A bus stop in Costa Rica during the rainy season
Adjusting to Life in Paradise
Life is wonderful here in Costa Rica, but not everything is perfect.
Many of the roads here are unpaved, and many of the paved roads have more potholes than pavement.
The road I live on, up in the mountains, is now paved, but years ago, when I first started coming here, it was unpaved.
When I last visited Nicaragua two years ago, I had to travel on dirt roads part of the way to get there.
Leaving Costa Rica every six months
You have to leave the country every six months to renew your tourist visa. You can step across the border into Nicaragua or Panama, have your passport stamped, step back into Costa Rica, and you're legal as a tourist for another six months. I have friends who have been doing this for over 15 years. It's perfectly legal.
Until about two years ago, you were required to leave the country every 90 days, but now it's every 180 days, which makes it a lot less of a hassle. You can pay approximately $1,500 in government fees and attorney fees and file to become a permanent resident. Then, you don't have to leave the country. I'll probably jump through those hoops before long.
The rainy season
The rainy season goes from May through November. And right on schedule, on May 1st, at noon, it started raining hard, and it has rained hard every afternoon since. It hasn't missed a day.
The tourist bureau refers to it as the green season rather than the rainy season.
If I were staying at the beach for a week or two on vacation, I wouldn't like it raining every afternoon, but since I'm not, I enjoy the rainy season.
Other things that cause problems
In addition to the rainy season, the volcano, located about six miles away, continues to emit smoke, steam, and ash daily. However, since it rains every afternoon, that keeps the air relatively clean.
One last point: Several people told me they missed the time slot to download a free copy of my latest book last week, How to Have Fun Negotiating, so I've made it free for one more day. It's free today only (Saturday, May 24th) at the link below.