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Hi West Coast,
I landed 11 years ago in Mal Pais/ Santa Teresa. I lived there 4 years and due to kids schooling and other reasons chose to move to San Jose. Have since traveled around the other beach areas of the Pacific coast and while the Dominical area is nice… My second choice if choosing beach area… nothing compares to Mal Pais/ Santa Teresa. Dominical is closer to a major urban area San Isidro/ Perez Zeledon and Mal Pais is certainly not close to anything. But in my opinion there is something special in Nicoya… and all my beach trips now are back to Mal Pais… right where I started!I’ve “moved on” 10 times in the past 13 years. I have been in Costa Rica for 11 years and have moved 7 times. I think I may sit tight for a while as I have found my dream farm. Prior to 98 I had lived in 4 states and countless homes… so sure people move on. I have… and thankful to be living in Costa Rica. It’s not perfect but no place is. Like we used to say in Florida… you don’t like the way we do it here… then leave!
😆[quote=”steve5153″]Hello, we will be moving to home in Alajuela for 6 months in December, does anyone know of a tennis club, or tennis facilities in the area?
Thanks,
Steve[/quote]Hi Steve,
Probably the best option for you to get up a consistent game will be in Belen/La Rivera at a small country club called Club Espanol, not far from Intel. I can’t find a website link at the moment but will ask a friend tomorrow who is a member for the phone or email contact. I believe its about $100 or so a month without having to pay the big up front fees $$$$ like at Cariari etc… it is also about 10- 15 min from Alajuela depending on where you live.Hi Acmilan,
I have no experience with this group but I did run across their website the other day and saved it for future reference. Let us know what you find out. http://www.antiagingcostarica.comCheers,
TicopazPersonally I prefer not to pay bankers interest. The feeling of being debt free, only having to pay a little property tax once a year, and a roof over my head free and clear… is a real peace of mind… Who knows what the future may bring.
[quote=”alexander69″]Hola,
We are looking into being “off=grid” meaning total solar powered house and a well. If anyone has done this, and I will be shocked if no one has as ICE is a big pain in the ass, please let me know of your experiences. We are not going to give ICE 25,000 dollars to run poles to our home site and then turn around and give them the rights and land. It is absurd. Any solar experience is appreciated. Off=handed comments just to hear yourself ramble is not.
Saludos,
Alexander[/quote]Hi There,
First… what do you want? If you want to live like you always have, solar is very expensive and high maintenance. If you want to have the basic necessities of modern life it can be done for about $10k. It will give you a great feeling of independence and self reliance. I have lived off grid in the past for several years and now have grid, but I use a small 12 volt system for my lightening and a chest type refrigerator (for cold pipas ;-). I also use solar hot water with a grid tied hot water tank for emergencies… that water is cold in the mountains!!Bottom line is… KEEP IT SIMPLE. I have four 75watt panels and 2 Rolls 400 amp hr batteries. This provides 12 volt lighting to my entire home and runs a 12 volt chest fridge. With a small inverter I run laptop computer, router and satellite television. What it will not cover is a standard style refrigerator, electric stove, hot water or washing and drying machine.
Now, that being said. With a system about 2x this size I personally could run comfortably a energy efficient washing machine (DAY TIME ONLY), Gas dryer, have a solar hot water collector, energy star refrigerator, lights, tele, computer and small appliances.
You learn to wash clothes in peak sun so as not to drain the batteries and other things like this, but basically it can be done with a lot less than the Solar Dude tells you!
As mentioned by another member it is a little more difficult in the rainy season, but with proper energy management on your part it can be done.
Oh.. and would probably need a separate small system for your well so add another 3-4k. Call it 15k and you will be enegizzzed :-)) and tell ICE no thanks… thats what I did 😉
Hope this helps,
TicoPaz
[quote=”linstev44″]I would like to hear from those of you of retirement age, as to what plans you have made, or should make if we plan to stay in CR until we die. I asked some expat friends here the other day and I got a joke and then silence, so I hope this doesn’t make anyone uncomfortable. I really only want to make it as easy as possible for my US family. Since even couples will one day be alone, we need to plan for that eventuality. Who does what? How?[/quote]
I am not at retirement age but I have already purchased my piece of ground at a local Cemetery. Was about 2k and that was for my wife and I. Only thing we didn’t pre-pay was for the casket. Haven’t looked into that yet but should do so now that i think about it, as it wont be any cheaper in the future than it is today.
[quote=”oleolson”]I live on the beach on Playa Zancudo and am building a greenhouse there for vegetables and flowers. Are there any books or specific websites on gardening here on the beach?
We are using the black remains from the Coconut oil factory for soil and probably need some fertilizer of some sort. Hear they recommend using the soil once and replacing it. I would appreciate any help that you can give.
thanks a bunch, oleolson[/quote]
Hi Oleolson,
There is/was a great book written by Dr Ed Bernhardt that was published in 1998 called “The Costa Rican Organic Home Gardening Guide”. I have not seen it in bookstores for quite some time. I bought mine at a used book store downtown San Jose in about 2000. You might do an online search. It is fabulous. I have almost worn mine out! It explains clearly the basics of growing a garden by organic means as well as dealing with the different micro climates and soils of Costa Rica. He explains some of the many traditional growing methods, composting, seasons as well as how to deal with the heavy rains and different insect complications.To my knowledge Ed still lives here and has a farm in San Isidro de El General. He used to offer organic gardening classes as well at the New Dawn Center. I just did a web search and found their web site: http://www.thenewdawncenter.info.
I would start here and I think you can purchase several books from the site and they still offer classes…Happy gardening!
TicopazHi all,
The server where Scot hosts WLCR is in the Eastern Standard Time zone. We “Costa Rica residents” are now 2 hours behind EST. When North America “Springs forward” we then spring into the Mountain Time Zone and hence 2 hours behind EST. When North America “Falls back” then we will be reflecting a 1 hour difference from EST and will “Fall back” in the Central Time Zone… WLCR clock is based on the server setting where it is hosted.I too use humming bird feeders. I do not use white table sugar as it provides no nutritional value to the birds… or to humans. I usually use the local “brown” sugar in the raw called Zukra or any of the Tapa Dulce brand “Molasses Sugars”. These are much higher in mineral content. We live at higher elevation so usually change every 2 days so it doesn’t spoil… if the birds don’t drink it all in a day! Zukra will last longer than the Tapa Dulce… but Tapa Dulce is higher in mineral content. This time of year they are more abundant so it is refilled daily. A while back there was local news saying this is bad for birds etc… because then the will not pollenate the flowers. I have found this to not be true. They are still feeding daily on the flowers we have planted for them and the butterflies. With the increased wind speed from their wings it has also cut down on our global warming in this area too! A side benefit 🙂
Any pharmacy and most any grocery store will have formula. Even in the smallest of towns. If in doubt be sure to grab a few cans when you are at the store that does have it. Diapers too.
Hi Charlie,
I would head up early as the fog and rains up the mountain have been more than usual and starting by 11am-Noon. Enjoy!Ok, here is the law translated by babel fish from Spanish to English:
“The zones of protection of the shore of the rivers belong to the STATE, and are of free transit, thus this tax in Forest Law 7575. No private proprietor has the right to prevail to us of our rights.”
And Spanish:
“Las zonas de protección de la ribera de los ríos pertenecen al ESTADO, y son de libre transito, asi esta impuesto en la Ley Forestal 7575. Ningún propietario privado tiene el derecho de privarnos de nuestros derechos.”
It does not say what the distance of the shore is. But it is clear that there is an area of “land” ,the shore, that is free transit.
I am going to try and get more specific to this distance of “shore” but for today this is what I have.
However, You would not be able to cross private property to get to this “shore” so, what I have always done as I mentioned before is look for a public road area or bridge to enter the river and then walk the shore. I would caution also, to be careful of tall brush and log piles. There are snakes in Costa Rica. I never let that stop me from enjoying these beautiful areas, but I do enjoy with open eyes and awareness.
Keep it tight!
Hi Everyone,
Well… LOL you do not realllly need a license… however, I was up to San Gerardo de Dota this time last year after having fished there for years. When I got riverside there was a sign by MINAE (Ministerio de Ambiente y Energia) saying fishing was not allowed! Well I ask the locals and they say sure go ahead! If you see any MINAE folks just hide! Well of course we went fishing and had a great time… small trout and lots of them, it is so beautiful there and fun. Later we go to another area and first stop at the MINAE station to chat them up. After a cold welcome they warmed up to us and we became good buds. They told us where else we could fish. Even gave one ranger a ride back to San Jose later in the day. He wasn’t sure about all that fishing gear in the back LOL. Anyway, you don’t need a license… you will not be asked. There are many fresh water rivers to fish for native species like Bobo, Machaca and Guapote (don’t have time to check spellings) Your go to lure is the basic spinner, gold or silver. I also have caught on Prince Nymph bead heads and Hare’s Ear among other bugs from the box. Funny you have this post today as I was going to call my attorney tomorrow to verify the law on what distance from river is public access when rivers run through private land. I will be sure to post this back. My Tico friend says 10 meters is public but I want to make sure. Access is the most difficult thing… so you usually have to find a bridge and then go up or down from there or a pull out. Be sure no belongings are left in view in your vehicle. That’s it for now!Tight lines to you all!
Ticopaz
