Se vende: Pura Vida!

A Multiple Choice Love story. 

(Choose your favorite word from within the brackets)

We meet a new couple, about our age.

"Hello."

"(Hello, Hola, Howdy)."

"Where are you from?"

"(The Divided States (55%), Alemania (25%), Canada (20%)), but we are living here now."

"Wow! How long have you been here?"

"We came down here on our honeymoon (2, 3, 4) years ago. We thought we'd travel around, but when we saw this place we knew this was it and bought here."

"Amazing!"

"We are on top of a mountain, just turn up the hill past (the blue church, the third bridge from town, the touristy café). The view is spectacular!" But what is not said is that the road has a 800 meter vertical change in elevation and is "pura shit-a."

"You should come over." We accept.

Later in the week and early in the day we arrive vowing never to travel their road again, because it almost took out the (transmission, clutch, undercarriage, suspension, tires). Indeed the view is spectacular, but so is the persistent nor-wester. The gate to their high-fenced property opens only after they yell and cajole their two (snarling Cane Cursos, yapping Staffordshire terriers, happy wiener dogs) back into the garage. The place is a (two story - 3 bedrooms, single story - 2 bedrooms and a casita close by) and a pool, and beautiful.

"Your place is gorgeous... and the view! Did you build?"

"(Yes (80%), No (20%)) but we had lots of trouble with the place. We thought they did a good job, but we've had to re-(wire, plumb, roof) the place. Even items stated explicitly in the contract some contractors refused to complete."

"Well, what did you do?"

"Oh, we have a lawyer in San Jose who has been very helpful." And, you can bet, very expensive. "We were hoping that (our kids, the family, friends) would come down for Christmas, but its just too difficult for them."

After a while I ask, "How many people move down here without fully understanding what they are getting into?"

"I'd say about... 50%."

"Oh? Why did you buy?"

"The (world, American politics, Canadian politics) is sleepwalking into a (dictatorship, communist state, gender-confused mayhem)."

"Oh? Ok? So, what kind of hobbies* do you have?"

"You know, I should really think of getting one." What do they do here: (watch the sunset day in and day out**, sit around and get on each other's nerves***, secretly wished they had stayed home)?

Driving at night is another whole element of discomfort. I can't imagine if these people needed to get to a hospital in the middle of the night. Ya, but that will never happen, and maybe that's the point.

There is no doubt that this place is beautiful, and expats are friendly, but I feel it might be through necessity. Our new friends all seem to be recently married and their plans appear to us short-sighted as we are keenly aware of getting older and that this would have been a great idea 20 years ago.

This has been a real eye-opener for us. Not only has the above story in all its variations been the saga of most expats here, but should also include the difficulty they face maintaining a vehicle here. As our landlord here has said, "Its always the drive train or suspension. And getting parts and finding a good mechanic is difficult." Case in point, he had driven to San Jose (3 hours) to get work done on his vehicle. He knew it would take at a couple of days and he stayed overnight. But when he went back to the shop the mechanic told him that its mostly fixed - drivable, but he should come back after the holidays (specifically Jan 8th) to fix the transmission. Uh-huh!

Most new owners ship all their possessions here even after being told that the CR gov't applies an 80% levy on any vehicle coming into the country. Gas and groceries are equivalent to Canadian prices. Any wood furniture not made of either Guanacaste or cedar wood will be destroyed by termites.

So we're leaning towards... NOT buying here.

But don't get me wrong, Costa Rica has a lot going for it and we get why people like it here. You can drink the tap water which we have done from day one and have yet to get sick. It has a relatively stable government as reflected in the reputation of the banks and well-maintained infrastructure. Costa Rica values its natural resources; a third of its land is in public and private reserves. The country is clean - you don't see the garbage that you do in Mexico. They have no standing army, instead putting that money into education. The climate here in Nuevo Arenal is rainy or warm, but moderate. 

We were sorely tempted to buy, but as we further our research and clarify what we want, it seems unlikely.

*to me hobbies should have three components: creativity, activity, and community (a.k.a. pay forward or give back).

** not that there is anything wrong with that - especially if the day has been filled with hobbies*

*** I know this happens to everybody once in a while.