Guanacaste, Costa Rica by Joseph Emanuelli : Real Estate, Events, Buyer Information

The First Real “Measurable” Rain in Playa Hermosa, Guanacaste for 2013

Joseph A. Emanuelli — Fri, 03 May 2013 12:53:00 GMT

Over the past few weeks you could tell the transition from dry to green season was upon us. The humidity was starting to build and the days were getting really hot. I know my plants have all been waiting for a mother nature watering verses what I do for them every week.

Last week while I was enjoying a day on the beach, playing frisbe, and chatting with friends, one lone cloud, although pretty big, started to pass over the south side of Playa Hermosa. My friends and I all said at about the same time “God I hope it rains” and all of sudden we started to fell a few sprinkles fall. It was like a bunch of Indians in the old days looking skyward praying it would really rain. Well we were all disappointed, what fell wasn’t even enough to wet the sand.

This morning about 5:30, while drinking my favorite coffee and watching the birds in the back yard and the dogs playing I could feel the humidity was already pretty high, so I checked it and it sure was, 89%. All of sudden I glanced toward the pool and I could see the droplet holes in the water that rain makes. It started very lightly and my thought was “just another tease”. I was pleasantly surprised to when it really started to rain and maintained the intensity for about 30 minutes.

At the beginning of the dry season, my friends and I always make a bet and prediction as to when will be the first measurable rain in Playa Hermosa. My wonderful wife Pamela keeps the list, so I will have to check with her to see who won the bet for this year.

If you have read my blog before you know I like to measure rain, I won’t go into the story about Just check old blog post from last year and you will find it. So once the rain stopped I checked the rain gauges and it was actually a measurable amount. 1/10 of a inch of rain fell in the short time frame. So for me it was the real official first rain of the season in Playa Hermosa, well at least at my house where the gauges are set up. Now all we need is about two and three quarters inches more rain and POOF everything will be green again. It only takes one really good thunderstorm and the hills will lush and green in about a weeks’ time.

As always, thanks to my steady followers for stopping by my blog. I hope you enjoy some of my rants, craziness and even some good information, if you want to make a comment just send me an email to jaaechef@gmail.com , my personal email address or post it here. If you have an interest in or are just curious about Costa Rica and the possibility of owning your own piece of Paradise just click this link and have a look around.

http://www.costarican-american-connection.com/Featured_Listings/page_2527088.html

I look forward to hearing from you! May the Sun Shine on you no matter where you are!!

“Pura Vida” Pure Life Baby!!

Costa Rica, Playa Hermosa Guanacaste. Taking Care of your Pets when Living In Costa Rica

Joseph A. Emanuelli — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 18:47:00 GMT

Hello from Playa Hermosa Guanacaste,

Yesterday was a day dedicated to my four loving and wild and crazy kids. Well if you asked them they would have said “Oh no we have to go to the Vet, Run hide don’t let mom and dad catch you” You know kids are kids, except these type just tend to be a little hairier than most. So Pam and I get the dogs all excited about going for a car ride, you know dogs love to ride in the car. All four jump in pretty easily, well except for Lucy; she had to be picked up and put in the car as she is the older street dog we adopted and has the shortest legs.

Vet care is just as important as your health car. The tropics can be hard on dogs, with the heat and the numerous bugs that abound. Tick fever is a real deadly killer of dogs, it comes on pretty slow and by the time you realize there is a problem, your dog will need major help. The best way to prevent this is to make sure you utilize a flea and tick drop every 3 weeks. I use front line and it works well. Also Distemper can be a big problem and it is advisable to keep all the annual vaccinations up to date.

Once all loaded an almost settled in we head off. Now most people would think that a ride to the vet is a pretty easy thing windows partially open heads hanging out, ears and tongues flapping in the wind and just a short drive. For most people with pets this is pretty true. For me it is a whole other experience as all of them want to ride shotgun. Here in Playa Hermosa we do not have a vet and can just go over to Playa Del Coco, a short 15 minute drive. But we don’t. See the vet in Coco, although good to a certain point has the strangest hours and when I called to make an appointment it was not that convenient for the vet, I had to work around the Vets days in the office and time frames this vet likes to work. So I said Thanks but no thanks. Besides, I feel this vet has the worst bed side manor that I have even seen in any doctor; I wonder why she even became a care giver.

So I decided to give the vet I prefer to use anyway a call and see if he was available. Well of course he called me right back as when I called he was with a patient. He said Just come in tomorrow morning at 9 and we will check out all the dogs and make sure all are doing well.

You are probably asking yourself at this point “why the hell didn’t he just call the vet he prefers”? Well I will tell you it was just for basic checkups and that Ve is over a hours drive just to get there.

Over a year ago, my black lab named Lipton that moved here with us, was stricken with tick fever. The vet we went to properly diagnosed it and gave us antibiotics and vitamins to deal with this fever. Well after the month of drugs was completed, he started to act like he had the fever again. This time I asked around about some vets as a wanted another opinion. I was informed about a very good doctor in Nicoya, about an hour and a half drive from Playa Hermosa depending on traffic. So I called and made an appointment with Dr. Delgado, by the way he speaks great English and takes the time to explain everything. Best of all he also work 5 days a week and if needed on weekends he will come in and meet you. Long story short Lipton had come down with the tick fever again and was close to dying. It turned out that the meds the previous vet had given us actually counter acted each other and just masked the problem. Dr. Delgado basically said “My friend, we can try a lot of different things and Lipton needs to stay here for as long as it takes or he will not make it and there is really no guarantee that he will but I will do everything I know to help this poor boy, he is old for his breed and it is going to be a tough fight”. Lipton lived at the Vets office for well over a week and a half, he actually got much worse before he got better. With the loving dedication, compassion and skills, Dr. Delgado was able to save Lipton’s life and bring him back to good health. He did the same thing with one of my other adopted dogs Jazz, who likes to pick up everything in creation and try to eat it. She ended up having major surgery for a perforated stomach and came out with flying colors but that is another story for another time.

So if you love your pets, and if you have pets you better love them, I highly recommend Dr. Delgado. Here is his email address if you need a great, compassionate, and caring vet for your fur children if you live in Guanacaste or if you travel to Costa Rica with you beloved companions, Dr. Enrique Dalay Delgado clinicadermapet@yahoo.com

Trust me on this one, It is well worth the drive to Nicoya!!! Here is a link to Pam’s face book page with a picture of us coming back from the vet yesterday, Jazz is the white one, Lipton the black Lab, and Bella, surfing from the back seat, unfortunately Lucy was sitting on the floor hiding.

http://www.facebook.com/Pamrica

http://www.costarican-american-connection.com/Featured_Listings/page_2527088.html

I look forward to hearing from you! May the Sun Shine on you no matter where you are!!

“Pura Vida” Pure Life Baby!!

Costa Rica, Playa Hermosa Guanacaste. At least We have Paved Roads In Playa Hermosa!!!

Joseph A. Emanuelli — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 15:49:00 GMT

Hello from Playa Hermosa Guanacaste,

It is just another beautiful day in paradise, it is the beginning of Semana Santa, Easter Holy Week and that is a whole other topic to write about.

I was reading some of the local online English newspapers this morning and came upon this article below. All I could do was shake my head and give thanks to the fact in the Playa Hermosa, Coco, Ocotal and Playa Panama areas, we have paved roads.

Pacific coast residents ready to set up blockade over road dust

As the dry season approaches its end, the roads have more dust and the smoke from the sugar cane fires lingers in the air and reddens the eyes and throats. Out in Tamarindo, the dust is about the last straw after the Municipalidad de Santa Cruz has promised for many years to put asphalt on the 28 de Abril road, according to residents. That is why they are planning a blockade for 7 a.m. this Thursday. Email messages said that the residents are trying to apply pressure on municipal officials in Santa Cruz. The blockade will be at the Villareal intersection, a resident said. The protest will be multi-national, they added. "The municipality of Santa Cruz has been promising for years to asphalt the road," said another resident. "Not only do they not asphalt it. But, the grading of the road is so sporadic, we constantly have to repair our vehicles, the dust is doing great damage to our cars, and the residence and homeowners along the road are constantly sick." This is not the only spot in Costa Rica where residents are irked by the dusty condition of the roads.

I know exactly where this is just outside of Tamarindo on the way to Hacienda Pinilla and the ultra-fancy JW Marriott Hotel. I have driven this road many times and I can tell you first hand it is the pits, I think I rather have a fork stuck in my hand than endure the 6 miles of this road. The pot holes can be the size of the Grand Canyon and the dust is so bad that it reminds me of white out conditions of a New England Blizzard. People that actually live in Tamarindo will say” Oh it is not that bad” “It is only during the dry season”. Well Hello! That is 6 months long!!! You get that response especially if they have a business or if they are trying to sell you a condo or something because they depend on vacationers to keep cash rolling in. Well, have you ever been to down town Tamarindo? There is one paved road right thru the center of town along the beach, turn off the pavement and you have the same exact thing, dirt and dust. And when the rains start, then it all turns to a muddy mess. Anyone for Mud wrestling? You could make a fortune setting up a ring and charging admission, I know the crazy 20 something’s would go to it, especially if you are selling booze and those funny looking and smelling cigarettes.

Now please don’t get me totally wrong, Tamarindo has a lot of things going for it, if you want to surf, there is a surf shop it seems every 20 yards, or hang out and get drunk as there are a lot of good bars on the beach and restaurants in town. But really is that all you want to do? There is even a casino just across the only paved street from the beach. The town draws a lot of younger tourist that want to have fun in the sun and surf. So if you don’t like hanging out with 20 something’s, don’t waste your time.

On the other hand, the area I live, Playa Hermosa has paved roads all the way from the airport, and 90% of all the roads are paved, yes we still have 3 streets in town that are dirt. But this was one of the last areas developed, so I am grateful for what we have. When you head over to Playa del Coco, you will find that the main road and the beach road are nicely paved as well as in 99% of the condo developments and all home developments. Even the road over to Ocotal is completely paved. If you get off the beaten track you will find dirt roads. Even though there are dirt roads here, we are lucky that the municipality grades them 3-4 times a year, but during the dry season it is dusty on these roads as well, I have to be honest. Just this week, the government is actually tearing up parts of the main road in Playa Del Coco in preparation of re-paving the boulevard, so while this is going on as any construction site, it is a mess, but they are moving along quite fast. The main road that leads in to Playa Hermosa from the cross section towards Coco and Sardinal is getting major work as well. MOPT, the Costa Rica authority over roads, are putting in rain gutters along the side of the road coming down the PAVED road in to Playa Hermosa.

So if you are thinking of coming here for the first time I recommend coming to Playa Hermosa and Playa del Coco, you won’t get all dusty and dirty or Muddy!

http://www.costarican-american-connection.com/Featured_Listings/page_2527088.html

I look forward to hearing from you! May the Sun Shine on you no matter where you are!!

“Pura Vida” Pure Life Baby!!

Guanacaste Costa Rica,One way to get real U.S. television in Costa Rica, But why would you?

Joseph A. Emanuelli — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 19:35:00 GMT

Are you living in Costa Rica like me or considering it? But don’t want to miss your favorite shows or news broadcasts from the U.S.? Well, here is one possible solution I found and it doesn’t involve Amnet, Cabletica, or SKY TV. All you’ll need is an internet connection.

A little-known company called US TV Now provides a great service – US television for US expats, beamed right to your home.

If you are content simply watching on your computer, just head over to their web site and sign up for an account. The service costs about $20 per month, and in return you will be able to watch live broadcasts of ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, PBS, A&E, Animal Planet, CNN (the US version, not international!), Discovery Channel, FOX News, National Geographic, History, and a ton of other channels that you’d expect on a basic cable package if you were back in the US. For quite a bit more money, they offer an ‘HD’ plan of 200 channels + HBO and Showtime.

So, you’re happy now because you can now get real, live US TV. But, if you’re like me, a small computer screen doesn’t cut it – I like my 42 inch flat screen TV and like to watch TV on a TV. So, on to the next step. Note that you’ll need your internet connection connected to a Wifi router for this to work. And I have to be honest with you, if you are not techy it can be frustrating as it is for me. Hell I had problems just setting up the DVD player

You will need a Roku Player. Ok so you are think what the heck is a ROKU and where do I get one. Well stop you complaining, you sound like the little brother I never had, here is the link. http://www.roku.com/roku-products

When you order a Roku player, just get the cheap ‘LT’ model for $49 – due to the internet speeds in Costa Rica you won’t be able to stream in high definition 1080p so the other models have no advantage over the LT and why spend more than you have to. By the way, don’t worry about Roku’s “channel” lineup, which sucks in my opinion– the important thing is you are going to be connecting this little box to your US TV. I know what you’re thinking “Well I live here in Costa Rica how am I supposed to get it here?

OH come on you never had a friend be a mule for you, just buy it and send it to a friend to bring down when they come or check with some of your friends here that may have someone coming. I do it all the time.

Now if you are just getting ready to make the move to CR or already have a place in paradise you can just bring it the next time you come down.

Once you have your Roku player in hand connect it to your TV and follow the easy instructions for connecting the player to your Wifi network and activating it for the first time. Once your Roku is up and running, select the ‘Channel Store’ from the main menu and find (it’s in there somewhere) the US TV NOW icon, select it, and choose ‘install channel.’ You should now have US TV NOW on your Roku home screen. Select it, put in your username and password for your US TV NOW account that you created earlier, ( Remember first part of this article) and get ready to get live US cable TV here in Costa Rica!

Now that you have everything you need for your viewing pleasure, you may be considering cutting the cord to Amnet or Cabletica – but perhaps you think you need them for your internet connection. Wrong. DSL service is available from ICE, the government run phone company, in most areas of the country, and if it isn’t, you can also go completely wireless by getting a 3G ‘data card’ from ICE that gives you a 2mb (good enough for the setup above under most circumstances) internet connection anywhere there is cellular service. The data card can then be inserted in a 3G router (ask your local computer guy because this is way beyond me) to produce a Wifi signal that will power all of your internet and television-viewing needs.

So if this is too complicated you as it was for me (I had to hire someone to set it up for me) Then the reality is you don’t need TV, the basic cable package here is really enough you get about 12 US speaking channels and let’s face it, the main reason why so many people come to Costa Rica is to get away from the over saturation of media and are looking for a calmer life style so how really needs 200 channels. I bet you spend more time channel surfing than watching, so just go sit outside and watch all the wonders that Mother Nature has given us.

http://www.costarican-american-connection.com/Featured_Listings/page_2527088.html

I look forward to hearing from you! May the Sun Shine on you no matter where you are!!

“Pura Vida” Pure Life Baby!!

Costa Rica, Playa Hermosa Guanacaste. How Do I use my IRA to Purchase in Costa Rica?

Joseph A. Emanuelli — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 16:54:00 GMT

Hello from Playa Hermosa,

Today is just a beautiful day in Playa Hermosa. The sun is shining, there is a light breeze and the temperatures are in the mid 80’s. God I love living here. Sorry I just had to write it!!

This past week I had the great pleasure of working with some clients, that have already become my friends as this was their fifth trip in the past three years to Costa Rica and more to the point Playa Hermosa, looking for that place to eventually call home. We really hit it off three years ago and have just stayed in touch. Back then they were honest and open and said “we are still 3 years away from making the move”. This trip they are not quite ready to pull the trigger yet, but are very very close. They just need to organize some things back in the California and set some things in motion here. Which I am glad to say I was able to get them started on the items here in Costa Rica to get the ball rolling so they can finally achieve their dreams.

We spent one day looking at the properties they picked from my web page. After they decided on the home that they fell in love with, I recommended that we go ahead and write an offer to tie up the property so they do not lose it to another buyer.

Ok I know what you are thinking “when is he going to get to the meat of this blog”, well hold on and keep reading it is just a few paragraphs down. When I had the purchase sale agreement ready based on what they wanted to offer, I found out that they did not have all the funds readily available to consummate the deal. So thinking on my feet I offered them another solution. USE their IRA!

Most people think that the IRA is just for retirement, and investing in stock, bonds and mutual funds. Most if not all custodial brokerages that handle IRA’s say that you can self-direct your investment. Well this is true and false. They only allow you to direct the investments in the funds and investment vehicles that they offer and other similar brokerages offer. If you ask them “can I purchase investment real estate”, they will again lead you towards a RIF (real estate investment fund) or similar type of investment. This is not what you want is it? You want to purchase the investment property in Costa Rica, for the future growth and rental potential and when you hit the age of retirement and can start pull from your IRA, it could be your future retirement home.

Well there is a way to do it and it is LEGAL by the United States IRS code. (As a side note I am looking into the use of a RSP (retirement savings plan) for my Canadian friends to see if it can be done as well) It is called a truly self-directed IRA. I know I have done it. I actually own part of a mall in Arizona utilizing my IRA. It was a very easy process.

First you will have to roll over your IRA from the custodian company you presently have it with to Equity Trust Company. (See the video below) remember you are not cashing it out, you are ROLLING it over so there will be no tax implications. Then once the funds are in your new account with Equity Trust, you can fill out a form to have them purchase the investment property in Costa Rica. There will be other forms to fill out and legal guidelines and requirements as well that will be discussed with you by one of their investment experts.

So if you ever wondered how you could afford that investment property in Costa Rica, now there is a way.

Just Click below this link to get starter and learn how to use your IRA to invest in Costa Rica.

Self-Directed IRA Overview Video

http://www.costarican-american-connection.com/Featured_Listings/page_2527088.html

I look forward to hearing from you! May the Sun Shine on you no matter where you are!!

“Pura Vida” Pure Life Baby!!

Costa Rica, Playa Hermosa Guanacaste. Drumming Circle for Monkeys and 1st Rain this year

Joseph A. Emanuelli — Sat, 26 Jan 2013 14:42:00 GMT

Hello from Playa Hermosa,

If you happen to be located in North America somewhere, I hope you’re staying warm!! This morning as I dragged my lazy but out of bed to grab that first cup of go juice, (that’s what I call the great CR coffee I drink every morning), I stepped out the back door to take in the beauty of the early morning and listing to the mourning doves cooing and the rufous red wrens singing to each other. While taking a seat on the edge of the pool I started to feel drops of water hit my arms. First thought was the birds were using me as a target to go on, then is started getting a heavier, I was in total amassment that it was actually raining! I could not believe it, now it was not a real hard rain by any means and it only lasted for about 15 minutes, but it was just the right amount of moisture in the air to form a fantastic grand arched rainbow or as it is known in Spanish an “arco iris” over the ocean. This was pretty wired, in all the time I have lived here in the Guanacaste region it has never rained in the month of January. But Mother Nature is a mysterious thing and you can never really predict it. Just take an educated guess at it.

Enough about the weather! Now to the Drumming Circle. As I had written before, one of the members of the Playa Hermosa Association, the leader of the Monkey committee started this last year as a way to bring the community together for a good cause and to help raise funds for projects that help the monkeys prosper in the town as development can take away their natural habitat. I attended this event last year and will again today as well. My friend tried to explain to me what a drumming circle is, I mean hell, I am not that dumb, a bunch of people in a circle beating on drums, Right? Well I am pretty right but decided to look it up and see what it is all about. Here is a link from Wikipedia that describes the many meanings of a Drumming Circle http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drum_circle . She tried to tell me it was a spiritual ritual to bring peace and harmony to an area and to the participants, and she was kind of right depending on the belief system of those involved. My first thought as being a city kid was that she smoked way too much Mother Nature when she was younger, but that’s for another blog.

Last year’s event was held on the beach in front of the Hotel Playa Hermosa, on the south side of the beach. This is an area where a local troupe of monkeys likes to hang out in the tall trees. I know for a fact as they were there last Sunday when I was enjoying the beach. The event last year drew at least a hundred people and all really enjoyed the event. It was really special that the monkeys were there as well and were howling along with the beat of the drums. Hopefully this afternoon they will be there again. I am looking forward to attending as it really does bring a form of harmony to those that attend as everyone is there for mostly the same reason. Of course there will always be someone that will attend that will not have the right state of mind, but overall I know it will be a great event. I know I am bring a pocket of cash to help out, besides, I look at it as just one night I don’t go out to dinner, and trust me I could use a diet.

As always, thanks for stopping by my blog. I hope you enjoy some of my rants, craziness and even some good information, if you want to make a comment just send me an email to jaaechef@gmail.com , my personal email address or post it here. If you have an interest in or are just curious about Costa Rica and the possibility of owning your own piece of Paradise just click this link and have a look around.

http://www.costarican-american-connection.com/Featured_Listings/page_2527088.html

I look forward to hearing from you! May the Sun Shine on you no matter where you are!!

“Pura Vida” Pure Life Baby!!

Costa Rica, Playa Hermosa Guanacaste. A beach you can feel safe swimming in the Ocean

Joseph A. Emanuelli — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 15:38:00 GMT

Hello from Sunny Playa Hermosa,

Today is just another beautiful day in Guanacaste, the sun is shining, there is a light breeze and as of writing this the temperature is 83 degrees. This morning while surfing the net, and trust me this is the only surfing I do, I came across this new article published in Diario Extra one of the local Spanish newspapers: Authorities have identified the body of women found dead on Playa Avellana as a 72 year old vacationer and U.S. national. Cause of death is unclear, but it is suspected she either had a heart attack or drowned due to a strong currents and riptides or rip current. According to hotel managers, she was a guest at the Hacienda Pinilla in Santa Cruz de Guanacaste.

This is truly a sad story and I send my heartfelt condolences to the family for their lose. The point I am making here is that this happens every year. People come to Costa Rica and southern parts of Guanacaste coast for vacation and to enjoy the pristine beaches we have on the Pacific coast. The problem is once you head further south than Playa Matapalo, three towns south of playa Hermosa, the beaches actually face straight due west which means the beaches are exposed to the full force of the Pacifico Ocean and winds. Riptides can be deadly, especially if you are not a good swimmer and they can come up out of nowhere and take you by surprise and suck you out to see. Here is a link to Wikipedia explaining what a riptide is http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rip_current

Now I am not trying to scare anyone here but it is important to know. The good thing about the beaches of the Papagayo region is that the contour of our land masses shaped like UU’s or bowls, with good size peninsulas sticking in to the ocean; helps prevent this phenomenon from happening. The other aspect is that the beaches of the Papagayo region actually face north northwest and has one of the largest peninsulas in Costa Rica sticking out into the Ocean. Even though it is the ocean it is actually called the Gulfo de Papagayo and is better protected from the heavy surf and seas.

As you know I have been living here for over 5 years now and I have never heard of a riptide happening in any of the beach towns of this area. The great thing about Playa Hermosa is that we are right next to the opening of the Bahia Culebra, which is the big bay where the Papagayo Marina is located, and again because of the land contours we do not get the heave surf and waves.

So if you are thinking of a place to vacation or purchase a second home for vacations or investment, Playa Hermosa is the place to be. The beach is clean, safe to swim in and no fears of riptides and strong currents. The best thing is there are no surfers to dodge, no giant waves to fear and no riptides while trying to take a nice easy swim.

http://www.costarican-american-connection.com/Featured_Listings/page_2527088.html

I look forward to hearing from you! May the Sun Shine on you no matter where you are!!

“Pura Vida” Pure Life Baby!!

Costa Rica, Playa Hermosa Guanacaste. Expats and Re/Max Tres Amigos Helping Out Local Children For School

Joseph A. Emanuelli — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 15:34:00 GMT

Hello from Playa Hermosa.

Yesterday afternoon I had the great pleasure to use my old skills as a chef cooking hot dog for over 100 kids and their families (Granted it was not hard at all and really does not take much skill but still pleasure to do.). Every year one of our local long time expat residents Gary Lindquist coordinates a donation drive to supply the less fortunate children of Sardinal with the basic needs to go to school. Gary works with the principal to help locate the most in need. The New School year will start the first week of February as the children are on summer break now. (Yes I wrote summer, here the locals only have two seasons summer and winter or dry and rainy, even though Costa Rica is in the northern hemisphere it is now summer here)

Here in Costa Rica all children are required to go to school up til the 10^th grade. The public school is free but there are some requirements. Uniform, shirt, shoes and basic school supplies like note books and pencils. Many poor families just cannot afford to purchase these items for their children. Gary along with the help of many local expats and companies spread the message about the Sardinal Backpack program as it is called. All of the agents in our 3 Re/Max offices send out an email periodically to our database asking for donations to help or have postings on their blogs, face book and web pages. Our secretary Yorleny helps collect the funds and send them to Gary. The donation is only $60 for one back pack that is stuffed with new shoes, socks, pants or skirts, white shirts, note books, pens and pencils and more.

Also many of the local expats that live here as “Snow Birds” Just come for the high season to escape the cold weather of North America and Europe, have started raising money back in their home communities for this great cause.

A great group of young kids, from a martial arts association in Canada, were present to help hand out the backpacks to the local children. This group also helped raise money back home to support this great cause.

It is never too late to donate as this is the 4^th year that Gary has coordinated this event and the collection for next year is already under way. Contact me today so I can tell you how you can help out for next years’ program as there will always be children in need and education is the best gift you can give.

Here is a shot video of yesterday’s event http://youtu.be/SO_yeQmleh4 and a note from Gary that was emailed today

I would like to thank all of you who donated to the Sardinal Backpack Program. I also would like to thank Pastor Allen Cudahy for sponsoring and helping with the program. Thanks to Mike Simons and Remax for their continuing support. We also had help collecting donations from Milagro Management and Rentals.
A special thanks to Kimberley Wray and her group from Canada that contributed so much to the backpack program. 62 backpacks were given to poor children yesterday. They were all so happy to receive their school supplies, shoes and uniforms in their backpacks.
God bless you all for your support.
Sincerely,
Gary Lindquist
Sardinal Backpack coordinator

http://www.costarican-american-connection.com/Featured_Listings/page_2527088.html

I look forward to hearing from you! May the Sun Shine on you no matter where you are!!

“Pura Vida” Pure Life Baby!!

Playa Hermosa Guanacaste, Looking for a Property Christmas / New Year’s Week

Joseph A. Emanuelli — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 18:45:00 GMT

Happy Holidays again from Playa Hermosa, Guanacaste!

Yesterday I had some prospective clients in the car that called from the Hilton Hotel in Playa Panama that wanted to see some properties; the hotel is just 5 minutes from Hermosa. It was there third time to Costa Rica and first time to Guanacaste. Once they had spent a week here they realized that this is the area that they liked most so far in Costa Rica and wanted to see some homes for sale. As we meet in the lobby of the hotel I had to be totally honest with them that I was only going to be able to show them two homes in the area in their price range. The look on their face was one of disappointment and confusion. I explained to them this week is the highest of high weeks in the dry season for visitors. Almost every home in the area either has the owner in it or is rented out to vacationers. So we proceeded to drive around town and looked at the only 2 houses I could get in, the reason they were not rented is because they are new and have no furniture in them.

During Christmas week many North American come to this part of the country for the warm weather, sunshine and great beaches. The real influxes of visitors are the local Ticos from the central valley of Costa Rica. Most of the country, the government is the largest employer in the country, shuts down from the 3^rd week of December and reopens the late part of the first week of January. So thousands of people are on vacation and the beaches of Guanacaste are the place to be. The crowds start to arrive on the 26^th and continue coming up to New Year’s Eve. Then they all leave on New Year’s Day and Playa Hermosa is nice and calm again.

Normally in Playa Hermosa a traffic jam consists of 2 cars in front of you and possibly and a cow that got out of its pen. Not this week! Just trying to get to the office today from my home, and it is less than 1 mile away and usually takes less than 5 minutes, took almost 20 minutes. I had to wait to pull out of the development on the main road as there was heavy traffic. Since most of the vacationers are from Costa Rica they drive here from other parts of the country. The good thing is the police have been out in full force making sure people drive safely and do not do stupid things. They set up shop in front of the grocery store in Hermosa, Super Luperon, to make sure the traffic flows and no accidents happen.

Pam and I early this morning decided to take a walk with the dogs to the beach, big mistake to bring the dogs as they think they are the social butterflies of Hermosa. At 7:00 am the beach already had lots of people enjoying the soft sand and gentle waves. Families had set up shop to spend the whole day there. BBQ grills were already going and the smell of grilling sausage and pan seared tortillas was making me and the dogs hungry, especially Lipton the black lab. So Pam and I walked along the beach with the 4 fur children and some people just parted the way as we came by. (Most ticos are intimidated by big dogs) Normally at this hour of the morning, other than Christmas week, if you see 20 people on the beach it is a lot. Now some people would say “I don’t want to be anywhere near this craziness” well it really is not crazy, there is no loud music playing no hot heads looking for trouble no roaming gangs of thugs, just good old fashion families enjoying themselves on the beach. Some of the local expats that live here full time complain about this week and say well I guess I will go on vacation somewhere else so as not to deal with it. I say to them GO and don’t come back! If this week was about screaming drunks and fights and vandalism I would agree with them but it is not it is just people having a good time and what is wrong with that. This is a great time to really see the culture of Costa Rica and the way the local interact, play and have a good time.

My prospects were very impressed with the area and immediately realized that this would be a great place to buy as they would not have an issue of renting out their new home. Now if you owned a home or condo here in Playa Hermosa and the surrounding towns, Christmas week is the best week to rent out your property for the biggest returns. This will be the subject of my next post. Stay tuned hope you come back.

http://www.costarican-american-connection.com/Featured_Listings/page_2527088.html

I look forward to hearing from you! May the Sun Shine on you no matter where you are!!

“Pura Vida” Pure Life Baby!!

Playa Hermosa, Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Weekly Weather for Playa Hermosa Monday Dec. 3-9, 2012

Joseph A. Emanuelli — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 17:12:00 GMT

Good Day from Playa Hermosa Guanacaste,

Last week I wrote how Mother Nature a monkey out of me as she tends to do to most people that want to report about weather. So since I started this I have to continue, just hope it does not turn into a barrel of monkeys.

The weather has been just perfect. The afternoon highs have been in the high 80’s and the morning lows in the low 70’s. The humidity has been relative low for being in the tropics with average daily percentages around the mid 40’s.

This coming week will be the same with afternoon high temperatures reaching 89^OF / 31^OC with mostly sunny skies. The Papagayo winds should start to pick up a bit and be here earlier this year. What Are the Papagayo Winds you ask? Well if you have spent any time in the Guanacaste region of Costa Rica from December to mid-March you have experienced them and may not have known what the cause was for the winds. So I here is an explanation taken from Wikipedia, it is a bit technical but gets the message across. Click the links for below for more information as well.

The Papagayo wind is a north to northeasterly wind which periodically blows through the gap in the mountain ranges of Central America in which Lake Nicaragua is located. It is named for the Gulf of Papagayo on the Pacific coast in this region. The wind is stronger than the trade winds which normally blow here. It is notable for causing a pronounced increase in upwelling of cooler, nutrient-rich waters on the Pacific coast which in turn supports an abundance of sea life. The wind and upwelling are together referred to as a Papagayo event.

The Papagayo is caused by a surge of cooler, drier air originating from the North American continent. Such surges are more common in the winter, but may occur at other times of the year as well. This air is denser than the tropical air mass normally present in the region, thus a strong pressure gradient is established which induces the wind. The wind is further accelerated by the funneling effect of the mountain gap between the Caribbean and the Pacific coastlines. The same conditions are the cause of the Tehuano wind in southern Mexico and the Panama wind to the south.

To put it easier terms, Winds come from the east get compressed between the mountains and shoot out stronger across Guanacaste towards the pacific coast. These winds are great for sailing, kite surfing and wind surfing, but you better be experience because they can be really strong as they can produce gusts upwards of 60 knots. The strongest Papagayo winds usually happened in late February and early March. These winds make it really pleasant here and knock the humidity down very low so it is very enjoyable to be outside doing all sorts of activities. This time of year also corresponds to what locals call the High Season; this is when most vacationers and snow birds arrive from northerly regions to warm up, take in the sun and have just a great time.

Join them you will not be sorry!

http://www.costarican-american-connection.com/Featured_Listings/page_2527088.html

I look forward to hearing from you! May the Sun Shine on you no matter where you are!!

“Pura Vida” Pure Life Baby!!

Playa Hermosa, Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Information you can use! December 1, 2012

Joseph A. Emanuelli — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 20:26:00 GMT

Hello from sunny Playa Hermosa, Guanacaste Costa Rica, Every month, I scour the English and Spanish local newspapers for information that I feel is important for potential prospects, retirees and vacationers to know about. I write about the good and the...(read more)

Guanacaste Costa Rica, Playa Hermosa, Florida is not that warm anymore!! and Weekly Weather for Nov. 26 to Dec. 2, 2012

Joseph A. Emanuelli — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 12:50:00 GMT

Hello from Playa Hermosa, Sunny Playa Hermosa. Last week I had written that instead of doing the weather daily I would do it for the week. The first reason is it is officially the dry season and the weather is basically going to be the same for the next 5 months with very little variance except for the maybe the afternoon high temperatures. The second reason is now that the high season is here I am much busier with clients looking to get their piece of paradise. It really amazes me how many people really want to have a second home in the tropics. You see Florida is really not that warm any more in the winter. I had some client leave just this weekend, they live full time in the Ft. Myers area, that placed an offer on a beautiful valley and mountain view lot that also has view in the distance of volcanos. To top it off it even has a partial ocean view. I sent them a note to let them know the negotiations were going well and the seller was willing to sell the lot at. I received a note from them on Saturday when they got back and here is what he had to say “Joseph, It's 6:53pm here and we just walked in the door, a cool evening with forecast temperatures down in the mid 40F's. Way too cool for my liking so your news is well received!!!!”.

Mid 40’s, holly cow I would freeze my “you know what” off. If it gets below 65 here and it does sometimes, I have to put on long pants as after living here for 5 years, that’s too cool for me. So if you are really looking for beautiful warm and dry place get away from the cold winter of North America. This is the place to be. Join me won’t you! Especially this time of year thru February as it is the best weather in all year long in my opinion.

Weather for the Week

The Morning low temperatures will be in the low 70’s F / low 20’s C with the humidity starting every day in the mid 60% range and dropping to the mid-30% range. The Afternoon high temperatures will be in the mid to high 80’s F / low 30’s C. There will be some light clouds passing thru and no rain.

As Always, thanks for stopping by my blog spot. I hope you enjoy some of my rants and craziness, if you want to make a comment just send me an email to jaaechef@gmail.com this is my personal address. If you have an interest in or are just curious about Costa Rica and the possibility of owning your own piece of Paradise just click this link and have a look around www.costarica-american-connection.com

I look forward to hearing from you! May the Sun Shine on you no matter where you are!!

“Pura Vida” Pure Life Baby!!

Guanacaste Costa Rica, Playa Hermosa, Happy Thanksgiving from the Tropics and Weather for November 22, 2012

Joseph A. Emanuelli — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 13:36:00 GMT

Happy Thanksgiving from Playa Hermosa, Guanacaste. I have to be honest with you, and apologize, being an American, I know the US holidays, at least the major ones but I also have a lot of Canadian and European friends and clients and I missed the Canadian Thanksgiving back in October. If I were to make a map of all the people I know from all over the world it would be pretty impressive, at least to me. So trying to remember every holiday is just too much.

Here in Costa Rica, there seems to be a national holiday almost every month, from mother’s day to cultural day to children’s day to Guanacaste day and the list goes on and on. The people of Costa Rica love to celebrate anything, it is a great excuse and reason for family to get together share good times whether they are very rich or from meager roots. The basis of a family unit holds a strong place in the culture of Costa Rica. A great example of this is one day I took my secretary, Yorleny, out to lunch in Playa del Coco, I told her pick any restaurant you want as it is my treat for all she does for me. So she said she wanted to be by the beach and have an ocean view and we ended up in Claudio and Gloria’s, a very nice restaurant. As we were seated Yorleny says a big hello to the waiter like she knew him and she did, he was a distant cousin. We ordered some drinks and the waited turned out to be another cousin and the greeting was as big as the first one. This must have happened at least 5 more times while we had lunch. Other diners, people walking on the beach, Yorleny waved at them said hello and new them all. I asked her, “how big is your family”, she said “ well My grandmother is from Coco along with her sisters and have been here for over 60 years and to be honest with you I must have at least over 100 cousins and aunts and uncles” I was really impressed! She said the only real time they all get together is when there is a funeral, than there is a big party afterwards to celebrate the life of the deceased. She said “we give thanks to God for allowing that person to be part of our lives even if we really did not like them” we had a good laugh at that a bit.

This just goes to show some of the endearing aspect of the Costa Rica culture, that I have come to love and am glad to be a part of. So today no matter what the holiday is or is not or where you are, maybe stop for a second and give thanks, no matter what your religion or beliefs are, for the things that have made you and your life just a little bit better. I am thankful to have a wonderful loving wife and parents that I cherish and love and the opportunity to live is such a warm inviting culture!

Have a great day no matter where you are!!!!

Yesterday, Wednesday, November 21, 2012 Recap---- Yes, yes and yes, right on all counts nothing more to say!

The Morning low temperature was 74^OF / 23^OC under mostly cloudy skies with a 78% humidity level. The Afternoon high will be 86^OF / 30^OC with partly cloudy skies and the humidity should stay in the mid 60%-70% with the cloud cover.

Today, Thursday, November 22, 2012

The morning low temperature was 72^OF / 22^OC under light cloud cover with a relative humidity of 87%. The day should be partly cloudy most of the day with the sun breaking out from time to time. The Afternoon high temperature will be 87^OF / 30^OC and the humidity will stay high if the clouds really linger.

I look forward to hearing from you! May the Sun Shine on you no matter where you are!!

“Pura Vida” Pure Life Baby!!

Guanacaste Costa Rica, Playa Hermosa, a US Style Thanksgiving in the Tropics and Weather for November 21, 2012

Joseph A. Emanuelli — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 12:53:00 GMT

Hello from Playa Hermosa! Well I missed yesterday’s blog as I had a couple sets of prospects looking to purchase their piece of paradise and had to out and on the road by 6:30 AM. So since there are more people starting to come to the area for vacation and Thanksgiving, I will start on Monday doing the weather for as a weekly forecast instead of daily. Reason being it will be basically the same every day for the next 3 month.

Now back to Thanksgiving. Pam and I, prior to relocating here for good spent 7 Thanksgivings in row in Costa Rica. It just worked out better with the long US weekend of 4 days and tacked on a few extra days, it made for a great week vacation. Beside the weather at this time of the year is spectacular. Every year we made sure that we avoided any of the “Special Holiday Offerings” from some of the local restaurant. We did not come to Costa Rica to eat turkey. Besides being a retired chef I have cooked enough turkeys to last me a life time. Yesterday when I was out with clients they asked me “So where or how do you celebrate the US thanksgiving holiday” I informed them that many restaurant do the traditional turkey dinner, but is you want to cook your own you can find everything you need to pull it off. So we went to the grocery store over to the freezer section and lo and behold there were big fat Butter Ball brand turkeys in one section. My client was ecstatic, until she looked at the price and made a funny face (I guess she was trying to make the colon to dollar conversion) She turned to me and said “ this turkey is $89 dollars” I took a look and said” You are 100% correct” I thought she was going to give birth to a turkey. She just could not believe it. So I had to explain to her that being a US brand and being frozen, that the transportation costs to keep that big bird frozen is all the way down here from the US or even Canada, is not cheap. For food safety reasons that thing needs to froze solid, hence the cost.

“Well” she said “I guess it is burgers for us next year” Then I explained to her that once you spend more time here and get to know the area, there is actually a really good butcher in Liberia, named Obando, and you can go in a week before Thanksgiving and order a fresh killed turkey. The best part is the price. An 18 pounder will run about $46 US. And the reality is, it is a better tasking product. Now of course you have to know who to cook. Those big brands up north are pumped with all sorts of tenderizers and fake butter flavor for the ones that always over cook the bird, this helps them stay moist. For all the other trimming, as in yams, stuffing or dressing (however you like to call it, it is basically the same thing) cranberry sauce, pumpkins fresh and can pumpkin for making pies and all the other trimmings, you can find them in the AutoMacardo and the Louperon in Playa del Coco. Hell you can even buy a pre-made pumpkin or pecan pie in the freezer sections.

So if you love to have your typical Thanksgiving feast, and you are in your own home or condo in Costa Rica, fret not, you can get everything you need to pull it off. Me, I am having grilled red snapper with a pecan crust and citrus butter sauce! See I have a touch of the tradition in there, I am using pecans.

Yesterday, Tuesday, November 20, 2012 Recap of Yesterday’s weather--- Just beautiful, mostly sunny high temperature of 88^OF with a average humidity of 56%. NON RAIN It is sover.

Today, Wednesday, November 21, 2012

I look forward to hearing from you! May the Sun Shine on you no matter where you are!!

“Pura Vida” Pure Life Baby!!

Playa Hermosa, Guanacaste Costa Rica. Another chain Restaurant! And Weather for November 19, 2012

Joseph A. Emanuelli — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 14:05:00 GMT

Hello from Playa Hermosa. This morning I was just sitting back drinking my first cup of lovely locally grown CR coffee and started reading the local on-line paper. I came across this article and had to write about it. “Carl's Jr. to open five new restaurants in Costa Rica in 2013”

One of the things that made Costa Rica so endearing to me was that there were not a lot of the typical fast food restaurants in the country, like in the North America, when I came here for the first time almost 10 years ago. Yes there are some local brands like Pollo Crispy or Rosti Pollo and a few others. The Only place where you could find a McDonalds or a Burger King was in San Jose and at the mall. Now they are starting to pop up all over the country and the gamut of different style of fast food restaurant as well from Pizza Hut to Star Bucks to now Carl’s Jr. Star Bucks. Can you believe it a country that grows some of the best coffee in the world and now Star Bucks is opening up everywhere charging exorbitant prices for, in my opinion, so so coffee, sure steam some milk make a pretty design in the foam and BAM !! Here comes the price $$$. All for a cup of coffee! Give me a Break I will just keep drinking the brand from the grocery store 1820. It is a good well rounded cup of coffee.

I am happy to say that at least in Playa Hermosa and the surrounding towns we do not have the US based fast food chains, ( well I have to clarify that, just 1) if I wanted that I would have stayed in Arkansas. I love the idea of going to a local SODA, the name for a traditional Costa Rica restaurant. The food is not fancy but down to earth fresh and a great price. Yes once in a while and it is not very often, I get a craving for a Burger King Whopper, but to be honest with you it fades pretty fast, when I can get a great burger at Beach Bums in Coco right on the beach. If you come to this area and have to have Micky D’s then you can get in the car and drive to the main intersection in Liberia where rout 21 and the Inter Americana highway meet and there you will find it along with Burger King, Churches Fried Chicken and I think there is even a Cinnabon as well.

The only US based fast food chain you will find in this area is Subway, but let me tell you this “You are not going to get a foot long for $5.00 here” Forget about it, a foot long will run you close to double that.

Remember if you are coming to Costa Rica, Come for Costa Rica, enjoy all the beauty that nature has to offer and the culture that is really special! Trust me you can live without fast food! Even if it just for a week.

Yesterday, Sunday, November 18, 2012 Recap---- I do not know what to say. It was just a great day yesterday The Afternoon Temperature reach 87^OF /30^OC there was hardly a cloud in the sky and the humidity dropped to as low as 42%

The morning low was 70^OF / 21^OC under clear skies with a humidity level of 52%. The afternoon highs should be close to 88^OF / 31^OC with clear skies and abundant sunshine. The afternoon humidity could drop as low as 30% as there is a light breeze from the east. Until we get into the end of December there is always a chance of a pop up shower but today I highly doubt it.

Today, Monday, November 19, 2012

This is going to be easy!! The Morning low was 72^OF / 22^OC under crystal clear skies with a light breeze. The Morning Humidity level was 64%. The afternoon high will 88^OF / 31^OC with tones of sunshine and the humidity should continue to drop as the day goes on.

I look forward to hearing from you! May the Sun Shine on you no matter where you are!!

“Pura Vida” Pure Life Baby!!