Future retirees and current English-speaking residents have several on-line publications to keep up with what is happening in Costa Rica. The Tico Times Recently long-time readers of the Tico Times were saddened to find out about the demise of its print edition. The newspaper had been a source of local news for 56 years since [...]...»

If you move to Costa Rica and buy a home, you may end up having a swimming pool built. Many retirees yearn to have a swimming pool in the backyard of their dream home where there can take a cool dip, just relax, swim or even entertain friends. Getting a pool built in Costa Rica [...]...»

Driving in Costa Rica is not for the faint of heart. Recently stricter traffic laws were passed to try and reduce the number of accidents and fatalities on the country's streets and highways. Drag racing, reckless and drunk driving now have the largest fines. Unfortunately a lot of accidents are caused by bad weather and [...]...»

New expats or travelers in Costa Rica: your choice of transport mode is strategic. We have two options, private vehicles or the extensive public transport system. The following insights should be helpful. Owning, driving, and maintaining a motor vehicle is difficult and costly enough that many expats ride the public system. Neither way to get [...]...»

In the late 1980s a friend by the name of Wayne Jenkins said to me, "For me everyday in Costa Rica is like a whole lifetime. Why? Because each one of my days is so jam-packed with interesting activities." His words have always stuck with me because they are so true. There are so many [...]...»

While there's no way to keep your brain (or your body, for that matter) young forever, you can keep your brain as sharp as possible by using some of these tricks. It may not be a steel trap exactly, but your memory will definitely be better. Take care of your body: Not only will you [...]...»

Even though you've worked hard for years and anxiously awaited this big day, retirement can still be a tough transition for anyone. Going from working every day to not working at all is a big life change that can leave you feeling bored and a little blue. If you or someone you know is approaching [...]...»

A little over 32 years ago I moved to Costa Rica permanently. In those days it was a whole different world here. There was a war going on in Nicaragua between their government and the CIA backed Contras, no cable TV, very few American products, NO traffic and only a handful of gringos. Those were [...]...»

The other day I was sitting in a local gringo watering hole and a friend, who I hadn't seen for a long time, entered and sat next to me. The first thing I noticed was that he appeared to be a lot thinner. I asked him how he had been and what he had done [...]...»