Costa Rica-Real Estate Condos for sale in Guanacaste

As the world was rejoicing yesterday with the rescue of 14 military hostages in Colombia, after the Colombian forces trick the rebels into releasing them including three US hostages and French-Colombian former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt, I was thinking how impressive their military intelligence is and how unbelievable is the fact that they didn’t even fire one single shot.

Also I realize that Costa Rica does not have an army at all, they have police forces and highway patrols but no army or soldiers or even marines, nothing; and apparently they haven’t had one since 1948 when former President Jose Figures Ferrer abolished it. I hadn’t notice this until I heard some locals commenting about the military in Colombia and most of them were not so familiar with the way military forces work or anything. In Costa Rica, they have a very peaceful way of dealing with things, so they just don’t need an army.

15 hostages released by the Colombian Army

It is quite interesting how this way of living gets into your skin once you have a while here. I hadn’t realize that in Costa Rica, people are very laid back and mostly calmed, in Guanacaste, everyone is so easy going that you totally forget about how hectic living in the US is. Even, San Jose, Costa Rica’s capital, with all the insane traffic and cosmopolitan lifestyle is quite different than any big city in America. That made me realized why is that so many immigrants want to come here and why there are so many Costa Rica real estate sites everywhere: people are looking for this kind of peace and that is just undeniable.

My salute goes today for both: To Costa Rica: An amazing country that has given me and my family a place we call home; and to Colombia: A place where fighting for peace is actually fighting peacefully. I do hope that the three US hostages are already home and finally celebrating with their families and that every effort they make to continue eradicating all of this madness ends as successfully as this mission.

Getting to know Costa Rica has become one of my hobbies. The way things work, how to move around Guanacaste which is now my home and even the history of the country and culture is very appealing once you spent a while here. Lately, I have doing some research on Guanacaste history and it is quite interesting; it sure tells me why the people here are so passionate.

According to the story of the Anexion de Nicoya, Guanacaste had to choose if they wanted to be a part of Nicaragua or Costa Rica. Since Costa Rica was such a small country and needed a certain amount of inhabitants to be an official republic and Nicaragua had so many government issues, the people in Guanacaste decided to become part of Costa Rica. Also they felt closer to some Costa Rica areas such as Puntarenas, Esparza and Bagaces. Proudly they stated a phrase that they still carry with them until today: De la patria por nuestra voluntad, which translated means something like: “we belong to the republic at our own will”.

I think this is a really nice story and the fact that an entire province wanted to be a part of this country reassures me that my decision to purchase Costa Rica real estate and relocate was the correct one. They people in Guanacaste are still proud of their decision and have no regrets, I felt pretty much connected to this idea and now I also have something to share with my own neighbors: the choice of being part of Costa Rica.

Anyhow, I thought this would be a nice story to share with you all, especially if you are still hesitant about relocating to Costa Rica and leaving so many things behind like I did. Costa Rica is a place where you will feel welcome from the moment you set foot at the airport. I have been here for a while now and I cannot be happier with the choices I have made so far. Costa Rica is really my home now.

If you wonder about one of the nicest and most impressive things about Costa Rica: food. Since Costa Rica is one the country with most cultural diversity due to the many immigrants from all over the world, Costa Rica cuisine is something worth to explore when coming here. Not only it is possible to actually food from all over the world, but also the regular tico dishes have interesting twists due to the variety of nationalities involved. A traditional Costa Rican recipe can also be found to have a whole different way to be prepared from town to town, meaning that you can never taste the same thing twice while visiting and that makes the whole trip even better if you ask me.

In Costa Rica, food prices vary depending on your location and what type of ingredients you need. The main ingredients on any typical meal are rice and beans: you will need them for your gallo pinto in the morning or for your casado at lunch. Traditional Costa Rican food has lots of vegetables like chayotes and vainicas, they also use lots of carrots, corn and potatoes; most of these ingredients will be combined on a huge pot with steamed beef and it will create a killer Olla de Carne which is a very delicious soup.

One of my favorite things to have for breakfast is the Tortilla de queso: a huge corn tortilla filled with home made cheese fried on a regular comalito that, from what I’ve seen is an iron flat pan that has made too many tortillas, that’s probably where the flavor comes from. Costa Rica also has many international choices; you can find a Thai food restaurant as easy as finding a grocery store. People in Costa Rica know food and they eat everything from sushi to kosher food, Brazilian rodizio or Turkish dishes and they all know how to eat it and where it comes from. This is a side of Costa Rica culture that amazes me; they like to learn everything, very well educated people.

If you are coming here, do not worry about finding a nice place to eat, Costa Rica has plenty of choices for every taste, yet, my experience has taught me that it is nicer to come and try traditional meals, one of the many beauties Costa Rica has to offer.