Welcome to our Retire For Less In Costa Rica Newsletter
In This Issue:
- Update on Featured Property in our Last Newsletter
- Featured Property in Lake Arenal: Lake Arenal: Great Value Home with Arenal Volcano and Lake Views-$100,000
- Cooking in Costa Rica: An Expat’s Guide to Buying Groceries, Cooking, and Eating in Costa Rica
- Our Ultimate CR Healthcare Tour
UPDATE: Featured Property in Lake Arenal: Best Deal on Lovely Spanish-Style Home in Tranquil Setting
RFLCR Note: We featured this property in our recent newsletter, however we have just been informed by the realtor that there is now a problem with its sale. As we previously mentioned, the house is part of an estate sale, and there was a misunderstanding about the sale price of the house. It is NOT $110,000; in fact, the price is still pending but it will most likely be about $195,000. There is also a problem with communication from the legal owner so things are at a standstill. Since this is an unusual situation, and in light of the response from our readers, we wanted to publish an update ASAP. We, and the realtor, apologize for the misinformation.
Location: Nuevo Arenal
2.5 Bedrooms
2.5 Bathrooms
1,947 square feet
Acreage: .7 acres ( 2913 m2)
Pool
Lake Arenal: Great Value Home with Arenal Volcano and Lake Views-$100,000
Location: Nuevo Arenal
2 Bedrooms
2 Bathrooms
1,292 square feet
Acreage: .18 acres (744.38 m2)
Price: $100,000 USD
Description:
This 1,292 square foot unfurnished house is located on a 4-wheel-drive-only road, just 10 minutes from Nuevo Arenal. It has a clear view of Volcano Arenal, surrounding landscaping, and a partial view of the lake through large glass windows. The house has two bedrooms and two baths, plus an office. There is a front second story balcony for pleasurable relaxing.
It is being offered for sale at a low firm price. A very good value and peaceful country road setting.
Property: Ref # 251
Click here for more photos and to contact the realtor for this property.
Click here to check out our other properties under $150,000 and read about what to do before you buy.
Cooking in Costa Rica
I’m so excited to announce that my new book, Cooking in Costa Rica: An Expat’s Guide to Buying Groceries, Cooking, and Eating in Costa Rica is now available on Amazon.com! Here are a couple of my 5 star reviews:
Outstanding. I have been looking for a book that would tell me where to buy certain items that are not available in the local Costa Rica stores and I found all of that and more. Information such as translation from English to Spanish and of course Spanish to English. This is helpful so when I am shopping I can find what I am looking for using the translation. There is a break down of measurements and substitutions that was helpful. I like the few recipes that are included, and can’t wait to try them. This is a great book with so much information to help you learn about cooking in Costa Rica. I love the layout of the book and the clear explanations, and its easy to locate what I am looking for without going through an entire book. Also the resources in the back have been super helpful.. Thanks so much for the book.”
Practical as well as scholarly, this is a must-have guide for any man or woman who commands a kitchen in Costa Rica. Wonderfully readable and quickly useable for whatever and whenever you may need to know all things culinary in Costa Rica. And if that were not enough, what an amazing tour guide for English-speaking lovers of food in a Spanish-speaking culture, where the recipes you know and have always loved can come alive in new and exciting ways. I just feel smarter having read it!”
When you move to a Spanish-speaking country, it can be daunting to stock your kitchen and cook meals when you don’t know what your ingredients are called in Spanish. And even when you know the Spanish translation, it can be a challenge at times to find what you are looking for.
You can download this practical, comprehenive guide and on-going reference tool on your smart phone or iPad so you have it with you whenever you shop. The table of contents is interactive, so you can easily click through to the meat section when you are at the butcher shop (carnicería) or to the dairy section when you are standing in front of the dairy case. Here’s what you will find inside:
- A little bit about me, our life in Costa Rica, how and where we shop for groceries, what we spend, and some insights about grocery shopping in Costa Rica.
- An English-to-Spanish and Spanish-to-English food dictionary, broken down into the following sections:
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Meat & Poultry
- Fish & Seafood
- Grains, Nuts, Seeds, & Baking Ingredients
- Dairy & Eggs, Refrigerated & Frozen Foods
- Beans, Canned & Prepared Foods
- Herbs, Spices, & Seasonings
- Condiments
- Beverages
- An English-to-Spanish and Spanish-to-English food dictionary in alphabetical order.
- An English-to-Spanish and Spanish-to-English dictionary of things you find in the kitchen.
- A Glossary of cooking terms and helpful adjectives to use when buying and cooking food, ordering in a restaurant, and reading recipes in Spanish.
- Recipe substitutions for when you can’t find familiar ingredients here in Costa Rica.
- Recipes which I have adapted to use with ingredients found in Costa Rica, plus some favorite recipes of other expat cooks in Costa Rica.
- A U.S. Measure to Metric Conversion Guide for temperature, volume, weight, and length.
- A resource section with links to expat cooking blogs, Facebook groups and pages, specialty products, and other food-related things.
The Kindle version is available now on Amazon.com. If you don’t have a Kindle, you can download the Kindle app for your iPad or computer at this link. A print version is in the works; I will let you know as soon as it is published. In the meantime, you can buy the Kindle version through this link:
I hope you enjoy my book and find it useful!
Gloria
Our Ultimate CR Healthcare Tour
We are proud to offer the Ultimate Healthcare Tour of Costa Rica. When asked what he liked best about our healthcare tour, one of our guests wrote, “the wide variety of places we saw, the experts that Paul arranged for us to meet and talk with, and an emphasis on all aspects of health, not just doctors and hospitals. Mental health is just as important as physical, if not more so.”
We’ve lived in Costa Rica for over eight years and have used the Caja, Costa Rica’s public healthcare system extensively, as well as the private system, when needed. We’ve learned the system and have been referred up the ladder to see specialists in the maze that is the Caja system. Gloria’s even had surgery here.
Our blend of personal insights and on-the-ground experience combines to answer your questions about whether or not Costa Rica’s healthcare system could meet your individual needs.
But, while it is focused on healthcare, you will learn a lot more about living and retiring in Costa Rica’s Central Valley. Most of the second day of the tour takes place in the town of San Ramón where we live and use the services. And you will come to our home that day to listen to two presentations.
Our tour is designed to save you both time and money, packing a lot of information into a short period of time. Our goal is to show you the possibilities and to try to demystify Costa Rica’s healthcare system. Our tour lasts two days and 1 night and includes lodging, transportation, meals and non-alcoholic beverages.
Sample Itinerary
You’ll visit:
- At least two private hospitals in San Jose area
- Hospital Mexico, the largest and best public hospital (they even do open heart surgeries there)
- An insurance broker for a presentation on the various supplemental health insurance options, including public, private, and international plans
- A senior living retirement community
- CPI language school for a presentation about how learning Spanish increases your options for healthcare and some basic medical Spanish.
- Our local hospital here in San Ramón
- A local EBAIS (community clinic)
- The office of our dentist in San Ramón
- A local Seguro Social office where you would sign up for the Caja (national healthcare coverage)
- A pharmacy
- A local feria (farmer’s market) where you will see the abundance of fresh food available.
- The local Cruz Roja (Red Cross) to learn about their services and programs.
- A health food store (macrobiotica), and more!
You’ll learn:
- If the Costa Rican healthcare system could meet your needs and put your mind to rest, once and for all, about this sensitive subject.
- About the public system and how it works, about the private healthcare system, and how you can use a combination of both to your advantage.
- About the EBAIS – where healthcare starts in Costa Rica.
- Approximately how much you would pay for Caja.
- About medical tourism in Costa Rica.
- About home health care in Costa Rica.
Prices: $650 for a couple, $550 for a single.
Please contact us if you are interested in booking a tour. Space is limited.
Related Articles:
- Paul Gets a CAT Scan Through the Caja
- Integration 102 – Speaking Up at the Hospital
- Waiting to See the Doctor, by Jo Stuart
Facebook, Twitter, & YouTube
You can now follow us on Facebook and Twitter, so please “like” us on Facebook, “follow” us on Twitter, and watch and share our videos on YouTube.
What’s New on the Website
Check out our newest posts on www.retireforlessincostarica.com:
- Dental Tourism in Costa Rica: My Experience – Part 2, by Vikki Riggle
- Change Your Name Before Moving To Costa Rica, by Rob Evans
- In the Mailbag – Suspending Caja Fees, Body Donation, Simplicity, and Thoughts About Paradise
- Our Costa Rica Cost of Living, by Rob Evans
- End of life Issues – Burial and Cremation in Costa Rica
- End of Life Issues – Body Donation in Costa Rica, by Judy Kerr
- Our August 2017 Costa Rica Cost of Living
- Paul’s Money Saving Tip: Find Reasonably Priced Housing
- Our 2016 Annual Cost of Living in Costa Rica Summary
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