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VOLUNTEERS: Most charitable organizations today require volunteers to pay their own way. Those that can afford it do so out of pocket. Those who cannot often do fundraisers, are sponsored by their church, beg money from family, friends and other non-profits, etc.
NANNY STATE and Bureaucrats: I don’t think you will find Costa Rica any better in this regard. And unless you speak Spanish very well you will need to hire a lawyer to do your government business for you (as do many Gringos). Costa Rica has a social security system and national insurance but of which must be paid into by employers. There are also property taxes and other fees to pay. It is probably not much better than the U.S. except for the fact that they are VERY inefficient in Costa Rica. . .
A news article a few years ago cited Hong Kong as the most unregulated business environment in the world and India the worst. The U.S. and most European countries were somewhat better than India but a long way from the freedom of Hong Kong. I do not know how much the Chinese have changed this since. The U.S actually rated pretty good.
I suspect the days of going to some small, relatively primitive country and living in a private world of your own are long past. There might be such places. . . but I doubt you would want to live there.
I understand these can be unpleasant for humans to step on barefooted.
It is common to see Gringos going barefooted in Costa Rica but rare to see Ticos do so. Most wear their rubber boots any time they walk where there might be grass or other growth for snakes and such to hide in.
I was one of those Gringos and had not thought about it until I kicked a Bufo just outside my door one night. No problem, but it could have been a snake OR could have stepped full onto the toad. Frogs of all types are attracted to human habitat in the country. Light escaping through cracks attract insects and thus the frogs and toads. . AND the things that eat them. . . Same for concrete sidewalks and tile floors warmed by the sun during day.
In the U.S. I’ve walked many miles at night barefoot through grass and what not many times. But we have few venomous snakes compared to Costa Rica (depending on where you are in both).
It is always wise to follow local custom in these matters. There is a reason for them.
As mentioned, just keep checking. If you look at air fares to leave tomorrow, or even next week they may be in the thousands from anywhere in the U.S. But if you are planning about 3 months out there is a window where the flights are not full but the airlines want to fill them to 95%. Typical rates from the Eastern U.S. to Costa Rica round trip are about $400 from most major airports. But if you need a regional connector, add $200 to save driving 200 miles. . .
Look for Wednesday flights. The rest of the week is more expensive and weekends the highest. We use expedia.com but I think all the on-line services are about the same. Experiment, lots of trial and error.
Note that parking at some major airports can be expensive to the point that sometimes it is cheaper to rent a car one-way or take a bus than to leave the car.
I like TACA but have found them to be no cheaper than others. The same rules on timing apply to TACA.
Places to stay take lots of research. We stay with friends but when playing tourist have found the motels (some very nice) to be cheaper than in the U.S. Last we stayed in was on the beach for $55. If you can find a place to contact, ask about rates for an extended stay. Note that February through May (I think) are the “high season” and you probably will not get a deal. But the rest of the year (wet season) you could do better.
There are also bed-and-breakfasts OR as mentioned, couch surfacing or living on your wits. Some folks have the personality for it, I don’t.
Car rental is a significant cost but the best way to see the country if you want to see a LOT of it. Buses cover most of the country and taxis will take you just about anywhere for a price. We’ve paid $50 US for a 2 hour ride but on departure day it makes things a lot easier to know someone that knows where they are going will be doing the driving. Either need some ability with the language.
Hope this helps a little.
The other thing to think about is the fact that Teak is an import from Asia. I suspect a lot of things there grow under the trees. Just a guess. I don’t suggest you import anything that hasn’t already been imported. . .
Teak had been planted a lot in Costa Rica and other Tropical countries for timber and in some reforestation projects. But you are much better off with indigenous species. Mixed species is better than mono-culture. There are some great trees in CR that are becoming rare due to replanting common species and fast growing timber species. Often you have to seek out a tree then beg, borrow or steal seeds.
To create a biodiverse view that will also attract wildlife you might consider a tier system with shorter species in front of taller, then fruit trees, then flowering shrubs, then flowers.
Forgetting natural disasters which as has been shown in Japan can always be greater than predicted. Besides the immediate problems they may lose the use of all 6 units at one site due to lingering problems and future reevaluations of the site safety.
This big problem is that nobody has addressed the Nuclear waste issue. France used to dump theirs in the Ocean. . . In the 80’s Japan started hauling away European waste to reprocess and use in their plants. After some research on the Yucca Mountain facility in the U.S. it turns out it is not ready for use and may not be ready for another 20 years if there are no delays. . . Meanwhile fuel is stored in refueling canals and in on-site dry casks making every nuclear site a waste holding site. If the U.S. with its large expanses of undeveloped areas cannot find a satisfactory solution to waste storage how can countries like Japan, South Korea and others? What would Costa Rica do with wastes that must be stored for tens of thousands of years?
The point about nuclear waste is very important. In the U.S. we are playing Ostrich with our heads in the sand. EVERY U.S. plant is storing its entire life time of waste fuel in “temporary” holding. This is outside the containment building in the fuel handling area (where they load it from trucks). The area is often called “the swimming pool” because it looks like one. You can walk along the rail and LOOK at the glowing waste fuel covered only by a few feet of water. This is the same area in Japan where they have had fires and explosions AND where the older Japanese plants also store waste fuel. In the U.S. they have repeatedly rearranged the fuel storage racks to hold more and more fuel because the political problems of moving the materials have not been solved. IF this were solved we only have storage available for about 20-30% of the existing waste fuel.
In Japan the situation is probably not nearly as bad as in the U.S. because they DO move fuel out to be reprocessed and may not be storing the entire plant’s lifetime of waste fuel as we do here. But I do not know this for a fact.
The ONLY logical way to handle waste fuel is to reprocess it and properly store the waste (for 40,000 years they say. . .). Reprocessing results in making plutonium and the issues of diversion to weapon making. . . There are also serious technological issues with reprocessing as well as the storage which most countries ARE NOT taking responsibility for.
In the end the problems with Nuclear are and have been largely political. In the U.S. the issues of moving waste fuel are political. But the politics run several ways. In Japan they take maintenance VERY seriously. When engineers recommended (Globally) that many components (such as primary coolant pumps) be completely dismantled, inspected and repaired the Japanese did it. In the U.S. they took a “sampling” and did a statistical study. In other words, they paper whipped the maintenance requirements. . . In the U.S. the O.E.M.’s did a lot of the inspecting. Protecting their reputations was more important than finding actual or potential problems. The system in Japan is not perfect either. There are always financial concerns to be considered when doing maintenance. The worst concern EVERYWHERE is how long the plant will be down. These things are looked at as huge money making machines and every hour they are not in operation is counted in millions of dollars lost. . . and thus there is a HUGE amount of pressure during refueling and maintenance outages to get them back on-line ASAP.
The problems with Nuclear are far too complex with terrible VERY long term implications for us mere humans to be responsible for. If the absolute BEST people were in charge it would still be too dangerous. But the best people are NOT in charge. The politicians, lawyers and bean counters have more power than the engineers and maintenance personell.
NO NEW NUKES!
Note: I am second generation nuclear maintenance. Glad to be out of the business.
The situation in Mexico is very serious and is not going to go away. On the other hand, the total murders in the “safe” US a still about 1/4 the rate of Mexico. Shouldn’t we expect the difference to be MUCH greater? In the US the deaths in traffic accidents are 4 times greater than the murder rate. . . So, between auto accidents and murder you may meet an unexpected end in the US just as soon as or sooner than in Mexico. Dead is dead.
Illegal immigration into the US had dropped significantly NOT because of government efforts but due to the bad economy in the US. Fixing Mexico’s economy would be far cheaper than going to war. A better economy means higher tax revenue and generally this translates into better police and greater security.
The violence in Mexico is not so bad that people are leaving in droves to escape it. They leave due to the economics.
In recent recent years I’ve met many Mexicans and do business with them. They are friendly, honest, church going and hard working (they are much like the Ticos I’ve met). They are here due to the terrible economy in Mexico. While they enjoy the increased security here they left Mexico in order to support their families with dignity. The same thing everyone wants everywhere.
Instead of fear mongering we should be looking into solutions that work.
While used cars are generally a better deal than a new car in the US you have to be more wary in CR. Many used cars in CR are from the US and may have been in floods, totaled or very high mileage. If the car has been totaled in the US and had insurance on it then you SHOULD be able to get a report on it on-line. You may also find the actual mileage or accident information. It is very common in CR to turn back odometers, a practice that is now unheard of in the US because jail time is involved if one gets caught.
AND despite the way things seem in CR they do VERY GOOD auto body repair and can rebuild a “total” so that it is nearly undetectable. While this is done in the US as well, higher labor rates result in details being overlooked that can often be detected by anyone with a sharp eye for inconsistencies.
Also remember that there is a LOT of very rough rural road in Costa Rica that is worse than anything found in the US for over 50 years. Suspension takes a beating and what is a low mileage used car in the US can be a completely worn out car in CR.
So, if you are buying a used car in Costa Rica be wary, do your homework, get on your hands and knees and look underneath, test drive it. If the car doesn’t feel right, has more road noise than you expect. . . then it may be one to avoid. Your best bet on a used car in CR – What you would consider a “beater” or “clunker” in the US.
I forgot one!
9 ) The $1,000 to $1,500/month heating bill!
Where we are in North Carolina our utilities are considerably lower but we only have two months (in a good year) when we don’t have to run heat OR AC. Due to the necessity for AC our average here is as much as in cooler places. . . Cost in the right locations in Costa Rica ZERO.
While I love the colors in the change of seasons and the beauty of new fallen snow I HATE the cold and ice. Events that make you HATE cold weather. .
1) Power outages that leave you without light, heat or water much less communications. Broken plumbing as a result. Sometimes this is an annual event.
2) Ever need to go and the toilet is FROZEN? Seen it one too many times. . . VERY depressing. I’ve also had to melt pots of snow to fill and flush toilets. . .
3) Shoveling snow, falling on ice. . . we don’t bounce like we did as children. I loved it then . . could end up in the hospital now.
4) Installing and removing tire chains several times during a single trip to work or the store. . . “Clear roads” policies complicate this for rural folks who must drive on snow but then must remove the chains for the highway and then replace them on the return. .
5) Damaging, wrecking or totaling your automobile. . . I’ve avoided that by staying HOME for a week at a time now that I work from home. But lots of folks don’t think they have a choice (they do).
6) Broken windshield wipers due to ice or snow. Costly replacement wipers due to ice that the defroster will not totally melt but you must run them to see.
7) Salt damage to automobiles, side walks, steps. . (and yes, highway bridges are damaged by salt – and costs us in taxes).
8 ) Ice dams and roof problems that don’t show up otherwise.
AND many more. . .
Yesterday I went out into the shop and the roof had developed a leak, icicles hanging indoors. The leak was also dripping onto my bandwaw. . which is now covered with ice and more icicles. It will requires a thorough derusting, cleaning and oiling aver the freeze. As if I need more to do. . .
I have friends that live in Costa Rica and take ski vacations when they want to play in the snow. . .
I spent time in the Sacramento area of California. They have two basic seasons, hot dry and a very brief “wet” season and spring. Blink and you miss it. What I missed from the Eastern US was green. Even in the winter we have the evergreens, holly, mountain laurel and other year round green plants. But the rest of the year it is green and then green highlighted with autumn red, yellow and orange. In Costa Rica it is much the same except the colors are year round with Northern and Southern species alternating with the spring and summer flowering tropical species. . . Lots of seasonal color but no ice or snow!
An historical chart starting in 2000 shows the Colon steadily gaining against the dollar starting at 232 per dollar and now at about 511. A few years ago it was an even 500 per dollar which made it easy to calculate in one’s head.
While the dollar IS dropping globally there are reasons each currency is exchanged at different rates. The Costa Rican economy relies heavily on the U.S. for commerce including, tourism, realestate and agriculture (you find Costa Rican Pineapples and Bananas in almost EVERY grocery store in the U.S.). If the Costa Rican economy is stronger today than decades ago it is based largely on the flow of U.S. dollars.
As far as investments go there are many places to put your money that is better than cash in the bank or money market funds. Realestate, antiques. . . I have tools and machinery that have gained steadily in value against the dollar. With manufacturing down it HAD been a buyers market but the selloffs are slowing. The problem with all investments of this type is liquidity. Just how fast do you need to be able to convert to cash? Days, weeks, months. You might take a year or more to convert realestate to cash at the highest value.
I have a friend that published a special interest book that is now in its 5th printing of 1000. Its a big book and a printing is over $40,000. He says it earns him just a little more than bank interest so he keeps printing and selling them. Very meager gains and slow to cash out but also low risk.
The problem with “market” investments, including holding any currency or investing in stocks is that it is a power players’ market. Small investors can easily get run over in a big fish’s profit taking. For many it would be better to play the lottery.
I think this could have happened in any rural setting. We live a relatively close 45 minutes from a major US city and its health care. Several years ago we had an emergency that presented like a heart attack in the middle of the night. I made the phone call to 911. The local rescue squad arrived in about 10-15 minutes. They checked conditions and transported to a small local hospital. We were seen immediately but it was decided to transport to the city hospital. We were now 1 hour from the event. Transport added another 40 minutes. Again we were seen immediately. But we were three hours from the event by the time we saw a specialist who could read all the heat monitors. IF the event had been a heart attack the time delays would have be too much. Luckily it was just a reaction to reduced medication. But we are CLOSE to medical care. There are much more remote areas all over the U.S. If you think you are going to need “instantaneous” care then you must consider your choice of where to live.
On the other hand, we have followed an ambulance on the 2 hour drive from San Jose to Alajuela. In CR nobody pulls over for the emergency vehicles. We made the trip in the same time as the ambulance, which I assume had to make the return trip the same way. Four hours before getting to the hospital. . . Could be the same in the U.S. unless you are transported by Helicopter. . .
Emergency care is the same everywhere. If you think you are going to need it then you need to plan for it. I know this is not always possible or affordable. But some people plan their life around such things. I know my ex-wife does. That is one of the many reasons she is and EX. There are many gambles in life. Every time we get into an automobile we risk our lives and statistically shorten our lives considerably. So I work at a job that makes a LOT less than if I was willing to travel every day. But you cannot avoid all risks. And not all of us want to live in a city next to a major 24 hour medical center. That is a choice. A choice that may reduce the length of one’s life.
Costa Rica is primarily a rural country unless you live in one of the few major cities. It is also a poor country with limited resources. Those are among the things that result in a low cost of living. But those are also things that have unseen costs or risks.
This is not a “dark side” of Costa Rica. It is simple reality. Yeah, there are places with more more more. . . but there are other MORES that make people want to leave those places and move to Costa Rica.
One of the attractive features of Costa Rica is that if you pick the right location you don’t need heat OR AC. If you are interested in the lower cost of living this is a major part of the cost savings.
In the lowlands where there is no sea breeze it can be pretty miserable and is also where you are most likely to run into problems with mosquitoes and tropical diseases.
As the altitude increase the temperatures drop. It does not take much altitude. A few hundred feet is all. If you get too high in the mountains it can get down right cold at night and the clouds and damp can make it more like Seattle, WA than the tropics.
Costa Rica is known as the country of a thousand micro climates. Pick a temperature range above freezing and humidity and it exists in Costa Rica.
Scott’s book is very helpful on this subject. But in the end he sugggests you spend some time where you plan to live before you buy and check out the climate. Don’t forget that there are two major seasons (wet and dry) to check out.
I operate another forum on another topic and traffic and business has been miserable this month and was the same in June. Worse I’ve ever seen and not sure why. The real economy among “common” people is the worst it has been in decades.
I remember the early discussions about the war in Iraq was supposed to pay for itself from oil revenue. . . HA HA HA HA. . .
The realestate meltdown was largely the fault of the regulators and big accounting houses (CPA’s) that were supposed to protect the public from the bank’s greed, the Berni Madoffs and Enrons of the world . . . No different than the other major financial disasters of the past decades except they get bigger and bigger. Jail or hang a few who are responsible, including regulators and these problems may not reoccur. Without penalties, it will happen again.
It IS going to happen again.
One of the lowest risk crimes is white collar (IE financial) crime. Do the crime, hide the money, do a few years in a cushy Federal prison and then leave with the money. . . Why do you think real estate scams are so popular? All the money disappears into friends and relatives pockets, off-shore real estate, hidden assets (gold coins, bullion) and the punishment is an easy way to “earn” all that money. The bigger the score (millions) the lower the cost per dollar. . . Its a calculated cost and risk.
The economic failure and soft real estate market has probably ended the possibility of my move to CR. I keep hoping it will get better, but it just gets worse and worse. . .
Off Grid:
The first word in being off grid is sacrifice. Off grid systems not only have limitations but also often have lots of down time. Folks that live off grid usually have alternate cooking and lighting systems.
CR has lots of rainy cloudy days and solar may not be as dependable as you want. The best alternative systems are multi-source. Solar and wind rely on batteries for night and low wind situations. These can often run out of power unless you have a very robust system. Back-up from a propane or diesel generator may be needed for those down times.
Modern wind and solar electric systems are electronically controlled and work together seamlessly. Other systems such as solar hot water, motor generators or small hydro may have to be controlled manually at times.
All these systems require maintenance and it REALLY helps if you can do most of it yourself. While the electronic systems are wonderful the higher the tech the more difficult to maintain short of replacing whole systems.
The best systems in the U.S. are those where you “bank on the grid”. When you make power it reverses the meter to credit your bill but when you don’t make power its available from the grid at no cost until you use up your credit. Very dependable and practical. I do not think they do this in CR but ideas spread.
I’ve worked in small hydro and seen a lot of systems with lots of down time and high maintenance. Lots to think about.
