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The story also made me raise an eyebrow. It sounded to me as if the couple had accumulated a good bit of wealth before embarking on a very long vacation. If they have enough money, they can continue the vacation forever and pay somebody else to do the normal daily maintanince work that most everybody else has to do for themselves.

The article raised many questions about their situation, so many that it relegated the gist of the story irrelevant. Is life in Costa Rica good? That depends a whole lot on your financial and emotional situation. It depends upon your expectations and your preparedness for living in another culture. Since we weren’t given any details on these matters, we were left with platitudes and vague, lofty aspirations to a simpler life. I doubted that this couple was looking for a simpler life. It seemed they were more interested in an easier and more comfortable life at a lower cost than they would have paid in the U.S.. That is not necessarily the same thing as a simple life, is it?

Moving to Costa Rica just to stretch your dollars doesn’t sound like a worthy motive unless you factor in the personal challenges that will most definitely accompany such a move. Nothing is free. Everything has a cost. Costa Rica is a beautiful place and I love it. But I love it with the knowledge that I will have to adapt just as I adapted to my wife’s idiosyncracies after 27 years.

Edited on Jan 24, 2009 09:04

Edited on Jan 24, 2009 09:07

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I back you up on that opinion, Imex…
I do not live in CR yet but have visited many times over the last three years with the intention of retiring on my property there. Following this site and a few others and talkng about relavant matters with Ticos while visiting has given me some basic knowledge of the place. The same questions that came to your mind upon reading the article came to mine as well.

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yeah, I had some questions about that article as well. I also find it very suspicious that two people who were apparently hungry enough for the good life that they finished college and began working hard to attain a functional living situation, for which they planned and DID attain, to throw it all away. It is not ipmossible, just unlikely.

And their legal status was not explained.

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I admit I don’t understand what is going on in the middle east. But I get very, very nervous when I hear American fascist rhetoric. Let’s keep the fasism where it seems to do well, in the U.S. and keep it far away from Costa Rica, please.

I have Israeli freinds in Costa Rica. My impression is that they are there to escape the consequences of state terrorism. I am sure a lot of Americans are in Costa Rica with similar sentiments.

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If Obama gives his inaugaration speech in the uniform of Costa Rica’s soccer team, I suspect he might make page two in La Nacion. Otherwise, “a quien le importa?”

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There are so many animals and people suffering all around the planet at any given time that stopping to help one is as good as any other. People, of course, get the first and most assistance which is why I tend to favor helping out animals when the occasions arise. Thanks for the information.

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The road to San Ramon is OK. There was a dodgy bridge around La Tigra,though. But nearly all smaller bridges are in abourt the same shape. That one reminded me of the bridge on the way to Quepos.

Edited on Jan 13, 2009 10:11

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In front of me on that drive was a mother and her three year old. He was in the back seat loose, no child set. He was standing and facing us. As her car made the sharp curves, he would fall out of sight and then climb back up to look some more. This went on for about thirty minutes all the way into Quesada.
Is this normal behavior for Costa Rican parents to transport toddlers with no restraints?

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I have driven the route to san ramon a half dozen times and nevre saw any fog but I never drove at night or early in the morning. That route is not nearly as scary as the one which passes through Quesada, although there were a few bridges which gave me pause.

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I drove that route from Arenal last March and it is indeed a memorable drive. I was relieved to get into Naranjo at last. If you sneeze at the wrong instant, you might end up driving over a cliff. It gets quite chilly up there and warm jackets are required even during daylight in the mornings.

I can get a glimpse of that mountain range from near my property and I am glad I decided to stay out of the higher altitudes. Besides the stressfull driving, the cool weather is not nearly as comfortable as the altude where I am at, about 3,000 feet.

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They were both landed aristocracy in their repsective countries and both led armed revolts against repressive governments. In fact, the Batista regime was far worse than the British and just as colonial with Uncle Sam behind it.

Both revolutionary armies were used to sieze land from previous colinials.

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Over 30 years ago, I thought like you do now. Then I began visiting Cuba every year and after so many personal experiences and conversations there with Cubans, my eyes were opened. We were lied to by our government about Cuba. Big surprise, huh?

Cuba has had free elections for decades. Cuba is ranked third in the world for number of female representatives elected to serve. The National assembly makes nominations for offices including for the presidency. The Communist party stays clear of that process and spends more time on dealing with national health and education issues which, by the way, has put Cuba pretty high on the list of most educated and healthy countries in this hemisphere.

There seems to be a passionate participation in politics by Cubans. Each sector of the economy is represented and organization is detailed right down to the neighborhoods. Unless you see it for yourself, you are susceptible to the propaganda that has been put out by Cuba’s enemy. The U.S. government doesn’t want or permit U.S. citizens to visit the country. If they did, more Americans would see that they have been lied to.

Regarding Cuban refugees, a much higher per capita refugee count leaves Mexico than leaves Cuba and they leave for the same reason people do everywhere…money. In Cuba’s case, there is additional economic pressure due to a cruel and immoral embargo that has been in place for almost a half century. Cut off Costa Rica from trade with many of its partners and you might see a similar exit of the people.

Edited on Jan 07, 2009 18:17

Edited on Jan 07, 2009 18:18

Edited on Jan 07, 2009 18:21

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I know enough Costa Ricans to be able to say that most of them don’t even know what Cuban socialism is. Don’t forget that a lot of misinformation is pushed off onto the CR public from the US for obvious political reasons. My point was that Ticos for the most part seem to appreciate their brand of socialism and that is fine. I appreciate it as well. Who but the idiot U.S. president we have believes that forms of government should be exported by force of arms to other countries?

Fidel used military force in order to throw out a corrupt U.S. puppet government. Fidel is a Cuban and was not importing nor exporting a government. He was chosen by popular demand to lead after the revolution just as our George Washington was chosen after our own revolution.

I like that Costa Rica bends its economy just enough so that it serves the people. That is exactly what Cuba has been doing for 50 years now. 2009 will be a better year for Costa Rica and Cuba in a crisis than it will for many in the U.S. Here in the States we have little or no safety net.

Edited on Jan 07, 2009 14:28

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If you are still living there, then it must be, for you, a tolerable situation still.

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I live in Miami and have spent time in Cuba. There are contented and discontented Cubans in both places. The big difference between them is that the ones who stayed in Cuba still have their culture and their country.

I have had my fill of anti Cuba propoganda. Americans ignorant of the facts buy into that crap because it supports their failing world view. I know better from first hand experience so I am able to brush off the usual swill that is used to keep people ignorant of what is really happening in Cuba and elsewhere in latin america. When people who have always been denied the basics of health care, food and shelter, are finally given those things by a socialistic government, they are grateful. Ask most Costa Ricans and they will respond in the affirmative just as most Cubans in Cuba will. And when that socialism is under constant threat by a powerful enemy, they keep CHOOSING the leader who brought them out of economic colonialism. They chose Fidel over and over. He was chosen by the public, not selected by a court, as our recent president was.

Edited on Jan 07, 2009 12:31

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