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Where to be or not to be; that is the question.

+24
Lady Otter Latté
Ms Mac
viajero
slainte39
merry
coffeeguy
CheenaGringo
ferret
gringal
brigitte
DaveP
Trailrunner
SunshineyDay
lilikoi
CanuckBob
Zedinmexico
Hensley
David
confused
MyHomeSweetHome
hockables
zenwoodle
sparks
Talosian
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Post by MexicoPete Wed May 01, 2013 5:17 pm

What little I learned about CR when I visited San Jose was that the country was OK but, most everything seemed much better here in Mexico.

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Post by RoofBob Wed May 01, 2013 5:34 pm

Coffee guy really nailed it along with slainte et al. Lived on the beach there for several years in the early-70's. Times were good for a young 20 something (fishing/diving/sailing) but too hot and humid for this old bird now. Interestingly we have 2 couples who stay with us for 5 months during the Costa Rican rainy season each year. They both have gorgeous homes in the mountains that they have been trying to sell for several years. They just can't take the rainy season any more, said the gov. was starting to get snotty and the nearest hardware store is an hours drive away on washboard roads. So if you're looking to buy in the mountains I will give you their e-mail addresses and I'm sure you will get a great deal. Mexico es mucho mas mejor.
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Post by Trailrunner Wed May 01, 2013 5:41 pm

And my cousin and his wife are trying to sell a beautiful little resort up by Monteverde. Let me know if you have any interest in that and I'll put you in touch. heh
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Post by viajero Wed May 01, 2013 5:56 pm

I have fond memories of Costa Rica,my little house in the mountains outside of San Jose had views of the Meseta Central that were incredible.The food definteley lacked spice but the chicas sure as hell didn't and at 20 years old one's priorities are different.

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Post by sparks Wed May 01, 2013 8:38 pm

Trailrunner wrote:
I will report back, but what do they mean you "wouldn't recognize the place"? Like what? I'm from the BayA too, so what are they referring to? Curious.

I was born and raised in San Mateo and much later college in Mountain View (early '60's). By the '70's on trips from Oregon and Washington I didn't recognize it and would never go back. Didn't much like the Seattle weather after that but weather was much less important than the "insanity" of California

Sorry for the late reply
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Post by sparks Wed May 01, 2013 8:56 pm

CR .... a scoop of black beans and rice like an ice cream scoop on the side of nothing.

On the other hand Montezuma on the lower end of the Nicoya Peninsula was a great tourist haven in the mid '90's but even expensive then. Rented from friends who had a palapa on the beach. I am no longer a Condé Nast Traveler so will stick with my little near the beach house here in Jalisco

http://nicoyapeninsula.com/montezuma/
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Post by motherofburros Thu May 09, 2013 8:05 am

If the economic crash had just happened a few years earlier, we would be in Hawai'i right now. But timing is everything, and in 2001 we were looking ahead to retirement and having a winter home in the sun and warmth. I had already had about 20 trips to Hawai'i, and considered it a second home. But we were priced out. So I decided we needed to get over it and look for an alternative, and we came to Lake Chapala to investigate. My husband liked it a lot better than I did. It wasn't warm enough for me in the winter and dry/barren was not the visual environment I needed. However, I compromised and we came and we are still coming. I enjoy the weather better than in the beginning and having 2-3 propane heaters at the ready has helped too -) But should we ever sell our property here (highly unlikely) I would be in Hawai'i in a shot.

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Post by CharlieG Thu May 09, 2013 1:07 pm

I've lived for years in various parts of Mexico, in Costa Rica and quite recently in Medellín, Colombia, right before I came up to Lakeside last fall.

In my view Medellín has a lot going for it as a retirement location. Don't want to write an essay but some pros are: Temperature range similar to Chapala but more rain...always green, excellent public transportation..no car needed, pensionado visa available with minimal income requirements, lovely city with lots of parks, green space, bike lanes, sports complexes etc., beautiful friendly people...pro American, a booming economy, interesting culture with many options for entertainment, excellent health care available and affordable, cost of living similar to Lakeside but emphasis on high rise apartments rather than houses, probably a safer city to live in than Guad and...hell, I could go on and on.

Cons are....English is not widely used...fair Spanish at least needed to be comfortable. It's a loooong way from U.S. or Canada...long expensive flight. Relatively few expats, no community such as exists here at Lakeside and no real support system for old gringos. Even speaking good Spanish I missed social interaction in my own language and having a large pool of gringos from whom I can choose one or two interesting friends.

I lived there for a year and a half and liked it a lot overall. If I were 10 or 15 years younger (like in my 60's) I'd still be there. Although I do find Lakeside living to be more convenient in many ways Medellín would be my first choice should I decide for any reason that Mexico is not working for me.

Pablo Escobar is long gone, the FARC stays way back up in the mountains and in MDE there is always a party going on somewhere...

Check it out!





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Post by coffeeguy Thu May 09, 2013 2:03 pm

That's a really excellent and informative post CharlieG - thanks for the info! I have a friend who lived there and had a similar experience (though he's since relocated to the Phillipines and seems happy).


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Post by Trailrunner Thu May 09, 2013 2:13 pm

Ditto, thanks CharlieG.
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Post by Zedinmexico Thu May 09, 2013 2:57 pm

CharlieG wrote:I've lived for years in various parts of Mexico, in Costa Rica and quite recently in Medellín, Colombia, right before I came up to Lakeside last fall.

In my view Medellín has a lot going for it as a retirement location. Don't want to write an essay but some pros are: Temperature range similar to Chapala but more rain...always green, excellent public transportation..no car needed, pensionado visa available with minimal income requirements, lovely city with lots of parks, green space, bike lanes, sports complexes etc., beautiful friendly people...pro American, a booming economy, interesting culture with many options for entertainment, excellent health care available and affordable, cost of living similar to Lakeside but emphasis on high rise apartments rather than houses, probably a safer city to live in than Guad and...hell, I could go on and on.

Cons are....English is not widely used...fair Spanish at least needed to be comfortable. It's a loooong way from U.S. or Canada...long expensive flight. Relatively few expats, no community such as exists here at Lakeside and no real support system for old gringos. Even speaking good Spanish I missed social interaction in my own language and having a large pool of gringos from whom I can choose one or two interesting friends.

I lived there for a year and a half and liked it a lot overall. If I were 10 or 15 years younger (like in my 60's) I'd still be there. Although I do find Lakeside living to be more convenient in many ways Medellín would be my first choice should I decide for any reason that Mexico is not working for me.

Pablo Escobar is long gone, the FARC stays way back up in the mountains and in MDE there is always a party going on somewhere...

Check it out!





It seems to rain in Bogata about 1 to 2 in the afternoon. Does it do the same in Medellin every day like Bogota? Food is wonderful in Columbia.
Bogota is like Europe. Is the food good in Medellin?

Z

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Post by CharlieG Thu May 09, 2013 8:15 pm

Z...There are two rainy season lasting a couple of months each and occasional rain during the rest of the year. Paisa food did not appeal to me much. Look up "Bandeja Paisa" on Google for a classic example. They have a strange custom of serving both rice and potatoes and sometimes yucca with the same meal. Lot's of starch. However there are hundreds of restaurants offering cuisine of all types. Something for everyone.

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