*Top* > 64 years		*Middle range* ± 42 years		*Bottom* <20 years
Costa Rica	66.7	South Korea	46.9	Mozambique	16.4
Iceland	66.4	China	45.5	Togo	15.1
Denmark	65.0	Turkey	41.0	Tanzania	14.4
Switzerland	65.0	Romania	40.0	Burundi	14.3
Canada	64.0	Egypt	40.0	Zimbabwe	12.5

Click on this link for more detailed info.

http://www.worlddatabaseofhappiness.eur.nl/hap_nat/findingreports/RankReport2009-2d.htm

So often when comparing countries that we may be considering to invest in, we weigh all the financial components, infrastructure etc. but isn’t happiness what we are really looking for? If so then Costa Rica is number one!

Personally, I must say that whenever I travel, although I enjoy that very much, I am always happy to get back home to Costa Rica. It is hard to pinpoint just what it is that makes life here more tranquil but I can tell you a couple things that I like.

First and foremost it is the sheer beauty. Green is the word of the day here. We don’t have a wet and dry season so the vegetation is lush and green year round. Along with that comes a huge variety and abundance of birds always flying around. Parrots, Toucans and Macaws are my favorite. With over 650 species (more than all of North America combined!) you never get tired of birds flitting about—butterflies too. I am sure that the abundance of oxygen provided by all the trees makes the air very healthful as well.

There is just something about sitting on your front porch watching hummingbirds and butterflies in the flowers while overhead flies some of the most beautiful birds in creation. I guess that it is really not that hard to pinpoint—all these benefits are what most folks would consider living in a Paradise!

After spending many years in New Hampshire and the Northeast I would also have to say that having mild weather all year round is another contributing factor to my overall satisfaction with life here. It is really fantastic not having to worry about heating or cooling. Although I always heated with wood and enjoyed cutting and splitting firewood, it seemed that by March the shine was pretty well worn off! The breezes that come up the mountain off the Caribbean Plain make the temperature just about perfect. I highly suggest not considering air conditioning at all—just don’t need it. With proper shading and layout of your home you will find even on the sunniest days that the weather very rarely gets so hot as to be uncomfortable. On the Pacific side I have been in 100 degree heat many times but the Caribbean is never that hot.

In my last newsletter I explained how a quality lifestyle can be had on only about $1,200 a month. Money is definitely not the most important thing but it would be hard to be tranquil if every month you were worrying about how to pay your bills or health insurance.

So, for me, I would have to say that the combination of healthy and beautiful surroundings along with a very reasonable monthly cost of living makes life here in Costa Rica very happy for me indeed!

FIRST AREA WI-FI SYSTEM ON THE CARIBBEAN!

It has been a year since we first started to investigate the possibility of installing an area wide wireless internet system.

Although individual owners could install systems themselves we thought it would be great to be able to provide wi-fi capability not only for Grand View owners but also be able to supply the surrounding area with this much needed service.

In todays world it is very important to have quality high speed internet, not only to keep in touch with family and friends but also to be able to work from anywhere in the world with various internet based businesses. I am happy to announce that our system is complete and works great and we will all have the option of having high speed wireless internet in our homes. One of the things I like best is with quality internet we can take advantage of various VOIP providers for very inexpensive international calls.

MASSIVE U.S. INFLATION?

As much as I like to keep my head in the sand the recent news has definitely got me thinking. Most owners here seem to be of the age where we can remember the interests rates of the early 80’s. I can clearly remember some co-workers of mine actually purchasing a home and paying over 20% interest! I thought they were crazy then and I still do. Not only was the interest rate nuts but properties were inflated as well. My friend excitedly purchased a condo for around 80k and less than a year later he would have been lucky to be able to sell it for 60k. Great deal wasn’t it—20k lost in a year plus paying double for the mortgage.

Thank goodness I have always invested in Real Estate. Although I did make out great when I was an engineer for Lockheed and was part of the 401k plan—50% matching, stocks splitting and then doubling and making 14% on the mutual funds. Those were the days!

Throughout my life, any real estate I invested in has just done great (one exception is a rehab I did in Pa.-still trying to sell that one) and usually a 100% to 400% profit has been typical for me.

At the moment the money I have invested in Costa Rica has seen the same type of return and expect that to continue into the future.

More than one person has commented to me that had they purchased the property we were discussing here that would have been 70k or so less that they would have lost over the last year.

If we don’t learn from history we are destined to make the same mistakes. Rest assured, I am not trying to present myself as a financial wizard, but that does not mean that we should not look at what is happening and compare it to what we have experienced in our own lifetime and try to make an intelligent decision about where to invest right now.

Every single article and indicator I read or look at points to massive inflation based on the huge debt and printing of money in the US. When will it be?? That is being debated but the reality of it happening is not being argued by anyone.

What I am finding is this---we have sold quite a few lots in the last few weeks and it was quite interesting as most investors cited the same reasoning. The reasoning was that they were taking advantage of the current stock upswing to then invest that money, not only out of the country but into a country that has a proven track record over recent years in these investments going up.

Without a doubt the Pacific side of Costa Rica has ballooned and fallen but the Caribbean side is still a true ground floor opportunity. How long will this last? All I can tell you is that things seem to be changing quickly and as in any proper timing for a real estate transaction—the sooner the better!

Transatlantic Yachting Race Sets Sail for Costa Rica

LeHavre
The 4,900 mile regatta started with severe weather capsizing the multihull Actual (above, left).

The 9th edition of the Transat Jacques Vabre transatlantic sailing race kicked off this past Sunday, Nov. 8 with 2 of the fastest and most modern sailboats in the world and their crew waving goodbye to an audience of more than 10,000 people in Le Havre, France. Their destination: the sunny port town of Limon, Costa Rica.

The route is an estimated 7.900 kilometers (4,900 miles) and runs from the mouth of the Seine River, through the English Channel and into open seas, retracing the legendary coffee shipping route from the Americas to Europe. The first race took place in 1993 with the finish line in Cartagena, Colombia. The tradition has carried on every other year with four races ending in Cartagena and four more en route to Salvador de Bahia, Brazil. In this 9th edition, the Transat Jacques Vabre is now considered the 3rd most important sailing regatta in the world, and the 5th most watched sporting event in France.

A variety of sailboats are included in the race, though the competition is divided between 14 monohulls and 6 multihulls, which will follow slightly variety routes to reach the finish line at Puerto Limon. The first place competitors are expected to make the transit in just over 12 days, arriving to Limon on Nov. 20 or 21st.

Based on statistics from the 2007 regatta that concluded in Brazil, Costa Rica is expecting more than $25 million in profits from the estimated 20,000 tourists that are expected to flock to the port town of Limon for the finish line festivities. Let’s home Limon can clean up its streets in time in the aftermath of the Carnavales de Limon celebrations.

And they’re off!

While the inauguration of the annual event was marked by calm conditions this past Sunday, the weather made a quick change for the worst. Within just 3 hours, the competitors saw their first capsize due to strong 23-knot (80 kmh) winds. Co-skippers Yves Le Blevec and Jean Le Cam did not receive any severe injuries, but their multihull sailboat Actual had to be towed to Cherbourg, thus disqualifying them from the race.

The intense conditions set an accelerated pace for the race and allowed Franck-Yves Escoffier and Erwan Le Roux, co-skippers on the Crepes Whaou to reach a gain of nearly 70 miles with their multihull after the second day of competition. The IMOCA Open 60 fleet of monohull yachts saw a much tighter race with Sebastien Josse and Jean Francois Cuzon on the BT stealing the lead from the Groupe Bel crew (Kito De Pavant and Francois Gabart) in the second day of competition.

After their excellent start Dee Caffari (one of only two female competitors) and Brian Thompson worked hard to draw their multihull Aviva into 4th place. Before their departure Thompson described their preparation and said: “The thought of the sunnier climes of Costa Rica waiting for us at the finish is definitely something to look forward to as well!

Caribbean Adventures

cid:image002.jpg@01C6ABE0.66B2DDA0

Every time I travel through Puerto Viejo and Punta Uva I get a surprise at the new buildings and quality of the roads. This year they have opened the first high end hotel that has $250 a night rooms. Not that this is what everyone is looking for but it is nice for those folks seeking this option.

Another neat thing to see is the sailboat race from France ending here in Limon. This is another sign of the changing times here on the Caribbean of Costa Rica. We are all looking forward to the coming Marina in Moin as this will provide local mooring for our boats as well as being another step in progress of making Limon a modern, comfortable place where cruise ships and personal watercraft have a place to start their adventures.

There was another new dive shop opened in Puerto Viejo this past summer making it very easy to get very personal service and also dive with brand new gear. I am sure we have all been to dive shops here on the Caribbean where the gear was probably used by Lloyd Bridges

So it is really nice to have small personalized dive operations where you don’t feel compromised when you did not bring your own gear.

I am sure that if you do business with any of the new shops you will be satisfied but when I am in the Punta Uva area I am always happy with the staff at Punta Uva Dive Center. Tell Lucas that Gill sent you!

www.puntauvadivecenter.com

Our Newsletter

I hope you found this edition of Grand View Estates newsletter helpful in understanding what we offer. Our aim is to also provide some insight as to what is happening in Costa Rica and why we love living here!

Please feel free to make comments and suggest what you would like to see in our monthly newsletter.

www.gvecr.com I would like to point out that our project is not experiencing any of the problems plaguing the Pacific side. Add that to the fact that we have the best prices in the country and you’ll see why International Living has chosen to be our affiliates.

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