The Beauty of Costa Rica

All of you who love gardens truly appreciate tropical plants and often use them as annuals or have them in the house.  Few are fortunate enough to live where they will survive, let alone thrive, outside, year-round.

That is one reason my wife and I enjoy a winter break by visiting a tropical location.  There is just something magical about picking bananas right from the tree, drinking fresh coconut milk, or admiring rare orchids growing wild in the forest.

My wife and I have visited many tropial countries in the western hemisphere, including Jamaica, Mexico, Belize, Honduras, and Guatemala.  While I loved certain aspects of all those places, it was in Costa Rica that I fell in love.  But before I tell you what it is about Costa Rica that I fell in love with, let me first tell you how we ended up visiting there.

In 2006, some close friends, while on a cruise, made a short stop in a Costa Rican port.  While there they met a tour guide who custom designed a visit with their particular interests in mind.  When they arrived home, they excitedly shared the pleasant experiences they had there.  They also gave us the phone number of the guide and said that if we were ever to visit, we should call her. Her name was Doris Carvajal and had been married to a Minnesotan and lived there for a number of years. This of course means she could 'talk Minnesotan'.

So I called Doris in the fall of 2007 and explained that I wanted to really see Costa Rica, not just visit.  She said she could arrange for us to stay in a hotel of our choice and price range and she would pick us up and drop us off from the airport or, we could stay at her home in the lovely town of Esparza. I jumped at this opportunity because of the afore mentioned desire to 'see' Costa Rica.

As planned, then, Doris, and her partner Jose, picked us up at the airport in the capital city of San Ramon and made us feel like long lost relatives, showing such warmth, hospitality, and consideration. I have since found out, this is a characteristic of almost all the Tico's (as Costa Ricans are known) I have since met.

At the time of our visit he was having an open house introducing this amazing property and overall development plan.  I was duly impressed, not only because the lots offer such a spectacular view since you see not only the ocean some 40 miles away but also verdant mountain sides all around. In addition Toucans live in the trees, fruit grows everywhere and a gentle breeze frequently blows because of the elevation.

Also I was impressed on how Pedro, the president and founder of Pegasus Investments, has planned out virtually every detail. What I had seen was many pieces of property for sale in Costa Rica but once you bought it you were on your own to get an architect, find a builder, buy necessary permits, and all the rest. But Pedro, offers a turn key operation if the buyer desires. He gets the lawyer, architect, builder, security, even the gardener so that you can relax knowing your new home will be just as you've dreamed without all the headaches some have experienced. As far as I am concerned,  that is the only way to build in a foreign country where laws and language is different then what you are used to.

At that meeting and then through emails during 2007 I offered my services to Pedro as an upscale landscaper expert with the latest technology and techniques peculiar to this area of construction. I suggested that I come down and work with his crew installing waterfalls, streams, ponds as well as other landscape features in his development. This would also give me the opportunity to see life close up in Costa Rica.

Pedro took me up on the offer and I spent December and January living and working in Costa Rica. The projects I worked on for Pedro turned out beautifully and now I know I want to work and live there. I am so convinced of the future of this little country that does not even have an army, that I started WoodSpirit Gardens Costa Rica Inc. My intention is to bring my expertise and up-to-date technology to do landscaping in Costa Rica for all the expatriates that are investing and relocating there.

My wife and I are considering just how to make the transition to eventually move and retire here as well. Initially I will be going down to Costa Rica and installing landscapes and gardens in the months of November to April. This is when I can not work here in Minnesota because of the weather conditions.

Well that is my history and future with Costa Rica. If you want more information on anything I have written, please email me or call me and I would be happy to answer any questions about this beautiful land that I can, or put you in touch with Doris, other tour guides, or resources that I think would be able to assist you. To contact Pedro Salcedo directly, his website address is www.residenciaslasterrazas.com/  His personal email is pedsalbar@yahoo.com and his cell number is 011-506-877-3874, his office is 011-506-445-3667

In the meantime, enjoy these photo's I took of Costa Rica and some of what I did there this past December and January 2008.

I have received so much interest in Costa Rica that I have added "Costa Rica: A Place to Visit, A Place to Live" to the list of seminars I conduct. Please click here to go to the Seminars page to see when and where I will be presenting this interesting information. It will be in a slide format with beautiful photos and vital information complete with handouts that will make your own adventure in that tropical paradise easy and fun.