purchase the chicken here and have found it to be very tasty. We also purchase pork, veal and beef and have no problem with that either.
I [i]do not understand[/i] why you feel you may become a vegetarian after residing here. The ease of purchase, variety and price of veggies is good though, and I do cook many meals that do not include meat.
Over at the Pacific beaches one can see paragliders, go here for some [url=http://www.paraglidecostarica.com/launch.html]Launch Sites[/url].[/quote]Again, I offer my thanks, I know about Fer De Lance out in the bush, I’m not worried about scorpions, etc……. It’s just that I have heard such VARYING accounts, that I wanted to hear more….I realize that a lot depends on altitude, etc.
For the record, I’m not worried about it, I was just very curious. Many people have declared that their homes don’t really belong to them, “they belong to the ants” Not sure I love this idea, but there are ways to deal with them…Hell, I lived in South Florida for cryin out loud……LOL
Thanks for the food info, I hadn’t declared my intention to go Vegetarian, but I DO like the great variety of fruits and vegetables that are found there, so if for no other reason than to just eat healthier, I will eat more vegetables, but it’s good to know I can get everything else if I so choose.
You guys are a wealth of info and I appreciate it, and as for Corrand, I wish you all the best, I hope it all works wonderfully for you!
Bags just a little more packed for us now…….
Dan.
come on, we don’t have THAT much fog. north of san ramon is worse than san ramon proper, but that’s because we are just below a cloud forest. it’s great for your skin. lol some days it’s a little foggy in the early morning but it burns off around 9 or 10. this morning it was clear as a bell.
i have a friend who has a paragliding company and he goes to Caldera every weekend with clients.
as for insects, i hardly have any at 3300 ft elevation. in fact, i have more spiders in colorado than here. occasionally a few ants will scurry after some detritus that didn’t get vacuumed up, but for the most part my house is bug-free. we do have bufo toads when the rainy season starts, but my dogs aren’t interested in them. they can kill your pet. i also haven’t seen any snakes, but then i have no habitat for them.
as for spending significant amounts of time here before deciding to settle in, i guess that’s the norm for most people. i am not the norm. i bought property on my 5th day here, and started building on my second or third trip, just a few weeks later. i never had any qualms that this was the right place, but then the foreign doesn’t bother me, and i already spoke some spanish, and had lived in mexico and the yucatan. it’s 5 years later and i still have no regrets, although it did take my husband some time to adjust to my impulsive behavior. he’s glad i’m a little crazy, because in colorado right now it’s 22 degrees and snowing, and he’s running around here in shorts, a hawaiian shirt, and a panama hat. yes, indeed, life is good!!
[quote=”maravilla”]come on, we don’t have THAT much fog. north of san ramon is worse than san ramon proper, but that’s because we are just below a cloud forest. it’s great for your skin. lol some days it’s a little foggy in the early morning but it burns off around 9 or 10. this morning it was clear as a bell.
i have a friend who has a paragliding company and he goes to Caldera every weekend with clients.
as for insects, i hardly have any at 3300 ft elevation. in fact, i have more spiders in colorado than here. occasionally a few ants will scurry after some detritus that didn’t get vacuumed up, but for the most part my house is bug-free. we do have bufo toads when the rainy season starts, but my dogs aren’t interested in them. they can kill your pet. i also haven’t seen any snakes, but then i have no habitat for them.
as for spending significant amounts of time here before deciding to settle in, i guess that’s the norm for most people. i am not the norm. i bought property on my 5th day here, and started building on my second or third trip, just a few weeks later. i never had any qualms that this was the right place, but then the foreign doesn’t bother me, and i already spoke some spanish, and had lived in mexico and the yucatan. it’s 5 years later and i still have no regrets, although it did take my husband some time to adjust to my impulsive behavior. he’s glad i’m a little crazy, because in colorado right now it’s 22 degrees and snowing, and he’s running around here in shorts, a hawaiian shirt, and a panama hat. yes, indeed, life is good!![/quote]
Wow……I was at the Air Force Academy in 1975, my Niece is a nurse and lives in Fairplay (South Park) What a beautiful (yet COLD) place to come from…I am a big fan of the same apparel choices you mentioned. I’m glad to hear about the fog, because SEATTLE, I couldn’t stand. Even here in Tennessee, I have only seen the SUN a handful of times in the last THREE MONTHS, and this is just downright DEPRESSING! San Ramon is on our short list of places we may want to settle in, so thank you.
We are trying to plan our first trip down VERY SOON, and I too am somewhat impulsive, my poor Wife is just FED UP, and we are counting the days till we get there!
P.S. Any experience with Paradise Management?
have a link for paradise management? is that steve and janet in la paz? if so, i know them. if not them, send me a link and i will see if i know who runs that site.
[quote=”maravilla”]have a link for paradise management? is that steve and janet in la paz? if so, i know them. if not them, send me a link and i will see if i know who runs that site.[/quote]
I believe it is…Here’s the link:
They have some nice properties listed, we may try to get a look while where there.
Dan.
but where are those properties? San Ramon? i do know them and they are very nice. and i believe they can be trusted from what i know.
[quote=”maravilla”]but where are those properties? San Ramon? i do know them and they are very nice. and i believe they can be trusted from what i know.[/quote]
Yes, they have several in and around (within a few minutes) San Ramon….. I’ll be SURE to talk to them on your recommendation, thank you.
Also, I read something (Trivial to me), that said that wearing shorts was considered bad taste in some areas, is this so? (I only OWN two pairs of long pants that don’t go to a suit…LOL)
WMC,
We’re a family with kids living in San Ramon, and find the place great. Has all we need of shopping, a good hospital, and several good school options.
[quote=”sloth”]WMC,
We’re a family with kids living in San Ramon, and find the place great. Has all we need of shopping, a good hospital, and several good school otions.
If we can be of any assistance please feel free to give us
a call at 506 8702 1109.Best regards,
Lou[/quote]Most kind of you Lou, thank you…..WILL DO!
Dan.
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