Well, this is it. We’re leaving Grecia, which has been our home now for over a year. We’ve loved it here, and we’ll miss the beautiful scenery, slower pace of life, super-friendly people, and our fantastic view of the central valley. However, we’re only moving about an hour away, and since this is still Costa Rica, I’m sure we’ll continue to meet friendly, laid-back people, and have good weather and scenery.
Hills in Grecia
And as for the views, we found a great house in Escazú with its own fantastic views of the city. But this time we’ll only be 5 minutes from the town instead of 15. It’s a charming older house owned by a sweet European couple who’ve remodeled and decorated it with driftwood and their own unique artwork. It even has a pool and a pool table! We love it, and I’m sure we’ll be happy there.
The main reason for the move was to be closer to a good private hospital during the months surrounding our new baby’s birth, just in case we need it. But we’re also excited to be closer to so many fantastic restaurants with international cuisine, larger stores like Pricesmart/Costco, like-minded people, as well as fun and educational activities and classes. We’ll be less than an hour away from the beach, too.
Escazu house night view
Escazú is an upscale suburb of Costa Rica’s capital, San José, and has seen a huge influx of foreigners in recent years. It’s also one of the most expensive areas to live in Costa Rica, so we were lucky to find an excellent deal on the house we’re renting ($1200/month), especially since it’s on a street with some large multi-million dollar homes (including Mel Gibson’s). We plan to stay there for at least 8 months (that’s the minimum on our lease), and then possibly head out to an Asian country such as Japan for the next phase of our adventure.
One of our main reasons for choosing to move to Costa Rica was so we could all learn Spanish. I’m pleased to report that the girls are becoming more and more comfortable with the language. They’re no longer afraid to speak Spanish to people, and are therefore seeing some great improvement in their abilities. We’re hoping by the end of the year, they’ll have the language down really well. I’m also pleased at the level my Spanish has grown to. It’s certainly not perfect, but I can usually get my point across without halting too much, and can understand the other person well.
Well, goodbye Grecia. Maybe we’ll come back for a visit now and again. Here are some pictures of the new place, mixed in with some pictures of our current place in Grecia for comparison – the captions will spell the difference.
Movin’ Around We've been doing a lot of thinking the past few ...
Traveling through Hawaii It's been two weeks since we left Costa Rica for ...
Back in Costa Rica Wow! It feels so good to be back here in ...
Puerto Viejo, Arenal, and Tamarindo Last week we enjoyed a fun visit from my wife's ...
Celebrating 8 Years of Marriage This month Jennifer and I spent three days away from ...
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February 21, 2011 at 11:24 am
Wow, time sure flies. What a relaxing and fun year it has been in Grecia. I have absolutely loved living here in this town and in this house. I will miss them both, and especially the lovely garden views.
I am really looking forward to the new experiences we will be having in Escazu as well. I am so glad we found a new place to live there that we love so much.:)
February 21, 2011 at 12:29 pm
That is such a beautiful place. I’m excited for you guys to move in there! I’m sure you’ll love everything about it.
So will you finally have an actual address…?
February 21, 2011 at 12:40 pm
No, they don’t do “addresses” here, just directions. That’s probably why address is called “dirección” in Spanish. But we’ll need to figure out where the nearest post office is for sending and receiving mail.
February 21, 2011 at 10:50 pm
Ahh. Ok. Well let us know when you find out. Since I send you oh so many pieces of mail. lol
February 21, 2011 at 4:03 pm
I love the funky decor in the new place. Completely different feel than the Grecia home, but just as lovely. And a pool! I absolutely LOVE the starfish in the pool. I want to be in that pool right now…
So glad you found something just perfect for you. And that you’ve already made some friends :)
Yes, let me know your new address as soon as you get it…
February 22, 2011 at 11:15 am
Hey, best wishes on the new chapter of your family adventure and birth of your baby! We are in Honduras and in a year will be skipping off to Ecuador near Cuenca. We spent summers away between university semesters, creating internships just to have an adventure and the time away, living the minimalist life was so refreshing! I admire your travels and family experience. Thanks for sharing! I like reading it! Eme
February 22, 2011 at 5:06 pm
Looks like a great place! You’ll have lots of fun in that swimming pool. Are you getting quite good at billiards?
February 22, 2011 at 9:35 pm
Not yet. We don’t move in for a few more days. But if my pool skills improve as much as my foosball skills have, I’ll be thrilled. :)
February 22, 2011 at 5:14 pm
Brandon and Jennifer, congratulations on your move to Escazú.
Two weeks ago, we were in the little town of Cotacachi, Ecuador, the much-touted landing strip for “savvy” expats, to check it out as a summer home. Three days is all it took for us to realize that we needed much more civilization. We returned to Quito and enjoyed the rest of our Ecuadorian stay in the capital.
I imagine that your moving from Grecia to Escazú will have much the same feel.
Thanks for continuing to share your adventure with us!
March 4, 2011 at 11:32 pm
Just saw you on Tim Ferriss’ blog! NICE!
You’re a hero
March 5, 2011 at 8:29 am
Cool! Thanks for letting me know, David.
March 5, 2011 at 9:12 am
Wow beautiful! What fun adventures must await you.
Brandon you inspire me to go after life, I have enjoyed reading about your adventures and the things that inspire you. Your mom and I were just discussing what wonderful, beautiful children we both have, and how blessed we are. As you know we are both turning the 1/2 century mark this month, and I think I can say for both of us it has been a pleasure watching our 4 brilliant children grow into 4 brilliant adults.
You and your sister are tributes to your great Mother!
March 5, 2011 at 7:46 pm
Thanks Michelle! She is so lucky to have a friend like you, too. :)
March 5, 2011 at 8:05 pm
Yes she is!