Don Fernando’s Butcher Shop is a Local Costa Rican Secret.
Fine-quality meats at a reasonable price in Costa Rica can be quite a challenge to find, especially beef. Unless you raise the cattle yourself, or your neighbors do (which isn’t that uncommon, actually). I don’t want this article to completely knock the restaurants that serve steaks, [...]

Filed under: Living on June 16th, 2009 | No Comments »

Citrus-Cilantro Cabbage Salad
One thing that you might notice at restaurants in Costa Rica that serve typical food is that the salads are mostly made with a base of cabbage instead of the more mainstream lettuce. In such a hot climate, the lettuce in Costa Rica wilts quicker, while a hearty head of cabbage is sure [...]

Filed under: Living on May 15th, 2009 | No Comments »

Fresh Chicken a la leña - a Costa Rican Cooking Tradition.
Some nights you just don’t want to come home after 8-10 hours of working and spend another hour on your feet in the kitchen making dinner. As much as I love cooking, some nights I can’t gather up the motivation, and this was one of [...]

Filed under: Living on May 5th, 2009 | No Comments »

Three words. Costa Rica Roll. It’s the best sushi roll on the planet. Undoubtedly not Japanese, but certainly invented and perfected in Costa Rica. Well, Samurai to be exact. I’m referring to the Japanese hibachi and sushi place in Plaza Itskatzu on the west side of Escazú. Say that three times fast.

Filed under: Living on May 4th, 2009 | No Comments »

Since living in San Jose and working in the Sabana area, I have frequented many times, the Flor de Loto Chinese restaurant just South of the Subway in La Sabana Norte. The front of the building isn’t much to look at, with its dingy sign and lack of parking, but it’s what’s inside that counts. [...]

Filed under: Living on April 27th, 2009 | No Comments »

The Church Expects a Large Increase in Confessions Over Holy Week.
In the Catholic nation of Costa Rica, abortion is strictly prohibited except if the mother is in danger, though an estimated 27,000 women and girls undergo first trimester abortions each year illegally. This Lent and Easter week, the 300 or so priests within the Archdiocese [...]

Filed under: Living on February 11th, 2009 | 1 Comment »

Costa Rica: The Perfect Wedding Destination. *SEE VIDEO BELOW*

Whether you want to an add an exotic touch to your big day, or have fallen for a Costa Rican and are planning your wedding in the country, you couldn’t have chosen a better place to get married! Costa Rica is a stunning location for a wedding, [...]

Filed under: Living on December 3rd, 2008 | No Comments »

Beautiful Poas Early in the Morning
Having complained that I had been yet to see much of Costa Rica, a friend invited me out on a mammoth and exhausting 12-hour day trip last Saturday. Our four-in-one excursion took us to a coffee plantation, a volcano crater, a waterfall garden and a jungle río river. Up at [...]

Filed under: Living on November 21st, 2008 | No Comments »

Samantha Stumbles in Language Once Again!
The sun is out and time to write Life in Ticoland means that once again it is Friday. Good days, good days! This week has been somehow lost in translation with too much tripping up in language. Writing an article on the state of the roads in Costa Rica, my [...]

Filed under: Living on November 14th, 2008 | No Comments »

Deviling it Up for Last Friday’s Halloween
Living in Costa Rica is turning out quite nicely. On occasion, I find myself shamefully indulging in the taxi habit, even though taking the bus is not much of a bother. Slow they might be - chugging me up the Boulevard - but in comparison to Colombia, the bells [...]

Filed under: Living on November 7th, 2008 | No Comments »