Escape to Paradise in Costa Rica
By Starr Daubenmire
By Starr Daubenmire
I am not a
"dissatisfied" American. Sure, I complain about things like everyone
else, but I have never had a desire to move out of the country. The
freedom and principles of the U.S. are a treasure, but living there has
gotten very hard since losing my job in the recession.
So imagine my
surprise to find that while a Social Security income will give you a
subsistence level of living in the U.S.—it will practically give you a
luxury lifestyle in Costa Rica...
After losing my job,
I needed some expensive dental care—over $2,000 worth—and began to look
for an alternative. I researched "medical tourism"... and was shocked
to see how much less it would cost in Costa Rica. My experience with the
dental care was excellent. The doctors had been trained in the U.S. and
spoke fluent English. The offices were modern with state-of-the-art
equipment. The X-ray technology was newer than what my dentist in Ohio
uses!
And I was blown away
by the beauty of the country. What a gem it is, located right in the
heart of Central America. Never have I seen so much diversity. I was
able to travel between my dental visits, so I went to several places.
First was Mount Arenal, one of the world’s most active volcanoes.
It was set amid
glorious rain forest vegetation, the likes of which I had never seen in
person. Tropical flowers and myriad species of birds dominated the
landscape. I felt like I had found the Garden of Eden.
From there I
traveled to Tamarindo beach, just two hours away. This pristine area,
surrounded by National Parks, stretches for over three kilometers along
the north Pacific coast. Volcanic rocks rise from the water offshore to
create a haven for water sports—so I went snorkeling for the first time!
The water was warm and clear and I had a view of the colorful
barberfish swimming in schools. I even saw starfish nestled among the
rocks.
For me, both the
rain forest around Arenal and the beaches of Tamarindo were visions of
paradise. One was jungle; one was sand and surf. And I could not choose a
favorite... But the beauty of Costa Rica is you don’t have to—they are
within a couple hours of each other!
The whole trip
really changed my perspective about how I want to live. To afford to
reside in such a paradise, on the income I have right now, was a
revelation. Here I had been struggling with how to make it to retirement
since I lost my job with benefits, and a whole new world of
possibilities was opened up to me.
I think the hardest
thing would be to decide where in Costa Rica to re-locate and call my
home base. But everywhere is so accessible. You can drive from one side
(on the Pacific Ocean) to the other (on the Caribbean Sea)—and in
between are the mountains, rain forests, cloud canopies and more.
There is something
for everyone in Costa Rica and now I can’t stop thinking about it. I’m
sure I’ll be visiting again soon to explore more possibilities. I want
to decide if it is a retirement haven that I can take advantage of right
now rather than wait for traditional retirement age in the U.S.
It’s
not just a matter of price, although that is very important. The
quality of life is such a main feature of the culture that they even
have a name for it... Pura Vida—the "Pure Life".
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