He politely declined to discuss the matter any further. We spent a week driving around Guanacaste using my folks’ house as home base. We drove to Marbella, San Juanillo, Playa Negro, and Tamarindo looking for a place we might like to live. Nothing was affordable on our meager budget. Nothing.

The day before our flight back to California, I impulsively blurted: “Hey, let’s leave today and go to this Atenas you keep talking about. You’ve got my curiosity up!”

“No, that’s okay. I’ve already resigned myself to living at the beach, close to your parents. It’s going to cost more – way more, but we’ll just have to work it out.”

“Wait a minute! I want to see it. I don’t see myself as a Central Valley girl, but I still want to see for myself. I want to prove to you that you are mistaken about the cost of living there. Things just aren’t cheap in Costa Rica. When we first came in the early 90s, they were, but not anymore. I don’t know how some of the Ticos (Costa Ricans) can afford to live in their own country. Well, maybe if they just eat rice and beans, I suppose it’s possible. Based on their wages, I just don’t get it.”

So, off we went! It took about four hours to drive from Nosara to Atenas. As we started up the mountain road from Alajuela, a bustling town, a peaceful shroud seemed to descend from the sky. I felt a shift in the universe and a peaceful tranquility engulf me as we left the commercial district of Alajuela. We wound around and around until we came to a sign: “Welcome to Atenas, El Mejor Clima del Mundo (the best climate in the world)”.

As luck would have it, there was a real estate office right at the entrance to the town of Atenas. We decided to go in and inquire about available rentals, not expecting to actually see anything on such short notice. Surprisingly, the rental agent offered to show us three properties.

The very first one knocked my socks off! The casita was in a gated community, walking distance to town, furnished beautifully right down to the linens. It was fairly new with modern amenities, views of the town, and a swimming pool to boot. The price? $750 a month including gardener, utilities, internet and gate guard fees. I was astounded!

We didn’t commit to leasing the casita at that time. We went home to California where I was struggling as a real estate agent in a plummeting market; my husband was battling to stay afloat in an uncertain construction market. We were killing ourselves just to meet the basic food, clothing, shelter expenses. I hadn’t bought a new pair of shoes in months and was suffering from severe withdrawal. We were paying ONE THOUSAND dollars a month to rent a room in somebody else’s house!

Our plan was to work until we had a suitable stash with which to move to Costa Rica. It was taking every penny to keep the status quo, let alone gather seed money! There was something wrong with this picture.