Nadine Hays Pisani

A HORSE AND CAT WALK INTO A BAR…

By Nadine Hays Pisani| 2018-04-15T18:19:58-04:00 January 3rd, 2011|Categories: Nature|Tags: animals|

Costa Rica Cost of Living: Can of Friskies- $1

We are all used to little critters crossing the road. Growing up in a urban area I’m used to skunks, raccoons, and opossums.

In Costa Rica you get treated to more diverse animals. One morning our outdoor sensor went off alerting us to something in the backyard. I grabbed a bat my husband keeps by the bed, opened up the curtains, and saw a horse staring back at me.

My cat went to investigate, gave a quick sniff, and found our new neighbor was not that interesting to him. He quickly returned to sleeping in the sun and pretending to chase lizards. An activity he seems to have perfected since moving here.

The horse stayed for a week before a teenage boy came and escorted him back up the mountain. I wished he stayed longer; a beautiful surprise and wonderful addition to my life in Costa Rica.

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COSTA RICA, A PLACE TO GROW OLD

By Nadine Hays Pisani| 2018-04-15T18:19:58-04:00 December 30th, 2010|Categories: food|Tags: diet|

Costa Rica Cost Of Living Update: Burger King Value Meal- $6

In Costa Rica, the fast food restaurants are just as expensive as in the states. Many people would rather go to a soda (small local run restaurant) next door and eat a delicious dish of gallo pinto. I’ve often gone to breakfast with Tico friends where I order the American choice of eggs, bacon, and pancakes and watch in embarrassment as they order rice, beans, and fruit. “How can you eat such a heavy breakfast in the morning? Don’t you feel sick?” they would ask me as I eat my 2000 caloric meal and consequently fall into a carbohydrate induced haze.

I know what they are thinking but are too kind to say. They want to talk about how overweight the Americans are that come to Costa Rica. The gringos that can’t hike the trails, walk up a mountain, or even carry suitcases to their room.

Costa Rica is listed as one of the Blue Zones; a place where people reach the age of 100 ten times greater than in the United States. I’ve personally watched seniors stroll up our steep mountain at a speed that surpasses my own. I’ve seen old men clear an entire field of sugar cane with a machete and walk back home at dusk.

Why not grow old like this? It sure beats spending our end years in a nursing home. Maybe it all starts with that rice and beans breakfast.

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STICKER SHOCK

By Nadine Hays Pisani| 2018-04-15T18:19:58-04:00 December 27th, 2010|Categories: Cost of Living|Tags: car|

Costa Rica Cost Of Living Update: Toll 50 cents Verrazano Bridge Toll Connecting Staten Island to Brooklyn- $13

I’m having sticker shock while visiting my parents for Christmas. I live comfortably on $1000/month but apparently this will not get me far in the Unites States. I blew $13 going over one bridge. That’s half my weekly grocery bill and double my cell phone bill in Costa Rica.

In Costa Rica if there is too much traffic the toll booth attendants wave you through for free. I like this feature and wanted to suggest it to the Verrazano Bridge worker.

Maybe that’s what America needs. Just one day a year when everyone gets waved through. It would make paying the $13 a little more tolerable.

Picture of bridge from Costa Rica to Panama. Hey, at least it’s cheap.

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SNAP OUT OF IT

By Nadine Hays Pisani| 2018-04-15T18:19:59-04:00 December 22nd, 2010|Categories: Cost of Living|Tags: airport|

Costa Rica Cost Of Living Update: San Jose Airport Departure Tax- $26 a person

30 Degrees…that’s the temperature where I’m heading for Christmas. And people wonder why I try to convince my family to visit me for the holiday.

Leaving Costa Rica requires one to pay an exit tax of $26. It’s always sad to say goodbye to this country even though I’ll be back shortly. This place brings me great happiness; a country that has taught me to be kinder, have more patience, and to understand that a two hour siesta might possibly be the key to peace on earth. All the things you do not want to be while standing at a US airport baggage carousel during one of the busiest times of the year.

I’m certain this is Dante’s tenth circle of hell, a place where abrasiveness is the preferred survival method when rescuing your luggage off the congested conveyor belt. I’ll stand back, visualizing blue skies and cute kinkajous, while my husband bravely fights his way through the crowd. I’ll eventually snap out of it…30 degrees has a way of doing that.

Moonstruck 1987: Arguably the best movie slap of all time

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GRAVEL…IT’S THE OTHER WHITE MEAT

By Nadine Hays Pisani| 2018-04-15T18:19:59-04:00 December 20th, 2010|Categories: Car, Cost of Living|Tags: scooter|

Costa Rica Cost Of Living Update: Limited liability insurance for scooter- $140/year

We take our scooter everywhere since it only cost $6 to fill up the tank. It is so economical we’ve even decided to go grocery shopping with it.

Today’s list was extra long so my husband went himself. He came back with the following: a suitcase full of fruits and vegetables, 3 dozen eggs, a gallon of milk, 2 loaves of bread, bag of kitty litter (cautiously positioned between his legs), and a variety of other items. The only casualty was the tortillas, the empty bag dangling off the back in defeat. But not wanting to waste money, he drove back down the mountain and found them laying near the front gate.

He claims only the bottom one got dirty. If that’s true, why does my taco taste like asphalt?

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About Nadine Hays Pisani

A HORSE AND CAT WALK INTO A BAR…

COSTA RICA, A PLACE TO GROW OLD

STICKER SHOCK

SNAP OUT OF IT

GRAVEL…IT’S THE OTHER WHITE MEAT

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