It's Summer - Time to help your visiting friends Support Local Artists!

Something about Costa Rica brings out the artistic creativity in people! Discover wonderfully crafted gift items here, including gifts to yourself!

To list your item, please send a title, description and photo of the item along with your contact info (phone number and/or email) to the editor.

Contact info is in each individual listing.


Rasta Miguel - Macrame and Reggae Roots Music

Looking for that simple gift for friends in the US? 
We get asked about local artists all the time and Rasta Miguel is as local as they come.

Miguel Quesada was born and raised in Grecia and has been composing and playing his own music since 2010. 

Items can be purchased online and sent anywhere in Costa Rica via Correos mail system. International shipping also available. PayPal and Sinpe mobile accepted! 

Updated 7/10/2023
Semi-precious gems and crystals
Miguel creates artisan macrame jewelry to support his music. 
He is a registered artisan with ¡Si Cultura!  national program for creatives.
Tribal flavor - Original Designs
All original creations with a decidedly tribal appeal!
Custom orders welcomed!
Offering a variety of items for sale - bracelets, necklaces, coin purses, belts, dog collars, personal alcohol gel carriers, plant hangers, and More!
Listen to Rasta Miguel music!
He is on FB as Rasta Miguel, where you can connect to his music and his online store.

You can also hear Rasta Miguel music on Spotify,  Soundcloud,

Books by Local Authors

Aaron Aalborg - 
has lived in Costa Rica for the past 12 years.

All 7 titles are available in Kindle and paperback from Amazon.com
All Profits go to the charity Oxfam.

The book that makes Robespierre and Che look like a pair of wimps
Cooking the Rich should make you laugh, wince, and think.The best solution to the Donald Trump Phenomenon. Recipes include,'
Trump a la Mode' 
Billionaire Bourguignon 
Murdock Stew 
Real Windsor Soup, and many more.
This book is outrageously funny, but you had best buy it now. There are many who will seek to take it off the market.
On the consequences of the foolishness and arrogance of old men
Inspired by real events in Renaissance Italy, ‘They Deserved It’ begins in the ancient world and continues through modern times. 
Young widows in Naples confide to their confessors that they poisoned their husbands. With help of an actress, a worldly Pope and a sadistic cardinal investigate, interrogate and torture.  Evil husbands die. Thousands of others panic. A witch hunt and retribution follow.
Through successful female descendants, the action moves to modern New York and worldwide.  Costa Rica provides a temporary refuge for one of them.
A thriller to change the world
The history of revolutions is that all  have failed. Some resulted in brutal repression. In others, the leaders became the tyrants.
‘Revolution’ begins with three idealistic students. Their attempts at revolution in the 1960’s fail. They sell out, or do they? They rise to positions of power. 
In modern times, the conspirators assassinate the British Royal Family.  Next, they massacre world leaders at the state funeral in London, including the US President. Revolution spreads around the world.
‘Revolution’ might be a fantasy, or possibly a guidebook as to what could work?
The making of a serial killer
A fast moving thriller 
in two volumes.
In volume 1.  A poor boy becomes a soldier, a spy and a secret hero in the War between Argentina and Britain over the Falkland Islands/las malvinas.
The making of a serial killer, volume 2
Our hero, becomes a successful businessman, a bereaved lover and the target of a relentless female assassin. The action and twists are international. The murders become ever more grisly.
Tales to Horrify and Amuse
Many of these darkly humorous stories are set in Latin America. What happens when: the Gringos are no longer welcome in Costa Rica; When a cannibal cult rises in the US; when people turn into bears and when the military from the major countries finally conspire to rule the world? 
Find out.
The Saga of a Twenty-First Century Viking
Written as Chris J Clarke
Viking re-enactment societies around the world are having fun, pretending to live their dark fantasies of pillage, rape and mayhem. Then, a feminist takes over. Reality proves horrific.
Worldwide mayhem follows.
Some participants meet their destiny in Costa Rica.
By Edie Bakker

Understanding Ticos

Understanding Ticos was first published in El Residente Magazine, an online journal for Expats in Costa Rica, belonging to ARCR. It was written in order to address issues the author saw or experienced, that occurred between Costa Ricans, “Ticos,” and people living in Costa Rica from America, Canada and Europe. 

Edie Bakker has a degree in anthropology. She has lived all over the world and written for National Geographic. She is the author of several books, including a book about American culture. She is sensitive to how misunderstandings often cause cultures to collide. Edie’s observations were thoroughly researched by other Westerners, “Gringos,” Costa Ricans, and people from mixed marriages involving both cultures. 

This handbook is the result of a consensus by those reviewers, as to which issues seemed to matter most. May it be used to improve relationships between Gringos and Ticos!

Understanding Ticos - Kindle edition by Bakker, Edie. Reference Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

posted 28/6/2024

by Elle Brookes

The Fabergé Entanglement

"I love a romance novel that has suspense and thrills mixed in it. ...An interesting novel with a mystery just begging to be solved."

Available on Amazon

By ed Z Fair

The Unlikely Twins and More Stories

Review by Isabel Arguello
This collection is essentially the opposite of his first book, Slow Descent and Other Little Stories. This one contains ten strange and unpredictable short stories along with one lonely poem. These stories are full of odd and quirky characters, unexpected twists and turns and surprise endings. One of his friends who performed a “test review” says they were fit for episodes of Rod Serling’s Twilight Zone. They are also set in many different places - many in Texas, others in the U.S. southwest, Mexico, Costa Rica and Colombia. 

As with the first book, all stories are included in both English and Spanish. Most of these stories hatched as Ed and I traveled through Ecuador in 2023 and were completed, along with my Spanish translations, in Mexico, the U.S. and Argentina. If you are interested, you can click on the following link to find a list of online outlets where it is available in ebook format including Kindle, Apple Books, Barnes&Noble, Google Books, Smashwords and others. The book is also available at Barnes and Noble in paperback format, but as usual Amazon is lagging. Hopefully, it will make the paperback version available soon.https://books2read.com/UnlikelyTwins

If you read and enjoy the book, pass on the link and feel free to write a review. If you are an avid book reader, you know that reviews are a great source of info about new books. Ed has also created a website and blog about the books and stories he writes. The link is below. On the website, you will find more info about the two books as well as excerpts from some of the stories.https://www.unpredictablestories.com/

To receive an occasional newsletter with updates about writing activities and progress, complete the “newsletter subscription form" on the website. In the blog, He hopes to regularly post more detailed information about each of the stories - what inspired them, insights into characters, the story behind them, their path to publication and so forth. If you are interested in receiving notices of new blog posts, complete the separate form following the blog on the website. A third book, a historical novela presently entitled Like A Flaming Red Horse, is already in the works. He will provide updates and information on progress through the newsletter and blog. If you decide to plunge into The Unlikely Twins, we hope you like it.

posted 20/2/2024
by Ed Fair

Slow Descent and Other Little Stories

Our local expat friend, Ed Fair, has written a book, Slow Descent and Other Little Stories.  The book is a collection of ten short stories in English and Spanish formats, many based on Ed's life experiences in Texas and the U.S. Southwest with Latin American influences. The book is interspersed with photos from Central and South America. 

To check it out or find where to purchase, click the “Get It Now” button in this link:  books2read.com/SlowDescent
(Available in both ebook and paperback formats.)     

posted 7/10/2023
Que Pasa Grecia

Into My Self and Back Out Again

by Joan Hall

This is the true story of a most remarkable journey.  It is told with great clarity and compassion and shows the reader that there is so much more to our existence than we think.  

During a silent meditation retreat, the author, Joan, became overwhelmed as memories of horrific abuse from her childhood came crashing into her conscious mind within a matter of minutes. Her identity fractured into a million pieces. She was thrown out of her body and into a place of  golden light, incomparable peace and indescribable love. She fell into the mystery of a place filled with eternal love where no single thought existed, but all knowledge was present. 

For six months, she remained in a trance state as she explored her true identity and the nature of her being. She shed the persona of the woman she had once been and began to rebuild her identity. With great care, Joan takes you on her journey of going into herself and coming out again.

Available on Amazon.com

Three Novels by 
Paul Hastings

Pollywog
In Pollywog, Paul's most recent novel, an estranged daughter returns home at the sudden death of her mother. Her father, an aging hippy sculptor is one of a few survivors of a 1970's commune called The New Apple Love and Peace Project. In going through her mother's dresser, she finds an unsettling old snapshot that leads her on a quest for the truth about the commune, about a baby boy with webbed toes, and about the power of love and money.
Hackett Street
In this coming-of-age tale set in the 1950s, a minister’s family has just relocated to Milwaukee, Wisconsin from rural New Hampshire. In the run-down attic where the two adolescent sons share a room, they make a startling and initially exciting discovery – but one that will ultimately challenge the most deeply held beliefs of the family, nearly tearing it apart.
From the author: I recently received a great review of Hackett Street from Online Book Club that I'd like to share with you. This is my second and most personal novel. Check it out.  Pura Vida!
Available on Amazon
Amanda Ranch
Unhappy newlyweds Kim and Wendell Roth find themselves lost in the Nevada desert. Relieved when they come upon a guest ranch run by five beautiful Victorian-garbed women, they are both soon captivated in very different ways by the mysterious Amanda Ranch. Soon Wendell is lured by the seductive charms of his hostesses, and Kim finds herself falling for the youngest sibling, the vibrant Corey. But as their stay extends, Kim slowly uncovers one horrifying fact after another about the seeming desert oasis. Will Kim be able to rescue Wendell from the succubus lair he seems so content with? Or will they both be condemned to be forever guests of Amanda and her sisters?

Poems by James Just

All books available on Amazon as Kindle, or contact Jim in Costa Rica for paperback versions.
A Year of Days
2015; cover and illustrations
by Gesa Emde
“Through this evocative collection of poems we spend a year with poet James Just, his wife Irina and their two dogs in the mountains
of Costa Rica.
We feel fresh rhythms of sun and rain and wind. We discover exotic plants and animals. We connect with fellow adventurers from all over the world. We meet Tico friends, patient and generous with outlanders bringing strange customs and a foreign tongue.
We sample local foods and savor an enchanting culture. We learn to relax 
and relish la pura vida”.
Sketches of Poas
2016; cover and illustrations
 by Gesa Emde
Sketches of Poás is a collection of whimsical poems about community living on the slopes of Volcán Poás - birds, reptiles, insects, dogs, humans too, all sharing a magical place of coffee fields and forests, wind and rain, sun and stars, 
in tropical Costa Rica.
Artist Gesa Emde provided the cover art and illustrations for A Year of Days, and now has created the cover rendering of Volcán Poás and illustrations to accompany each of the poems in Sketches of Poás. Emde lives and paints in a village in the Vosges Mountains of France, where she and her husband operate the art center 
Pas de Deux”.
Meanders - A Poem
2016; cover “Der Fuhrmann II” by Helmut Lortz
“Forty years in the writing, James Just’s poem Meanders takes us on a journey of the heart and spirit. Through Northern California and Oregon, Europe and Central America, we share the adventure of the path to becoming human.
Meanders is Just’s third book of poetry, following A Year of Days and Sketches of Poás."
The Book of Noah - a poem of poems
2019; cover by Gesa Emde
The Book of Noah is a saga of our time, in verse, of humans facing catastrophe hearkening back to the biblical Great Flood. An ordinary man - no saint, no believer, adherent of no faith nor church - hears a calling, insistent. But how can that be? A call from whom, to do what? The Book of Noah is the story of this modern-day Noah’s emotional, artistic and spiritual journey, of his quest to understand and 
answer God’s call.
The Book of Noah is poem of poems in three parts, recounting events unfolding over the course of one portentous year. Set in a village in the mountains of Costa Rica, the poems explore the relationship between humans and gods and open a window into the numinous of the everyday.

Three books by
Lou Kritz

All three books are described at and available through www.LJKWords.com
The website clicks through to Amazon, Apple, Kindle, and all other eBook sites. Available in both paperback and eBooks.

The Final Cruise
"The Final Cruise" is the story of terror on the high seas, virus assaults, political lying, misdirected threats, losses of real people, and the pain that all of this causes innocent people. Wow! Sounds like today, right?
Two years in development and based on chaos theory, where a small event early on can cause major effects as the saga develops, the story is one that will never be told by the powers that are in control, but nevertheless is possible and definitely has elements of truth in it.
The story begins in Syria, moves through the Middle East, Cyprus, Gibraltar, the North Atlantic, to Charleston and Atlanta, all the while changing our perception of what's actually true. "The Final Cruise" will make you think, especially when deciding if your next cruise is the one you want to take.
Dark Angel Amish
Preceding "The Final Cruise" are two books, "Dark Angel Amish," and the sequel, "Pay The Devil." After living in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, the home of the Amish church, for eleven years, including four years in an Amish house and becoming part of a tight-knit community, the author found this is a story that has to be told. The basis is the analysis of a mysterious and abnormal religious organization that has been marketed by the tourist industry as a quaint, separate, somewhat quirky group. It is, in fact, much stranger than this simple ad-man's creation.

"Dark Angel Amish" begins the tale of the total control of the church by unscrupulous and crew Elders. It shows how three women of diverse backgrounds are drawn together, and how they struggle to survive.
Pay the Devil
"Pay The Devil" is the follow-up story that shows that even after a tragedy seems to be over, it continues to affect lives. The three women, their families and friends, all must strive to make sense out of events that seemingly are non-sensical, at best.
Costa Rica
Tropical Gardening Companion

Costa Rica Tropical Gardening Companion

by Dr Karen Luedke
Book review by Ivy Penman

Dr Karen Luedke, formerly of Calle Rodriguez, lived and worked in Costa Rica since 2001 in veterinary medicine and cognitive neuroscience and is an avid gardener. Her extensive property is located at 5000 feet just below Bosque del Nino. She currently resides in Florida.

When I came to Costa Rica one of my retirement dreams was to have a tropical garden. I created a garden from scratch in New York (with the help of my husband Chris) and it was our pride and joy. It was a challenge and I foolishly thought it would be much easier here. After all “you just put a stick in the ground and it will grow.” How many times have I heard that? Unfortunately gardening is also a challenge here and it is quite different in many dimensions. The glossy books on sale show splendid plants but do not provide much in the way of growing instructions. Although altitude varies enormously in Costa Rica I have never seen this addressed in a plant guide till now. Most of the Viveros are located at lower altitudes and we all happily buy their plants without knowing if they will thrive in our properties. I have lost many plants simply through ignorance. High altitude can kill heat loving plants but it can also allow us to grow roses lilies and agapanthus.

This is an essential read for gardeners. Karen Luedke has written a splendid book – and the only one I have seen – which addresses the growing requirements of almost all the tropical plants we see around us. In addition to altitude the amount of sun/shade and watering requirements are discussed together with important issues such as mature size and season of flower. A comprehensive 130 pages the book is divided into sections such as fragrant plants trees and flowers flowers for cutting orchids herbs and shade plants. Plants’ medicinal properties are discussed together with old folk remedies. The book is illustrated throughout and written in a charming very readable style and is extremely comprehensive. In addition to the botanical names of plants and trees the local names are given and any other common nicknames. The book will allow you to identify all those plants flowers and trees you see around you. More importantly it will help prevent you from planting the wrong plant in the wrong spot. With this book you too can have green fingers and a garden like Martha Stewart! And ... you will love reading the book!

Costa Rica – Tropical Gardening Companion
by Dr Karen Luedke.

Suggested prices: ebook $15. Print version $45; however, Dr. Luedke has made this book available FREE via this linkThis is an 8.5MB PDF file.
She asks that in lieu of payment, people donate to a local animal rescue or other local charity.
An Alzheimer's Journey in Two Voices

Did I ever have children?

by Marilyn Stevens

When her already ailing mother Margaret began showing signs of dementia, Marilyn Stevens decided the best option would be to move back to her childhood home to care for her. In the eight years that followed, their relationship changed for the better, even as her mother's Alzheimer's worsened.

In a poignant, warm, and often humorous narrative in two voices, Marilyn takes the reader through eight years of the challenges and rewards of being her mother's caregiver. We hear firsthand Margaret's frustrations with the loss of her memory and learn how Marilyn -- by trial and error (and a lot of support) -- learned to deal with the many stages of her mother's condition. A must-read for anyone facing caregiving of a loved one ... or for anyone who has traveled the same path as Marilyn and her mom.
MARKETPLACE OF LOCAL TALENT

Cooking in Costa Rica
by Gloria Yeatman

When you move to a Spanish-speaking country like Costa Rica, it can be daunting to stock your kitchen and cook meals when you don't know the names of your ingredients in Spanish. And even when you know the Spanish translation, it can be a challenge to find what you are looking for. Gloria Yeatman, Costa Rica expat, blogger, and co-creator of the popular website "Retire for Less in Costa Rica," has created a combination English/Spanish food dictionary, cookbook, shopping guide to make the transition easier. 

This practical guide and on-going reference tool includes a comprehensive English/Costa Rican Spanish dictionary of foods and things you find in the kitchen, a glossary of cooking terms and helpful adjectives, recipes and ingredient substitutions, metric conversion tables, and a resource section with links to expat cooking blogs, Facebook pages, specialty products, and more. Available in paperback or Kindle onAmazon.com.

Wholistic and Healthy Lifestyle

You can find more healthy lifestyle resources here

NanoMatrix Colloidal Minerals

You can trace every sickness, every disease and every ailment to a mineral deficiency. ̈
Linus Pauling

Our colloidal minerals are unique, made by an exclusive process that produces highly bioavailable nano particles that are absorbed almost instantly into your bloodstream.
Price: 9000 colones per bottle or 3 bottles for 24.000 colones.

Ask us about quantity and wholesale discounts.

Logan Thompson
NanoMatrix Health Products
8888-6505
NanoMatrixCR@gmail.com

Click here to see descriptive color brochure - English or Spanish
All Natural Cleaning Products and More!

Earth Matters CR

Check out their website for their full product line.

Contact Cat at Catharine6712@gmail.com or Melaney at Melaney5of5@gmail.com

Coming Soon: Watch for News of the Grand Opening of Regenerate at Villas Escondidas
Healthy Products

Immunity-Building Plant Extracts Now Available!

PURA VIDA! Our focus here at Casa Yayaz at this moment is on our health to stay strong..and how to improve it.
How about taking care of the immune system and our lungs? What an excellent concept! We can build our immunity and strengthen our respiratory system, gently in a natural way with herbal medicine.
First, see the IMMORTAL SHIELD. This is THE herbal extract that helps build your immunity.
Or maybe a more specific one, WELL BEING for the respiratory system.
Both products are in stock:
1 bottle for 5000 CRColones or 2 for 9000 CRColones.

Originally we were selling our products through Dr Tortos’ clinic but he has since moved, so for your convenience we are available in San Isidro at Casa Yayaz hotel BnB
Just call 8583-1431 to arrange a drop off for you.

Womens' Clothing and Accessories


As seen at Blooms!

Sarong Creations

Custom made-to-order clothing styled from 100% rayon batik-dyed sarongs from Indonesia.

Each item is made to your specifications.

Loose fitting, easy care, comfy in warm weather! Choose your fabric, choose your length. 

Many colors/patterns to choose from. 

Starting at 18,000 colones
Contact Diane 
100% rayon batik
Easy care!
Custom made
Your measurements!
Different styles
Simple shirts, dresses and more!
Pura Vida
Starting at 18,000
Custom-made and sturdy handbags by Creaciones Flor

GIFT BAGS FOR THE HOLIDAYS... AND BEYOND!

by Walt Clayton

With gift-giving in mind, Flor Villarevia of Creaciones Flor has developed a line of attractive, practical and inexpensive canvas and denim tote bags in several styles and colors ranging from kids’ backpacks to full-size adult bags. Each is meticulously handmade and features one of six exquisite, vibrantly colored embroideries of Costa Rican fauna: a toucan, morpho butterfly, tropical frog, hummingbird, sea turtle, and a Quetzal in flight.
Select from existing inventory, and special orders may be available. 

Flor 8790-4573 WhatsApp   Spanish only! Our translator has passed away....

updated 16/1/2024

Recommendation:  I have been carrying the shoulder purse with morpho butterfly for about 3 years. It's sturdy! I get compliments all time on it! And it goes in the washing machine and comes out clean and ready for more action, nothing falling apart, no loose seams. Extremely well made and a very competitive price!
Diane Cooner
Many colors to choose from
Morphos!
Tucanes!
Tortugas!

These bags are sturdy, and they go with just about anything. I love mine! Totally pura vida!  by Diane C.

Ready to mail
Just one of many products offered by Creaciones Flor. See more in Resources.
Holiday or anytime gifts
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