{"product_id":"a-gritty-little-tourist-town-bar-tales-from-costa-rica-9798896361107","title":"A Gritty Little Tourist Town: Bar Tales from Costa Rica","description":"\u003cb\u003eFans of Bill Bryson will love this intimate and humorous memoir surrounding a group of expats as they entertain each other with their stories at a bar in a Costa Rican village. \u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWilla and her wife travel to Costa Rica to visit family--but what they discover is far more than they expected . In a sleepy fishing village on the Pacific coast, they meet a vibrant, curious group of expats who have come looking for paradise--or at least cheap beer. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e At the Pato Loco, a local bar where stories flow as freely as the drinks, they meet Mama, the blind seventy-two-year-old co-owner of the place; her partner Mary, Willa's sister, a bartender and installation artist; Richie, the aging hippie whose words are few but weighty; and a whole cast of unforgettable characters who will answer questions like: \u003cbr\u003e \u003cul\u003e \u003cli\u003eWhat is it really like to live in another country?\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eHow important is it to learn the local language? \u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eHow does a tight-knit community face the pressure of development?\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eCan you survive dengue--and would you want to?\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eOh, and how \u003ci\u003edo\u003c\/i\u003e you perform CPR on a fish?\u003c\/li\u003e \u003c\/ul\u003e \u003cbr\u003eA collection of stories full of humor, heart, and wisdom from unexpected places, \u003ci\u003eA Gritty Little Tourist Town \u003c\/i\u003efollows Willa as she discovers connection within this community of strangers--one bar tale at a time.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWilla Goodfellow \u003c\/b\u003elikes to travel. In college she hitchhiked through Germany and cleaned hotel rooms in Liechtenstein. She comet-gazed in Australia and camped in Arches National Park. She gambled in Mexico and won a pasta-making contest in Tuscany. She swam in the Irish Sea. No, she jumped in, screamed, and jumped out. It was cold! She also likes to write. Some of her best stories come from sitting still and listening at the Pato Loco, her sister's bar in Costa Rica. But there is more to come--today she lives and is listening to pub tales in County Kerry, Ireland.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"She Writes Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52160157122834,"sku":"9798896361107","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_efe00e03-97f7-4990-8343-da12e5295a16.jpg?v=1775038144","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/a-gritty-little-tourist-town-bar-tales-from-costa-rica-9798896361107","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}