The Howler
Volume 17, No. 7 Issue No. 190
July 2012 Founded 1996
TAMARINDO COSTA RICA www.howlermag.com THE HOWLER Ced. Juridica: 3-101-331333
FEATURES
Publisher, editor and production David Mills
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dmills@racsa.co.cr Tel: 2-653-0545 Howler • Mono Congo
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CONTRIBUTORS
ELLEN ZOE GOLDEN TONY OREZ TOM PEIFER JEFFREY WHITLOW MONICA RIASCOS KAY DODGE
JEANNE CALLAHAN JESSE BISHOP MARY BYERLY CYNTHIA CHARPENTIER ROBERT AUGUST
Deadline for August: July15 Howler advertising
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Dining Out
El Coconut Restaurant in Tamarindo just celebrated ten years of delicious food, elegant surroundings, great service and good wines.
Price $
Fiesta Brava
A visiting couple get into the cultural research groove when they visit a typical town fiesta in Guanacaste.
14 Around Town
Openings, closings, parties, music. The Gold Coast has it all, and bar-hoppin’ David is in the groove.
15 Surf Report
Quite possibly Costa Rica’s best surfer at the moment, Carlos Muñoz is in the spotlight again when he wins the Copa Quiksilver in Dominical.
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From Ice to Fire
Recumbent cyclist Chris Mueller enters his last country, Argentina, on his epic trip from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego.
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Surviving Costa Rica
A brief history of Tamarindo; Nick d’Amico sings with the National Philaharmonic; playing Bingo and Risk.
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Planting for a Drought
Although the rains are here, our guru predicts severe shortages of water in Guanacaste.
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DEPARTMENTS 10 CD Review
23 Parents’ Corner
11 Book Review
24 Doctor’s Orders
12 August Odysseys
28 Sun & Moon
19 A Slice of Life
28 Rain Gauge
20 July Forecasts
29 Word Puzzle
22 Yoga
31 Tide Chart
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
Cover Caption: Party Time! Fiesta Payasos at Paraíso tope. Cover Photo: David Mills Cover Design: David Mills
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couple of months ago we reported that a 1.75% tax on electricity bills will be used to build thirty new fire stations around the country. We now have the news that Tamarindo’s will be the seventh to be constructed – no date yet.
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My apologies to anyone who sent me e-mails between June 8 and 12, as my Racsa account went kaput during that time. As if that were not bad enough, my ICE account died on the 11th for two days. After several two-hour phone sessions to supposed “tech support”, each of whom referred my problem to a “higher power” the accounts were revived, but I lost all the interim messages. Almost as annoying is the little message “Thank you for using Racsa services” from our government monopoly – like I have a choice?
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I met Tony, from New Jersey, who is travelling all over Costa Rica with friends for two weeks. “We’re living the American Dream” he told me, “vacationing on our unemployment payments.” Nice! Water, as mentioned in last month’s editorial, is still a rare commodity in Tamarindo, with very frequent outages, many due to damaged pumps, which can take up to a week to obtain and fit a replacement. Surely the national water institution can keep a couple of spares on hand in the area? Is this too simple? Hurricane season officially began on June 1, and predictions are for a near-normal season in the Atlantic. National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration predicts a seventy percent chance of nine to fifteen tropical storms, of which four to eight will become hurricanes, and one to three will become major hurricanes. For the Eastern Pacific, NOAA predicts a seventy percent chance of 9-15 named storms, 4-8 hurricanes and 1-3 major hurricanes. Exactly the same numbers as for the Atlantic. With such hazy figures, they can’t really be wrong! We will tell you more next November.
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unning a business is not an easy job, and running a business in Costa Rica is even more difficult. Here in Tamarindo we see businesses open and close, often within the same season, so it is encouraging to see some long-standing operations, obviously the result of intelligent management and – lots of hard work! Restaurant El Coconut last month celebrated its tenth anniversary, some 3,000 evenings of serving exquisite meals, in elegant surroundings, to a lot of discerning customers. Owner Anne-Katherine Hjelset had no cooking training except what she learned at her mother’s apron, and no experience in food service when she opened in 2002; she now is a compendium of knowledge – food management, inventory control, personnel management and enough Costa Rican law to open her own practice. Add a temperature-controlled bodega with over 100 different wines, and Coconut is an excellent restaurant. On its tenth anniversary Coconut presented a lobster promotion and served 90 kilos of the juicy crustaceans to 200 diners. Many locals came to help celebrate this occasion; the restaurant has many regular customers, both residents and tourists, many of whom keep returning from afar. A saxophonist provided the music, and the party was in full swing. My companion enjoyed an appetizer of shrimps with avocado, while I had mussels Mediterranean. Then the lobsters arrived, one in tropical dressing – pineapple, raisins, ginger and cream – and one slathered in hot garlic butter. Both were large and delicious. Congratulations, A-K; we look forward to another ten! El Coconut Restaurant is on the main street in Tamarindo. Open Tuesday-Sunday from 5 p.m. Tel: 2653-0086. All credit cards accepted.
Fiesta Brava
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Field Report
nthropologists interested in cultural variations among humans frequently engage in various forms of participation and observation of cultural practices – which includes spending time at the research location, interacting with subjects, and taking notes – in other words, fieldwork. So it was with our “cultural anthropologist” hats on that my partner Deborah and I left the comforts of the Tamarindo tourist zone and caught the chicken bus to a dusty little town in cattle country to witness what was described to us as the most important event of the year in Santa Rosa – the annual bull-riding “Fiesta Brava”. This is not a decision we took lightly – we’re both concerned about how animals are treated at events like this. Nevertheless we arrived early enough that they were still setting up the perimeter fencing, but the mini-midway was open so we grabbed a plate of fried chicken and a couple of beers and watched as the crew finished setting up. We were also aware that tonight was special because it was being broadcast live on television; there was a large crew from the television station setting up cameras and lights. It was a small ring, but they had as many cameras and crew members on the job as Hockey Night in Canada, including a camera on a long boom to get overhead action shots. We purchased tickets for seating in the stands – 10,000 colones each which is $20 US; the other option was to buy lower-priced tickets for standing room around the ring, but we had been told the event would go three hours so we opted for a seat in the shade. The stands were about half-full when a youthful drum and glockenspiel band marched in to perform for about 20 minutes. When they marched out, about a hundred people, mostly men and mostly 20-something, many in t-shirts promoting the various corporate sponsors, spread themselves around the ring. Most were in running shoes although a few were in flip-flops; some had capes or costume parts, a few had fabric advertising signs, many had drinks in their hands. We were puzzled to say the least. And then they opened the gate to let a large bull run around the ring, alternatively trying to avoid, or charge at, this ground crew that was taunting him. Members of this large crew, in turn, ran around trying to touch the bull but at the same time escape being gored by its sharp horns. This continued for about fifteen minutes to the great delight of the audience before three vaqueros (locally known as sabaneros) on horseback steered the bull out through the gate. It was finally time for the first rider, and after much fanfare from the most annoying announcers we’ve ever listened to (there were three or four talking the whole time, laughing uproariously at their own comments or at what was happening on the field; we’re not convinced the audience was paying them any attention), the gate opened. Unfortunately, the rider was left hanging on the gate itself, so much for the ride! This is where the ground crew steps in to provide the entertainment – running in front of, and away from, the loose bull for about ten minutes before it is guided back to the gate. While the next rider was getting ready, they let another bull out for the ground crew to taunt and run from, again rescued from torment by the three men on horseback. (continued page 25)
CD Review Many Lives of El Gato
Tony Orez
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erry McLaughlin is a cat of many lives. He is an educated, interesting conversationalist and he loves to blow harp to some low-down, dirty blues. Terry was born in Letcher County, Kentucky’s poorest, and has a sharp sense of humor that is somehow unable to hide his softer, compassionate side. He’s a cat of many lives, a few of which, he is ready to admit, he blew through when he was younger and time was expendable. Terry told me that gospel and “porch music”, especially of the Appalachian variety, were his first exposure to his lifelong fascination with music. He had his first paying gig as a musician at the age of thirteen and has been at it some forty-odd years since. After a lifetime of touring, in the new incarnation of El Gato, Terry and his wife Lynn have now been living in the Tamarindo area for about ten months. Terry shows up regularly at the Wednesday night Open Mike shows at Pasatiempo and this guy is a walking music encyclopedia, a true fellow music geek. He’s played in dozens of bands throughout his career and has played with some of the true blues greats, such as the three Kings: Albert, Freddie and B.B., and with Carla Thomas, who recorded with Otis Redding. Honestly, I’m in awe. And it is apparent in his stage presence that he is comfortable in his skin, a born “Front Man”. I recently picked up a copy of Terry’s CD, “El Gato”, an impressive collection of eight blues standards, recorded at the Dead Mule digital recording studio. The songs were recorded live, with Terry playing keyboards on the main tracks. He then went into the studio and overdubbed his harmonica work and background vocals. I thought it was a nice technique to intersperse songs with Terry accompanying himself only on harp in between songs by a band of hand-picked musicians with whom he had worked at various stages throughout his career and that he assembled for this recording. The guitarist, Little Little Milton, also played and recorded with Rufus Thomas. Terry had played with LLM but they had lost touch with each other. Twenty-five years later they ran into each other in Richmond, Virginia. Terry considered it a sign and recruited Milton for the session work; turned out it was a positive sign as the guitar work is slick and clean on the CD. The album kicks it off with Terry covering the Mississippi Sheiks hallmark “Sittin’ on Top of the World”. The second number unveils the band performing “634-5789”, a Wilson “The Wicked” Pickett gem. The band also does a great version of The Temptations classic “Just My Imagination” and Stevie Wonder’s “Higher Ground”. Terry also does deft solo delivery of Muddy Waters’ “Hoochie Coochie Man” that he should be proud of. El Gato has been performing solo around town, at Kahiki Restaurant and with the Leatherbacks at the Open Mike sessions at Hotel Pasatiempo on Wednesday nights. Terry recently performed a four-hour solo blues revue at El Pescador that included an incredible tribute to Ray Charles. He is definitely worth checking out. Terry has performed at a plethora of private and corporate events and is available for bookings at terrymack55@aol.com or 8683.2408. With his musical expertise, I am sure he can streamline his show to accommodate any needs. You can pick up a copy of “El Gato” at his shows or at the Jaime Peligro book store in Playa Tamarindo.
Book Review
Tony
Orez
Water Men
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had just finished a “heavy” book, an intense academic read that I enjoyed, but one that took a lot of focus and serious time to get through. So I was ready for something lighter, a “beach read” as they call them, not that there is anything wrong with that. There is a time and a place for everything… “The Water Men” by Adelaine Mackenzie Fuss filled the bill for me. Meet Shawn: recently retired at the early age of thirty-six. Shawn made a vast fortune in a short amount of time with a patent for tinting highrise buildings, which he did internationally for eighteen years, half his life. He is now set up for the rest of his life, needing only to figure out what to do with his time. He finds a beachfront rental next door to Russ and Caroline, who have also retired early and have decided to do literally nothing with their lives, except drink. So, he returns to Newport Beach, California, where he grew up and learned to surf and started his lifetime passion for the Pacific Ocean. Something is beckoning Shawn and he needs to find out what that thing is. He rekindles his relationship with his mother Hannah, who is living in Newport Villas, a four-story “adult care” apartment complex, where she watches several televisions simultaneously, all with the volume on too loud. He also takes in Oliver, a stray dog who becomes a focal character in the novel, as does Jimmy, a doctor who is basically in the same situation as Shawn and becomes his friend as they surf together daily and try to make sense of their collective situations. And then there is Estelle, a stunning, statuesque and very successful veterinarian, who becomes the love of Shawn’s life in a strange relationship of convenience. The story is told largely in short, choppy and, at times, incomplete sentences, reflective of Shawn’s mindset, and this is a good technique used by Adelaine throughout the book. It also has some memorable zany bit players, Southern California style. And the author’s description of the area is dead-on, from the beach to the burbs to the desert. If I have a knock on the writing it is that Ms. Fuss wrote it from a male perspective, something difficult to do. I believe any female reading it would miss the point that Adelaine missed her mark on male thinking. No guy I know is that decent one hundred percent of the time. But it is a difficult trick to write in the frame of mind of the opposite sex. The only two successful ones I can think of are Sara Gruen with “Water For Elephants” and Arthur Golden with “Memoirs of a Geisha”. And that’s tough company. Adelaine Mackenzie Fuss lives in South Dakota with her husband and three children but she attended the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, so she knows the area well and writes about it in a deft style, making “The Water Men” pure, believable entertainment.
August Odysseys
Robert August
Rogue Wave
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very surfer who has been to Costa Rica knows Ollie’s Point (named after the infamous Oliver North - ask your dad), at least has heard of it, if not ridden it. Ollie’s is a break point, a consistent series of waves, mostly pretty small, about two or three feet, with a nice little curl so you can ride through the barrel lying down. This is what I like to do with my daughter, Christine. Christine was six years old when we went to Ollie’s (photo), and was as at home in the water as a dolphin. We took a boat out to the point and lay down on our board, waiting for a nice wave and chatting with some guys who were already there. A larger wave came in, about five feet, and it was my turn in the line-up so we paddled for it. You don’t see too much when you are lying down, and climbing up the front to the top we suddenly saw a huge eight-foot wall of white water, tumbling and rolling madly in front of us. I certainly didn’t want to get caught in that one with my little daughter, and hadn’t bothered with a leash as the waves are usually so small. I turned around and paddled furiously, but the monster was catching up. I pushed down on the nose to dive under it. The board went one way, Christine went another and I went somewhere else, rolling in the wildly boiling turmoil. Fighting my way to the top, I searched around for my daughter, frantically calling her name, but saw nothing except another huge breaking wave bearing down on me. Suddenly I saw Christine’s head break the surface ten feet away and yelled “Dive! Go as deep as you can!” The wave broke over me and carried me towards the beach into shallow water where I could stand up. Panic-stricken, I looked for Christine, and eventually saw her head, so I swam to her and dragged her ashore. I stood there holding her tight, cursing myself for being so foolhardy and putting my little kid at risk. “What kind of parent plays stupid games with his child’s life?” I asked myself, wondering what traumatic effect the experience would have on her life, her love of the water and surfing. She looked up at me and said: “Daddy, can we go and find some shells?”
Clothing Drive
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EPIA would like to extend its great appreciation to Witch’s Rock Surf Camp in Tamarindo for its continuing support and its most recent efforts to host and promote a clothing drive to benefit needy families in our area. WRSC promoted the drive through their shop, through their blog and facebook posts, and on the radio during WRSC’s live broadcasts with Radio Dos on Friday nights. In the store, WRSC set up a large box, which overflowed with donations of clothes, shoes, and stuffed animals from employees, guests, and others living in the community. Additionally, WRSC’s blog and facebook posts encouraged guests as far as New York to donate online to CEPIA. WRSC also collected donations at its sister business Volcano Brewing Co. in Tilarán. Given the success of their efforts, WRSC has decided to become a collection point for any material donations that someone would like to make to CEPIA. Donors will find a big box inside the WRSC shop where they can stop by any day of the week from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. to drop off donations. “CEPIA is a great organization that we have been proud to support for many years,” said owner Joe Walsh. “We are so happy to give back to our fantastic community here in Guanacaste, and hosting a clothing drive is one easy and effective way that we can do that.” There are many simple ways that individuals or businesses can assist those in need in our community: host a clothing or materials drive, promote issues on your blog or facebook, ask friends or family to bring much-needed items when they come visit you, or put together a donation box in your business to collect cash. In addition to funds, CEPIA has many material needs to help maintain its programs and support those in our community that are struggling. CEPIA routinely needs: clothes for all ages, shoes for children and infants, children’s books in Spanish, children’s games in Spanish, cooking materials, toilet paper, beauty and hygiene products, notebooks, watercolor brushes and paints, material for art classes, canvas for painting, whiteboard markers, cardstock paper, letter-size folders, printer ink (Canon 40 and 41), copier paper, tables and chairs, beds, mattresses, sheets, cleaning supplies, pencil sharpeners, erasers, scissors, office furniture and food.
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Anexion
his month Costa Rica in general, and Guanacaste in particular, celebrate Anexion on July 25. What is Anexion?
Many people, Costa Ricans as well as extranjeros, believe that Guanacaste used to be a part of Nicaragua. But this is not the case. Before anexion, Guanacaste – the area west of the Rio Tempisque to the Pacific and north to Lake Nicaragua - was an autonomous territory called el Partido de Nicoya whose administration, such as it was, was handled by the Captain-General of Guatemala. It did not belong to Nicaragua nor Costa Rica. However, it had strong commercial ties to its neighbors, Puntarenas, Cañas and Esparza. When Nicaragua declared independence from Spain in 1821, Guanacaste was obliged to decide whether its future would be better under Nicaraguan or Costa Rican rule. While Nicaragua suffered from many internal problems, business relations between Guanacaste a n d Costa Rica were favorable, so the inhabitants decided on the latter and signed the Acta de Anexion on July 25, 1824. Anexion is enthusiastically celebrated all over Guanacaste, especially in Nicoya, Liberia and Santa Cruz, with fiestas, horse topes and traditional visits by the president.
AROUND TOWN Carolina’s Fine Restaurant has closed in Tamarindo. Carolina will open a new restaurant in San José, probably in 2013; The Howler will later inform you of the date and location. Call 88213063 or e-mail caritopaniagua@gmail.com. See ad page 23. Correos of Costa Rica (Post Office) offers a new service, certification from the Registro Nacional (National Registry) for ¢2,800, and you don’t have to go to Liberia. Call 2653-0676 for details. Smilin’ Dog Taco Stop reopened under the management of Federico Ghergo & Ezequiel Marinoni again. They open from 11 am to 10 pm from Monday to Saturdays. Get ready... they have an extensive new menu!! Always fresh & healthy Mexican food and more! And they deliver to your house! Call 2653-1370. See ad on page 25. Cabalgata! The Comité Pro Church of Pinilla invites you all to a horse ride, July 14. Leaving at 1 p.m. from Hacienda La Pinta in Cañafistula (15 minutes from Tamarindo) and riding to San José de Pinilla where a big party will be held with live music. If not riding, go to the party by car or bike, etc. Contact marcelo@hidroclear.com. Micro-brew! Sharky’s now has on draft Libertas Pale Ale, a Belgian pale, and the delicious Segua Red, all from Craft Brewery. Witch’s Rock Surf Camp has two draft microbrews from their own Volcano Brewing plus the Craft beers. Welcome Monkeys and Midgets, a funky bar next door to ReMax (upstairs), at the entrance to Sunrise Condos, that claims to be the “worst bar in Tamarindo”. Open 2 p.m. to 2 a.m. Web: monkeysnmidgets.com. See the ad on page 3. Congratulations to Dr. José Maria Garita, who celebrates his tenth anniversary operating Farmacia El Cruce in Huacas. Check the specials in July, August and September. See the ad on page 5. The Shack Bar and Restaurant serves great food and drinks, great breakfasts, in Surfside, Potrero. See the ad on page 9. Pasta Casera Tamarindo offers delicious home-made pastas, ravioli, empanadas, panini/sandwiches, lasagna and preserves. Visit Andrea (8350-3949) and Gabriela (8730-0978) at Plaza Conchal. Keep fit at two gymnasiums - Tamarindo Fitness Center and Pacific Coast Gym in Huacas - under new management. See ads on pages 17 & 23.
Surf Report
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f we were to look at the overall accomplishments of Costa Rican surfers who compete internationally and here in this country, we can single one out, and say he is the best we have to offer. At this time, arguably the greatest surfer of the moment is 19-year-old Carlos (Cali) Muñoz from Esterillos. Just look at his recent track record.
Last month, he won the Copa Quiksilver de Dominical, the fourth date in this year’s Circuito Nacional, Olympus presented by Banana Boat. He defeated fellow Santa Teresa’s Anthony Fillingim, fellow Esterillos surfer Danny Bishko and the winner of the third date of the Circuito, Jaco’s Jair Pérez. As a matter of fact, Bishko scored a perfect 10 in one of his earlier heats, adding a lot of pressure to the other competitors to elevate their levels. Fortunately, Carlos was able to rely on his experience to score two good waves--8.17 with an air reverse and 8.50 in fine style—that totaled 16.67. Bishko was not a threat in the finals, coming in third behind Muñoz and Fillingim. “The whole tournament I did not surf radically. I worked to pass my heats rather than throw everything and thank God, that in the final, I got the waves to work on. I also think I was lucky because I fell several times,” said Muñoz. He added: “In the final, everyone who wins has to try radical maneuvers with the certainty that he will complete it. I think I fell in the best wave I selected. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, but the important thing is to learn.” Though Muñoz sits at ninth in the overall Open rankings, it’s his cumulative work that has propelled him to the top. In 2009, Cali made history by winning the trophies and becoming the national champion in the Boys, Junior and Open categories at the end of the year. He was only 15 years old. Already, as a younger child, he had progressed with titles in the MiniGrommets (2005), Grommets (2006), Boys (2007) and Junior (2008). According to Carlos, it was the Circuito wins that open the doors to new sponsors and international contests. Without traveling outside of the country, Muñoz snatched the win at the Asociacion Latinoamercana de Surfistas Professionals (ALAS) Reef Classic Costa Rica this past March. Competing against the best Latin American surfers was challenging, and his Open win is even more significant given that he ran the Junior division too and ended up in that final. He has also served on the Costa Rica National Surf Team since 2009’s World Surfing Games, and before that competed as Junior outside the country. Muñoz got his feet wet challenging the Association of Surfing Professions (ASP) in April at the Vans Pier Classic in Huntington Beach.
Ellen Zoe Golden (ellenzoe@aol.com) Perhaps the biggest accomplishment in his surf life so far—certainly the biggest waves—came on his Volcom-sponsored trip to Hawaii. There he spent time surfing Banzai Pipeline before scoring a perfect 10 and the Electric Perfect 10 award at the Volcom Pipe Pro. He did it at Backdoor with an air-drop takeoff into a deep, long barrel that ran the full length of the break. “This is one of my dreams and I’m so stoked to make the 10 and to make my heat as well,” he said at the time. “I felt like the wave was going to be a close-out, but I just run, run, run the tube and I can get out. It’s amazing and I can’t believe it. I really don’t have words to explain. Amazing!” I did a little Q&A session with Cali, and I’m really proud of him for responding to my queries in English. This is something else that has come from his travels. Ellen Zoe Golden: Congratulations on winning the Circuito date in Dominical. Did you find it easier to surf in the Circuito since you have been doing all these international contests? Carlos Muñoz: Yes. In Costa Rica, we compete a lot, and the level is too high, so we have a good rhythm of competition. Competing at international events helps me (Photo: Fabián Sánchez) with my confidence. EZG: Tell me about the Dominical finals, how did you win it? CM: I surfed relaxed and I was feeling good. I tried to get two good waves at the beginning of the heat, and luckily I made it. EZG: You surfed in the 4-star WQS Vans Pier Classic in Huntington Beach and the Volcom Pipe Pro. What did you learn from surfing in the U.S. contests? CM: The level in the United States is amazing, so it helped me improve a lot on my surfing level and in competitions. EZG: Do you have a trick that you would call your trademark? CM: I like to do club sandwich. EZG: How did you get that perfect 10 at the Volcom Pipe Pro in Hawaii? CM: I was connected with the ocean and really lucky to get that wave. EZG: Were you scared at Pipeline? CM: It’s so huge. I was a little big nervous because of the size of the wave, but I was feeling good. EZG: After being challenged so much in Hawaii, does it seem easier to be back surfing Costa Rica? CM: Hawaii is amazing, you learn a lot from the waves and the surf (continued page 18)
From Ic
Epic story of a bicycle ride fro Story: Christoph Mueller Edited: David Mills
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n previous episodes we followed Chris from Alaska, through Canada, entering the States again in Oregon. Through Mexico and Central America, Chris eventually stopped in Tamarindo to visit friends Donny and Christy Lalonde. Continuing into Panama, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, his last episode took him across the Altiplano of Bolivia. We rejoin him as he enters Chile. Arriving at the border of Chile was a big joy. To my surprise the border control looked more like an airport than a normal border. In Chile I experienced for the first time in almost a year a quiet traffic, no honking, but patience and respect. I felt finally safe again after the long distance since the US border throughout eleven countries. I don’t know if you can follow me, what it means to be day after day in a surrounding where you never feel totally safe and then can finally leave it. After a three-day break we climbed up Paso Tambo Quemado to reach the National Parks Lauca and Isluga, a route almost only for the Bolivian trucks coming to Arica’s harbour, 1,200 a day. The beauty of Atacama Desert is just awesome with the dry grass brush, the vicuñas, the thermal baths, the many tornados you see everyday and the huge plains surrounded by all the coloured volcanoes. Although the nights were cold it was fun to camp amidst the wild nature and we enjoyed that; the time of safe camping had come again. At Salar de Surire we were warned not to cross the green border to Bolivia as there was a lot of narco traffic and the police would shoot at the people. Well, without knowing we crossed it for a small distance and came back to Chilenian territory but there was no danger at all. At the border the police were so interested in our bikes that they came out of their office to look at them, to test them and to take pictures while the other people had to wait for their stamp. Chile: San Pedro de Atacama - Paso Sico Totally exhausted of Southern Lipez I passed the border from Bolivia to Chile at an altitude of about 4,600m above sea level that leads into Paso de Jama. All I wanted was to let it run down to San Pedro de Atacama, an oasis village at about 2,500m. with a pleasant climate. Soon the view opened and the amazing coulisse of a row of some dozen volcanoes appeared under a clear blue sky. Running towards San Pedro suddenly in the wide desert gravel fields a fence appeared. At first I did not understand why there
ce to Fire
om Alaska to Tierra del Fuego
was a fence. Then a panel showed up saying: “Peligro Campo de Minas (minefield)” Later I found it served to keep back dissidents from fleeing to Bolivia after 1973. San Pedro de Atacama offered me the necessary break I was longing for. Beside its great climate it has a special character. Let’s say it’s a big party village where you have to choose wisely where you will participate. For me it served for more than a break: it was the perfect place for a complete physical recuperation. I was hanging out with many backpackers and enjoyed the international company while I was working on my website. In order to buy bike parts and to replace the camera that had fallen into a Bolivia thermal bath I went to the nearby town Calama, the city of the huge copper mines. Entering the luxury shopping malls after having spent months in third world country conditions a little culture shock hit me. I was back in the consuming world and it caused some trouble to cope with the sudden change. I felt not well and a kind of stress arose. After an extended break of thirteen days I restarted to climb over to Argentina and chose the desolated pass road to Paso Sico. I left civilisation behind and found myself soon alone in the spectacular desert. It was the last break-up into the Atacama desert. I loved it, riding between volcanoes, through gravel fields of many different colours, along plenty of little salt flats with the clear lagoons in between the short yellow grass brush under a blue huge sky and furthermore inhaling the ambiance of being alone, conquering immense distances out in the nowhere. Often there seemed to be no end, estimating the distances as far as the eye could see and even when reaching the horizon another endless area was showing up. Pure emotions rose there and are rising again while writing about it. Truly I can say I had very few moments all over the tour when I came to my limits, but here it required great mental power not to lose heart. I was well aware that it could have become very ugly out there to be running out of water. There were very few cars coming along and a number of them, really nice guys, asked me if I needed supplies, and in an iron mine they even gave me food. Within three days I reached the Argentina border with great joy.
Barbara’s Pet Stories Baby Coatimundi
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i there, it is me again, the little coatimundi. My name now is NASI; I am a boy and now almost three months old. I can see, I can climb, I can run and play with my friends. And I have a lot of friends. Cats, dogs, a raccoon, but my favorite is the puppy Mibo. She has really big ears, and when she lies on the floor, I can cuddle into them. She is very nice to me, I can sit on her like a jockey and she walks slowly through the garden with me. I also like to sit on the shoulder of my human mama, Barbara, and cuddle into her pony tail…that makes her mad. Then she says, stop it or you are put into the cage! Oh yeah, the cage… I hate it, but when I jump on the tables and I knock over the coffee cup or I kick down her glasses…then I am put into the cage as a punishment. I know I deserve it, as I am not supposed to be on any table. Or if I pinch the little kitties, or if I jump onto the fish tanks and try to catch the fish. All these things that make a lot of fun are forbidden. One day, again I was sitting on Barbara’s shoulders while she washed some of the carpets from the dogs. The big sink outside in front of the house was filled with water and it was interesting to watch all the bubbles made with the brush and the washing powder. So I decided to play with these bubbles. And jumped into the sink. Oh gosh, I did not expect it to be that deep. Urps, wuerg, help! “Oh, you little jackanapes,” my lovely mama said: “ahh I see you can swim!” “…Swim? I am struggling to keep my head above the water, get me out of here, now!” She smiled and grabbed me by my tail, then I was held under the water tap to be rinsed with fresh water and then wrapped into a huge towel. Finally I was put down to the floor, where Waschi, the raccoon, just came around the corner. She looked at me with a bitchy smile: I can do better. She jumped into the sink, jumped out on the other side and ran into the bushes. I ran after her. She was waiting for me in the bushes, next to a puddle, and, of course, pushed me in. Cripes! Now I tried to look bitchy at her: I threw myself into the puddle another time, pretending that I like it. Well, then I saw this look again in the raccoon’s eyes that she always has just a second before she throws her 20 pounds on me, and I thought it will be better to go home, back to Mama. Yeah, right...I was put into the bubbles again more time to get rid of the mud. Now I have time until next month to think of a payback ! For Mama and for Waschi. YEAH !
Surf Report (from page 15) ers you see. But I love to come back home, and surf with my friends and family. EZG: While you were home in Costa Rica you traveled to Santa Teresa to compete in the ALAS, and win. When you are competing against Latin American surfers, do you find it easy? CM: No, the level in Latin America is high, and it helps me to start competing on a higher level. The contest in Santa Teresa was great; I surfed my best and luckily finished on top. I was really focused on winning that event. EZG: Why don’t you do more ALAS dates? CM: Because I have other goals, like the World Qualifying Series (WQS), surf trips, doing videos and photo shoots. My idea is to do the WQS this whole year, I started in Pipe and luckily I did well, got some points, and now I’ll keep on rolling in all the events I can. EZG: What age did you start surfing? CM: Ten years. EZG: When did you decide to start competing and why? CM: When I was 11, I competed in my first contest, just for fun. But, finally, I ended up winning the event (in his category), so that was great inspiration for me. EZG: You have a lot of help from locals. Who are they? CM: Arturo Quiros, Tommy Bensford, Maria Paz Borbon, Gilbert Brown, Danny Bishko are my friends who helped me, also my family are always supporting me. They helped me with everything, Each person gave me a piece of help. I want to say thanks to everyone who helped me that I might be forgetting. There are a lot more! Pura VIDA!
Copa Quiksilver Playa Dominical May 19, 20, 2012 Open 1. Carlos Muñoz – 16.67 pts. 2. Anthony Fillingim – 16.16 3. Danny Bishko – 7.30 4. Jair Pérez – 4.46
Women’s Junior 1. Leilani McGonagle – 10.10 2. Emily Gussoni – 7.56 3. Skye Chaves – 4.07 4. Arisha Griotti – 3.13
Women’s 1. Nataly Bernold – 12.00 2. Eve Johnstone – 3.77 3. Emily Gussony – 2.43 4. Tal Saporta - 2.00
Boys 1. Noe Mar McGonagle - 10.00 2. Leonardo Calvo – 9.66 3. Martín Artavia – 7.03 4. Michael Zaugg - 6.07
Junior 1. Manuel Mesén – 12.06 2. Noe Mar McGonagle – 10.83 3. Alberto Muñoz - 10.10 4. Enoc Santana – 8.50
Mini-Grommet 1. Dean Vandewalle – 15.83 2. Malakai Martínez – 12.84 3. Aldo Chirinos - 6.74 4. Sage Guinaldo – 5.90
(continued page 29)
A Slice of Life Peregrine Procreation
David Mills
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DDT, followed shortly afterwards by a universal ban. Now the eagle, peregrine and osprey populations are thriving; I have counted eleven eagles soaring simultaneously above Cedar Key in Florida and osprey can often be seen fishing the bay of Tamarindo.
High-rise buildings in cities serve as adequate substitutes for the cliffs in the wilderness where these birds normally live, and there is an ample supply of plump pigeons in any city, so many peregrines have taken to the urban lifestyle. In the maze of office buildings the birds are safe from predators such as rats and other vermin, and the buildings provide warmth and shelter.
A project by the Idaho Fish and Game and The Peregrine Fund has recently provided a webcam feed available to all at www.peregrinefund.org/subsites/webcam-peregrine/ where I have watched a pair of peregrines nesting in a box outside the 14th floor of an office building in Boise, Idaho. The boring days of watching the birds taking turns to incubate the three eggs gave way to a little excitement on June 2, when three tiny fluffy white chicks made their appearance. As of writing, the parents bring juicy meals of small birds, which they tear into snacks for the rapidly-growing babies. Even at less than one day old, the hungry little guys were guzzling down choice lumps of meat.
itting in a client’s office on the 64th floor of a Toronto office high-rise, half-listening to his blah-blah-blah, I was idly watching a pigeon flying around outside the window. Suddenly a very fast black object appeared at the top of the frame and the pigeon exploded in a mass of feathers. I had just witnessed the destructive power of a peregrine falcon in its quest for brunch.
In the mid-20th century these beautiful birds were severely endangered, along with the osprey and bald eagle, symbol of America, mostly due to the use of DDT, a virulent poison that was in worldwide use as an insecticide, but a strong campaign, initiated by Rachel Carson and her book “Silent Spring”, led in 1952 to a U.S. ban on
A nice combination of conservation and hi-tech internet work brings this project into anyone’s life.
October Forecasts July Forecasts
by Jeanne Callahan (jeannecallahan007@gmail.com)
Visit Jeanne’s site at CelestialAdvisor.com
Aries: 21 March - 20 April
Libra: 23 September - 23 October
Taurus: 21 April - 21 May
Scorpio: 24 October - 22 November
You’re still in a busy and creative cycle but an inner rebelliousness is starting to want some outer expression. The Sun in your solar fourth house has triggered the Uranus/ Pluto square, making you seek more comfort elsewhere. Mars will be entering your solar seventh house indicating that your partner is requiring more attention. If you can’t make the changes before the 14th, stay put until the middle of August. Lucky days are the 9th and 10th. Things get off the ground this month as Jupiter will conjunct Venus in your second house of money, values and assets. Keep an open mind and question everything. Work improves at a steady pace as Saturn in your fifth house of work has you taking on more responsibility, and enjoying it, too! Creativity blossoms and there’s a potential for a love interest to emerge. Lunar aspects favor you on the 12th and 13th.
Mars enters your sign this month, giving you some fire energy to rev up your depleted system. While this ingress at first will bring some volatility as it moves to square Uranus and Pluto mid-month, you will find that you can deal with all the changes coming at you. You may be a bit accident-prone around the 19th so use caution. Jupiter and Venus make an air trine to Libra so your communications can appease opposing forces. The 24th and 25th are your best days. Mars will be entering your solar twelfth house, stirring up the past, making you a little reclusive and possibly causing some inflammation in the body so pay attention to any even minor health issues this month. You may be a little accidentprone around the 19th so avoid any risky ventures at that time. There’s support for financial gains through your partner after the 8th and watch your words after the 14th when Mercury goes retrograde. Your lucky days are the 26th and 27th.
Gemini: 22 May - 21 June
Sagittarius: 23 November - 21 December
Cancer: 22 June - 22 July
Capricorn: 22 December - 21 January
Leo: 23 July - 23 August
Aquarius: 22 January - 19 February
Virgo: 24 August - 22 September
Pisces: 20 February - 20 March
With Jupiter and Venus in your sign, you will find that life will bring many pleasant occasions to your door. And with Mars entering fellow air sign, Libra, there’s a climate favorable for social settings and artistic creativity. Indulge at will before Mercury goes retrograde on the 14th, putting its kinky twist on your schedule. Jupiter will be in your sign for the next year so prioritize what you want to accomplish. The 14th and 15th are your best days. With the Sun in your sign now, you are looking to improve yourself or possibly re-design your lifestyle or appearance in some way. Cosmic conditions favor you making some kind of major change in your career, too. You are always concerned with security so all the changes will unnerve you a bit. Just take it one day at a time and not project too far into the future. This will be good for you! The 17th and new moon on the 18th are your best days. This month is favorable for you to meet new people and establish new contacts or networks in the business world. If you have ever had an idea to connect with a humanitarian organization, this would be the time to reach out and do it. Mercury will be going retrograde in your sign so there will be misunderstandings from the 14th to the middle of August but don’t give up. Be patient and persevere! Good days to be visible are the 19th and 20th. You’ll be thrilled to know that Mars will leave your sign on the third, after its 8-month transit. Mars in normal motion usually spends only two months in a sign, but with the Rx and all you got eight. Whew….now, what do you have to show for it? A clean closet and tidy desk would be the minimum for that one! Now reconnect with others with a fresh compassionate perspective for others’ hardships. Best days to get out there are the 21st and 22nd.
With both Venus and Jupiter in your seventh house of partnership, it would be a good time to look for a partner, either in business or personal. Travel for pleasure is also favorable right now, as well as anything to do with publishing or writing. Mercury will Rx in your ninth house of higher consciousness so you may find yourself questioning long-held assumptions and beliefs. Investigate with an open mind. Plans made on the 1st, 2nd, 28th and 29th will work out in your favor. This could be another tumultuous month for you with Mars entering Libra, stirring up the Uranus/Pluto square again. You are more than capable to deal with change; it’s just getting tiring to have to keep adjusting your course rather than just keeping a steady course. The Mercury Rx beginning on the 14th could create some financial delays or difficulties so be prepared to supply more documents if needed. Best days are the full moon on the 3rd, the 4th, 30th and 31st. This would be a great month for foreign travel as Mars in Libra in your solar ninth house likes to get about in the world. Jupiter and Venus in Gemini in your fifth also support some playful activity for you. This aspect is in place for July and most of August so there’s plenty of time to plan something fun. You need to change things up a bit to be inspired again so don’t hold yourself back—consider it research for a new venture! The 5th and 6th are stellar days for you. With Jupiter and Venus in your solar fourth house there’s bound to be some celebrations and/or guests in your home this month. Be a little careful about your finances as there may be some surprises coming with Mars entering your solar eighth house and opposing Uranus mid-month. Make sure your insurances are paid up to date. The sun in Cancer supports creative projects and having fun with your children. The 7th and 8th are your best days.
Namasté
Softening Your Water Soft water makes a difference you can feel and see, all over the house. In the Bathroom: Your soap and shampoos will lather better. Your hair and skin will feel noticeably cleaner, softer, and not as dry. And there will be no soap scum or mineral deposits to clean off sinks, showers, tubs and toilets. In the Laundry: Clothes will be softer, cleaner, whiter and brighter. Plus, they will last longer. Using soft water and pure soap products increases the life of clothing, towels and linens up to 33 percent. Without hard water service issues, washing machines last longer, too. In the Kitchen: Dishes will clean up more easily, be spot-free, without the grey film glasses get when etched by mineral-laden water. Plus hands will feel softer and look better. Throughout the House: Water-using appliance will last longer and run better. Why? Because hot water heaters, washing machines and dishwashers used with hard water can wear out 30 percent faster.
Now Begins the Study of Yoga Sirsasana Last month shoulderstand was the focus of this column, which is typically the first inversion learned in yoga. This month, we explore Sirsasana, or headstand. As with shoulderstand, headstand is not advisable if you have neck, shoulder or back injuries, high blood pressure, or migraines. Any of these conditions can prevent you from doing headstand safely. It is also imperative that your shoulders have good range of motion and strength to support your body in good alignment. Once you know that you have the ability, headstand is an excellent pose to add to your practice. Sirsasana can help balance your endocrine system, bring fresh blood flow to the head, activate the pituitary gland and pineal gland, and is a very energizing pose! Headstand is usually done after warm-ups, sun salutations, and standing poses. Then I like to include this shoulder stretch to create flexibility. Stand with your forearms on a wall, in line with your shoulders. Clasp your hands together, take a step back and slide your arms down halfway between your shoulders and hips (those with good flexibility can go lower, those without good flexibility stay farther up). Extend from the outer armpit region to the outer elbows, pressing them, your forearms, and hands into the wall. At the same time, lift your inner elbows up into your inner armpits, securing your shoulder blades into your back. Keep your abdomen drawing up and into your body, and activate your legs. Hold for 5-10 breaths. Follow this with the strengthening dolphin pose. Dolphin pose uses the same arm position as the previous stretch, and can be done safely by most people because it is not weight-bearing on the spine. Come onto your knees and forearms on your mat. Align your elbows under your shoulders, and clasp your hands in front of you. Create the same extension from your outer armpit to your outer elbow, and the same lift from your inner elbow to your inner armpit that you did in the previous stretch at the wall. This should feel as though you are lifting your heart up into your body. Take a breath, and on the exhale lift your hips into the air. Keep lifting up through your sitting bones, again bringing your shoulder blades into your back while reaching your chest towards your thighs. Hold for 5-10 breaths and come back down. Headstand time! Make sure that you have the help of a teacher to begin incorporating this invigorating and energizing pose into your practice. I’ve seen how empowering this pose can be for numerous people – may you have all the benefits of Sirsasana in your practice as well. Namaste, Mary Mary Byerly is one of the owners and the yoga teacher at Panacea. An oasis of tranquility and health 10 minutes from Tamarindo. Discover Paradise and Bring a Peace Home www.panaceacr.com • 2653-8515
Parents’ Corner The Power of Language
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anguage is not be taken lightly… words can guide and heal, but they can also manipulate and destroy. When communicating with our children or our students it is our duty, as responsible adults, to be aware of the power of language and to use words in a sensitive way. When we communicate with a child or teenager we have to realize that our words are impacting a vulnerable mind, that of a person who is still in the process of constructing her identity. Our comments, questions, judgments, and even our humor or silence will be taken in as part of the identity–building process, and contributing to the young person’s idea of herself. This type of language should never be used with children and teenagers: 1. Labels: whether you call a child “genius” or “learning disabled”, “good kid” or “bad kid”, “normal” or “weird”, labels are always limiting and sending the message that there is no way out… “That’s what you are, whether you like it or not”. Negative labels can have devastating side effects, often pushing children and teenagers into a deep apathy or depression. Some of the so called “positive” labels can be harmful as well, as they place the child in a position where it is very difficult to ask for help or to express negative emotions. Gifted children, for example, are expected to adapt to any situation because they are “smart”. 2. Sarcasm: as self-confident adults we can appreciate the sophistication of smart sarcasm and not be affected by it, but children and teenagers are usually not equipped for this attack (sarcasm is always aggressive). Cognitively, children will not get the humor of a sarcastic comment until they are 8 or older, but they will feel confused about the message. Older children will understand the negative intention, and often feel offended or powerless. Sarcasm is negative and cynical by nature, and should not have any place in our communication with children and teens. 3. Comparisons. Comparing one child to another is never a good strategy; it disrespects the children’s individuality and, on top of that, it can damage the relationship between them. Comparisons always aim at pointing out flaws and faults, and contribute nothing to positive growth. 4. Silent Treatment: The lack of words by ignoring a child, giving her “the cold shoulder” or acting distant is a form of emotional abuse and leaves the child feeling unimportant, not valued and abandoned. It is unacceptable, no matter what the circumstances. Instead, this language will promote a child’s healthy development: 1. Clear and unambiguous messages: be direct and precise, and make sure that your body language supports your verbal message… mean what you say. 2. Positive talk: When you point out incorrect behavior, criticize the action, not the child. Always praise good behavior, even if it is not unusual. Help the child recognize her strengths, and “don’t fall for the label”. 3. Non-judgmental discourse: be ready to listen to the child without any preconceptions, and clean your language from any prejudice. Be patient and don’t jump to conclusions… a young person deserves your time and your tact. 4. Verbalize your emotions: by expressing what you feel in words, you are teaching the child a healthy way of communicating feelings. This includes admitting to being wrong and feeling sorry, and saying that something makes you angry. At the same time, help the child express her emotions without fear of repercussions. “But if thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought” - George Orwell Msc. Mónica Riascos Henríquez Psychopedagogist – Member of ASOLAP – Code 2024 consultariascos@live.com
Doctor’s Orders
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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.paintedponyguestranch.com The best horses on Guanacaste’s Gold Coast!
Jeffrey Whitlow, M.D. jwhitlow82159@gmail.com
ast month we started a discussion regarding the reluctance of some people to accept the fact that human beings have a “natural diet”, just like every other animal, and that any deviation from that diet will result in significant and predictable consequences. I am accused of arrogance, since they suppose I am professing to know something that no one else knows. The beauty of the Internet age is that information is so easily accessible. Type the name Mary Enig, PhD, into your favorite search engine and follow the links to a new world. To make a long story short, her research led to the ban on Trans Fats that was recently enacted. It took over 50 years for her findings to be accepted as fact, though. This was so because the oils and foods she warned against were cheaper and so made more profit for food suppliers and producers. The fatal flaw of the capitalist model is its slavish devotion to profit, just as the fatal flaw of the communist/socialist model is its central tenet that humans can be universally altruistic. The enslavement to profit leads to the suppression of information that works against the interests of those who hold the wealth, among other evils. All of you have heard of Michael Jackson, but I guarantee you that no one mentioned Mary Enig’s name at any time during my medical education in the early 1980’s, thirty years after she published her initial findings. Type the name Dr. Edward Howell and read about the father of the theory of enzyme nutrition. The results of Dr. Howell’s tireless research are available for all to see at the touch of a button, thanks to the incredible power of the Internet. To summarize, his research demonstrates that there are significant and predictable consequences that result when we eat cooked food. Since a raw food diet is not an option for most, he then gives practical advice as to how to mitigate those consequences. I knew all the words to Billie Jean, but I never heard his name either in ’84. Nor did I hear the name Dr. Francis Pottenger, whose work inspired that of Dr. Howell. William Duffy wrote the book Sugar Blues, which is a summary of the research showing the dangers of refined sugar and flour, and so on. All I have done is share my research with you. All of this information has been out there since artificial foods became popular, a process that started in the 1890’s with packaged cereals. In the 1920’s and 30’s the process began in earnest, due to the chronic food shortages that occurred throughout most of the industrialized world because of WWI and the Great Depression. My years of medical training and practice give me a unique perspective though, and I would put an emphasis on the word practice. It was an extraordinary experience to listen to my preceptors and watch them work with their patients, and I feel that I put that experience to good use in my 20 years of practice. That’s why I can say in confidence that it’s plain to see that we as physicians, both then and now, pay short shrift to our patient’s dietary habits and the impact of those habits on their ailments. I have alleviated suffering in others with the knowledge I have gained in my research, and I even healed myself of my then-impending peptic ulcer disease. “Physician heal thyself” indeed! So why hasn’t someone done a study, treating one group with enzyme therapy and diet modification and another group with conventional methods, i.e. “patent” medicine(s)? Who’s going to pay for it? Do you think that the drug companies would dare take the chance to expose a multibillion dollar “industry” as a fraud? Do you think the government can afford such an undertaking as a matter of course? The lust for “profit”, as always, is the fatal flaw. Don’t blame the messenger.
Fiesta Brava (from page 9)
The second rider only made it a few feet out of the gate before being thrown and stomped on – and promptly carried off the field to the medical room below the stands. Again the now-loose bull ran around until it was sent back through the gate. And again, a new bull was released for the ground crew to taunt. By now, it was dark, the stands were completely full, and the standing area around the ring was jam-packed. As we looked around it was evident there were very few touristanthropologists in the crowd – it was mostly Costa Ricans, including lots of families. Many had picnic bags or coolers – well-stocked for the long event. Three rows down from us a bottle of Johnny Walker was being shared by one group of friends and family members. The third rider made it only a little further into the ring before being thrown and stomped on, and quickly picked up and taken to the medical room. At the end of the first hour it was Bulls 3, Riders 0. Next a man in drag with a messy blonde wig and large fake breasts took centre field to perform a rather lewd dance – he then ran into the stands to molest audience members, pose for photos, and pretend to pole-dance – all to the great enjoyment of the crowd, and the men in particular who were returning his lewd gestures, grabbing at him, and enthusiastically embracing him. Our neighbour told us he and some of the other characters in the ground crew are quite famous. Following another episode with a loose bull, the field was cleared and two small goal nets were set up and two five-person soccer teams took the field. They played for a few minutes but it was rather lame half-time entertainment – until they released two small bulls onto the field. By this time, some of the ground crew had returned to make sure the bulls were properly motivated to interfere with the soccer game – and we have to admit this was actually quite entertaining – the soccer players working hard to score some goals but avoid the wrath of two mad bulls. After the game the fourth rider shot out of the gate on a very angry bull but he held on for about thirty seconds, the longest of all the riders, before losing his grip and being thrown onto the field. After two or so hours we made our way out to the dark and car-filled street to find a taxi back to Tamarindo, rather than chance having to wait forever for a ride at the end. Our fieldwork complete, we retired to a small bar near our apartment to compare notes and reflect on our observations. It was clearly a highly anticipated event rooted in the lives of farmers, ranchers, and others in the region. The crowd knew some of the bulls and riders, as well as some of the more outrageously-dressed members of the ground crew. They laughed and cheered; it was a family event, and was being filmed for broadcast to an even larger audience. We were happy we had left the tourist beachfront for a glimpse of life in the valley.
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
Don and Deborah are from Vancouver, Canada, currently travelling through Central and South America. In February they spent two weeks in Tamarindo. More travel stories at http://vida-en-el-camino.net
Saturday: 10:30-11:30 - Open General Meeting Monday: 5:30 Open Meeting Thursday: 6:30-7:30 - Open Meeting Location: Behind Restaurant La Caracola Contact: Ellen - 2-653-0897
Surviving
C hapter DCXXVI
COSTA RICA
A Brief History Before Tamarindo existed this portion of Costa Rica was considered a good place to avoid as it was hot, buggy and malarial, and most Costa Ricans figured out a long time ago that it was much nicer up in the mountains. The hardy stock that stuck it out next to the ocean lived pretty much where they wanted and didn’t particularly care for items like electricity, roads or monetary systems and pretty much had the place to themselves. Indeed every “Don” I’ve every met from that era has the same story that he traded his worthless ten acres of beachfront that eventually became Tamarindo for a mule that at that time was considered worth a little more. The first Europeans ventured into what eventually became Tamarindo starting in the late 1950’s. They had originally planned to manufacture sausages and sauerkraut but soon hit upon the idea of having a hotel and turning it into a International Tourist Hotspot. Many of these early Germans are still with us today. Since the Euro-types got here first and set up shop, there was never time for Tamarindo to morph into a real Guanacaste-style town like Potrero or Villarreal with a central square around a football field and a (semi) Catholic Church. Next to come were the Pizza Restaurants, Souvenir Shops and Robert August. Robert pretty much showed the world that if surfing is truly a religion then Tamarindo is its Mecca. Of the many accolades Robert is always bombarded with, you may not have heard the one about his incredible wisdom and foresight in choosing a guitar teacher for his daughter Christine. Darkness befell Tamarindo in the early millennium as it fell prey to rampant development in a desperate bid to turn it into the next Cancún before the bubble burst. They lost and have left, leaving large concrete ruins behind as monu-
Surviving Tamarindo
ments to their passing. Which pretty much catches us up to July 2012. Cultural Activities I first started hearing about Tamarindo from friends from Texas that had bought a place in Flamingo and were into sport fishing. Another friend came back and told me about a wild and weird jam session going on in a funky hotel in a funky town. I showed up for the first time at the Pasatiempo jam session in February 1996, and I was there a couple of days ago too, for that matter. The Leatherbacks have been the house band at Hotel Pasatiempo since the very beginning and a great deal of talented musicians have participated in the band over the years. I myself am an alumnus in good standing. Nick D’Amico has fronted the band for ages and has become quite adept over the years at keeping the “Open Mike Jam Session” thing running as smoothly as possible under sometimes trying conditions, and has even been known to offer orders of French Fries for what he feels are special performers. Nick is a bud and when I last spoke to him he told about this gig he’d done recently with the Filarmonica De Costa Rica, a thing called ‘Rock Filarmonica”. I knew he’d done it once before and I’ve always pictured him tear’n’ it up with his Strat and Marshall Stack alongside the symphony orchestra. However that wasn’t quite what was happening. Nick’s gig, for three days in late May, was at the Teatro Melico Salazar, a pretty upscale spot in downtown San José. Nick and five other local vocalists from the San José scene gathered onstage, each singing well-known anthems accompanied by hard rock orchestral arrangements from the National Philharmonic.
Story by Jesse Bishop (owlhumm@hotmail.com)
Nick sang “Smoke on the Water” and “Whole Lotta Love” and then returned to Tamarindo to find out his apartment had caught on fire though, thanks to quick reaction from his gardener it was only a large minor disaster. Talk about highs and lows! Oh yeah, the fire department showed up forty minutes later. Indeed many of Tamarindo’s most famous carousers and wild party girls are still with us today it must be noted that many of them are now in the age group that finds it harder and harder to stay up past nine. A lot of them have been going to Doña Lee’s Restaurant every other Tuesday and playing Bingo. I realize more than a few of you readers just shuddered at the idea that someone as hip as you might remotely be interested in something as “square” as Bingo. I, however, have so far dined at Gil’s, had slices of pie at Nogui’s and feasted on sushi at Koi’s. So don’t come, makes my odds better! I have recently taken up “Risk” again after a hiatus of thirty or so years. Risk is the board game where you take over the world and crush your opponents like the worms they are. It’s not a game for nice people, so my group has avoided inviting our “living saints” friends to play, of which, fortunately, we know few. Games can last up to several hours and can be greatly hindered by the use of stuporious substances, which nonetheless are enthusiastically imbibed by players at our confrontations…er…games. Perhaps we have a tendency to take it a bit too seriously, but its all good clean fun and we’re always looking for new meat, and it’s probably good for the community too, as we’re kept isolated and in one spot, at least for the night.
Planting in a Drought Tom Peifer (peifer@racsa.co.cr) A change in the weather is known to be extreme, but what’s the sense of changing, horses in midstream…Bob Dylan
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or once, the weather predictions seem to be on target: we are way below normal. So far the rains have been spotty at best. On the positive side, it’s a great year for the beach. However, if the predictions hold up, we’re headed for a ‘long, hot summer’ here in the lowland tropics. I looked into my well yesterday and noted that the groundwater was barely a meter above where it had been at the end of the dry season. Gardeners and landscapers get ready. It’s been quite a while since the last real drought in our area. All the same, the real die-hards aren’t likely to ‘change horses in midstream’; they’ll keep planting no matter what. Ecologists use the term “obligate” to describe organisms that are kind of hooked on certain behaviors, habitats or interrelationships. Cats for example are obligate carnivores. They evolved to need meat in their diet and just can’t get by even on the high-priced vegetarian meow-chow. Some bacteria can’t live without oxygen, some can’t live with oxygen and plenty of organisms are locked into symbiotic relationships with other organisms. Anyone here who has brushed up against a ‘cornisuelo’—the spiny ant acacia that seems omnipresent in our area—has a lasting memory of how “obligate symbiosis” provides a comfy home for the ants that sting the hell out of intruders into the acacia’s territory. Some of us just seem to be obligate gardeners. Maybe I don’t know enough people who live on the fifth floor of a condo, but it seems like most of the people who spend part of the year here are just dying to get their hands into the soil. Even if they come at the height of the dry season, they’re out there weeding, watering, filling in the blank spots and adding a few new plant specimens to their evolving landscape. Year-round residents are often chomping at the bit to plant when the rainy season arrives. It’s a six-month reprieve from the drudgery of irrigation and you can plant full steam ahead. During the half-a-year dry season, they get plenty of time to plan and fantasize about all that can normally be accomplished---if you don’t have to go back and water. It is not quite that easy this year. The off-on character of the rainfall so far has left any number of local farmers holding back on their first corn planting to see just what gives. Also, while it’s great weather to appreciate the diversity of local butterflies, the larvae of some of these beauties—called caterpillars in everyday English—can wreak havoc on corn and plenty of other species with tasty foliage, much faster than you may be able to notice.
Since last month’s article, ‘Dry Times Ahead?’, people have been bombarding my inbox with questions about planting strategies given the rainfall prospects, both current and future. After all, nobody likes to see their time, energy and dollars go down the drain. Watching your greenery wilt, wither and waste away is really a traumatic experience for the obligate gardeners among us. Below are a few tips for the folks who want to make as much headway as possible with the meager rainfall we seem to be experiencing. You may also want to double check with the professional landscapers out there who have vast experience with the soils, plant materials and irrigation possibilities in our region. My first recommendation would be to plant very little that you can’t be sure will receive supplemental irrigation. And that suggestion comes with two immediate qualifiers. This is a great year to plant the spiny and nasty cactus and bromeliads that make great perimeter plants for those who desire a bit of deterrent at their property lines. These species do double duty as a swath of fire-retardant vegetation in case of someone’s carelessness upwind from your property. The stuff will root in many cases if just left on the ground and is designed to survive the worst dry weather that our region can throw at it. Once you’ve got this Maginot line as a first step, stakes of bougainvillea can be added to the mix for flashes of color. Tree seeds will encounter a suitable environs to germinate and grow into a ‘second-story’ with nary and ounce of effort—or risk, for that matter-- on your part. I for one would be hesitant to try to get a big lawn established at this point in time. The kind of overhead irrigation that you generally need to insure establishment during the first dry season is going to consume a lot of water, just as aquifers begin to drop below the levels we’ve been comfortable with for a couple of decades. In a worst-case scenario, falling reservoir levels—especially at Lake Arenal—could lead to problems with the national electricity supply. Power outages affect our ability to keep the water tanks full, the pressure up and the Rain Bird sprinklers whirling away in the wind. The other strategy to employ this year is planting with minimal investment/minimal risk. The ‘pega-pega’ technique of simply sticking a line of stakes in the ground is one case in point. Most of us are familiar with this as the typical way to plant hibiscus hedges. You get a bunch of trimmings in the (continued page 28)
Palnting... (from page 27)
RAIN GAUGE
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color of flowers or foliage you want, cut them to foot-long stakes and shove them into the ground. If you want to give the hedge a head start in a dry year, you can soak them in a rooting hormone, plant them in a container that is watered daily as needed, and then wait until they are actually rooting before setting them out in the desired locations. Survival rates are enhanced considerably by taking these few simple steps. If you can manage even an improvised drip line along these linear plantings, you’re practically guaranteed to make it through the six-month summer Sahara, until the life-giving rains return to make our seasonal desert spring back to life. The truth is that there are dozens of techniques and tricksof-the-trade that can be employed to drought-proof your private paradise. We’ve touched on them in the past: “Rain Gardens, an Oasis of Hope,” (The Howler, Feb. 2006). At the risk of a repetitive rhythm, I’ll continue to beat the drum about striving to keep every drop of rainfall on your site if you want to beat the heat and enjoy a modicum of greenery as our weather gets weirder. I’d love to hear from some of you obligate gardeners, growers and general plant freaks about your own techniques and tricks for keeping things green when the color brown is the only game in town…
RAINFALL - May/June 2012
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Maricle Meteorological Observatory
3.0
La Garita
2.5
Total rainfall: 16.5 cm (6.5 inches)
2.0 1.5 1.0 0.5 0.0
16
20
25
31
May
5
10
June
Year-to-date 2012: 30.3 cm 2011: 29.8
Rainfall May/June 2012: 16.5 cm 2011: 3.5
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Tom Peifer is an ecological land use consultant with 16 years experience in Guanacaste. 2658-8018. peifer@racsa.co.cr El Centro Verde is dedicated to sustainable land use, permaculture and eco-development. www.elcentroverde.org/
A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful, than a life spent doing nothing. George Bernard Shaw
J u l y ( a l l
t i m e s
2 0 1 2 l o c a l )
Sun
1st - rise 5:26; set 6:09 15th - rise 5:29; set 6:09* 31st - rise 5:33; set 6:07
* latest sunset of year - 12th at 6:09 Full: Last quarter: New: 1st quarter:
Moon
3rd 10th 18th 26th
12:52 p.m. 7:48 p.m. 10:24 p.m. 2:56 a.m.
Surf Report (from page 18) Just because the youth are breaking out doesn’t mean we forget the veterans who have paved the way. In June, the Federación de Surf de Costa Rica (FSC) put on the Copa Master 2012 to help determine the team that will be competing for Costa Rica at Colorado Beach, Nicaragua, for the 2012 International Surfing Association (ISA) World Masters Surfing Championship. The contest will take place July 14 to 22.
Craig Tequila
Copa Masters 2012 Playa Hermosa June 2, 2012
The Costa Rica National Masters Surfing Team is: Master (over 35 years): Gustavo Castillo, Cristian Jiménez, Giancarlo Loria, Luis Diego Mora, Paulo Viales y Randall Chaves. Grand Master (over 40): Oscar Sánchez, José Ureña, Randall Chaves, Alejandro Monge, Robert García and Alder Acosta. Kahuna (over 45): Roberto Miranda, Craig “Tequila” Schieber, Gonzalo Lizano, Oscar Sánchez, Mario Rodríguez. Grand Kahuna (over 50): Craig “Tequila” Schieber (who won Costa Rica’s only gold medal in this division last year). Women’s Master (over 35): Andrea Días (#5 Women’s last year in the Masters WSG).
Kahuna 1. Craig Schieber 2. Gonzalo Lizano 3. Mario Rodríguez 4. Oscar Sánchez
Master 1. Luis Diego Mora 2. Gustavo Castillo 3. Randall Chaves 4. Paulo Viales
Grand Master 1. Randall Chaves 2. Robert García 3. Alejandro Monge 4. Alder Acosta
Women’s Master 1. Andrea Días 2. Verónica Quirós
Word puzzle Miscellany
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 flamingo garza grande hermosa
herredura junquillal lagarto langosta matapalo montezuma nancite ostional panama pandeazucar penca potrero tambor zapotillal zancudo
1S
05:43 12:11 18:30
2M
00:50 06:47 13:11 19:29 01:48 07:48 14:08 20:24 02:43 08:44 15:01 21:16 13:35 09:38 15:52 22:05
3T Full Moon 4W
5T
1.0 6F 9.2 0.4 8.4 0.8 9.5 0.0 8.9 0.5 9.8 -0.4 9.4 0.2 9.8 -0.6 9.7 0.0 10.0 -0.7
7S
8S
9M
10T Last Qtr
04:25 9.9 11W 10:29 0.0 16:42 9.8 22:52 -0.6 05:13 9.9 12T 11:18 0.1 17:30 9.5 23:38 -0.3 06:01 9.7 13F 12:07 0.4 18:18 9.0 00:24 06:48 12:55 19:06 01:09 07:35 13:45 19:56
0.1 14S 9.3 0.8 8.5 0.7 15S 8.9 1.2 7.9
JULY TIDE CHART
01:55 08:24 14:37 20:49 02:45 09:16 15:32 21:47 03:39 10:11 16:31 22:48 04:37 11:07 17:29 23:48 05:36 12:02 18:24
1.3 8.4 1.6 7.4 1.8 8.1 1.9 7.0 2.2 7.8 2.1 6.8 2.5 7.7 2.0 6.9 2.5 7.8 1.8
16M
17T
18W New Moon 19T
20F
00:43 06:32 12:53 19:13 01:32 07:23 13:40 19:57 02:15 08:09 14:24 20:38 02:56 08:51 15:05 21:16 03:35 09:32 15:45 21:53
7.1 2.3 8.0 1.5 7.5 2.0 8.3 1.1 7.9 1.7 8.6 0.7 8.3 1.3 8.8 0.4 8.7 0.9 9.0 0.2
21S
22S
23M
24T
25W
26T 1st Qtr
04:13 10:12 16:25 22:30 04:51 10:52 17:04 23:08 05:29 11:34 17:46 23:48 06:10 12:18 18:29
9.1 0.6 9.1 0.0 9.3 0.4 9.1 0.0 9.4 0.4 9.0 0.1 9.5 0.4 8.7
00:31 06:55 13:05 19:17
0.3 30M 9.4 0.6 8.4
27F
28S
29S
01:17 07:44 13:57 20:10 02:10 08:39 14:56 21:12 03:10 09:42 16:01 22:21 04:18 10:50 17:10 23:31 05:30 11:57 18:17
0.6 9.2 0.8 8.1 0.9 8.9 1.0 7.8 1.2 8.7 1.1 7.7 1.4 8.7 1.0 7.9 1.4 8.8 0.8
31T
1W Aug Full Moon 2T
3F
4S
00:38 06:38 13:00 19:17 01:37 07:40 13:57 20:12 02:30 08:34 14:49 21:01 03:19 09:24 15:37 21:46 04:05 10:11 16:22 22:29
8.3 1.1 9.1 0.4 8.8 0.7 9.4 0.0 9.3 0.3 9.6 -0.3 9.7 0.1 9.7 -0.5 9.9 0.0 9.6 -0.4