My son Owen was fortunate to be assigned to the mountain town of Zarcero for his US Peace Corps service. The village is sits at an elevation of 1,736 meters (5,700 feet) in the Central Cordillera Mountain Range in Costa Rica. Zarcero is firmly in the tropics at almost 10 degrees north of the equator. Because of the elevation, the climate is like an “eternal spring” ranging from 50 F (10C) to 70 F (21C), never freezing and never getting too hot. The most distinctive feature of the climate is the daily arrival of clouds racing up the valley and sweeping over the town and surrounding mountains. All day long, clouds come through, causing dense foggy conditions for a while, followed by clear, sunny skies. Some days the clouds stay longer, especially in the afternoon, but while we were there, they came and went like a ghostly spirit.
Besides its refreshing mountain air, Zarcero is known for dairy and agriculture, especially organic farms producing cheeses, coffee, jams, and a wide range of fruit and vegetables. Between the pastures and fields, patches of forest give the landscape a dramatic look.
What struck me the most about Costa Rica was how laid back everyone was. The entire country felt sleepy, even when we were in the capital of San Jose. Everyone dressed very casual, with t-shirts, shorts, and sandals, no one on the roads with expressing impatience with slow drivers, especially on the many narrow, windy roads through the mountains. Lots of people had tatoos, perhaps indicating relaxed social norms.
Both Nadia and I are fluent in Spanish so we talked to a lot of Ticos and I think we got an inside view to the culture. The unhurried vibe was relaxing, but I suspect if you want to get things done, the bureaucracy, cultural inertia, etc. would be a challenge. Owen is facing a bit of this in his role in the development of Zarcero. We have not been to Latin America in a long time (2018?) and I forgot how Catholic they are. We saw many roadside and home shrines to the Virgin Mary and Jesus.
I see why many Americans are choosing to retire here, instead of the traditional Florida or Arizona of the generation of senior citizens from the 1970s. It is under 3 hours flight from Miami and the relaxed, accepting culture that emphasizes social connections would be enticing. They also have a warm climate with access to two oceans. We found it to be a bit cheaper than the USA, but not as cheap as I thought it would be.
We had a fantastic week with our son and getting reacquainted with Costa Rica! Pura Vida!
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