Have a specific question? Look below for some frequently asked questions and/or ask your own in the comments section!
Q&A
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Lifetransplanet
Colorado, Puerto Rico and life elsewhere on the planet.
Have a specific question? Look below for some frequently asked questions and/or ask your own in the comments section!
Q&A
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I have a Tom, about 9 months old, who has recently started displaying aggressive behavior towards me – I think it is mating behavior, because he coos at me and follows me in this enclosure as I walk around. I definitely believe he has imprinted on me, not as a parent, but as a mate. FYI – He is our only turkey, but he is in an enclosure with a Bantam Belgian D’Uccle hen, who I brought home with him. They are buddies, and he shows no signs of trying to mate with her. Have you ever had Toms be aggressive toward you in this way, and what can I do about it? When I enter the enclosure, he tries to bite and wing slap me. If I reach out to pet him, he will drop to the ground and settle down. Any thoughts?
Hi! We are considering moving to PR. Our girls are 10 and 11. I’m looking at private schools, but I have internet schooled them before. I don’t want to be in San Juan. I was wondering what internet access is like in the Rincon area. Do you know of any home schooling families in your area? One of my concerns is the girls finding friends.
Hi Victoria,
Internet is fine here. Probably more reliable than most other utilities (more than water and electricity)! I do know a few people who homeschool or do other alternative schooling. In the Rincón area there are a lot of people who think differently and you will find a large cohort of homeschooling parents here. I know parents who enrolled their kids in private schooling also and also public schools too! Lots of options.
Hi Cassey,
We watch you on you tube and love your adventures. I lived in PR the first 20 years of my life and I have learned much more about places on the island by watching you and Britt than when I lived there. I live in NC now.
I’ll be visitng Rincon with my sister Saturday May 7th and we were wondering if you give a tour of your Finca. I was telling he about your very cool farm and flowers.
Please let us know if this is possible and what time wold be convenient for you.
Thanks so much,
Lise Blandino
In your audio interview with Diana Cohn, Diana mention at the end about putting a link about anew bed and breakfast you have . Is this true or did I hear incorrect as the audio was not too clear. If is is true could you elaborate.
Hi Johnny! The link is right here on the page. Thanks for your interest: Mango Cabana http://www.lifetransplanet.com/our-place-in-rincon-puerto-rico/mango-studio-cabana-for-rent/
I would like to see the site in Rincon that Shania Twain rented to get Married the !January 2011 Thank you
I just ask to show the site where the country singer Shania Twain got married near the beach in Rincon January 1 2011
Hi Cecile!
Here are some posts that show the beach and private house where she married. The property is Casa Hines (now Casa Jeanette) and the beach is called Almendros Beach.
Our band played at a private event:
http://www.lifetransplanet.com/2016/03/21/rincon-continentals-on-fire/
We went to an art show there:
http://www.lifetransplanet.com/2016/03/15/art-show-and-beach-house-party/
We attended the Rincón Film Fest:
http://www.lifetransplanet.com/2014/04/16/best-rincon-film-fest/
And each Christmas we have had a pig roast on the same beach:
http://www.lifetransplanet.com/2016/12/30/3rd-christmas-pig-roast-on-the-beach/
About how much does this blog cost to pay for it to be hosted and how much are you earning from it?
I was wondering the same thing as I am planning on starting my own blog to make some side money. Marjorie sent me the link to your site and I told her I would contact you. (Though I don’t see a private way to contact you) She wasn’t sure you were monetizing your site at all.
do you sell turmeric….in big batches or small
Hi guys! Love your blog. it’s so informative! Just read your last post, speaking of this secret thai place….do you know if anything new will open where ode to the elephants use to be? My BF & I lovedddd that restaurant & was so sad when they left 🙁
The chef who was at Ode the the Elephants opened up the Green Thumb Grill downtown! Great food, especially if you loved Ode.
Hi, I was wondering if you could help me with why Puertoricans call “grecas”. I know it is a type or earring but do not know their description. Hope you can help!
I want to come visit Rincon for the first time. I have never been there, but have friends who have been there and love it. For some reasonlately I have been a little obsessed with thinking I might want to move there. I have a ticket voucher to fly into San Juan when I decide to book the flight. I may not be able to rent a car to get to Rincon and I hear the public transportation is unreliable to get there. What do you think about the idea of trying to hitch a ride from San Juan to Rincon? I have seen there is a train to a suburb west of San Juan that may be a good place to try to hitch from….?
My wife and I live in Grand Junction and are thinking of moving (retiring) to Puerto Rico. First off, let me say that we enjoyed your blog. It helped a lot. I do have some questions for you however, since you are fellow Coloradans. We keep hearing that you can live in PR for 10 years on $200,000 with no income coming in. Does this sound correct? My wife and I are only in our 50’s so this would be the case as far as not having an income and just living on our savings for awhile. We will be paying cash for a home so we won’t have to worry about that. We are looking in the Rincon area. Our biggest concern is the cost of groceries. We hear it is expensive there. We plan on growing most of our veggies and fruits which it sounds, per your blog, that you do as well. What, if you don’t mind me asking, do you pay in groceries a month? Any advise, help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
Brian Gregor
briangreg@outlook.com
Hi Brian!
Great question. $200,000 for 10 years would be appx $20,000/year which is definitely doable. We live on about $10-15 k/year and with virtually no housing costs. The largest expense for us is food for sure. Some people we know get the food stamp assistance and you would probably be eligible because you would be living at such a low income level. We don’t do that, though it sometimes sounds tempting! haha We are not super careful shoppers money-wise anymore because if there is something good or unusual at the store we buy it! Being on an island you get tired of eating the same things all the time. Anyhow, we probably spend a good $500 of our $1000-1200/month budget on food and drink.
Here’s an older post about the cost of living in PR. Hope it helps:
http://www.lifetransplanet.com/2014/02/18/cost-living-puerto-rico/
wow…thank you so much for getting back to me so quickly. That helps a bunch! We are excited to arrive in Oct. Maybe we can buy you guys a drink or two. Take care
Brian
Hey Cassie,
My Wife Lorie and I are booked to arrive Aug 28th thru Sept 7th in Rincon. Would you guys be able to meet up for maybe dinner and drinks so that we can pick your brain about living there? We sure could use your help and…. we would buy! Hope we can meet. Take care.
Brian
Hey guys wold love to help and meet yall. We are currently living in Rincon and could provide a lot of insight if would like. My number is 3372759284. I f I don”t answer just leave me a message and we’ll get back to yall. If anything enjoy your time here.
mailed check to crim for 2 year payment. check never cashed. live in ny and have apt in san juan. heard from local residents living p.r. is that crim is a mess. their checks were never received also. your office should get it together. .hire more office workers.
My family and I will be moving from the states to P.R.this December. We have a house in the Cieba area
I have an income of about 3,000 a month, do you know of any private school or medical ins. that is affordable.
Ok, here goes. Me and my girlfriend retired last year (we are in our early 40’s) and have been here on the island now for over a year now. We absoutly love it. My grandmother is from here, so Ive been coming here since the early 70’s. We had a condo in Isla Verda, then moved to Aguada, Table rock and now presently in Rincon. Now we have an oppertunity to move to Culebra. House all set up and almost right on the beach. Never been there. And looking for commentes from people who have been there, or live there. Past experiences etc.. We love doing nothing and would to keep it that way. She is still getting acustomed to “island time”. But it is just the two of of plus two dogs. We have a house that is set uo in moneco by the airport and are curious if it is similar to Rincon etc., and other parts of the island. She’s nervous but ready and willing t go,. I snorkel a lot and we have a sailboat as well. We love fast food, big macks lol, and local food. Are the people over there as welcoming as they are here in Puerto Rico? I’ve read that they are mre “family orientated” but is that towards locals etc.. Within a month we plan on picking up and heading that way. We also plan on making a couple of trips to kinda scout the area view our new area. But we are courious as to how life really is over there. I love to drink beer and meet new people, adventure new and exiciting tings, helping peple out etc.. She loves to be “lazy” and mohitios plus cooking, lol. Our lives have been simple and easy going. Any input positive plus negative are welcome. Hoping to get a few replies withing the month. Relax and grab a cold one and tell us your stories. Until then Thanks to all who replie
Hi..i am a reporter in Denver. We are doing a story about
hurricane and would like to get in touch with possible. Have
been talking with Cassie’s mom.
rick sallinger
303-590-8944
can face time/skype
Hello- I recently stumbled across your blog while browsing multiple sites for properties around the west coast area of PR…. and absolutely love it!!!
We are a couple from Vermont that after visiting PR back in April of this year, absolutely fell in love with the island. We are considering retiring and moving to PR and were scheduled to return on 9/20/17 but needed to postpone our trip due to Maria. We are coming back to PR first week of January 2018 and would love to connect with you while exploring the west coast of the island. Thank you and looking forward to hearing from you.
Evelyn and Sudhir
Hello there. I just came across your website as my family and I are planning a trip to Rincon in February. We have a 5 year old and are concerned as we hear the beaches on the west are eroded and there is no beach left. Are the beaches on the north sandy, and if so are they really rough? Our little boy can swim, but not in very rough waters. (we are considering renting Coco Palm, as it looked really nice in your blog entry). Thanks for any help!
Hi Kevin, I’m currently in PR vacationing at my home in Arecibo which is on the north side. The ocean tends to be a bit rough on this side but there are many cool beaches that have large pools of calm waters, (“poza’s/pozo’s”) perfect for a five year old. Try Playa Sardinera in Hatillo or Pozo Teodoro in Isabela. There are also lots of spots along the 681. To look at this coast you wouldn’t think so but if you have an adventurous spirt you’ll find them. Actually if you’re traveling along the 681 in Islote, towards San Juan, directly across from the Christopher Columbus statue there is another one of these “poza’s”. Trust me, you can’t go wrong with any of these beaches. Have fun, I know I am!
Hello Cassie & Britton,
I’ve followed your blog for a couple of years and greatly appreciate the information you provide. We visited the San Juan area of Puerto Rico when we extended a cruise out of San Juan a couple years ago. My husband Mike and I are planning a 2 week visit to Puerto Rico this summer to explore the South and West areas of the island to figure out where to consider buying a home. We don’t want to be directly on the beach, but prefer an ocean view acreage. We’ve used Craig’s List and Point to Homes to search for properties; however until we visit the above-mentioned areas, we don’t know where to even consider buying a property. What areas would you suggest? We’d sure like to meet up with you guys while there, as we have so many questions. Please let me know your thoughts on getting together while we’re there. 🙂
Thanks and have a great day!
Laurie
Hello Cassie and Britton!
My name is Ashley, I am 24 years young and I am from Loveland Colorado. I have lived here my whole life, never have lived anywhere else. It has always been a dream of mine to live somewhere tropical and warmer. When I came across your blog I was even more inspired. I visited Puerto Rico back in 2015 with my family, we stayed in Ceiba and explored San Juan, Culebra Island and a few more places on the east side of Puerto Rico. I absolutely loved it there and have been itching to go back. I never had the chance to see Rincon or any areas on the northwestern part of the island. I have been doing a little research and I am thinking I would love to move to Rincon or around the area for about half the year (maybe longer). I am an engineer for my families business and luckily I can do my job from a computer anywhere in the world as long as I have internet! I was so happy to come across this blog, especially seeing that you are from Greeley Colorado I felt like I could really relate to you all! I want to explore Puerto Rico and new people and cultures. I was looking for some advise on a few things. I would be bringing my dog with me and probably renting a place. I want to eventually buy a home there but thought I would rent and get a feel for the area before I looked into doing that. I had a few questions for you and any advice or recommendations is greatly appreciated!
I will be bringing my dog Tillie with me, are there many dog friendly places in the area that I can take her to?
Do you have any advise on where to look at places to rent? I would really love to find a place with an ocean view I am willing to pay around $1200 a month, but I didn’t know if that was even possible for that amount of money. If you have a contact for someone I can talk to about places to rent I would appreciate that also!
I have no idea where I am actually going to end up there but reading about Rincon sounds like I would love it, but if you have any other suggestions on areas that would be worth looking into I would love to hear your recommendations!
I want to meet people while I am there and am a little nervous since I will be by myself and am a little shy haha. Do you recommend any places/activities where I can meet others? I would love to learn new hobbies there and have thought about volunteering my spare time in doing something in the community. Im very active and would like to remain that way when moving there.
I have to have Wifi for my job and hear about the frequent loss of power there? Is this something that is extremely frequent or something I should be worried about? I dont mind if it goes out occasionally just want to make sure my job will not be affected to much!
I am going to be making a trip down there probably in early June, just to explore the area and see places to live. Your blog has been very helpful and inspiring, I am excited to make this dream a reality!
Thanks!
Ashley Brewer
Hello, we are interested in booking your cabana for two weeks in February 2019, the weeks of the 11th and 18th. We are not able to tell if it is available at that time on the vacation availability calendar, which is grayed out. Could you please let us know at your convenience if the cabana is available at that time?
Hey! My boyfriend and I are looking into moving to Greeley from Atlanta, Ga and are looking for some advice on where to look for apartments and what we should be expecting on living there. Thanks so much for any advice you can give!
Hi. How do local Puerto Ricans feel about people moving there? What are you doing for the people of Puerto Rico who are currently having to leave their beloved island due to US colonialism? Do you speak Spanish and are you helping preserve Puerto Rican culture? Why are you encouraging other foreigners to move there? I heard a lot of Puerto Ricans are really sad they go visit Rincon for example and they can’t speak Spanish because there are so many Americans, they feel they are losing their culture and they are being pushed out of their native land by wealthier Americans. Thanks.
Hello Lorraine, I’m a Puerto Rican and I can answer your question.
You see, I’m not a xenophobe so I’ll always welcome good people no matter where they’re from. And these people, they’re good people.
You, on the other hand, appear to be a condescending self-righteous judgmental narrow minded doodie head with a foreign savior complex. I’d love to have a conversation with you about culture and colonialism but this is not the medium to do so and given your attitude I don’t think that you’d be willing to learn from it.
What in the world are you talking about? Have you ever even read this blog? Cassie is fluent in spanish & what foreigners are you referring to? Puerto Rico is part of the US soooo….& as far as native Puerto Rican people that travel to Rincon, just, what? Have you ever even been to the Island? Most everyone in Rincon is bilingual as is much of Puerto Rico itself. I suggest you stop trolling on an informative blog & find something better to do with your time then try to entice some sort of political agenda, this is not the place for it. Good Day!
To Adolfojp and anonymous, bien dicho!
Uh, I am from the island. No political agenda. When you find you can’t be Puerto Rican anymore, you have to speak English anywhere, be quiet, not play your music because it disturbs your white neighbors, and the island is full of Californian and other rich mainland people imposing their rules and racism on you, maybe you might consider it’s not a great idea to just welcome everyone, but just saying. These might be decent people but the history of white people in America has been mostly that of pushing out natives and taking all their resources. So I like to err on the side of suspicion.
Hi,
I have been following you guys fro awhile now. My husband and I go Rincon almost every January for the past 7 years. This last visit we looked around at property to buy in the future. Do you own or rent and if you own are you able to get home owners insurance? Curious because our real estate agent could not answer this for us.
Hi Debbie!
We own our property and yes you can get home owners insurance from a variety of insurance companies on the island.
Hey guys! A big smile and a hug from Eleanor, Amalia and David in New York City. We saw your photo from Villa Montana and loved it.
We can’t wait to make it back down but in the meantime keep the posts and pics coming.
Hey David! Can’t wait to see you guys again soon!
Hi guys, it’s been a few years since those ‘crime question’ posts. Specifically talking about western PR… How are things in that regard these days ? ~thx =)
Hi Esteban!
We usually check local news including the crime beat at Isla Oeste. https://laislaoeste.com/ Based on personal experience, I have never felt threatened or had any crime committed against us. We hear seasonal stories of tourists who get their stuff stolen from their cars sometimes (so don’t leave anything valuable), but we’ve never had it happen thankfully. There are loiterers and drunks and of course crazy drivers but nothing too scary. Out west, outside of the metro area, is considered “la isla” by all of Puerto Rico meaning it is all pretty rural countryside. And it sort of works like that too – a Mayberry way of life. Bigger cities have more density of people and will always have more crime, but for the most part I have always felt safe and at home here! Thanks for checking in!
Hey guys. Eleanor Amalia and I are back and we’d love to see you. I sent you a text but I’m not sure it went through. We are having a birthday party (for me) tomorrow, Saturday, at Villa Montana and would love it if you guys can come.
Let me know if you don’t have my cell phone number anymore. Otherwise text me and let me know what your schedule is.
Looking forward to catching up.
David Sasscer
I was wondering how you scheduled a tour @ Finca El Remanso. I was unable to find a website/FB page for them. We live in the Seattle area and just purchased our vacation home in PR earlier this year. We love our coffee and do enjoy the coffee in PR however we were disappointed to find no whole bean coffee available anywhere. We are hoping to get back to PR for Christmas this year to work on our vacation home and visit the coffee farm if COVID restrictions allow. We appreciate any information you can provide.
Respectfully,
Giovanni Bonilla
Hi Giovanni! Thanks for the comment! As for whole bean coffee, you can find it, you just have to look a little deeper. Often in the specialty section or ask in the supermarkets.
For Finca El Remanso try this group. If not, I can try to link you directly to the owners.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1530518520574182/
Hello. How do you manage your property when you go to the states for a few months? How do you secure against theft and break in? Is it possible to have a rural home and not be there for a couple of months at a time? Or is the strategy to not own anything of value? That would not be a fulfilling life.
Do rural houses have bars on windows? I suppose you could rent storage in a city and put valuables there when you leave.
How do you manage hurricane season? Do you sometimes leave PR during that season? Are they terrible inland?
Hi James,
We purchased a home in PR 12 years prior to retirement. We’d vacation at this home yearly. Between an alarm system, security bars and a fantastic neighbor, we were able to leave the property feeling pretty confident that it would be okay. Never had a problem. We now reside in the home permanently as of two years ago.
Hello Cassie,
Your husband is Superman! He can do anything and has much energy.
I am older, and would prefer to hire work on a regular basis.
Are there plenty of people available who can do honest work?
And is it easy to find such people?
Otherwise I’ll have to live in some condo in town.
My name is Mike I would really like to relocate to Puerto Rico I just don’t know anything about it I am a retired military but I need to know is safe less expensive area to move can you please write me at Brittgregor33@gmail.com. I would really appreciate your help or any friends that you have that maybe you could give me some information I’m going in Blind
Hello! We are seniors in Texas consiering retirement in Puerto Rico (Cayay). We are are Social Security $1200 month and looking for a small 1-2bedroom that we can afford. How can you find residence rentals before moving?
My wife and I would like to move to Rincon. Although we don’t want to operate a farm necessarily, we would have a have a place with a little land and build something. How likely is it to find something similar to what you have in Rincon now in 2021?
Hello,
I want buy a finca in PR, I wanted some answers to these questions.
When looking for finca what are the necessary essentials I should have on the land for purchasing i.e.; water supply, sewage, and electricity?
Do you recommend any realtors on the island?
I will be looking for a loan to buy.
Do I get an lender on from the island or mainland?
I currently live in Chicago. I want to buy this summer 2021.
I appreciate all your videos. You all look very content and peaceful.
Muchas gracias,
Hi Cassie and family, loved your Video on Ciales /Suiza. You mention and shown a plant, spiny type and I think you called it Ortiga (Stinging Nettle) ? Is that correct? Also how much have you learned of Medicinal Plants and Healing lore while in Borinquen? Do you have such a plants or other healing plants in your finca. As a plant fanatic this subject interest me. In one of my trips to PR I Picked up a book called Earth and Spirit by Maria Benedetti, great book on Medicinal plants of PR., if interested. In my AZ garden I have many native plants; like the Yucca Plant and cactus (Nopales). Also I saw your husband likes fishing does he do it often? (another of my favorite hobbies.)
Hi Johnny! Maria Benedetti actually stayed with us on our farm! You can watch the video of our time with her here: https://youtu.be/nGl8PSITrsA
We do have some medicinal plants but mostly focus on permaculture which is to say plants that you only have to plant once. I do have a small bed of herbs out front on the porch, however. I love to learn and utilize plants as medicines though! We haven’t done much fishing as of late, but maybe he/we’ll get back into it. It is really fun to do!
Hi. Cassie. I am doing research on relocating to PR, I am Currently training with University of Arizona Master Gardening program as I too love Plants and Gardening. I need to know if your rental cabin is still available and how much would it cost to stay there two or three weeks?
(it would be March 2024 time frame.)
Hi Johnny! Sure, just email us at: lifetransplanet@gmail.com
Hey,
I know Greeley very well. We hauled oil out of there for a few years. My family lives in Charleston South Carolina and we have been going to Rincon for a couple of years now. We love it so much.
My daughter needs to have a brace put on a tooth by a oral surgeon so her orthodontist can put a wire on it to pull it down. Is there any way you could direct us to a good Oral Surgeon there? Any excuse to go back to Rincon..LOL
Thank you so much..
Just watched the canal ADVENTURE. Holey moley. I’ve watched many of your journeys and that has to be number one! Crazy. Don’t know if I would have tried that in my younger days. I did climb the nuclear dome with a girlfriend to watch the stars in the 80s. Going up wasn’t to bad the down part was a bit hairy.
Take care and have continued fun.
Hello!
We just moved to Aguada. Wondering how your vegetable garden has worked? I’ve heard that the iguanas tend to get everything before you can get it harvested 🙁 I have an indoor herb garden but would love to grow some lettuce, spinach, squash, etc. Seems like most of the healthier vegetables are imported here. Hope to meet you some day!
Hello 🤗.
I had come across your blog by accident by researching all things Puerto Rico and instantly felt a kindred spirit. I have been researching to learn more about the culture and how my family of 4 may be of service to serve the Island once we made our move. We have been inquiring about Rincon, because of the community atmosphere and the opportunity to experience a grounded, loving, and joyful community based on good morality. We would be making this move by faith as myself nor my husband has never visited the Island, so we have no idea of what we are doing. But our vision for anywhere would be to serve love, joy, and peace to others. We would like to live out of our skoolie, purchase some land, and lend a hand in preserving the agriculture and farming of the Island. There are so many variables to consider that it’s quite overwhelming to my brain. My husband wants to buy a house with land, but I want the financial freedom of a skoolie? We have a debate on which one might be better. What do you think? Have any tips on where we might be able to live with our skoolie until we’re able to purchase land?
Hi I was wondering if I can use your image of the sign “Rincon el mejor lugar para vivir” for a school report. I need your permission so that I do not run into any copyright issues. Thank you!
Hi Jela! Sure, just mention us if it asks for details.
Las Carmelas waterfalls
Hi there I was wondering if you are able to guide me or know of anybody that can guide me to get to the Carmela Eaterfalls in San Sebastián I will be in PR from June 9 till the 17 I can go on any one of those dates to go see them at you or anybody that you know that can guide me convenience and if there’s a fee it’ll be for my son my daughter and me. My name is Moraima hope all is well Thank You for your time and attention with regards to this question Thanks