My friend, Emily, and I were walking through her new barrio (neighborhood) the other day and she said: “I heard there was a clandestino somewhere around here.” “A what? Clandestino? Like Manu Chao sings, ‘Clandestino’? I always wondered what that meant in his song. Maybe that’s it, a hidden bar where you have to use the … Continue reading
Isa and Howard were grateful for the airport pick-up. Their friend and neighbor, Cameron, had delivered them to Juan Santamaria Airport in Alajuela two weeks prior, for a visit to the states. On the return to Costa Rica, they stopped at the Duty Free and purchased a fine bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon as a token of appreciation. … Continue reading
Her arms are open with a “welcome hug” before I even get over the threshold. You gotta love those Southern girls! Kay and I have that in common; she’s from South Dakota, and I’m from South Brooklyn. Before I moved to Atenas, going on two years now, I had heard about Kay’s Gringo Postres. I heard … Continue reading
In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month (October), this boomer-girl tells the story of her shocking diagnosis thirty years ago. I called out from the shower: “Hey, John, my boob just deflated. You still wanna marry me? I heard a faint: “What are you talking about?” I cupped my right breast, bounced it up and down a … Continue reading
Yes, there are scorpions in Costa Rica. It’s a good practice to shake out your shoes before blindly sticking your tender toes into your sneakers. I know somebody who forgot to shake, shake, shake out her shorts that were crumpled in a heap on the floor. She stepped into them, zipped them up and the stinging … Continue reading
She shouted across the table, “Pass the salt, please.” He mouthed “What?” “The salt. Pass the salt.” The rain was steadily pounding on the metal roof, like an endless stream of machine-gun fire. It had been raining for three days. The green season in Costa Rica was like that. She leaned forward in her … Continue reading
Four fat lobsters slipped by border patrol with claws clacking and tails flapping inside their Styrofoam container. Tyler and Colette were coming from San Francisco to visit Mom and hubby, Donny K, in Atenas, Costa Rica by way of Maine. They had planned it well in advance, knowing they had a wedding to attend there in early … Continue reading
Howler Monkeys sound like King Kong! Way back in ’89 when the kids were little, we visited Costa Rica for the first time. My folks had just purchased a little house near the beach in Nosara, Guanacaste as a vacation home, never thinking we would end up living here full time. In those days all the roads … Continue reading
The town of Atenas, Costa Rica, was determined to have the best climate in the world. National Geographic did a study some years ago and determined this to be true. I believe it because every bus in town says so:”Mejor Clima del Mundo”(Best climate in the world) is written on the side, back, probably on the roof as … Continue reading
Just me and our new dog, Toby! Atenas is a relatively safe area, but! I still want my “alarm system” in place. The visiting dogs, Turner and Hootch, put up a fuss when we brought new dog home yesterday, but as everybody knows, they are not our dogs! Actually, they were for a couple of months, … Continue reading
Carole Jean's Capers 