Nadine Hays Pisani - Happier Than A Billionaire: The Escape Manual

Happier Than A Billionaire: Quitting My Job,Moving to Costa Rica, & Living the Zero Hour WorkWeek

Happier Than A Billionaire: TheSequel

Happier Than A Billionaire: The EscapeManual

Copyright 2014 Nadine Hays Pisani

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Although the author and publisher have madeevery effort to ensure that the information in this book wascorrect at press time, the author and publisher do not assume andhereby disclaim any liability to any party for any loss, damage, ordisruption caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors oromissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause.

Dedication

There are many people who made this bookpossible, and I would like to thank Ale Elliot, Aaron the Blue-EyedBuilder, my attorney Gilferd Banton, architect Jos Pablo AcunaLett , Rancho Margot, Essence Arenal, The Butterfly Conservatory,Anne Foster, Brooke Bishop, Bob and Stacy Lux, Sky Maricle, WildAnimal Rescue Center, Colleen Ouellete, Donald and Patricia, andKelley Spell. A special thanks to Eliza at Clio Editing forsloshing her way through this manuscript.

I am grateful to all my friends, who weremore than understanding during the writing of this book: Randy andKim Toltz, Sarah, Bill, Denio, Ewa, Jamie Peligro, Brian, andJoyce.

A big hug to my family back in the UnitedStates. Thank you for being happy for me. I miss you every singleday.

And I could never forget to mention mywonderful husband. The man who worries about me, puts up with mymoodiness, and continues to make me laugh. This journey would beboring without you.

Table of Contents

The Unofficial Guide

The Person with a Story

Exit Strategies

Bookem, Dano: Crime in Costa Rica

Stuff: Keep It or Start Over?

You Cant Convince Me Otherwise, ImKeeping My Stuff

Fido Leaves the Rat Race

Airports

Transportation

Your Personal Driver, PlasticSurgery & Girls Gone Wild

Sloth Money

The Roaring Twenties

Part II: Where the Rubber Meets theRoad

Costa Rica: The OriginalView-Master

Road Trip: The Central Valley

Housing: The Trade Offs

Living at the Beach

The Pensive Thirties or Why My Wife Wont DoIt

Education

Landlines, Internet & Cell Phones

Buying A Car

Road Trip: The Beaches of Guanacaste

Car Talk

Real Questions Emailed to Happier

Forties or Why We Both Cant Do It

Road Trip: Caribbean

Part III: The HeavyLifting

Visa Runs, Perpetual Tourists & FumigationFacials

The Finally Free Fifties or Why My Husband Wont DoIt

Fifty Shades of Residency

Road Trip: Lake Arenal

You Have the Right to an Attorney

Obtaining a Drivers License

Rob Loses His License

Banking in Costa Rica: Wheres My FreeToaster?

Rodrigo the Repairman

Will I Be Able To Work in Costa Rica?

Jamie Peligro Bookstore

Losing Weight, Getting Healthy & SunSalutations

Land, Villas & Condominiums

Close-Enough Plumbing

Standard & Luxury Real Estate Taxes

Building Your Home, Architect & WaterRights

Part IV: The JourneyContinues

Healthcare

Oops, He Did It Again

A Stomach Bug Causes This Much Trouble

Colonoscopy in Paradise

The Retiring Sixties: I Finally MadeIt!

Road Trip: Pacific Coast Highway

Firearms in the Fireplace

Dental Care

Real Questions Emailed toHappier

Farmhouse and Horseback Riding

Wild Animal Rescue Center

Embassy

Rodrigo Fixes the Air Conditioner

Road Trip: The Osa Peninsula

Happier Than A Billionaire

Accommodations

Links to Additional Resources

About the Author

MAP

My sister loves her unofficial, kid-friendlyguide to Disney World. Essentially, it tells you where to find theshortest lines, what the best places are to watch fireworks, andhow to avoid getting trampled when Mickey Mouse comes out forpictures. I think the directions to the nearest bathrooms are whatappeals most to dads, since they tend to hide there while littleJimmy throws a tantrum.

My dad would have loved an unofficial Disneyguide since it probably would have warned him not to stand on topof a benchunwisely positioned under a spiked, wrought-ironlantern to get a better view of the Electric Light Parade. Whattranspired next was my dad suffering a head wound that was not verykid-friendly at all. Nothing like a geyser of blood squirting outof someones cranium while Its a Small World pipes into thecrowd.

Luckily, Disneys first responder came in theform of an anthropomorphic dog sporting a tall hat and turtleneck.Goofy was kind enough to escort my father to the nearest first aidcenter where a qualified nurse wrapped his head in a turban ofgauze and propped him against a lamppost on Main Street. We drovestraight back to New Jersey the next day.

The good news was that my fathers blood lossleft him surprisingly indifferent to the shenanigans that went onin the backseat of our Chevy Impala. Consequently, my sister and Igot to smack each other with wild abandon for twenty-four glorioushours. I couldnt imagine a better ending to our familyvacation.

This book is my unofficial guide tonavigating Costa Rica, along with a little humor and a few lifelessons thrown in. Ill be including the things that I feel aremost important, answering the questions people ask most often, andleaving out the things that you could easily find on the Internet.My goal is to inform but not overload, while sharing some laughsalong the way. If you are looking to buy a teak farm, Im sorry. Icant help you with that. But if you are interested in moving here,or even traveling throughout the country, you may find some ofthese chapters useful.

If you havent read my previous two books,Happier Than A Billionaire: Quitting My Job, Moving to CostaRica, and Living The Zero Hour Work Week and Happier Than ABillionaire: The Sequel, then my occasional tangents maysurprise you. I have a tendency to share a lot of my life,especially all the funny (and not so funny) things that my husbandropes me into. Some have made accusations that my stories neverhappened, or that Ive exaggerated. But I can assure you, once youdecide to really start livingand take a chance on adventureyoutend to find yourself in one crazy predicament after another. Thisis my blueprint so that you can create all of your own incrediblestories that no one will believe.

These adventures were exactly what I wassearching for when embarking on this crazy odyssey, and I suspectyou too are searching for something similar. You might have evenordered this book without telling your spouse. My husband, Rob,started researching our escape before he ever officially announcedthe plan to me. He knew where we should be long before I everconsidered it.

I applaud you and want you to know that thereare plenty more of us out there. It wasnt until I became an expat(expatriate) that I met so many interesting people looking for adifferent kind of life. They did exactly what I did, and hadequally interesting (if not better) stories.