Howler0903Mar by Howler Media Holding, Inc.

For Sale by Owner Reduced - $275,000 Casa Buddha • Playa Grande Completely Remodeled 4-Bedroom, 3-Bath House New Swimming Pool • AC • Granite Countertops Hard Wood Cabinets and more • Walk to the beach! Excellent Income Producer • 2 Independent Apts. below Call: 8-828-6879, 8-828-6889 osbornecr3@yahoo.com 1414

editor’s note A couple of years ago Correos de Costa Rica announced a project to modernize the system of postal addresses in Costa Rica. I guess they haven’t completed it yet, as this address recently sent me shows: De la rotonda que va hacia Multiplaza (donde esta Flash Car) 800 mts NO. Complejo Attica, Bodega 2. Escazú. You really have to want to go there. Remember when The Howler celebrated its 100th issue with a contest to see who had the most copies? Well, I see from the masthead that this one is number 150. How time ﬂies! Just how “parado” is development in the Tamarindo/Las Baulas area? Since the Sala IV law stopping all development, an area has been cleared and a fence erected at the “Y” in Langosta. A reader stood in the street taking photos of the site, when a man in a Mercedes pulled up, pushed the camera in her face and screamed at her. Remember these nice people when you are looking to buy your new homesite. The development is called La Fuente, yet another unwanted six-storey empty building.

We proudly announce The Mountain Howler. Our new magazine serves the western end (El Occidental) of the Valle Central – Grecia, San Ramón, Sarchi, Naranjo, Palmares and Atenas. A new team of designers, writers, sales and editorial staff worked hard to produce the ﬁrst issue (24 pages), and is working on the March issue. Web site is at mountainhowler.com.

March 2009

The Howler Since 1996

FEATURES 8 Dining Out

Under new management, Pachanga is serving ﬁne Costa Rican meals in an intimate atmosphere.

9 Eyes That See

Surrounded by a world of wonder, we have to make a conscious effort to see it.

13 Hollywood South in Guanacaste

Tamarindo’s ﬁlm production company is shooting a movie which will give Guanacaste a visibility in the country.

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

15 Surf Report

18-year-old Jairo Pérez takes top honours in the Daystar 2008-09 tournament at Playa Guiones.

16 Surfing the Crash

The recent strong winds remind our columnist that bigger storms will demand adjustments to our familiar lifestyles .

18 World Cup Fever

With the selection for the 2010 World Cup under way, Costa Rica is positioned well to go to South Africa.

30 Surviving Costa Rica

Driver’s licence renewal time, and Jesse helps two friends navigate the shoals of Costa Rican bureauocracy.

Cover Caption: Two baby Ridley sea turtles emerge from their nest in Las Baulas National Park at Playa Grande. 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 March Forecasts 32 Sun & Moon

Mass Migration of Stingrays

The Howler

After Seventeen Years

Founded in 1996 Vol. 14, No. 3 - March 2009 Issue No. 150

Samantha Schulz

ooking like giant leaves floating in the sea, thousands of Golden Rays are seen here gathering off the coast of Mexico. The spectacular scene was captured as the magnificent creatures made one of their bi-annual mass migrations to more agreeable waters. Gliding silently beneath the waves, they turned vast areas of blue water to gold off the northern tip of the Yucatan Peninsula. Sandra Critelli, an amateur photographer, stumbled across the phenomenon while looking for whale sharks. She said: “It was an unreal image, very difficult to describe. The surface of the water was covered by warm and different shades of gold and looked like a bed of autumn leaves gently moved by the wind. It’s hard to say exactly how many there were, but in the range of a few thousand. We were surrounded by them without seeing the edge of the school and we could see many under the water surface too. I feel very fortunate I was there in the right place at the right time to experience nature at its best.” Measuring up to 7ft (2.1 meters) from wingtip to wing-tip, golden rays are also more prosaically known as cow nose rays. They have long, pointed pectoral fins that separate into two lobes in front of their high-domed heads and give them a cow-like appearance. Despite having poisonous stingers, they are known to be shy and non-threatening when in large schools. The population in the Gulf of Mexico migrates, in schools of as many as 10,000, clockwise from western Florida to the Yucatan.

y childhood was in a city of individuals caught in the monotony. My peers and their empty values left me bitter and unsatisfied. No one seemed to value spontaneity, joy, and community. So, by the time I was in my junior year, I longed for simplicity. I wanted to meet people completely opposite from those in the metropolis that had shaped me so far, so I moved to Costa Rica. I felt static in the drone of modernized living, and wished to retrograde to reason, faith and morality. Moving to Costa Rica became my opportunity to escape the frustration I found in Los Angeles. I chose to embrace spontaneity. My neighborhood was filled with agrarian colors, not the usual artificial palette I found in Southern California. My house was located on a dirt road, ridden with potholes and surrounded by fields that housed cows and other livestock. I now have to drive over thirty minutes to get to a gas station or super market that doesn’t even sell Diet Coke. I met people with houses of tin, sheets as doors, hungry children struggling to live. These people, despite their hardships, carry with them an appreciation of community, of family, of nature and of camaraderie. However, although I found the aesthetic changes I anticipated in Costa Rica, I also discovered my true dilemma. Without the cacophony of the city to distract me, I discovered I had in fact absorbed the numerous traits of Los Angeles I came to despise. I thought that, because I chose to extract myself from the insanity of L.A., that made me a different person, and I brought that false sense of superiority with me. I also carried this intensity that made my life seem overly serious and without the freedom and impulsiveness I sought after. I now found the resolution to a predicament I did not expect. My need to venture away from Los Angeles was not due to the city, but to the person I was. I chose to step back and observe that what I tried to escape was more than just L.A., but the mentality the city gave me, and the mentality I chose to retain. I now live in harmony between Pura Vida and Big Bad L.A. I leave high school carrying with me the qualities I admire in both of my homes. For me, Costa Rica is a symbol of growth that surpasses superficial growth but exemplifies my maturity and birth into the world of self-awareness. In Costa Rica I found the good vibrations that give me my spontaneity and happiness that I regurgitate to others through my art and words.

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 CRAIG EDWARDS ELLEN ZOE GOLDEN CYNTHIA CHARPENTIER JEANNE CALLAHAN JESSE BISHOP NINA WEBER TONY OREZ

Deadline for April: March 15

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Discounts: For 6 months, paid in advance, one month is deducted. For 12 months paid in advance, two months are deducted. Ads must be submitted on CD or e-mail attachment, JPG format at 266 dpi, at the appropriate size (above). All comments, articles and advertising in this publication are the opinion of their authors, and do not reﬂect the opinion of Howler Management.

www.tamarindobeach.net www.tamarindohomepage.com

David Mills

Dining Out Restaurant Pachanga Tamarindo

he ever-popular Pachanga Restaurant changed ownership about six months ago, and is now operated under the very capable hands of Andrea Segnini, a self-taught chef who became a restaurateur after spending nine years as an attorney. “I started cooking at the age of 12,” says Andrea, “and I have always loved to cook. Owning a restaurant is my dream come true.” Pachanga is a comfortable, intimate little oasis, a charming place to just chill out and take your time over the meal. Service is very attentive and the food different and delicious, the menu small but interesting.

Floristeriacristal@yahoo.es 2-653-8762 / 2-653-6282 / 8-354-1041

Appetizers comprise a quesadilla with camembert cheese and caramelized onions; brandy flambéed shrimp enyucado (wrapped in a yucca flour); fish and shrimp cakes; and pejivalle soup. We chose a green salad with mozzarella and asian fish bites, tasty little snacks in a ball of angel-hair noodles with a soy dipping sauce. “I want to be one of a kind,” continues Andrea, “to serve contemporary Costa Rican dishes. Half of the food I serve comes from Costa Rica. I was born in Heredia and brought up in Guanacaste, so I understand the different tastes of Costa Rica.”

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.

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Entrees consist of Mediterranean cous-cous stuffed chicken breast; medallion of beef tenderloin with Dijon cornichon; a skewer of shrimp; grilled tuna steak with black bean sauce and avocado cream; and tropical tilapia. My companion ordered the red snapper served on potatoes and artichokes, while I couldn’t resist the finger food – six awesome pork ribs in a guava sauce with rosemary. We had to pass on dessert – chocolate fondant; mini carrot cakes; fruit beignets or ciambella. We chose a Santa Ema Merlot from a very international selection of good wines. Altogether a very delightful evening. Pachange is open from 5:30 to 10:30 every day except Sunday; no credit cards accepted at present. Located up the hill 200 meters from the Langosta junction, opposite Pasatiempo. Tel: 8-860-8001 or 2-653-1520.

Eyes That See Do Not Grow Old “It is best said when it is said through a proverb,” writes Guy A. Zona in his book, Eyes That See Do Not Grow Old, featuring a collection of proverbs from Mexico, Central and South America. He comments, “The proverbs living on the lips of the Latino people, although they may be brief, speak of lengthy wisdom. They are an artistic art form firmly steeped in philosophic treasures.” When I was a young teacher, the wise words of the naturalist Rachel Carson influenced how I saw my world and approached teaching. I urged students to never lose their “Sense of Wonder”, that special gift that allows us to appreciate the world around us. Somewhere, as we go from our early teens to young adulthood, we often put our sense of wonder that allows us as children to explore the wonderful world around us, into our back pockets, bringing it out only briefly for a spectacular sunset or perhaps the birth of our first child. I would remind my students that there is a vast difference between looking at something or someone, and really seeing them. We need to be good observers taking time to really see. “Eyes that see do not grow old.” Nicaragua On my first visit to Costa Rica in 1972, I had the opportunity to experience the amazing biodiversity of this tiny country, observing first hand the biology and ecology I had only read about in books by the likes of O.E.Wilson and Alexander Skutch, the pioneer biologists and ornithologist that had made Costa Rica famous to scientists and students around the world. Their research and writings would be instrumental in opening the world of the tropical forest and biodiversity, impacting other scientists and environmentalists to help save many of the countries natural resources and make it a destination not only for scientists, birdwatchers and researchers, but also for eco-tourists for years to come. E.O. Wilson wrote, “The unsolved mysteries of the rain forest are formless and seductive.” Later, scientists like Dan Janzen and Gary Stiles, just to mention a few, would teach a hungry public to look at and really see the rich biodiversity of the tropical forests and the many other natural wonders of Costa Rica. They have taught us the value of what we have,

K. T. Dodge, Ph. D Photos by K. T. Dodge & Michelle Dodge Meitler

the potential of what we have not discovered, and the fragility of system we are losing so quickly. “What is lost today may not be gained tomorrow” -Cuba Philosophers and gurus have, from the beginning of time, urged us to explore the world we live in, from the largeness of the universe, down to the microscopic world. Some have told us to “stop and smell the flowers” or take a deep breath and take time to look, really look, at the colors, shapes and patterns of nature. Siddhartha would watch the world pass by in the flowing river; artists would contemplate the wonder of a flower or beauty of the human form. In our hectic technical and artificial world we are often divorced from nature and the simple things of life. After my first Costa Rican trip, I was to spend years teaching tropical forest ecology and raising money for preservation and protection of the biodiversity I had come to love. But also, found my personal “art” in the amazing birds and cats of the tropics and took thousands of slides that I would put into slide shows and teaching tools. Later, with the development of digital photography and computer art, the images of Costa Rica gave me even more subjects for my personal art. You don’t need to know the genus/species of a bird to appreciate a hummingbird feeding on a heliconia. You don’t need to be a mathematician or engineer to see the beauty in natural and man-made pattern and form. Too often, we forget to look at the amazing world around us, to appreciate the beauty, observe the detail and design both in our natural and man-made worlds, or just look at something and smile deeply within. It is important with the sensory gifts humans have, to take time to pull out that special sense of wonder from your back pocket and look at the world through eyes that see, and not grow old. “Where there is no want of will, there will be no want of opportunity.” – Mexico

CD Review Luis Nubiola’s Family Affair Tony Orez

ometimes, paying your dues can return dividends. Luis Nubiola’s career in Costa Rica is good example. When he arrived in San Jose from his home in Havana in 2004, he assembled his own jazz trio and they began making a name for themselves in the local nightclub circuit. At the same time, the Cuban-born saxophonist accepted any and all studio and session work to pay the bills and to meet other local musicians. For some of these side jobs, Luis worked alongside the renowned Costa Rican pianist Walter Flores. The two struck up a working camaraderie and after recording his first album with his trio, Nubiola employed Flores to accompany his band for the entire live DVD they filmed last year at the Jazz Café in San Jose. From here, the dividends started compounding with interest. Ready to record a new album, the saxophonist invited Flores to play piano on the entire project and the trio became a quartet. Wisely, Luis has kept Nelson Segura on baby bass guitar and Raul Diaz, his incredible drummer. These musicians are obviously comfortable with each other and it is reflected in their musical dialogues. Meanwhile, Luis Nubiola’s personal life experienced dividends as well, when his wife gave birth to their daughter, Naima, on September 14. A proud papa, Luis dedicated the new album to his first child, along with naming two of the songs in her honor: “N2” and the title song “9/14”. The package is a two-disc affair: one audio CD and a DVD filmed live in CineQuaNon Studios in San Jose. The sound studio is a part of Design Art Technology (DART), the group who produced the first Nubiola film. The footage is of the band recording the initial CD tracks live in the studio, plus two surprise bonus tracks. DART intersperses color, black & white, and sepia-tone footage along with an animated sequence, which keeps the film entertaining. It’s a very clean, professional presentation. The audio disc chronicles the development of a talented group of musicians. Flores’ piano seems to have opened the sound up, giving more space for the band to explore each of their respective instruments. Walter also contributed an original composition, “Obstinado en Fa” to the project. The rest of the scores were all written by Nubiola, with the help of Nelson Segura on “N2”. Segura has great stage presence, too, as he obviously has a passion for playing his stand-up bass. The seven-song, forty-eight minute instrumental disc opens with the title track, setting the stage for the album and paying homage to Nubiola’s Afro-Cuban musical roots. Along with Flores’ piano work, it is easy to detect a Central American influence seeping into the music as well. As with his initial CD, Nubiola closes this session with a tribute to one of his major influences, John Coltrane. It’s nice to see a talented, hard-working musician plant his seeds and have them flower. In Tilaran and Playa Tamarindo, all of Luis Nubiola’s musical projects are available exclusively at Jaime Peligro, where they will gladly sample the music for their customers.

Book Review Backstage with Al Kooper Tony Orez

ost biographies of Rock Stars are written second-hand, based on hearsay, hatred and/or adulation. In all three of these cases, the line between Truth and Fiction tends to get blurred. This is the premise for Al Kooper’s autobiography “Backstage Passes and Backstabbing Bastards”. His point is that his book is an exception to the rule because he is telling his own story, sans ghost writers, and is telling only the history that he personally participated in. And for that, I admire him. More than once, he sums up a passage with, “I know this happened because I was there”, putting his stamp of authenticity on his stories. Al Kooper has had a storied past, even if most of his accomplishments have been remembered only by music nerds, like me. But some of his more overt feats that might be recognized by the normal public include forming the band Blood, Sweat & Tears and playing keyboards on albums by Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Ray Charles and Jimi Hendrix. That’s Al playing organ on “Voodoo Child”. He has also produced records for Don Ellis, Dylan, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Tubes, Nils Lofgren, B.B. King and Rick Nelson. Kooper wrote his first memoir, titled simply, “Backstage Passes” to reflect on his first two decades in the industry, from 1958 – 1978. He revamped that original text and continued on to the present for this updated book. It is full of anecdotes told in the first person, giving the reader a feeling of almost being there; a treasure trove of Rock & Roll insider’s history that only Al Kooper could compile. Al Kooper is a professional: a professional musician, songwriter and producer. He is not, unfortunately, a professional comedian, so his recurring attempts at this fall a little flat. It’s like a bad Henny Youngman impression, with constant New York-Judeo references and schtick. Al is also not a professional writer and someone along the line, an editor perhaps, should have informed him that italics are used for emphasis and lose their panache quickly when over-employed. It can even get downright annoying! My favorite excerpts were the times he played with my two all-time favorite guitarists – Jimi Hendrix and Michael Bloomfield. I thoroughly enjoyed witnessing those exploits through first-hand experience. Kooper does not wield the dagger much at all in his memories. It’s pulled out of the sheath on a few occasions to take swipes at record execs, but everybody does that, apparently deservedly so. It’s disheartening to read about the number of times he gets stiffed by The Biz. He is still trying to collect royalties for writing “This Diamond Ring” in 1964 for Jerry Lewis’ kid’s band, Gary Lewis and the Playboys. Throughout it all, though, Kooper has kept a positive frame of mind and truly treasures the life he has led. This, I think, is the biggest redeeming value in the book. A limited number of signed copies of “Backstage Passes and Backstabbing Bastards” are available at Jaime Peligro book shop in Playa Tamarindo.

By Nina Weber Certiﬁed Yoga Instructor

from ski country Greetings to my Tamarindo Yoga Friends

I am taking a vacation from Tamarindo. Here I am in the beautiful Rocky Mountains to visit my son who is going to boarding school in this amazing country. As I sit in my living room here today, 2 feet of powdery snow has fallen in the last 24 hours. The Carbondale valley is an amazing example of all the beauty the universe can create, just like Tamarindo beach. I feel very blessed to experience both lifestyles. Brrrr! What a change to the tropical Tamarindo weather. The winter season here comes with fun outdoor sports, but the chill of winter can really hit on your physical and even mental health. I love the big fun of skiing and cozy warm evenings at an open fireplace. While some people are more vulnerable to the effects of cold weather than others, it is very challenging to keep up with your health in the cold. Everyone can benefit from some simple strategies to stay balanced and healthy even during the chilly season here in Colorado. Yoga is a very ancient method for keeping the body and mind healthy and balanced. Yoga brings fresh oxygen to your cells, helping keep your energy and spirits up. Yoga also helps improve muscle strength and flexibility. Yoga helps you stay in a peaceful state of mind so that you are happier and less affected by stress. In Yoga, developing strong inner core muscles is a necessary ingredient for the success on the mountain and on your mat. Great comments from Yoga Teacher Baron Baptiste International Best-selling Author, Educator, International Presenter: “In skiing, awareness of your center allows you to rise to initiate move-

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 ment”. “You rise to start your turn, and sink down to finish your turn, and all the while the core or torso should remain facing downhill. Awareness of your core can prevent you from turning inefficiently. What’s more, core awareness translates to quicker reactions to unexpected situations—runaway skis, out of control skiers, shifting snow, and weather conditions—and can rescue you from accidents. Balance, a blend of strength, flexibility, and kinesthetic sense, is especially important for being able to achieve the next level in skiing, whether that’s mastering moguls or perfecting powder skiing. It’s also imperative for avoiding injuries. If you’re schussing along and hit unexpected terrain—a rock or sheet of ice—and one ski is forced out from under your body, you can avoid tearing your inner thigh muscle or groin area if you have the flexibility and strength to support the abduction of the leg.” So here is the Yogi advice for ski adventures. Flexibility No matter how far you can reach, yoga elongates your muscles keeping them supple and straight. Endurance The athleticism and determination to make it through an hour of yoga holding poses and continuing to push yourself applies to any job or sport. Balance Constantly working your core keeps your body stable and supported with a healthy posture. Injury Prevention If your muscles are flexible and not constricted, you lower your risk of pulling a ligament or over using one muscle group. Energy and Strength The cardio work out from yoga increases your endurance in any sport. The Breath The benefit of breath awareness teaches you to pace yourself in any activity as well as in difficult life situations to react in a more positive way.

Hollywood South in Guanacaste

an Tamarindo become a cinematographic paradise? A dedicated team of ﬁlmmakers believes so, and is working hard to make that happen, with a production that will bring together a wide spectrum of people – Guanacaste countryfolk, surfers, production staff, screen stars – to showcase Guanacaste and its beauties. A semi-professional but enthusiastic crew is ready to ﬁlm “Fe de Agua” (Faith in Water) in and around Tamarindo.

David Mills

“The movie,” says Thornton Cohen, “is intended to give Guanacaste a voice within Costa Rica, and put it on the map as a ﬁlmmaking location. About 80 percent of our cast and crew are Costa Ricans, many from Guanacaste. There is a lot of excitement among locals about having their

Fe de Agua is a 20-minute movie about “love, life, family, faith and learning to stand on water.” The publicity continues: “There are moments in one’s life that will either make or break you. Fe de Agua is a short film about one such moment, when a boy from Guanacaste comes face-to-face with his destiny.” The production crew, based in Tamarindo, comprises: • Executive producer Thornton Cohen, Tamarindo photographer, who worked on a short film “Paraiso”, also set in Guanacaste. • Producer and assistant director Natasha Pachano who, after 11 years in the photographic profession in the United States, returned to her native Costa Rica and opened her video company, Eclipse Productions. • Paul Belanger, who has a wide background in the performing arts in Canada, and also worked on “Paraiso”. • Alrick Brown, who has directed and produced many films and documentaries around the world, having screened in 30 film festivals and received numerous awards. • Jonathan Yonkers of Tamarindo, a keen surfer who makes documentaries and commercials. • Sergio Pucci, photographer, whose photographs have been published throughout the Americas, and who has exhibited in California, Guatemala, Costa Rica and Germany. • Toh Gouttenoire, who for 9 years has worked in photography and videography in Central America. • Tamarindo professional surfer Federico Pilurzu will play a cameo role as a competitor along with the main actor. Fe de Agua is the story of a young boy from a campesino community

own film, and we have many volunteers for jobs in the production and acting parts.” To this end, Paul Belanger will hold a weekend workshop at Country Day School and La Paz School, to give kids a chance to try out in front of the camera. Their performance will be adjudicated by professionals. This is not an opportunity to make big money on the screen, as all work on cast and crew is volunteer and unpaid. The estimated cost of $5,000 will cover equipment, food and crew, and fundraisers are being held to help out with these expenses. The next “The Future of Filmmaking in Guanacaste” is at Cala Luna, Tamarindo, March 4th at 5 p.m. for a sunset supper (see ad page 20). A “100 for 100 VIP” initiative will invite 100 sponsors to donate $100 each toward the production cost. Donors – individual or business – will receive a T-shirt, a link on the web site, movie updates and discounted tickets to the premiere. 20% of each membership will go to the scholarship. To support this unique venture, please call 8-339-5570. Filming will start on March 18 and proceed until the 27th, in various locations including Matapalo and Rio Seco for the campesino segments, Tamarindo and Playa Grande for the surf sequences. The movie will premiere in October 2009, and will be entered in the Montezuma Film Festival in November. After release, 20 percent of all proceeds will go towards a scholarship for Guanacaste children. Longer-term plans include a full-length feature film and a film festival for Tamarindo. “We believe we can generate enough excitement and interest with our movie to keep the momentum going,” says Natasha. “There is a definite void for cinematographic activity on the Guanacaste coast, and we have the talent here to develop the projects to fill that void.”

in Guanacaste who comes, by accident, upon the surﬁng culture. From this moment, his life is redeﬁned as he proceeds to become a professional surfer.

Readers interested in working with Fe de Agua should call 8-3395570.

A ro T o u w n n d

by David Mills

Breakfast Grinds has closed. In its place is Jimmy’s, for great breakfasts, American-style. Be sure to check out the Sunday Brunch including Eggs Benedict, Stuffed French Toast and Grits. Not to mention Bloody Marys and Mimosas to help ease you into Sunday afternoon. At Kahiki Restaurant on the road to Langosta.

Thursdays, the place to relax over a Happy Hour drink is Best Western Vista Villas in Tamarindo. A triple whammy: amazing sunset views, ¢600 beers and Bob Benjamin’s mellow music live at the Monkey Bar, from 5 to 8 p.m. March 10, starting at 6 p.m., sees the Quinta Cabalgata Luna Mar, a horse parade by the light of the full moon, to beneﬁt victims of the recent earthquake. Starting in Tempate, the ride ends at Restaurante La Chola in Potrero for reception and party. Contact Saddy Cerdas – 8-3816505 or Carlos Tassara – 2-654-5522 for details. Force One Security & Access Control is open for business. Owner Terry Anderson and family moved to Tamarindo March 2008. Throughout the past 12 months Terry has secured over 40 homes and businesses throughout Guanacaste. Eduardo Duzzi/Senior Technician and 16year Costa Rica resident has joined Force One. Combined they bring 40 years of security experience to our community. Call 8855-6945 or email info@forceonesecuritycr. com (see ads page 26 & 31). Ron Stewart and Janet, in town for the Valentine’s Golf Tournament, invite their friends to their new digs in Panama. Call (507) 720-2304 or ronjanetcr@hotmail.com.

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

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

Surf Report Story: Ellen Zoe Golden Jairo Pérez, the 18-year-old surfer from Jacó Beach, whose only goal last month was to be the best surfer of the Copa Balance Nature, accomplished that task when he clinched his first Open trophy by giving the public quite a memorable surfing show. In the fourth date of the Circuito Nacional de Surf DAYSTAR 2008-2009, presented by Coca-Cola Zero, which took place at Playa Guiones in Nosara this February 7 and 8, Pérez beat the currently ranked 5th and 6th best surfers in the world (according to the International Surfing Association [ISA]), Jason Torres and Luis Vindas, respec-

World Surfing Games Costa Rica 2009 in Hermosa this August. All surfers are pushing their levels. “To win in the Open category nowadays is something very difficult. There are surfers who participate in this Circuito that are not necessarily those that we know, but whose talent comes with a hunger to play a good role in the outcome of the winners. I felt very motivated to win this date also because the waves were incredible and the level in the water from all directions was the highest,” Pérez said in his speech during the trophy ceremony. On the other hand, Torres was satisfied this time to come in 2nd during the Copa Balance Nature, because in doing so, it added valuable points to his ranking leadership, and helped him on the road towards earning a National title. With a good showing in the next date in Playa Carmen (5-star Torneo Day & Night Playa), and Playa Hermosa (6-star, 2,500 points Gran Final Terrazas Reef Playa), he would undoubtedly have that Costa Rican championship. Right now he is favored for the crown.

Photo: Fabián Sánchez tively, as well as a newcomer to the Open finals, Josymar Fuentes (Jacó). To be in the finals, Pérez needed to advance 6 rounds and pass a tremendous number of competitors who registered for this date of the Circuito. Heat after heat, from the first day of competition, his surfing remained solid, his legs forced an appropriate risk of maneuvers, and he made a wise selection of waves, all the way to the end. In that final, against Jaco’s Torres and Vindas, Pérez watched as in the last 15 minutes of the heat those two rocketed aerials and technical maneuvers of high scoring value. Nevertheless, Pérez had an ace up his sleeve, with a noticeable array of bottom turns that helped generate aggressive water explosions in the critical part of the wave, as well as vertical snaps and his specialty round house full of technique and grandeur. It was a spectacle worthy of 1st place. With the completion of the Copa Balance Nature in Playa Guiones, it is clear that the power of Costa Rican surfing is not in a few hands, but that there are many surfers who are hungry for the national championship, not to mention a place on the Costa Rican National Surf Team that will compete at the 2009 International Surfing Association (ISA) Billabong

Nataly Bernold (Jacó), the ISA #6 female in the world, added the Copa Balance Nature as her 3rd consecutive win. She is positioned at 1st for the present season in the ranking, with Lisbeth Vindas (Jacó), the 6-time Costa Rican Women’s Surfing champion, at 2nd. With this win in Nosara, the 15-year-old surfer demonstrated many improvements in conditions for over 5-feet, where in the past only Lisbeth had ruled in waves of this height. For the Juniors the Quepos surfer of 18 years, Ariel Agüero, displayed a style of surfing very similar to that of Jairo Pérez. In this date of the Circuito, he managed to beat Carlos Muñoz of Esterillos, the current Junior champion, by completing maneuvers that risked his humanity, so much so that it touched the judges for more points. Agüero happened to be chosen to travel with the Costa Rican National Junior Team that will go to (ISA) World Junior Surfing Games 2009 in Salinas, Ecuador between March 28 and April 5, 2009. The next date of the Circuito Nacional de Surf 2008-2009 DAYSTAR will be the Torneo Day & Night Playa in Playa Carmen on March 7 and 8, 2009. It will distribute 2,000 points to the winners of each category and is a 5-star event. (continued page 22)

Surﬁng the Crash

Tom Peifer

Two riders were approaching, and the wind begins to howl.....

he howling winds of February visited many parts of Guanacaste with a level of damage that made you sit up and take note. One neighbor lost a temporary house. Branches and whole trees were down everywhere and green mangoes literally carpeted the yards and streets. In the next town an elderly gent had his morning routine interrupted when the outhouse blew away from around the throne. For me it has been a windfall of sorts. One the one hand it provides a convenient excuse to harvest all the bananas that were almost ready anyway. On the other, wherever a tree came down or a big branch snapped, there’s a new space on the ground, or a bit more light that will get through the canopy. It’s just a question of figuring out what to plant. For a long time the operative assumption in scientific circles was that the abundant sun and rainfall explained the higher diversity in the lower latitudes. More recently opinion has shifted to the “shit happens more often” school of thought. Tree falls, landslides, lightning strikes and a host of other ‘disruptions’ generate a constantly changing mosaic of habitat types that different organisms have evolved to exploit. If you are a bird with a nest full of eggs in a giant Guanacaste that came down, the recent winds constitute a catastrophe for you as well as your ‘host’. At the same time, there is a whole suite of organisms just waiting to flourish at the opportunities provided by the new ‘light gap’ and a sudden dose of nutrients from the decomposing organic matter. In our area many of the seeds are already there, others will be blown in or imported by animals. The process known as forest succession will launch with the first rains. Unlike natural eco-systems which have recuperative strategies perfected over eons, systems devised by humans sometimes seem like Humpty Dumpty, a bit labor intensive on the reassembly side. Take the “perfect storm” that’s whipping through global finance. The force five gusts have done substantially more than splatter a few mangoes and blow over some trees. They’ve blown away trillions of dollars, caused rising unemployment, homelessness, riots and actually toppled some governments. Even the Wall Street Journal has noted that people’s belief in the ‘system’ has been profoundly shaken. “No, duh!” might be the only appropriate response from a seething citizenry which has witnessed a drastic decline in the values of their homes, retirement accounts, indeed, in their very aspirations to what used to be considered the “non-negotiable American way of life.”

Please forgive me for once again drawing on analogies from nature. Just two years back I commented on a book, The Upside of Down, (The Howler, March, 2006), in which the writer all but concludes that civilization is headed for some kind of collapse. But, he argues, much like the falling tree in the forest, a systemic collapse provides the “light”, the breathing room or the space in which new approaches, forms of social organization or ways of doing business, can flourish. A convenient example comes from the nearby country of Cuba. The collapse of the Soviet Union effectively severed their supply line of chemical inputs for farming. The country suddenly found itself in a world of hurt, but with a small cadre of weirdoes who had quietly pursued organic farming all along. The success of Cuba to weather the ‘special period’ and roll out urban gardens, biological pest control and a whole arsenal of alternative techniques stands in stark contrast to the million or so deaths due to starvation in North Korea, another country cut off from Soviet supplies. The salient point in the case of Cuba is that the seeds of change had already sprouted. They simply needed an opening in the structural canopy that hindered their development. ‘Arrested development’ is an apt description for the current status of things along the Gold Coast of Guanacaste. It takes two forms. One: the project is dead in the water, weeds are covering the roads and the office staff has been reduced in direct proportion to the declining sales and investor enthusiasm. The second form is a sort of delusional state that everything is coming back to normal in a short time. A recent on-line promotion for houses under $500K and yacht slips up to 240’ had my friend Helen and me literally doubled over with laughter. “Don’t these people have a sense of reality?” she wondered. “I mean, half the world’s population doesn’t even have electricity, what are they thinking?” Good question, Amiga. In point of fact, they may be thinking that the future will be like the past. That the days will return when tourists come down with a severe case of Pura Vida syndrome, go home, take out a second mortgage and come back down here and build a small castle—oh yeah--on a golf course. If you happened to catch the immediate reaction on Wall Street to Obama’s plan for saving the financial Humpty Dumpty, you may agree there is increasing evidence that ‘normal’ (continued page 29)

A Slice of Life How I got into Computers “Computer Programmer” read the advert in the local paper. I had read a little about computers, the New Rage, so I knew more than most people, and had taken a night school class in programming, and that was a disaster, as the teacher knew less than the class. Determined to get into this new profession, I took a correspondence course. This, too, was a load of trash, and folded after a few lessons. For this was 1967, and most people could not even spell computer, let alone know what it did. However, I arrived for the job interview and was given a written aptitude test. After checking the results, the interviewer asked: “Why do you want the programmer’s job?” “Because that is what you are advertising,” I answered, “and it pays better than my current job.” He told me I had scored well on the test but that my aptitude would lend itself better to the Systems Analyst job, which had also been advertised in the same paper. “What’s a Systems Analyst?” I asked. The interviewer replied with an analogy about traffic signals: “The Systems Analyst studies the traffic flow at a busy interchange, then he designs a procedure to control the traffic efficiently. He passes his information to the programmer. Using the analyst’s design, the programmer codes the switches that change the lights in the correct sequence.” “I could do that,” I answered. “Anything else about the job?” “Yes,” he added, “the systems analyst job pays better than the programmer.” “I’ll take it!” I answered, and walked out of the interview with a highly paid job I did not know existed when I walked in.

Do you have a story to tell? This page is available for your “Slice of Life” - any short incident of your life which readers may find interesting or amusing. E-mail to dmills@racsa.co.cr to submit your story.

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World Cup Fever 2010 So, we are into the final round of qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, and Costa Rica is standing up well so far. When the World Cup starts in June, 2010, 32 teams will have qualified from a starting lineup of 204. The World Cup is divided into six divisions based on their geographic locations: Europe (UEFA), which will send 13 teams to South Africa, Africa (CAF), 6 teams, S. Africa is automatically qualified), South America (CONMEBOL), 4 or 5 teams , Rest of the Americas (CONCACAF), 3 or 4 teams, Asia (AFC), 4 or 5 teams, Oceania (OFC), 0 or 1. Elimination Rounds 1, 2 and 3 started in 2007 leaving 100 teams to qualify in Round 4, comprising UEFA (53 teams); CAF (20); CONMEBOL (10); CONCACAF (6); AFC (10); and OFC (1). Round 4 for CONCACAF consists of Costa Rica, United States, El Salvador, Trinidad & Tobago, Honduras and Mexico.

The first game of Round 4 was played February 11, in which Costa Rica beat Honduras 2-0, U.S. beat Mexico 2-0 and El Salvador tied with Trinidad & Tobago 1-1. The round continues until October 14, at which time the three top teams will have qualified to go to South Africa. The fourth team will play two games, home and away, against the fifth team from CONMEBOL, the winner also going to the World Cup. In Round 4, each team will play the other five teams at home and away. Costa Rica’s fixtures are: February 11 March 28 April 1 June 3 June 6 Aug. 12 Sept. 5 Sept. 9 Oct. 10 Oct. 14

– – -– – – – – – –

Honduras, Mexico, El Salvador, United States, Trinidad & Tobago, Honduras, Mexico, El Salvador, Trinidad & Tobago, United States,

at home, won 2-0, away, home, home, away, away, home, away, home, away.

Go Sele!

My Costa Rican Car Buying Experience

’ve been in Costa Rica for over a year now and it seems that I’ve been initiated to an assortment of bureaucratic red tape. But all things aside, buying and owning a car in Costa Rica is a bit of a hurdle itself. I have friends who’ve shipped their cars down; a BMW and a Honda SUV, and the amount they paid in taxes was astounding! . With this knowledge, I was sure I wasn’t going to ship a car down, so the ﬁrst week I was here I rented a car and went about putting out feelers for a used vehicle. I wanted a truck, as I’m planning on building a house here and a truck is always good to have anyways. After a few weeks of “networking” I found a truck that I liked and was in the price range, so I bought it. The guy who owned it had shipped it down for resale. He had a printout from one of the websites showing that it was a one-owner vehicle. After testing it out it seemed to be in good working order. There are plenty of used cars out there and there are plenty of used car dealers. The one major thing to remember when looking for a vehicle is that they do really good body work here! What I mean is that they can take a car that they bought for $50 that was under water in New Orleans for a month and make it look good! Believe me, there are thousands of vehicles from New Orleans here. Why do you think that there are so many maroon, turquoise, and silver cars running around? They’re wipe-outs from New Orleans. I don’t have a clue why they paint all the cars these three colors I just mentioned. But the tell-tale sign of a “sunken” car is the moldy smell inside and it pays to look behind the door panels or lift the carpet to look for rust as well. Just

Craig Edwards be careful, these guys are good at car restoration, but they don’t do a great job on the electrical systems. So, now I have a vehicle! Great! That was easy! Now to how I got it put into my name, registering it and all that stuff that in the States we all took for granted. Yeah, going down to the DMV was a hassle, and jeez it might take an hour or two if you went on a busy day. But you got it done and went on your way with everything taken care of. They even send you the paperwork in the mail. I now look back on the times I had to deal with the DMV as a fond memory! That’s kind of pathetic in itself, but true! There is no DMV here; you need a lawyer for this stuff. The folks I bought the car from already had a lawyer here who dealt just with vehicle sales/ purchases. We went to their lawyer’s ofﬁce and sat there while he did all the paperwork. At the end of the visit I was told I’d have a temporary license in a couple of days. Since the truck had Alabama plates on it, I had to pay the taxes on it to get Costa Rican plates. I then had to go to get the truck inspected at the RITEVE. This was the fun part! For twenty bucks you get a kind of Amusement Park ride! You drive up to the entrance and the ﬁrst person does (continued page 34)

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e all have mold in our homes and offices at most times, particularly during the rainy season. It may be visible on walls, woodwork or clothes – or not visible at all. Mold can cause damage to property and illness in people and pets, injuring the immune system and making the subject more susceptible to disease. It can also be responsible for bad odors in affected premises. Mold spores, so small that 250,000 would fit on the head of a pin, are tough, easy to get and difficult to get rid of. Fortunately there is a way to purify indoor premises of mold to the point that it will not return. Ozone (O3) is a colorless gas made of oxygen atoms, occurring in nature and, when applied correctly, is a very powerful bactericide. The Perfect Air Ozone generator can be run in an unoccupied room to fill the room with the necessary amount of ozone. The gas kills all bacteria and mold, leaving the room full of clean oxygen, since the ozone soon reverts back to its other form (O2). The treatment can be applied to any closed area, a room, a floor or an entire home. Ozone treatment is done by a qualified technician, who calculates the air volume in the room and applies the ozone generation for the appropriate length of time – up to several hours. Unless the room or house reaches the required concentration of ozone, all the mold will not be killed. Says Wayne Byrd, owner of We Kill Mold in Potrero on Guanacaste’s Gold Coast: “The efficacy of the treatment is easily seen in a hotel, where we treat one room and then compare that with the untreated room next door. The difference is very obvious.” Ozone treatment also kills the mold’s DNA, making it impossible to reproduce after the treatment. The premises will remain mold-free, even without the use of an air conditioner. For this reason, ozone treatment is very cost-effective, costing only a few cents a day, compared with many dollars for air conditioning. Contact Wayne at 8-377-4677 or wekillmold@gmail.com.

Owning,

Doing,

or Operating Business in Tamarindo

You studied hard in college, graduated, trained with some of the best, gained top salary, received a few awards, started businesses from the ground up, almost started your own but instead bought a house or invested in some very sound stock. Eventually things get a little boring, run-of-the-mill, and you’ve heard the stories – live the dream, work in a tropical paradise. No traffic 5 or 6 days a week, no snow. But you are an eager hard worker and will maintain the same work ethic in paradise, teach, train others, just like in your past life – no problem. After two weeks, maybe a month, everyone’s on the same page, Oh, remember, don’t be late. Your space is rented, appears to be in good shape, honest and helpful landlord, things get done, monthly maintenance, permits all in order, every document signed, initialed, dated, stamped. You are operating with your well-trained staff, passed a mock test, how to answer the phone, greet clients, when a client enters the office hang up your personal cell phone, no putting on make-up in public, no smoking in office

Esteban

or bathroom, no idle chit-chat about what happened at the party last night, no pretending the client doesn’t exist. You explain what you do and don’t want done in an authoritative tone, since you are the owner. Well, after the tenth time explaining about how to operate in your place with rules and regulations acceptable in the Euro countries and U.S., nothing you’ve created, no dunce’s caps, lick my shoes, time-outs or Satan worship; just everyday business opportunities. So you start to fire people on the spot; they cry, men and women, adults well into their 30s. It’s best to contact the Ministry of Labor first and have the proper documents printed up, and call your lawyer – all eight of them. Remember three documents signed by the offender is all it takes; even illegal workers, you have to give rights and access to all owed moneys. Otherwise, someone may try to take you to court, or just old backwoods style. Watch out! (continued page 29)

Surf Report

(from page 15)

Prior to the Copa Balance Nature, the Federacion de Surf de Costa Rica finished a workshop with the Costa Rican national media who will be covering the 2009 ISA Billabong World Surfing Games Costa Rica 2009. The 25 journalists of the mainstream mass media were present for 8 hours. and were grateful for the surfing instruction offered by the technical body, among them surfers Federico Pilurzu, Diego Narango, and Lisbeth Vindas (Jacó).

Photo: Fabián Sánchez

New Howler Web Site The Howler has rebuilt its web site so it reads more like the real magazine. But with a difference: Clicking on an advertiser’s image or e-mail address will take you to his/her web site or e-mail blank. This service will be free until May 2009, after which a fee will apply to those who want to be seen on our popular web site. Read The Howler online at howlermag.com.

The CNS DAYSTAR 2008-2009 presented by Coca-Cola Zero Sponsors are: 69 Slam, 911 Groovy Radio, Balance Natural, Banana Wax, Banzaii Surfboards, Billabong, Carton Surfboards, Christian Surfers, Coca-Cola Zero, Day & Night Beach Club, DAYSTAR, FCS, Gimnasio Platinum, Gorila, Hotel Backyard, Hotel Terraza del Pacíﬁco, Ibarquero Design, Jass Surf Shop, Mango, Powerade, Quiksilver, Quique, Redbull, Reef, Roca Bruja, Surfos Magazine, Surftech, Witch’s Rock Surf Camp, WOW Surf Shop. 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 27)

Alcoholics Anonymous Schedule of Meetings

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Location: Hitching Post Plaza Unit 2, Brasilito Contact: Don H. at 2-654-4902

Tamarindo

The Huacas tope was very well-attended with a record 200+ riders

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

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Plantains the Ultimate Renewable Resource Tom Knight

hree years ago I planted two plantain shoots 60 feet apart (to provide shade for my casa). Being a gardener, I watered them religiously during the dry season. Within six months each tree was over 15 feet tall and each had a stalk of fruit beginning. They matured, and from the shoots I now have two groves of trees six feet in diameter, about 15 trees in one group and a dozen in the other. Most people don’t know that you have to cut down a tree after it fruits. It will die naturally and never fruit again, but keeps kicking out shoots from its base. I haven’t seen any plantain tree in Tamarindo, other than mine, that have huge stalks of fruit. In one grove at the present time, I have three trees in various stages of maturing fruit and in the other, four . Nice thing about plantains is that they don’t have runners, just offshoots at the base, not like bamboo which can become dangerously invasive.

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They continually kick out fruit all year long. My secret? During the dry season I give them a 10-minute or more deep drink, at least every other day, from the garden hose...they don’t need it, obviously, during the wet season. The stalks of fruit get so heavy, I use long poles with notched ends to shore up the tree. Each mature tree is more than one foot in diameter at the base. When I cut a tree down to harvest the stalk, the green plantains will ripen faster indoors than if left standing to mature naturally. Why? I don’t know. If left on the tree to ripen, the jays get to them as soon as they spy a yellowing one. That’s OK with me; I love my birds, and besides there are 50 or more fruits to each stalk. It’s nice to see a dozen or more of the jays all trying to get some dinner. Being new to plantains, I tried to peel one like a banana. Wrong! The toughness of the skin I could not believe; it was impenetrable. I finally took a sharp knife and cut off both ends, then scored it horizontally four times along the skin’s ridge lines. I could then get my finger under the skin and the tough skin came off in four slices. Now, with a green plantain, I tasted it – ugh - like a green mango!! A Tico friend showed me how to boil it in chunks or sliced and fried in hot oil. I couldn’t believe it when I tasted it for first time; I defy one to tell the difference between a green plantain and a potato. And, when I let the plantain get good and ripe and yellow, it peeled a lot easier and then tasted sweet, just like a regular banana. Nice. And, now have my shade in spades and “can eat it too.” Yes, it is the “ultimate renewable resource”, the gift of Mother Nature that just keeps on giving.

MARCH TIDE CHART 1S

4W 1st Qtr 5T

05:30 11:28 17:48 23:59 06:10 12:08 18:29 00:42 06:54 12:52 19:16 01:32 07:47 13:45 20:13 02:32 08:52 14:51 21:22

8.5 6F -0.1 9.2 -0.1 8.2 7S 0.2 8.9 0.2 7.8 0.6 8.5 0.6 7.4 1.0 8.1 1.0 7.1 1.4 7.7

10T FullMoon

03:42 10:08 16:09 22:40 04:59 11:26 17:30 23:54 06:10 12:34 18:40 00:58 07:10 13:31 19:40 01:54 08:03 14:21 20:31

1.2 11W 7.0 1.6 7.6 1.2 12T 7.3 1.4 7.8 0.8 13F 7.9 0.8 8.3 14S 0.2 8.6 0.2 8.8 15S -0.3 9.3 -0.4

02:43 08:50 15:07 21:17 03:28 09:33 15:50 22:01 04:12 10:14 16:32 22:42 04:54 10:54 17:12 23:23 05:35 11:33 17:53

9.1 -0.7 9.7 -0.7 9.3 -0.8 9.9 -0.9 9.3 -0.8 9.9 -0.8 9.1 -0.5 9.6 -0.5 8.6 0.0 9.1

16M

17T

18W Last Qtr 19T

20F

00:04 06:17 12:14 18:34 00:46 07:02 12:56 19:19 01:32 07:53 13:34 20:09 02:25 08:52 14:42 21:10 03:28 10:01 15:53 22:21

0.0 8.1 0.6 8.4 0.6 7.4 1.3 7.8 1.2 6.9 1.9 7.2 1.7 6.4 2.4 6.7 2.0 6.2 2.6 6.5

21S

22S

23M

24T

25W

26T New Moon

04:39 11:10 17:08 23:28 05:43 12:09 18:11

2.1 6.4 2.5 6.6 1.9 6.7 2.1

00:26 06:35 12:56 19:01 01:14 07:18 13:37 19:44 01:56 07:57 14:15 20:22

7.0 28S 1.5 7.3 1.5 7.4 29S 1.1 7.9 0.9 7.8 30M 0.6 8.4 0.3

27F

02:35 08:34 14:51 21:00 03:12 09:10 15:27 21:37 03:49 09:46 16:04 22:15 04:28 10:25 16:43 22:55 05:08 11:05 17:24 23:38

8.2 0.2 8.9 -0.1 8.5 -0.1 9.3 -0.5 8.7 -0.3 9.5 -0.7 8.8 -0.3 9.5 -0.6 8.6 -0.2 9.4 -0.4

31T

05:52 11:50 18:10

8.4 0.1 9.0

1W April

00:25 06:41 12:40 19:02 01:18 07:38 13:38 20:03 02:19 08:45 14:48 21:14 03:29 09:59 16:06 22:30

0.0 8.0 0.6 8.5 0.4 7.7 1.0 7.9 0.8 7.4 1.4 7.6 1.1 7.4 1.4 7.5

2T 1st Qtr 3F

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Surf Report

(from page 22)

Results of Copa Balance Natural Circuito Nacional de Surf 2008-2009 DAYSTAR February 7 - 8 - Playa Nosara Open 1 Jairo Pérez 2 Jason Torres 3 Luis Vindas 4 Josymar Fuentes

MiniGrommets Girls (under 12) 1 Cloe Velarde 2 Arisha Grioti 3 Leilani McGonagle 4 Selena Moberly

Women’s 1 Nataly Bernold 2 Lisbeth Vindas 3 Liz Block 4 Kristin Wilson

Master (over 35) 1 Geancarlo Loria 2 Mauro Sergio Oliveira 3 Marcelo Matos 4 Alejandro Monge

Juniors (under 18 years) 1 Ariel Agüero 2 Carlos Muñoz 3 Ramon Taliani 4 Anderson Tascon

Grand Master (over 40) 1 Carlos Velarde 2 Graig “Tequila” Schieber 3 Peter Hillman 4 Marco Pacheco

Junior Women’s 1 Maia Velarde 2 Avalon Esterak 3 Paula Duarte 4 Arisha Grioti

Longboard 1 Cedric Auffret 2 Cristian Santamaría 3 Mauricio Umaña 4 Alexander Gómez

Boys (under 16) 1 Carlos Muñoz 2 Anthony Fillingim 3 Tomas King 4 Francesco Dagapiti

Novices 1 Juan José Lara 2 Andrés Gutiérrez 3 Michael Suazo 4 Keyner Carranza

Grommets (under 14) 1 Manuel Mesen 2 Josué Rodríguez 3 Tomas King 4 Leonardo Calvo

Bodyboard 1 Richard Marín 2 Reimar Ramirez 3 Johan Mojica 4 Johan Matarrita

MiniGrommets (under 12) 1 Andrei López 2 León Williams 3 Sean Forester 4 Kevin Montiel

Bodyboard Women’s 1 Jimena Calvo 2 Cindy Díaz 3 Verónica Quiroz 4 Michelle Jimenez

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

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by Jeanne Callahan

October March Forecasts

Aries: 21 March - 20 April

This is the month to network your way to success. With Venus in your sign the entire month you have additional magnetism that attracts people to you, even with Venus going retrograde on the 6th. Be careful after that date about entering into new love/intimate relationships as the attraction may fade quickly after April 17th when Venus is in direct motion once more. Pull back from the public between the 9th and 14th as you are vulnerable to mistakes then. Your best days are the new moon on the 26th and the 27th.

Taurus: 21 April - 21 May

Visit Jeanne’s site at CelestialAdvisor.com

Libra: 23 September - 23 October

Creative thinking is your strength this month as a stellium of planets move through your solar ﬁfth house creating a burst of energy for you. Write it all down so you don’t forget all the inspired ideas pouring in at this time. Good time to seek publicity and publication. Don’t overextend yourself, however, as your health has some delicacy surrounding it around the time of the full moon on the 10th. Your partner is supportive at this time but may have some interesting requests regarding some independence. The 12th and 13th are positive but volatile.

Career and public image is still very much your main focus as new opportunities start to present themselves. Be innovative and unusual in your presentation of your talents and abilities as the public is now more attuned to forward thinking ideas and people. You may experience an abrupt ending of a friendship or a need to separate from a particular group or association around the 9th - 14th. Don’t hang on, let it go and move on. If possible take some time off for a solitary retreat after the 6th. The 1st, 2nd, 30th and 31st are your days to shine.

Scorpio: 24 October - 22 November

The energy for you this month favors higher education, the law, foreigners and distant travel. Pay attention to your intuition and dreams as the universe is trying to guide you in a new direction. You may have a surprising and unexpected career offer around the 12th - 14th so be ready for change! Relationship opportunities may come through friends or business associates. If you want it to last don’t form any attachment till after April 17th. The 3rd, 4th, 30th and 31st are great for networking

Communication, ideas, public speaking, writing are of primary interest this month as well as events happening in your neighborhood. One of your siblings could be in close contact with you now too. Your mind is particularly well-suited to learning new things at this time and your creative ability is also accentuated. Be careful in your home around the 9th - 14th as the full moon energy with a Sun/Uranus conjunction has more than a little accident-prone signature. The 16th and 17th are your days to be persuasive and shine.

Gemini: 22 May - 21 June

Cancer: 22 June - 22 July

Your home, real estate and family issues will take priority in your attention this month. It’s a good time to do some remodeling or creative property improvement with four planets moving through your solar fourth house. The middle of the month has some volatility surrounding children, love affairs and speculations. Also literature, drama and ﬁne arts are favored at this time, just don’t be rigid in your approach, particularly around the 9th - 14th. The 14th and 15th are your best days.

Sagittarius: 23 November - 21 December

This month your attention will be directed towards ﬁnancial matters regarding wills, trusts, taxes, insurance and your partner’s assets. This may bring up certain psychological issues regarding your attitudes in these matters. Don’t bury your feelings at this time; talk it out with a trusted loved one or a professional to get clarity. Cancers are very attached to security and the people they love so this could be a difﬁcult period for you. You may undergo a profound and surprising shift towards someone who has been a spiritual leader for you mid-month. The 5th and 6th are days to nurture yourself.

Capricorn: 22 December - 21 January

Partnerships, both business and personal, will be the object of much attention this month as you may ﬁnd out that there has been a signiﬁcant change of attitude or goals regarding your partner. Be careful with your words, particularly on the 1st, as things can turn hostile quickly. Money issues also surface at this time so get it all out in the open and ignore the temptation to be deceptive. Negotiations are tricky now and best left to the end of the month. The 7th and 8th are favorable.

You should be feeling like a live wire as there are still four planets moving through your sign giving rise to all kinds of ideas and action. After the middle of the month it is safe to narrow the field but better yet to wait till after April 17th to make any final decisions about which way you want to go. Change is in the air and you have the ability to lead the way with confidence. The 21st and 22nd are your most favorable personal days.

Leo: 23 July - 23 August

Virgo: 24 August - 22 September

This month is a bit challenging as you may experience some health-related problems that need consistent attention. A lifestyle change that reduces stress is in order now. Partnership changes or signiﬁcant business issues require immediate attention around the 12th so be aware that it will feel chaotic at that time. Your urge to control and perfect the situation will only cause you additional stress at that time so just roll with it. The full moon on the 10th presents a time to remove yourself from an unrewarding situation. The 9th and 10th favor your sign.

You will ﬁnd many opportunities coming to you regarding investments and increasing your ﬁnancial power. Innovation versus risk is the theme for this month. You will alienate people if you come off as too controlling, so lighten your grip a bit and don’t reveal all you are feeling. The middle of the month is edgy and you may feel like blowing your top. Shake off the stress by taking refuge in your home and nurturing your family. The 19th and the equinox on the 20th are your best days.

Aquarius: 22 January - 19 February

Pisces: 20 February - 20 March

This month may shake up your life in a big way around the full moon on the 10th. Your actions may shock others are being totally “not you” as you ﬁnd yourself expressing a hidden part of your personality. Don’t be shy, speak up for yourself as this is just another aspect of your soul wanting to express itself in the open. Be outrageous even if just for a night...or maybe two, three, whatever! Use good judgment, however, regarding mood altering substances...Pisces do have a reputation for getting a little too tipsy! Best days are the 23rd and 24th.

Namasté

Business

Tamarindo

(from page 21)

A month has gone by and the faucet leaks, the bathroom smells funky, lights flicker, where’s the night guard? Late again, maybe, or playing soccer. Or at home resting, because there’s a swell coming in tomorrow. The dumpster is overflowing. Where’s the carting service I paid for. Maybe I should just burn it like the locals, or let the cows and horses eat it. You figured out the maintenance plan: it’s up to you. You fix the faucet, get the septic sucked out and scrubbed, change light bulbs, bury the garbage... It’s just you and another full-timer, a real one, no babysitting, half-hour lunches without booze or drugs, shows up on time, weekends are really two days, works the full 8-10 hours a day, real work, not text-messaging friends, not on-line poker playing, uses the bathroom for its intended purpose, understands that you’re the boss and they are employees. Maybe the boss doesn’t want to talk, is also working, producing, concentrating, silence is golden even if it offends the employees who want to talk about partying, fashion, other non-work-related social activities. So buckle up and get used to it – work in paradise!

Surviving

C hapter XXXIX

COSTA RICA

An Epic Journey

his month’s title is a rather lame attempt to catch your attention as you’re cruising through this month’s Howler searching for enlightenment. Once snagged you may notice that I’m really just ﬂoundering around trying to come up with 950 or so words that will once more satisfy The Editor and stop the ﬂow of poison pen e-mails that start arriving a few days after deadline.

In no time at all we’re steaming through Santa Cruz on real roads and planning on running into a whole bunch of trafﬁc cops, hereafter referred to as “Transitos”. Apparently it is the last day of school vacation and millions of Costa Ricans will be returning to San José all at once, assuring triple overtime for every transito in the country.

This month’s column kinda snuck up on me so I didn’t do my usual thorough research and contemplation. No one wants to hear yet another description of being robbed and the article I originally started writing about watching the grass grow seemed a little unexciting.

To our surprise, one of their favorite “spots” right outside of Santa Cruz is empty and we don’t see a single one until we hit the Nicoya Cruce where they have some tourists (cars covered with luggage) pulled over. Although there really didn’t seem to be that many more cars out that Sunday the same could not be said for the transitos who were out in droves. About every ten minutes or so the oncoming trafﬁc would be blinking their lights indicating “cops ahead”, sometimes solo but usually in groups that really didn’t seem to be all that interested in what was going on.

And then I got a phone call from a very good friend and neighbor whom I will only refer to as “R” for reasons soon to be made clear. “R” very much wanted to obtain Costa Rican Driver’s Licenses for herself and her husband “M” before their California licenses expired next month. She had been getting a lot of mixed information about how extremely difﬁcult this could be. She had been warned that she could expect to spend several days sorting through the mountain of near-impossible requirements involving multiple copies of numerous documents, etc. etc. etc. She therefore proposed to take my wife and me on an all-expense-paid one-day vacation to the Capital City of San José, and all I had to do was guide them through the intimidating ordeal of license procurement. As her husband would be doing the driving it left me free to write a column describing a typical trip to San José that all of us attempting to survive in Costa Rica must do periodically. This may give you an idea of how desperate I had become about coming up with something to write about. 10 a.m. Sunday: The Journey Begins The truck arrives; we jump in and head out of Tamarindo on a beautiful Guanacaste morning. Almost immediately the surprises begin as “M” opts to turn right at Villarreal on the famous “back road” to Santa Cruz. As it turns out that route is undergoing road repair for what is supposed to be a new paved road all the way to 27 de Abril. One only hopes it’s not the same bunch that was supposed to pave the Langosta Road last December.

At this point it’s starting to dawn on me that maybe not all that much was going to be happening on this trip and it may not make for the best column. In past trips on the highway to Costa Rica, otherwise known as the “Pan-American Highway” or “The Road of Death”, I’ve witnessed unthinkable carnage and horrendous automotive cataclysms. This trip has reduced me to recording the changing colors of the Malinche Trees as we head up through the mountains. Nothing new here, we’re stuck behind an endless line of monstrous tractor trailers, shifting constantly from ﬁrst to second gear while passing groups of sad-faced transitos with little prospect of catching speeders. In San José we do a little shopping after checking into our hotel. This turned out to be the three of us sitting around waiting for my wife to stop buying stuff, after which we get really daring and decide to drive to Escazú and do Hipermas, the Costa Rican version of Wal-Mart. Of course, the main road to Escazú was closed for repairs so we took another route causing us to get lost just long enough to get the wives really nervous before ﬁnding our objective.

Story by Jesse Bishop Your author will not attempt to further fill this column with the exciting details of shopping at Hipermas. Later that night we satisfied R&M’s craving for Chinese food by taking them to “Tin Jo” in downtown San José, as always providing a memorable dinner. The next day We got to the COSEVI compound about nine the next morning, where the first step was a medical exam to determine if you’re healthy enough to drive in Costa Rica. This usually involves showing that you are physically able to lift your arm while breathing, but as of lately has also included getting a blood test so your type can be put on the license. R’s preparation begins to show; she has already had both their bloods tested in Tamarindo, has the results with all the proper stamps in triplicates, as with their passports and drivers’ licenses. This avoids the on-scene blood test with a possibly rusty needle and we’re sent on down the line. Now remember, I’m their guide and they’ve put a lot of faith in my knowing what to do, somewhat based on the fact I’d renewed my license successfully in the same building a few months earlier. A twenty-minute wait at the on-site Banco Nacional ends up with our finding out the process is different for first-time license procurers and we were sent inside the “compound” to have the California licenses registered. We went upstairs where the very nice lady quickly stamped and signed R’s license copies, after which we were sent downstairs to have the info put in MOPT’s computer system, this probably took another twenty minutes. The future license holders were then given a receipt to take to the on-site BCR, about a ten-minute process after which we returned to the main office to be photographed and issued the new licenses. The whole process was only a little further delayed by the need of R’s photographer to flirt a little, a situation brought about by the fact that she is a very attractive woman. The licenses were obtained in less than an hour and a half and this column has also been finished. Two birds dispatched with one stone!

Surﬁng the Crash (from page XX)

won’t return any time soon. It’s time for a different approach. I call it: Surfing the Crash. Thirty years ago this month, I paddled out solo to a perfect lefthander that was peeling off in front of the hotel I was working on in Gambia, West Africa. The waves had been hissing and spitting for hours in front of the restaurant where the carpenters had a temporary workshop. I was the boss, and frustrated at missing out on flawless conditions. Finally, I took a temporary leave of absence. Nearly a hundred workers filled the unfinished rooms along the bluff and watched as I raced along the fastest backside waves of my life. When I left the water after bouncing off the bottom, they looked at the board in fascination, turning it over and over. “What is it?” one asked. “It’s a Channin,” said another. They wanted to know where the motor was. The point is not, ‘gee how stupid these guys were’. After all, I had seen the same dumbstruck, jaw-drop look on fishermen ten years earlier in Portugal the first time they saw people riding waves. The point is that people can be observing a phenomenon, in this case, crashing waves, for up to a lifetime, and see only danger or destruction. Out of nowhere comes a guy with a different set of skills and/or tools -- but most importantly a different perspective, managing to tap into a confluence of forces unperceived—and literally glide and cavort in the zone where others encounter only chaos and catastrophe. People who want to prosper in the new reality, and this includes developers and business people in Guanacaste, should take a tip from experienced surfers: take a long look at the rapidly changing conditions before paddling out and committing to the drop. The good news is that there will be fewer and fewer players in the lineup. While no one knows for sure how the future winds will blow, a couple of trends seem to be a sure bet. 1. Localism rules. The seemingly endless march of globalization has gone from fast-forward to neutral and now is slipping into reverse. Manufacturing, shipping and trade have all taken a big hit and a wave of protectionism seems to be building. Agriculture is predicted to take a big hit because of credit problems affecting spring planting. Fewer chunks of foreign capital are going to be flowing through the local economies. It makes ever more sense to plug projects into both job creation and re-circulation of capital within local economies and based on local resources. A project near me started a small farm and now is planning a venue where local food—from veggies to eggs to goat cheese—will be sold. They are also planning to incorporate workers’ housing into the project, at least a partial response to the dearth of land available for locals. The guy who figures out how to make alcohol locally and legally will become a millionaire.

2. Back to the basics. It is hard to imagine but Americans are discovering the forgotten practice of saving money. The 5,000 sq. ft. house with ‘lawyer foyer’ entrance appears to be living on borrowed time. Expect shoppers down here to want fewer frills. It’s about time. Part of the allure of the tropics has always been the ultimate luxury: simple, clean, comfortable and affordable living at a pace where people can slow down enough to realize how little they need to really enjoy life. Even without the imported Italian marble and Balinese bathroom ﬁxtures, a well-located hammock is usually enough to get people relaxed and humming a few lines from an old song “ You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometime, you just might ﬁnd, you get what you need.” Oh yeah!

Tom Peifer is an ecological land use consultant with 13 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/

March ( a l l

t i m e s

2009 l o c a l )

Sun

1st - rise 5:58; set 5:54 15th - rise 5:50; set 5:54 31st - rise 5:41; set 5:54

1st quarter: Full: Last quarter: New:

Moon

4th 10th 18th 26th

1:46 a.m. 8:38 p.m. 11:47 a.m. 10:06 a.m.

Remodelling & Home Repairs Carpentry • Block Walls Stonework • Ceramic Tile Drywall • Concrete Free estimates Rex Barnes - Tel: 2-653-1432

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

WHAT ARE WE DOING COSTA RICA?

Cynthia Osborne Charpentier

Doctor Mario Why should I have to call 911? Because Dr. Mario pierces with his needles for all of us. Why? For our health. Who is this Doctor that I didn’t know and “corre de boca en boca” (word of mouth). Who is this human spiritual being that helps us? Let’s start going to his clinic: beds here, beds there, nice music, medicines, equipment, quiet environment and surprises for every patient. Patient? You don’t even feel pain. There is a total serenity that takes care of us with his acupuncture, his bla, bla, bla and meditation.

We need salads, veggies, everything healthy. Why we don’t care about our lives? “Acupuncture, it’s great! I go every week to Dr Mario. It’s really good” - J. Backs, increase circulation, all natural. “I have used acupuncture for 32 years. I went to the Kyoto University, in Japan. I had a ‘beca” (scholarship) for Latinoamerican students in California” - Dr. Mario. Acupuncture is an alternative therapy. Some doctors deny that it is better.

Why there are doctors who help and some others that just look at the money?

“I use chakras funcion, auriculoterapia working and 270 points.” - Dr. Mario.

I was sceptical: No piercing, no vitamins, No! And the Doctor told me: “If you don’t help yourself, I can not. It’s your time and your money. I don’t want it, you must help me” - Dr. Mario.

It’s very hard to believe it’s not going to work, that natural medicine works.

I decided to go back. Books, vitamins, everything natural. I am so happy! There are human beings that don’t know themselves... Do we know each ourselves? Enough to look at your eyes like Doctor Mario and knows about everybody, like me...He can see what we cannot see. What do you think about acupuncture? “About what? What is that? I don’t know... - E. “It has been around for thousands of years. It helps me with my back” - George, Canada. “I haven’t tried it” - Shirley, Canada. “I never try it” - Ron, Canada. Marilyn said that is too soon for another interview after a year ago. No comments. “I don’t know anything about it, but they say it is good” - Mariana. “The cure is a miracle” - Liz Garcia. There’s no magic; its ability can be demonstrated. “That’s a lot of sensation he found, things were wrong with me: low pressure. And eyes, he looked at my eyes” - D.

“There’s homeopatic treatment, alternative therapy. I have 45 patients in Potrero. Acupuncture: one of the ways to get harmony in our bodies” - Dr. Mario. Acupuncture is part of traditional medicine that occidentals accept and recognize like a powerful tool for health. It’s good! “It’s a way to contact the total energy from the body, something that ‘holopathic’ medicine has been able to do” - Fer Vinocour. “He helped me with my back. I think that acupuncture and natural medicines are much better than chemical medicines. And many times chemical medicines make the problem worse or cause new problems” - AC. Doctor Mario told my neighbor that his problem for years with his shoulder wasn’t there but on his arm, and he ﬁxed it. “I have a good opinion of it. It is an alternative, is not invasive, it is effective, doesn’t have secondary effects like traditional medicine” - Ivania Cordova, Psychologist. It was funny when I said: “I need your opinion, you are a doctor”. And she said: “I am not a doctor, I am a Psychologist”. Hey! Let’s stop the differences between doctors, everybody helps in their way. Let’s appreciate each one, and don’t get sceptical, they will help you no matter what, but help yourself too.

Buying a Car...

(from page 18)

things like check your turn signals, check to see if you have windshield washer fluid, checks your tire pressure, checks to see if your doors lock, checks to see if your interior light works, you know - the important stuff! When he’s done you’re told to drive up and stop and they pull over a machine that checks to see if your headlights are aligned while they give your vehicle an enema via the tailpipe to check its emissions, I think, maybe. The next stop is the good one! You pull up on this dual roller system and they check to see if your wheels spin? I don’t know exactly what they check, but it’s all computerized. Then you pull up and they tell you to stop and your car starts shaking and trembling and you’re sitting there thinking it’s an earthquake or something, but it’s just the machine jiggling the car. There’s a guy in a pit under the car who starts tugging on the leaf springs and pulling on the tailpipe to see if it’s going to fall apart, and then you get your paperwork and you’re out of there. For now... My truck’s rear brakes were not calibrated. One side was braking at 35% and the other side was at 65%. So I had to get that taken care of before I could get my sticker. I went back to the lawyer’s office and got a referral for a mechanic . I quickly went to see the guy thinking I’d get the brakes adjusted, go back to the inspection station and be able to get my temporary plates in the same day. Good luck! I got to the mechanic’s and they basically dropped everything else and jumped on my brake adjustment! After about an hour it was done and I’m thinking, “Now how much is THIS going to cost?” It cost four mil colones (about $7.40) for two mechanics for an hour! Some things here are just a bargain! So, back to the lawyer’s office where I ask if I can go back for my reinspection. No, it’s not that easy. I have to make another appointment at the RITEVE! The next available appointment was in a week! So, I’m driving around Costa Rica in an Isuzu truck with an expired Alabama license plate on it! I’m really looking forward to getting stopped by the cops! With my crummy Spanglish and no paperwork for the vehicle I’m driving, it should be yet another fantastic experience! Fortunately, I never did get stopped. So, a week later I went back to the RITEVE and the truck passed inspection, but one document was missing. So I had to go back to the lawyers and get the paper, then back to the station to get the final clearance. Finally, I got my temporary license! Great! The real plates should be here in a week! So, I had to wait for the plates to arrive about three weeks later and then I had to go get the truck registered (the Marchamo) and then I had to take those papers back to the lawyers office in order for him to start transferring the title of the car. From the time I paid the guy I bought the car from until I finally had the plates and all the paperwork done was five weeks...and I mean I was workin’ hard at it! But in the end, I’m still in my little Isuzu truck and it’s runnin’ like a top and gettin’ me all over the country. Like most everything else here for us Gringos who came from a countries of anal efficiency it takes time to get used to the way the Ticos do things. All that’s really needed is an attitude adjustment and some patience and being glad you’re here! Happy travels and good luck!