{"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\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e She Writes Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 04\/07\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9798896361107\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 244\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.46lbs","brand":"Willa Goodfellow","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52239279259829,"sku":"9798896361107","price":15.29,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/files\/img_8c20bd76-bf38-4262-b08e-ab87c22f7832.jpg?v=1770917559","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/a-gritty-little-tourist-town-bar-tales-from-costa-rica-9798896361107","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}