I love hiking to waterfalls

Where did six months go?

I've been in Costa Rica for almost six months.

I love waterfalls, jungles, colorful birds, friendly people, and having fresh fruits and veggies year-round.

But after being here for six months, I have to leave the country. Technically, I only have to leave for a few minutes, but nothing happens fast here, so it usually takes a few hours to jump through all the hoops required to walk across the border and come back.

Until last year, I could only stay in Costa Rica for 90 days before I had to do a border run, as the process is called.

You can't just walk into the country and live here

Previously, I could walk across the border into Nicaragua or Panama, get my passport stamped, come back, and be good to stay here for another 90 days. But they've changed their rules, and now I can stay for 180 days before I have to leave the country.

I could become a legal resident and no longer have to leave the country. It takes about two years and will cost about $2,000. Even though the process will take a year and a half up to two years after you apply, you no longer have to do the border runs every six months while you're waiting.

You can't just walk across the border and become a resident of Costa Rica. You have to show that you have a monthly income, buy some property here, or qualify in one of their other ways.

Oh, well, I'm going to go back to the US and spend some time living in my motorhome. And, of course, I'll be coming back.

I'll be flying back to the US on July 4th. I guess not many people wanted to fly on that day. I assume they already wanted to be where they were going to spend the holidays.

Whatever the reason, flights were much cheaper on that day than on the days before or after the 4th. I was able to book a flight from Costa Rica to Knoxville, TN, for $156.

I left my car with my son in Knoxville, so I'll fly there, pick it up, drive to Florida to get my motorhome, and then drive it to the North Carolina mountains to stay until it starts to get cold in October. Then, I'll take it and head back to Florida.

Bottom line: Next Thursday, July 4th, I'll be back in the US for a few months. But I'll be back in Costa Rica before long.