Howler0901Jan

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Excellent Income Producer • 2 Independent Apts. below Call: 8-828-6879, 8-828-6889 osbornecr3@yahoo.com 1414

Ooo LaLa...a Mediterranean Taste Extravaganza

Just a Short Drive from Tamarindo Lies What Is Sure To Become a Favorite

Ooo LaLa... under the direction of Danny Badran, former co-owner of Bistro Langosta Offering a Wide Range of Over 40 TAPAS Spanning the Mediterranean; Daily Lunch and Dinner Culinary Creations • • • • • • • • •

A Dining Experience Under the Balinese Roof Poolside At the 2-Storey Bar Star Gaze at el Estrella Rooftop Lounge Extensive Wine List and Premium Liquors Live Entertainment Open for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Every Sunday Poolside BBQ

Ooo LaLa ... located at el-Sabanero Eco Lodge 11 km from Tamarindo on the way to 27 de Abril Stop by or Call for Reservations @ 2653-2793 or visit www.elsabanero.com

3

editor’s note The Howler wishes you all a happy and prosperous New Year, with the emphasis on prosperous. We are all suffering the effects of the world-wide recession, but there is a lot of optimism in the area. We hope it is justified.

The tourist agencies predict increased numbers of visitors to Costa Rica, but are they coming here? Tamarindo is still scaring people away with high prices. Look at your business and see if there is any way to lower prices – it just might increase your profits.

Inflation! A handful of years ago, the meals at a town fiesta were ¢400 – a reasonable price at that time. In the last five years they have progressed through ¢800, ¢1,000, ¢2,000 and now ¢2,500 this week in Villarreal, certainly no longer good value for money. This is an incredible inflation rate, and may account for the sadly diminishing attendance at these fun fiestas.

Talking of inflation, I once read a book by Erich Maria Remarque, set in the Germany of the 1920s, where the dollar was worth millions, then billions, of deutschmarks, and the protagonists in the story were paid twice a day, then given an hour off to go and spend their pay before it lost its value.

Hopefully, we won’t get into that situation here.

Long-time Tamarindo resident Jeff Dando is in the United States recovering from a serious stroke and could use your best thoughts and prayers. From complete paralysis, he has recovered the partial use of one hand, and is regaining the ability to speak a few words. Good luck, Jeff!

What is a casillero, and, if I have one, why is it not activated? The phone company ICE tells me my casillero is not activated, so try later. Where is it and how do I activate it?

Suggestion from security guru Terry Anderson. Very efficient rechargeable flashlights, one million candlepower, are available in ferreterias at low cost. If everybody bought one and patrolled their property for a few minutes every night, this very visible activity just might send the ladrones somewhere else.

To help kick off the high season, The Howler introduces a special on advertising. If, before the 15th January, you buy a 4-month contract – February-May – you pay only for three months. Now, let’s see some more reduced prices and get Tamarindo back in business.

Unusual to have a rain gauge in the January issue, but we can’t ignore that 6 cm downpour November 30.

The only publication seen in all beaches of the Gold Coast, from Playa Potrero to Playa Junquillal, plus Santa Cruz and Liberia is

We also have the best advertising prices.

Advertise with us and maximise your business dollar Tel: 2-653-0545 howler@ice.co.cr

January 2009

The Howler Since 1996

FEATURES 8 Dining Out

Media Naranja Restaurant at Luna Llena is open with ex-Dragonfly chef Zach Meloy in the kitchen.

9 Obamanos Continues

With the new President-elect about to take office in the United States, ex-pats are concerned about their Medicare service.

13 Surviving Costa Rica

Examining the proposed residency requirements, our writer determines the quality of foreigner who will be allowed to stay here.

14 Around Town Openings, closings, parties, music. The Gold Coast has it all, and bar-hoppin’ David is in the groove.

15 Surf Report

Round-up of Torneo Coca-Cola Zero in Jacó; Copa Mango in Playa Hermosa; and the First Guanacasteco Torneo.

16 Santa Rosa National Park

Costa Rica’s first national park is a wonderland of wildlife and home to surfers’ icon Witch’s Rock.

18 Rogue and Thief

In the 1960s Robert Vesco embezzled over $200 million and fled to Costa Rica, where a non-extradition law was passed in his favour.

31 Ruminations on Cattle Culture

Cultures of Costa Rica and other countries are compared, and our columnist finds Costa Rica more able to cope with the recession.

Cover caption: Guanacaste’s Santa Rosa is the crown jewel of the Costa Rica National Park system. This aerial photo shows the famous surfing beach at Potrero Grande (Ollie’s Point).

Cover design and photo: John Lyman Photos www.johnlymanphotos.com

DEPARTMENTS 10 CD Review 11

Book Review

12 Yoga 17

Slice of Life

23 Word Puzzle 25 Tide Chart 28 January Forecasts 32 Sun & Moon

The Howler

La Paz School Annual Fundraiser

S

aturday, December 6 was a perfect evening for the La Paz Community School’s Annual Fundraising Fiesta at the Flamingo Marina Resort. It was a fairly quick paced event with MC Abel McClennan giving away 17 door prizes worth over $750 in between the live music of Jesse Bishop and Bob Benjamin. With the help of some of the students, they also drew the winners for the over $800 in raffle prizes.

But the main focus was the huge silent auction.

With just over 200 items from 155 different donors, there was something for everyone.

With the help of the community, La Paz Community School again raised over $20,000 for their scholarship program. Each year the school is amazed at the local support it receives and wishes to thank each and every person, family and business that made this event the success it turns out to be. The staff and management of Flamingo Marina Resort again helped host a spectacular evening and the music of Jesse and Bob was well received. The Students Sponsoring Students again raised over $1200 for the cause, a host of families made food for the event, and other parents spent their time canvassing the local area for donations. A huge thank you to the business community that made it all possible. In alphabetical order they are ; 100% Natural ; APA Tours ; Aguilar, Vilma & Gonzalez, Iris ; Ahuia Spa ; Alvarado, Laura ; Angelina’s ; AquaCenter Diving ; Arcoma S.A. ; Arena’s Restuarant ; Atocha Furniture ; Azul Profundo & Patricia Sterman ; B&B Lodge ; Bahia Tamarindo ; Bakery of Paris ; Bali Designs ; Bikini Shop ; Blue Dolphin Catamarans ; Books, Books & More Books ; Brindisi Group ; Buon Appetito ; CRT Team ; Cabinas Las Olas ; Cafe Cafe ; Cafe Crema ; CaliDigital ; Campbell, David & Becky ; Carballo, Luis ; Cariari B&B ; Casa Mia ; CastA-Way Fishing Charters ; Cecile La Panadera del Pueblo ; Chica Accessories ; Claudia’s Bike Rental ; Clinica Dental Porras & Assoc. ; Clinica Veterinaria Cavallini Carvajal ; Comfort Studio Portraits ; Conchal Hotel Brasilito ; Costa Dental Huacus ; Costa Imperial Souvenirs ; Costa Rica Diving ; Costa Rica Real Estate Store ; Danaklein Photography ; Del Pacifico Super ; Dental Clinic Playa Grande ; Destination Tours ; Diaz, Zoraida ; Dingbatz Custom Surfboards ; Dolores Shop ; Dr. Susan Curtis ; EK Art ; El Castillo ; Fiesta del Mar ; Finca Shambalah ; Flamingo Beach Resort ; Flamingo Marina Resort ; Flamingo Sub &

Pizzeria ; Flying Crocodile ; Frijoles Feliz ; Frijoles Locos Surf Shop ; Gaia Hotel & Reserve ; Giovanni Castillas Cabs ; Guatil Pottery Studio ; Hacienda Pinilla ; Happy Snapper ; Haras del Mar at Lomas del Mar ; High Tide Adventures ; Hotel Bahia Esmeralda ; Totel Brasilito ; Hotel Cantarana ; Hotel Cocodrilo ; Hotel Guanacaste Lodge ; Hotel Luna Llena ; Hotel Paradisus Playa Conchal ; Il Forno ; Importadora Monge ; J&G Furniture ; Jamie Peligro ; Javogue family ; Jungle Gym ; Kahiki Restaurant ; Kambute ; La Colina Hotel & Condos ; La Marejada Hotel ; La Palapa ; Las Avellanas Villas ; Las Calas Contadores ; Libre Sin Trabas ; Lola’s ; Los Altos de Eros ; Mar Y Sol ; Marie’s Restaurant ; Marlin del Ray ; Mauna Loa ; Modern Imagen ; Mok @ Internet Cafe ; Monkey Business Adventures ; Mr. Tom ; Nibbana ; Nimbu Beauty & Spa ; Noguis Restaurant ; North Pacific Dental ; Ocean Leather ; Olga’s Coffee Shop ; Otero, Har ; Outback Jack’s ; Papaya Restaurant ; Pescaderia Modesto ; Petite Paris ; Pizzaria Portofino ; Playa Grande Inn ; Playa Grande Surf Camp ; Playa Grande Surf Hotel ; PointBreak Surf ; Reserva Conchal ; Restaurant Media Naranja ; Restaurante El Huerto ; RipJack Inn ; Ropa Americana Huacus ; Rothermel, Tom ; Rustico Souvernir ; Salon de Belleza Orquideas Marisol ; Sea Star Souvenir ; Seabird Sailing ; Season’s Restaurant ; Sell, David & Gary ; Short, Dustin & Kim ; Sidharta ; Sol Y Paz ; Solo Uno ; South Gold Coast Guide ; Souvenir Alquimia ; Souvenir Arecife ; Souvenir Guanacaste Aster ; Souvenir Maria ; Souvenir Via Martina ; SpaDent ; Students Sponsoring Students & the Thompson Family ; Sueno del Mar B&B ; Sutter, Ryan ; Suvalli, Gian ; Sweetie Pies @ Taco Star las Tortugas ; Tamarindo Tennis Club ; Tamarindo Toy Store ; Tango & Grill ; Tholessa ; Thurlow, Gina & Chantel Cookware ; Tienda Alma Latina ; Tricinella, Bruce ; Tropical House Imports ; Turkaysa Souvenir ; Tyrell, Ros & Edward ; Vickers, Stu ; Villa Alegre B&B ; Villas Kaiki ; Vivero Diria Nursery ; Walter’s Place ; Zulu Services.

But again , the real winners are the students of LaPaz Community School, especially the scholarship students that this event directly benefits. Again, thanks to everyone who made this evening the success it was ; and hope to see you all back next year!!!!

Founded in 1996 Vol. 14, No. 1 - January 2009 Issue No. 148 Editorial Office: Casa Equinox, Playa Tamarindo Guanacaste, Costa Rica Ced. Juridica: 3-101-331333 Publisher, editor and production David Mills howler@ice.co.cr • howler001@gmail.com www.howlermag.com Tel/fax: 2-653-0545 Contributors: KAY DODGE TOM PEIFER JOHN LYMAN ELLEN ZOE GOLDEN CYNTHIA CHARPENTIER JEANNE CALLAHAN JESSE BISHOP NINA WEBER TONY OREZ

Deadline for February: January15

Howler advertising

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All comments, articles and advertising in this publication are the opinion of their authors, and do not reflect the opinion of Howler Management.

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T

Dining Out Media Naranja at Luna Llena

ucked away into a quiet corner of Tamarindo, with absolutely no passing traffic, is the little restaurant Media Naranja – and yet it was doing good business on the nights I was there. In their case wordof-mouth is a powerful ally.

Media Naranja is at the back of Hotel Luna Llena, which also has its own poolside café where breakfast and lunch are served. Chef Zachary Meloy, who already has his own following from Dragonfly Restaurant, officiates in the kitchen while his fiancée Christina Cortes runs the outside show. Nine tables seat about 40 people, and you can choose from inside seating or out. With comfortable ambience, this is a sweet little restaurant. “We would like this to be a neighborhood restaurant, good but not gourmet,” says Cristina.

Start the meal with a selection from the appetizer menu – potato chips with charred onion dip; sautéed mushrooms with homemade yoghurt; mini sandwiches of manchego and ham with guava conserve; barva goat cheese crostini with pea shoots and a sherry syrup. Zach tells us that ninety percent of his ingredients come from Costa Rica. We tried the delicious sweet corn soup with chicken confit and red onion jam and the green salad with pea shoots and stone-ground mustard vinaigrette.

Under the concept of “Total Advisory” we offer our clients global solutions for their business and personal needs, in every different area of the law practice.

For the plato fuerte, there is plantain-crusted tilapia with white beans and Spanish chorizo with chipotle vinaigrette; glazed tuna with creamed corn; pork loin with pineapple chutney and chipotle mole; roast chicken, chickpea and heart of palm salad; pan-seared duck breast with braised red cabbage and duck chicharrones in sherry vinaigrette. My companion chose the silk-handkerchief pasta with porcini cream tomato caramel while I enjoyed the grilled beef filet with smoked chile potato puree, Spanish blue cheese and cilantro pesto.

Both dishes were excellent. “We want to change the menu every three months,” says Zack.

Desserts, too, are devilishly good. We had the banana cake, cinnamon ice cream and spiced butter rum and Mexican hot chocolate bread pudding with spiced macadamia and ginger.

Is a full-service Costa Rican law firm that offers quality legal and business advisory, following basic priciples of action.

Quality, Celerity, Agility and Confidence Just give us a call; we would like to serve you Tel: (506) 2-653-1503 Fax: (506) 2-653-1538 www.crattorneys.net E-mail: nmora@crattorneys.net Tamarindo Sea Tower, 3rd floor, Tamarindo, Guanacaste

The dining experience was most enjoyable. If I had to suggest a change, I would move the single restroom and put it around the back.

Media Naranja is in Luna Llena, 100 meters east of Kahiki, tel: 2-653-1403. Open Monday – Saturday, 6 to 10, accepts MasterCard, Visa and American Express.

Obamanos Continues Citizens Abroad Lobby for

Kay Dodge

Medicare Benefits in Costa Rica After their first meeting at a beach restaurant to gather their absentee ballots to send to the US, a group of Barack Obama supporters met on the night of the presidential election, November 3rd, at private homes and in local pubs, and along with people from all over the world, celebrated the historic election of the new US President who ran on a platform of change. This now-growing group of Gold Coast US citizens who live along the Gold Coast are now lobbying the Transition Team for President Elect Obama to consider changes to the Medicare benefits for citizens living abroad.

One of the major changes is the inclusion of citizens in the transition process. The Obama-Biden Transition Team presented the following proposal to participants. “The Presidential Transition Health Policy Team is encouraging Americans to host and attend Health Care Community Discussions across the country between December 15 and December 31. These Community Discussions are part of the President-elect’s continuing efforts to reach out and directly involve the American people in their own government. Health care is a top priority for President-elect Obama, and he wants your help in designing a system that provides quality, affordable health care for all Americans. His nominee to be Secretary of Health and Human Services, Tom Daschle, is attending several of the discussions. He and his team will review the submissions from all of these gatherings. President-elect Obama wants to bring the voices and health care concerns of all Americans to Washington. On his behalf, thank you for helping to make this happen by participating in this discussion.”

HEALTH CARE COMMUNITY DISCUSSION 1. Engage in discussions with your friends and neighbors about health care reform and draft a group submission with your findings and conclusions. This will help the Transition Health Policy Team flesh out key issues around health care and give the Team fresh ideas about the best ways to promote the President-elect’s and Vice President-elect’s vision of quality, affordable health care for all Americans.

2. Develop your group submission to the Transition Health Policy Team through a process that respects, empowers, and engages all attendees.

3. Identify particularly poignant stories about health care from participants that can be used to help emphasize the need for health care reform in our country.

MEDICARE AND THE OVERSEAS AMERICAN A proposal to deliver Medicare benefits to eligible Americans living overseas and the overseas American. This paper discusses why Medicare benefits should be made available to overseas Americans who have paid for them.

1. Mending a Broken Promise: Many thousands of American citizens living overseas have contributed to U.S. Social Security programs throughout their working lives and have earned the right to

receive Medicare benefits in the United States. Yet when they retire abroad, and need these medical benefits for which they have made all of the necessary contributions, these benefits are not delivered abroad.

Their contributions have been for naught. Why is this case?

2. A Legislative Impediment: Social security legislation currently prohibits payment for medical services or items not provided within the United States. There are limited exceptions in the case of Americans visiting Mexico and Canada, but Medicare benefits are totally lost for those living elsewhere overseas.

3. The Alleged Obstacles: In a 1979 report to the Congress on issues of concern to the overseas American community, the White House explained: “There are two primary difficulties in extending Medicare services abroad: (1) determining reimbursement rates for foreign services; and (2) ensuring compliance with Medicare standards by foreign medical personnel and facilities.” Another obstacle, mentioned in the same report was: “The current estimated cost of full coverage for the approximately 226,000 eligibles abroad would be $375 million. In view of the need to limit Federal expenditures, this cost is a major concern.”

4. But a Working Model to Deliver These Benefits Already Exists: In actual fact, the U.S. Government already funds and operates a very effective and efficient medical care system, using foreign civilian doctors and medical facilities for thousands of U.S. citizens living abroad. This system, formerly called CHAMPUS (Civilian Health and Medical Program for the Uniformed Services) and recently renamed TriCare is available to retired U.S. military personnel and their dependents. Eligible recipients submit forms to overseas processing centers and have most of their medical bills reimbursed by the U.S. Government. The problems of establishing rules and control procedures have already been addressed and resolved. It would, therefore, be possible to integrate a Medicare component into the existing overseas health care benefit system, if the government so desired.

5. It May Help to Address the Impending Financial Crises Facing Medicare: In 2011 the first baby-boomers will begin to draw down on Medicare benefits and so retirement begins for one of the biggest demographic waves in the history of the United States. “The bottom-line cost of Medicare alone is staggering. If Congress wanted to fully finance the program over the next 75 years, the Medicare trustees say we would have to find nearly $30 trillion to put into the bank today. That’s 2 1⁄2 times the size of our entire economy.” In recent studies, the United States populace continues to pay the highest healthcare costs per capita in the developed world, with less than ideal results as the United States has ranked 37th in the world in the most recent WHO ranking of national health care systems. There continues to be a great disparity between level of services received (often based on socio-economic factors) and yet the average level of health in the United States continues to decline versus other developed nations. (continued page 22)

CD Review Of Time and Tropics Tony Orez

W

hen famed Dutch photographer Hannes Walraffen decided to publish a book of his photography that depicts some of the history of Honduras, he recruited his friend, the Honduran novelist Julio Escoto, to supply the needed verbiage for the project. Escoto in turn suggested contacting the country’s premier musician, Guillermo Anderson, to write and record a CD with a complimentary theme to include in the book, creating a kind of multi-media package.

Max Urso is the founder of Costa Norte Records, the music label that puts out Anderson’s albums. Urso liked the idea of releasing Anderson’s CD separately, so he brought Guillermo back into the studios in La Ceiba and Tegucigalpa to add some new songs and tweak a few of the existing ones to create an album that would stand on its own as an independent, marketable entity. The final result is a seventeen-song epic, spanning centuries of coastal culture, including the artist’s own memories.

Appropriately, the eighty minute opus is entitled “Of Time and Tropics”.

In his past eight albums, Guillermo Anderson has pursued a unique theme on each disc, with a distinct sound for each venture. For his new CD, he draws from each of these influences, along with some new sounds as well. In the liner notes for the album, novelist Escoto speaks of the “richness of his (Anderson’s) musicality, based in local roots, but also his inconformity with what exists, the contemporary fresh air about it and the sweetness of his poetic vein”. The first track on the album, “Wooden Floor” is a perfect example of that sweetness, as Anderson conjures up his own childhood and adolescent memories that were witnessed by the floor in his house. How sweet is that?

Other songs visit the old banana railway, port bars and seafarers, fiestas and carnivals. Anderson handles these various topics with a milieu of musical styles, ranging from acoustic and Latin rock to the indigenous Garifuna, all with a Caribbean texture to them. I think that sometimes Anderson’s storytelling overshadows his incredible voice and very talented guitar work, not to mention his gift for meshing these three components into songs that are distinctly his and his alone. His new role as historian fits right into this menagerie, becoming another color of his tapestry.

Anderson is assisted throughout the album by long-time associate Eduardo “Guayo” Cedeno on electric and acoustic guitars, percussion and an instrument called the caramba, a type of bass using a gourd as the soundbox. As he has done on previous albums, Anderson also uses the chorus of schoolchildren from the Garifuna classrooms in Sambo Creek.

Along with a host of other guests on saxophone, vocals, percussion and a variety of indigenous instruments, the end product stands as an homage to Honduran history and culture. Guillermo, in fact, has said that when writing the lyrics for this project, he did so “as if writing for a film”.

In Guanacaste, all Guillermo Anderson and all Costa Norte CDs are available exclusively at Jaime Peligro in Playa Tamarindo, where they will gladly sample the music for their customers.

Book Review Brutal Journey Tony Orez

N

orth America: a whole new continent for the taking; to claim as his very own - in the name of the King of Spain and the Roman Catholic Church, of course. This was the reasoning Panfilo de Narvaez used to launch his conquest and exploration of the Florida gulf and all points north and west. After all, he had already participated in the colonization of Cuba and Puerto Rico, so what could go wrong? And with Ponce de Leon having vacated the premises due to an untimely death, the region was up for grabs. In addition, he had a score to settle with Cortez, who Narvaez felt had taken Mexico from him, not to mention his left eyeball.

In Paul Schneider’s recent book, “A Brutal Journey”, this is the premise, the set-up for the story that follows. Now having read the book, I wonder if Schneider is using a little subtle sarcasm in his title, as he does throughout the telling of the tale. To call the journey “brutal” is putting it very mildly. In 1527, Narvaez campaigned and succeeded in putting together finances and a crew of six hundred self-employed entrepreneurs to set sail from Spain, land in Florida, and begin converting the locals to Christianity and reaping the untold wealth that, no doubt, abounded there. Four people survived this adventure, appearing a full eight years and five thousand miles later north of the Rio Grande River. Narvaez was not one of them.

In what was essentially the first crossing of North America by Europeans, these four surviving men’s story of what they endured along the way is the meat of the book. The potatoes and gravy are served up in Schneider’s delivery. The book is well researched, with an impressive bibliography for a subject that does not have a lot of remaining data. But Schneider’s voice, his relentless, unforgiving view of the Spaniards’ unwarranted cockiness, their presumptuous naiveté, their bad judgment, obstinacies and downright stupidity made the book even more entertaining for me.

Along the journey, the six hundred dwindle to nearly nil as they stumble, fumble and bumble their way through unchartered turf repeating their mistakes, especially in their encounters with indigenous tribes. One of the survivors, Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca, who was the basically the king of Spain’s representative and tax collector on the excursion, wrote a memoir of the journey, which is where Schneider began to collect information for the book. The list of what the survivors encountered in order to survive is a long one, including enslavement and being reduced to cannibalism. At one point along the way, they also passed themselves off as shamanistic faith healers.

Schneider does a good job of injecting informational details about tribal customs and indigenous words, such as “canoe” and “barbeque” that found their way into the English vernacular. A degree of morality plays out as well during the journey that ultimately leaves the reader questioning if the Europeans actually were more civilized than the people they conquered and then obliterated. Brutal journey, indeed.

By Nina Weber Certified Yoga Instructor

at the beach YOGA AND SURF

YOGA AT CASA AZUL Overlooking the Pacific Ocean Open Yoga Classes Mon • Wed • Fri 7:30 a.m.

Contact Nina, Tel: 2-653-0294 nina@tamarindoyoga.com www.tamarindoyoga.com

I first surfed the Tamarindo Bay in 1995 on my way to Peru where my partner Adrian and I, were headed to try surfing the point break at Chicama.

We did not plan on coming to Costa Rica, but the cost was the same to stop or not to.

Tamarindo was our first surfing stop. It reminded me of my home back in Southern California in the early 1960s - there was just something familiar about it.

The next year we were back to surf the whole of Costa Rica, but Tamarindo was the place I wanted to return. We purchased our land and the house plans got going. Our surfing Hacienda was built and the dream began - surfing warm water with a variety of breaks close by.

I was 48 years old during this time and surfing well, my new focus was to keep surfing without the “normal” stress that effects most surfers, a bad back, or neck, or lack of fitness. As I live in England and surf all year round, dealing with that cold water and a 5mm wetsuit, it was therefore important to keep flexible and fit. I concentrated on Yoga and the simple exercises that can be done everyday in the morning.

Yoga led to Pilates and lower back work with stomach exercises to strengthen all surrounding back muscles. I think the key is to keep moving and doing some routine, even if you have only 5 minutes in the morning, it is very necessary. With the concentration on the surfing muscles and lower back, surfing problems very rarely affect me. Many surfers half my age suffer back pain often, but they are not doing any stretch or strengthening work on their bodies. If you find a routine that is simple and varied - yoga seems to bring freshness to all physical sport activity and has certainly given me a renewed surfing life that should continue for another 20 years.

Surfing can get better with age, but the focus is on quality of waves and not quantity.

My business in the U. K. is connected with sport, as I am the Indo Board distributor for Europe. I meet many snowboarders, surfers, kite boarders, windsurfers - sporty people in general. The Indo Board is perfect for working the core muscles, giving balance and control to any sport - but very often the people I meet so discuss Yoga and the combined benefits of working many different ways to keep fit for the sport.

Yoga not only works the physical side of surfing, but it can give you a more relaxed attitude to catching waves and making the most of each opportunity. It is a well known fact that everyone from Gerry Lopez, Joel Tudor and Rob Machado have been followers of Yoga - if it was good enough for them, I would say that it something to look into if you have not given it a try before.

Practicing Yoga with Nina at Casa Azul watching the waves is a wonderful experience and a great way to get in shape for catching waves.

Mary Michael Roterman, Hacienda del Pacifico

Surviving

C hapter MMLXVIII

T

COSTA RICA

he Costa Rican government recently announced its decision to seek out applicants for its new program that deals with the excess of non-Costa Ricans currently plaguing the country. They’re looking for a few good men and women who are able to pass a series of rigorous tests requiring sometimes superhuman efforts, both social and physical. Only those capable of surmounting incredible obstacles will ultimately be rewarded with the greatest of all prizes....Residency.

Residency in Costa Rica, though highly sought after, can only be bestowed on the crème de la crème, those who have proved they have the right stuff, indicating that, in fact, they’re much better than the rest of us. A sampling of the new qualifications follows.

Physical requirements Applicants must be physically able to stand in a line for four hours while staring into space and doing absolutely nothing.

There is a requirement to have both height and weight, and there’s nothing wrong with being very attractive. However these are not nearly as important as demonstrating the mastery of extreme check writing.

Applicants will be expected to pass the grueling MOPT Transito Boot Camp and be able to bicycle between Huacas and Villareal at night while blindfolded, the latter being the most effective form for culling out the weakest candidates.

A Few Good Men - and Women

Anyone uttering the phrase “Wouldn’t you think they ........” can be expected to be immediately dismissed in disgrace, as will anyone demonstrating the inability to gracefully accept being robbed.

Apparently the government in their infinite wisdom has decided to keep the half-century tradition of accepting psychos. This way Costa Rica remains a sanctuary for all those you were trying to get away from when you moved here. A large segment of our local population will be breathing a large collective sigh of relief on this one.

By far the most important skill for those seeking the goal of residency is being able to demonstrate the overwhelming ability to provide the country with a continuous flow of money. Multi-tasking is a must for any successful applicant who must juggle a multitude of outstretched palms at any time. Traffic cops, maids with mops, lawyers, French bakers and Langosta road makers, Hacienda, Municipalidad, Ticas who are scantily clad, aguinaldos and marchamos, and even though you don’t know why...your gardener’s dad.

Those most successful generally fall into two categories, those with a whole lot of money and those with a hell-of-a-lot of money.

Those who survive the tests are then sent on to a remote area near Escazu where they are subjected to further ordeals.

Miscellaneous Requirements Documents: Applicants must supply six copies of their birth certificates notarized by the state secretary of both the state (or province) you were born in as well as that of the state (or province) on its eastern border. The secretaries are required to be still alive.

Socio-Psycho-Economico Requirements It has been well established that living in Costa Rica is not for everybody and the government wishes to find only those who truly “get it”, appreciating the finer points of Tico culture and traditions, like the ability to have a pleasant conversation with a good friend while stopped in the middle of a busy road.

Also required are all dental records, seventh grade report cards, all marriage and divorce documents, a pre-filled-out death certificate and a letter from a reputable law or parole officer stating that if indeed you have some sort of police record you are really sorry and are able to more than adequately fulfill the aforementioned economic requirements.

Story by Jesse Bishop

All the documents must then be sent to the Costa Rican consulate closest to where you live. For instance if you’re from St. Louis you use the consulate in Vermont.

After the consular officer cashes the check (or money order) that facilitates the process you have two-and-a-half weeks to present them to the sitting president of the republic. Those missing the deadline are only allowed to re-do the process three more times.

Language requirements All applicants for residency must be fluent in at least one language other than Spanish. Although the ability to speak Spanish does not apply to those capable of overachieving on the economic requirements, it is still a good idea to be know at least twelve words; these should include a minimum of three verbs.

Odd and Endearing Requirements • Applicants must demonstrate an ability to drink guaro while both driving and attending church.

• Applicants must build a house, the process of which cannot exceed under two and a half years and must be $2,000 over the original bid per square fifty meters.

No fewer than fifty Nicaraguans must be hired for the duration of the project, thus protecting local workers from the prospect of hard labor.

• Applicants must promise, if given residency, to wear their underwear on the outside for a period of no less than two years.

• Only those who pass the test, the truly deserving, can now receive the Golden Prize: “RESIDENCY”........for a year!

I’m not bitter that I’m not one. I’ve tried before only to have my heart broke. Now I know my place, Nicaragua every three months.

A ro T o u w n n d

by David Mills

Nibbana has introduced its new menu, with two additions – a tasting menu comprising several choices from the main menu, and a 4-course fixed price gourmet menu.

How nice to see baby tortugas on Tamarindo Beach, leaving the nest just outside La Palapa. Only ridleys, but that’s better than nothing. Lobo the Rotweiler was delighted too, to see seven little bite-sized bocas struggling down to the waves, but I managed to leash him just in time!

Auditions for Equestrians: Finca Shambalah is looking for riders of all ages to participate in an Equestrian Spectacle to be held in San José sometime in April. Please go to www. fincashambalahproductions.com for more information on the event itself or call Isabelle at 2-652-9372 or Molly at 8-3396431 to schedule an audition. Basic riding skills needed-trained horses will be provided. Come be a part of the most unique and creative horse show in Costa Rica.

New in Tamarindo is Crystal Liquor Store next door to the gym. Brothers Eric and Martin Rodriguez have a wide range of liquors, imported beers, snacks, and a cooled cellar full of international wines and “we charge tico prices. For the price of a bottle in the supermarket, you get a liter here.” Open from 11 to 11, tel: 2-653-1240.

You can now download the whole year’s tides to your iPod by visiting http:/tamarindotides.com/TidePod.html.

Galeria Pelicano has taken up new premises at Catalina Cove in Brasilito, as an art Co-op with artists Susan Adams, Valerie “Sage” Townley, G.W. de Buis, Elizabeth Watson and Kathy Doshack. Phone 2-654-5093 or 8-371-2928 for information.

Ursula’s Restaurant has added ribs and German goulash to its comfort food menu, and has a two-for-one pizza special on Wednesdays.

Videoteque Rey Sol is totally refurbished and now open in Tamarindo, the only such bar of its type in the area. A tenmeter wide, 2.5-meter high screen will display several sports and video events simultaneously. The location is available for your parties, weddings, fashion shows, etc. Call Sean at 8-301-3609.

The second Jaime Peligro book and music store will be opening around 15 January 2009 in Tilaran. It’s actually about 6k outside Tilaran, right on the lake on the way to Arenal.

www.howlermag.com

Located inside Wild’s Restaurant (old Stella) 150 meters east of Pasatiempo.

Surf Report Story: Ellen Zoe Golden Happy 2009 surfers! Two dates of the Circuito Nacional de Surf DAYSTAR 2008-2009 down and there’s no clear indication of a trend. Diego Naranjo won the opening Copa Mango in Playa Hermosa, while Jason Torres topped the Torneo Coca-Cola Zero in Playa Jaco for the second contest. And they had to battle it out with a host of top quality guys in their final heats. Let’s run it down date by date.

After what one beachcomber named a “720” because of the 360 aerial and then the 360 slider that followed upon landing, Torres sealed the deal and won the Torner Coca-Cola Zero in Playa Jaco on December 13 and 14, 2008. Torres was spectacular in the final heat in front of Hotel Bahía Encantada, on one wave doing 7 snaps ending with one so vertical you could set your watch to noon, and then he lay back for a while, as Gilbert Brown and Nino Myrie (both of Puerto Viejo) showed the style and class of veteran surfing.

Meanwhile, the fourth surfer in the heat, 18-year-old Antony Flores (Jaco)—a surprise entry in the Open Finals anyway—also took to the air with 360s and waves with sliders, but certainly never was able to match the feat of Torres single wave “720” that ultimately capped the heat in its latter moments. Torres won 1st place, with Myrie 2nd, Brown 3rd, and Flores 4th.

Flores for his part, debuted in the Longboard division earlier on that Sunday. Following in the footsteps of 2007-2008 Costa Rica Longboard Champion Naranjo, Flores has hopes of grabbing the attention of the Federacion de Surf Board of Directors for the National Selection in the Longboard Category. His performance Sunday, was steady, walking the nose, turning his log 360 degrees, and was enough to place second behind Cedric Auffret of Tamarindo.

Auffret, who was the 2006-2007 Costa Rica National Longboard Champion, was determined and confident in his surfing, handling his board much like a shortboard, whipping it around, doing floaters, walking the nose, and more. “Oh yeah, I’m happy,” Auffret said afterward. “I want to be National Champion again.”

The Women’s Final also took place in the good tide and open-faced waves, and once again it was a gunner between Nataly Bernold (Jaco) and Lisbeth Vindas (Jaco), even as surfers Lupe Gallucio and Mariana Samudio demonstrated excellent surfing levels. This time, however, it was Bernold who had the better wave selection, and she was able to get off more maneuvers, a strategy, ultimately, that resulted in her receiving the 1st place trophy at the end of the heat. Earlier in the day, the Women’s division saw the return of Andrea Diaz to competition. Diaz was the very first Costa Rica National Women’s champion in 1999. Andrea has been away from competition for four years, and is hoping to make the Costa Rica National Team for the 2009 ISA World Surfing Games in Hermosa in August.

The next date of the Circuito Nacional de Surf 2008-2009 DAYSTAR will be the Torneo Witch’s Rock on January 9, 10 and 11, 2009. For more information, please go to the webpage at www. surfingcr.net.

Results of Trofeo Coca-Cola Zero December 12, 13 and 14 - Playa Jaco Open 1Jason Torres 2Germaine Myrie Junior (under 18) 1Carlos Muñoz 2Mykol Torres Women’s 1Nataly Bernold 2Lisbeth Vindas Junior Women’s (under 18) 1Nataly Bernold 2Avalon Esterak Boys (under 16) 1Carlos Muñoz 2Josué Calderón Grommets (under 14) 1Noe Mar McGonnagle 2Manuel Mesén Mini-Grommets (under 12) 1Bruno Carvalho 2Carlos Brown

Mini-Grommets Girls (under 12) 1Arisha Grioti 2Leilani McGonagle Longboard 1Cedric Auffret 2Anthony Flores Master (over 35) 1Giancarlo Loría 2Marcelo Matos Grand Masters (over 40) 1Cassio Carvalho 2Craig “Tequila” Novices 1Francisco Dagapitti 2Itai Barrantes Bodyboard 1Reymar Ramirez 2Juan Castillo Bodyboard Women’s 1Jimena Calvo 2Cindy Díaz

A few weeks earlier, on November 28, 29 and 30, 2008, the premier date of the CNS DAYSTAR 2008-2009 took place in Playa Hermosa. At the very last minute of the Final Heat with surfers Torres, Olman Morales (Santa Teresa) and Federico Pilurzu (Tamarindo), Naranjo was victorious.

Naranjo eliminated important candidates - Leandro Usuna, Ticos Jairo Perez, Luiz Vindas, Juan Carlos Naranjo (all of Jaco), Carlos Muñoz (Esterillos), Matías Braun (Montezuma) - to this title in earlier rounds of Quarterfinals and Semifinals, including Argentinean among others. In doing so, the former Champion reiterated his suitability, and ultimately, his surety, winning contests. This was a second in a row, having won the Gran Finals contest earlier this year as well. For the win at La Curva conditions were fair, waves stayed between 2 to 4 feet, breaking very well, with tubes that threw to both sides. During the end of the contest, in a day filled with rain, and a chocolate color sea, Naranjo’s highest score was one that came early on with his second wave: fortunately, it was long and he snaked a good vertical then a floater. He followed by (continued page 22)

Santa Rosa National Park Story and photos: John Lyman

S

anta Rosa was founded in 1972 as the country’s first national park. The 49,515-hectare park, which covers much of the Santa Elena peninsula, is part of a mosaic of ecologically interdependent parks and reserves--the 110,000-hectare Guanacaste Conservation Area (GCA)--that incorporates Santa Rosa National Park, Rincón de la Vieja National Park, Bolaños Island Wildlife Refuge, the Junquillal Bay National Wildlife Refuge, and the Horizontes Experimental Station, abutting Santa Rosa to the south.

Parque Nacional Santa Rosa is most famous for Hacienda Santa Rosa-better known as La Casona--the nation’s most cherished historic monument. It was here in 1856 that the mercenary army of American adventurer William Walker was defeated by a ragamuffin army of Costa Rican volunteers. The old hacienda-turned-museum alone is well worth the visit. Santa Rosa National Park has other treasures, too.

The park is a mosaic of 10 distinct habitats, including mangrove swamp, savanna, and oak forest, which attract a wide range of animals: more than 250 bird species and 115 mammal species (half of them bats, including two vampire species), among them relatively easily seen mammals such as white-tailed deer, coatimundis, howler, spider, and white-faced monkeys, and anteaters. Jaguars still roam Santa Rosa, as do margays, ocelots, pumas, and jaguarundis; they’re all shy and seldom seen. Santa Rosa is a vitally important nesting site for turtle species. In the wet season the land is as green as emeralds, and wildlife disperses. In dry season, however, when the parched scrubby landscapes give an impression of the East African plains, wildlife congregates at watering holes--such as those on the Naked Indian Trail--and is easily seen.

The park is divided into two sections: the Santa Rosa Sector to the south (the entrance is at Km 269 on Hwy. 1, 37 km north of Liberia) and the Murciélago Sector (the turnoff from Hwy. 1 is 10 km farther north, via Cuajiniquil), separated by a swathe of privately owned land.

Santa Rosa Sector The Santa Rosa Sector is the more important and accessible of the two sectors. On the right, one km past the entrance gate, a rough dirt road leads to a rusting armored personnel carrier beside a memorial cross commemorating the Battle of 1955, when Somoza, the Nicaraguan strongman, made an ill-fated foray into Costa Rica.

Six km farther on the paved road is La Casona, a magnificent colonial homestead with a beautiful setting atop a slight rise overlooking a stone corral where the battle with William Walker was fought. Inside the house are photos, illustrations, carbines, and other military paraphernalia commemorating the battle of 20 March 1856. Battles were also fought here during the 1919 Sapoá Revolution and in 1955. One room is furnished in period style. Another is a small chapel. Large wooden mortars and pestles are on display, along with decrepit chaps and centenary riding gear. There’s also a good nature exhibit. Harmless bats fly in and out. There’s a large

guanacaste tree outside.

Trails: Trails are marked in detail on the map sold at the park entrance.

The Naked Indian loop trail (1.5 km) begins just before the house and leads through dry-forest woodlands with streams and waterfalls and gumbo-limbo trees whose peeling red bark earned them the nickname “naked Indian trees.” The Los Patos trail, which has several watering holes during dry season, is one of the best trails for spotting mammals.

The Laguna Escondida and Caujiniquil River Trail (14 km round-trip) also takes you to a pond that is a magnet for thirsty wildlife. Other good spots for wildlife are Platanar Lake, Laguna Escondida, and La Penca, reached by trails north from the park administrative area.

The paved road ends just beyond the administration area. From here, an appalling dirt road drops steeply to the beaches--Playa Naranjo and Playa Nancite, 13 km from La Casona. It’s a good road to break your springs.

A 4WD with high ground clearance is essential. Park officials sometimes close the road because they get tired of towing vehicles out.

Beaches: The deserted white-sand Playa Nancite is renowned as the site for the annual arribadas, the mass nestings of olive ridley turtles which occur only here and at Ostional, farther south. More than 75,000 turtles will gather out to sea and come ashore over the space of a few days, with the possibility of up to 10,000 reptiles on the beach at any one time in September and October. Although the exact trigger is unknown, arribadas seem to coincide with falling barometric pressure in autumn and are apparently associated with a waxing three-quarter moon. You can usually see solitary turtles at other times August through December.

Stephen E. Cornelius’s illustrated book, The Sea Turtles of Santa Rosa National Park (Costa Rica: National Park Foundation, 1986), provides an insight into the life of the ridley turtle. Cornelius initiated studies here in 1972. Latest data suggests that the turtle population at Nancite is declining. Playa Nancite (about a one-hour hike over a headland from Estero Real, at the end of the dirt road) is a research site. Access is restricted and permits are needed; anyone can get one from the ranger station, or at Programa de Ecoturismo, c/o Centro de los Investigaciones). There’s a limit of 30 people per day.

Playa Naranjo is a popular, beautiful, kilometers-long, pale gray sand beach that is legendary in surfing lore. Steep, thick, powerful tubular waves and “killer beautiful Witch’s Rock rising like a sentinel out of the water make this a must stop in the world for top-rated surfers,” says surf expert Mark Kelly. The beach is bounded by craggy headlands and frequently visited by monkeys, iguanas, and other wildlife. Crocodiles lurk in the mangrove swamps at the southern end of the beach. At night, plankton light up with a brilliant phosphorescence as you walk the drying sand in the wake of high tide. Witch’s Rock is a gigantic crag split in two and jutting up straight from the ocean bottom. (continued page 30)

A Slice of Life The Rat and the Racquet

A

hhh... where do I begin? A tale of such horror must start at the beginning and reach its end as soon as possible: the creepiness lingering long after the telling.

It was an ordinary night in an ordinary town in an ordinary home – just like yours. And when nature called, urgently beckoned, to my husband at 2:15 a.m., he answered with a zombie-like roll out of bed, a shuffle around the furniture across the chocolate-brown carpet, and into the dark, tiny bathroom. It all began with an innocent lift of a toilet seat; an act repeated in most bathrooms, most nights, in homes – just like yours.

“Aaaaah!!!!!!” I was jolted from my deep, dreamless slumber by this shriek of terror emanating from my husband, Dave.

“What? What???” I jumped up and flipped the switch on the wall for the ceiling light only to see Dave clenching both hands around the doorknob to the bathroom door, knuckles white, keeping it tightly shut. “What happened?”

Jan Shear

So there was Dave, beating this flattened rat through my tennis racket with one of my wooden clogs.

“He’s dead,” Dave breathlessly announced.

“No, he’s not!”

“Yes, he is!”

“No, he is not!”

“Just lift the racket a little...”

That was just wiggle-room enough for the evil, vile thing to make a dash for it! I slammed the racket back down, catching him just before he reached safety underneath the bed.

“I told you he wasn’t dead!” I shrieked.

“There’s a rat in there! I was getting ready to take a piss and I saw this big dark thing in the toilet and I thought you forgot to flush (I swear I’ve never forgotten to flush) and then it jumped-up onto the edge of the toilet bowl!”

“Well, I have to get something else!”

“What are you getting?” I had a bad feeling about this.

You know how you can think a lot of stuff in just a split second which you couldn’t possibly articulate in the same amount of time? Well, I was thinking, “Why is he holding the door shut with both hands around the doorknob and his heels dug into that chocolate-brown carpet for extra leverage? Is this rat three feet tall, able to reach the doorknob or is it a normal, two-inch tall rat with arms three feet long?”

“Just keep him pinned! I’ll be right back!”

Dave ran down our wooden stairs. Then I heard that distinctive rattle of kitchen utensils. Five seconds later, there’s Dave in the doorway of our bedroom, gripping one of our carving knives – the one with the 1-1⁄2-inch wide blade – like that scene outside the shower curtain in the movie, “Psycho”.

“Jan! You hold the door shut while I get something to trap him with when you open the door!”

“What are you doing?” I screamed.

“What? What are you going to use?”

“I’m going to stab the sucker!”

“I’ll get your tennis racket, and when I count to three, you open the door. I’ll nail the little f---er with the racket!”

“Not through my newly-strung-at-65-pounds tennis racket!”

“No! Not my new Head racket!”

Well, Dave got my tennis racket from the hall closet, ran back into our bedroom, counted to three and – don’t you know it – the little monster ran right out onto the chocolate-brown carpet where he (of course it was a “he” - all ugly rats are “hes”) was promptly pinned under my lovely, recently-strung-at-65pounds Head tennis racket.

“Now what?” I shouted.

“You take the racket and hold it down while I beat it to death with something!”

“What? What are you going to use?” I had every right to be suspicious at this point.

“Your clogs! I’ll use one of your clogs!”

Remember around thirty years ago when clogs were a popular style of footwear? They had leather uppers and wooden soles and heels. Actually, the ideal bludgeoning instrument now that I think about it.

Pling! Pling! The tension of my racket was reduced to that of a butterfly net in the blink of an eye.

“Dave.”

“Well, I had no choice.”

I vaguely remember lifting the tennis racket from the bleeding, surprisinglystiff, corpse. Dave then used the carving knife with the 1-1⁄2-inch wide blade to nudge the rat onto my tennis racket and then carry it outside where it was dumped with an unceremonious thud, into the aluminum garbage can.

The knife, I washed vigorously and used again: the tennis racket, I did not.

It was a few years later before we were able to afford to tear-out that chocolatebrown carpet and refurbish the lovely hardwood floor hidden beneath. During those few years, I frequently caught myself stepping around or over the crime scene as if there was a painted white outline in the shape of a squashed, dead rat on that chocolate-brown carpet.

I always flush (I always did). Only now I turn on the light.

Rogue & Thief U.S. embezzler makes Cabo Velas his home

C

osta Rica has a long history of providing sanctuary to people whose deeds in other countries have rendered them either “wanted or “unwanted”. Until recently, its loose immigration controls, mountainous terrain and poor communications made it a haven for those needing a hideout, especially those with a comfortable supply of funds.

Many foreigners living in Costa Rica are unaware of its connections with super-rogue Robert Vesco. Indeed, it is now so far after the fact that many will not recognize the name, but Vesco was a villain of the major ranks and a close neighbor of Tamarindo for several years. Though a U.S. citizen, born in Detroit in 1935, he was instrumental in having a law passed in Costa Rica to protect him from extradition.

A high-school dropout and very aggressive businessman, Vesco became owner of International Controls Corporation (ICC) in 1965, and went on to buy Investors Overseas Service Ltd, a $1.5 billion investment company, which he proceeded to loot, setting up dummy corporations to hide clients’ investments. A millionaire by the age of 30, he was reckoned by Forbes Magazine to be one of the richest men in the world.

When the Securities and Exchange Commission started serious investigations in 1973 into Vesco and his holdings, he flew in the corporate jet to Costa Rica, taking $224 million of IOS’s allegedly embezzled money. Fighting to maintain control of ICC from Costa Rica, Vesco donated large amounts of cash to Richard Nixon. In Costa Rica, he donated $2 million to a company owned by President José Figueres, for which Figueres passed a law guaranteeing that Vesco could not be extradited from the country. He owned various properties in the country, including a large tract of Cabo Velas, the prominent cape which sits across the bay to the northwest of Tamarindo. In 1993, a reporter, trying to drive to a small beach behind Cabo Velas, was denied access by a guard with an AK-47. The reporter, showing his map to the guard, said “But my map says this is a public road.” The guard patted his weapon, saying “My Kalashnikov tells me it’s a private road.”

End of discussion.

David Mills

During Vesco’s five-year stay in Costa Rica he offered a bribe of $10 million to officials of Jimmy Carter’s administration to drop charges against him. His stay came to an end when President Carazo, elected in 1978, repealed the Figueres law, and Vesco fled to Nassau, where he owned a private island. Pursued by the CIA, who wanted to snatch him and take him to the U.S. for trial, he moved to Antigua, where he tried to set up an island as a sovereign state. Now persona non grata in Costa Rica, he moved to Nicaragua where, US drug officials claimed, he collaborated with the Sandinista government to smuggle cocaine into the United States.

In 1982, suffering from internal medical problems, he moved to Cuba where he could receive treatment, and married a Cuban national. A master of disguises, he lived in a modest Havana house in a state of abject paranoia surrounded by bodyguards, believing that everyone who tried to visit him was CIA. While in Havana, he greeted Richard Nixon’s nephew Donald, and introduced him to Fidel and Raul Castro for the purpose of conducting tests of a new drug which, he claimed, could cure AIDS. Incorrigible, Vesco tried to defraud Nixon and Castro and was arrested.

He received 13 years for fraud but was released after nine years. Vesco died of cancer in 2007.

Even after his death, some believed that he had faked it, despite cemetery records and photographs of the interment.

The only publication seen in all beaches of the Gold Coast, from Playa Potrero to Playa Junquillal, plus Santa Cruz and Liberia is

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Tamarindo’s Second Annual Raft-up

Story and pics by Barbara Maricle

C

ome one, come all and don’t forget the ice chests! For those of you that did not make it, here is a little bit of what you missed at the second annual raft up.

The majority of us were on the beach ready to go between 9:00-9:30 a.m. anxious to get under way. Shortly thereafter, the loading process began. There were approximately 10 boats that participated in shuttling us to the beach. As we approached, we could see huge tents, places to sit and the great aroma of BBQ. Let the fun and games begin. There seemed to be something for everyone. Frisbees, bean bag toss, the banana boat rides, water skiing, and the plunger and toilet paper game.

To those that helped make the day a success and very enjoyable, a big thanks! The captains of the boats, the many restaurants that provided food, the people fixing the BBQ and bartenders did a great job, An especial great job from Katie who helped organize the day. She did a terrific job. It was enjoyable to see the families and Tamarindo residents as a whole come together for a great cause.

Organizer Jeff Herrman tells us that the raft-up was attended by 270 people, featured 14 boats from Tamarindo and Flamingo, and raised $4,000 for Tamarindo lifeguards.

Some of us were very fortunate to be on the Rhino Charger fishing boat on the return trip back to Tamarindo. We got to enjoy live music provided by one of the locals as the sun set after a wonderful day.

We all look forward to the Third Annual Raft-up. Or possibly having it a semi-annual event. Proceeds go to a good cause - the life guards of Tamarindo that do an excellent job of securing our beaches and saving lives.

Don’t Bank On It

T

his is indeed a beautiful place to vacation and relax, but it is also a business community with heavy needs for the banking system. Yet scarcely a day goes by without someone complaining about the banking system - particularly in Tamarindo.

In Days of Olde.

A few years ago we had no bank in town, but a beat-up old school bus used to arrive every Wednesday and park in Zully Mar car park, where you lined up to await your turn. On the left side the clerk took your dollars or colones, typed the number of each bill on a typewriter, and gave you a receipt.

You took this to the other side of the bus where a second teller gave you your exchange, again typing the numbers from the bills. Primitive, but it worked, and didn’t take too long. But, of course, money exchange was the only transaction carried out.

Procedures.

Now we have five different banks in town, offering a wide range of personal and business transactions, but the service is unbelievably poor. From opening an account to obtaining a debit card, the entire banking process is fraught with timewasting, unnecessary and frustrating procedures. Often, an everyday transaction such as depositing a cheque seems to be the first such transaction that the teller has ever seen.

The line-up.

No, we’re not surfing here, but waiting for service, which can stretch into hours. A Canadian bank a few years ago introduced an incentive whereby, if you waited more than five (5) minutes in line at any branch, or if an ATM was inoperative, the teller gave you five dollars – no documentation, no questions. It worked like a charm. Even if the time allowance were half-an-hour, this would bankrupt some banks here in a week.

A major problem is that tellers spend too much time outside of their cage – answering the phone or photocopying documents or discussion their transaction with another employee. It is not unusual to see three employees working on one customer.

Your personal account number.

Incredibly, some banks – at least Banco Nacional and Banco de Costa Rica - issue identical account numbers to more than one person. This, obviously, can cause deposits to be credited to the wrong customer, with serious losses to the bank, which has to make up the error to the wronged client but cannot always recover the amount from the other. This has happened to me several times, with great inconvenience to both me and the bank – but do they care?

David Mills

Bank Robbery.

In 1975 I studied the cheque clearing process at a Canadian bank and was impressed by its efficiency. A cheque, written on one bank in, say, Halifax, could be deposited into an account of another bank in Victoria, four thousand miles away.

The funds were available to the payee and withdrawn from the payer’s account the same night. Everything was designed to keep “floating” money to a minimum. That was over 30 years ago, but here the delay between Banco Nacional and BCR can be five days – and their head offices are across the street. For international cheques, the delay can be up to 6 weeks, though the cheque will clear the parent bank in 6-9 days. During the remaining time, the bank is receiving interest on your funds.

When I have deposited cheques drawn on a Canadian bank to BCR, I have been ripped off on the exchange rate by up to ten percent. For one cheque of $241 Canadian - worth $244 at a time when one Canadian dollar was worth $1.013 US - I received only $222 in US funds. Who got the missing $22? Your guess.

Service.

In some banks this is a misnomer, because service is so poor.

Of course, Banco Nacional is the worst, with the longest lines, as it has the most customers and the slowest procedures. At times, during a transaction, the teller will leave his/her cage and disappear for fifteen minutes or so without apparent reason. Coffee break?

What is the use of a bank statement (Banco de Costa Rica) which shows deposits to the account, but doesn’t show who made them? It is very embarrassing to ask a client why he didn’t pay, only to find he did. Also, the transactions are scattered over the statement, instead of in date order.

When Banco Nacional recently changed its security procedures, thousands of customers found that they could not log on to their accounts. The new procedure worked on Firefox but not on Safari. It took a lot of effort and time to find that out.

Now, couldn’t the bank have e-mailed all its on-line customers to tell them? It’s called “communication”.

Still on communication, why are more tellers not competent in English, the language spoken by most tourists? So often I see a poor visitor trying to explain what he wants in very poor Spanish. This is a major tourist town. (continued page 21)

Don’t Bank On It (from page 20) ATM Service.

Well, of course, we all know about that. When BN installed its first ATMs in Tamarindo, they used to remove the money over the weekend “in case somebody steals it!” Now, years later, by government order, all ATMs in Costa Rica were closed at night over the Christmas (aguinaldo) period, to avoid robberies. Rather than attack the problem by getting the crooks off the street, the government is penalizing the customer.

Unless you keep a supply of deposit envelopes at home, you cannot deposit money to Banco Nacional ATMs at night. The bank will not leave envelopes in the machine because because people steal them.

Down time at the main BN ATM in Tamarindo is a disgrace - no connection with the central computer, being attended by service personnel, or wrong denomination of notes, etc.

At times, the only bills in the machine are ¢10,000; one time I withdrew ¢45,000 – and received 45 bills of ¢1,000 each!

Sometimes the transaction stub is impossible to read, due to lack of ink in the printer. At BN the ATM printer was once without paper – no transaction record - for six weeks!

International Award Winner Wyndham Jaco Beach was elected winner in the category “Best International Project of the Year” by Builders & Developers Alliance (DBA), beating out over 2,300 projects from five continents.

The prize was awarded Saturday, November 8, during a gala ceremony of the “DBA’s 2008 Community Advancement Awards” in the luxurious facilities of Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida, owned by Donald Trump.

The award was given to Mr. Fuad Farach A., President, Fuad Farach Caldera, General Manager and Javier Angel, architect of the company “Grupo Rica Costa”. The prize, awarded annually to the most outstanding project worldwide, is based on a rigorous selection process conducted by a panel of jurors recognized worldwide.

Developers & Builders Alliance is an international organization

In contrast, the ATM at Banco Costa Rica in Tamarindo is almost always operative, but why do they need that voice telling you what to do? And telling everyone around what you are doing. A potential security hazard.

The Other Banks.

I have held an account at HSBC for three years and am satisfied with their service, but have never received a statement in the mail or by e-mail though I have asked a dozen times. When I need to know my account details, I have to wait my turn at the branch until they can print out the statement – but do they care?

composed of leaders in the largest real estate developments, construction companies and related industries. Referring to the award Mr. Fuad Farach A. comments: “It’s an amazing prize, which fills us with pride and puts Costa Rica on the same level of architecture of places like Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Shanghai and others with much higher resources...hearing the name of Costa Rica on a stage like this is very exciting”.

My account at BAC San José seems to give the best service, though I can’t understand why, after years of service, they still need to photocopy my passport for a simple transaction – another big time-waster.

The winning project, Wyndham Jaco Beach - Resort and Condominium is a five-star beachfront condo-hotel located in the town of Jaco, Puntarenas. Construction will start in the first quarter of 2009 and the hotel will come into operation at the end of 2010.

Customers of Banco Cuzcatlan swear by it. Unfortunately, when it was taken over by Citibank, they closed the Tamarindo branch and customers must go to the Do-it Center near Liberia. I haven’t heard from Scotia Bank customers, but would imagine, from its Canadian pedigree, that is a cut above the others.

Maybe one day the banking system will arrive in the 20th Century...

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Surf Report

(from page 15)

Fighting against the current A strong current of economic slowdown and fear is running through our global society. The most affected by the economic recession are people and organizations with fewer resources. The non-profit organization CEPIA is one of them. After years of great community involvement, the organization starts feeling the first symptoms of declining support towards children of this community. Thanks to many businesses and individuals, CEPIA has offered, for the last three years, all the imaginable kind of activities and help for children and teenagers in need. Today the organization worries about the consequences of this economic crisis on our youth. No more sponsors means no more help for children and teenagers in risk situation. No more relationship with these children leads to greater social marginalization and poverty. A community that is no longer committed to its young generation is a community that will experiment increasing problems of delinquency, robbery, violence, begging, homelessness, child labor, and so on.

The non-profit organization CEPIA is making the most important call of its history: CEPIA is your commitment towards the children of this community!

Please make your donation now to help the children’s charity of your area to survive! Make donations at: Banco de Costa Rica: 325-1354-4 (cuenta corriente in US$) Swiftcode: BCRICRSJ - Banco de Costa Rica, oficina Flamingo Banco Nacional: 200–2-145-3257-5 (cuenta de ahorro in US$) Swiftcode: BNCRCRSJ - Banco Nacional de Costa Rica, Tamarindo 145 CEPIA will not survive without your support!

Contact Laetitia at cepiacostarica@racsa.co.cr or visit: www.cepiacostarica.org. Thank you.

Marie’s Restaurant Playa Flamingo

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Live Music 7-9:30.

Mon. - Jhalea Flamenco Tues. - Don Carlos & Dave Nelson Thurs. - Jhalea Flamenco Fri. - Don Carlos & Dave Nelson Sat. Caribbean Boys Sun - Jessie Bishop & Suzanne

eat where the locals eat • Open daily 6:30 am to 9:30 pm. coldest beer in town • margaritas • piña coladas BREAKFAST gallo pinto great omelets banana pancakes bagels, croissants breakfast burritos

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DINNER shish kebabs seafood specials tenderloin, lasagna chicken cordon bleu shrimp & rice, casados

FULL MENU AVAILABLE FOR TAKEOUT LET US CATER YOUR NEXT BUSINESS OR SOCIAL EVENT Tel: 2-654-4136

around for the rest of the heat and finished it out with a couple of good scoring waves at the end, enough to win.

Morales and Pilurzu eventually came in 3rd and 4th, respectively.

Of course, there, was also the impediment of Torres—just back from the World Surfing Games (WSG) in Portugal, where he earned a super shot of confidence and a #5 in the world ranking.

With this gain of 5-star points, Naranjo begins his dream of harvesting a second National title that would tie him with Brown and Alvaro Solano as two-time Costa Rica National Surf Champions.

“It was not an easy finals heat by any means. I had Federico Pilurzu, who surfs the WQS, Jason Torres who is #5 in the world, this new guy Olman Morales who is really coming up. They were really good guys, I was really impressed. They were super good surfers and it was hard to believe I did so well,” Naranjo said afterwards.

On the other hand, the revelation of this particular date might have been the fact that Morales reached the Finals at all. It was his first time in that spot in a Nacional Circuito date. Morales, a surfer who has been competing in the CNS for three years, demonstrated sufficient radical risk, according to officials of the Federacion de Surf de Costa (FSC), during this weekend’s competition, and made strong and concrete maneuvers. Today in his best wave, during the Quarterfinals, he flew higher than anyone in an aerial of about 4 feet above the wave. Thus the surfer from Santa Teresa added to the already elite Ticos in what looks to be another potential possibility for the National Costa Rica Surf Team, when the time comes for the FSC to choose candidates for the Billabong ISA 2009 WSG. Those Games are slated to take place August 2009 in Playa Hermosa.

What more can be said about the phenomenal new generation leader in the Juniors category, who has proven to demonstrate the highest levels of surfing already, 15-year-old Carlos “Cali” Muñoz?

Yesterday, Muñoz won in front of rivals Rudy Jimenez, Anthony Fillingam (both of Jaco) and Ariel Agüero (Quepos). His best wave of the event was one he beat with a long right, on which he did an aerial 360 grab—perfectly. Muñoz, the 2007-2008 Juniors and (continued page 27)

Alcoholics Anonymous Schedule of Meetings

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Tamarindo

Saturday: 9-10 a.m. - Closed - Chicas 10:30-11:30 - Open General Meeting Thursday: 6:30-7:30 - Open Meeting Location: Behind Restaurant Fiesta del Mar Contact: Ellen - 2-653-0897

Word puzzle Mountains

All words from the list below can be found in the word block on the right.

Answers may be forward, backward, upwards, downwards and diagonal. aconcagua annapurna ararat bennevis blanc chimborazo chirripo cotopaxi erebus etna everest fuji godwinausten gransasso kanchenjunga

kilimanjaro kosciusko logan matterhorn maunakea mckinley olympos popocatapetl rainier robson shasta snowdon table washington whitney

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Tamarindo Kids’ Surf Camp On Tamarindo Beach in front of Casa Cook Ages 4-18 Professional Instructors Every Saturday 8:30 - 11 a.m.

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JANUARY TIDE CHART 1T

05:43 11:48 18:11

8.3 0.6 8.5

6T

2F

00:12 06:22 12:24 18:48 00:54 07:03 13:03 19:29 01:39 07:48 13:46 20:16 02:30 08:40 14:37 21:08

1.2 8.0 0.8 8.4 1.2 7.7 1.0 8.4 1.3 7.4 1.2 8.3 1.4 7.2 1.4 8.3

7W

3S

4S 1st Qtr 5M

8T

9F

10S Full Moon

03:28 09:41 15:35 22:09 04:31 10:48 13:41 23:14 05:37 11:56 17:50

1.4 7.1 1.6 8.3 1.3 7.1 1.6 8.5 1.0 7.5 1.3

11S

00:19 06:41 13:00 18:56 01:20 07:40 13:59 19:58

8.8 0.6 8.0 0.9 9.2 0.0 8.6 0.4

14W

12M

13T

15T

02:17 08:34 14:54 20:55 03:11 09:25 15:45 21:49 04:03 10:14 16:34 22:40 04:52 11:02 17:23 23:29 05:41 11:48 18:10

9.6 -0.5 9.3 0.0 9.9 -0.9 9.8 -0.4 10.0 -1.1 10.0 -0.5 9.9 -1.0 10.1 -0.4 9.6 -0.7 9.9

16F

17S Last Qtr 18S

19M

20T

00:19 -0.1 06:30 9.1 12:35 -0.2 18:59 9.5 01:09 0.4 07:20 8.4 13:22 0.4 19:48 9.0 02:01 0.9 08:13 7.7 14:11 1.1 20:40 8.4 02:57 1.4 09:10 7.1 15:05 1.8 21:36 7.9 03:58 1.8 10:14 6.7 16:05 2.2 22:37 7.5

21W

22T

23F

24S

25S

05:04 11:22 17:12 23:39 06:07 12:25 18:16

1.9 6.6 2.5 7.4 1.8 6.7 2.5

26M New Moon

00:36 07:02 13:20 19:13 01:27 07:49 14:06 20:00 02:12 08:29 14:46 20:42

7.5 1.6 7.0 2.3 7.7 1.2 7.4 1.9 8.0 0.9 7.8 1.5

28W

27T

29T

30F

02:53 09:06 15:24 21:20 03:31 09:40 15:58 21:57 04:08 10:14 16:32 22:33 04:43 10:47 17:06 23:09 05:19 11:20 17:41 23:46

8.3 0.5 8.2 1.1 8.5 0.3 8.6 0.8 8.6 0.1 8.8 0.5 8.6 0.1 8.9 0.4 8.5 0.1 9.0 0.4

31S

05:55 11:55 18:16

8.3 0.3 8.9

1S Feb

00:25 06:34 12:32 18:56 01:08 07:16 13:15 19:40 01:56 08:07 14:04 20:34 02:54 09:09 15:05 21:39

0.5 8.0 0.5 8.8 0.7 7.6 0.8 8.5 1.0 7.3 1.2 8.2 1.2 7.0 1.5 8.0

2M 1st Qtr 3T

4W

Obamanos (from page 9) Several forward-looking insurance companies are in fact encouraging their participants to seek health care services overseas. An October 2007 article in the Journal of Financial Planning on medical outsourcing details some of the trends, costs and risks associated with seeking medical treatment overseas and comes to the following conclusion: “There is growing evidence that premier medical outsourcing providers reduce treatment cost, facilitate access, and enhance quality of medical care. While there are significant risks associated with medical outsourcing, the number of Americans availing themselves of this option grows unabated.” It is ACAs opinion that allowing Medicare benefits to be claimed by all eligible participants, regardless of where they live in the world, will contribute to a more equitable treatment of everyone who is entitled to benefits and help to alleviate the approaching Medicare financial crises. Ultimately costs per participant can be reduced as Medicare recipients will have a wider choice of where to live and receive benefits while the medical services industry (like many other US industries) will be able to build facilities anywhere in the world to be able to compete on cost and quality with global competitors.

6. Keep the Promise, Extend the Existing System: The U.S. Government should honor its commitments and deliver Medicare benefits overseas to eligible Americans who have earned them by contributing all of the required payments to the system. There is a well-functioning mechanism already in place. Just as the overseas voting rights program for military personnel was extended to private sector Americans through the same office in the Defense Department, so too could a Medicare delivery program for eligible overseas Americans be grafted onto the existing Champus/Tricare system that already provides efficient health care services for overseas military retirees. ACA, Geneva, Switzerland. Updated 31 January 2008.

Medicare for Citizens Abroad was the major topic for consideration at the first meeting held December 13, and we found we were not alone. It was decided the group would join others, such as the ACA, American Citizens Abroad, to push for a change in government policy. Click on the website www.aca.ch to find out more about these and other issues facing citizens abroad including insurance coverage. Anyone who would like to join the group or find out about our next meeting, please email kaydodge@racsa.co.cr or call 2653-8041. Tom Daschel, Secretary-designate of Health and Human Services stated, “Both President-elect Obama and I are committed to reforming the health care system from the grassroots up -- and leaders like you are crucial allies in that effort.”

Surf Report

(from page 22)

Boys National Champion, yesterday again gained the trophy in both those categories as well.

“It was very important to me to work that particular maneuver so well,” Muñoz said. “Once I managed to perfect it, my results in the competition improved a lot.”

Yesterday, Lisbeth Vindas (Jaco), the 6-time Costa Rica National Women’s Champion, won the Copa Mango in her category once more. This makes the husband-wife team winners: Diego Narango is married to Lisbeth Vindas, and according to Naranjo, he chose the spot that provided the left that she took to win!

Results of Copa Mango November 28, 29, 30, 2007 - Playa Hermosa Open 1Diego Naranjo 2Jason Torres 3Olman Morales 4Federico Pilurzu Junior (under 18) 1Carlos Muñoz 2Ariel Agüero 3Rudy Jimenez 4Anthony Fillingam Women’s 1Lisbeth Vindas 2Kristin Wilson 3Nataly Bernold 4Mariana Samudio Junior (under 18) 1Lupe Galluccio 2Nataly Bernold 3Maia Velarde 4Elisa Luna Boys (under 16) 1Carlos Muñoz 2Jordan Hernández 3Anthony Fillingam 4Noe Mar McGonagle Grommet (under 14) 1Manuel Mesen 2Elijah Guy 3Josué Rodríguez 4Marta Fillingam MiniGrommet (under 12) 1Juan Carlos Hernández 2Andrey López 3Leonardo Calvo 4Santana Rosales

Girls MiniGrommet (under 12) 1Leilani McGonagle 2Avalon Esterak 3Cloe Velarde 4Marta Fillingam Bodyboard 1Richard Marin 2Joan Mojica 3Joan Matarrita 4Donald Berger Masters (over 35) 1Mauro Sergio Oliveira 2Carlos Velarde 3Marcelo Matos 4Tommy Bernof Grand Masters (over 40) 1Craig Schieber 2Mike Esterak 3Carlos Velarde 4Mario Rodriguez Novices 1Eduardo Mora 2Victor Mora 3Bayron Vargas 4Henry Peraza Longboard •. Martín Pérez • Cedric Auffret • Anthony Fillingam • Adolfo Gómez

For more information on the Circuito Nacional de Surf DAYSTAR 2008-2009 or the Federacion de Surf de Costa Rica, please go to the webpage at www.surfingcr.net.

(continued page 30)

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October F orecasts January F orecasts

by Jeanne Callahan

Aries: 21 March - 20 April

You get a big burst of energy in your career house this month as Mars, your ruling planet, transits your solar 10th house. Be aware that you are in hyper-drive compared to others now so you need to think before you speak, particularly between Jan 24th & 31st--fireworks possible at that time. If you do go off on someone it will take until the end of February to repair the damage. Enlarge your professional network now for long-term benefits—you can be influencing new people in the next 6 months. The 3rd, 4th, 30th and 31st are your best days.

Taurus: 21 April - 21 May

If you are considering taking some higher education classes jump in now while the inspiration is peaking. A new unfolding future awaits you as you are gaining influence professionally within new groups.

Consider public speaking or teaching a class yourself too as this is a time to advertise your abilities to more people. People will arise to help you now if you just put it out there and ask. The eclipse on the 26th happens in your professional/public house so there are big changes on the horizon for you; inwardly you know you’ve been bored for a long, long time. The 5th and 6th are special for you.

Gemini: 22 May - 21 June

Your ruling planet, Mercury, is in retrograde motion from the 11th through Feb 2nd so you must be extra careful about what you commit to print or sign your name to. Don’t sign/don’t buy is the usual dictum for Mercury Rx. Travel arrangements could change dramatically and you could either be prevented from taking a long trip or invited for a foreign holiday at this time. Just stay aware of your belongings at all times and watch your words from the 24th till Feb 2. You can easily offend others at this time. The 7th and 8th offer insight and positive vibes.

Cancer: 22 June - 22 July

Visit Jeanne’s site at CelestialAdvisor.com

Libra: 23 September - 23 October

You have a busy and fun month ahead of you as an interesting start to the new year. As usual there’s good news and bad but you gain if you keep innovation and fun as part of the package.

Reach out to new groups and network or make public appearances.

There may be some problems with your home or the need to repair something; don’t put it off as you will have good people doing the job. The 16th and 17th are favorable for you.

Scorpio: 24 October - 22 November

You have the opportunity to expand your personal residence or acquire some property this year. The eclipse on the 26th in your solar 4th house along with Jupiter there all year would indicate a fortunate expansion or move is possible. So if you have been secretly hoarding lots of cash you can make the deal of a lifetime in the next six months. Trust your intuition on the time to act and keep it quick and simple. You have lots of creative ideas now which will feed your soul as well as your profession. Use the lunar energy of the 18th and 19th to be receptive.

Sagittarius: 23 November - 21 December

Much activity and many new ideas are coming your way as you are in a vibration of gathering power right now. Accept responsibility and show up on time for all your appointments, even though Mercury is Rx most of this month. Double check all the details and be ready to advance in your position. Yes, you are being critically evaluated but if you just keep doing the good work and say yes to what is offered you will be rewarded. Use the good vibes of the 20th and 21st to enjoy yourself in nature.

Capricorn: 22 December - 21 January

With Mars now in your sign you will have the ability to accomplish whatever you desire. You have had luck on your side all last year and now you can take action on the inspirations and plans that have been circling your mind for some time. Pay attention to financial opportunities for the next six months. Play the waiting game and wait for the perfect timing. Money is good for you now as you seek out bargains in the business world. The 23rd and 24th are times to be good to yourself.

You have a challenging month particularly in regards to finances and partnership. You are feeling insecure about your long-term security and are apt to create some drama about your needs not getting met.

Cancers are likely to crawl back into their shell and stay at home with a box of cookies until the storm passes but you need to stay present to what opportunities the changes are coming. Move through your fears and flip the paradigm to allow you to reap benefits now and in Aquarius: 22 January - 19 February the future. As they say in the West, it’s time to show ‘em what you’re This is a pivotal and busy month as you are preparing to launch made of and cowboy up! Best days for that are the 8th and 9th. something rather grand this year. Jupiter, the planet of expanLeo: 23 July - 23 August sion and optimism, is moving into your sign so things in your Dramatic changes are sweeping through your financial houses this world will change for the better. Remember that Jupiter is weak month as you search for some kind direction and stability. Partner- in Aquarius so don’t go overboard in your visioning and refuse ships do well now particularly those that benefit humanity in some to participate if what comes to you is not 100% equal to your viway. Once you have your heart involved in something you thrive sion. This is not the year to dig into your Aquarian “I’m mentally and shine while promoting it! This is a good time to align with your superior” arrogant mode and not cooperate with universal timing. most altruistic motives. Be on guard for opportunities on the eclipse Be open to being guided to the right path. The New Moon Solar of the 26th. The 11th and 12th offer possibilities for you.

Eclipse on the 26th and the 27th are your lucky days!

Virgo: 24 August - 22 September

Mercury goes into retrograde motion on the 11th through Feb 2nd so you need to be mindful of the details this month particularly in regards to your work environment. There is a lot of chaos and restructuring happening in your life right now so try to delay major decisions until February if at all possible. You will miss details and you know how hard you can beat yourself up for that! Just tell them you need more time to think it over. The 13th and 14th should be days you get completely away from the madness in mind, body and spirit.

Pisces: 20 February - 20 March

This month has you networking a lot while appearing rather eccentric to those you encounter. If you are looking for partnership be aware that those you meet will tend to be more of the controlling types who are not compatible with you now. You are in a process of expansion this year though most of it is internal. The outward manifestation will come next year. You will discover that you are not the docile follower that people thought you were.

The 1st, 2nd, 28th and 29th could all be memorable.

Namasté

28

Surf Report

(from page 27)

The First Torneo Guanacasteco Intercolegial de Surf de Guanacaste, sponsored by the Fundación Acción Joven (FAJ) Cámara de Turismo Guanacasteca (CATURGUA), the Ministerio de Educación Pública and Adrenaline Rush, brought together 55 students of 14 public schools in the Guanacaste province who competed in this surf contest under the direction of Tamarindo’s Federico Pilurzu, a member of team Adrenaline Rush.

Schools participated from Nicoya, Liberia, Cartagena, Guardia, Santa Cruz, Belén, Villarreal, Sardinal, Coco, Huacas, Country Day School, Espiritu Santo and Academia Teocali.

“For us to have united almost 60 surfers from 14 institutions is a great profit because it is the first time we have carried out this competition. An attendance of this type allows us to spread with effectiveness a positive message in relation to the value of study, to forge goals, and to emphasize the value of school as a place of many encounters for young people,” indicated José Aguilar, Executive Director of FAJ. In the end, the feminine división came down to young Tania Gonzalez, of Villareal Colegio. “I strived hard because I wanted to win, and I live in a community where this sport is practiced a lot,” Gonzalez said. “For that reason, I am overjoyed to have won this for my school. I hope to be able to go ahead and finish school and then emphasize this discipline.”

On the other hand, in the male category, Otto Vargas of Cartagena took 1st place. “One always tries to do as well as possible in the water and I had a lot of desire to be 1st place,” he said. “I’m happy that I could obtain it. I am very content with my participation. Hopefully, in the future, I will have the opportunity to continue competing, and I will continue to train for it.”

Overall, the Grammar school of Villarreal was the 1st place winner, with the Grammar School of Santa Cruz in second place, and the Grammar School of Cartagena 3rd.

Results: Open: 1. Otto Vargas, Cartagena de Santa Cruz.

2. Malu Meyer, Villarreal de Santa Cruz.

3. Amalec Contreras, Santa Cruz.

4. Tomas King, Country Day. Open Feminine: 1. Tania González, Villarreal de Santa Cruz de Guanacaste.

2. Yuri Alvarez, Villarreal de Santa Cruz.

3. Marina de Almenara, Santa Cruz.

4. Marylin Pizarro, Villarreal de Santa Cruz.

Teams: 1. Liceo de Villarreal de Santa Cruz.

2. Liceo de Cartagena.

3. Liceo de Santa Cruz.

That’s all I’ve got. Looking forward to hearing what you think. Keep those e-mails coming to EllenZoe@aol.com. Send your comments, information, errors or praise, because I can’t do this column without you, the real surfers.

Santa Rosa

(from page 16)

In addition to Playa Naranjo, Playa Potrero Grande, north of Nancite, and other beaches on the central Santa Elena peninsula offer some of the best “machine-like” surf in the country, with double overhead waves rolling in one after the other. The makers of Endless Summer II, the sequel to the classic surfing movie, caught the Potrero Grande break perfectly. The beaches are inaccessible by road. You can hire a boat at Jobo or any of the fishing villages in the Golfo Santa Elena to take you to Potrero Grande or Islas Murciélagos (Bat Islands), slung in a chain beneath Cabo Santa Elena, the westernmost point of the peninsula. The Bat Islands are a renowned scuba diving site for advanced divers; sharks (bull, tiger, and black-tip) are there in numbers, along with whale sharks.

Murciélago Sector The entrance to the Murciélago Sector of Santa Rosa National Park is 15 km west of Hwy. 1, 10 km north of the Santa Rosa Sector park entrance (there’s a police checkpoint at the turnoff; have your passport ready for inspection). The road winds downhill to a coastal valley through spectacularly hilly countryside to the hamlet of Cuajiniquil, tucked half a kilometer south of the road, which continues northwest to Bahía Cuajiniquil.

You arrive at a Y-fork in Cuajiniquil: the road to Murciélago (eight km) is to the left. There are three rivers to ford en route. You’ll pass the old CIA training camp for the Nicaraguan contras on your right. The place--Murciélago Hacienda--was owned by the Nicaraguan dictator Somoza’s family before being expropriated in 1979, when the Murciélago Sector was incorporated into Santa Rosa National Park. It’s now a training camp for the Costa Rican Rural Guard. Armed guards may stop you for an ID check as you pass.

A few hundred meters farther, the road runs alongside the secret airstrip (hidden behind tall grass to your left) that Oliver North built to supply the contras. The park entrance is 0.5 km beyond the airstrip.

It’s another 16 km to Playa Blanca, a beautiful horseshoe-shaped whitesand beach--one of the most isolated in the country--about five km wide and enjoyed only by pelicans and frigate birds. The road ends here. Waterfalls are surrounded by ferns and palms in Cuajiniquil Canyon, which has its own moist microclimate. The Poza El General watering hole attracts waterfowl and other animals year-round and is reached along a rough trail.

Information: The park entrance station at the Santa Rosa Sector sells detailed maps (1:50,000 scale; 75 cents) showing trails and campgrounds. Both the natural history museum in La Casona and the GCA park administration office, can provide additional information. The GCA office in Liberia can also supply information.

The Dry Tropical Forest Investigation Center, located near the park administrative office, undertakes biological research, and features a laboratory, documentation center, and computer center, plus dorm accommodations. It is not open to visitors, but anyone with a serious interest in dry forest ecology will find the staff and researchers invaluable resources.

Ruminations on Cattle Culture

“The earth turns to gold in the hands of the wise” - Rumi - Persian poet/mystic

M

y intent was to write a piece on the changing seasons.

After all, it is a great time to see how your land survived the 10 feet of rain, decide whether you really want to water all those plants all summer long and begin to plan for the next possible deluge.

It was hard to concentrate. The sound of ‘bombas’ from down the road announced that the fiestas of Las Delicias were entering their final day. Bulls were being rounded up in the pasture across the street. Cars whizzed by with boisterous partiers, ready for yet another round. When the seasons change in Guanacaste, the trees might lose their leaves and some animals hang out in holes. But the cultural roots are deep. The human inhabitants freshen up their foliage and hit the fiestas.

Wikipedia informs that, in fact, the word culture comes from the root “to cultivate.” OK, pura vida, I’ll drop the garden article and pontificate a bit about culture. Further research turned up one author who identified at least 152 separate working definitions of what ‘culture’ actually means. “Ooops,” it occurred then, “what about the 14-hr. deadline....?”

There are many schools of thought as to what shapes culture: who owns the means of production it derives from the economy or from the environment in which it evolves, the amount of energy consumed, etc. Scores of doctoral theses have been written and defended on the subject. Let’s not go there. Let’s go back to the fiestas, at least in theory. For one thing, how did the cattle get here in the first place?

Contrary to popular opinion, globalization was not invented by Thomas Friedman. The Spaniards were in Central America five centuries ago figuring out how to get resources back to the motherland and the colonists fed so as to keep their empire going. Cattle had the distinct advantage of being able to transport themselves to market, whether in Guatemala or wherever there was demand for meat and leather from Guanacaste. Transport was an issue and refrigerated containers were not an option.

So the “cattle culture” developed in a certain environment, economy and epoch. If you throw in the human desire to get together, party and give young men a chance to strut their manly stuff to young women, you end up with an enduring tradition. As the underlying cattle economy gives way to a tourism economy the fiestas still ‘work’, they provide an entertainment magnet for visitors, even if the underlying conditions have changed.

The shift of the local economy away from agriculture to tourism and construction has even fostered changes in cattle raising.

Two of my neighbors who used to manage dairy herds and sell fresh milk and cheese, now have bulls for the fiestas.

In stark contrast to the local food movement, this shift is a move from sustenance to silliness. How long before the downturn in tourism and constructions affects the cash flow around the bullring? Students of the decline of civilizations have noticed a pattern. When the daily bread starts getting scarce, the fun, games and sophistication of culture come in a distant second to the primacy of eking out subsistence.

Nonetheless, equally important to the cattle-based ‘form’ of the fiestas is the interpersonal communication ‘substance’ that takes place. Long before the Internet provided us with online chat rooms, the fiestas served as nodes of communication, managing to bring people together from far and wide to renew relationships, gossip, transact business and exchange information on making their living off the land. Far from the bulls and disco infernos you’ll hear conversations about the last cropping season, best time to plant new live fence posts, where to find fruits that you never see in the markets and who still has seeds for crops that used to be grown but are now hard to find.

Foreigners—tourists and residents alike—whose experience of Guanacaste culture is limited to the fiestas, horse parades and bailes tipicas are at best simply scratching the surface of life in our province. Worse, they are largely blind to the original foundation of the cultural pyramid—local food production. And worst, they are missing out on secrets from the past that may well come in handy in a not-so-certain and perhaps, not-sodistant future.

As renowned gastronome Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin wrote in 1825, “Tell me what you eat, and I’ll tell you who you are.”

Well in that case the locals are ‘maiceros’ (corn-people), a derogatory term connoting ‘hillbillies’, or ‘country bumpkins.”

They plant it, store it, and prepare it in dozens of ways. Corn has been an important part of the diet for something like 10,000 years in greater Meso-America. And that is without hybrid seed, chisel plows and a steady stream of fossil-fuel-based inputs whose future abundance is increasingly in doubt. It is unlikely that even given another millennium humans could come up with a more efficient—and sustainable--way of getting calories out of our soil in this region.

And it is not just corn you can hear about at fiestas. I heard (continued page 34)

January ( a l l

t i m e s

2009 l o c a l )

Sun

1st - rise 6:01; set 5:33 15th - rise 6:05; set 5:41 31st - rise 6:06; set 5:48

1st quarter: Full: Last quarter: New:

Moon

6

m s

5:56 a.m.

9:27 p.m.

8:46 p.m.

1:55 a.m.

RAIN GAUGE

7

c

4th 10th 17th 26th

RAINFALL - November/December Miller Meteorological Observatory La Garita

5 4

Total rainfall: 6.3 cm (2.5 inches)

3 2 1 0

16

20

25

November

Tiling Welding Drainage Plumbing Carpentry Remodelling Landscaping Refrigeration Roof Repair Water Tanks Septic Tanks Water Pumps Cement Work Electric Gates Air Conditioning Appliance Repair Electrical Services

Year-to-date 2007: 287.0 cm 2008: 349.9

30 1

5

10

December

Rainfall Nov-Dec 2007: 0.0 cm 2008: 6.3

15

WHAT ARE WE DOING COSTA RICA?

Cynthia Osborne Charpentier

¡Wait!

Take a number, wait, it doesn’t matter. Like when you want your passport, or riteve, in banks, stores... Wait!

“Population has increased. I have my ‘Gold card’, but no, I get in line and WAIT. I have to go early though”. (Mariana).

Some North Americans complain, many foreigners complain, Ticos complain, so what? That’s the way it is all over the world.

If you don’t like one country, go back to yours. I understand my country, and you?

#6 - My friend L: “I broke my leg. I went to Nicoya Hospital at 1 a.m.

I waited for three hours with my pain and my back hurting me. Emergencies. There was nobody in reception. I thought to put a denuncia.

Not even a chair.

Doctor.: Are you awake?”

I had to travel here and there, back and forth.

Some little stories. #1 – At Immigration.

My friend A. cannot go, he doesn’t have a number, but anyway he is not #40. So no luck! They only process 40 applicants a day, no matter what time they finish.

I am Costarrican, so I fight (nicely, of course), I got #41 for him.

They send you to door #1, or #2, or #3, it’s a mess.

Officer shouts: “Everybody out, everybody out!”

A lot of people waiting! Pregnant women, babies, Mr. A. waiting and many old people.

Lunch time. I put my papers on the desk. They got me serious.

I made it, #41!

Negligence! Doctors are good, but something is wrong. #7 - Me (I fell and broke my leg, too).

I called 911: “I cannot reach Liberia Hospital by phone. What can I do?”

“Go to the hospital.”

“How? I cannot move.”

“There’s the way it is.”

“I am a writer, and I am going to write about this situation.”

“Good for you ma’am, that will help us.”

#2 - Immigration again Waiting Monday – no luck.

Waiting Wednesday at 5:30 a.m, but no luck, I was #50.

Waiting Thursday at 3:30 a.m.

My friends slept there at 2 a.m. They made it.

Who knows how. J. is costarrican and his foreign friends.

Huacas clinic, sent me to Santa Cruz, they sent me to Liberia, they sent me to Nicoya.

Ambulance? They care about colones or dollars, not your health.

Nicoya Hospital: here and there, back and forth.

I had a wheel chair from this man working outside Nicoya Hospital, and the taxi driver helped me too. If not, I will be waiting until next year.

#3 - Immigration again.

I go at 9:30 a m. “Come tomorrow at 5 a.m.”

But not for me!

“Come at 1 pm.”

Yeah right! They open at 1:15.

Waiting, talking and talking, and reading my books.

There’s no respect, only for me because I am a writer.

9 a.m. Come here, papers; go there and WAIT! Go to get X Rays, go back to the front desk and WAIT! Now it’s lunch time.

You need to go outside for new Visa! Your kids or husband ticos?

Then you are OK. Coming early morning, not eating, babies, sleepy, there’s no room, paying social security.

Illegals have to go. If they found you, to be deported or go to jail.

It’s an emergency! WAIT! Go back to the Doctor, more waiting of course.

And then medicine, more papers.

Then they put on my cast. I was starving. Wouldn’t you be?

And now I have to wait for them (If they are available) to take my cast off for Christmas.

#4 - Carolina.

“They can’t stamp my passport if I don’t go every three months. But Visa, transportation, food; it’s hard”. She is 27 years old, with 4 year old Tica daughter, 30 year old Nica husband. Rent, food, water, electricity...They need to work and everything is expensive. #5 - Aura.

“My objective is to do something, but to earn money is not easy if I have to go away every three months. I have to pay the Visa and go away for three days.”

My lunch? Never, I had to wait. All the doctors were busy eating.

Ah! Now? No. Go to X Rays again, this is not ready.

#4 - “It’s hard, cash machines get blocked. You wait and wait to send money”. The electricity is gone. It comes and goes but at least they warn you.

WAIT for the police, WAIT for everything. Wait in stores: “My lettuce?” “Tomorrow: just WAIT!”.

Life is so short!

WAIT!

Ruminations on Cattle Culture (from page 31)

names of 12 different kinds of beans that used to be grown just in our valley. A friend located seeds for “arroz chino”, an old kind of rice that takes flooding, perfect for part of his land.

With the recent upsurge in food prices, many neighbors got back to work, tilling the land, growing grains and refurbishing a keystone of the culture that has not disappeared under the sands of time.

These “hicks” have a distinct advantage over their North American neighbors in the coming economic downturn.

Numerous commentators in the US have remarked that the last Depression encountered lots of people still living on the land and making do during the hard times. Furthermore, plenty of people still knew how to grow food, sharpen knives, butcher a chicken, split kindling and cook over fires. If there still exist home economics courses in the US, I guarantee you they don’t teach home canning and salting away pork to cure it. Popping store-bought pizzas and cookie dough into the microwave would be about the most to expect.

Graduates of the fast food nation school of cuisine may find themselves ill-prepared for a resource-diminished future that is now even predicted by staid academicians employed by agencies of the US government. Returning to the question of culture, how do you restore, renew or regenerate what has been lost, in the case of the US, for generations?

Restoring some resilience to a local food culture in Guanacaste is so much easier. The land base is available, the knowledge is here and plenty of people are still accustomed to hard physical labor. The foreign residents can play an important role by seeking out and patronizing local growers, buying locally produced eggs and dairy products, thereby increasing local demand to help spur production.

Those of us concerned about issues of sustainability have our work cut out, raising questions and exploring alternatives to the methods used by many producers. Apt is the motto at the farm project in a nearby development: “respecting the past, sowing the future.” The task is one of both identifying the old and developing new threads of sustainability, hoping that time will provide the appropriate conditions to create a new cultural icon, to weave a new tapestry of permanence on the landscape we call home.

Tom Peifer is an ecological land use consultant with 14 years experience in Guanacaste. Phone: 2658-8018. peifer@racsa.co.cr El Centro Verde is dedicated to sustainable land use, agriculture and development. Web site: http://www.elcentroverde. org/