Remember The Song "STANDING ON THE CORNER WATCHING ALL THE GIRLS GO BY"?

So,  you’re living in Jaco, or vacationing in Jaco, and you want to know about dating.  Guys, are you looking for your future wife, a long-term girlfriend or companionship for an evening?  It’s all here in Jaco.  Romance is in the air.  Beautiful women are abundant.  If “girl watching” is your sport, look no further than Jaco.  If you are vacationing, you’ll go home talking about your next trip to Jaco.  If you are thinking about living in Jaco or considering retirement in Jaco, you have chosen a vibrant town in which to hang your hat. 

Ages are not as bracketed as in the states, so it’s not unusual to see a 60 year old man with a 30 year old gal.  I have friends of all ages, and it’s the “pura vida” spirit that binds us…not our chronology.

There are a lot of happy couples living here in Jaco who were single when they arrived, met someone special…and…oh, you know the rest.  It seems like whatever your taste…it’s here.    The relationships in Costa Rica don’t seem to get old and stale, and I enjoy seeing couples walking on the beach holding hands or strolling along Main Street hugging each other.  I don’t mean to imply that Jaco Beach is one giant singles bar, for the many couples vacationing here or relocating to Jaco get bitten NOT by mosquitoes, but by the love bug.  A number of couples have shared with me that romance in their lives flares up when they’re here in Jaco.  Many of the day to day activities here seem like romantic scenes from a favorite movie.  As I said…romance….it’s in the air.  Come to Jaco Beach and take a deep breath.

I'm not a dating service, but for more info on dating in Jaco, contact Gary Aptaker

Activities. Anyone For Activities?

What do retired guys do all day, here?  Some sit around and drink beer.  On any given day, you can go to the Bahio Grill, right on the beach, and enjoy 11:00am happy hour and talk with ex-CIA agents, former CEO’s, multi-millionaires that were “robbed blind by their partners” and numerous other characters who openly share “what they used to be back home”.  I sometimes get a call from one of my pals…”hey Gary, there’s two guys here who wanna buy a condo, and I told them you were honest, reliable and generally a good guy.  Can you come over and meet them?”  So I get on my bicycle and pedal to the Bahio to meet my new clients and have an iced tea with them.  After making an appointment to show them property the next day, I realize it’s Tuesday and  head for Jaco Taco for the Tuesday Horseshoe Tournament.  I’m just two weeks into this thing, but it’s outdoors, the guys are cool, the games are fun and our host Steve serves up really great nachos.  Someone is always planning some activity, even if it’s going to find a certain bamboo for their patio or lining up a fishing charter for their son’s visit next week.  It seems like I have an assortment of outings from which to choose.  It’s not “cliquish”.  The easy-going attitude in Costa Rica is contagious, and the pura vida spirit permeates the entire culture.  A guy just seems to fit in. 

Next blog we’ll talk about dating in Jaco, Costa Rica.  For more details, contact Gary Aptaker.

What's The Big Deal...Living in Jaco?

So I’m asked, “Gary, what are the big differences between living in Jaco Beach and living ‘back home’?”.   Lots of things.  But summarized, I’d say one of the biggest contrasts is that Jaco living is a lot like the 60’s were in the states…a much simpler time.  Evening walks in town with an ice cream cone in one hand while waving to your neighbors with the other hand.  And not so many “no parking” signs, and “no left turns at certain hours” signs.  And going on my bicycle to the Mas x Menos (More for Less) supermarket which reminds me of the now defunct A&P Market I shopped in as a kid.  I realize here that I don’t need 91 mustard choices, 74 kinds of pickles or 118 different cereals from which to choose.  I can live very nicely without a “Mega-store”…thank you very much! 

The little office supply store works for me.  So does the bakery.  And the appliance store.  And the local hardware store.  And the family that runs Del Mar Licorera knows which gin I drink in my martini.  Try that in Von’s or Albertson’s. 

Remember the TV show “Cheers….a place where everyone knows your name”?  Well, it’s like that here in Jaco beach.  And if you have Costco withdrawal symptoms, a 45 minute drive will take you to Pricesmart (the originator of the warehouse store concept), where you can buy a ten-year supply of Q-tips, 40 rolls of toilet paper or four huge plastic-wrapped bottles of “Frank’s Hot Sauce”.

Tomorrow (Friday) is the farmer’s market day in Playa Jaco.  Fresh-picked, fresh-plucked, fresh-cut and fresh-dug bounty from nature.  The fruit, produce and poultry is without a doubt a reminder of the simpler  60’s…before the chemical industry took over the farming community.

For more information on foods and shopping in Costa Rica, stay tuned to this blog or contact Gary Aptaker.

How To Get Around

When talking about bus travel in Central America,  many people have a picture in their mind of an old, shabby, former school bus filled with plain-looking people and clucking chickens, meandering along a bumpy dirt road.  It may be like that in other countries, but NOT in Costa Rica.  The busses are made by Mercedes or Volvo, are beautiful, comfortable and efficient, have in-journey movies and snacks and go everywhere.  I can go from Jaco to nearly any place in the country, or travel to Nicaragua (Granada – round trip $44) or to Panama and back.  When I return, Jaco, Costa Rica really feels like home.  And the shorter trips by bus cost between 65cents and $1.50, and are pretty close to being “on-time”.  I’ll write about automobile ownership in a future blog, but many retirees can live comfortably without the cost of owning a car.

Here in Jaco, as in other Costa Rican towns, taxis are relatively cheap.  It’s nice to know that I can go out for a night on the town and take a taxi home…total cost $1.50 to $3.00.  And they come in all shapes, so if you need to haul surfboards or a huge amount of luggage, you’ll get a pickup taxi or a SUV taxi.  Same low fares.

For more information on traveling around Costa Rica, contact Gary Aptaker.

Tough In Costa Rica

So when is the last time you read a Blog about meat?  Specifically, the meat we eat here in Costa Rica?  After having had several experiences with hard-to-chew beef (carne), I got to learn about grass-eating “free-range” raised cattle, which is the standard here.  These animals are tough….and I do mean tough.  So I had my trepidations when invited to Bobby’s house for a steak bar-B-Q.  But WOW!  What a surprise!  “Like butta”.

“So Bobby….are these steaks from Argentina or Chile or where?”  “Nope”, he wryly explained, “looks like I have to introduce you to Don Fernando”.

Don Fernando has their own ranch in San Carlos and grain-feeds the cattle and raises their stock more like it’s done in the states.  They have four butcher shops spread around Costa Rica, the closest to Jaco being Santa Ana.  It looks like a fine butcher in Beverly Hills in every way except prices.  Filet Mignon is $15/kilo (about $6.80 per pound….and Ruth’s Chris would be proud to serve it.  I bought steaks, pork chops, sausage, hamburgers and lots of other stuff.  They plastic shrink-wrap your purchases…any way you may want, which is perfect for a single person.  Stock the freezer, and then take it out as you wish.

So now I call Bobby and ask, “How is your meat holding up?  Are we ready for a trip to Don Fernando?”

As soon as my website is up, I will have links to a lot of interesting places, including Don Fernando.

Got to go now. I’m meeting friends at Tsunami Sushi.  Wednesday night is 1/2 price night.  Are you starting to see why retiring in Costa Rica is becoming more and more popular?

Contact me if you want additional info on Jaco Beach or Costa Rica in general.

Yours truly, Evil Kneival

My friend Larry is a retired entrepreneur from Florida.  He’s lived here in Jaco Beach for about six years,  owns a lovely townhome near Los Suenos, and thoroughly enjoys his lifestyle here in Costa Rica.  We ride our motorcycles on adventure journeys, but Larry, being retired, gets to take more jaunts than I do.  One of my favorite treks is to a mountain town called Puriscal.  It’s about a 90 minute ride, through some of the most exquisite scenery you could imagine.  Mango groves, quaint little villages, avoiding iguanas crossing the road…natural beauty abounds as we putt-putt through rainforests into Puriscal.  It’s a vibrant little town, home to Vegas de Santiago, a cigar factory that rolls some of the best puros I’ve ever puffed on.  Picture, if you will, a wine-tasting at a fine vintner….only change it to cigars.  I purchase enough to fill my humidor, then we head down the street for a Chinese lunch, walk around town for a bit, jump on the bikes and head back to Jaco.  What a day!  I have no idea what I’m going to do for vacation, for it feels like vacation here every day.  My next blog will talk about meat.  Hasta luego from your friend in real estate in Jaco Beach, Costa Rica.  

Dancing With The Stars in Costa Rica

Well,  a Saturday evening of dancing to live latin music, two glasses of nice white wine….total cost $8.00…..less than a movie.  Try doing that in CA, FL or NY or anywhere else..  The place…Amapola right in Jaco.  And speaking of movies, we have a new tri-screen theater (cine in Spanish) in Jaco.  Four bucks!  And popcorn like they serve at state fairs…two bucks!  Yes, Virginia, you can live for a lot less here in Jaco, Costa Rica.  That is if you enjoy being by the Pacific Ocean, like great weather, gorgeous scenery, fantastic nature and wonderful people.  Every tourist I meet here mentions the friendliness of the Costa Rican people.  The greeting here is “pura vida”, which means “pure life”.  And it certainly is. 

I’m typing this while I sit on my patio, watching the waves, the surfers (and the girls).  If you’ve never been here, visit and you’ll soon discover why Jaco Beach, Costa Rica is called “Paradise”.

More, later. g

What’s going on in Jaco, Costa Rica?

I am often asked the questions, “What’s going on in Jaco, Costa Rica?”, and “Why are Americans and Canadians buying real estate in Costa Rica?”.  So I’m now going to learn how to blog answers to these questions on a regular basis.  For those planning a visit to Costa Rica, I hope you’ll find some helpful tips on my blog.  For those wondering “what ever happened to Gary Aptaker?”, your question may be answered on my blog, too.  So, for those of you who believe that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, I’m getting some technology tutoring from my younger friends and will be up to speed on Blogger.com real soon.  Oh, and I’m going to learn salsa and meringue dancing Saturday evening. 

Hasta luego from Jaco Beach, Costa Rica.

Gary Aptaker