August 18th, 2008 at 06:23am
Under Costa Rica+ South America
Nicaragua is a country I could not help but love: it is a fascinating place, full of history, culture, natural wonders and good food. It is also very cheap! We left Monteverde, Costa Rica at 6am in order to start our epic move to Nicaragua. Well, maybe “epic” is too strong a word, but it was certainly a bit of a trial, involving 4 different chicken buses, a taxi, a boat and a long border crossing to finally reach our first destination, the town of Moyogalpa on Isla de Ometepe. We arrived just in time to check into a good cheap
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By admin
July 3rd, 2007 at 09:43pm
Under Costa Rica
It had always been a dream of mine to live somewhere warm and tropical, far from the cold winters of Alberta, Canada, so when I was given the opportunity to move to Costa Rica for a year, I jumped at the chance.
I had never visited Costa Rica before and wasn’t quite sure what to expect, even after hours of “surfing the web” for information. I was pleasantly surprised and almost instantly fell in love with the country. A year didn’t seem long enough to experience all the wonders Costa Rica had to offer, so I decided to sell my home in Canada and move here.
There are so many websites, articles and forums dedicated to the subject of “Moving to Costa Rica”, and I read hundreds. I was seeking answers to “what I should and should not bring or ship here.”
My endless hours of research resulted in confusion, frustration, and eye strain. Thankfully, I found The Association of Residents of Costa Rica (ARCR) website and started reading the forum posts. This was a huge help, and after reading the good advice of several posters, I sat down and made a list of what I could and couldn’t live without.
I submitted my list of “Things I Can’t Live Without” to three international moving companies. After receiving their quotes, all around $5,000.00 plus shipping and calculating the taxes, insurance, and duty I realized that I could actually live without or replace the many of the items here for much less.
For example if a product with a CIF value (new cost + insurance + freight) of US$500 is being imported to Costa Rica, the Customs Import Duty is approximately 5%. The consumption tax for the category is approximately 15%. Based upon these figures we would be landed with a bill of $187.89 on only one item. [$25 import duty + $ 78.75 consumption tax + $5.00 Law 6946 + 79.14 sales tax].
When people move to Costa Rica they assume they can bring their car into the country with minimal expense. The reality is very different. To import a car you need to estimate that you will be paying 53% on the value of the car, plus shipping costs.
There was a time that I couldn’t imagine a life without the icemaker in my fridge, the big screen TV, and my shoe collection (a close second to Amelda Marcos), but life is much simpler here. I discovered that I could live without a different pair of shoes for every outfit (and an outfit for every pair of shoes), the TV’s and stereos, my deluxe range and the endless supply of ice.
By admin
July 3rd, 2007 at 07:52pm
Under Costa Rica
You’ve just arrived in a new town, beach, or city after a grueling number of hours on a bus or airplane. You dump your bags at your hostel, still sweaty with the heat and exertion.
What’s the first thing you do? Check the internet. Okay what’s the second thing you do?
Head to the beach, park, or just about anywhere with the room to stretch out your aching muscles and ease your turbulent worries.
Recently, while in Nosara, Costa Rica on my honeymoon, my wife and I stayed at the amazing Harmony Hotel, which also happened to have The Healing Centre next door – a place of relaxation, yoga, and massages.
There we met yoga instructor Josie Bennett, who was kind enough to come up with this short stretching routine that you can learn and practice just about anywhere. Enjoy!
Simple Beach Yoga with Jose Bennett
1. Deep Breath
First take a deep breath. Relax your shoulders and give a big sigh. Try to relax your whole body.
2.Torso Twist
Place your feet about hip distance apart, with a slight bend in your knees. Keep your hips square. Begin moving your upper body side to side with your arms stretched out. Make sure your head moves in synch with your torso.
3. Shoulder Roll
Roll your shoulders slowly forward, keeping your arms straight. After a few repetitions, roll your shoulders back. Then move each one at a time, alternating each shoulder, forward and back.
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