Preface (March 2018)

Sue and I first visited Costa Rica in 2008 on a grand tour with 4 friends (J, K, M, and S - you know who you are!). We fell in love with the birds, the monkeys, the volcanoes, the plants and trees, and the people. PURA VIDA! 

Never in our wildest dreams would we have thought back then that we would own a house there! We have never been particularly daring internationally - I can't think of any international trips we've taken without the security that comes with traveling with friends. My next trip to CR was with Heather and Christy of 'Whooping Crane fame' in 2013, and again in 2015 with those dos amigas plus Heather's daughter Lindsay. During both trips, Heather expressed a desire to buy a small house in CR for her retirement. With goats. And banana trees. 

In 2017 or 2016 or I don't know when, Heather fulfilled her dream and bought an adorable 'tico house' in Tronadora, a small town on the southern shores of Lake Arenal. Her house is up in the hills at about 2000 feet elevation, so it is a comfortable, breezy climate. 

Heather's wee casa

Sue and I visited Heather at her wee casa in March of 2018. One day Heather remarked, "gee, the casa next door is going up for sale - you guys should look at it - it needs a lot of work so it'll probably be a good price". I shook my head 'no' at the same time Sue was saying, "ooohhh it's on my bucket list to buy a house and fix it up!". 

So we looked at it. And made an offer. And David accepted our offer. 

450 metres SW of the entrance to Barrio el Roble de Tronadora (that's our address!)

Before leaving CR on that trip, we found a wonderful lawyer who speaks English, Yalta Aragon, in the nearby small city of Tilaran. David agreed to a closing in June, so Yalta got busy drawing up the papers so everything would be ready when we returned for 'the big event'. 

Yalta Aragon, our Costa Rican lawyer

March 2018 - no goats yet!