Moving abroad is supposed to be a reset button, not a remote-control extension cord for yesterday’s arguments. And yet, plenty of people who’ve chosen a new life keep pumping political contempt back to their home country — or importing the same “us vs them” energy...
By Terry Carlile Driving in Costa Rica is an adventure worthy of its own chapter in the "Travel and Adventures" section of Howler. The conditions are as unpredictable as a soap opera plot twist, varying with your location, the time of day, and whether or not a herd...
If you’ve lived in or visited Costa Rica for more than a week, you’ve probably heard someone mutter, “El dólar está flojo.” For years, the greenback felt like a super-currency here. Now, with the colón hovering around ₡500 per US$1 and having been much stronger than...
A Citizen of the USA can land in a new country, thinking the hard part is over. Passport stamped. Bag collected. Plans made. Then something changes. The questions get colder. The tone gets sharper. “Why are you here?” stops sounding like a formality and starts...
By John Quam, Editor in Chief Let’s put a positive attitude back where it belongs, in real life, where appointments, lab results, fatigue, and normal routines all collide. A positive attitude is not a cure, and it is not a substitute for treatment. It does not replace...
By John Quam, Editor in Chief When I first moved to Costa Rica almost twelve years ago, I was stopped mid-sentence by something small but world-shifting. I’d casually said I was “American.” A Tico friend smiled and, with no hint of sarcasm, replied, “So am I.” It was...
The year taught me to count blessings the way a surfer counts sets—eyes on the horizon, patient, ready for whatever rolls in. I began in a hospital room listening to rain bead down the window like a slow marimba, measuring progress in hallway laps and spoonfuls of...
Costa Rica’s magic sells itself—adventures in the surf, culture in the plaza, entertainment after sunset, wildlife at every turn, real estate dreams by the beach, business deals over casados, and food that tastes of the tropics. But even the best location can’t...
Costa Rica’s Momentum—and a Clear Plan for Women and Men October’s pink ribbon matters because early detection saves lives. When breast cancer is found at a localised stage, five-year survival is around 100%. Costa Rica offers a practical path from worry to action:...
Costa Rica is a land where jungle mountains meet rolling surf, where scarlet macaws glide across the sky, and where "Pura Vida" is more than a phrase—it's a way of life. Adventures abound, from white-water rafting to volcano hiking; culture thrives in music,...
Why do so many people dream of Costa Rica? People come to Costa Rica chasing beauty, wildlife, and the mythical ease of “Pura Vida.” Before I ever boarded a plane to Costa Rica, the country existed in my imagination as a place of endless green. It was sloths in trees,...
There was a time—not too far in the past—when uttering the F word would’ve gotten you kicked out of class, scolded at the dinner table, or labeled a degenerate. It was the linguistic equivalent of chewing with your mouth open in church. Now? It’s in bestselling books,...