According to the United States Embassy, there are currently 100,000 U.S. Citizens living in Costa Rica, 4,000 of them collecting their Social Security checks here – Baby Boomers in paradise.

The Canadian Embassy reports 10,000 of their countrymen are currently residing in Costa Rica. Add to that the 1.5 million or so Anglophone tourists who visit Costa Rica annually, and you have one healthy population of English-speakers hanging out in this little jewel of a Central American country. Probably not all of them are surfing, zip-lining, eco-touring, or chugging Imperials all day long.

What do all these people do with themselves? How do they spend their time, energy and money? The expat blogs and forums are full of people asking what they will do with their lives once they have pulled up stakes and made their BIG MOVE to Ticolandia.

The Bus Ninja came up with a creative and useful hobby, one which allows him to get to know the country, while helping his fellow expats move around the isthmus. He rides local and long-distance buses, photographs his adventures, then posts them on his blog – with helpful bus schedules — for those wanting to follow in his tire tracks of exploration. This is Rob Evans’ retirement passion – the Zen of the Bus. Rob Evans is the Bus Ninja.

Thane Rosenbaum of the New York Times sums up the attraction of bus travel like this, “For many bus riders, it’s about the journey, not the destination.”

Evans himself describes his pastime in his blog Costa Rica by Bus, “I love riding the buses in Costa Rica. Maybe it is like the lore of riding the rails in the U.S. It is easy, fun, and inexpensive. So I created a group, “Costa Rica by Bus,” so other like-minded folks can join me in documenting their travels and provide help and tips to others.”

Rob Evans and his wife Jeni have been in Costa Rica for two years, first in San Ramon, and now in San Jose. They have no car, but prefer to ride the bus to do their shopping, sightseeing, and visiting of friends around town. This pastime helps them fulfill one of their goals for moving to Costa Rica — it encourages them to walk more and improve their health in the process. Senior Citizens in Costa Rica ride local buses for free by showing their cedulas (national ID cards) to the bus driver, but bus fares are incredibly reasonable, buses are usually clean, run regularly, and mostly on schedule. Most buses are made by Mercedes-Benz, and bus travel tends to be far safer than automobile travel. For Rob Evans, buses are his jam, he is a bus aficionado through-and-through.

Rob says, “There was a time in my life when I always had to be somewhere at some time, but now riding the bus and taking my time to get places has become a hobby. I pay the equivalent of $1 for the bus and I enjoy the scenery, and I don’t really care when I arrive at my destination.”

Have you tried riding buses in Costa Rica? They might not be comfortable for very large people (Ticos are generally smaller than Americans), and the huge first step up is challenging for those with mobility issues, but once tucked into your seat, the view afforded by being higher up off the ground than cars makes buses a much more enjoyable and interesting method of travel. It’s the perfect place to practice your developing language skills with your fellow passengers, and learn about the local culture while exploring your new hometown. Or to just zone out and admire the scenery and people you see pass by.

Rob Evans is not the first American to find himself smitten with bus travel in Costa Rica. In 2000, John R. Wood wrote “Costa Rica by Bus, The Insider’s Guide to Budget Travel,” which is still available in paperback through Amazon for $37.44. It’s a bit outdated and expensive, but is also descriptive of the bus experience so many expats have learned to love. Wood writes that his book is a “travel guide that gives you complete, up-to-date information about Costa Rica’s extensive, inexpensive public transportation system, a system that can take you anywhere in this remarkably beautiful country, border to border and coast to coast at minimal cost.” Another bus nerd!

Evans maintains both a blog and a Facebook page devoted to his bus obsession. He has helped countless stranded and wandering bus riders — an invaluable service for newcomers, especially those who have not yet perfected their skills in Spanish. With few street signs, unmarked bus stops, and 300 different bus companies, Costa Rica can an overwhelmingly tricky place to hop the bus around town.

One of Rob’s blog readers described his experience, “Having been in Costa Rica only two months, and not speaking Spanish, we were a little overwhelmed by the process, but Rob Evans is our hero. We found this site invaluable, and Rob is patient answering thousands of questions.”

Here are two places to find Rob Evans helpful bus information:

https://costaricabybus.wordpress.com/   and   https://www.facebook.com/groups/CostaRicaByBus/

So get out there expats, and join the Bus Ninja rolling around town in style and comfort. Happy Trails!!