Costa Rica Real Estate Magazine

which starts in Puntarenas and heads South to Jacó, Parrita, and past the Quepos/Manuel Antonio beaches con- tinuing toward Playa Dominical where you can take the turn and head inland and upward and reach Perez that way. A second way and my favorite is to go via the Cerro Bella Vista also popularly known as the Cerro de la Muerte, the hills of death, named as such based on legends of many farmers who traversed it on foot and died from the extreme cold which they were not accustomed to. This highway comes from San José, past Cartago and heads up into the mountainous areas where at one point you are just 500 meters below the height of the Chirripó highest point and at cer- tain times of the year you can see icing on the vegetation and at night the sky is so clear and free of light contamina- tion that you can see a myriad of stars and even satellites going by! Also, at certain spots you can see the oceans in the distance and experience a variety of microclimates and see fields of colorful vegetation. You can also see a variety of animals along this road, and I have seen on various occasions large tapirs. I also have a memory from many years ago of going with my father and seeing something fall from a tree, as we looked closer it turned out to be a puma the size of a great dane which then proceeded to cross the road. So, as I mentioned it can be a very adventurous route and has several interesting businesses along the road including one that has many hummingbird feeders just outside its windows and you can see all types and sizes of these birds. So those are some of the reasons I consider Perez such a special place and since it is located far from the capital city and surrounding areas, our crime rate here is very low and we get our water from high altitude springs which makes it very healthy and good tasting. As you can see, I love liv- ing here and recommend it to all. Another must-see is the sugar cane plantations along with a visit to a local farm so you can see the process and the final products including sugar for export. You can see sugar mills that where operated by hand and later using horsepower.

One of the most impressive places to visit is the Chirripó National Park area which is over 500 square kilometers

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60 COSTA RICA REAL ESTATE MAGAZINE