Welcome to Mytanfeet!
We’re Yeison and Samantha. We’re on a quest to take our tan feet around the world and we’re here to show you how. But first, let’s go back to how we started Mytanfeet. It’s a fun story and most people love hearing how we met!
Samantha’s side
When I was in college, I went through the many stages of a typical American college student.
What did I want to major in? What am I going to do after graduation? Grad school costs how much again?!
I flip-flopped between medical school, optometry school and nursing but couldn’t decide. I just didn’t feel passion for any of them. Sure they all sounded cool and medical school automatically came with a lot of glitz and glam but it wasn’t something I could imagine myself doing for the rest of my life.
Something big happened my junior year that changed my perspective and I thought, You know what? I’m going to go on a track that I want to do, not what other people want me to do.
I’ve always loved animals so when my pre-vet friends encouraged me to sign up for a volunteer trip in Central America with my school, University of Washington (go Huskies!), I didn’t hesitate one bit. I hadn’t traveled since I was 18 and since studying abroad didn’t work out, this seemed like the perfect opportunity.
Little did I know that this trip would change my life forever, in ways that I never even thought of.
Yeison’s side
I always dreamed of going to new places but never had the chance as a Costa Rican. It’s tough for us to get a US visa, an average salary is $800 a month and I always thought traveling was something impossible, financially. Working two jobs and going to school didn’t leave much time for even traveling within my own country.
After working years in sportsbook, an opportunity came in my late 20’s to travel within Costa Rica and Central America. I took this chance to make a different life for myself, to see what else is out there in the world and gain a new perspective.
I knew there had to be something else in life besides work, a cubicle and paying bills.
I joined an organization that brought volunteers from around the world to Central America so not only did I get to meet a lot of people, I got to travel.
I was able to travel within Costa Rica, my country and visit my neighbors: Panama, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala. I discovered that travel was something I loved and wanted to keep doing. It was my fuel and fire.
Then I went on one volunteer trip that introduced me to someone who would change my life completely.
You can probably imagine what happened next. We met, fell in love and had a whirlwind romance but Samantha had to fly back to the States to finish college. Two years of long distance later, she moved to Costa Rica and we started a new life together in a small beach town on the Pacific Coast called Playas del Coco.
We first started Mytanfeet as a fun way to share the new adventure we’ve embarked on and it turned out to be much more than that. We’ve blogged about our life at the beach, traveling around Costa Rica traveling traveling around Central America and to other countries on the other side of the world.
Samantha shares her personal experiences as an expat in Costa Rica, Yeison shares what it’s like to travel from a Tico perspective. Together, we share what it’s like to explore the world as a multi-cultural couple seeking out the best travel experiences.
Travel is the foundation of our relationship and holds us together. Without it, we wouldn’t be where we are now!
Ever since then, we’ve been on a quest for adventure. Both of us are adventure junkies. The bigger the thrill, the better. That’s probably why we are so compatible! Both of us are a little crazy, love spontaneity and crave adventure.
We enjoy experiencing something new, something foreign. We love that feeling of being in a place you don’t know anything about, it sparks something inside us that we can’t get enough of.
That is our kind of adventure travel. Putting ourselves a little bit outside of our comfort zone and venturing into the unknown. Discovering the beauty behind every place we go. Seeing something we’ve only ever seen in pictures with our own eyes for the first time.
If you’ve ever wanted to visit all those places you see in the movies and go on adventures in far off countries but don’t know how, we can show you. We know what it’s like to experience serious wanderlust and have that yearning feeling inside you. For many people, travel is a part of us. A part that we can’t let go of, that we don’t want to let go of and all we can do is fulfill our travel dreams.
Through our blog, we’ve managed to live a “digital nomad lifestyle” meaning we are able to work anywhere in the world, as long as we have Wi-Fi and our computers. Blogging has given us the freedom to go where we want, work when we want and live wherever we want. We’re following our dream of living the “dot com lifestyle” by traveling the world and soaking in as much adventure, culture, food and local experiences as we can.
We hope to inspire you, motivate you and get you excited about traveling through our stories. Not only that, we want to help you plan the perfect trip by giving you our personal opinions and best tips on how to have an exciting, adventurous and authentic experience. Our main focus is travel in Costa Rica, but we hope to inspire you to go wherever you’ve always wanted to and see the world.
We aren’t millionaires but we live a rich life full of adventure, fun and freedom.
First time here? Get started with these posts
Costa Rica
Costa Rica Travel Resource Guide
Costa Rica Through the Eyes of a Costa Rican
Expat Life
Things I had to get used to living in Costa Rica
Lessons learned as a 2 year expat in Costa Rica
5 Things that surprised me about living in Costa Rica
Travel Stories
How Travel Sparked My Passion for Photography
Getting a US visa as a Costa Rican
How travel made me more confident
Country Expenses Wrap Up
17 Day South Korea Expenses Wrap Up
1 Week Malaysia Expenses Wrap Up
Travel Freedom
How we got $30,000 in our first year of travel blogging
Our monthly blogging statistics and income report
You can stay updated on all our adventures by signing up to our email list below or following us on our Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
For advertisers or businesses, you can check our Work with us page to learn more.
The Short Version of How We Met
I love your blog. I am a 73 yr. old traveler. Love seeing animal,birds,new people and places. Wish I would have had your spirit of adventure years ago. Found your site looking for places I can see sloths. Love your story and how you are thoroughly living life. I also bird watch and wow what gorgeous birds in Costa Rico. I travel alone(can’t find others to come with me) and want to find a good tour for people in my age group but I don’t want to spend a fortune, any suggestions?
Look forward to following your adventurous journeys.
Hi Helen, thanks for reading our blog and glad it’s helpful : ) For tours, we have gone with Costa Rica Monkey Tours before and they have several pre-set tours and they have some good deals, they have a couple on Groupon that’s good value.
Hi Sammi,
Thank you for your blog . I’ve been visiting some ex-pat websites for CR and they’re ummm not good . They don’t reveal what I’m seeking. We are still youngish and want to retire in CR. We visited Guanacaste and stayed at Casa Conde. We traveled with Tico’s and we want to escape a life of materialism , war, politics here in New York. I couldn’t find cost of rentals and couldn’t find real ex- pat life. I’m told Pura Vida life can be lived at 1,500 US dollars per month realistically ( commensurate to living on Long Island) is this true ? I grew up in NYC so I don’t want to live in a city – or on the beach. It’s nature and all things natural that I love. I don’t want to live to isolated as a gringa, as one quote said, ” this ex pat website makes you want to live under the bed with a gun.” Guanacaste didn’t strike me like that and I wasn’t sure what ex Pat community they spoke of. We would like to feel security as we live in a village now and it is one of the safest places to live . Can you guide us in our dream to live in beauty and peace in CR. I love the U.S. but I relate better with the CR mindfulness and nature. Any pointers? You are probably half my age but I relate completely . My dream is to practice healing arts through botany and the Solar Body Method. Maybe I will begin helping others heal naturally. That’s the dream.
Hi Danielle! I came accross this blog by coincidence. I’m Costa Rican living abroad. I recommend to research a few places in Guanacaste (Bagaces, Fortuna, Guayabo) those are little villages that are not so touristy, with basic services around and close to nature. You can also try the vecinity to Rio Celeste and Volcan Tenorio (Bijagua, Rio Naranjo). I have extended family in their 50s that moved there from abroad and seem happy. Also Ive seen Nuevo Arenal looks nice. Other bigger towns you might like are Atenas, San Rafael de Heredia, Coronado.
Hope it is useful 🙂
Hello! Fellow UW Husky here! Woof Woof!! lol…
Very glad that I stumbled into your blog today. I love your love story!
I had visited Playa del Coco in 2015, joined a friend last minute – stayed in Pacifico for just 4 days. Didn’t have time to research then. I’m planning a return trip later this year, so planning better now. I will like to buy a vacation condo. I really loved Pacifico, but it’s way above my budget. Any recommendations of condos that are as nice/safe or a bit comparable to Pacifico that cost less? Thanks in advance!
Hi Zoe, hello fellow Husky! 🙂 Glad to see you here on the blog! The other popular condo complex in Playas del Coco is called Las Palmas. It’s not as fancy or luxury as Pacifico but a ton of foreigners live there or bought a vacation condo there as it’s a 2 minute walk to the beach, secure and each complex has its own pool, parking lot and laundry and easy to meet other foreigners since that’s where most of them are. We used to live there when we were in Coco. They aren’t super cheap for how big they are (most are around 70 meters squared) and can go around $90k. Some of them are a bit bigger and go more than $100k which is kinda ridiculous in my opinion but Coco is very expensive due to all the retirees. We have one friend who bought an empty kinda run down one for around $60k and he fixed it all up and bought new furniture so that is an option too.
What a wonderful resource you two provide – thank you! We’re well beyond our adventure days (for now at least) — with 2 small children and school calendars to mind, but the wanderlust never left us. We are taking our children to see Taiwan; your website has been so helpful. Best of luck to you and keep up the good work! — Sally
Hi Sally, glad the website is helpful and have an awesome time in Taiwan!! I was just there 😀
You two are so darn cute. I am traveling to Costa Rica in a month for the first time with my kids and mom. Staying in Playa Hermosa but plan to visit Playas del Coco a few times while there. Looking forward to using your blog as a resource!
Thanks for reading Michelle and glad you enjoy the blog!
Hello Samantha and Yeison,
It’s a joy reading your story and how you guys met and fell in love. Continue sharing your travels and stories. More power to you both!
xx,
Lala
Thank you Lala!
Hello,
Adobe car rental does not have a 6pp rental available for March 23-31. picking up at Liberia airport.
Is there another car rental you’d recommend?
thanks so much! BTW- your blog is amazing. I am using all of your reccomendations to plan our trip.
Best,
Joanne
Hello Joanne,
Thank you so much for the nice words, we have a great solution for you please check your email in 10 minutes 🙂
I can’t believe I just found your site now – 8 days before leaving for Costa Rica. I have a LOT to read now in a short time, haha. It seems very helpful already and fun. Thanks for sharing your stories, tipps and infos! 🙂
Hi Sabrina! Nice to see you here and hope you find the blog useful. Have a great time in Costa RIca!
A big Thank YOU! We just returned from our 2-week vacation in Costa Rica! And you both made it very special – starting with the rental car recommendation – the folks at Adobe were amazing, straight forward and no up sale! Highly recommend them. We also took your advice and re-ordered the sun screen, bug spray and towels all very useful. With your help we adventured beyond our home base in Playa Grande (lovely beaches – I counted at least 12 we visited in the area). We ventured out and stayed at Arenal Lodge Observatory for 2 days and saw the volcano the entire time! Their trailers are amazing and toured high bridges in the rain forest! Also went to Ricon deLa Veija per your experience and did the zipline/Tarzan swing/rock climb – you guided us through it all! THANK YOU – we will be back!
John & Cordelia
Hi John and Cordelia,
Aww we are so happy you guys had an amazing time! That’s exactly why we work so hard on the blog 🙂 You guys did some awesome stuff and we’re glad you had a lot of fun! Thank you so much for reading our blog and for the kind words, we really appreciate it! 🙂
HI Damien, thanks for reading our blog and glad you found it helpful. July is not too bad for rainy season, it isn’t the peak month yet but it is possible to run into rain especially in the Arenal/Monteverde area. You can definitely do that itinerary and since you’ll be staying 4-5 nights in each place, you’ll have plenty of time to enjoy the destination. The driving times are a bit long but a lot of people drive them in one day, Manuel Antonio to Monteverde is around 3-4 hours, MOnteverde to Arenal is around 3 hours and Arenal to the Pacific Coast (say Gulf of Papagayo) is 3.5 hours and then Guanacaste to San Jose is around 4. You could also fly out of Liberia since you’ll be way closer to there.
We have a partnership with a Costa Rican car rental company here and offer our readers great discounts and benefits you can check out here: Costa Rica car rental discount
Have fun on your honeymoon and congratulations on getting married! I’m sure you guys will love Costa Rica
I stumbled upon your site and have found it to be very helpful! I’m planning our honeymoon for this coming summer…we are both well-traveled, but it will be our first time in Costa Rica. We’ll be there for a couple weeks in July, which I understand is the rainy season, but I guess things will be extra green, and hopefully we’ll still get some sunshine 🙂 We are open to suggestions, but right now we are thinking of staying the first couple days in San Jose, then renting a car for the remainder of our trip and driving down to Manuel Antonio for a couple days, followed by 4-5 nights around the Monteverde/Arenal area, and then 4-5 nights near the Pacific coast, before heading back to San Jose for our departure flight. We’ve been looking at rental properties on Tripadvisor. Does this look like a pretty good plan for first-time visitors? You two seem like you’re living the dream and we would be happy to chat over a drink or a meal if you happen to be in the same area as we are during our trip! We would love to learn about some hidden gems and just to meet some nice people during our stay. Thanks in advance for any advice you have!
Hi Anne, yes you can rent a car from the airport right when you land. The travel time from Liberia to Las Mareas according to Google Maps is about 1.5 hours and the GPS is good, the route to the Mareas isn’t too difficult and you can switch the language to English. You can check out the discount we have with Adobe here: Costa Rica car rental discount
You make a lovely couple.
So, Finally what did you major in?
Thanks Anand, I ended up majoring in biology
Hi guys,
Thanks so much for all the great information. My family and I are arriving on Dec 31/16. We have friends that live in Panama and just wondering what the best way would be to travel into Panama….would it be ok to rent a car or would you recommend a different way?
Thank you
Kim
Hello, I would recommend you to either flight or take the bus, you can’t cross borders with car rentals.
I’ve been a regular reader of your blog since I discover it at Matthew Woodward’s personal marketing blog. You guys are still pushing high-quality content. I’m a big fan. Keep it up!
Thank you James! We work hard to keep the quality up 🙂
Hi, It’s kind of along drive and all depends if you find any traffic, usually it takes around 4 to 5 hours. The dreams Las Mareas resort is there, if you are thinking about renting a car you can check our deals here: Costa Rica car rental discount
We are traveling to the Dreams Las Mareas on Thursday..I need some warm and sun!! We want to rent a car at the airport…why pay for transfers, right? What do you think the travel time is from Liberia to Las Mareas? Is the gps from the adobe rental company up to date? can we switch the language to English? This blog is wonderful!! We cannot wait to experience Costa Rica..
Hello! AWESOME website, thank you for taking the time to chronicle your exploits. 🙂 So a friend and I are traveling to a resort near El Jobo Beach and sadly purchased flights into San Jose. We’re trying to decide between renting a vehicle or taking the resort’s suggested shuttle. I read some travel time estimates but they were dated a while back. As of 2016, what is the travel time via car between San Jose and El Jobo?
Thanks super much in advance and keep having fun!!! 🙂
Do you think it’s possible to find a local to drive us around Arenal for a day?
I recommend hiring a driver from a tour/transportation company, all the drivers are Costa Ricans and they’ll have insurance.
Haven’t seen much of your website yet but just wanted to let you know: What a great and inspiring story Sam and Yeiso! One day, you had the feeling something needed to change, and you followed it. It needs courage and persistence. Respect! I’ll be happy to read on.
All the best,
Robert
Thank you Robert!
Sammi I understand completely about your being unable to decide about med-school, optometry school or nursing school. I spent most of my time trying to figure out how I could graduate as an undeclared major. That not being possible went for the one that didn’t require any math.
You sound like a great couple and I wish you the very best
Gregg
It is difficult especially when you don’t feel particularly passionate towards one over another. And yes, that is hard since they all require math! Thanks for reading Gregg 🙂
Hi Karla! We have, here is our guide: Catarata Llanos de Cortes (and how funny we were just there yesterday and you saw the post on FB!) We always go on our own because it’s the best way to visit and have it all to yourself! If you go on a tour they’ll go around mid morning when ALL the other tours stop by there and everyone else does too.
Hi! I am so excited to read through your site and all about your story. Thank you for your details about driving in Costa Rica. I will be traveling in late August with family and we hope to rent a car and get away. I’ve downloaded your free ebook and hope to book a car through Adobe! SO EXCITED. Have you been to llantos de cortez? If so have you gone on your own?
Hi Julio,
Honestly, that is a pretty tight itinerary for 10 days. The drive to each destination takes at least 4 hours and the drive from La Fortuna to Jaco is about 5-6. Are you planning on taking the ferry to Tambor from Puntarenas? That will save you a ton of time to get from Manuel Antonio to the Montezuma area. The drive from Montezuma to Tamarindo area is really long too, anywhere from 6-8 hours depending on which route you take. I did a similar itinerary with my brother except we went to Monteverde, Arenal, Santa Teresa/Mal Pais and Playas del Coco, spending around 3 days in each place because the drive to every destination was so long. You can take a look here: 2 week Costa Rica itinerary
Not saying that it’s impossible, but it will be tight and you won’t get to see/experience as much because you’ll be driving a ton. You can probably only spend no more than 2 days in a destination including travel days if you want to go to all those places.
As for driving, you won’t necessarily need a 4X4, but the roads around Montezuma and Santa Teresa aren’t the best and it’s not paved for some of the way from the Nicoya peninsula to Liberia area. The road to Monteverde is also not paved, and it’d be a lot more comfortable in a SUV.
As for rates, February is still high season and Semana Santa isn’t until end of March so you will at least avoid the peak season rates and crowds. It’s pretty crowded and busy in February so you’ll run into people in all those destinations since they are the touristic places in Costa Rica. Also, only the Limon area has a big Carnaval festival, here in Costa Rica they celebrate “Semana Santa” which is Easter week.
As for cars, it wouldn’t matter if you got a big or small car because it is really easy to spot a rental car (they all have rental car stickers and generally all companies use the same models). Make sure never to leave any valuables in the open of your car, try not to leave any if it can’t be helped.
Hi Sammi,
I ran into your page/blog and I’m really glad I did, found really good information specially around renting a car.
My wife and I are traveling to CR for the first time, we are flying from SEA to LIR on Feb 5 and plan to stay there for 10 days returning on Tuesday Feb 16. Our idea is to visit the essential CR sites, starting with the Monteverde , then up to Arenal and la Fortuna, then down to Puntarenas o Jaco to follow the coast line down to Manuel Antonio, then back up the coast to Guanacaste starting at Montezuma and up the peninsula to Tamarindo before returning to Liberia. What do you think about this itinerary? Will we need a 4X4? I know is high season and we are arriving before Carnaval, but after Fat Tuesday will rates and crowds go down at parks and hotels? We heard there are a lot of car thefts and thieves know a car rental, if we pick a small car would it be easier to blend in? We speak Spanish and would be easier to find our way around, but we are not Ticos, so we are trying to be wise and not fall or make foolish mistakes. Thanks for your time and support.
Y’all have such a cool story! What an exciting way to live! I was actually just in Costa Rica last year and it was AMAZING there are so many “untouched places” and then some really cool touristy stuff too! If you are ever down near Uvita, Costa Rica my cousin(Steve young) and his wife just started a resort there…you should check it out! There always looking to make new connections and meet fellow adventurers. Below is the link to there website. They have a fantastic set up on the top of a mountain and a great view over Rio Uvita. I might be a little biased but it was an fantastic experience!
http://www.manoas.com/
Keep up the good work and Pura Vida!
Hey Jordan! Thanks for the kind words. You know, I was just looking at places in Uvita to visit in January so this is perfect. Their resort looks beautiful! I’ll give them a shout. Glad you enjoyed Costa Rica and pura vida!
Good to read all the stuff you provided on your website. I’ve always dreamt of living a life like you live, travelling around the world, meeting new people, sharing experiences and moreover living life at fullest. I really wanna know how to be like you.
Hi Yogesh! It is definitely possible, the Internet has so many opportunities now. It’s just a matter of finding something you’re good at and making it work for you. Working online has allowed us to do exactly that – move around, work on our own schedule, meet new people. It’s been great and it is definitely possible! You can take a look at Yeison’s internet marketing blog which has more details of how we monetize our blog to sustain our lifestyle: http://yeisonkim.com/
Good luck!
Hi guys, just found your site as myself and my partner are off to malaysia / vietnam / new zealand in sept/oct this year!!
I love your story and your site!! I have just started an internet business and at the beginning of creating my own digital lifestyle journey and you are such an inspiration to me already!
Thank you so much for supporting the fact that we don’t need 9-5 jobs 🙂 Its taken me til I am 42 to believe this fact!!
Much love, and take care
love Trace xxxxxx
Hi Tracy!
Wow what a trip. That sounds amazing, I’m sure you guys will have a fabulous time. NZ is my dream country 😀
I think you can be any age and succeed in having an online business, all you need to do is believe you can do it, work hard and success will come!
Good luck with your trip and with your internet business!
If you are ever in Costa Rica, feel free to give us a shout 🙂
OMG, I love your story. One, it’s adorable and Two, it is so much like how I met my husband. I was going thru a similar process as you but at a different stage of life…and on a fabulous trip to Costa Rica, I met my “lobster”! Everyone knew we were destined to be even before we did. It was magic. So cheers to you both! Finding love the way we have is amazing and rare, hold on to it and each other!
Really hope we meet personally some day!
Pura Vida
Zene Randall Morales
Owner, Cristal Azul Retreat & LocosCocos Marisqueria
HI Zene!! Aw thank you for the lovely comment and yes I really hope we can meet one day! we would love to come visit and will let you know when that happens 🙂 And yes we feel especially lucky to have found each other in albeit a not so normal way and I’m sure you know the feeling!
Oh you guys are so sweet. Very romantic!
Haha thanks 🙂
Hey,
Love your site. We, my wife and three children, moved to flamingo a few months ago. I have been looking for a two person kayak, any suggestions on where to purchase.
Thanks- Bryan
Hi Bryan we are glad you like our site!
A friend of mine helped us to find our Kayak, I would recommend to look on facebook groups like those garage sales and craig list, you can find deals all the time.
Thanks for commenting and have a great day!
Hi Yeison and Sam,
Love your stories – both the travel ones and the personal ones. Yeison, you’re an inspiration! Keep on doing your thing it’s awesome.
Would love to chat with you both about some conservation projects if you’re interested. My addy is cjdowsett at G mail dot com (Split it out so the spam bots don’t get me). No worries if not, keep up the great stories!
Chris
Hi Chris,
Thanks for the kind words 🙂 I will send you an email
Talk to you soon
Lovely story you’ve got there! And for Yeison, the world healed you, buddy! Stay sweet and adventure on!
Thanks guys
Happy travels for you too !
Happy to have com across your site – will be in Playa Hermosa over te holidays (december 22 to January 5) along with my boyfriend and another couple, friends of ours!!! Will definitely be going on your site more thoroughly while there for ideas, and more!!! You’re quite inspiring
Hi Isabelle!
We are happy that you find our site inspiring!! That is our main goal. Hope you enjoy Hermosa and Costa Rica!! 🙂 Thanks for commenting!
Hola! Heard about your site from a coworker who knew Samantha from high school. We’re leaving US to go on a group tour tomorrow to see CR national parks, flora, fauna, culture. Love your story and you living your dream. Hope you get back to vet school one day, if not there will be other paths. Really looking forward to seeing the country.
Hi Eileen! Thanks for stopping by!! I hope you have a great time there, Costa Rica is the best place to enjoy the outdoors and nature. It’s so much fun and you get to see a lot! Let us know how it goes! Enjoy!
You have a great story to tell to your kids and grand children. Good luck in your future travels and looking forward for more stories from you.
Great video and the branding of your tan feet is fabulous — I’ve been looking to create something similar for my blog – and you’ve just inspired me to get on with it!
p.s. I loved your icons on Twitter the best – the ones without the bags.
Thanks Jay!! So glad you like it and you are inspired to make your own! 🙂
Love your new blog! I have the CR itch again already but hubby said “we need to go elsewhere”.
Thanks Teresa!! Aww you can still sneak in a short trip here and then go to Panama or something! 🙂
I love your story & website! The about video is fabuloso! I have wanted to go to Costa Rica for awhile now – maybe I will get there soon. If you are ever both in Honduras we can show you the Caves of Talgua, eat great tamales de elote & adventure up into the mountains!
Cheers!
Thanks Rikaine! You should let us know when you come, would love to meet up! We both want to take a road trip through L. America so will definitely let you know when we go! It sounds like a lot of fun!
Love your story and reading your Costa Rican adventures!
Thanks !! 🙂
What a great story, and I’ve only heard the half of it. I find it hard not to believe in fate when I read things like this!!
Agreed! Life throws you curveballs for sure but seems like we all have something in store for us 🙂
Hi guys, thank you for such a fast reply. I love playas del Coco hope to see you soon!¡pura vida!
You’re welcome Kathy! Happy New year !
Hi, sammi! Have you ever visited Copey de Dota in Zonal de los Santos? You gotta go there and enjoy the nature and the people this place offers to all who come with a smile in their faces.
Hi, just read ur blog, cute story on how u met. I grew up in panama from about 1973 to 1985, and also for 2 yrs in mayb 1968. My dad was in the army, than reired and worked for the Panama canal. I luved growing up there, there is no place like it. I would luv to go back.again for a visit. But never did go visit Costa Rica, to my older sis did. Well, take care and happy new year!! I was actually trying to see if u can shop online from the albrook mall 🙂 Bridget
Hi Bridget! We had a blast in Panama and I bet your dad and you have some good stories about working and living there, it’s a beautiful country. I hope you get to visit Costa Rica one day, it’s really amazing and surprisingly quite different from Panama. Thanks for stopping by! Hope you had a great New Year! I think some of the stores you can buy from (we tried to buy from the electronics store) but not positive about it – better to take a look at their site 🙂
Hi Eduardo! No we haven’t but it sounds like a wonderful place, I’d love to visit one day!!
Hi Samantha and Yeison,
I have followed your blog for some time. Congrats. to have a PR3 in this update. You guys deserve to have a PR3. My blog also has PR3 in this update. Keep your good work. Keep in contact.
Chris
Thanks Chris! We didn’t even notice the ranks were posted. Congratulations to you too as well!! Keep it up 🙂
Hi Yeison and Sammi! I heard about you two from our frinds who own the great Mini Golf Bolas Locus in Tamarindo. They appreciated your visit and told us what great things you are doing. We took an early retirement when my employer started changing philosophies without telling the staff…. We sold everything we had built for 61 years of life and bought four little cabins 500 meters from the beach in Tamarindo. The cabins are LOTS of work and with no income, we are trying to do as much as we can as economically as possible. We would love to put you two up for a night or weekend sometime when we have an empty cabin. We love to share our love of Tamarindo and the great life we have now. Find us on Facebook or via our email!
Pura Vida, Mae.
Although I signed up a while ago this is my first visit to your site. I live in San Blas de Sardinal, Canton de Carrillo, Guanacaste, where I landed in the Peace Corps in late 1968. My former husband & I came straight out of PC camp & college in the Los Angeles, CA area to become atytpical volunteers who “went native”, stayed for almost 10 years, had 3 CR born kids, failed at back-to-the-land funky farming, returned to LA, I got a teaching crede ntial & taught for 20 years, I returned to my home in San Blas to retire & raise one CR born grandson in 2002, added 3more grandsons in 2004, am currently in the home-stretch with the last grandson, Robert, 13, whom I will raise. I am 66 years old, love to travel, but have very creaky knees which limits me somewhat & my finances don’t include the extra cash for a Cleopatra litter & 4 strong bearers, so my travel is mostly wishful hoping or practical doing.
My acupuncture doctor/ friends in Liberia are Taiwanese who came separately in search of a peaceful place found each other & have two CR born kids. I haven’t seen them in a while & will visit soon. Marilyn, the 78 year old, sounds like she is in better shape than many of us a decade younger. I retired here in 2002 & know that as the permanent resident mother of 3, grandmother of 8 & great grandmother of one Costa Rican that they will never kick me out even if I never take the citizenship test. I love what you are doing & that it is absolutely real & not hype. This little corner of CR is my heart’s home & in spite of cultural differences that will never disappear I love my adopted “gente” completely, even the incomprehensible. Keep on informing & enjoy what you do.
Aw thank you for the kind words Terry! It’s amazing what can change your life with one simple decision and it’s amazing to hear a story of how someone discovers and ends up in a small country far away from their original home. I hope that I can stay in Costa Rica for a long time. The cultural differences definitely make it an even more enriching experience and it’s been a wonderful adventure so far! Thanks for the comment, it means so much to us to hear you enjoy it and we just want our readers and everyone to know how amazing Costa Rica is. Pura vida!
I’m a huge fan of yours on Twitter and Facebook and just signed up for your newsletter. I’m Puerto Rican living in Florida and have started blogging about travel. I love all your tips, advice and suggestions that you have on your website. Costa Rica is a place that I have on my bucket list of places to visit!!
Best,
Ruthie
Hi Ruthie! Thanks so much and happy to hear you like the blog. Great to connect with you and hope to see you in Costa Rica soon 🙂
Hey Guys!!! it was just random that i decided at your site and Got myself reading!!! great to see people blogging about living down in Costa RIca.
My family is from Taiwan and we’ve been here for 30+ years, and my parents decided to build a small hotel spot in Arenal. If you have free time, be more than have you come and visit and fun to cook up a little Asian hot pots!
Take cares and Pura Vida!
Hi Felico!!
Thanks for reading and glad you enjoy the blog! We’ve driven by the Kokoro a few times and it looks amazing. Next time we go to Arenal, we will definitely contact you, I am sorely missing hot pot 😛
Glad to hear from other Taiwanese people living here, haven’t met any so far in Guanacaste!
Keep in touch and thanks again 🙂
What a great story. I am planning a trip to Costa Rica in June 2014…and may stay forever who knows! Beautiful pictures
You never know! 😉 That’s what happened to me. Went once and it changed my life. Thanks for visiting Charene! Let us know if you need any tips or advice for your trip!
Thank you! I will be in touch. So thankful I found this website! PURA VIDA!
Awesome! Thank you for finding us! Pura vida 🙂
Sam you look great! What a wonderful life adventure!! Good for you! I look forward to following your blog:)
Aw thanks Becca! Happy to have you on board 🙂
Hello You Two,
We are coming down for a week in Sept and hope to see you then.
Dale and Diane
Hi !
Great to hear ! See you soon !
Just happen on your web site. I love your name, so cleaver. I have been to CR 6 years in a row helping building a Methodist Church in Alajuela. I have been two time with the Arkansas Master Garderners. On the first trip with them I got very sick with your crug. And one of the tour guides took me under his wing and took the best care of me. Long story short short we bonded and have became great friends. Last summer he visit in Ark and spent a week with us. Then in Feb of this year I spent 1 week with friends from the church and 1 week with Maguiel and his wife. Then he and I flew to Panama to meet the Master Gardeners and spent 10 days there. He was the tour guide. So I have seen alot of the c jountry but thereis so much more to see. I am 78 so my tiome is getting short. I do hope to visit them again next year if possible. So this is the reason I know that I am really going to enjoy what you all have to say about your land. I would love to live there, but should have found out about CR before I begin to get older. Tthanks, so much, Marilyn Braswell, DeWitt, Arkansas
Hi Marilyn,
Thank you so much for the kind words! It is comments like yours that inspire us to write more and work harder. It sounds like you have had some really wonderful experiences in CR, the people here are SO nice so I’m not surprised that you and your guide became such great friends! I think at no matter what age, travel is always something everyone can enjoy and there’s always something to learn even if it’s just a few miles from your house. I hope that you will be able to continue visiting CR and see as much as you can! It is a wonderful country with so much to offer. If you have any more questions or if there’s something in particular you would like us to talk about, feel free to tell us! We will make sure to have good content for you to enjoy. We truly appreciate you stopping by our page 🙂 Take care!
Yeison says “pura vida mae and see you soon” 🙂