Category Archives: Costa Rica
DNA Damage
“DNA damage,” said my dermatologist, in response to my question, “Why is this happening?” With increasing frequency, I’d found new itchy bumps on my face, not unlike the one that turned out to be a basal cell carcinoma a few … Continue reading
Lucy Lieu
Here in rural Costa Rica, few dogs enjoy the privileges of their northern cousins. In the towns, disease-ridden dogs drag themselves from doorstep to curb, in search of scraps. Many dogs run wild, and still others sit all day chained … Continue reading
How Do They Do That?
A couple of weeks ago, Jack tossed some shrubs into a water-filled five-gallon plastic bucket, to root them. I’m a martinet about standing water, since I’m a mosquito magnet and entomophobic. Everybody knows that mosquitoes lay eggs in standing water, … Continue reading
Making New Friends
One of the bonuses of retirement in Puriscal, Costa Rica, is the thriving expat community. Don’t think: gated enclave, though there are lots of them nearby. Folks here live the rural life, isolated from each other and scattered across the … Continue reading
Up Above the Clouds
Monteverde is one of the most popular destinations in Costa Rica. Good, albeit expensive restaurants abound; there are lots of folksy artisan emporiums for shoppers; and for the adventurous and athletic there are zip-lines, suspension bridges, sky-trams and horseback riding. … Continue reading
Derby Daughter
The concept of Roller Derby never crept into my consciousness until my daughter, Bonnie, told me she was going to try out for a league in Sydney, where she lives. “Roller Derby!” said my brother, George. “Do you know what … Continue reading
Tiny Terrorists with Teeth
Last year, during the rainy season, I seemed to wake up every morning with some new bite on my boob, in my armpit, behind my knee, or in some equally delicate and completely unscratchable area on my torso. It’s the … Continue reading
Riding the Floor
About a week after we moved to Japan, my daughter, Bonnie, and I experienced our first earthquake. As we sat on the floor, Japanese style, our legs tucked under the kotatsu for warmth, the apartment began to sway. “Look at … Continue reading
The House-swap
Last April, while attending the wedding of my friends Mark and Keiko, in Tokyo, Jack and I met Mani and Jono, a young couple from London, who were friends of the groom, and there for the wedding. We swapped stories … Continue reading
