Casagua Horses The greatest variety of tours and riding experiences for all ages, featuring spectacular countryside, howler monkeys, colorful small towns and fun-filled fiestas. Cantina Tour - Nature Tour Fiesta & Tope Rental - Old Tempate Trail Tour Located near Portegolpe on the main road, opposite the Monkey Park, just 20 minutes from the beach.
Phone us at: 2-653-8041
kaydodge@racsa.co.cr www.tamarindo.com/casagua The best horses on Guanacaste’s Gold Coast!
editor’s note Looks like the great monstrosity Pacific Park is almost finished. Well, we really hope so, not that we like it, want it or need it, but that the disgraceful mess it has made of the street should soon be gone. Right from the start, this construction has destroyed the road, rerouted a river, caused flooding, blocked the street with trucks, cranes and building materials for two years with a total disregard for the neighborhood and no consideration of its community. Now, there is a huge lake across the entire junction, even larger than the old Laguna Tamarindo, which was cleared up last year. One thing that will not go away is its effect on local winds. The building creates a Venturi effect which has made that corner the windiest and dustiest in town. Congratulations, guys, you have really built a monument to greed and selfishness. Do not be surprised if people don’t rush to buy your condos and retail outlets. Jesse Bishop (page 26) treats this issue with a lot more humour but, as his column arrived several days late, as always, you get both opinions. The few soccer fans who read the Howler will, of course, know that the Costa Rican summer futbol league is over, with a big surprise! First, perennial finalists La Liga went down the tubes early in the season (see photo, page 21), losing just about every game they played, then the Great Saprissa lost to Guanacaste’s own Liberia Mia in the semifinals. So the old order changeth, yielding place to new. How refreshing! Either Liberia or Heredia is now Champion – you know, but I don’t. Still on soccer – Costa Rica plays two crucial games towards the 2010 World Cup (La Copa Mundial): on June 3 against the United States in San José, and June 6 away at Trinidad and Tobago. And you know, you guys, you won’t get far on the world stage playing your usual sissy tactics – a clip on the ankle and you roll on the ground crying for “mami”. Europe doesn’t play this way, and the referees won’t be sympathetic. It’s a contact sport – deal with it.
Flamingo Equestrian Center Riding School - Boarding Facility Lighted Indoor Arena - Jump Course Year-round Customized Horse Camps and Clinics flamingohorses@gmail.com www.costaricahorses.com 8-828-6879
¿What is this doing in Tamarindo?
June 2009
The Howler Since 1996
FEATURES 8 Dining Out - On the Cheap
As the recession tightens its grip on the wallet, we try some eating places that serve good food but don’t cost a fortune.
9 Keeping the Marimba Alive
A college professor at the Liceo de Santa Cruz keeps traditions alive in Las Delicias.
13 Return to Tamarindo
A group of ex-Tamarindeños come back for a trip down memory lane, and are amazed at the changes after just five years.
14 Around Town Openings, closings, parties, music. The Gold Coast has it all, and bar-hoppin’ David is in the groove.
15 Surf Report
Sixteen-year-old Carlos Muñoz wins the 2008-2009 Costa Rica National Costa Rica Surf Championship title.
16 Fashion Show - Let It Rain
Kata Kis’ Papaya Con Leche puts on another great fashion show, modelled by young locals.
20 Community Strengthens through Economic Hardship
One potential positive spinoff of the recesssion is that we start working together as a community - what a great idea!
25 The Return of Sysiphus
With the coming rains about to wash gullies into fields and roads, Tom suggests that developers look to protecting their projects.
26 Surviving Costa Rica
Stumped by the dreaded Writer’s Block, our columnist begs readers to help him write his column.
Cover Caption: The Gold Coast is birdwatcher’s heaven. Overlooked is that tidal strip between the ocean and the sand. An American Oystercatcher (haematopus palliatus) hunts for breakfast in the tide pools at Playa Negra. Cover design and photo: John Lyman Photos www.johnlymanphotos.com
DEPARTMENTS 6
Gallery
10
CD Review
12 Yoga 18 Slice of Life 19 Puzzle 21 Tide Chart 24 June Forecasts 28 Sun & Moon 28 Rain Gauge
The Howler
Downchild
An interview with Donnie Walsh
Founded in 1996 Vol. 14, No. 6 - June 2009 Issue No. 153
After all those years, we had the chance again to enjoy the best blues music scene in Guanacaste with Donnie Walsh....Mr. Downchild from Canada. He rocked the place like usual this season!! Let’s discover this great performer, mysterious and so charismatic.
Editorial Office: Casa Equinox, Playa Tamarindo Guanacaste, Costa Rica Ced. Juridica: 3-101-331333
Alextra: How old we’re you when you started to play music? Donnie: I was 8 years old.
Publisher, editor and production David Mills dmills@racsa.co.cr • howler001@gmail.com www.howlermag.com Tel/fax: 2-653-0545
A: Who was your inspiration to play blues? D: Jimmy Reed. A: lf you didn’t play blues, what other style would you play? D: I really don’t know. A: What is the link between Donnie Walsh and the “Blues Brothers” movie? D: Well, Dan Ackroyd used to come to our gigs in Toronto, and then he got to go to Saturday Night Live with John Belushi in Chicago. And when they went to record Blues’ first album, which is the live album in Los Angeles, they did a couple of Downchild songs and they mentioned “here’s a song from Downchild Blues Band” which is pretty good, and it just went from there. There was not really a connection with the movie except that the Blues Brothers got some of the ideas from Downchild. A: Besides the music,what do you like to do? D: I like fishing, I like the country and the bush. A: We are lucky to have you in Costa Rica several months a year. Tell us why Costa Rica? D: A friend of mine, Glenn Stewart, told me that I should come here and check it out. I used to go to Key Largo in Florida. It was nice but I came here one month instead Florida and I really enjoyed it so I changed my winter residence to Guanacaste, Costa Rica. A: Do you feel secure in Costa Rica? D: Yes I do. Costa Rica is a very nice place to live and the weather is beautiful. The animals and the nature are fascinating and the people in Costa Rica are exceptionally wonderful. A: What do you think about the music scene in Guanacaste? D: I have not seen a lot of it but, what I’ve seen is driving musical community people. I’ve played music with the Leatherbacks from
Tamarindo and the Electric Storm from Potrero and Don Paul also from Potrero. They are excellent musicians and great to play with. We had some exciting musical moments.
Contributors: TONY OREZ TOM PEIFER JOHN LYMAN ELLEN ZOE GOLDEN CHRISTOPHER HOWARD JEANNE CALLAHAN JESSE BISHOP NINA WEBER JOE WALSH
A: What’s your favorite meal? D: One of my favorite meals is arroz con pollo. A: As a professional musician, do you like Karaoke? D: I don’t really know because I’ve never really been into Karaoke. Karaoke is for people who want to go out socially and enjoy an evening of singing along with professional recorded music. I’m sure the people involved have a great time. A: What do you think about Perla’s place in Surfside, Potrero? Do you think she represents Canadian people over here? D: Perla’s is a special kind of meeting place for many people who live in this area Potrero. Perla, the owner, has made a point of having special events and good variety of music over the years. Perla is also a special kind of person. A: Did you ever have stage fright? D: Probably, but a long time ago. A: What are your plans for the future? D: This is the 40th anniversary of my band Downchild and we have plans to have a large tour in Canada and the U.S., also with many guest artists. The dates are not up there yet but will be within one or two months. For further information about the tour, you can check www.downchild.com. A: Are you going to play until you die? D: Yes. A: Do you believe in God? D: I believe there’s something more grand then ever I am!!!
Interview by Alexandra Tremblay
Deadline for July: June 15
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p
Dining Out On the Cheap Recession Food
In the true spirit of cooperation with the nasty little recession that is screwing up our lives of luxury, I have exposed my penury and started eating in cheaper establishments where a hamburger or salad costs less than a week’s wages. So this month we look at some “alternative eating” places, where the Euro goes a little further and the food is still delicious. Of course, on your limited budget you won’t be looking for a Chateau Lynch-Bages 1987 to wash it down, so don’t look for an extensive cellar. Enjoy a cold cerveza or fruit smoothie. With what you save on the meal you can buy a bottle of wine in the licorera and take it home.
Floristeriacristal@yahoo.es 2-653-8762 / 2-653-6282 / 8-354-1041
Frutas Tropicales in Tamarindo has cunningly changed its name to FT’s, and serves a wide range of goodies for breakfast, lunch and dinner. There are many comidas tipicas on the menu. Breakfast choices are gallo pinto, burritos, omelette, American breakfast, granola and pancakes, all under ¢3,000. All lunch sandwiches, served with fries and salad, are less than ¢3,000; and lunch/dinner menu has casados, chicken, steak, pork and mahi-mahi, all with fries and salad, at under ¢5,000. The steak is the most delicious I have tasted in a long time. They also deliver, call 2-653-0041. El Corcel Negro (means the black steed, obviously a reference to the horsey statues nearby) out front of Plaza Conchal in Tamarindo (you can’t miss the signs or the huge rotating spaceship). Dead center of town, it is a great people-watching place. Andreas serves a steam table with comidas tipicas, plus regular menu. Most dishes – pintos, burgers, tacos, burritos, nachos, BBQ ribs, American breakfast - are between ¢2,000 and ¢3,000, with a couple of meat or fish dinners at ¢4,000. Plus cold beers at ¢600, the best price in town. Pig out with a dinner and a couple of beers for ten bucks. Restaurant Via Playas, Huacas, between the two junctions, just west of bar Guaymi. A good traffic-watching place. Just about everyone you know drives by there during the course of a meal. Dervin is very proud of his comida criolla, and it really is good food, liberal lashings of rice, beans, platanos, salad, fries, meat or fish, almost anything you can cram on a plate. Breakfast, luch and dinner. And at good prices, too. Tel: 2653-6323/8-813-9675.
Keeping the Marimba Alive David Mills Randy Juárez Abarca is a Professor of Music at the Liceo de Santa Cruz, but he wears many hats. Aside from his day job, Randy has much knowledge and many skills, most of them directed towards preserving the traditional way of life of the Guanacaste farming culture. In his typical campesino home in Las Delicias de Santa Cruz, just outside Veintesiete de Abril, Randy operates Multiservicios de Alcahueta, where he silk-screens T-shirts commercially at his Seriagrafia Acuario, a small shop behind the main house. Alongside is an attractive brand-new teak cottage with two floors, which Randy built with his cousins. The main room is currently a display showroom for his craftsman’s souvenirs – mounted cow and goat horns, miniature marimbas, gourds, old-fashioned spoons, bowls and napkin holders carved from the jicaro fruit, Guaitil ceramic pottery. Randy also makes custom-made rustic furniture. Outside the main house, home to four or five generations of family, is an open-air workshop where, at present, a huge unfinished honeymoon bed holds pride of place, hand-made of teak with a large mirror in the headboard. Situated right on the new main road to Paraiso, he also has a car-wash service. And if this isn’t enough to keep a man busy, he intends to open a soda to serve comida tipica. But above all Randy is an aficionado of the Marimba, the wooden xylophone-like instrument that so symbolizes Guanacaste. “The marimba is our own instrument,” he says, “but it is being threatened with extinction by modern music, discomovils, reggae and guitar bands.” He himself has played the marimba for 15 years. At college he teaches the manufacture, repair and playing of the marimba and has made many of the complicated instruments. Other professors at the college are Mario Duarte, Alex Briceño and Miguel Torres, who also teach and play marimba. Currently, he is working on a full-size instrument, fashioning the keys from cachimbo, caoba and balsamo, threading them onto the cords that hold them in place, making and fitting the long vertical soundboxes. “A full-size instrument takes me 22 days, and will sell for one million colones (about $2,000),” adds Randy. Randy’s businesses are located 200 meters east of the plaza in Las Delicias. For further information, e-mail Juarez.randy@hotmail. com, or call 8-359-8519.
CD Review A Living Legend Tony Orez
Walter Ferguson celebrated his ninetieth birthday on May 7. Three days later, he received a lifetime achievement award from the Association of Central American Musicians (ACAM). It was well deserved. A storied Calypsonian, Walter Ferguson has witnessed his status being elevated into that rarified air of “Living Legend”. In the interim, he has inspired several generations of musicians. One of his most notable students is Manuel Monestel who, besides being a music historian and having a solo career, is the leader of the highly popular calypso band Cantoamerica. The essence of Calypso music is in its rhythm and its humor, not necessarily in that order. The seed of this musical style sprouted around Barbados, Trinidad and Ciudad Colon, Panama more than two centuries ago. It spread, literally by word of mouth, to other Caribbean ports, including Kingston, Jamaica, where it later spawned the nucleus of reggae music. Walter Ferguson is perhaps the last Calypsonian to learn his craft in this traditional, organic manner. Born in Guabito, Panama in 1919, he moved to Cahuita, Costa Rica at an early age with his father, Melsh, who was a cook for the Banana Company there. For years, Ferguson, or “Gavitt” as he is affectionately referred to by his wife and family, plied his trade with an old Martin guitar, creating songs and exchanging them with other wandering Calypso minstrels up and down the Caribbean coast of Central America. Walter even recorded “Calypso Caribbean: Costa Rica” a vinyl album of original songs in the early 1970s, which quickly slipped into obscurity along with its composer. Subsequently, he was known to travel with blank cassette tapes and a portable, battery-operated recorder and microphone. He would make up songs on the spot for travelling visitors and supply each purchaser with a one-of-a-kind tape. Oh, to have one of those cassettes now... In a sense, the travelling Calypsonian was like a news reporter. Their songs all deal with events and local characters that everyone in the Caribbean towns knows and can relate to. The difference is that the “news” was crafted into catchy songs, usually with a twist of humor to make it a little more palatable. With time, the legend of Walter Ferguson had garnered legs of mythic proportions. Finally, in 2003, he broke his recording silence of more than thirty years, agreeing to record a CD for Papaya Music, who had “discovered” him living in his family’s hotel in Cahuita. Papaya has an austere reputation for its integrity in capturing and preserving authentic Central American music. At the time of their initial contact, Ferguson agreed to the recordings, but explained to Manuel Obregon, the president of Papaya,
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CD Review (from page 10)
Tony Orez
four years old and had no desire or intention to go to a recording studio in San Jose. So Papaya brought the mountain to Mohammed, so to speak: they packed up and transported their recording equipment to Ferguson’s beloved Cahuita, where they set up a makeshift studio in the family’s hotel. Mattresses, rugs and blankets were employed as soundproofing in one of the hotel rooms, to muffle the sounds of the local pet parrots and dogs, the passing buses and trucks on the streets. The result was titled “Babylon”, the first CD by one of Calypso’s forgotten kings. The disc comprises thirteen original tunes with only Ferguson accompanying himself on his old Martin, in a style he dubbed as “Porch Reggae”. “Babylon” portrays everyday life in the little Caribbean towns along Costa Rica’s southeastern shoreline, with characters passing along from one calypso number and into the next, like images in a comic strip. The first two pressings of the disc sold out in just a few months. “If you’re coming to interfere,” sings Ferguson, “I’m going to tear off your pants and your underwear”. Anyone who can rhyme “interfere” with “underwear” and get away with it is OK in my book. One year later, Walter Ferguson was revitalized. Once again, Papaya had to unplug all the refrigerators in a four block radius of the Ferguson Hotel in Cahuita (ostensibly, according to Manuel Obregon, to get the hum out of the wiring), quiet the pets and set up their hotel room/recording studio. For his second CD, titled “Dr. Bombodee,” Ferguson dusted off some of the songs he had nearly forgotten from his purported two hundred and fifty song repertoire. One of those gems that needed very little polishing is “One Pant Man”, which Ferguson wrote after the young woman he was living with accused him of being so poor that he owned only a single pair of pants. Along with nine other original songs on the second disc, Walter also renders his version of “Old Lady” by Papa Houdini, whom Ferguson considers to be his mentor. He also pays homage to traditional Jamaican music with his rendition of “72 Weeds”, a song with a ridiculously funny list of local plants which, if recited correctly, will cure any illness. Walter Ferguson’s songs have an air of innocent pranks and jokes, a very healthy humor that some doctors might prescribe to their patients to forget all their own ills for a while. A perfect example is “Going to Bocas”, the first cut on Dr. Bombodee. “The young gal claim that she don’t want me no more,” laments Ferguson, “then I notice she start to dash me things out the door”. Well, I guess having your things “dashed out the door” is usually a good indication that you are no longer wanted... Papaya Music was clever enough to include in the two recordings some of Walter’s casual chat in between the songs, which definitely displays his endearing nature. I imagine being at these recording sessions must have been similar to finding Leadbelly or Mississippi Fred MacDowell playing on their front porches fifty years ago. After the recording of Dr. Bombodee, Ferguson informed Papaya that it would be his final recording. In my opinion, Walter Ferguson should be proclaimed a Costa Rican National Treasure. Both Walter Ferguson and all Papaya Music CDs are available at Jaime Peligro in Playa Tamarindo and Tilaran, where they will gladly sample the music for the customers.
Enquire about special rates for residents
By Nina Weber CertiďŹ ed Yoga Instructor
on the Beach Spirited, Fun & Energetic Movement Upside-down - Inverted Poses
YOGA AT CASA AZUL in Tamarindo Beachfront provides a combination of Dynamic * Challenging * Inspiring * Encouraging and Relaxing Yoga * Small groups and individual adjustments *Most important.: Yoga is fun !!! For more information email me at nina@tamarindoyoga.com. www.tamarindoyoga.com
Practicing these Asanas (poses) gives great energy. They help to balance the glandular system and the hormonal system and bring oxygen to the brain. They increase physical strength and balance. Emotionally, inversions bring internal balance and poise when our lives are upside down! Hand Stand (left, centre) Hand Stand strengthens the core and upper body. It develops selfesteem and inner strength. Like the Head Stand it turns your world upside down so that you can see life from a fresh perspective. Head Stand (top and bottom left) The Head Stand is considered one of the most beneficial yoga poses for the body, mind and spirit. Head Stand also strengthens the torso, improves spinal integrity, and deepens respiratory rhythm. Wide-Angle Seated Forward Bend (bottom right) Stretching the insides and backs of the legs and stimulating the abdominal organs, it will strengthen the spine and calm the brain. Scorpion Pose (right, centre) Will strengthen your shoulders, abs, back muscles, and improve your balance. Wheel Pose (top right) This pose is an excellent exercise for making the back and spinal column flexible and supple as well as for strengthening the arms, wrists and legs. This is a backward bend in which the front of your body gets stretched to the limit while your back is arched. Poses are demonstrated by Yogini Courtney.
Courtney Clark is a performance artist and loves to share her art and knowledge. She studies and teaches all kinds of dance, yoga, pilates, and theater, and has trained at such prestigious institutions as the Nashville Ballet, Tremaine Dance Center, California Institute of the Arts, and many more. Courtney is a member of the Chicago National Association of Dance Masters, Yoga and Pilates Method Alliances, and has been teaching kids and adults of all ages for a combined 18 years. She is now living in Tamarindo, Costa Rica, developing a performing arts program for kids and teaching yoga, pilates and dance.
Return to Tamarindo A Trip Down Memory Lane Just five years ago Tamarindo was a much different place than today. The Big Boom was just getting under way; we still lived in the Age of Innocence. Extranjeros worked in all the restaurants, illegally to be sure, but at that time that law was not enforced. On March 17, 2004, a group of waiters and bar staff was whooping it up, celebrating St. Patrick’s Day over sunset drinks on the beach at Las Palmas (now Nibbana). As some of them were about to move back to the United States, they made a pact to meet again, a reunion at the same place – five years hence. Fast forward, now, to the present time. A wedding in the States, attended by several of them, interfered with the Paddy’s Day arrangements, so they moved the reunion to April 24. So, taking a seat at the bar at Nibbana and starting on the first of my 2-for-1 Imperials, I looked across the bar to a group of young folks loudly enjoying themselves. I was amazed and delighted to see the familiar faces from ‘way back when. Marty, Chris, Leah, Johnny, Rebecca, Pat and others had returned from Chicago, New Mexico, Canada, Washington, D.C, etc., to a Tamarindo much different than the one they left. Later, at Sharky’s, I asked what they thought of the place that had been home five years ago. Leah Guillermo: “Big changes. I never thought Tamarindo would develop this much; it’s scary. But so nice that the main road (outside High Tide) is still unpaved. I used to walk along here every day and loved it because it was a dirt road.” Leah, many locals would disagree with you. Chris McVey: “I have been here a couple of times since, when the big development boom was on. I’m glad it has almost returned to normal. All the Big Money has gone. It feels like home again.”
Brianna Ziegler: “What incredible changes! It’s all condos. I never thought this could happen. No more Surf Shack on the corner.” Johnny Wilson: “Some things never change. At Nibbana there’s still this old guy at the bar writing his Howler editorials over a beer or two, just like five years ago.” Marty Murphy: “It has changed aesthetically, far too built up. But it’s still home to some of the greatest people you’ll find anywhere. I miss it every day.” Rebecca Sherlock: “The place I used to manage, Dan Howden’s La Bodega, is now Babylon. I am awed at Automercado Supermarket. It used to be that I asked friends and family coming down here to bring some of the little luxuries of life, like Cheese Whiz and TV dinners! A Subway, too. Beer was ¢500 then! And what is that monstrous building doing where Sharkbite used to be?” Helping the visitors celebrate were some locals who never left – Susan Koomen, Ben Ziegler, Lee Keidel and Carey, Katie, John Brown, Jeff Herrman... Welcome back, guys. Maybe in another five years?
A ro T o u w n n d
by David Mills
It’s that time of the year again, where the Costa Rica Global Association of Realtors attracts real estate-related professionals and golf enthusiasts from coast to coast to the stunning golf course in Hacienda Pinilla.
This year’s CRGAR tournament takes place Monday, June 29th, with a sunset cocktail party the previous evening at Playa Langosta Private Residence. CRGAR is a non-profit organization working to promote professionalism, education and ethics in the real estate industry. Events include: breakfast, lunch, awards ceremony, raffle and the cocktail party at the. Sponsorship is available for tees or greens at a reduced price of $150. A special 50% discount is available for the luxury Casa de Golf bed & breakfast http://www.casadegolf. com/. A percentage of proceeds will also be donated to support the Amigos de la Educación Foundation which helps local schools and schoolchildren. For more information contact Monica Moraga, 011 506 888 27427 (CRGAR), costaricagar@gmail.com or Lindsey Cantillo at (506) 8829-8103, crgargolf2009@gmail.com. You can drop off stuff for the red cross on recycling days now at the recycling center opposite Aqua Disco. http://www.tamarindorecycles.blogspot.com/. On non-recycling days stuff can be dropped at Surf Club Sports Bar in Langosta and Stella’s new and used clothing store. Storage for emergency supplies is provided by Pacific Coast Storage, www.TamarindoStorage.com.
Sports Fishing Hiking Packages Sunset Sailing & Snorkelling
Canopy Tours Transportation National Park Excursions ...and much more
Take the stress out of your vacation - let us book your adventures for you Tour Operator and Booking Center, Tamarindo Tourist Center Located in Tamarindo at Plaza Conchal II suites 6 & 7
www.howlermag.com
Located inside Ursula’s Restaurant (old Stella) 150 meters east of Pasatiempo.
Surf Report Story: Ellen Zoe Golden In a surprise twist, that had rankings leader Jason Torres (Jacó) falling off the semifinals, 16-year-old Carlos Muñoz carved out waves, and made history on May 1 and May 2 at the Gran Final Terraza – Reef date of the Circuito Nacional de Surf Daystar 2008-2009 presented by Coca-Cola Zero in Playa Hermosa. With Torres out, the youngster Muñoz made it all the way to the Open final heat on May 2, won it, and grabbed the 2008-2009 Costa Rica National Costa Rica Surf Championship title. The win was culmination of a hat-trick for Muñoz (photo), as the surfer from Esterillos also won the Championship titles for the Junior and Boys categories as well.
In the last 5 minutes of the heat, Muñoz took off from a series of waves and made an explosive 360 turn in the critical part, sliding down the open face, continuing right to connect for another vertical maneuver for an 8.67 score. This combination gave him 15.34 forcing his opponents to think about new combinations in the last 2 minutes, but alas it was not to be. Muñoz left the water and was raised on the shoulders of his friends and family, taken to the prize platform where reggae
The situation in the Open was that Torres needed to reach at least fifth place in this date to earn the national title, but in his semifinal heat, the surfer couldn’t find the waves, and came in fourth place. With Torres situated at seventh, this opened a window for Jacó’s Jairo Pérez and Muñoz to fight for the championship with the points earned with the 6 stars of the date. Only Muñoz obtained the luxury of advancing from the semifinals that included Pérez, Gilbert Brown (Puerto Viejo), Diego Naranjo (Jacó), as Pérez fell back with Brown, and Naranjo moved ahead with him. The semifinal 2 was run with Juan Carlos Naranjo (Jacó), Torres, Matías Braun (Montezuma) and Jefferson Tascón (Jacó), with Braun and Tascón moving forward to the finals. As usual, in the Gran Finals, the spectacle did not disappoint. It was obvious that Muñoz was hungry to win, and within the first few minutes pulled a right with an aerial 360, that he landed perfectly, and scored a 6.7. Tascón, who was surfing in the finals and throughout the event with great speed and explosiveness in the critical parts of the waves, continually put pressure on Muñoz. As usual, Naranjo, no stranger to the final heats in Hermosa, surfed surely and offered a great backside and once even going to first position with a great combination, one that was scored 6.23. But, it looked like it was going to be between Muñoz and Tascón in the waves that were peeling about 5 feet the whole weekend. Tascón took the lead, but for lack of experience in the end he ended up with an interference against Braun, which reduced his points.
Photo: Fabián Sanchez
singer Gentlemen serenaded him a capella in front of the crowd of over 1,000 people who were proud of their native son. “I’m very happy, very proud for the people of Esterillos, and for my family,” said Muñoz, the youngest champion ever in the 9-year history of the Circuito Nacional de Surf, and the International Surfing Association (ISA) #9 ranked in the world (under 16) at the recent World Junior Surfing Games in Ecuador. “It wasn’t in my mind to win the Championship, until I got into the Finals of this competition. I just want to be an example for the rest of the kids who follow me.” Along with the Open title, Muñoz, this weekend, won the (continued page 18)
An eager crowd filled Bar 1 on Saturday, May 9, for another fashion event by Tamarindo’s Papaya Con Leche. The show started with an acrobatic display by Danza en Telas two amazing dancers, Tica Daniela and Veronica from Argentina – who flew above the crowd on silken ropes. The fashion show of bikinis and beach wear was modeled by local kids Morgan, Kiani, Leda, Saray, Margo, Luanna, Natasha and Chela, some of whom have several local displays in their resume and performed like professionals. Outfits were designed by Kata Kis and manufactured by her team of seamstresses at Papaya Con Leche. Kata Kis came to Costa Rica in 1997 and has operated her business in Tamarindo for five years. Originally from Hungary, she has been sewing since the age of nine and taught herself to design clothes. For the organization of the show, she was ably assisted by her manager Cristina Azqueta. Around 200 attended the event, which raised $255 for Cepia. Kata can be reached at 8-8319555.
A Slice of Life Vegetables
I
Janice Shear
remember the day I learned to spell the word “vegetables”. I was seven years old, a second-grader at Washington Elementary School in Vincennes, Indiana. My teacher, Miss Wyatt (I know now that she was a “Mrs.” and not a “Miss” but all elementary school teachers back then were either a “Miss” or a “Mr.”), had just returned to our classroom after being called away unexpectedly just a few minutes earlier. She entered our classroom, took a piece of chalk, and wrote the word “vegetables” on the blackboard. “This is the biggest word any of you have learned so far but I know you can do it. It’s really easy. It’s just the letters V-E-G-E in front of a word you already know, “tables”. I want you all to practice writing this new word and when I return, I’ll check your work.” Miss Wyatt returned to our classroom nearly twenty minutes later (quite a long time for eighteen, unsupervised seven-year-olds to behave but we did). She told us that our president, John F. Kennedy, had been shot and had died. And that is why I remember the day I learned to spell “vegetables”.
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.
Surf Report
(from page 15)
national Junior and Boys title, setting a Costa Rican record. His total championships are the following - 2009: Open, Junior, Boys; 2008: Junior, Boys; 2007: Boys, Grommets; 2006: Grommets; 2005: MiniGrommets. “It was an excellent event and I’m super happy for Carlos. The first time he ever competed was at a Circuito event and now he’s a National Champion. I’m so proud,” said José Ureña, President of the Federación de Surf de Costa Rica. The other big news at the Gran Finals Terraza – Reef came in the Women’s division. While everyone expected a big showdown in the finals between 16-year-old surfing wunderkind Nataly Bernold and veteran champ Lisbeth Vindas, it was not to be. Coming into this date, the two surfers were tied in rankings points. Bernold, a national Women’s surf champion, was ranked #6 in the world at the 2008 World Surfing Games Portugal, and Vindas, a name equated with Costa Rican surfing, had won the national Women’s championship 6 times already. Like Torres in the Open, Bernold failed to find waves in her semifinal Women’s heat, and didn’t pass, never meeting Vindas head-on in the competition this weekend at all. The elimination of Bernold sealed the national title for Vindas even before she made it to the final heat, which she won as well. “I was praying to win my title back, and I did,” Vindas said afterwards. Cedric Auffret of Tamarindo also earned back his national championship Longboard crown, a plan he had in mind before the first date of the Circuito Nacional de Surf this year. A former shortboarder, who turned to Longboarding after winning a Robert August 9’6 “What I Ride” surfboard at a Robert August Surf & Turf contest in Tamarindo, Auffret said he is very excited to have his title back and loves being a part of the Circuito, especially this year.
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The entire Gran Finals Terraza – Reef, according to Ureña, felt like the staging area of the ISA Billabong World Surfing Games Costa Rica 2009, which is set for the exact same location at the beach at Hotel Terraza del Pacifico, July 31. For example, there was a brand new fiberboard podium which housed a new computerized scoring system called Refresh. The ISA Director Stephanie Keith was around all weekend taking meetings with the Federacion. A Billabong executive was making a film. Not to mention that the athletes were under extreme pressure to perform, and of course, the surprises in the water. One aspect of the Gran Finals Terraza – Reef adopted from the World Surf Games format is the Tag Team surf contest. (continued page 23
Word puzzle
Nuestras Playas 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. blanca brasilito cabuya cahuita carrillo coloradas conchal corcovado coyote dominical esterillos amingo garza grande hermosa
herredura junquillal lagarto langosta matapalo montezuma nancite ostional panama pandeazucar penca potrero tambor zapotillal zancudo
Community Strengthens Through Economic Hardship
W
hat good can result from a recession? How about a better community?
I drive through Tamarindo these days and I am no longer stuck in traffic jams. Droves of semi trucks hauling building materials, or the dozen or so cranes that used to be fixtures above Tamarindo? All gone for the most part. Remember what 5:00 p.m. on Tamarindo Beach used to look like? It was the Thousand Nica March, hundreds of construction workers leaving town after another day of building Tamagringo. It was a “Insert Resort Town Here” kind of feeling. It definitely wasn’t the Tamarindo I fell in love with “back in the day”, as ex-pat gringos seem to always put it. But then again, I’m sure that many of my employees like Carlos Arias and Pedro Cruz have a thing or two to share about what it was really like “back in the day”. I was just 20 years old the first time I visited Tamarindo. I stayed in Cabinas Dolly. I surfed the Tamarindo Rivermouth and walked to Langosta and Playa Grande to surf. I thought this place was just the greatest spot on earth and vowed to return. Two years later I came back after I graduated from college. I still thought that this was the place I could end up living forever, so shortly thereafter I moved down for good. This was in January 2001. People tend to forget why they moved to a town like Tamarindo in the first place. People forget how wonderful and new this place is when you’ve moved from some giant city full of Costcos, Applebees, and Best Buys. Individuals, especially surfers, can become quite territorial and shitty about the whole deal. Sure, they’ll sell you a condo or build you a house, but don’t ever dream of being as cool as they are. They were here before you were, remember? This mentality destroys any sense of community. It forces people to become angry, cynical, and introverted; many times they end up treating others as they themselves were treated. It is quite sad.
In 2006 or 2007 I stopped counting the number of real estate offices that opened up in this town. Everyone was either building condos or involved in some land deal. There was so much building going on, with such a rush to take advantage of the economic boom, that corners were cut. How could they not be? Giant construction projects with little or no regard for the community found ways to pollute the watershed while developing an already over-saturated beach town. Tamarindo lost its Blue Flag. By the end of 2007 the economy started to fall apart. Many realtors, developers and speculators suddenly disappeared, leaving their mess for the rest of town to clean up. And now here we are today, mid-2009. If you’re living in Tamarindo today, it’s because you want to live here. Today’s town is much slower and more laid back. There is more of a sense of community. A moratorium has been placed on all new construction in town. The government finally got involved. The health department is making regular inspections on businesses’ septic systems and enforcing that antiquated systems be replaced with newer treatment plant technology. Neighbors are having the time to talk to each other more. Businesses are finding ways to promote each other and work together instead of against one another. I know that I personally am going out of my way to make sure that new members of the Tamarindo community feel welcome, in and out of the water. Work is definitely harder with the recession, but I think if we all stay positive and work together we will manage. There are still a few long-term residents set in their old ways, but for the most part it seems like the town of Tamarindo has come together in a way in which I would have never expected. As for me, I live above my own restaurant and bar raising my two little boys. Sure, the live music wakes them up from time to time, but they’ve grown accustomed. It’s all part of getting back to the roots of why we came here in the first place. A few years ago I would have never dreamed of raising my family in Tamarindo, today I am proud to say that I am doing just that.
Unlike the fond memories from my surf trips to Costa Rica, living here and starting a business here was a much differI feel as though this economic crisis, however difficult, was ent experience. My wife and I were met with hostility and needed in order to bring our community together. Even though opposition, mainly from other ex-pat gringos that had lived in Tamarindo is much different than it was in 1998, I can honestly Tamarindo for longer than we had. So after the wake-up call say that I feel like I did when I first came here. Maybe some that living in Tamarindo would be much different than being day Tamarindo will have its regulatory plan, a community treathere on vacation, I focused on surfing and working instead. My ment plant, sidewalks and speed bumps. Newer residents have employees became my best friends. The Liberia Airport kept more desire to contribute, so why alienate them when they could bringing more and more people, the entire town was booming. give us the help we need? We will get there quicker by working We were no longer the new kids in town. I watched as many together instead of against each other. I hope others see it in of Tamarindo’s restaurants, bars, hotels and shops moved the same way. At the very least, we live in an amazing place. on to new names and new owners. Big Bazaar, Cantina Las Times like this allow you to reflect on things and, as I have just Olas, the Mambo Bar, Pasatiempo... I started to see that the done, realize that we have it pretty good. life-span for most Tamarindo residents really wasn’t that long, pura vida and I wondered why. Joe Walsh Witch’s Rock Surf Camp Playa Tamarindo
Adios, Liga
Dreamland Tamarindo Have you ever closed your eyes and heard the sound of the waves rushing by? Holding on to its music forever, slowly getting lost in its lullaby? Have you ever lain on the hot summer sand, exhaling a sigh? Feeling as the heat blends with your naked skin, as the sun leaves the sky Have you ever been on a paradise, where white birds fly high? Heaven in earth, it steals your breath walking past this land so spry Every June I say hello to this land of dreams, every July I say goodbye to this fantasy Wondering all the way home, why? Why am I leaving this dreamland behind? Have you ever watched a sunset like this, so beautiful and pure? When the colors blend with each other creating my soul’s deepest allure And even when the day dies, and we are submerged by the night, its spell endures My eyes are delighted by the roundness of the moon, shining with its entire grandeur My endless devoted love to you, my home, my dream, my hope, I adjure And as everyone who have ever been part of Tamarindo knows, For a love like this, there is no cure, for the love so true I feel for you.
Saprissa’s El Monstruo presides over the tomb of La Liga, at Bar Villa Costa in Villarreal
Mariana Castro Castilla, age 15
JUNE TIDE CHART 1M
2T
3W
4T
5F
6S
02:51 09:21 15:37 21:51 03:53 10:22 16:42 22:54 04:54 11:21 17:43 23:55 05:52 12:16 18:38
0.8 8.7 1.1 7.8 1.1 8.6 1.2 7.6 1.3 8.6 1.1 7.6 1.4 8.6 1.0
00:50 06:46 13:06 19:28
7.7 10W 1.5 8.7 0.8
7S Full Moon 8M
9T
01:41 07:35 13:52 20:13 02:27 08:20 14:35 20:54 03:10 09:03 15:17 21:33 03:51 09:44 15:57 22:11 04:31 10:24 16:36 22:49
7.8 1.5 8.7 0.7 7.9 1.4 8.7 0.6 8.1 1.4 8.7 0.5 8.2 1.4 8.7 0.5 8.2 1.4 8.5 0.6
11T
12F
13S
14S
15M Last Qtr
05:11 11:05 17:17 23:27 05:50 11:46 17:57
8.2 16T 1.5 8.3 0.7 8.2 17W 1.6 8.1
00:05 06:31 12:28 18:39 00:44 07:11 13:13 19:23 01:25 07:54 13:59 20:10
9.2 18T 8.1 1.7 7.8 1.2 19F 8.0 1.8 7.5 1.4 20S 8.0 1.9 7.2
02:09 08:39 14:50 21:01 02:56 09:28 15:44 21:57 03:49 10:21 16:41 22:55 04:46 11:17 17:38 23:54 05:45 12:13 18:34
1.6 8.0 1.9 7.1 1.8 8.0 1.8 7.0 1.8 8.2 1.5 7.1 1.7 8.5 1.2 7.4 1.5 8.8 0.8
21S
22M New Moon 23T
24W
25T
00:52 06:44 13:09 19:29 01:47 07:42 14:03 20:22 02:41 08:38 14:57 21:13 03:33 09:33 15:50 22:04 04:24 10:27 16:42 22:54
7.9 1.2 9.2 0.3 8.4 0.8 9.6 -0.2 8.9 0.4 9.9 -0.5 9.4 0.1 10.0 -0.7 9.7 -0.1 9.8 -0.8
26F
27S
28S
29M 1st Qtr 30T
05:13 11:21 17:35 23:45 03:08 12:15 18:28
9.9 1W -0.1 July 9.7 -0.6 9.9 2T 0.1 9.4
00:36 07:01 13:11 19:23 01:28 07:55 14:08 20:20 02:22 08:51 15:08 21:20
-0.2 3F 9.7 0.4 8.8 0.2 4S 9.4 0.7 8.3 0.8 5S 9.0 1.1 7.8
03:19 09:49 16:10 22:23 04:19 10:48 17:13 23:26 05:20 11:46 18:13
1.3 8.7 1.4 7.4 1.8 8.4 1.5 7.3 2.0 8.2 1.5
00:27 06:20 12:41 19:06 01:21 07:14 13:30 19:53
7.3 2.2 8.2 1.4 7.4 2.1 8.3 1.2
A Strong Team
T
hree Costarican professionals form a united team inside the nonprofit organization CEPIA, dedicated to the children and teenagers in this community, to the people that want to volunteer, to school teachers, parents and public institutions....to their country. Max Chaves, from Cartagena, bachelor in International Cooperation and current law student is CEPIA’s office manager since more than 2 years, helping everybody in many ways and assisting his colleagues with all his energy and intelligence. He is the author of the organization’s newsletter and the co-organizer of many activities and events. Ana Francis Rosales, from Santa Cruz, started working as CEPIA’s psychologist 1.5 years ago. She graduated as a clinical psychologist from the University of Costa Rica and obtained recently a Master’s degree in Family Violence and Gender. She attends weekly many children and their families that are experiencing difficult life situations, she fights for children’s rights and she helps children denouncing and dealing with their maltreatment or abuse situation. Lucía Blanco, from San José, graduated in business administration and obtained later a Master’s degree in Peace and Conflict Studies in Germany. She started a few weeks ago as CEPIA’s new director, in order to coordinate the different projects and volunteers of the organization.
Lucia Blanco, Max Chaves, Ana Francis Rosales. The Robert August Surf n’ Turf event will take place July 30th till August 4th in Tamarindo and Playa Avellana. The famous Golf and Surf tournament raises money for the children in need and brings people from all over the USA to participate in this amazing sport event. Your business can contribute to a good cause and get excellent exposure! Your publicity can be the centre of attention on the golf course, at the big night party or on the beach for the surf day at Lola’s. Contact us now to show your good heart and get the best spot for your business! E-mail us at cepiadirector@racsa.co.cr Check out: www.robertaugust. com.
Surf Report
(from page 18)
The end of the Circuito Nacional de Surf was celebrated in this way with the participation of four teams competing for a prize of $500 to the winner. Taking place in the evening at the beach in front of Hotel Terraza del Pacifico, which has lights for night surfing, the team dressed in red lycra (Gilbert Brown/Puerto Viejo, Jordan Hernandez/Jacó, Josymar Fuentes/Jacó, Muñoz, and Mariana Samudio/ Jacó) managed to overcome their opponents and become champions. Damaris Arriola and Karla Gutierrez, president of Municipal Advice and Mayoress of the Municipality of Jacó, gave out the trophies to the champions afterwards. “Today was an important day to finish the work of analysis in selecting the next National Costa Rica Surf Team for the World Surfing Games in Costa Rica. We are very content to see the level of surfing at all ages, and on one hand we can see all the experienced surfers and on the other all the young talent,” commented Ureña. Finally, yesterday, in the morning DAYSTAR Properties, a Jacó-based developer and a sponsor of healthy activities including a beach festival that brought the best kayakers of the country in the area where the tournament took place, initiated another Tag Team competition with a $1,000 price. The winners of this game were Diego Naranjo, Lisbeth Vindas, Luis Vindas (Jacó), Ariel Gutierrez (Jacó) and Juan Carlos Naranjo (Jacó). 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. The 2008-2009 Circuito Nacional de Surf DAYSTAR Rankings: 1 - Carlos Muñoz 2 - Jason Torres 3 - Diego Naranjo 4 - Jefferson Tascón 5 - Jairo Pérez 6 - Matias Braun 7 - Juan Carlos Naranjo 8 - Josymar Fuentes (Jaco) 9 - Gilbert Brown 10 - David Herrera (Jaco)
11 - Olman Morales (Jaco) 11 - Isaac Vega (Tamarindo) 13 - Jordan Hernández (Limon) 14 - Ramón Taliani (Jaco) 15 - Anderson Tascón (Jaco) 16 - Mauro Sergio O (Jaco) 17 - Mauricio Umaña (Jaco) 18 - Rudy Jiménez (Jaco) 19 - Michael Rodriguez (Jaco) 20 - Danny Bishko (Esterillos)
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.
October orecasts June FF orecasts
by Jeanne Callahan
Aries: 21 March - 20 April
This month has the cosmic energy gathered for your forward progress with work, business contacts and finances. What was started in May needs some revision as more accurate information finds its way to you. It’s OK to tweak the plan a bit now. The end of the month brings in new people who believe in you and want to help you advance. The 16th and 17th are your most promising days.
Taurus: 21 April - 21 May
You should feel fairly blessed this month as your ruling planet, Venus, goes into your sign on the 7th. Still tracking the heavens with Mars there’s pleasure and new contacts on the horizon if you accept all invitations for events and social activities. Creative projects have a slow start but gather speed and support as the month progresses. Don’t sell yourself short, and be willing to do things differently than you have in the past. Focus on what you excel at and enjoy doing. The 18th and 19th are your days to shine.
Gemini: 22 May - 21 June
With your ruling planet, Mercury, once more in direct motion in the sign of Taurus you are looking back at what happened last month and hopefully correcting your mistakes. Things always get a little jumbled during a Mercury retrograde period and there are things that have to be changed. Not to worry, you have some support and guidance from Jupiter and Neptune at the midheaven making things turn out well for you. Best days to put new plans in motion are the 21st and 22nd.
Cancer: 22 June - 22 July
The plot thickens for you this month as you attempt to put new financial/career objectives in motion but find that those who promised to be of support are now begging off. Things get better after the 21st when the sun and moon are in your sign but there may be a huge hurdle you need to get over. You do get more certain than ever what and who you want in your life after this point and can make the changes within your heart and mind to make that happen. The 22nd and 23rd are days to create a safe secure place for yourself.
Leo: 23 July - 23 August
There are still some forces slowing your progress at this time—be patient. I know there is nothing a Leo hates to hear more than to be patient. Look at this as a time to rid yourself of bad habits and negative thought patterns, including but not limited to selfish tendencies. Get feedback from others and make yourself available for some charity work. The 24th and 25th are your most resourceful days.
Virgo: 24 August - 22 September
With slow-moving Saturn now direct in the middle of your sign and your ruling planet, Mercury, in direct motion, things pick up speed in your life and you show signs of making progress in your goals. One aspect of those goals could be figuring out a way to unburden yourself from an alliance or obligation that has drained you dry over the last 2 years. Your health will improve when you move on from this unnecessary load. Plant the seeds for your release by spreading the word that you want to be free of it. The 26th and 27th are good days to do just that.
Visit Jeanne’s site at CelestialAdvisor.com
Libra: 23 September - 23 October
Money and relationship are your primary concerns this month. You should be making contacts to help you get a handle on the finances involved with your business and who and how much are going to be available to you in the next few months. There could be an interesting seesaw action there with one going away and another coming in. That’s normal for a Venus/Mars conjunction moving through your 8th house. This solstice marks a turning point in your professional life as you will need to nurture more to keep the business flowing. The 1st, 2nd, 29th and 30th are your best days.
Scorpio: 24 October - 22 November
Your ruling planet, Mars, slows things down a bit as it transits through Taurus, your opposing sign this month. Pay attention to your mate’s and business partners’ concerns for the future. This is not the month to ramrod your agenda through irregardless of the other’s input. Use the positive vibes of the 4th and 5th to get away and enjoy some time in nature or start a love affair!
Sagittarius: 23 November - 21 December
The lull you’ve been experiencing in your professional life starts to fade as you get noticed again and demand for your services pick up. A misunderstanding regarding a business contact gets resolved and you are free to enjoy some success again. It just comes in smaller doses but you are OK with that level of demand. The 6th and the full moon on the 7th are times to wrap up any old conflicts with neighbors and family members. Take some time off to enjoy life this month.
Capricorn: 22 December - 21 January
This month should have some interesting developments around the time of the solstice for you. Some big deals are swirling around that time but something could fall out around the time of the Solstice. You’ll feel pressured to take on more than you are comfortable with so just say no thank you. Yes the rewards could be great but so are the risks right now. Creatively you are on target and your professional life is going well so why take on any additional risk? The 9th and 10th are your best days this month
Aquarius: 22 January - 19 February
The energy around you gets lighter this month as you are assimilating new information for your next enlightened plan. While there has been some pain involved in sorting out your own inner workings it’s just coming up to clear and that is a good thing. Expect another surge of feelings to bubble up again around the solstice and the sun will move into Cancer and oppose Pluto, the lord of the underworld. Do rituals for release. You will find out this month that you are not always right and that’s OK. Best days to make peace with yourself and others are the 11th and 12th.
Pisces: 20 February - 20 March
Some hidden secrets are coming to light at this time and so plan to do some inner healing work now and for the next 6 month, releasing what ever the issues are. Don’t try to pretend it isn’t happening. That simply won’t work; did it ever? Pisces energy can be more than a little illusive regarding their “stuff” so be aware of that tendency. Pay attention to your health and take pleasure in your neighbors and family now. The 14th and 15th are good days to enjoy nature.
Namasté
28
The Return of Sysiphus and The Rites of Spring
Tom Peifer
What’s wrong with this picture?
O
ne year ago a friend posed for a picture with the calm waters of the Pacific as a backdrop. Just one problem, he was only visible from the beer-belly up. In fact, that was the concept. Steve was standing in one of several gullies that had formed with the early May rains and were carving away steadily at about $100/sq. meter. We were trying to convince the owner of a newly leveled seafront lot that he better do something. Flashback to a few years earlier. Another photo of another friend in another gully at the side of a hastily butchered road. Same time of year, the first rains washing away the fill and cutting across the road.
infrastructure and no money to mitigate the damage which is accelerating. You will be automatically transferred to the newly formed local chapter of LARANON, Land Rapers Anonymous, which offers counseling, group therapy, one-way trips to Nicaragua in case you need to escape and a variety of other services. Stay on the line if you want to get in touch with Mudbusters, the local landscapers and crews with the tools and the talent to save both your butt and your bottom line. Please forgive the non-literary device of an awkward transition. Let’s wax philosophical. If you’re like me and missed out, or tuned out, on the whole topic of Greek Mythology in your formal education, you may have been as befuddled as Ronald Reagan when Gorbachev remarked that the nuclear arms race was like the myth of Sisyphus. Sisyphus was the guy condemned to roll a rock up to the top of the hill, from which point it would roll back down. He had to roll it back up. And over, and over, for eternity.
By now it’s getting to be a regular ritual. As this rainy season sputters into high gear, calls are pouring in to our newly automated switchboard for erosion emergencies. We tried to get a compassionate voice message explaining the options. Press #1: If you bought your land in the dry season and bulldozed the daylights out of it but didn’t really realize that it rains here. About 10 feet last year here along the coast. Press #2: If you are unaware that the law of gravity—and its consequences with water, slope, soil type and vegetative cover—is much like any other law. Ignorance is no defense. Press #3: If you need a lengthy explanation of why it is easier to manage a single raindrop at the top of the hill than a raging torrent at the bottom. Press #4: If you have problems with regulatory agencies, imminent destruction of your roads, building pads or other
Sisyphus came to mind recently when I heard the following from a developer in Nosara. “After every rain we have to redo the roads with a backhoe.” I mean, like, hello-oo, what is wrong with that picture? It is like Sisyphus reincarnated in the hills of Guanacaste. For the Biblically inclined, remember, according to Genesis, the good Lord separated the Land from the Waters, “and saw that it was good.” Ipso facto, it might be argued, it is our task to keep the stuff where the good Lord put it in the first place and NOT send it barreling down the slopes and streams back into the ocean. It takes time, resources and know-how, but things can be done a lot better than standard practice. Developers save headaches over time and our area will reap the benefits for generations to come Now another transition, from the philosophical to the personal. I’d like to express some gratitude. Like those first time winners at the Oscars awards, it might be a bit tacky and overdone. First to my mother, who infused me with a connection to the natural world. Second to David Mills, my editor at “The Howler”, who has put up with the missed deadlines, misspellings and miscellaneous rants for 6 years. He has provided both a local platform for communication and feedback and a goad for lots of people to take action. I’d also like to thank all the readers who have kindly expressed their appreciation. (continued page 27)
Surviving
C hapter XXXIX
COSTA RICA
PROLOGUE: Once again it was way past deadline, the poison e-mails from “The Editor” started arriving like clockwork and I hadn’t the faintest idea what to write about. Those six or seven of you out there that actually read this column are by now quite aware of this continuing problem. I haven’t come up with an original idea in years and the only reason I’m writing one now is that I owe the aforementioned editor quite a large sum of money I lost betting on cricket. The best idea I had going was doing one of those “it’s the rainy season” stories again, pretty standard stuff. I was going to mention the swap of locations for the ever-present rainy season lake which has mysteriously moved itself from its former downtown crossroad location to the front of the new Pacific Park complex. As we all know this particular building has become an enduring symbol of the “new” Playa Tamarindo, creating mixed emotions amongst the current residents of our fair town, so maybe I should try working it in. I needed a few colorful names to use for the building. We all had them, muttering them under our breath as we dodged the construction site that we shared the street with. However, it soon became evident that the obsolete communication tool known as “the telephone” would not provide me with any of these examples due to a lack of answering. My next step was to send off a quick e-mail to a bunch of locals asking for their personal nicknames for the edifice. The results were staggering with some people sending three or four pages of replies. I realize that if this kept up I wouldn’t have to write anything, I’d just insert whatever I’d received. Your writer ain’t as dumb as he looks! End of prologue
One Way to Write a Column
W
Story by Jesse Bishop (and a host of others)
ell, it’s the rainy season once again here in Guanacaste, one of two existing seasons we have available. The signs are all there: your salt shakers don’t work, the roads have turned from dust to mud, the local ants are moving back indoors, landlords have all raised their rents and........ there’s lots of rain. One of the more endearing results of the rainy season here in Playa Tamarindo has always been the somewhat naturally formed lake that appears every year at a major intersection. For many years it was downtown but after the Herculean efforts of MOPT in last year’s successful road paving the lake disappeared. “Lake Tamarindo” fans were thus thrilled when it resurfaced in front of the new commercial complex that now dominates the area.
future”. That’s the good news. The bad news is this is the same bunch that paid $5,000 apiece last year for a lunchtime schmooze with “El Presidente” who then promised the road to Playa Langosta would be paved before last year’s rainy season.
“What do you call that building?” the reader asks.
Another unintentional by-product of the arrival of the rainy season is that it’s immediately followed by my birthday, May 18th, a date I share with Empress Catherine the Great of Russia, my good friend Kata Kis and both country western great George Strait and Augustus Busch III, the heir to the Budweiser Beer Empire. I should add that both George and Augustus were born the same year as yours truly and I know for a fact that, astrologically speaking, Busch is also a triple Taurus, sun, moon and rising signs. You may wonder how old I will be this year. I’ll give you a few hints. I was born in the first year of Dwight Eisenhower’s presidency, the same year Queen Elizabeth II was crowned, the first hydrogen bomb was exploded, the first contraceptive pill was introduced and the year “The Greatest Show on Earth” won the Oscar for Best Picture. It is also a number between (and not including) 56 and 58.
“Oh, you must mean...... Rosie’s Folly, The Coliseum, The Titanic, The White Monolith, The White Albatross, Condominiums Vista del Lago or Lakefront Condos, The Museum, The Deathstar, the ever popular “#*!*++@>#!!!!!”, The Abortion, Fawlty Towers, De-Faulty Towers, The Canker Store, Boondoggle Park, Pacific Parking, The Insidiously Celestial Heights, The Blazing Stump, Swayback Stallion Meadows (?), Tamarindo Greed Museum, The Fountainblatt, The UFO (ugly foreign object), Starship Tamarindo (a yes vote?), The Scar of Tamarindo, The World Fade Tower, That Thing, Rosie’s General Hospital, Psychiatric Hospital, Cima Tamarindo, The White Monster, The Grey Monster, the Beige Monster, The New York Landlord White Monster or just the plain ‘ol White Elephant!” However I have it on the best authority that the owners plan to have the new lake paved over in “the very near
Those of you who, like myself, drive on that road way too often know that this pledge was never met. Some us may actually prefer the road in its current condition as it reminds us of “the good ol’ days” when Playa Langosta was considered a far-off exotic location with its terrible road and abundance of “secret spots”. The road is fast approaching that original description while the “clandestine locations” are now unfinished towers and large treeless craters.
This year I plan to celebrate my increase in years by plucking all the grey hairs out of my beard. This, of course, will leave me clean-shaven.
The Return of Sysiphus (from page 25)
Personally, I’ve had a long interest in erosion control, a sort of lifelong love affair with mud wrestling. Recently I was contacted by the engineer in charge of slope stabilization for the highways destroyed in the Cinchona earthquake and the watershed manager for the hydroelectric installations at Lake Arenal. The move from backyard to big time would never have happened without support from developers who have tried to minimize the damage on their projects. Their commitment has fostered both the gradual refinement of techniques and training of crews so that larger and more difficult jobs can be accomplished. Gratitude is due especially to Matt Hayden and his partners in the Tierra Pacifica project and Donny Lalonde and ‘socios’ at Lagartillo Hills. Kudos as well to Steve Gordy, the first landscaper to really dive into the real world of maintaining an erosion control nursery, bidding jobs for which there was no precedent and making sure that the workers are trained, decently paid and covered by insurance in risky work. The unsung heroes are the dozens of Guanacastecos who mastered new techniques, shared their own insights and helped surmount problems as they occurred. Not to mention the thousands of grueling hours spent tromping back and forth and up and down 45-degree slopes in scorching sun or pounding rain. These guys deserve the lion’s share of the credit. Aldo Leopold observed: “One of the penalties of an ecological education is that one lives alone in a world of wounds.” Over the years you can see the growing awareness of the workers about the problems of erosion in our province. Importantly, what was once taken for granted, they now know how to fix. These guys are the hope for the future. When enough people realize that the majority of mud is not “natural”, but man-made, we can consign Sisyphus to the dusty tomes of Greek mythology, knowing that he is no longer haunting the hills and valleys of Guanacaste
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
As I told a neighbor with a sort of cosmic worldview, “It’s a path with a heart; we’re keeping the stuff where the good Lord put it in the first place, and ‘saw that it was good’.”
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/
SALES & REPAIR
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Phones: 2653-5005/2653-8507 carolineheaviland@yahoo.com
Huacas - 75 meters west of Baquore Ferreteria
Remodelling & Home Repairs Carpentry • Block Walls Stonework • Ceramic Tile Drywall • Concrete
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RAIN GAUGE 4.0
c m s
RAINFALL - April/May Miller Meteorological Observatory La Garita
3.0 2.5 2.0
Cheryl McKillican
he Tamarindo Lifeguard Program is nearing its 14th month of continuous operation on Tamarindo Beach. There has not been a single case of drowning since the program was reinstated in March 2008. Originally 16 area hotels and businesses funded the program monthly; however, throughout the course of the year the economy has taken its toll on this vital program. For the past several months the program has survived on money received from the annual Raft-Up fundraiser and several concerned Tamarindo residents. Sadly, as it stands right now, there is not enough money in the account to continue paying our lifeguards.
Free estimates Rex Barnes - Tel: 2-653-1432
3.5
Please Help the Lifeguards!
A generous donation of $500 from the Tamarindo chapter of the Surfrider Foundation has covered two weeks’ salary for the lifeguards but as the vast majority of Surfriders resources go towards paying Ro-Ro, our dedicated town trash man, additional financial support is desperately needed.
Total rainfall: 8.9 cm (3.5 inches)
1.5 1.0 0.5 0.0
16
20
25
30 1
5
April
Year-to-date 2008: 314.1 cm 2009: 8.9
Rainfall April-May 2008: 177.0 cm 2009: 8.9
J u n e ( a l l
10
May
t i m e s
2 0 0 9 l o c a l )
Sun
1st - rise 5:21; set 6:02 15th - rise 5:22; set 6:07 31st - rise 5:26; set 6:09
Full: Last quarter: New: 1st quarter
Moon
7th 16th 22nd 29th
15
Tamarindo had three fully certified lifeguards protecting the beach until this past week. I received a phone call from Jonathon Thompson who was laid off by the Diria. The Diria has been paying his salary since December but no longer can afford to do this with the current situation in the economy. Currently Tamarindo has two lifeguards - Jorge Zamora and his wife Jessica. The pair went through a intense 10-day training with the Captain of the National Lifeguard Association for Costa Rica in February of this year. They are dedicated and enthusiastic about the rescues they have made over the past several months. I have the privilege of hearing of their most current rescues twice a month when I check up with them and hand them their paycheck. On top of being a certified lifeguard, Jessica is also a registered nurse. I know first-hand how important it is to have lifeguards protecting the beach. In January of 2008, Matt McParland, a friend and visiting chiropractor from Chicago, drowned after being swept away in a rip tide while standing in waist deep water on Tamarindo beach. My sister-in-law, Ann McKillican, and I decided to do what we could to bring this program back to Tamarindo. We worked hard and were able to start the program in March of 2008. The current economic troubles around the world have changed the way this program will need to survive in the future. Currently Capitan Suizo and Las Mareas have committed to donate $100 per month to be split between these two programs, and Cala Luna continues to donate $50 per month towards the lifeguards.
6:12 a.m. 4:15 p.m. 1:35 p.m. 5:28 a.m.
If you are interested in helping we need you! Any and all amounts are greatly appreciated. Please send an email with your name and the monthly amount you are willing to donate to the following email address: tamarindoservices@hotmail.com
Alcoholics Anonymous Schedule of Meetings
Flamingo
Tuesdays: 5:30 - 6:30 pm (open) Fridays: 5:30 - 6:30 pm (open)
Location: Hitching Post Plaza Unit 2, Brasilito Contact: Don H. at 2-654-4902
Tamarindo
Saturday: 10:30-11:30 - Open General Meeting Monday: 5:30 Open Meeting Thursday: 6:30-7:30 - Open Meeting Location: Behind Restaurant Fiesta del Mar Contact: Ellen - 2-653-0897
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
Why I Chose Costa Rica By Christopher Howard M.A.
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A
bout 36 years ago, I spent a year as an exchange student in Puebla, Mexico. It proved to be the best experience I ever had and the turning point of my life. I truly became enamored with the Latin culture and decided I really wanted to live in a Spanish-speaking country. I was barely 20 years old and still had to finish my last year of undergraduate work at UCLA. Nevertheless, I did not give up on my dream. After graduating, I obtained a teaching credential so I would have three months of vacation each year to explore Mexico and the rest of Latin America. My journey began with Guatemala. Subsequently, every country I visited in Central and South America had something to offer. But as a whole, Costa Rica was by far the leader of the pack. Brazil had Rio and its vibrant culture. Argentina had cosmopolitan Buenos Aires, Mendoza, the Pampas, Patagonia and Bariloche. Chile had its Switzerland-like lake region in the south and Santiago in the center of the country set against the backdrop of the Andes. Peru had Lake Titicaca, pre-colonial Cuzco and Machu Picchu with their rich Incan culture. Ecuador had the Galapagos Islands and colonial Quito. But none of these countries, including beautiful Mexico to the north, came close to Costa Rica. So, after extensive research and travel I decided the country where I really wanted to live was Costa Rica. I began to return to Costa Rica every chance I had. My first trip was for two weeks. My next visit was for a month. Each time I found a way to protract my stay. I was living in the San Francisco Bay area, but found myself spending most of my time thinking about Costa Rica. I really felt more at home here than in the United States. Consequently, I decided to follow my heart and move to Costa Rica to pursue my dream. I did not want to wait until I was 65 years old and retired before I made the move. All of my friends and relatives said I was crazy to give up a secure teaching position and move abroad. They just couldn’t understand why I would leave the comforts of the good old U.S.A to move to a third world country. Some even asked me if there was a revolution going on in Costa Rica. Obviously they were confusing Costa Rica with Nicaragua and El Salvador of the 1980s. Needless to say, I made my move, and twenty-eight years later I have never looked back. I love this country, the culture, and the people. My adopted country has been very good to me and I have found success and happiness here. ¡Pura vida!
Christopher Howard is the author/publisher of the bestselling The New Golden Door to Retirement and Living in Costa Rica, and The Guide to Costa Rican Spanish. Mr. Howard conducts retirement and relocation tours. For more information go to www.liveincostarica.com, or call toll-free 800-365-2342. Send him an email: liveincostarica@cox.net