In search of a dream

After an extended period back in the UK, it is time to find a new country to call home. 

When I moved to New Zealand, I went for a specific purpose: I had a job.  Which dictated the city I would live in and gave me a social structure as I found my feet.  In my new life as a freelance consultant, I could live anywhere with a good internet connection. The world is my oyster.  But that choice can be a little overwhelming!

So, I drew up a spreadsheet of countries and amenities I was looking for.  From the work requirements (time zone, internet connection) to personal needs (social life, environment) and cross-referenced with the practical (climate, visa, affordability), this spreadsheet was going to give me my answer.  I didn’t fill out a single box.  Because in my heart of hearts, I knew where I wanted to go: Costa Rica.

Admittedly, Costa Rica is a slightly random choice. But it shares many of the same qualities that I had loved about New Zealand.  Rainforest, coastline, a small population and a focus on biodiversity.  Or at least, I believed it did.  Because, just like when I moved to New Zealand, I had never actually stepped foot in Costa Rica.

I have an image of my new life.  A house on a hill, surrounded by rainforest, with monkeys in the trees.  Each day I would walk down to a little shack of a café on the beach and do some work. Could I locate the image here in Costa Rica?

It’s a solitary image.  And in fact, I don’t want to be solitary.  Whilst many people do live in beautiful hillside properties with amazing views, I would be isolated and miss out on building a social life.  I want to find a community that I can be part of.  A mixed expat and Tico community (that’s what Costa Ricans call themselves).  So perhaps the image wasn’t quite right.

So, what about the rainforest and the coast?  Well, there is an abundance of both here so that’s a good start. The rainforest is lush green and full of brightly coloured creatures.  Very happy with that.  The (Pacific) coast is packed with surfer towns; those breakers & rip tides not so good for a swim. Neither do my long walks down the New Zealand coastline seem so practical here.  It is HOT!  And depending quite where on the coast you are, very humid.  Admittedly, I am here at the hottest time of the year and the whole of Central America is experiencing a heatwave.  But I am not sure I could cope with the heat. Even sitting still, I am sweating copiously. A hike through the rainforest or along the coastline seems improbable, even before 9am.

The image, it seems, won’t be reality.  So where does that leave Costa Rica as a potential new home?

I have visited a number of towns in search of the right balance. Some were too big. Some too small. Some too full of American retirees! All had their pros and cons.  I was beginning to lose faith that I would find somewhere that didn’t feel like a compromise.  Until I came to that very last town…

Even before I arrived in La Fortuna, it felt right.  Lush green rainforest interspersed with views of Lake Arenal (a different form of water!). Although it is tropical rainforest, it sits at a higher elevation and has a much more pleasant climate.  Even sat outside in 35+°C, it felt quite pleasant. And the views of Arenal volcano towering over the town are awe-inspiring.  The town itself is touristy (Arenal is the most visited place in Costa Rica) but didn’t have the resort feel of some of the towns on the coast. And, as I have always said about my former hometown of Windsor, those tourists enable bars & restaurants and a thriving social scene.

That’s not to say that La Fortuna doesn’t have some cons as well.  It is about 3 hours from either of the main airports.  Not ideal for work trips or visits home.  The supermarkets have a very limited choice of food.  Not great for someone on a restricted diet.

But somehow, I don’t care about any of that. 

Which is why the spreadsheet (yes, I had another one for scoring the towns!) didn’t matter.  I did at least fill this one in.  But it’s not about scores in an excel spreadsheet.  As any house-hunter knows, it comes down to gut feel.  Which is why I shall be ignoring the downsides of La Fortuna and finding a way to work around them.         

I still have to work out the practicalities of life in Costa Rica.  Can I afford to live here? It’s a LOT more expensive than I had anticipated (and I thought that about New Zealand too!) Which is the best type of visa to get? Can the time-zone work from a client perspective?   There are still questions to answer before I make a commitment. But in the meantime, I am going to have fun putting La Fortuna to the test!