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.