The Road to Rio Magnolia

by John H Paterson

“The Road to Rio Magnolia” recounts the true story of a couple who left their engineering careers in Toronto to move deep into the Costa Rican rainforest, where they established and operated a luxury ecolodge. The journey began with building a road through the mountains, constructing a lodge in the middle of nowhere, and creating a micro-hydro system to produce the electricity needed to keep the whole place running. Over 13 years, they entertained a steady flow of guests, faced relentless challenges from nature, and still found joy in their surroundings. Their light-hearted anecdotes capture the ups and downs of life with colorful clients, lovable locals, and eccentric expats.

292 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 18, 2025

About the author

John Paterson’s career as a mining engineer took him around the world searching for and developing gold, diamond, base metal, and coal projects. In 2006, he and his wife moved from their home near Toronto to Southern Costa Rica, where they built, owned, and operated a small nature lodge and coffee farm until 2022. During this time, John wrote and self-published a novella, a novel, and several non-fiction stories. Now retired, John divides his time between Costa Rica and Canada, where he enjoys spending time with his grandchildren, gardening, and writing.

Reviews

[Linda Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Pioneer Days!

I moved to Costa Rica about the same time as John and Maureen. I lived not far from Rio Magnolia, though I’ve never been there.
This book is a wonderful testament to the trials and tribulations we gringos had to deal with to carve out a piece of paradise in this often quirky country.

[Mickey Eckert · Rating 4 out of 5]

We enjoy move abroad memoirs. This one was a little different in that it is a collection of memories/stories that are presented in a non linear fashion. It was enjoyable to read and quite humorous.