Ocean of opportunity
More marinas, docks and ferries can help Costa Rica go greener.
Fragrant and trippy: Queen of the Night
HOME GARDENING: Planting Queen of the Night around the home scents the air at dusk with a relaxing aroma that helps to lift the spirit and emotions.
Bring on the conscientious corniness
SO TO SPEAK: Four words that continue to bother me.
The descent of man in a women’s world
SOMEONE SAID: Men, have a care what you wish for!
The secret soap opera lives of dolphins
The BIG BLUE: The dolphins have illuminated intriguing social behaviors, some that we ourselves exhibit.
The specialist called Joshua
SOMEONE SAID: Amongst well-brought-up people, when someone seems to be dominating the conversation, you break in when he pauses to draw breath.
Blended green juice for a healthy New Year
HOME GARDENING: A basic recipe to get started making your own green juices at home.
Keeping a watchful eye on that salt
Nutrition in the news: How much salt is safe?
Domination makes the universe go round
SOMEONE SAID: We have pretty well fulfilled the Egg’s plan to dominate Earth.
If gold were discovered under Osa’s Ocean
THE BIG BLUE: A view to a future of the sea, hopefully in Costa Rica.
The abundance of tropical squash
HOME GARDENING: Ayotes, one of the most important staple crops in the area
Dithering denounced
SOMEONE SAID: I make sure of never having to make a tough decision.
My little brother
Our columnist remembers the fishing he did growing up with his late brother, Kevin.
Making sorrel ginger punch
In search of homemade fruit juices, Tico Times freelancer Gaby Kreiss stumbled on this gem.
Spice Man
AROUND COSTA RICA: How Gerardo Castro’s thryoid problem became a boon for business.
Culture still matters
SO TO SPEAK: A deeper look at self-indulgence, cynicism and tribalism.
Watercress: The garnish that fights breast cancer
NUTRITION IN THE NEWS: Small-scale studies demonstrate promise for this peppery vegetable.
Sweet tuber: Tropical home garden super star
HOME GARDENING: Next time you are in the super market, consider the sweet potato.
Dolphins or Ants? Which way you going?
THE BIG BLUE: Shawn Larkin makes wild comparisons and asks provocative questions.
Wildlife rescued and restored
AROUND COSTA RICA: Mitzi Stark recounts a day at Zoo Ave.
Onwards and upwards
SOMEONE SAID: On the evolution of environmental dominance.
Taking care of business
SO TO SPEAK: A few common Spanish phrases used by slowly failing businesses.
Read labels and stay thinner
NUTRITION IN THE NEWS: Julie Godfrey’s handy guide to reading product labels in the grocery store.
The Cross de Caravaca: A colonial remnant
AROUND COSTA RICA: Two blocks north of Cartago's basilica de los Angeles stands a surprising and important symbol — the double cross.
Substandard Subtitles: Donkeys before pigs
SO TO SPEAK: Kate Galante highlights the hilarious mistakes she has noticed in movie subtitles.
On the cause and cure of depression
SOMEONE SAID: An analysis of depression via the 'fight-or-flight mechanism'.
Folk rock tunes for the happy/sad times
LOCAL BEAT: Introducing Foffo Goddy, an adorable little folk trio.
Caribbean sea creatures in the ‘Summatime’
THE BIG BLUE: What you've heard about the Costa Rican winter doesn't always hold true in the Caribbean.
New, local music columnist Manuel Montero
LOCAL BEAT: Discovering great new music in Costa Rica is easier than you think.
Independence Day meal with a side of history
TASTE OF THE TROPICS: How to make Chorreadas with Palmito Cheese and Guacamango
The history and science of the sesame seed
HOME GARDENING: One of the world's oldest cultivated plants is also super healthy.
Keeping an eye on bacteria in your stomach
NUTRITION IN THE NEWS: On the connection between intestinal health and overall well-being.
Spinning sea creature sings our tune
THE BIG BLUE: U2's Bono sang opera to a group of spinner dolphins, and they sung it right back.
On the role of pirates along the rich coast
AROUND COSTA RICA: Buried treasure, secret hideouts and scurvy curs
Gah the golden girl from County Clare
SOMEONE SAID: On grandma Gah relentless pursuit of the almighty dollar.
U.S. high school student interns with Teletica
YOUNG WRITERS: Sofia Dyer came to Costa Rica for an internship and rediscovered her Tica roots.
Ode to the tuber
HOME GARDENING: How to grow the sweet potato.
Best months for Caribbean tarpon on the way
FREE SPOOLING: The food value of a tarpon may be low, but they are certainly fun to catch.
Get a room: The Solari phenomenon
SOMEONE SAID: Getting a room wasn't always easy in the 1940s.
The Chiron and the madness of crowds
SOMEONE SAID: Measuring the smallest intelligible unit in a conversation, issuing from an unidentified source.
Delicious kale: The healthiest plant on Earth
HOME GARDENING: This leafy green grows well all over Costa Rica.
No-take zones: The big picture
THE BIG BLUE: Protecting hammerhead sharks at Cocos Island is good. Also protecting them in their nurseries among mangrove roots off the Osa Peninsula is better.
What it’s like to fight a wildland forest fire
AROUND COSTA RICA: Firefighter Diego León told columnist Mitzi Stark what battling blazes is all about.
Charlie’s Secret: How to nail a job interview
SOMEBODY SAID: Finding employment gets easier when love potion is involved.
U.S. woman to translate and publish Costa Rica poetry
AROUND COSTA RICA: Fulbright scholar Julia Guez has come to Costa Rica to seek out its best poetry, then translate and publish it in English.
Can a person O.D. on Vitamin D?
NUTRITION IN THE NEWS: Vitamin D deficiency is a hot topic, but don't stalk the sun just yet.
Grow a tropical tree in your own backyard
HOME GARDENING: Harnessing the goodness of the soursop tree and its spiky guanábana fruit.
Medical donor program eases burden of death
UNDER THE SUN: When the time comes, donating one's body to UCIMED can save a lot of money and hassle.
A wild night out with the King of San José
TICO TALES: The story of a strange man on a plane who turned out to be the King of Costa Rica's capital.
It’s not what you eat, it’s when you eat
NUTRITION IN THE NEWS: Analysis of the recent studies on timing one's eating for health reasons.
A taste of the tropics: Hot summer coolers
Chef Marco González imparts wisdom on creating refreshing and fruity summer cocktails.
Karen, Queen of the Costa Rican jungle
UNDER THE SUN: A woman finds her place in the wild.
A gardener’s guide for the early Green Season
HOME GARDENING: June weather is ideal for growing produce in every bioregion of Costa Rica.
Cultural, linguistic missteps in a mixed marriage
SO TO SPEAK: What happens when a couple doesn't speak quite the same language?
Stay with that car
INSURANCE IN COSTA RICA: A sad story illustrating what can happen to hapless motorists who leave the scene of an accident.
The Holy Spirit moves in Costa Rica
AROUND COSTA RICA: Father Sergio Valverde and his association, Obras de Espiritu Santo, do the lord's work in Cristo Rey, southwest of San José.
Pros and cons of Caja health care
What you need to know about private insurance versus Caja care.
Seabobbin’ with a superpod
The latest generation of underwater propulsion crafts has made its way to Costa Rica, and guess who brought it here.
Making progress in conflict resolution
SOMEONE SAID: Jack O'Brien gives us a brief history of modern warfare.
Triple goodness: Corn, beans and squash
HOME GARDENING: For a triumvirate of awesome, try planting these staple crops together.
Sugar tax: Wallets and waistlines
NUTRITION IN THE NEWS: In light of a proposed tax on sugar, columnist Julie Godfrey advises on how to monitor your intake.
A strange experience on Mt. Ampato
SOMEONE SAID: Columnist Jack O’Brien stumbles into ceremonial human sacrifice.
U.S. woman comes to Costa Rica for ayahuasca healing experience
UNDER THE SUN: Julee Payne injured her foot, and conventional medicine could't stop her chronic pain. So she came to Costa Rica in hopes that a hallucinogen from the Amazon might reset her nervous system.
Benefits and drawbacks of fasting for health
NUTRITION IN THE NEWS: The benefits and drawback of fasting for health.
Spanish Etymologist 3: Poison for elephants
SO TO SPEAK: More fascinating etymologies of Spanish words to add to your list.
Spanish Etymologies 2: From whiskers to tail
SO TO SPEAK: Second in a four-part series examining the origins of selected words in Spanish.
Tragic story of dolphin and village resurfaces
Shawn Larkin unearths a cautionary tale of a dolphin and a village.
Garlic for the Mediterranean potted garden
HOME GARDENING: Growing garlic in containers around the house gives you a constant supply of young garlic greens, or you can leave the leaves and harvest the bulbs.
Warrior 3 challenges body, mind and spirit
ON THE MAT: Finding balance and unleashing of the inner fighter are top priorities of Warrior 3.
What to know about the new tax on companies
LEGAL COUNSEL: Even inactive companies are liable for paying this new tax, due April 30
A paleontological parable
SOMEONE SAID: Evolutionary history shows we must act fast to save the cosmos from humanity’s meddlesome genes.
Atenas Chili Cook-off gets hotter every year
AROUND COSTA RICA: The fifth incarnation of the Atenas Chili Cook-off drew more than 1,000 people to sample and vote for 24 varieties of chili.
Hotel Costa Rica: Turtles and the circle of life
UNDER THE SUN: A U.S. expat buys land and attempts to build a hotel on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. Chapter 7 of 8.
Start a green pharmacy with potted herbs
HOME GARDENING: Basil, rosemary, thyme and oregano are versatile herbs to have handy in a potted Mediterranean kitchen herb garden.
Take responsibility for your own health
NUTRITION IN THE NEWS: Grandiose – and doomed – New Year’s resolutions to lose weight aren’t necessary if you set realistic goals and make required lifestyle changes little by little.
Good nutritional habits start at home
NUTRITION IN THE NEWS: Use healthy eating habits to combat child obesity and even ADHD.
Hotel Costa Rica: Earthquake, chaos, Pura Vida
UNDER THE SUN: A U.S. expat buys land and attempts to build a hotel on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. Chapter 8 of 8
Hotel Costa Rica: Pura vida, drinks on the house
UNDER THE SUN: A U.S. expat buys land and attempts to build a hotel on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. Chapter 6 of 8.
Hotel Costa Rica: It’s an ant’s world
UNDER THE SUN: A U.S. expat buys land and attempts to build a hotel on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. Chapter 5 of 8
Hotel Costa Rica: Opening night
UNDER THE SUN: A U.S. expat buys land and attempts to build a hotel on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. Chapter 4 of 8.
Hotel Costa Rica: Come on down!
UNDER THE SUN: A U.S. expat buys land and attempts to build a hotel on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. Chapter 3 of 8.
Hotel Costa Rica: Proposition Night
UNDER THE SUN: A U.S. expat buys land and attempts to build a hotel on the Pacific coast of CostaRica. Chapter 2 of 8.
Hotel Costa Rica: Fleeing the American dream
UNDER THE SUN: A U.S. expat buys land and attempts to build a hotel on the Pacific coast of CostaRica. Chapter 1 of 8.
Expat anthology paints ‘Costa Rica Kaleidoscope’
OPEN BOOK: “The Bards of Paradise,” a group of expat writers in Costa Rica, offer up an insightful collection of writings about the country they call home.
Artificial reefs: like pulperías with real pulpos
THE BIG BLUE: Manmade reefs create habitat for marine life and dive sites and fishing spots for humans.
The tail of the dog
SOMEONE SAID: Why wagging works for man’s best friend.
The itch to be rich
SOMEONE SAID: Gramps discovers his grandson has an obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Costa Rica on its way to ocean supremacy
THE BIG BLUE: The small Central American country has become a world ocean sport contender.
El dilema of gender confusion in Spanish
SO TO SPEAK: Exceptions to gender rules complicate matters for Spanish-language learners.
In for a future shock
SOMEONE SAID: Are humans getting smarter with each succeeding generation? And what does that mean for us old folk?
Use science to stay in shape this holiday season
NUTRITION IN THE NEWS: Nutritionist-endorsed tips to avoid weight gain over the holidays.
Knowledge versus belief
Columnist Jack O’Brien ruminates on science and the Catholic Church
Pan American Life now offers medical policy in Costa Rica
INSURANCE IN COSTA RICA: Pan American Life Insurance Company’s upmarket individual medical insurance policy will accept applicants up to 75 and has no residency requirement.
But none of us cared for Kate
SOMEONE SAID: Whether we are wanderers or landlubbers, it’s a matter of genetics.
DIY coconut milk: simply delicious
The first installment of a new column on doing-it-yourself, tropical-style
Backyard chile plants FTW
Ed Bernhardt recounts the history and wonder of sweet and hot peppers
Establishing values for insurance purposes
INSURANCE IN COSTA RICA: It is up to you to establish the value of the car or home you wish to insure. So what are the ground rules?
Still cruisin'!
The most popular car in Costa Rica is not for sale.
Scandals and scoundrels
Around Costa Rica: The Testament of Judas
Silly scenes and signs found ‘Sólo en Costa Rica’
AROUND COSTA RICA: A popular Facebook page of amusing Costa Rican scenes to date has more than 130,000 Ticos laughing at themselves.
Judas night: An explosive tradition
Around Costa Rica: Judas Night is a tradition going back to the middle ages but adopted to local custom.
Shape-shifters’ world
Someone Said: We all started out as a gamete, a single cell with a lot of potential looking for a mate to unlock its powers.
Aloe Vera: Medicinal tropical wonder plant
Home Gardening: Check some of the exceptional healing properties of aloe.
Warfare and the art of adaptation
SOMEONE SAID: You can’t win a war if you can’t even identify the enemy, and you can’t protect yourself against someone who has little to live for and much to die for. So what’s the answer?
On the fallibility of computer translations
SO TO SPEAK: Computer translation programs have improved, but beware: they are anything but perfect.
