Estimated Reading Time: 6 Minutes Costa Ricans still dress quite conservatively in public, although they are not as prudish anymore as they used to be. Costa Rica is not that 3rd world country where I moved to in 1980 anymore. Although, of course, television and foreign influence have opened their minds tremendously. But there are…
Estimated Reading Time: 7 Minutes I often get the important question “do I bring furniture with me or should I buy new when I arrive there”? The answer can go both ways; it depends on a few things. Once you have the correct information, you can decide to bring furniture or not much more manageable.…
Estimated Reading Time: 6 Minutes Homebuyers often have different challenges to overcome, the reason we like to give you these 3 useful homebuyer tips. Unfortunately, foreign buyers need to be aware of the fact that you need to be a resident to obtain home financing in Costa Rica. I’ve seen a couple of banks who…
Estimated Reading Time: 11 Minutes These are the most read live in Costa Rica blogs 2021, of a total of 615 published since 2010. It all started when I realized how many questions our website visitors ask that I could respond to easier by writing a blog about it. The hard part of writing a…
Estimated Reading Time: 5 Minutes Have you tried tamales made in Costa Rica yet? Unfortunately, we’re not making any tamales for Christmas anymore; my wife is on a diet. And tamales make her fat, she says. So I guess I’ll have to buy a couple of factory-made tamales in the grocery store. For many years,…
Estimated Reading Time: 6 Minutes There is a fantastic amount of old information available online. But, how do you know if an online article or blog gives you excellent and up-to-date Costa Rica information or if it’s outdated? Google sends me messages when somebody writes a blog or an article about Costa Rica real estate,…
Estimated Reading Time: 5 Minutes In most countries around the world, employees do not receive a Christmas bonus – Aguinaldo in Spanish. For your information: it is mandatory to pay the Aguinaldo – Christmas bonus to all your employees during the first 20 days of December, even if they work only a few hours a…
Estimated Reading Time: 7 Minutes This week, we had the monthly ARCR seminar, part of the Christopher Howard’s Live in Costa Rica Tour. Elizabeth, one of the participants, asked me about Dutch cooking, and we ended up talking about vegetables and Tico Cooking. So I thought to re-publish this article. In 2015, I felt an…
Estimated Reading Time: 8 Minutes Does a neglected house sell quickly? Let’s find out now! Dick and Jane del Valle – Springfield called me to check out their house for sale. They needed help in getting the house priced right because they already have moved to another country. Their 20-year old son is living in…
Estimated Reading Time: 10 Minutes Buying a rural home in Costa Rica sounds like an exciting plan, but is it so easy? Now, with Covid, some are looking to buy in a rural area. Others even go a step further: off the grid, Costa Rica has a varied topography. The Central Valley has smooth hills…
Estimated Reading Time: 6 Minutes No matter where you live in the world, you need tolerance to live in peace and harmony with your neighbors. Therefore, if you want to move to Costa Rica, YOU have to adapt to the local culture and not the other way around. To be able to adapt, you will…
Estimated Reading Time: 5 Minutes Suicide Showers, Surfer Hotels, and Other Things to Avoid on Your First Trip to Costa Rica. Unless you want to go native and adapt to your new home country. In this blog, I’m trying to cover things you may not hear or read before you visit Costa Rica for the…