Stories from travels in

Mary Murphy

Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble

Earlier this week, I caught myself disparaging the Pacific Ocean and its beaches, saying in the same breath how much I preferred the waters and

Moved by art

I bought a piece of art today because it made me cry. Titled Grasses in the Night,  it’s a monotype by Costa Rican artist Lorena

Coming down the mountains…

I have no meas on money. It’s there to facilitate day-to-day living. I don’t aspire to great riches or a six-figure bank account (they’re easy

Jaguar Rescue Center

Catch anyone looking treeward in this part of the world and you can almost be certain that they’ve spotted a sloth. And it’s exciting. The

The end of the road

Google maps said it would take 4 hours 25 minutes to travel from San José to Puerto Viejo. They were just a tiny bit out

A dead Irishman

I just found a dead Irishman from Limerick, I said, quite pleased with myself. Well, he said, there are a few of us alive here,

Socked in and ghosted

Every year, millions of people make the 22 km walk, known as the romería, from the capital of San José to the basilica in Cartago.

Coffee for special occasions

Forget your French roast, or your Italian espresso, or your Breakfast blend. Forget your Arabica or your Robusta. When it comes to classifying coffee, Costa

Of birds and butterflies

I can see it now. The hummingbird at a bird convention denying all claims that it dies each autumn and comes back to life each