Tag: Hanging Bridges

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Wilderness Bridges

The several swinging bridges at Arenal Observatory Lodge connecting the many trails are a lot more secure than those rope bridges we made in Boy Scouts, but just as thrilling! 🙂 Here’s some shots of two of the hanging bridges I hiked over during my Arenal Visit Christmas Week. CLICK an image to see larger . . .

  • Danta Bridge
  • Danta Bridge
  • Danta Bridge
  • Approach to Spider Bridge
  • Spider Bridge
  • Spider Bridge
Crossing Rivers & Canyons on Arenal Conservatory Trails

 “I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I intended to be.”

― Douglas Adams

Tomorrow Begins Another Adventure . . .

I don’t plan or intend to have trips just 3 weeks apart! It takes me longer than that to process the photos! 🙂

But because I had to reschedule this next trip, originally set for a March-April overlap week, just as the Pandemic was taking over . . . Soooo I told them to “reschedule it around the middle of January, not thinking about my Christmas trip – But anyway . . . I’m shifting gears from a rainforest at the base of a volcano to a cooler Cloud Forest in San Gerardo de Dota, starting tomorrow at the Savegre Hotel and Nature Reserve. (NOTE: their website is under reconstruction and only the home page shows for now.

This is one of the lodges I stayed in on my first trip to Costa Rica in 2009. It’s the best place in the world to see and photograph the Resplendent Quetzal bird. And the coldest place I’ve been in Costa Rica with fireplaces used at night. Since no rain in January, it is a little warmer at 13° C or 54° F average low to high of 27°C or 81°F, but hey guys! I freeze to death here in Atenas when it gets down in the 60’s F. 🙂

The new lodge website linked above is under construction, so instead of their photos, you can see my photo galleries of 3 previous visits, all a very long time ago 🙂 . . .

¡Pura Vida!

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Cost of Living in Costa Rica

Here is what one couple actually spent in July 2014 (they publish it):

Note that Retire for Less was their goal and is the name of their newsletter

From “Hanging Bridges” Costa Rica by Charlie
Click to enlarge
Chris Howard (my tour leader) has long lists of the cost of everything in his book and budgets at these two levels he says people are actually living on. Bottom line is that everything is not cheap, but you can live on your income or what you budget to live on if you don’t live too luxuriously:

Here is an example of a budget for a single person who has no more than $1500:
Rent  …………………………………………………………………………………$200 to $300
Electricity and water  ………………………………………………………….$20
Cable TV  ………………………………………………………………………….$25 Monthly Public Transportation ………………………………………………………….$50
Monthly public health insurance (medicines included)  ……………$50
Food  ………………………………………………………………………………..$200 Entertainment  ……………………………………………………………………$100 -$150
Misc.  ……………………………………………………………………………….$200

How to live like a king or queen on $3000 or $4000
When you read the title of this article you will  probably think that it is impossible to live so cheaply and so well. This  is especially true if you reside in an expensive area of the U.S. like  California. You could probably scrape by on a few thousand dollars a month up north but you certainly wouldn’t be living in luxury. Let’s see why the title of this article is true. A couple who owns a $150,000 home (three  bedrooms and three baths) free  and clear and has a car will probably  have the following monthly expenses in Costa Rica.
 Private medical  insurance ……………………………………………….$200
Dental care  ……………………………………………………….$50 per month
A part time maid  …………………………………………………$100 to  $150
Part time gardener  …………………………………………………………….$30
Beauty parlor  …………………………………………………………………….$75
Food including inexpensive fruits and vegetables from a Farmer’s market and many  imported  American products  …………………………………….$500 per month
Entertainment (movies,  socializing)  ……………………….$200- $300
Dining out a couple of times a week   ……………………………….$300
Private gym  ……………………………………………$50 – $100 per couple
Country Club (after initial fees) …………………………………$100 to $200 per month
Car insurance for a relatively new car   …………………………….$100
Utilities (water and electricity)  ………………………………………..$100
Telephone (using Vonage or  Skype for long distance) ……. $75-$100
High speed Internet  …………………………………………………………..$50
Cable or  satellite TV  …………………………………………………………$50
Car repairs  …………………………………………………………………………$50
Garbage  ……………………………………………………………….$40 per year
Property taxes  on your $150,000 home  …………………….$20 per month
Misc. expenses  …………………………………………………………………$300
Travel to U.S. or other countries  ……………………$3000-$5000 or more per  year

Really your lifestyle determines what you will spend here. You can  choose to spend a lot more money if you are a high roller or yuppie type   or substantially less if you wish to live modestly. I know single people  who live for less than $1000 per month and others who have expensive tastes  who spend what they would in the States. Nevertheless, you can live very well  on the budget above. I should know because I have lived here almost 30 years  and buy and do everything I want for under $4,000 monthly.