"Nothing can add more power to your life than concentrating all your energies on a limited set of targets." Nido Qubein

"If you don't design your own life plan, chances are you'll fall into someone elses plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much." Jim Rohn




Monday, June 25, 2012

Costa Rica No. 1 - The Happiest Place On The Planet

I did not need a report to tell me this, but Costa Rica was named "The Happiest Place on the Planet" for the 2nd time by the Happy Planet Index, the leading global measure of sustainable well-being.  The United States ranked 105.

The HPI measures what matters: the extent to which countries deliver long, happy, sustainable lives for the people that live in them. The Index uses global data on life expectancy, experienced well-being and Ecological Footprint to calculate this.  The index is an efficiency measure that ranks countries on how many long and happy lives they produce per unit of environmental input.  The 2012 HPI report ranked 151 countries.

If you would like to read the entire report go to  http://www.happyplanetindex.org/

Rank Country HPI Experienced
well-being
Life
expectancy
Ecological
footprint
1  Costa Rica 64.0 7.3 79.3 2.5
2  Vietnam 60.4 5.8 75.2 1.4
3  Colombia 59.8 6.4 73.7 1.8
4  Belize 59.3 6.5 76.1 2.1
5  El Salvador 58.9 6.7 72.2 2.0
6  Jamaica 58.5 6.2 73.1 1.7
7  Panama 57.8 7.3 76.1 3.0
8  Nicaragua 57.1 5.7 74.0 1.6
9  Venezuela 56.9 7.5 74.4 3.0
10  Guatemala 56.9 6.3 71.2 1.8

Pura Vida...

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Day Tours

Before we went on George's Retirement Tour we took a couple of day tours with Gray Line Tours.

The first was Gray Line's "Sarapiqui and Canopy Day Tour".  I have a mixed review on this one, but could not recommend it.  With that said...the tour bus was very nice and clean.  The driver was excellent, and we never felt uncomfortable on the narrow winding roads.  Not even when we got stuck behind an entire herd of cows being moved right down the middle of the road from one pasture to another!  The boat ride up the Sarapiqui River was a little over an hour and never boring.  Happily we were entertained by our tour guide who knew every inch of the river.  We saw crocodiles, red toucans, holler monkeys, a huge iguana on a limb hanging over the water, and all sorts of birds.  The boat took us to the place we would have lunch (that turned into dinner) and do the zip lining.  This is the part I would never recommend to anyone.  Yes, the zip lining itself was fun, but getting from platform to platform was a nightmare.  You did not simply zip line from platform to platform like other zip lines in Costa Rica.  This one had 10', 20', and 30' ladders you had to climb to get to the next platform.  The zip line is in the Rain Forest, but you are at a low sea level and there is no air movement and hot as hell.  They had no water on any of the 11 platforms, and many people were very weak, shaky, and over heated when we were finished.  They then served the food which was hard to enjoy after the exhausting zip line climbs.  After dinner we were back on the boat, down the Sarapiqui River, to the bus for the 1 1/2 hour ride back to San Jose.

The second day tour was the "San Jose City Explorer Day Tour".  This was fantastic!  I wish I knew our guides name.  She was wonderful.  She had to speak to the group in English and Spanish.  She was very knowledgeable, personable, and kept it moving.  We were driven in a very nice tour van all around the city as she taught us about the history of San Jose and took us to the Gold Museum and The National Theater.  Both were interesting and the theater was one of the most beautiful I've ever seen.  We were then treated to a delicious lunch in a wonderful restaurant.  Our guide then surprised us with a trip to an Emerald and Diamond store which was tucked in the middle of a residential neighborhood.  They had copies of the ancient gold jewelry that was in the museum.  And yes, we did treat ourselves to a few pieces.  We were then returned to our pick up locations in San Jose.  A very entertaining and interesting tour.

Pura Vida...

Friday, June 15, 2012

Passport and Visa Requirements

The requirements to enter Costa Rica depend on your country of nationality.  Generally, citizens of the United States, Canada and the European Union countries do not require a visa to enter Costa Rica.  Those citizens can enter Costa Rica with their valid passport and remain in the country for up to a maximum of 90 days.

Visa renewal.  If you are under the 30 or 60 day category then the law allows you to apply for an extension of up to 90 days.   If you have a 90 day visa the law does not allow you to apply for an extension in Costa Rica you must leave the country and re-enter to obtain another tourist visa.

The amount of time that a Tourist can remain in Costa Rica is based upon their country of origin.  Costa Rica ranks countries for visa purposes into 4 categories set forth below:

GROUP ONE:   Those countries designated as Group One may enter Costa Rica without an entry Visa and may remain in Costa Rica for up to 90 days. Example: United States Canada, European Union, Australia, Brasil,

GROUP TWO : Citizens of Group Two countries may enter Costa Rica without an entry Visa and may remain in Costa Rica for up to 30 days.  Example: Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Venezuela

GROUP THREE:  If you are a citizen of a Group Three country you need to obtain an entry VISA from a Costa Rican Embassy or Consulate abroad before you enter Costa Rica.  If granted it is for a period of 30 days.  Example: Colombia, Ecuador, India, Nicaragua, Peru

GROUP FOUR :  This is the most restrictive category.  This means that citizens of Category Three Countries must have an entry visa BEFORE they are allowed to enter Costa Rica.  The visa must be reviewed by the Director of Immigration before it can be granted.   If granted the visa is for a period of 30 days.  Example:  Cuba, Jamaica, China, Iran, Iraq.
 
You can download the current visa list by clicking on the following link:   Circular DG-3312- Visa Entry Requirement List

Your Passport Entry Stamp:   While you are in Costa Rica your passport and the immigration stamp that was placed in it when you entered the country is your proof of legal status.  The Immigration Department allows you to carry a copy of your passport with the entry stamp so that you can keep your passport in a safe place.

Be sure and check these rules at the time you want to visit Costa Rica.  They can change at any time.

Pura Vida... 

Residency Types and Income Requirements

In 2010 the residency requirements changed in Costa Rica.  The three types are Pensioner, Renter, and Resident Investor.

Pensioner Resident is required to show a verifiable minimum monthly pension of $1,000 US.  The pension must be guaranteed for life.  Only Social Security pensions, or similar, are permitted.  No other kind of income will satisfy this requirement as it has to be a life time beneficiary to secure not less than $1,000, and petitioner should have to demonstrate that the issuance company has the ability to secure this monthly income for life.  You can do this by certified copies of the financial status of the company. Expires every 2 years.

Renter Resident is required to have a verifiable monthly income for at least 5 years for no less than $2,500 US per family.  You can qualify with this requisite if you have a deposit in the bank for no less than 5 years that generates no less than $2,500 a month, or you must make a deposit in a Costa Rican bank that generates this sum of money being $150,000.00 US.  Expires every 2 years.

No matter if you apply for a Pensioner or Renter the money you bring into the country to meet the requirements of the status must be converted into colones.  Once you converted these monies into colones the Costa Rican government does not require you show them what you do with it.  Once the money is into colones, you can use this money to pay for your living expenses  etc.  If you do not want to use colones you can reconvert them back to dollars.

The third type of residency if called Resident Investor.  To qualify for this you must make a one-time minimum investment of at least $200,000.00 US.  You must demonstrate that your investments are duly listed for a minimum amount of $200,000 US with the correspondent office and that you pay taxes on it.  If you sell or loose your investment you will no longer be able to renew your residency document.

Your fourth option, being a US Citizen, is to stay in the allowed 90 day period, exit the country, have your passport stamped and re-enter the country for another 90 days. A day trip to Panama is a great way to meet your requirement and spend a fun day.

These laws can change at any time.  You would need to check the requirements coming from the country you are in at the time you choose to leave.

Pura Vida...

Saturday, June 2, 2012

My Trip

My daughter and I are back from our vacation and fact finding mission to Costa Rica.  It was everything I hoped it would be.

I am convinced it is the place I want to live.  The year round temperature, the views, the Ticos, the fresh foods, the slower pace of life, much better cost of living, and the wonderful Expats that are there.

I found that I prefer living at the 3,000-3,500 feet above sea level.  The temperature stays right around 70 degrees year round.  I visited San Jose, Sarchi, Alajuela, San Ramon, Grecia, Escazu, Santiago De Puriscal, and Atenas.  We also went to the beach in Puntarenas on the Gulf of Nacoya and down the Sarapiqui River in the Rain Forest.  I was in about every level and atmosphere.  I can tell you 2,800 and under was too hot and humid for me.

I can absolutely recommend Margarita's Bed and Breakfast in Alajuela just on the outskirts of San Jose.  The property was beautiful, the rooms darling and very clean and up to date, and Margarita was the perfect hostess!  You will pay for a cab to go back into San Jose for any tours or sight seeing, but it is worth it to stay in such a magical location.  You can even see the Paos Volcano from her property.

George's tour could not have been better in any way.  When you are finished you have a world of information to help you make your decision as to where, when, or if you want to live in Costa Rica.  He took us to a furniture factory to show us what you can get for your money there instead of paying to ship your own.  We attended 2 parties where Expats came and talked to us about why they had chosen to move to CR and their experiences.  He took us to a hospital to teach us about the medical system in CR and about medical insurance.  We sat down with an attorney who taught us all about becoming a legal in CR and how to purchase property there.  He included all the pros and cons so we can make a very informed decision.  George took us to many different kinds of properties to get a base line on living in different towns, and purchasing as compared to renting.  It was invaluable and I cannot recommend his tour enough to everyone who is wanting to get information on CR.

In the end not only am I convinced it is the place for me, but my 28 year old daughter fell in love with it.  I think we may both be living there!

We met a wonderful American couple, Paul and Gloria Yeatman, that live just outside of San Ramon.  They are very active with a group of Americans that are giving back to the citizens of Costa Rica.  Sign up and follow their great blog.  http://retireforlessincostarica.com/2012/06/newsletter-may-june-2012/ 

In my next blog I will include some of the legal information shared with us by the attorney we met with.  I will also be giving you information on some of the side tours we went on.

Pura Vida is now my new sign off on all my letters and blog.  Everyone in CR says Pura Vida (pure life) instead of hello or good bye, and just as a passing greeting.  They are the happiest people on the earth!

Pura Vida.....