"Social Distancing" and the Coronavirus

We are ending our second week of “social distancing” in an attempt to isolate and slow down the spread of the Coronavirus which has suddenly consumed everyone’s attention for most of the month. By now it is obvious this is a serious pandemic which we have no vaccine and no defenses against except isolation and tracking our exposure patterns.

The measures taken by Costa Rica and governments around the world have left expats in a curious dilemma; should we leave the country and return to the home country and face the virus in our homeland, or should we hunker down here and hope for a quick resolution for the virus? The borders are closed, both coming and going. People are facing mandatory quarantines from wherever they arrive.

We had a trip to Florida planned this month however the flights are cancelled to and from. We couldn’t return home if we decided that travel was safe and smart and, being cooped up in a commercial jet with fifty or a hundred other people doesn’t seem safe or smart. The US State Department has advised all travelling Americans to return to the states if possible. They also said to stay isolated and not make any unnecessary trips. We decided to stay put and ride this out in Costa Rica.

Our daily routine is very simple—early morning coffee, tidy up the house, walk the dog, feed the cats, breakfast and a lite lunch, most days we swim a few laps at the pool (usually by ourselves but rarely with more than three others), about once a week we drive to Puriscal to shop for groceries and supplies, then dinner and early retirement. Throughout the day we spend time reading (Kindle or the news) or checking social media. Its probably not much different that what our friends are doing at home except we are having no shortages to deal with—like toilet paper.

As of today, there were 231 cases in Costa Rica with two deaths. There have been no cases reported in or near Puriscal, so we feel very sheltered.

I hope that feeling continues. Pura Vida friends and be safe.

How Hard is it Really?

Visiting and traveling in Costa Rica requires some preparation, patience, and the ability to roll with the punches. No, we never actually came to blows, but there is a slower pace to the lifestyle here and you always need to be ready for a change of plans. What’s new—isn’t that the nature of travel in a foreign land?

It usually boils down to a different way of doing things. Fewer computers mean different procedures that feel more like living in the fifties or sixties. Modern architecture is intermixed with traditional Tico style and addresses sound more like directions that evoke landmarks and “1,000 meters past . . . “. Consequently, nothing is simple, most things are more complicated than you think they need be.

We were warned and prepared for the rain so it was not a disappointment when we found the weather to be very similar to what we experienced in Florida—just not as hot. It rained a portion of almost every day—but hey, we’re in the tropics. Usually it was nice and cool in the early day and the rains rolled in by afternoon—just like home. Even in the rain the roads were fine unless you had to traverse a dirt or gravel road in which case you had to be careful. But most of the places we drove on were paved.

In the Nicoya Peninsula we certainly felt more isolated. There were fewer towns and houses. The road through the mountains was dotted with small villages of five or ten houses. Dogs slept in the roads and cattle and livestock could graze, tethered by the side of the road.

Everywhere we went we saw people on their motorcycles—usually Japanese dirt bikes—because car ownership is very expensive and though there is public transportation in areas where you would never expect it, people like the mobility a motorcycle offers.

At no time while we were traveling has language been a problem. Ever though we speak very little Spanish—less than the distant memory of high school Spanish—we were able to communicate by stumbling through our limited vocabulary and waving our hands. If you are willing to learn, Google Translate, Babbel, Duolingo, and “The Spanish Guy” were our learning tools. (It will be months or years until we are remotely fluent.)

The need for Spanish is related directly to the population size of where you settle. Urban cities have many English speakers while smaller towns and villages have fewer. But we are always surprised by the outlier English speaker who comes to our rescue in our time of need. 

For those who wonder or worry, don’t let your lack of foreign language skills deter you from an adventure in a foreign land.  And don’t depend on the skills of others—give it a try, you’ll feel better and that is its own reward.