Costa Rica Kaleidoscope is a collection of personal essays, informative articles and charming tidbits that entertain and educate the expatriate, newcomer, visitor and armchair traveler. Costa Rica is a land of orchids, butterflies and toucans in exotic trees; volcanic mountains harboring cloud forests and waterfalls; and jungle islands surrounded by azure water that laps sandy beaches. It is also a land of gentle people who cherish family unity. They exemplify tolerance and throwback respect for seniors. The children are polite and impeccably groomed. Farmers' markets abound with glorious produce. Locals willingly engage newcomers. The authors, the Bards of Paradise, are a group of resident writers whose first language is English. They have published books, columns, articles or newsletters designed to unlock not just the sweet and the sunny, but also the sour and dark subtleties of Costa Rican culture. They will help the reader heighten his or her senses, to see beyond postcard snapshots, to hear the rhythm and music of everyday life and know the culture and some of the challenges encountered by foreigners who choose to reside here to enjoy and sometimes be confused by a culture virtually devoid of confrontation. This collection is a map for all to follow to discover the treasure that is Costa Rica. Editorial Review More than a guidebook, beyond a collection of traveler's stories, Costa Rica Kaleidoscope is a unique panorama of cultural journeys undertaken by expats who live and love Costa Rica every day. I found myself alternately laughing and crying, but most of all, unable to put the book down until I'd read it cover to cover. Filled with honest-sometimes brutal, frequently inspiring-perspectives on life in this little isthmus we call home, Costa Rica Kaleidoscope is a gem that should find its way into the bookshelves of expats, would-be expats and those with a persistent "what if?" itching in the backs of their minds. Wendi Raven Patrick, Former Editor McGraw-Hill
About the Author: About The Bards of Paradise Greg Bascom is the author of the action-adventure, adult romance novel Lawless Elements, winner of the gold medal in the Faulkner-Wisdom creative writing competition. Greg left Connecticut as a teenager to work in Japan, Southeast Asia and Latin America. He survived a car crash on the road to Bangkok in 1967, head trauma in the Philippines and subsequent brain surgery in Hawaii in 1977, and being the star hostage in a plane hijacking in Honduras in 1982. He has settled in Costa Rica to relate his adventures in traveler's tales and fiction. Michael Crump has taught and written academic works about organizational culture and conflict resolution for decades. His stories reflect the keen professional insight into the culture and inherent conflict within agrarian Costa Rican life gleaned from his life on a small coffee farm for the past five years. Lenny Karpman has written six books plus travel, food and human rights stories and articles for multiple publications. A former physician and civil liberties activist, his home for the past nine years has been a finca and refuge for birds and animals in Costa Rica's Central Valley. Robin Kazmier is an adventurer and artisan of natural products with a background in anthropology and geography. She coordinates Spanish Immersion programs for medical professionals and students who come to Costa Rica to work with marginalized populations. One of her essays appeared in Wandering in Costa Rica. Frans Lamers provides us with an international perspective. A native of Holland and former resident of South Africa and Canada, he taught university anthropology and wrote numerous academic works. He has lived in Costa Rica for more than twenty years and is our designated historian. Carol McCool is a popular journalist, travel writer and essayist who, for eight years here, has lived first on a rustic mountain farm and then in her own B&B in a suburb of the capitol. A doctor of psychology, Carol is an environmentalist and a peace activist with an interest in sustainable food production. Jo Stuart's Friday column appears in amcostarica.com. Her book Butterfly in the City exposes the heart and soul of San Jose, but tenderly. Before her two decades here, she studied Anthropology and has lived in Boston, New York, California, Majorca and Brazil.