Comparing Cost of Living: Costa Rica Electric Bill at The Happier House —$300 | Electric Bill in North Carolina — $80
“You want a southern experience? Check out their apple festival,” the car salesperson says. “They have apple jerky, apple pie, applesauce, apple…”
I’ve never passed up a county fair or hayride. I’ll even stop on the side of a highway to witness the biggest ball of rubber bands or to enter a house shaped like a shoe. America may not have Europe’s lengthy history, with its spired cathedrals and cities buried under volcanic ash, but it has curiosity attractions.
We are somewhere on the border of Georgia and North Carolina, home to apple festivals, waffle houses, and Bigfoot. I don’t recall much about Bigfoot except a grainy film where, by all accounts, a man dressed like Chewbacca walks through the woods. But here, he is a media sensation with ten-foot silhouette cutouts placed aside the road, which scare the shit out of you while driving at night.
These folks love Bigfoot. Occasionally, we’ll pass a Sasquatch graffitied on the side of a building like a Banksy creation. Or discover a life-sized furry model positioned outside a gas station. Bigfoot even has his own museum in Cherry Log, Georgia, claiming “The World’s Largest! With 3700 sq feet of self-guided exhibits.” Self-guided? That’s unfortunate because I’d rather have a crusty old-timer show me around and explain why the Abominable Snowman has his own section, surely taking attention away from the headliner. And why is there a Bigfoot Museum in Georgia when the grainy film took place in Northern California? But alas, I keep my Yankee mouth shut which, for any Yankee, is hard to do.
I’m oddly attracted to the bizarre. I’ll stop at any roadside attraction that will ensure a mediocre experience. Preferably one with an eight-dollar admission and a bored teenager leaning against the register. The attraction should have a thin layer of dust, not enough to look unkept, but sufficient to remind you not to take any of this too seriously. The real profit is in the souvenirs which I will buy in excess.
I’m moving to the Smoky Mountains, searching for happiness the same way I did in Costa Rica. And like the Costa Rica move, Rob opened a map. But this time, instead of pointing to Central America, his index finger tapped on a tiny lake in North Carolina.
“How would you like to live on one of the cleanest lakes in the country?” he said.
We’ve been entertaining splitting our time in Costa Rica. Being a snowbird sounds attractive. I’ll be closer to my aging parents, which has taken a priority, especially after the pandemic that has mentally tumbled everyone’s brain in an industrial dryer. Everything has changed is putting it lightly. And I almost croaked from the virus, which is a story need not told.
We still have a property in Costa Rica that still doesn’t have legal water. Coincidently, it’s only a half-mile from The Happier House, but in a defunct development. If we could get that water letter, we’ll build a smaller vacation home. But to make this dream possible, we had to sell The Happier House. So off it went, feeling like an amputation, a piece of me gone forever.
“While we work on getting legal water, we could go here,” Rob had said while playing a YouTube video of Nantahala Lake. “It’s the prettiest place I’ve ever seen, and it looks exactly like the mountains of Costa Rica. And can you imagine living in the woods? Miles from any store? It’ll be great.”
It did look like Grecia, the tiny town that started our Costa Rica adventure. Rob found the next best thing, a lake nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains surrounded by rolling carpets of green that went on as far as the eye could see.
We’ve never been to North Carolina or lived anywhere in the South. And I’m not sure how South this area is. Is it sweet tea on the porch, South? Dolly Parton, South? Deliverance in the woods, South? Or are those just stereotypes, like how everyone assumes people from New Jersey have big mouths?
Change is scary, more so for me than Rob. He wants to live a hundred different lives. I’m okay with just a few. I need a push, and this push has taken me to the land of Big Foot and the Smoky Mountains. A place where I’m unsure if a couple from Brooklyn and Jersey will fit in.
But like phantom limb syndrome, I can still feel my Costa Rica life. I smell salty breezes and hear the distant call of howler monkeys. Memories so strong I’m not sure if I can ever be that happy again, and maybe I’ll always feel a little wounded no matter where I live.
And that’s when I meet a guy who was bit through his foot by a black bear…
Look forward to your shared stories on relocation in NC (and hopefully more future CR stories too). My sister is moving from Durham to a mountain top in Waynesville, NC. Hoping I can visit for a few days in a few weeks to catch the fall season, which I miss living in Fl for so many years. During last winter, site unseen, I bought a small half duplex in Toucan Valley Resort at Osa Mountain, CR . It’s about 2,000 fee up the mountain and in a valley in midst of the jungle. A little more remote than I would prefer; about 17 min. south of Ojochal in southern Pacific area.
Now must return in Nov. to start buying furniture and appliances. At 74 and single, I’m a little apprehensive of all the decisions needing to be made and not speaking Spanish, but life should be adventurous. I LOVE your writing Nadine, don’t ever stop, keep it coming, as you have many devotees that want to keep following your adventure. P.S. Did I tell you I rolled a car about 50 ft. down a mountain in Uvita last visit in July? I have a whole new appreciation for CR mountain roads and not driving faster than I should. Pura Vida Nadine.
Great blog.
Our half vacation, half looking for a place to relocate from northern Illinois is coming to an end. NOTE: If we were any further north in Illinois we would be bragging about cheese, fireworks, fish boils, and the Green Bay Packers. Our neighbors in our neighborhood sold everything and moved to the area around Durham and want us to visit. That didn’t happen this trip so it looks like fall might require another trip. As it is, we had a pretty good scan of northern and southern Tennessee as we formulate what a good four season environment looks like in the U.S. We still have Costa Rica booked for mid January through the end of March 2022. Keep posting about North Carolina. 20-30 minutes north of Asheville is still on our radar, as is the non touristy areas near Gatlinburg, Tennessee and the rolling hills of Kentucky along the Bourbon Trail. Stay Well!
Ron and Tina
I look forward to hearing of your Smokey Mountain adventures as I am sure there will be plenty. I have visited the Smokey Mtns many times and love the TownsendTN area. Be open to new adventures, new experiences and as in Costa Rica remember flexibility is key to enjoying life. I have so enjoyed your books and news letter.
If you have the time, spend a couple nights in Franklin, NC… and get yer hands on some star sapphires!
We, too, sold our house in Costa Rica this year, Nadine. And although ours was a second home I’ll always feel a part of me is still there. Our primary home is outside of Philadelphia but we have a son in Charleston, SC. if you’re trying to adjust to the Southern vibe, check out The Bitter Southerner website and blog. Great writing, storytelling and outlook on the best things in Southern culture. Best wishes on the water papers.
I gotta say, it’s interesting how I’ve relied you to peel me up and looked forward to your stories abroad.
Wow, I’m shocked you left CR. I truly loved reading about your experiences. My husband and I just made a huge move to leave Colorado to move to Florida to be with family also. I thought I was ready for that but turns out I miss the smell and vibe of Colorado.
It’s been challenging to say the least. While my dream of leaving it all behind to move to CR is still there, it’s fading quickly. Every 10 years is a new life. I wish you the best. The lake in NC seems peaceful. Enjoy your new journey.
Best of luck with your Southern US adventure! A bit after we decided to take our international adventure back in 2017, I read your books. I LOVE your books. I don’t read books twice, but I am reading yours again (that’s 2 or 3 times) to get the great lift of laughter and balance that you share–especially when our adventure is stressful, your books bring me back to the reason for doing it–immersion forcing change on our too comfy and too secure and too routine selves. I also thought it would help keep us young due to all the learning that immersion and change require. Our adventure is going on 4 years–so far (despite Hurricane Irma and COVID) so good. Our risks are different than yours, but of course there are risks. We moved to Sint Maarten (Dutch side of the island). We were (are) familiar with Sint Maarten as Time-Share owners and vacationers since 1989. We knew from the start that living in Sint Maarten would be different than vacationing, but our brains are older than yours too, and we didn’t want to deal with language and currency and those matters of life while we worked on immersion. Currently in Sint Maarten English is widely spoken and written and the US dollar$ are commonly accepted.
When I read your early post about leaving Costa Rica (and still today ~5 months later) I was/am heartsick. We KNOW our adventure will come to a close, but we are older than you (I repeat because I’m older) so we knew the years would require we settle down and act our age. We have a home in the US (in North Carolina but it’s not in the woods). Actually, living in the south US for a northerner will continue your adventure, but closer to your parents. For a northerner, the south is an adventurous mix of good or bad, serious or crazy, believe it or not. We took on THAT adventure when we were not so much older than you are now and we have lived in North Carolina for 31 years–same town (but our two adventures have split the time for the past 4 years). Having lived in the north for more than 31 years, living in the south still provides rewards, learning and challenge.
Again I wish you luck and look forward to some great bear and Appalachian Trail stories/books/blogs while I proactively cope with plans for an eventual return to our North Carolina adventure. When we leave (not yet on the schedule and hopefully at least 3 years out) we will still own a piece of Sint Maarten through our Time-Share for and we’ll use that to adjust to the change. I look forward to what you will share next! Vivre le rêve!
Dear Nadine,
I don’t know what to say. I feel a loss with you and Rob not being in CR any longer. That seems a personal loss, somehow.
I congratulate you both on finding such a remarkable house on your lake. As I told you, I’m not envious of your DYI home improvement project, since I’m alergic to paint brushes, but I know you’ll create a comfortable showplace, so you’ll be happy again with your home.
But, I’m betting you’ll never get CR outta your mind and heart. I know if I were to move back to the U.S. (I’d never want to do that), I could never forget my beautiful life at Lake Arenal. I suspect that’ll be true for you forgetting The Happier House and that part of CR.
Just remember, we’d love to see your wonderful pix and email stories about your Pura Vida life once again, but, more importantly, we want you to actualize your happiness wherever God leads you!
May the Lord bless you richly.
Well, I am sad and, at the same time, excited you and Rob, Nadine. I have enjoyed following your adventures over the years, through your books and your blogs. I am 61 and my wife is 49, and i have goals of taking her to Costa Rica(this is second marriage for us, and have only been together 6 years) and seeing if she would enjoy settling there, or at least part of the year. I spent some time there many years ago, and fell in love. However, to open up my mail this morning, and find your blog about your new adventure was exciting! You see, we are planning a 2 week road trip in early October to visit family in Tivoli, NY. We plan to go through Tennesse, North Carolina then up the coast to a family cabin on the Chesapeake Bay, which i have never seen, visit D.C., again, never seen, then up through New York. with my job, i have not taken a vacation longer than 4 days for what seems like forever, so this is going to be great! Sorry, I am being long winded, but we also plan on spending a few days in the Smokey Mountains, do a white water raft trip and zip-lining. Jeez! sounding like Costa Rica! I love to fish and my wife loves to eat them, ha!, so the Nantahala Lake sounds intriguing. Especially interested in what the river looks like coming out of the lake. We may have to detour there on our adventure. Packing a tent for part of the trip. Figured hotels all the time would kill us $! Anyway, just was moved by your blog and wanted to share. Not sure when you and Rob are getting settled in, but would be fun to hook up with you all for drink or meal at the local dive. Thanks for keeping all of us involved in your adventures! Looking forward to more!
Congratulations and best of luck in NC, it’s a wonderful part of the country. Thank you for inspiring so many (myself included) to seriously consider a life abroad. I am about to make my second trip to CR in the past 6 months to continue to learn more about the country and what it has to offer. My last trip was amazing and I can’t wait to get back to the Pura Vida life!
Sounds like you’ll have the best of both worlds. The pandemic showed all of us that the U.S. is one of the best places to live when shi… hits the fan. But to still have a spot in C.R. as you do is great as well!
I am happy for you and Rob, Nadine, but also sad for you. I hope you find the same happiness you felt in CR somewhere in the Smokey Mountains. My husband and I are just beginning our Costa Rica adventure. We bought a home in Uvita during the middle of the Pandemic last year. We were able to furnish it with the help of a designer in CR who had things shipped to CR from Miami before all shipping seemed to stop. My husband was able to actually visit it in early June, I will get to finally see and stay in it in a couple weeks. International travel is hard now, but we will make it work for us. Our plan is to still live a majority of the time in CR, but will always keep a home in the US as well. We are fortunate to be able to do that. For now though, we are mostly in the US with hopefully lots of frequent visits to CR and the Pura Vida Life!