Costa Ballena Living - Edition #5A - January to June 2016

The Meridian House • p.A8

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Welcome to our 5th edition!

In this edition we share stories about ridiculously good timing and how sometimes in life no expectations are the best expectations to have. Jonathon’s advice is to just let it flow, see how it goes. Julia tells us change is right around the corner. As for myself, I know I’m meant to be here. My last name being similar to “whale”, I feel a connection to the gentle giants. On this coast we are well aware of the presence of the majestic humpback whales that bless our shores twice yearly. And with the natural reef barrier forming the “Whale’s Tail”, I find plenty of reasons to call this place home, I invite you to explore our coast and find your own.

Synchronicity Synchronicity is the phenomena of meaningful “coincidences” that occur in life that simply cannot be explained in ordinary terms. They defy a natural explanation due to their impeccable timing and how they coincide perfectly with other areas in our life.

People love mysterious things, and synchronicity is like magic happening Carolyn North Author of Synchronicity: The Anatomy of Coincidence

If you are new to the area, be sure to check out each town’s section for our local recommendations on what to do and where to eat (Dominical; Uvita; Ojochal). And if you are at home or staying in for the night, and are looking to spice things up in the kitchen, Marcella, chef and owner of Citrus Restaurant, shares with us a recipe you can try for yourself.

Last but not least, we share with you two cover features. The first is a breathtaking home, where the winds lift wings - the Meridian House. New to the real estate market it is our featured lifestyle home, and is the hottest luxury home in the area that has become available, who will scoop up this incredible home and let the view take their breath away everyday? Our travel destination feature, heads down to Ojochal, where a legend has been reborn and you can immerse yourself in luxury. El Castillo has been revamped, keeping all that was good and improving on style, quality services and expanding on the hillside to now include private jacuzzi, exclusive downstairs bar and each guest has a reserved outdoor cabana, set up with chaise longue with views so incredible you may not want to leave the hotel!

It is my pleasure to share with you this edition, full of adventure, history, and more than serendipitous coincidences!

Pura vida.

Nikki Whelan Editor-in-Chief & Cheeky Monkey

Photo by Joan Weilers

Keep up with us online! www.CostaBallenaLiving.com

Like us on Facebook /CostaBallenaLiving

Check out our photos CheekyMonkeyInCR

Get in touch directly costaballenaliving@gmail.com

Isla Ballena

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Contents: Featured Home (Cover)

Let the View Take Your Breath Away

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Let it Flow

Marine Life

Cover The Meridian House - Sergio Pucci El Castillo - Josh Laabs

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Current Events

Town Revival in Dominical

Travel

Relax & Retreat to Ojochal

Credits: Editor-in-Chief Nikki Whelan + (506) 8768 7540 nikki@costaballenaliving.com

Lifestyle

Infographic

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Photography Ninth Parallel Photography Nikki Whelan Contributing Writers Jeanine Webster Jonathon Conan Julia McClurg Lindsey Vast Lura Shopteau Marcella Marciano Nikki Whelan Rees Hogan Stephen Morton Steve Young Susie Atkinson Design by

Next Edition: July 2016

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Travel Destination (Cover)

El Castillo

Next edition advertiser cut-off date: May 2016 Questions? costaballenaliving@gmail.com Find a list of participating businesses online at www.costaballenaliving.com

Join the Adventure!

www.CostaBallenaLiving.com

/CostaBallenaLiving CheekyMonkeyInCR

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Spectacular Contemporary Mountain home with unparalleled panoramic ocean views. Featuring the world-class brands Roca, Daikin, Brizo, Dica, Edimax, Bosch, Bontempo, and more, this newly built home exudes passion in every detail. With expansive open spaces, vaulted ceilings, and wall-to-wall glass doors this is truly the most pristine luxury home perched along the mountain ridge.

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At an altitude of 2,000 ft above the South Pacific coast of Costa Rica, with Marino Ballena National Park views, sits this spectacular home. A rare contemporary offering for the most discriminating buyer. The property has a great flow with the living area centering the home, an outside grilling area to pamper your guests, offering huge ocean and mountain views, a pool area and a hot tub to relax while the view takes your breath away! The guest bedrooms are quietly positioned at one end of the home while the Master Suite occupies a large portion of the second floor, with a tremendous viewing terrace, walk in closet and a bathroom window facing the tallest waterfall in Costa Rica.

The Meridian House has a view-oriented design, driven by a balance of sustainable practices, comfortable spaces, clean lines, and the desire to be different. The home is situated on east-west axis to minimize direct sun exposure and maximize crossventilation along prevailing wind patterns. With high-vaulted ceilings throughout the home, you will feel light as a feather as the clean air and oxygen rejuvenate your body and mind. It is a breathtaking experience, where the winds lift wings.

For those who love to entertain, the home comes complete with an infinity-edge pool with hand-set Gres porcelain tile imported from Italy, with a hot tub of course! And to make sure the ambiance is just right, there is a state-of-the-art sound system with Onkyo™ surround-sound home theater in living room and Klipsch™ recessed ceilingmounted directional speakers throughout the common areas.

The first completed home of the For more information about the sale of this home contact www.axiomcostarica.com +(506) 4001-2343

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From the puns in the movies, to the mass media portrayals of Costa Rica being the place where “the lost souls of the world” go to find themselves, whatever it is about the country, we can all agree – it holds a unique mystique and appeal. What remains un-debated is that Costa Rica will leave an imprint on you forever more, whether you are here to stay or are just passing through.

People come for healing and to break away from the mundane.

In Costa Ballena, there are plenty of holistic and health conscious minded individuals, as well as many physically active sports enthusiasts who have found their haven. Being that year round the weather is enjoyable, everyday residents are able to actively pursue daily outdoor activities, from sports to gardening, to hiking and birdwatching. For retirees, the laid back lifestyle, along with the health benefits has more and more snowbirds coming down each year. If you are a young family, the appeal of getting back to basics, growing your own food, swimming in fresh waters, and if you believe that it takes a community to raise a family, you may just have found your new roots.

And perhaps the most obvious trait that makes the “Rich Coast” one beyond compare, is the people who live here. What will pull your heart strings the most is their incredible kindness –they will share their last ‘cerveza’– and we all know how important that is! So maybe it’s true to some degree, the people who come can be sensitive souls, those who have chosen to wander and look for something more. Searching for a lifetime of experiences, real and raw, and full. Wanting a taste of this so often promised “pure life”, it’s the immersion into what is real that makes it so. Nature cannot be fabricated, and living in close proximity with the wildlife and natural elements can provide a more gracious, profound and appreciative outlook on life – just try it, you will see! It’s the simplicity of it all that brings the life inside alive. And this last is also the reward, nature can nurture us into abundance.

In Costa Ballena, with lush jungle backdrops, one is able to fully immerse themselves into nature, and by extension also into the present moment by showing us what we are grateful for. In the wings of a butterfly, in the scent of fresh flowers, it is when we stop to appreciate what is already around us, what is given to us naturally, that we can take a moment, close our eyes, feel the sun on our skin and a smile on our face, perhaps with tears welling up in the corner of our eyes, as we realize this is it, and say thank you for this one, precious life.

Truly, the lifestyle can be one that supports your goals towards continual growth and the ongoing enjoyment of life; no matter what age you are or where you are in life, the Costa Rican lifestyle can be the life well lived.

Sometimes you find yourself in the middle of nowhere, and sometimes in the middle of nowhere, you find yourself.

Anonymous

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The spirals in flowers and seashells have inspired many to create manmade masterpieces along more natural lines for centuries.

By paying attention to the spiral paths that air and water prefer, for example, we are better able to manage such elements.

In the tropics, many times inspiration, as well as solutions, come from Nature.

Tropical architecture is not a style, it can look traditional, ultramodern or high tech. Rather it is a strategy, one that consists of achieving a comfortable and cool temperature in your home through the use of passive design elements. In conjunction, climate responsive architecture deals with living in areas where there is high humidity levels, hot temperatures, a great deal of annual precipitation and high solar radiation. For those building in the tropics, one should adopt traditional strategies that include the use of sunshades, overhangs, breathable cavity walls, building orientation, maximum ventilation, and carefully consider choice of materials.

Modern advancements in the field now extend beyond these last principles. For example, we are now considering that square

corners should be rounded to allow air to be charged with negative ions, create ozone and attract good Chi energy. We have now begun asking ourselves the question - The floor that you walk on, does it affect how you walk, how you feel? Yes. The homes we live in shape who we are, and affect our health, our bodies and our states of being. By using natural materials, shapes, colours and textures we are attempting to align ourselves with Nature, and that is one of the biggest comforts we may be able to find, that is, living in harmony with our surroundings.

Bamboo, a wild grass, is strong and grows in poor land conditions.

Years ago, bamboo would be eaten to dust, and was considered a poor man’s material; these days, when treated it is a viable building material, it can last a life time if properly used. This last advancement should inspire us not only to give our assumptions a second look, and to truly look at what we have at our disposal, but also for us to be more foreword thinking and to build exceptional structures for future generations, as they could very well last far beyond our lifetime. The example of bamboo shows that there have been revolutions not only about the materials we use, but also about perceptions. What was once deemed not fit to be used but yet that grows in abundance, has now become a sought out material as we have found a way to mitigate the negatives, with this renewed outlook we also show promise for those who are yet to come, via the use of abundant and renewable building materials we are ensuring that prosperity is part of the future portrait.

Nevertheless, no bamboo pole is alike, and there are no two stones that are the same, and yet they all fit together when one is able to take that time to place each stone and each piece of wood in it’s rightful place. When designing with bamboo one must consider that each piece is unique, and so each piece is hand selected with care, those are the sentiments that go into your home while it is being built.

And so, in the grand scheme of it all, it would appear we are are back to valuing the artisan, doing things by hand, versus via big pre-fabricated machinery. We have gone back to consulting with the skilled craftsman to assist us and create a home that is uniquely ours, and one made with nurturing. In our modern times, incorporating valid strategies from the past with new innovations that protect our future interests, are simply a must. Truly, the keys to success in tropical building are to use local, both materials and skilled labour, and to let the environment take the lead, that is to design your home based on the land. Furthermore it is a chance to invent your own rules. If you don’t want walls, and want to let the natural light in, by all means, push the envelope and create something new, look for creative solutions or invent them - skilled craftsmen are standing by! Living in the tropics provides a chance to get creative and invent your unique space that will inspire you, that will allow you to put your best foot forward, everyday, and with every step.

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Rewind back to twenty years ago, I was on my first trip to Costa Rica. I had just opened my first flying trapeze location and was looking to slim down. Costa Rica being renowned for adventure sports, my trip was designed to help me shape up while having fun. My training partner and I ran eight miles —mid day, climbed rope and explored towns in the Nicoya Peninsula. I came back to Costa Rica during many US winter seasons— trapeze in tow, and throughout the years have made many excellent friends here.

And now, taking the story to just a few years ago, when my wife and I began looking for a place to call home, the idea that had both of us excited was the thought of pursuing more Costa Rican adventures. Our core idea was to have a set up that looked very much like an early retirement. So we set off. We looked in Montezuma but couldn't quite find the right magic. We drove into

the Barú Valley, in the mountains above Dominical, and that is where we found an incredible property. The direct view of a 600 foot waterfall — amazing! And it was a miracle, the land was available. I couldn’t imagine anything better than living in epic beauty surrounded by ancient, primary forests while toucans could fly through the yard.

And it most definitely has turned out to be everything we were looking for, it is a feeling unmatched by anything I have ever known. The view from our bedroom is incredible, we look directly at Diamante falls.

Furthermore, that view is accompanied with one of lush green valleys, that spans far across the mountainous landscape, stretching beyond Manuel Antonio. We have found our most cherished times are sharing Costa Rica's beauty, lifestyle and adventure with as many people as we can, and lots, lots of flying trapeze!

Smell the sea, and feel the sky, let your soul and spirit fly.

Van Morrison

Jonathon Conant built his life around the belief that anything is possible and everyone can benefit when your dreams become reality. Jonathon plays, writes and sings music in his spare time, and always enjoys the opportunity to perform for and with his friends - the more trapeze the better! As a seven time consecutive National Champion, Female Olympic Athlete of the Year, and Athlete of the Decade, renowned performer, motivational speaker and expert instructor, Christine Van Loo masters anything she chooses to make her craft. She loves to inspire and share her love of merging art with athleticism.

For more information about Flying Trapeze in Costa Rica, contact www.airbornearts.com To keep up with Christine, check out www.myaeriallife.com

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Have you ever found yourself so immersed in an activity that you completely lost track of time, and when you did “call it quits for the day”, you found yourself happy, calm and contented? This feeling is an indication of having achieved flow.

You can notice when you are in flow, when you are experiencing effortless, automatic, and full engagement in the activity

Lura Shopteau Living the holistic Costa Rican life-style and sharing it professionally, Lura is an expert in integrative health as a professional psychotherapist, meditation, yoga teacher and yoga therapist. She has taught and consulted in Mindfulness and Yoga Therapy at Omega Institute, the Mayo Clinic, and the University of Minnesota Medical School. She now educates individuals and teachers at Bienestar, Uvita Yoga Shala.

In yoga movement (asana) when you have full knowledge of the postures and you can practice with a combination of strength and grace we call it Dharana. Dharana is defined as smooth concentration, where there is no past or future, just the unbroken thread of awareness. Runners also experience this via their pace, where all that exists is the repetitive rhythm of their steps. Nature is itself always at flow always in the present moment. If you have never experienced flow it can be developed in a number of ways.

Surfers experience flow when out on the water, in the rhythm of the waves, watching for a fresh set to come their way and the perfect conditions to take off and start paddling. Time slows down, you are fully aware of the conditions. Both physically and mentally, you are moving at your maximum skill level. When it's over, there is joy and elation, a sense of completion and satisfaction.

Do you know the feeling? Do you have some activity that you love, that absorbs you? Where you stay totally immersed in the activity until it is completed. In flow we feel only relevant to the activity, the outside world is put aside, our focus is single-mindedly the task at hand. You have no physical needs, no hunger, no ego, just a sense of serenity and timelessness. Additionally, the activity itself is intrinsically rewarding, we need nothing more than to engage in it. The Nobel prize winning novelist Naguib Mahfouz said: "I love my work more then I love what it produces. I am dedicated to my work regardless of the consequences. For artists the goal is the activity."

Flow comes about in a variety of activities, workplaces, athletics’ and education. The feeling arises from our focused attention, one that drives you toward further learning and skill development in what ever you love and get lost in. This deeper dive into an activity brings benefits that improve your performance. Educators and scientists know flow when they are researching, writing, observing something that is of deep interest. Educators know flow when they are sharing a deep knowledge of their subject. Artist and crafts people know flow when they are envisioning a new project and working on it.

How to improve flow: 1. Set a goal to dive deeply into an activity that you

love, going so far as to schedule time exclusively devoted to that activity.

2. Focus on that one thing that you are doing, single-mindedly.

3. If you do not have any activities in your life

that takes you toward flow naturally, take a meditation or mindfulness class and you’ll learn to systematically develop the skills that produce the flow experience.*

www.bienestarlife.com /bienestarlife References: *Csikszentmihalyi (1991) suggested that yoga is “one of the oldest and most systematic methods of producing the flow experience,” in the sense of facilitating flow in other activities besides yoga/meditation (cf. Csikszentmihalyi, 1988)

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During a vacation to Costa Rica with friends in 2009, we traveled through the usual tourist spots, visiting Arenal, Manuel Antonio, and down to the Rafiki Lodge on the Savegre River. When we reached further South, we immediately fell in love with the feeling of being disconnected from the “noise” and being reconnected with nature. It was something that we deeply missed once we returned home to the States. Post our first trip, moving to Costa Rica became somewhat of a fantasy, that one day we would make our escape — together.

In 2012, Steve received a promotion at work and we were relocated to South Florida, where Tatum became a full time stay at home Mom. Steve, working 13 hour days, having to drive a long commute, and constantly having to be “on call”, was becoming frustrated with work. Our family craved togetherness, and we wanted to make a change that would allow our family to spend more quality time with one another, reduce our overall stress, and bring us more daily happiness. Steve began researching Costa Rica during his breaks at work

“We love the beach, the river, the jungle — all the natural elements of Costa Rica make it amazing to live here. Multiple times per day you will come across something breathtaking that allows you to remember how beautiful life is. It also helps you to feel more connected to nature and understand the importance that the natural world has on our lives.”

Visit them online at: www.manoas.com /ManoasUvita /CostaKidsYoga4

and his daily commute. After coming up with a good understanding of how we could make our life work, with the kids and family, and also build our own business, Steve put his notice in at work and we began taking steps towards relocating to Costa Rica and embarked on a serious property search.

We took three trips down, of one to two weeks at a time, to search for the right property, seek legal counsel and accounting assistance. What we really loved about Costa Rica was the culture and people, we found this is in Costa Ballena. We’ve met so many kind and caring people, who focus on their families and enjoying life.

Finally, we have been able to invest in more than just a property. On the weekends, the family gatherings on the beach and in the swimming pools of the river are a nice reminder that time with your family is so important to your happiness. We are looking forward to continuing to build our business, into a well-loved retreat. We want Manoas to become a place people remember where they were able to rest, relax and be inspired by the nature around them.

Pieces of Advice • Assimilating to a new country and culture, along with raising two toddlers, can be challenging in itself.

We worked hard (and are still working hard) to learn Spanish and make local friends to overcome some of the newness and cultural differences.

• When considering moving here and buying property, make sure you have done your homework and do not expect to, or try, to cut any corners. Embrace the new things you encounter and make the most out of your experiences.

Tatum is an elementary school teacher who taught kindergarten & first grade before arriving, she now teaches kids at their Yoga Camp. And Steve worked in hospitality and most recently commercial property management before moving to Costa Rica. Together, they have two children: Foster, who loves swimming, playing at the beach, animals, building things and is full of laughter, and Sienna who also loves swimming, playing at the beach, dancing and music.

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The program was founded to encourage the younger girls of Dominical and Dominicalito by creating a positive environment. Athletics is renowned to deter negative and self damaging behavior. Therefore, it was natural that we looked at what sports are widely practiced and most accessible in the area. We found surf was the key.

We started this project with the simplest idea in mind; we would use our time to teach the girls to surf, the goal was for them to truly enjoy themselves during the activity - to have fun! Doing so, hopefully will dissuade them from negative influences, such as quitting school, early pregnancy, alcohol and drug use, so that they can be the best they can be!

Our goal for these girls is to have them cultivate motivation, learn key values as woman, to practice discipline in a sport, and build mutual respect for one another. We think that surfing can allow these girls to shift focus onto something positive, and that we can influence them with positive attitudes towards education, teamwork, leadership and their future goals in life through this practice.

Three local surfer girls lead the project; Jeanine Haddad, Claudia Schulz and Debbie Zec; who all work with surf schools and are very passionate about the sport. They count on assistance from other girls during the events, surfers and non-surfers. It’s beautiful to see positive attitudes bringing women together to help one another.

Please show your support and come check out Chicas Con Proposito!

LIKE and SHARE our Facebook page! /Chicas con Proposito Surf sessions happen twice a month, on Saturdays, at Playa Dominicalito.

The events will be posted to Facebook prior.

How you can help!

A great way people can help the project stay strong is to donate any surf gear: surfboards (all sizes), boogie boards, surf wax, leashes, rashguards and sunscreen. You can also volunteer your time to help with the surf sessions or simply spread the word about this amazing project.

To date we have tried to work without the need of donations, however we want to improve the quality of the project and keep providing healthy snacks and beverages for the girls and volunteers at the events.

Please contact chicasconproposito@gmail.com for more information.

Donations can be made in person or via PayPal.

The greatest discovery of my generation is that people can alter their lives by altering their attitudes.

William James

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It wasn’t overnight that the feeling of wanting to drastically change my life surfaced, rather it had been a long time coming.

Exhausted by mainstream media and constant bombardments of negative reinforcement on the news, I knew it was time for me make a big change, and I doubted that this was possible in the US. Knowing how much of a change in life I was looking for, I knew I needed to make an impactful move to make that a reality. Some call it gut instinct, some call it intuition, whatever it was, it called me to Costa Rica. So, I sold my house and bought a one-way ticket.

Being that I am a Professional Artist (I gained my fame via funky pet portraits), and that I am also a passionate Animal Rights Activist, it is no surprise that I am also a vegan. To my astonishment when arriving in Costa Rica, I was amazed with the availability and variety of fruit everywhere, and year round! To help seal the deal, with my fate in Costa Rica, the clean air that revived me daily during and after brisk walks, and finding friendly people with only kindness in their hearts is what made me stay. In two years, I have yet to see the all too common road rager, street sweepers, or even a mailman in my neck of the jungle. Heck, I live on a street with no name, as do

If you hear a voice within you saying ‘you are not a painter’ then by all means paint and that voice will be silenced.

Vincent Van Gogh

An East Coaster by birth, most of her adult life was spent in Denver, CO, where her Lulu Bella designs and chic pet portraits allowed her to bring her passion for animals to life. “It’s important to me that I catch the spirit of the subject I am painting. I enjoy being able to capture the essence and personality of each animal through their expression.”

Her advice for the aspiring painter – paint, paint, and paint until something breaks through, and that is when you will find your signature style.

most of us here. And I don't miss any of it, the traffic, the pollution, the junk mail, or any mail for that matter. It’s an incredible feeling when you step into something that you can connect with, deeply, and that resonates with your core being and values. Costa Rica is a place so beautiful, so alive, and filled with bountiful abundance, it is no wonder it is the place where I have found peace.

After two years of living in Costa Rica and wanting be become more self sustaining, as well as wanting to create a space where I can rescue animals, I slowly began looking at properties. And then it happened, I fell in love with a property that is authentically Costa Rica, complete with a river and small vivero! As an artist I have never been a fan of time, watches, clocks, or keeping track of dates, and now when friends or family come down to visit, the first thing I make them do is take off their shoes and watches.

Take a walk in the grass barefoot and reconnect. And take off that watch that ties you to the clock. When someone asks what time it is, I am the first to say – “It’s right now!”. It is my hope that my guests who come, take back with them a piece of what I have found in Costa Rica. Pura vida!

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• 1 small baby dark green zucchini • 1 small baby yellow zucchini • 50 grams fêta cheese • 2 tablespoons basil pesto • Juice of 1/2 lemon

• 2 tablespoons olive oil • Salt & pepper • Grilled sliced almonds 1 spoon • 8 cherry tomatoes in half

PREPARATION With a cheese slicer, slice the 2 zucchinis lengthwise. Take the slices of yellow and green zucchini and fan them out slightly next to one another on the plate. Add halved cherry tomatoes on the plate. Add the pesto sparsely here and here, squeeze the lemon juice throughout, add the crumbled feta cheese and finally add salt pepper, and drizzle with olive oil. Decorate with the grilled almonds.

Serve immediately or if you want to make it in advance, save the salt, pepper and olive oil minutes prior to serving.

• 2 tablespoons of guava jelly • 1/4 teaspoon Garam Masala spices • 1 glass red wine (Malbec) • 150 mL of cream

Suggested accompaniment • 200 grams of beef tenderloin (2 filets) • 30 grams of butter • Montreal steak seasoning

PREPARATION Sear the filet in butter in a hot pan with Montreal steak seasonings, for rare 3 min, medium 5 min or well done 7 min. Set the meat aside and in same pan, add guava jelly with spices and wine. Whisk together and reduce the fire to low and let simmer for 2 min, then add cream and simmer until sauce is thick.

Pour over the tenderloin and serve with sauté potatoes and rosemary and some fresh vegetables.

Recipes provided by Marcella Marciano, chef & owner of Citrus Restaurant. Stop in to try these dishes any night of the week.

Matetic Corralillo Sauvignon Blanc 2014 ORIGIN San Antonio Valley WINE TASTING NOTES Pale lime yellow color, with an intense mineral and herbal nose full of citric aromas such as grapefruit and tropical fruits. Soft and fresh palate, with pleasant roundness and a long lasting finish.

WINE PAIRING Perfect for appetizers or fresh vegetable salads and sea food, especially ceviche (fresh raw fish marinated in citrus juices) or fish a la plancha (grilled on a metal plate). Serve well chilled at 10° Celsius (50° Fahrenheit).

Order your wine via email info@cavamundialcr.com or call local representative 8717-0076

Koyle Gran Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 ORIGIN Alto Colchagua, Colchagua Valley, Chile WINE TASTING NOTES Lovely blackberry, mint on the nose of this fullbodied Chilean red wine! You can't go wrong with this robust red, especially at this price point. It has the power of Chilean fruit but is also wellsculpted and balanced with a satisfying long finish.

Perfect for the days when you want to put your feet up after rigorous shopping expeditions.

WINE PAIRING Pairs well with rich meat-based pasta dishes, grilled steaks with a flavourful sauce, pork tenderloin.

Perfect for pasta and tomato sauce wine

Or next time you are at Citrus in Ojochal pick up a bottle of your favourite selection.

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About five or six years ago, my wife Daisy and I started traveling to Central America looking for a retirement haven. Continuing to live in the U.S. just didn’t seem to appeal to us for our retirement. We soon discovered that all of the Central American countries had pluses and minuses, none filled our needs entirely. After some soul searching, a fair amount of research and several visits, we decided that Costa Rica suited us best.

Costa Rica had many of the comforts that we were used to having, while still retaining much of the allure that “overseas adventure” brings. Daisy is reasonably fluent in Spanish, which certainly helped during the transition to living abroad. My command of Spanish is, well, a work in progress.

We bought one piece of property near Chontales, and decided to build right away. During the design process, we found an ocean and mountain view property in the same general area that was far superior, and purchased our second piece of property. Our original design immediately went “out of the window” and the house that we created was not even remotely similar to our first plan.

In late 2013, our drawings, permits and due diligence were completed, we rented a house in Ojochal, and broke ground. Being on site every day made the building process go much faster, but it was not without some setbacks. Things like water management, changes in roof design, increased pool size, construction insurance, and more factored into keeping the project interesting (read “over budget”). By late 2014, we were ready to

move in, despite the fact that there were quite a few tasks that were needed to make the house livable.

Three years later, although there are still many little projects on the “to do” list, the house is not the all consuming project any longer and we can now enjoy it!

Actually, now that I think about it there are a few good sized projects that need to be done as well, but they don’t seem to have much priority, the “Pura Vida” lifestyle has set in. We have settled into a non-routine routine.

Most days start with a general plan, but we have found that plans are surprisingly difficult to follow! The only real consistency in our routine is that we participate in a number of activities with some degree of regularity.

Water aerobics, Pilates, golf, going to the Farmer’s Market, cooking and visiting with our friends are the cornerstones of our activities. Of course there are the special events that seem to pop up all the time. Trips to the big city, runs to Golfito to the duty free stores, mangrove tours, Skyping with family, dinners out, and even Pub Crawls enter into the picture on a regular basis.

Moving to Costa Rica is not without challenges, but as time goes by we are learning how to adjust in our adopted homeland. The biggest challenge for us has been one of expectation. Living in a medium sized city in Ohio we found it quite easy to get just about anything that we needed (or wanted) with a quick phone call or visit to one of the online stores. We can still get just about anything, but it often entails a little more creativity and/or a long wait. We’ve also learned that “adaptability” is paramount. Things are done differently here, as it should be!

Stephen, born and raised in Cincinnati Ohio is a retired consultant, and his wife Daisy, born in Salonika, Greece, also retried, from management at a large Bookstore. They have found two of the greatest things about living in Costa Ballena are the sense of community and the close friends that they have made.

Their advice enjoy being a sponge and absorb everything!

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Traditional Coffee Maker & Costa Rican Coffee

Wake up with a strong cup a joe, made old fashioned style!

We may not have Starbucks, but this is the real deal - it doesn’t get any better than this.

Tico Roots Souvenir Shop Stop in to check out their authentic Costa Rican and hand made artisan crafts Pueblo Del Río, Dominical Open: Open Daily from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm Phone Number: +(506) 8349-9392

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Adirondack Chair

This one’s for the Canucks! A piece of Canada without the cold weather. Enjoy your ocean view while you sit back and relax to take it all in, in one of your favourite chairs of all time. Your welcome.

Solid Wood, Treated Pine $125 per chair or 4 for $450 Transportation not included, Uvita Wilson +(506) 8768 7540 - Spanish speaking

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Touch Lamp

Quick to respond to your touch, and no fumbling in the dark, a metal touch lamp is a great edition to any room.

This lamp provides 3-way lighting, going from a dim light, to a soft light and finally to a bright lighting solution.

Royal Palm Interiors 25 mts. East of BCR, Uvita +(506) 2743 8323 www.royalpalminteriors.com

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A Pet

Nothing makes your home complete without a furry friend!

Adopt an animal who needs a good home, and if you cannot commit to a permanent home, you can still contact D.A.W.G.s, where you can foster pets for your chosen duration.

FB/D.A.W.G. (Domestic Animal Welfare Group) Email: dawgfostermom@gmail.com Every Saturday from 8:00 am to noon you can stop in to adopt your new friend at the DAWG Library at the Centro Veterinario Costa Ballena

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Rees and I discovered the Uvita area back in 2011. A friend of ours from Santa Cruz, California invited us to come down to his place in Costa Rica to celebrate Rees’ 30th birthday. We absolutely loved our experience and started taking longer and longer vacations, that is, until one day we decided to pack our lives into a few suitcases and make the move.

Our plan was to open up a microbrewery in Ojochal. We got as far as buying a piece of land, that was before the Roadshack, our favourite local hot spot, suddenly closed down. We were hooked on the sandwiches and Costa Rican craft beer that the previous owner sold. Suddenly, we could no longer find good beer without having to drive to Manuel Antonio, and I couldn’t quite duplicate the “Costanera” (sandwich) at home. Someone needed to reopen the restaurant and we needed something to do. So we decided to take on the Roadshack!

This November will mark the beginning of our second year as the owners. It has been a lot of work and has also been very rewarding. We are happy to be able to provide great beer, good food, and live music to the crowd in Uvita. It was not our original plan, but even then, the best laid plans should always leave room for improvement. We feel extremely lucky to have such a great staff working with us. Rees’ uncle, Jason, who we also recruited in our move, quit his job in California to come down and help manage the restaurant. Our chef, Aristoteles, and our server, Jeison, both from Costa Rica, are incredibly hard workers and have become good friends as well.

We now rent our friend's house that we used to come vacation in and have plans to build a house of our own on our lot we purchased, which may include a brewery someday. That dream is still going, even if it takes us a while to get there! The natural beauty of this area is intoxicating and when it is combined with the wonderful people who live here you couldn’t ask for a better place to live. We are lucky to have found this little slice of paradise we now call home.

One of Betsy's creations!

Doing what you love is the cornerstone of having abundance in your life.

Wayne Dyer

Betsy loves to bake and cook up a storm, and Rees loves to enjoy her kitchen creations, when not hustling on the floor at Roadshack. Rees and Betsy have been together for 9 years. They moved to Costa Rica from Santa Cruz, CA. They enjoy kicking it back with a good beer, good music and good friends.