Retire in Atenas, Costa Rica

When we settled in Atenas, we felt that we made a very good decision. The weather is great, the mountain views are outstanding and the people are wonderful. Well, to confirm that decision - AARP Magazine just rated Atenas as the 3rd best place in the world to retire abroad. Check it out by clicking the link below and then the link to AARP Magazine.

http://www.welovecostarica.com/public/AARP_Ranks_Atenas_Costa_Rica_One_of_The_Best_Places_to_Retire_Abroad.cfm

When looking at the pictures in the link above, the house you see belongs to our friends Ed and Johanna Lane. It's located just over the hill from our humble abode.

This all makes us a little more proud of our little town..

Thieves

Just a quick note on a website that has caused some problems with our email. They sent a tease from a friend of mine and I signed up to see the friend's pictures. When I did that, they went in and stole my email address book and started sending out the same tease to everyone on my list. The company is called "My Daily Flog" and their website address is:

http://www.mydailyflog.com/

 

If you get an email with this in the subject line - I would suggest you delete it.

I just uploaded a photo that I want you to see!

I hope that you don't run into the same situation that we did. - That is all

Vehicles - What Fun They Are

The second day Stef and I were in Costa Rica, we bought a 1997 Toyota SUV. With the exception of the radiator blowing out on the top of a mountain, it was a pretty good truck. One day, Stef decided that she wanted to up-grade to a newer vehicle and I kind of thought the same thing. I also had a neighbor who really wanted to buy my Toyota bad.  I started checking things out and decided to find a Hyundai Terracan. They have a very good reputation here in Costa Rica, and most of them are diesels - something I really wanted. Since I was 15 yrs old I've had somewhere between 50-60 vehicles, and never really had any major problems with any of them. Until now...

This is our 2002 Hyundai Terracan. It's a 2.5 Turbo diesel with a 5 speed manual transmission that can really take the hills well. I bought it from the CFO of HP here in Costa Rica. He was the second owner and had had it for 3 years. We had narrowed down our choice to 3 Terracans and this one because of the low miles and price seemed to be the best deal. Because I was so excited to get a new truck, I really did not check it over that well - Boy, that was a big mistake!!!! By accident, I found out that the original owner had used it for commercial use (diving equipment) and had ran the hell out of it. - Now this truck has about 69,000 miles on it. So far, we have had to:

• June - new clutch under warranty - new syncro in the transmission, misc front-end work, AC work, 4 new shocks, and other - $1,400 - Oh yes, and I had to buy a new set of tires because what would last 80,000 miles in the US only lasts about a year here because of the roads, curves and steep hills. - $600
• May - rebuild the turbo - $1,000
• April - new injectors and other - $550
• Before that - the list goes on, and on, and on

Now this week, after all this and the truck is running great - A power steering hose blows on me - another $80 - Is there anything else that can go wrong with this truck? I am certainly not going to bet against it!!!!









This our mechanic Luis Sanchez (on the left) and his right hand man Lazarus - If it weren't for these two guys, I would have had to take the "Gringo" shaft on many occasions. Luis has an outstanding reputation for his knowledge of cars and has saved me at least 50% of what I would have had to pay in the states. - I am probably his most consistent customer.

Now, we have the GEO Tracker that Charlie owns. (This is a picture of it with the old convertible top on it). Believe it or not, I think that he has only been able to drive it twice since he bought it because it is always in the shop for something. We found it through a friend in Grecia who said they ran a check on it because they had thought about buying it. According to the check they ran - It was first a rental car in Hawaii that had the left front fender smashed, then a couple in South Carolina bought it and kept it until some guy in Costa Rica bought it and shipped it here - It is painted a very nice color of blue - based on our experience  - we call it Katrina Blue

Here we have a picture of it with the new fiberglass top I had installed. Makes the car look much nicer, more secure, much more quieter riding and the rain does not get inside anymore. We don't drive this car that much. Only when the Terracan is in the shop. However, the mechanical things done to it are:

• New transmission
• New AC unit
• Complete new front-end
• And, just a few other things...

The vehicle you see below is the most dependable transportation we have. I have had it a little over 2 years and have spent a total of $200 for regular maintenance. It has a 175cc Kawasaki engine, 4 speed plus reverse. It gets 75 mpg on a straight run but only about 40 mpg where we live because of the roads and hills - not bad! I drive it to town and around town a lot. All the pretty girls around just look and smile at it (probably wish they had one). The Chevy emblem you see on it was a gift from our friend Billy Walker. I have been asked many times if it was in fact a new kind of Chevy.

I apologize for this post being so long, but this has been on my mind for a long time. When we sell the house I can tell you  - Goodbye Terracan,  hello something new - hee hee

A Little Change in Focus

As some of you know, Stef started a business a couple of years ago called Costa Concierge Services. The purpose in doing this was to keep her busy, and it also gave us the opportunity to help others who were moving here to Atenas. I got involved when I started helping my friend Charlie with his private development of new homes named Villas de Atenas. We made my end of the business a separate division of her corporation for tax purposes and to keep things simple.

Since we started, we have built a network of great resources. I remember when we first got here and needed a plumber  - I had no idea of where to start looking. Now, I can have a qualified plumber over here in less than an hour.

At first, Stef offered a lot of services in fact, too many services. During the period up to now she has found that she really enjoys two general aspects of the business that she now intends to focus on. They are:

• TRAVEL RELATED SERVICES - this includes: car rentals, tours, lodging, cell phone rentals and more. Because she is more familiar with the region, Stef will concentrate on the areas from San Jose to the Pacific.
• PROPERTY MANAGEMENT - Because of the network of resources we now have, she is more than qualified for this and can probably get things done much quicker than anyone else. Stef is already getting involved with several projects where people have requested her services. This part of the business includes: Taking care of properties and making sure the bills are paid when people are away. She will also become more involved in managing rental properties.

Now, what about ole Pete? Many people coming to Costa Rica to build a house get a real strong dose of Culture Shock. Homes are built completely different here. The materials are different, the labor methods are as labor intensive as you can get, and the inspection processes are no way the same as the US. After building two homes of my own, over-seeing the construction of Charlie's project and now, over-seeing the construction of Keith's new guest house - I have learned a lot! And, you know what? I really kind of enjoy it. When we sell our property, I am really looking forward to building the new house. Most people think I am crazy, and maybe they are right. But, I know good reliable honest builders, I know where to buy the materials at the best prices, and who can build us the finest cabinets and doors around. Some people come to Atenas, hire a builder to build their house, and then they take off back to the US with complete trust that the house will get built - In many cases, that is a HUGE MISTAKE.  Taking all this into consideration, I am going to get much more involved in the area of Construction Management. This will give me the opportunity to keep busy with something I enjoy while helping to make sure people coming here to build a house get more of what they want and expect.

In addition to this, I am using my marketing experience to help market some properties for friends and others. I hate selling real estate so I have selected some good companies to take care of the sales part of the deal. You can see the properties listed on our website.

Speaking of websites - Our webmaster had a very bad personal experience and moved back to the states. I had to find a new company to take over her work. Well, I decided it was time to completely re-do the site, and I mean completely re-do it. By the end of the month you will be able to see a totally different site, different concept with a very clear picture of our change in focus.

This should give you an update on how retired people never really quit working :-) - Take care