Tropical Moms and Wannabe Tropical Moms - Page 4

[shelteringembrace]

In CR too

We just moved to CR and was looking for anyone in the San Jose area. Anyone out there?
-Erin

[Michelle Leigh]

anyone know trinidad rules?

This is an interesting thread.

I, too, am a dreamer for now. Since I really do love some aspects of life in the fast lane/metropolitan cities, I think being on an island for part of the year is ideal for me... Maybe even 4 months would do the trick.

I have so many fond memories of my vacations:
Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico
Grand Cayman
Saint Martin/St. Marten
Anguila

My three stays in Trinidad & Tobago were so incredible. I think I could live there for part of the year (the winter here)... I loved the beaches. Maracas is magical. I stayed in people's homes--very hospital, lovely people.

Can people from the U.S. reside there for a year or two? I'd love to. Would the girls be able to attend the school?

My favorite things about the Caribbean: the fruit trees. : Wow. Such incredible portugal trees on Trinidad, and I've never seen such large citrus, avocadoes, pineapple...

I really want to visit Barbados.

I definitely want to part-time live down there somewhere... It needs to be lush though--natural vegetation, lots of food growing wild.

[moonshoes]

Puerto Rico, anyone?

Hi all! This thread seems to be mostly Costa Rica oriented, but I am wondering if there are any mamas in PR here? I am seriously considering moving there and would love to chat!

[MamaDelz]

Nicaragua?

We are still in the dreaming phase as well... and have been talking about CR, but recently have been intrigued by Nicaragua. Anyone been there?? Know of any good info sites to read about it? Seems pretty easy to find good info about CR, not so easy to find stuff about living in Nicaragua..


Yes, right now my hands are FREEZING!!! : So, doing lots of dreaming about warmth and sunshine today..

[gr8fulmom]

We are almost ready to buy in CR! : We're looking near Dominical... I am so excited

Dont know much abotu Nicaragua except I know alot of people were into investing there... esp in the south west close the CR border... and then there started being problems with robberies and rebels and alot of people pulled out... that was about a year ago some friends were telling me that... not sure how things are now... the very nice thing about CR is that its so stable for being in Central America

[freespirited]

Originally Posted by MamaDelz

We are still in the dreaming phase as well... and have been talking about CR, but recently have been intrigued by Nicaragua. Anyone been there?? Know of any good info sites to read about it? Seems pretty easy to find good info about CR, not so easy to find stuff about living in Nicaragua..


Yes, right now my hands are FREEZING!!! : So, doing lots of dreaming about warmth and sunshine today..

We LOVE Nicaragua. We have great friends there. My husband is Costa Rican but he made a lot of Nicaraguan friends during the Sandinista period because they had to flee to Costa Rica. Eventually their property was returned and they went home. Many of the upper middle-class speak perfect English as they were educated in the U.S. They get the slang and everything, and they speak to each other in English which was great for me, because in Costa Rica all my husband's friends conversed with each other in Spanish and I always felt left out because my Spanish skills are not great and I would get like 70% of what they were saying so usually I was lost. So culturally, it is very easy for me to feel at home in Nicaragua. I also feel there is more of an artistic scene there than in CR. For example, every year there is a huge poetry gathering in Granada that attracts people from around the world. I have always wanted to attend it but haven't been able to yet. The Nicaraguans are known as some of the best hosts in the world. They really take care of you. They have a lot of natural beauty in the country and the beaches are clean and unspoilt unlike many beaches in CR, sadly. The real estate prices never got insane as they did in CR. I find Granada and Managua nice cities, I love the colonial buildings in Granada, and there is now a big expat scene. A lot of foreigners snatched up the colonial houses and renovated them so the prices went very high, but when I first visited, you could get them for a song. They are wonderful, with incredibly high ceilings and such openness. Many have courtyards in the center with open roofs to allow natural light in. Really amazing stuff.

Now, the bad stuff. Nicaragua has one of the highest abject poverty rates in the world, on par with many African countries. You see kids running out to your car to ask for money. They seem healthy enough but the average wage there is like $2 a day and the families really struggle. They are such resilient people, and I always felt I'd try to do a lot of charitable work if I ever ended up living there. You might feel really inspired by the poverty, as I did. Rather than have it turn you away from the country, it might actually draw you there. It was very spiritual for me. I had been hanging out with people who were very comfortable and I was shielded by a lot of that, but I found myself wanting to reach out to them in some way. Also, when Ortega was elected, a lot of investment in the country dried up, which I think in a way is a blessing as it allowed the country to take pause and maybe catch up to what was a fairly big boom (though nothing even approaching the boom in Costa Rica that has now left a huge aftermath of problems in infrastructure, environment, falling property prices, etc). I think Ortega won't be re-elected and perhaps the country can get back on track.

It's also amazing what your money can buy you there. We visited amazing homes in little communities that cost $100k each (brand new) and that had all the bells and whistles and then some. We're talking 3/3, granite, tiles, rare hardwoods, huge gourmet kitchens, stucco, clay tile roofs, etc. Another couple we knew had a gorgeous house with an outdoor courtyard and a swimming pool (tiled, no less) and tennis court all for 160k. Labor there is ridiculously cheap.

I can't wait to go back again asap. Dh and I both agree Costa Rica has gotten too expensive and unsafe for our tastes. Nicaragua is a police state, but the crime rate is also low as a consequence. I'd rather have the military presence and feel safe than the reverse in Costa Rica. JMHO.

[trinimommy]

Looks like I will be making a trial run in Cayman as I got a job offer...anyone have any tips, info, etc?

[FullMetalMom]

I can't believe I haven't seen this thread before! DH and I have a small house we're almost finished renovating in Pavones, Costa Rica. Our dream is to live down there at least 50% of the time. We were down there in Jan/Feb and couldn't believe how happy we were with our dd! It is so ideal for raising a family. Anyone near that area?

[shelteringembrace]

Contact me if you are still interested in info about the San Jose area. I've only lived here for 5 months but have learned a lot already

[gr8fulmom]

Originally Posted by FullMetalMom

I can't believe I haven't seen this thread before! DH and I have a small house we're almost finished renovating in Pavones, Costa Rica. Our dream is to live down there at least 50% of the time. We were down there in Jan/Feb and couldn't believe how happy we were with our dd! It is so ideal for raising a family. Anyone near that area?

we stay in Dominical when we're down there,which is getting to be more and more we just got back from a month down there actually... I've never been to Pavones but many of my friends love to go down there for surfing... do you rent your house at all? This last trip we spent a few nights in Cabo Matapolo on the Osa Peninsula and loved it

[gr8fulmom]

Originally Posted by freespirited

We LOVE Nicaragua. We have great friends there. My husband is Costa Rican but he made a lot of Nicaraguan friends during the Sandinista period because they had to flee to Costa Rica. Eventually their property was returned and they went home. Many of the upper middle-class speak perfect English as they were educated in the U.S. They get the slang and everything, and they speak to each other in English which was great for me, because in Costa Rica all my husband's friends conversed with each other in Spanish and I always felt left out because my Spanish skills are not great and I would get like 70% of what they were saying so usually I was lost. So culturally, it is very easy for me to feel at home in Nicaragua. I also feel there is more of an artistic scene there than in CR. For example, every year there is a huge poetry gathering in Granada that attracts people from around the world. I have always wanted to attend it but haven't been able to yet. The Nicaraguans are known as some of the best hosts in the world. They really take care of you. They have a lot of natural beauty in the country and the beaches are clean and unspoilt unlike many beaches in CR, sadly. The real estate prices never got insane as they did in CR. I find Granada and Managua nice cities, I love the colonial buildings in Granada, and there is now a big expat scene. A lot of foreigners snatched up the colonial houses and renovated them so the prices went very high, but when I first visited, you could get them for a song. They are wonderful, with incredibly high ceilings and such openness. Many have courtyards in the center with open roofs to allow natural light in. Really amazing stuff.

Now, the bad stuff. Nicaragua has one of the highest abject poverty rates in the world, on par with many African countries. You see kids running out to your car to ask for money. They seem healthy enough but the average wage there is like $2 a day and the families really struggle. They are such resilient people, and I always felt I'd try to do a lot of charitable work if I ever ended up living there. You might feel really inspired by the poverty, as I did. Rather than have it turn you away from the country, it might actually draw you there. It was very spiritual for me. I had been hanging out with people who were very comfortable and I was shielded by a lot of that, but I found myself wanting to reach out to them in some way. Also, when Ortega was elected, a lot of investment in the country dried up, which I think in a way is a blessing as it allowed the country to take pause and maybe catch up to what was a fairly big boom (though nothing even approaching the boom in Costa Rica that has now left a huge aftermath of problems in infrastructure, environment, falling property prices, etc). I think Ortega won't be re-elected and perhaps the country can get back on track.

It's also amazing what your money can buy you there. We visited amazing homes in little communities that cost $100k each (brand new) and that had all the bells and whistles and then some. We're talking 3/3, granite, tiles, rare hardwoods, huge gourmet kitchens, stucco, clay tile roofs, etc. Another couple we knew had a gorgeous house with an outdoor courtyard and a swimming pool (tiled, no less) and tennis court all for 160k. Labor there is ridiculously cheap.

I can't wait to go back again asap. Dh and I both agree Costa Rica has gotten too expensive and unsafe for our tastes. Nicaragua is a police state, but the crime rate is also low as a consequence. I'd rather have the military presence and feel safe than the reverse in Costa Rica. JMHO.

Its very interesting to read your comments... this has not been my experience at all in CR and I have heard horror stories first hand about Nicaragua (particularly recently about the SW)... but maybe it just depends where you go? I feel very safe in CR and only worry about petty theft/car break-ins... not personal safety... I do agree its getting expensive though... JMHO

[FullMetalMom]

Originally Posted by gr8fulmom

we stay in Dominical when we're down there,which is getting to be more and more we just got back from a month down there actually... I've never been to Pavones but many of my friends love to go down there for surfing... do you rent your house at all? This last trip we spent a few nights in Cabo Matapolo on the Osa Peninsula and loved it

We passed through Dominical on our way down to Pavones last time, I loved the beach there. We rented our house out for several years, while we were travelling elsewhere (you can check it out at www.pavones.com, my husband owns the domain), but now we have decided to fix it up to be little less rustic and the renovations are almost done! It's a little more family friendly and completely different from the pictures on the website. I really love this town because in the 6 years we were away, it barely changed at all. I'm so excited because it is just the best place to have children and we were so happy when we were down there. Not to mention the surfing is awesome. We've been to the Osa Peninsula and loved it too (we got to see all the monkeys).

[magentamomma]

DH and I want to move to CA. We are thinking Belize because dh has friends there. But we also thought about nicaragua. There is a forum called Nica living yoou could look into. we have friends in Costa rica, but it just seems out of our budget. I am really hoping we get to make our move to Belize relatively soon9next couple of years) any one know anything about Belize?