My Great Escape: Post Peak in Costa Rica -UPDATE 3/06-

skateari · Intermediate Crude Joined: Sep 26, 2004 Posts: 548

This is going to be my one thread. I dont post here much anymore because I figured I could be spending my time doing more progressive things, as to terms of Peak Oil and the future of my life and the life of my family.

As a result, we now own over 4 acres in the Guanacaste Region of Costa Rica, known for its beautiful white sand beaches, great surfing, and amazing wildlife. We ended up here because not only could we afford setting up a lifestyle away from peak oil, but beacuse we felt at home here. It boats a warm, year round growing season, the climate is 80 degrees year round - at least we wont have to worry about our heating situation. We have the ability to grow all of our favorite foods, and I have already started too.

Some pictures of our lot:

Our Building Pad, our View, and our Deseil Truck in the Distance

The View

skateari · Intermediate Crude Joined: Sep 26, 2004 Posts: 548

I have been asked this already by some of my close friends who are Peak Oil aware.. really, it boils down to my lifestyle, and where I felt at home. I grew up in Hawaii, my family lives there, and we have all been gotten used to the tropical lifestyle. And when it comes to Peak Oil, a year round growing climate, moderate tempatures, and nightly rainfalls all fall into the Possitive aspects. Already we have at least 20 wild fruit trees growing on the property; guavayana, bannanas, papayas, and a few native tropical fruit trees. The soil is rich and fetile.

Unlike Hawaii, Costa Rica is very self sufficant. It boosts a huge cattle-dairy industry in my area, along with bannana plantations, goat raising, home chicken farms, transportion by horse or mule carts. I see mule carts and herds of cattle on the road everyday, and I dont mind being stuck behind them, unlike the pollution and smoke filled drag of trafic back home.

Not to mention, the beauty, the wilderness, the uncharted territory (for me at least), and, last but not least, the breath taking beaches and surfing just a horse (or car) ride away.

The language- both me and my sister are decently fluent in spanish, which comes in handy in a spanish speaking country.

The cost of living- is very, very cheap. In the end of our plans, with the cost of the property, house, fencing, gardens, orchards, and animals; it will all be under $200,000. Labor here is around $1.50 hour, so if you need someone to help planting, clearing or digging, you can get someone to work 10 hours in a day for under 20$. Your plans can go pretty fast when you have such cheap and willing labor.

Any questions as to Costa Rica? Go ahead and ask.

skateari · Intermediate Crude Joined: Sep 26, 2004 Posts: 548

This thread is going to be used to keep everyone up to date, my family back home, all of you hear, and I think it would be cool to look back at how things have progressed over the months.

Any ideas and suggestions as to my plans and projects that I will go over with you all here, would be great.

I will post pictures of the projects in progress and when completed. In this thread I hope to motivate others to do the same as I; to escape while you can. Nobody will ever be able to setup a sustainable homestead after the Peak hits mankind, so you are best off doing it before. I have given up the talk about what WE should do, and focused more on what I should do. I have given up on the lost family who do not hear the warnings, I have given up on the lost hope of the American dream.

So what first? The chicken coop? The Pond? The orchard or the Garden? The water storage, backup food supply or the Deisel Reserve? Actualy, Im thinking along the lines of a E shaped, block compost pile.. should be pretty easy, and that way I can get some nice organic humus by the time the raised beds and grapefruits are in..

pstarr

I am sorry if I am supposed to be delighted or envious but truth be known, I am neither. I was prepared to be outraged: by the destruction of a tropical forest or the displacement of a local economy. However, I can see from you pictures that the lands you are suburbanizing are probably logged over and depleted already, so you will only be displacing mundane wildlife--no endangered Poison Dart frog or anything so exotic. Maybe a leopard, or puma or some other 'merely' threatened species.

I know, you've designed all sorts of 'permaculture' elements into the plan. southfacing for warmth, overhangs for cool, solar devices for energy, and well for water. But do you really think that you will live off this? Your shovel, pump, solar panels, your medicine, clothing, your computer, your electricty, car, telephone, petroleum, etc. etc. will come by boat, and truck, and train from where? The United States? Taiwan?

I have friends who are snapping up cheap property in Costa Rica but for more mundane reasons. It's cheap real estate and it doesn't yet look like any other American suburb. But it will. And when all these infrastructures fall prey to the same forces of oil depletion, you might want to reconsider your property back in Toledo or Los Angeles or whereever. Costa Rica is bordered by the poorest people in the New World. Just north you have 20 million in Nicaragua, Hondorus, and El Salvador, countries racked by hundreds of of years of colonial oppression, civil war, and American subversion. Columbia is only one country and several hundred miles to the south. I doubt these people have a great love for Americans anymore. Costa Rica is an American Resort. It is a Club Med. It will be a walled enclave if things do not go well in Central America
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cynthia · Heavy Crude Joined: May 29, 2005 Posts: 348

"Labor here is around $1.50 hour, so if you need someone to help planting, clearing or digging, you can get someone to work 10 hours in a day for under 20$."

I don't think it's nice to expect anyone to labor ten hours a day like that for $1.50 an hour. Otherwise I find your pursuit interesting.
Cynthia

skateari · Intermediate Crude Joined: Sep 26, 2004 Posts: 548

Madpaddy · Expert Joined: Jun 25, 2004 Posts: 1989

My God Skat,

You have the white tree of Gondor growing on your property. It is truely a sign.
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skateari · Intermediate Crude Joined: Sep 26, 2004 Posts: 548

MattSavinar · Elite Joined: May 09, 2004 Posts: 1990

crapattack

It looks good, and very tempting, but Hmmm, can't help but thinking Matt might have a point here, that and you're on a hill, visable for miles around.

Maybe you are thinking to hire some cheap security when TSHF. Then you should hire a bit more, to keep an eye on them.

Yes, and for godsake don't cut down the white tree of Gondor.
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How much did the 4 acres cost?
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cynthia · Heavy Crude Joined: May 29, 2005 Posts: 348

I should have made myself clear. It's not just the $1.50 an hour- I know it's relative given we are not on a equal pay scale in our "global economy."
It's the audacity to expect a laborer to work ten freakin hours a day doing hard back-breaking work. That leaves the worker how many hours a day to tend their daily needs? Oh, that's right, I forgot. They only have to labor for an hour to buy a coke and a burger. This is what Nike and all the other Corporations do in countries with a a lower than US pay scale. And you know what happens? They can't tend their local food crops because they are working the dead-end American dream work cycle.
BTW how much land does the average Costa Rican own? Just curious.
Cynthia

Colorado-Valley · Intermediate Crude Joined: Aug 16, 2004 Posts: 729

Are you now a Costa Rican or still an American citizen?

In other words, can you still be drafted if the War on the Middle East mutates into something really dangerous?

MattSavinar · Elite Joined: May 09, 2004 Posts: 1990

Mesuge

I've heard only positive stories about Costa Rica, so far.
Isn't it true that they as a nation basically demilitarized in order to use their state revenue for more important projects? That speaks volumes about this country in region with such a turbulant history..

On the other hand, I'd worried more about the future influx of PO aware gringos. There are millions of rich americans who will be looking for second home at least for the interim as the suburbia goes mad max. And since Europe is quite overpopulated and expensive already with the exception of some Russia bordering new EU states - Latin America is going to be their option #1..

Also, if you look at the TOD temperature predictions, some future severe weather considerations in this region should be also part of the overall equation.. What about landslides, floofds, hurricanes, tornados in your area?

Just a small recommendation, I'd start immediately some contact with the local community, you can support materialy or financialy their school, hospital or whatever.. Even a small symbolic contribution like older PC or books will help win their hearts..
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