Our Place in the Sun
After seven years, we have finally
made our way to Costa Rica!
Our first trip was in February, 1993, when we fell in love with this
country,
the tropics, and the Costa Rican people. We had barely stepped off the plane
when we realized that this could very easily become our home.
A few years later, we found "our place" where we want to build our retirement home within site of Volcán Arenál and the lake. We have since purchased that property and are in the process of selling off a few lots to potential good neighbors.
The view from the gate
The GATE WOULD BE
TO YOUR LEFT
NEAR THE BIG TREE
It was a long haul finally selling our house in California. It was also a challenge to emotionally and mentally disengage ourselves from a familiar, sedentary, and not entirely healthy lifestyle. The longer one rides the rut, the harder it is to blast free and to start something new.
Finally, we were able to pack our stuff (computers, office furniture, a couple of thousand books, household goods, our Early-Attic-Late-Cellar furniture, and our old 1985 Blazer) into a 40-foot shipping container bound for Costa Rica and wave goodbye to it. That was the easy part. Waving goodbye to family and friends was harder, but we have consoled ourselves with the knowledge that it's a day's flight more or less to most anywhere on the planet. It would take at least that long to drive to most of our relatives' homes from where we were living in California. And now that we can make long distance phone calls over the Internet without running ourselves into the poor house, it's even better.
So, we made our way to San José where stayed with a wonderful friend who mentored us and gave us the opportunity to take some time and to freely contemplate what we wanted to do next. We knew that the Arenál area was where we wanted to be, but getting there was the challenge.
We had originally planned to rent a place and then build our house on the property that we've been wanting for several years. It wasn't too long, however, before another great friend of ours led us to a little house in La Fortuna de San Carlos, in the province of Alejuela, which not only was for sale and also has a prime view of the volcano, and is near enough to the property (shown in photos) which we have since bought. We are working to improve our little casa as well as clearing the property lots and building the access road.
During our many trips to La Fortuna during the past seven years, we have watched the area grow and prosper in most favorable ways. The economy is much better than it was before, Ticos are working hard to improve their standard of living, and the volcano continues to assure a continuing influx of tourists. We often reflect on how much this area reminds us of the boon years of California in the 40s and 50s.
This is a very exciting time for us, and we invite you to take a look at our view of the lake and volcano in these photographs. And, if you think you'd like a real-life tour of the lots, let us know, and we will help you schedule a trip.
Driving Distances and Times to Our Property
from Known Locations
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Phone and fax:
011-506-479-8071
Phone:
011-506-479-8095
This page was last
updated on June 15, 2007
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