August 03, 2007 - Orosi Living: Pros and Cons

Our plan for Costa Rica is to live in several towns for several months each before deciding where to settle down. During our visits, we have been trying to keep in mind that we are looking for the best place for us - this is difficult because it is so easy to focus on the positive and ignore or downplay any negatives. It is easy to say "Oh, we can live without that," etc.

We lived in Orosí for almost 3 months, from the end of the dry season through the beginning of the rainy season. When we left, we knew the town wasn´t a perfect match for us. We let our impressions settle for a while, then came up with this list of Pros and Cons.

Overall: Orosí is a small town of about 2,000. The surrounding community brings the population to 10,000. It is near a wildlife reserve and a lake (used for hydroelectricity and fishing). It is about 20 km South of Cartago - about 45 minutes by bus, or 25 minutes by car. It is in a small valley, surrounded by coffee fincas - a bit lower in elevation than Cartago.

Pro:

· Very Friendly

· Easy to have a horse nearby

· Not a tourist town, but you will see a lot of travelers

· We made many good friends there

· ¨Good¨ climate - not too hot or humid, although we needed a fan

· Quiet; not much going on; easy to get lazy

· Good dentist available in town

· Some opportunities for social interactions via Montaña Linda Spanish School and private music parties

· Good place to visit and have visitors

· Very few of the helpful people have ulterior motives (e.g., they genuinely want to help; they are not just trying to sell you something)

· Affordable

Con:

· No Park

· No Central Market

· San José is multiple-bus-rides away

· Neighboring cities are uninspiring (that is an opinion, based on *our* needs)

· No ethnic restaurants

· The locals do not recommend the local doctor or clinic; it is a long way (San José or Cartago) for good health care

· Neither of us could drink the tap water without some degree of discomfort; we ended up using bottled water for drinking and for making soups

· There were a few aggressive drunks - in a small town, you have to avoid the same ones

If a small town suits you, Orosí is a wonderful place to consider. You can click on the ¨orosi¨ tag to see more posts on the town.

Something we have noticed in general is that the people in small towns have lives which are more influenced by religion. The church is a central part of the community.