In the area(s) where I’ll be living — near Lake Arenal and (later, perhaps) the cloud forest regions — I will be able to rent a one bedroom, one bathroom casita (or a studio style place) for under $500/month, most utilities included (electricity, water, internet). That’s freaking amazing!

I’m aiming to move in early June, as long as the paperwork I need at this end is all squared away by then. I don’t need much, and it has all been submitted, so unless there’s a hiccup there, I expect I’ll have it in hand by year’s end.

I will be vehicle-less down there, but there are several transportation options (buses, taxis, plus eventual or existing associates/friends who have vehicles, etc.), and I don’t plan to do a whole lot of traveling anyway. I can rent a 4×4 when I do travel to far flung locations to check out other location options.

Arenal’s average temperature all year long is between 75 and 85 degrees, and every casita has a ceiling fan, so that should be fine. The listing said throw open the windows in summer and run the fan and voila! Not a problem.  They do have semi-frequent electrical disruptions in CR, I hear, but I can handle those with frequent showers, cool baths, or a sports neck wrap.

I found a terrific casita on the shore of Lake Arenal that looks like a dream. It’s in a quiet location, near enough to a jungle to see and hear monkeys, and lots of birds fly there, too: toucans, macaws, and more.  By quiet, I mean people quiet!  The sounds of nature will surround me.  Howler monkeys, spider monkeys, white-faced monkeys, macaws… Sounds like paradise to me!

I have an email in to the owners to see how long I can rent there.  They say the stated rate is usually negotiable, so I might even be able to get it for less than $475, utilities included. It’s just 15 minutes by bus or taxi from Tilaran (with its 8,677 human inhabitants) one of Guanacaste’s largest towns/cities, where there are medical practices, stores, ferias (market), etc. I’ve seen images of it, and it’s a real doll house. It has a bathtub with jets and a shower, so I’ll have a choice there, as I do here. I love occasional long baths, and with jets, so much the better. I might get all pruny (from staying in for too long) more often!

I have a message in to my immigration attorney to ask how we (I assume she will come along) will get to San Jose to the Consulate so they can see I’m there, get my paperwork, and take my fingerprints. I don’t want to have to drive or take a bus that far (four hours each way) if I can avoid it.  I’ll be pretty skittish about going very far by public transit for a while. It will all be new to me.  I will have to remember my “home” (rental) address so I can get back, too!  HA!

Gads, I’m getting excited!