By Jim Parisi Over the past twenty years, there has been a cascade of memoirs written by people who have moved to Costa Rica to “live the dream”. The quality of these accounts runs the gamut from very informative and readable to dismally amateurish, and everything in-between. In April of
Read MoreBy Gary Garrett When Costa Rica’s first national park was created in 1971 ( Poas Volcano National Park), the country’s deforestation was at an all-time high. In point of fact, even during the 1980’s, Costa Rica was losing its forest cover at a rate higher than any country in the
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By Gary Garrett You’re saying to yourself “Really? He’s reviewing a dictionary? Alrighty, then.” But seriously folks, a Spanish-English Dictionary can be an invaluable tool for our local English-speaking tourists and those residents that have not honed their Spanish skills as yet. To be sure, there are many available in
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By Gary Garrett Of course the purpose of this guide is to help serious and lay birdwatchers identify and learn the characteristics of bird species most commonly found in the diverse regions of Costa Rica. 252 of the most commonly found birds in Costa Rica are chronicled in this handy,
Read MoreBy Jim Parisi Latin American literature is so old that the rocks were still warm from Creation when it began. It is as mercurial as the first fish you ever caught & then tried to land with only your human hands. Remember that? It is a style of writing that is
Read MoreBy Jim Parisi Theo Decker is a thirteen-year old New York kid whose father left his mother and him a year earlier. It’s probably for the best, since his dad drank too much so he and his mom had to regularly navigate between his binges and his hangovers. They are
Read MoreBy Jim Parisi Ernest Hemingway’s fiction speaks volumes about the author. There is no mistaking the Hemingway persona and bravado in the main characters (usually named Nick Adams) of every one of his novels. And countless biographies have been penned about Papa in an attempt to analyze the man, the
Read MoreBy Jim Parisi Steph Solune is a well-known Costa Rican DJ who incorporates World Music into his mix. Born in France, Solune moved to Costa Rica several years ago. He enjoys taking chances and exploring new realms. He is also a man of diverse ideas. His newest side-project, “Costa Rica:
Read MoreBy Jim Parisi Paula Hawkins has been a professional journalist for more than fifteen years. She recently published the novel “The Girl On The Train” and it has become the new “it” novel, heralded as the next “Gone Girl”, last year’s “must read” novel, which I reviewed (positively) in an
Read MoreBy Jim Parisi It is no mystery that Costa Rica is renowned for its high-quality coffee production. Certainly, the cultivation of this bean has permitted opportunities for independence in this country and enjoying a café with friends and family is as much a part of Costa Rican culture as gallo
Read MoreBy Jim Parisi I’ve just finished reading Juls Amor’s recent memoir “The Year of the Frog”, recounting her decision to relocate to Costa Rica. Many people have decided to do the same thing, for a variety of reasons. I have to say that Juls and I have a lot of
Read MoreBy Jim Parisi Amaranta the tapir lives in Santa Rosa National Park in Guanacaste. She has a keen sense of smell and many friends there. Amaranta falls in love with Flavio, who loves her too. The parrots love teasing and encouraging them. So begins the newest children’s story “La Danta
Read MoreBy Richard Benson On my weekly meander through the Quepos Feria I spot something new amidst the unique jewelry offerings at Parroquia’s display. It turns out to be the colorful cover of a children’s picture book, Sofie’s Solitaires, written by local author Helen M. Woodhouse. Parroquia hands me a poster,
Read MoreBy Jim Parisi Liisa Vexler is a conundrum: she is an engaging mother of two boys, Dexter & Charlie, happily married to their father, Derek. They are a family unit who enjoy doing things together: a classic family unit. I know these people. Liisa is a no-nonsense, down to earth
Read MoreBy Jim Parisi Donald Ruetz felt as if his dreams had come true. He’d met Cynthia, the woman who was his perfect mate. They’d married and then had two sons, Jack and Justin. He decided to retire two years early as Police Captain of Culver City in Southern California after
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