Valentine Carstensen

Ten years of living in Costa Rica has arrived me at an idea/inspiration that I would like to bounce off anyone who can offer value. During these ten years I have met very very few foreigners who manage to bring their lifestyle into the realm of Latin American reality....Legally. There is almost always a dependency on foreign tourists/volunteers/students or in my case and that of many more, Working periodically in our native countries and bringing home the bacon. Yes, there are some who have managed to use their guile to take wealth through real estate activities and/or pseudo legal services. Even these however signify a dependency on the economy of foreign nations as the clients are virtually never local people with ethical employ.

So how does a foreigner sustainable grow roots that bind him/her to the local culture and afford a dignified right livelyhood to his/her family for generations?

Many of us seek to live in small communities becuase the life experience is very much more real, Natural Life is more accesible and Illth less prolific.

So the concept is this. focus on the businesses that these communities allready CAN support.... Bakery, General Store, Produce vendor, Butcher, Dehydrator for Cafe, Cacao, Grains, Fruits, Meats, Potters, Sawmen, Etc., Etc. and build a single Wood fired oven that can afford heat energy for all of these activities and build the shop spaces as units integrated to the oven with the design of Cooperativing/leasing/selling/ the spaces to the Artisans and Entrepenuers with the design of turning the energy into the seed of true local economy.

The raw materials are virtually free and available in most all areas in Costa Rica... River stone, Clay, Straw, lime. Greatest costs would be Ironworks, Refractory cement, etc. The most critical elements will be our time and our ingenuity. (pre-fit for boilercondensor for heat absorption?)

If anybody has experience(s) and/or reference material recomendations or any other type of input please pipe up!!!.

Tx,

V

I apologize everyone. I forget that message forums remove indentation and thus make different paragraphs one long rant.

Land seekers,

Having been in the Southern Pacific Zone for 12 years now I may be able to share some experience(s) with you. It also happens that I purchased 160 acres of land along the way. The property is located within a Kilometer of one of the lowest altitude extensions of Parque La'Amistad between the villages of La Lucha de Potrero Grande and Capri. Although the Altitude is not as high as you expressly are seeking it is around 800 meters altitude and for whatever reason the coffee crops still sell as high altitude coffee by price and label. The Days are a bit warmer than what you will experience in San Vito and the nights are similarly cool or perhaps cooler. The temerature conditions are an effect of the large Coto Brus Valley bottom and the High Cordillera talamanca Mountains in such close proximity to the zone.
As mentioned I've been here while.... Since 26 Years old. In these 12 years I have brought four children with my Costa Rican Spouse Karen, purchased and paid for land, and have tempered my idealism a little bit.
Early on the community solicited donation of a parcel of land for the purpose of constructing a highschool. Now 5 years since that donation we are happy to see that construction has initiated. A donation of land was realized last year for the realization of a comunity cemetary.
The farm was originally purchased in a mixed condition of Primary Forest, Secondary Forest, and Thicket where there were Cafetales, Pastures, and Sugar Cane (7 years abandoned). During my time with control over the farm we let it remain fallow an additional Seven Years and Beginning in 2012 began reclaiming the previosly farmed areas and installing Cacao (5 acres), Cafe (3 acres), some small patches of pasture and miscellaneaous fruit tree species.
Our family lives in San Vito. This is a decision based entirely on education for my part. I do agree with your instinct to distance yourself from major developement and larger population centers. In our circumstance however removing the children to the very rural education environment would be to do them a terrible disservice. I do not now have the recources to remain at home consistently enough to educate them myself and my spouse is not prepared to do so either. The rural schools in Costa Rica receive second class treatment with respect to material and most importantly talent. That said I would otherwise prefer very much to live on the farm.
The farm is in a very nice setting with magnificent views all about. The absence of human noise pollution is divine. it is the last farm on it's respective branch of the Grid and has Public water aqueduct for potable water. There are also springs about for larger scale water use. There is also a nice creek which runs through the center of the farm which could be utilized for hydro electric.
Let me know if you'd like to explore posibilities and pay a visit sometime.

Sincerely,

Val