Ivo’s Blog by Godutch Realty

a Costa Rica real estate blog

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Ever heard of Christopher Howard’s famous Live in Costa Rica tours?

Estimated Reading Time: 6 Minutes Moving to Costa Rica? Be smart and first take Christopher Howard’s famous Live in Costa Rica tours. Too many property buyers end up running all over the country without having a clue where to purchase or rent a vacation home or retirement home in Costa Rica. You have heard friends…

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Sidewalks in Costa Rica are different

Sidewalks in Costa Rica? What’s that, a sidewalk? Who needs sidewalks anyway? Costa Ricans don’t use sidewalks, even if they have one. Costa Ricans walk on the road, mostly for lack of sidewalks or there are too many obstacles. A few weeks ago, I wrote about obstacles on the roads of Costa Rica. This blog…

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Try tango, wine and bife de chorizo in Costa Rica

Do you like bife de chorizo? I had never heard of this Argentinian restaurant in San Jose, though I had driven past it many times. I don’t go to San Jose that often anymore, but it looks like the city is becoming a good place for great restaurants again. Once in a while, when I…

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Road Obstacles when driving in Costa Rica

Be careful when driving in Costa Rica, there are lots of road obstacles. Driving in Costa Rica can be overwhelming when you first arrive. I compare it to driving in Paris, Rome or Madrid, any Latin American city in Europe. It’s mainly the lack of discipline that turns roads into a madhouse, especial at peak…

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What is a chorizo in Costa Rica

Most people know a chorizo as a sausage made of minced meat and spices, usually dark red or brown and of elongated cylindrical shape. In Costa Rica, we have two types of chorizo, a legal one and an illegal one. Most butchers in Costa Rica make their own chorizo or sausage, some good and some…

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American Football in Costa Rican sports bar

There are a lot of die-hard American football fans in Costa Rica, and they go to a sports bar. I have to admit I belong to that group and when not working will be at a sports place – restaurant, watching a game. Some places are great because they have the ability to show 2-3…

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The Costa Rica Asada Saga

Estimated Reading Time: 4 Minutes A water certification is needed for building permits and our building lot is serviced by the local Asada. My wife, Katya, and I speak some Spanish (though probably not enough). Still, we thought we knew the word “asada.”  It meant “roasted” and frequently modified “carne” or, in a masculine form,…

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How to get a Costa Rican mailing address

Estimated Reading Time: 4 Minutes You are living in Costa Rica and need a new mailing address, which seems like a simple task. It can be a very simple task, depending on how easy you want to make it yourself. When ordering online, you’ll find that the space for the address is very small. Some…

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Do Ticos love or hate gringos?

Estimated Reading Time: 5 Minutes Do Ticos love or hate gringos? You can read some nice and some not so nice comments on this same issue on Costa Rica Living Forum, where some tend to be a little blunt. Please leave your comments at the end of this blog, it will be appreciated very much.…

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