Living in Costa Rica

Insights on what it is like to be here.

The Costa Rica Expat Scene

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Expats in Costa Rica

“Myopic” would probably best describe this post. The vantage that I have of the Costa Rica expat scene will be purely autobiographical, what I have seen and some of what I have heard in my 16+ years of living full time in Costa Rica both as a father of a family of 5, an Internet … Read more

What Does the Matapalo Police Station Have to do With Real Estate?

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I got asked the other day what the opening of the new Matapalo Police station has to do with real estate, and by extension, why is it mentioned in my “Costa Rica real estate” blog? Well, I’ll tell you – it all starts with land.

I was told some time ago about a dinner party here in The Zone where the host got up on to a table and announced: “I would like for all conversations about real estate to stop. If you are unable to comply, please leave.” It is reported that the room went quiet.

Costa Rica Real Estate and a few of its influencing factors
A few of the the “non-real-estate” factors that affect the value of “Costa Rica real estate”

Granted, this was back in “the day” – back when fortunes were being made on the buying and selling of land here in The Zone. Such conversations are not nearly as prevalent now as back then, but they are certainly a daily occurrence in my life, and I suspect that many here would make the same statement.

I contend that all news comes around to affecting, or being affected by land. If you are interested in moving here, migrating, retiring, or simply, to visiting here, the topic of property and its value will enter the picture. The managing of crime has a direct impact on the value of property.
As do:

  • tourism
  • currency
  • climate
  • water
  • taxes
  • animals
  • roads
  • laws
  • residency
  • language
  • culture
  • etc…

I don’t want to have this bulleted list go down through your floor, so the”etc…” embodies all the rest. This list is based on my time spent talking with people who want to move or migrate to here.

Returning to Matapalo: it is receiving a steady flow of foreigners moving in as re-locators, migrators, and investors. They did not have a police station there before, so it could be reasoned that any self respecting thief would view that area as the place to be and to ply their trade. The presence of a police station has a positive effect on this scenario. One would then surmise that the value of land there will hold steady or perhaps increase.

Along with some of the other appealing amenities: screaming views, proximity to both Manuel Antonio and Dominical, proximity to a gorgeous, unpopulated and miles long beach, quiet living in Costa Rica’s tropical jungle, you can now add “enhanced security due to the presence of a police station”. My question: how can a Costa Rica real estate blog not mention such a thing?

Currency: The exchange rate of the colon versus the dollar. One of the hot topics going on right now in many sectors of the globe is what the effect of the “recovery” is having on tourism.

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All About Golf In The Zone

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Instead of going belly-up and hurting all those who put their belief in the words of dealers (such as yours truly), and who bought untitled land there, the GITZL shareholders got together and prioritized… (now prepare yourself. We are talking here about behind the scenes corporate maneuverings, in an effort to make vast sums of money) – the wellbeing of those who had bought land in the project. The shareholders, at personal expense, allowed the project to go to the primary shareholder without a struggle. This primary shareholder, of his own volition, felt that it was important to protect the land owners there, that their ownership would be recognized and guaranteed.

I know, you’re thinking that you have stumbled upon a science fiction account of life on another planet. But you haven’t, and this is not. What you are reading is a firsthand account of my observations over the past 4 or so years. I am also one of those shareholders who lost in excess of $100k in the process (but who knows? The fat lady has not yet sung.)

Talk Show – Episode 12

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Episode 12 features a candid look at life in the Southern Pacific Zone of Costa Rica. If you’re considering relocation or simply buying land in the greater Dominical or Uvita areas, we encourage you to watch and please feel free to share your comments.

About Crime in Dominical Costa Rica I

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CAP on Crime Security Dog Presentation

I was invited to speak at the monthly CAP meeting in Dominical. My experience as a survivor of a violent crime in Costa Rica has created a slight demand on my time for public speaking about the experience. So much of what I’ve been through has caused me to re-think my place here on planet earth and especially the beauty and power of my “community”.

CAP on Crime Security Dog Presentation
Demonstration of How Security, or Protection Dogs Work

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I used to have a link for Latigo K9 Protection Dogs website. I have not heard of them in some time and their website appears to be down or gone. I leave this note here until I hear something conclusive about them. They were immensely helpful to me in my incident and would like to promote them if they are still around. 
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 (Links open a new browser window.)

Clarifications:

  • CAP stands for Crime, Awareness and Prevention
  • Saying that I was a survivor of a violent crime can convey the wrong impression about Dominical and The Zone. My event has been well publicized, but I need to clarify that violent crime isn’t really our main concern around these parts. I’m one of the very few that has incurred bodily harm due to crime in the area.
  • I should mention that I chased my criminals when I caught them in the act of breaking and entering, which puts me squarely in the “bad example” category of how to behave with criminals. They tried to flee the robbery scene and I chased them.  When I cornered them, they attacked.

Moving On:
I have the experience nearly every time

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New Theory Explains Why We Find Costa Rica So Darn Pleasant

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Lone woman on a beach thinking

or – How Media Saturation Robs Us Of Our Joy
or – an Original Thought is a good thing

We humans find ourselves intriguing, in fact – fascinating. Theories explaining the experience of being human abound .

One theory that I heard as a young man has stuck with me through the years. This theory now finds a rather interesting application in my life of living as an expat here in Costa Rica. I see the possible truth to this theory as I observe what I have come to know as “4th Day Original Thought Syndrome” or “4DOTS” in Costa Rica. Based on this thing that happens on day #4, many decide that they would like to either make Costa Rica Home, or to at least make it a big part of their life.

Observation:

4DOTS is simple – it’s really nothing more than relaxation. But I need to do a footnote definition here of what I mean by relaxation. It’s more than just having our neck muscles relax and our shoulders lower down by a couple inches, (which they do on day 4). 4 DOTS relaxation has to do with the mind.

The Theory:

It is thought that when we first have an experience as a baby, we fire off a unique circuit in our brain. The experience is profound and frequently pleasurable. We are drawn to the subject experience again and again to get better acquainted. We call this learning.

Let’s say that at the age of 1 year our Mother puts us on the warm, sunny lawn in our back yard to crawl around. A new circuit is fired through our brain and we are fascinated by the greenness of the experience and the warmth of the green. The texture is slightly prickly but not unpleasantly so. There is a humid component and a wonderful smell that we will later on associate with the word “earthy”.

From this point on in our lives this same circuit fires every time we experience warm green grass, causing a familiarity with the experience, and this we call memory. So the theory goes.

(As an aside, i t is thought that the psychoactive drug LSD causes variations in our established and familiar brain circuitry. This can be profoundly pleasurable (or disturbing) and cause fascination with what we adults would consider to be mundane things. This would explain why people on LSD can be seen studying their hand, or marveling at the grass they are standing on. )

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