[fredo]

This is a different idea. I plan a 3 month stay in CR Jun-Aug to test the waters for a permanent move from NY state. Anyway, I contacted Arden at ShipCostaRica and, at least in Nov, the cost for shipping my Jeep Grand Cherokee both ways was $2500, including a 90 day tourist permit. Slightly cheaper than renting a car. If I were to stay longer than 90 days I would have to “nationalize” my Jeep and that would cost a fair amount, figured with a formula based on the year and book value of the vehicle.

Fred

[fredo]

Ah yes… homophobia rears it’s ugly head. If you can’t ask in a way that doesn’t bunch all gay people together with a negative stereotype, while beating you own chest and making it clear you’re not “one of them”, maybe you should go back to lurking.

[fredo]

Hi Scott, I’m really lucky. I’m single and live in an apartment. $1000/month including utilities, AND, NO PROPERTY TAXES. My apartment’s not huge, but is in the country and it’s fine for me. That’s why I have trouble deciding on whether or not to move to CR.

[fredo]

yeah… It does depend on what area you live in. At present I live in Croton Falls, NY, where there is no mail delivery and surprise… there is a shortage of PO boxes available at the Post Office and a waiting list.

It seems to be a problem that exists not only in CR, but in the US too.

[fredo]

Have you been to CR before? If so, where did you go?

I just returned to NY from a 2 week trip to determine the suitability of CR for living and my ability to live there. I spent the first couple days in San Jose, then took George Lundquist’s tour for prospective retirees, then, for a week, rented a house in Grecia, also a rental car.

FYI, I learned San Jose ain’t it for me. Scary at night, crowded by day. The tour helped by showing me various locations in CR, that I probably would otherwise never have seen, as possibilities. Although it concentrated on locations in the Central Valley. North to San Ramon, south to Cartago and the Orosi Valley. We did not cover either coast. Basically, George felt that it was too hot there for living without major AC and that was a major expense. He also said he knew many people who had first settled there, then sold and moved to the mountains, but none who’d done it the other way around. For me, the least interesting part of the tour was that it seemed to introduce us to many developers and builders and people who had become them. IE, have a bunch of lots for sale… bought property, subdivided, built a house, sold it, now building a second one, etc. As I don’t think I’m going to be building a house, that part didn’t interest me much. I did learn that I was a victim of culture shock, that all those stores and houses, lined up side by side along the road, with corrugated tin roofs and iron bar protection meant “bad neighborhood” to me, the American. In CR, it’s just the way it is. By the end of the 2 weeks, I think I was starting to get used to that, but I’m still not sure it’s the way I want to live. Maybe I’m just too much of a New Yorker. TBD

I did determine that 2 weeks is not enough time to know what’s what, and I am now planning a 3 month trip, while keeping my NY digs.

I would like to believe that I’m not one of those gringos who needs to be surrounded by others and that I would be most happy living out in the boonies, roughing it, but this trip did teach me some things about myself. Although I don’t think I’d want to be living in a gated community, I think I’d like to live out-of-town, but be near some sort familiar surroundings with some amenities (like a supermarket, albeit a Tico one) available. I think all this would have been much easier when I was in my 20’s.

I liked Grecia a lot. It’s about an hour from San Jose, not a really large town, and, was chosen as the “cleanest city in CR.”

Therefore, I am planning to rent a house there. I am taking my 4WD Jeep with me, and I plan to “live” there for 3 months and hopefully learn if I am Costa Rican material.

As for the “best time to visit”, we went during the rainy season to see just how rainy it is. FYI, at least in Grecia, the week we were there, it started raining in the afternoon about 2 or 3 and often continued into the night. Sometimes raining very hard for a long time. The temp rarely got above the low 70’s. Low 60’s at night.

.

[fredo]

Hi Charlie… I’m in san jose for a couple days at the Hotel Don Carlos. After that I’ll be out of town for a couple days, then 8/23-8/29, who knows? Please post any info you have,

Fred

Edited on Aug 17, 2007 13:28

[fredo]

Hi Charlie, Our planned itinerary is arrive 8/15 eve, stay in downtown San Jose at Hotel Don Carlos 8/15-16-17, transfer to Hotel Villa Bonita 8/18. Lundquist tour 8/19-8/22. Then “who nows where?” (scouting) in CR 8/23 – 8/28. How far is La Bamba from downtown San Jose? My best shot at stopping by there is probably the second half of next week, 8/16-8/18.

Thanks for the heads-up,
Fred Olmstead

[fredo]

Hi ticopaz and stinsont, Thanks for your input, I’m, as they say, stoked. I know it seems like the territory was made for wheeling, I just need to hook up with some real wheelers.

I’m not a great mechanic, hence my need for somebody I can trust. As for replacement parts, I guess tariffs are tariffs and I’ll have to see.

I have no idea how they value a banged up ’95 Grand Cherokee, lifted 6 1/2″ with many mods to determine import duty. An example is my rear diff is a Ford 8.8 with an ARB locker. The orig Dana 35 is long gone. Basically, I was going over my truck and as far as mechanical parts, I think pretty much everything has been changed, upgraded or at least replaced. So, what do they do?

[fredo]

Hi Ticopaz, No, I’m not bringing my truck down on this trip.

Right now I’m flying down to see where and how I might live, if I were to move there. What I was thinking about was whether I would bring my truck then or not. A lot depends on finding like minded souls down there, because it’s not something you want to do alone.

The website you suggested looks promising. I sent them an e-mail (in English and translated into Spanish hopefully readably, by Google) I hope they answer. And I hope maybe I could meet-up with some of them while I’m there

Thanks,
Fred

[fredo]

Yikes! That could be problem. I’ll go to Chase tomorrow and see if they can get me a duplicate card before I leave.

[fredo]

Thanks for the responses. This is probably all the info I need on this topic, unless these something unique that I should know.

Trust me, I’m sure I’ll have more questions in the next couple of weeks.

Fred

[fredo]

David, Deb, Jose, thanks for the answers.

Deb, It’s just hard to gauge the boredom factor from afar. I lived in NYC for 35 years, was on the board of an avant-gard off-off bway theater company and worked in network TV, so I’m sort of used to the fast life. On the other hand, I now live about 60 minutes north of the city in a wealthy (though I’m not) area, that is sort like the country except that it’s covered with large horse farms and big houses. Linda lives in spanish speaking Puerto Rico, in an area that is, these days, very trendy and antique. Where the tourists from the cruise ships go. She currently owns a boutique there, but would be divesting herself of that. So, she’s kind of used to a different sort of “fast life”. The main thing is she does not drive and needs walking access to goods and services.

David, From the rentals section description, it doesn’t look like the Grecia guest house is situated such that Linda could walk out the door and wander about town, so I think that is out. I’ll check on the B&B and the hotel there.

Jose, how long a walk is “walking distance to Old Alajuela”? I have sent your reply to Linda to see what she thinks. Although on this trip we’ll definitely have a car and be in the same place, in the future that might not be the case, and she doesn’t want to have to depend on me for rides. So, I need to think about Alajuela in terms this “scouting mission”.

Fred

[fredo]

I was thinking for those who don’t know… Old San Juan is in Puerto Rico. It is a beautiful several hundred year old area that, these days, is almost impossible to drive in. You just go out your door and walk wherever.

[fredo]

I’m sure there is, but I’m also pretty sure if you’re fluent in PR Spanish, you can at least, with some work, get your point across.

I speak a little Spanish, picked up around NYC, and I could, sort of, get by in Columbia, Ecuador, Peru, etc. Hey, with my street Spanish, I could even, sort of, get by in Portuguese in Brasil.

[fredo]

Thanks Scott for the feria prices. That helps.

I’m currently trying to convince my friend Linda, who lives in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, that Costa Rica would be a cheaper and better choice for her retirement. She’s waffling. Hey, she already speaks Spanish.

[Author]

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