It's TICO Time & Time for Some Football!

We are back in Costa Rica and pleased to say the border crossing process from Nicaragua to CR went much smoother this time.  We hired a shuttle service to take us all the way from San Juan del Sur to our next destination at Lake Arenal, CR.  The driver of the van dropped us at the NIC exit station and stayed with us (and several others) until we’d cleared.  Another driver met us and took us to the CR entrance station not leaving until everyone had been accounted for.  CR requires proof of leaving the country before allowing you entrance so proof of an onward ticket is required.  Fortunately, one of our party spoke fluent Spanish and was able to translate we would need our documents.   It was a lot easier than when we’d gone the other way and walked through “No Man’s Land”, http://ourretirementinsight.blogspot.com/2016/01/no-mans-land.html.  By the way, there were fewer Cubans at the NIC/CR border but the NIC swat team was still standing guard.

In general, Costa Rica is much more prosperous, safer, and cleaner than Nicaragua.  While NIC has been fighting one civil war after another, CR disbanded their military in 1948.  Then President Ferrer demilitarized and declared the budget would be pumped into health, education, agriculture, security, culture and preservation of the land.  About 25% of the country's land is within a National Park and attracts tremendous amount of tourism dollars.  The country is largely healthy, literate, and not hungry.  

We’ve based ourselves for the next month on the northern shores of Lake Arenal, the largest lake in CR.  The lake is at the base of Arenal Volcano, which last erupted in 1968 and remained very active until about 2010.  When we visited Costa Rica in 1996 we sat in Tabacón Hot Springs, at the base of the volcano and watched the volcano ooze lava . . . pretty crazy when you think about it.  Now the volcano is in a silent phase, and normally shrouded in clouds so we’ve yet to see it.  That's okay; being from WA it's kind of like always knowing Mt. Rainier is in the distance but is often elusive.

Our little town is Nuevo Arenal, which is about an hour west of the town of La Fortuna, near the volcano.  Nuevo Arenal has the reputation of being an expat town; there are some lovely homes on the hills overlooking the lake and a fair number of smaller homes in town.  However, we are finding it is just a lovely village to be in no matter your nationality.  The town of Arenal was relocated in 1973 when a nearby dam was built, therefore, Nuevo Arenal today.  

Geographically we are still in the Guanacaste but this mountainous rainforest is very different than the grassy range in the valley below.  We are at an elevation of just over 2000 feet, and the weather is wonderful with cool breezes and frequent but brief showers.  It’s the dry season now so I suspect there’s a lot more rain come spring.  The air feels clean and refreshing.  The scenery is very green and beautiful, with many varieties of flowers growing everywhere you look.  A toucan greeted us within an hour of arriving, just outside our door!

The 3 main grocery stores in town are clean and well supplied; there are a couple bakeries, banks with an ATM, a hardware store, clothing stores, and restaurants. 

Panaderia

One of three mercados

Plenty of food!

Ferreteria

And the Tican people are friendly and helpful.  It’s definitely not a tourist town, although next door to us are two lovely Canadian couples.  There aren't a lot of tourists walking around.

Every hour the Cathedral chimes its bells and at noon they resound with Ode to Joy!   Typical with most towns we’ve seen the church perches above the central park and soccer field, and is a hub of calm and activity. 

Futbol!

Contemporary Cathedral

Our studio apartment is one of six units at Vista del Lago Apartamentos (https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/2472029).  The owner, Patrick, has been in Costa Rica for 16 years and has been very helpful.  He greeted us when we arrived, drove Bob around town to show him the lay of the land, and stopped by to check everything was okay.  The common area washer broke (with our sheets in it) and he has ordered repairs.  The apartment is clean, basic, and comfortable.  Regardless, it is “home” for four weeks!

We don’t have a car so we’ve been exploring the village by foot taking a couple good walks each day.  It’s fun to poke around the town’s shops and greet the people.  We’ve become friendly with Marta at the park side soda (breakfast/lunch café); Isaac, the taxi driver who took us down to the Lake; and Mario, the cell phone sales clerk at the public utility company.  We have been challenged to brush up on our Spanish, since very few of the local Ticans speak much English.  This is good for us to improve our language skills, and at the same time, the Ticans are eager to improve their English as well.  Oddly, when bidding adios the Ticans say “ciao” as in Italian.  I wonder where they picked up on that?

Soda at the Park

Breakfast at Marta's

Everybody always wonders about medical care in foreign countries.  Costa Rica has two large CIMA (Center for International Medicine Advanced) hospitals in the country. One is in San Jose and the other in the Guanacaste, near the airport we flew into.  CIMA is operated by the International Health Corporation (US based) and associated with Baylor University.  It serves the needs of the local region and also a thriving medical tourism industry, accounting for about 25% of its patients.  So, if you are in need of a hip or knee replacement you might check it out! http://cimamedicalvaluetravel.com/sjos

Joint Commission International (JCL) accredits CIMA hospitals.  JCL is a US based, non-profit agency providing credibility to international healthcare providers.  Also, CIMA-San Jose has been recognized by the US Department of Veterans Affairs and is the only hospital in Central America to have received their acknowledgement. There are a couple other private hospitals in San Jose with excellent reputations as well (Clinica Bibilica and La Catolica) but for the most part, medical and dental care throughout the country are provided by small local clinics and the farmacias. 

Arenal Medical Clinic

I’d been feeling a bit puny (Sandinista’s revenge) while in NIC and the long, curvy road up into the mountains of CR about did me in.  After a rough night, Bob walked into the town’s medical clinic, which directed him to the Farmacia.  The pharmacist asked all the right questions and Bob came home with a handful of medicine that fixed me right up!

OTC Meds

Today we met some local American expats and a couple other tourists.  Everyone had gathered at one of the local bar/restaurants to watch the NFL playoff games. We were a pretty evenly divided crowd for the DEN (20)/NE (18) game . . . Broncos all the way, Baby!  But it always fascinates me that people tend to seek out their own; today the Ticans were all sitting outside on the patio, while the gringos were all inside watching the game.  I'm sure if it had been a big soccer match, it would have been the other way around.  Our insight for the day . . . it doesn't matter where people come from, what sports you like, or what language you speak but seeing new places, meeting new people, and sharing your experiences are the real things that matter.  Thanks for following our journey!

Karacters Restaurant and some Gringo characters!

Go BRONCOS!