Beautiful life is every day in Costa Rica

A few weeks ago I wrote a piece for this newspaper about Costa Rica. While most of the feedback was very positive, two or three people wrote to ask if this was a paid article for the Costa Rican government. It certainly was not. If it sounded like a tourism advertisement it was only because I, and most of the other ex patriot Americans and Canadians living here, are so enthusiastic about this country. Having lived most of our lives in North America we have become disillusioned about the way things are going “up north,” with the loss of value of our currency, the terrible housing market, and crime heading the list, not to mention the cold weather.

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SO WHY DO WE LIKE COSTA RICA SO MUCH? A couple of days ago my wife and I were driving into town when we saw two small children paying in the road. They were about a quarter of a mile from the nearest village and nobody thought anything of it. I don’t have to tell you what would probably happen to that little boy and girl in the United States because every day you read about abductions, rapes, and murders of innocent little children. Those of you old enough to remember the fifties will know that it was like this in the U.S. back then. What an idyllic life it was, and here in Costa Rica it still is. Quite often we have seen girls and boys 14 or 15 years old walking home along a dark road from the bus that brought them from a night class in the local town. They have no fear. They don’t even have a flashlight. We never hear of any problems with muggers, rapists or murderers. These are some of the things we love about Costa Rica. Someone wrote to warn of the new luxury tax on expensive houses here. Well, it doesn’t frighten us. With the new tax you might pay $600 a year on a half million dollar house. Excuse me – what would your taxes be in the U.S. or Canada? Here taxes are very low in comparison. These are some of the things we love about Costa Rica. Another man, a geologist living in some obscure Arab country, was quick to warn that we might be covered in volcanic ash from “the volcano.” Well, perhaps the geologist should check a little further and he would find we have six volcanoes here. One of them, Poas, does have a little eruption about every seven years and does send a little volcanic ash to cover the town of Poas and the local area. However the ash doesn’t go far or cause any problem. In point of fact, our volcanoes are one of the biggest tourist attractions to Costa Rica. One of them, Arenal constantly, day and night. As far as I know there is never any ash from this one. Tourists flock to the area to rent hotel rooms overlooking Arenal. At night they sit for hours and watch the molten lava flowing down the side of the volcano in yellow and red streams of fire. These are some of the things we love about Costa Rica. While Costa Rica is a Catholic country there is a real freedom of religion with Baptists, Pentecostals and all other Christian denominations in abundance. There is a large Jewish population with a very large temple and three other synagogues in San Jose. There are very few Muslims. In fact, the only two I ever saw were at the airport. I have been told there is a Muslim prayer hall somewhere in San Jose but when I attempted to get more information I drew a blank. One local evangelical church recently used the river at the entrance to Marcias Paradise to baptize some new converts. These are some of the things we love about Costa Rica. Several residents of Marcia’s Paradise are from Ontario and Alberta and constantly talk about the temperatures “back home.” While their former homes are registering below zero the lowest temps here are around 65 (18 Celsius). Our warmest temperatures register at about 85 (30 Celsius). There are exceptions occasionally when the temps go slightly lower or higher, but they are rare. This year round temperature without much variation is one of the reasons given for the longevity of Costa Ricans. These are some of the things we love about Costa Rica. Costa Ricans don’t worry about wars in far off places or even close by. They abolished the army in 1948 and live in peace with their neighbors. Costa Ricans are, according to the surveys done by the U.N. and others, some of the happiest people on earth. They have that manana attitude about almost everything. You know, after a while, even we Gringos catch on and learn to relax. These are some of the things we love about Costa Rica. Things grow here. Boy do they grow! All kinds of vegetables grow fast and have several growing seasons because of the climate. We planted a hedge by putting little sticks in the ground and three months later the hedge was a meter high. These are some of the things we love about Costa Rica. Crime in America is soaring. Yet we have seen absolutely no crime in and around Marcias Paradise. Of course, there is crime in San Jose as in any big city around the world. But even there it’s like a Sunday School outing compared to cities “up North.” According to a report in “Times on Line” on November 16, 2009, Americans are petrified that the recession leads inevitably to more crime and they are buying guns faster than ever before. It seems that they are putting self defense before big screen TVs and big cars these days. What happened to the American Dream? Smith & Wesson expects to nearly double annual sales in the next three to five years as demand for their firearms soars in the recession. They are not alone. All over America demands for firearms and ammunition are rising, amid concerns that rising unemployment, which passed 10 per cent this month, will lead inexorably to higher rates of crime. At Sturm and Ruger, sales for the third quarter hit $71.2 million, up 70 per cent from the same period last year. At Glock pistol sales rose by 71 per cent in the first quarter, in comparison with the same period last year and according to the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the FBI carried out more than a million background checks for gun purchasers in September. “People are worried about personal protection with unemployment and crime on the rise,” said Mike Golden, chief executive at Smith and Wesson. Well, we don’t worry about crime here. We frequently forget to lock out doors at night. There are no bars on our windows. We have nothing to fear from our neighbors. These are some of the things we love about Costa Rica. Costa Rica has hardly been affected by the world economic disaster but America’s Economic Disaster will not go away. Any six year old will tell you that if you are down to your last dime you had better save it or spend it wisely. Yet, in the face of a fallen dollar (help I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!) and with no money in the national bank, Washington is spending like there’s no tomorrow. Anyone with half a brain knows that will lead to personal and national disaster. Yet nobody is stopping the madman of Washington. Unemployment has reached 10% and even those who are working are working less hours and getting paid less. Without jobs more and more people will be turning to crime to put food on the table. Without jobs there will be fewer people to pay taxes. Without taxes there will be no money for welfare so the vast army of those who have always lived on the government will have nowhere else to turn but to crime. Without taxes there will also be no money for schools, roads and bridges, and other infrastructure. The great American highway system will continue to crumble and there will be no money to repair it. There will be no money for prisons either. Think about that. Now, I know there will be a flood of angry letters saying that this could never happen in America. My answer in advance is “Well it has happened. Wake up and look around you.” Just apply a little logic and common sense and you’ll see that with Obama’s spending spree there will be no money left and with no jobs there will be no taxes. And without taxes America as you knew it has already ceased to exist. The economy in Costa Rica is doing quite well thank you and I see signs of expansion everywhere. These are some of the things we love about Costa Rica. Of course anyone coming to a new country will find some difficulties with language and customs and to help them through that transition in Costa Rica we have a wonderful organization called the Association of Residents of Costa Rica. ARCR.net The general manager of ARCR is a good friend of mine from Vancouver named Ryan Piercy who works out of a complex in downtown San Jose aptly named “Casa Canada.” Ryan and his staff offer many services including a monthly seminar on everything from visiting the country, to health matters, legal matters, and immigration procedures. These are some of the things we love about Costa Rica. You don’t see road rage here in Costa Rica. There are a few bad drivers and drivers without manners but it’s nothing like the jungle in North American cities with every man for himself and a gun in the glove box. And if you need help in Costa Rica someone is always there to lend a hand. One night I was driving back late from the airport and wandered into one of the not-so-nice areas of San Jose. It was dark and I came too close to the curb and my right front wheel went down into a culvert. Honestly, I was a little afraid. But in no time a car and a taxi stopped and the drivers got out and lifted the front end of my car out of the culvert and went on their way. These are some of the things we love about Costa Rica. A couple of months ago I was looking for car tires in the local equivalent of Wal-Mart. I asked the staff for some help in English because my Spanish is still not quite good enough. A voice from the next isle asked if he could help. A customer came around the corner, looked at the tires and quickly told me they were too expensive. He insisted in driving across town about 15 kilometers to the tire store he shops at and then helping me deal with the manager to get a really good price. Now where else in the world would that happen? And that is only one of many great kindnesses I have been afforded in Costa Rica. In fact several people have driven out of their way to guide me when I was not familiar with an area. These are some of the things we love about Costa Rica. When I was at school in England I wore a school uniform with a tie and a badge on the blazer showing a crest and a Latin inscription. There was no rivalry about who could wear the most expensive high-end label clothes as there is in American schools. I think the uniforms are largely gone in Britain today but here in Costa Rica all the kids wear school uniforms and they are proud to do so. Costa Rican kids generally work hard in school and want to succeed. Their education is far above American standards and you never hear of a teacher being mugged in the classroom. These are some of the things we love about Costa Rica. One of the things I hate most about shopping or eating in the U.S. these days is that we are forced to listen to a barrage of noise that some low-life thinks is music. We have no choice. We can’t have a quiet conversation or enjoy a meal in silence. They don’t even allow us to listen to real music. It has to come from the gutter. Well, here in Costa Rica we do not have to put up with unintelligible noise in stores and restaurants. Either there is silence or quiet, pleasant, background music. These are some of the things we love about Costa Rica. There are no ridiculous torte laws in Costa Rica to make lawyers rich for winning millions of dollars for an idiot who purposely spills hot coffee in her lap. Costa Rican courts do not even entertain such frivolous lawsuits that attempt to make one person rich at the expense of the rest of us. These are some of the things we love about Costa Rica. The Hospitals, doctors and medical workers here are marvelous. I can honestly say that every single one I have met has been courteous, kind and caring. And the prices they charge for medical consultations are about what we would have to pay in the U.S. as co-pay in a hospital where we re treated like pigs going to market.. When I had my first major check-up in San Jose I paid $200 for what would have been more than $2000 in the U.S. A visit to my G.P here is $40 and on several occasions he has refused to even charge me because he says that by now I am “family.” These are some of the things we love about Costa Rica. This may sound strange to some of you but I think solitude is often hard to find back in the states. It just seems there is nowhere in those crowded areas we lived in where you can get away from – just – people and be alone for an hour. Here it’s easy and I like it that way sometimes. One Costa Rican who had lived in California for a few years told me that he always felt that the Police were watching everything he did. Well, although I like the Police in general and support law enforcement, I must say I have often felt the same. One American ex-pat said that some people say there are not enough police here. But said he, “When you have fewer police you have a whole lot less Police harassment. I think he’s right. In Florida there are so many police that they have nothing to do but ticket people for minor offenses. You don’t feel that here and they are always friendly and courteous. These are some of the things we love about Costa Rica. No, this is not a travel article for Costa Rica. I just want you to know why I like the country and the people so much and why I developed Marcias Paradise for people who are looking for a country where the government is not intrusive, where taxes and cost of living are low, where is no crime, and where the climate is almost perfect. I just want you to know why I love this country and I hope you’ll come and visit us soon particularly at Marcia’s Paradise. We’re almost two hours from San Jose, in the loveliest mountain scenery you could ever hope to see, and we love it here.