Howler1303Mar

The Howler

Volume 18, No. 3 Issue No. 198

March 2013 Founded 1996

TAMARINDO COSTA RICA www.howlermag.com THE HOWLER Ced. Juridica: 3-101-331333

FEATURES

Publisher, editor and production David Mills

Howler • Mono Congo

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Dining Out

dmills@racsa.co.cr Tel: 2-653-0545

The latest addition to Tamarindo is On Egin, a Spanish restaurant serving Basque food.

CONTRIBUTORS

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

ELLEN ZOE GOLDEN TONY OREZ TOM PEIFER JEFFREY WHITLOW MONICA RIASCOS

14 Around Town

JEANNE CALLAHAN JESSE BISHOP MARY BYERLY ROBERT AUGUST

15 Surf Report

Featuring eleven-year-old wunderkind Malakai Martinez of Tamarindo; Gilbert Brown wins Classic in his home town Puerto Viejo.

16 Gold Coast Cruising with Antares

Deadline for April: March 15 Howler advertising

The Howler offers a wide range of advertising sizes and formats to suit all needs. Contact David Mills • dmills@racsa.co.cr

Advertising rates & sizes Size

1/8 1/4 1/3 1/2 Full

Dimensions (cms) Width Height 9.4 9.4 6.3 9.4 19.2 19.2

x x x x x x x

6.15 12.70 25.80 25.80 12.70 25.80

Price $

400

Ads must be submitted on CD or e-mail attachment, JPG or PDF format at 266 dpi, at the appropriate size (above).

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

www.tamarindohomepage.com

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Surviving Costa Rica

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The Man of the Milpa

Things to do in Costa Rica. Our columnist offers a to-do list of fascinating activities for locals and tourists.

A veteran farmer of the Old Ways just passed away, prompting Tom to wonder at the future of farming.

75 120 150 210

Discounts For 6 months, paid in advance, one month is deducted.

For 12 months, paid in advance, two months are deducted.

www.tamarindobeach.net

A beautiful schooner is available for sunset cruises, day trips, surf outings, wedding parties.

DEPARTMENTS 10 Music Review

26 Yoga

11 Book Review

28 Doctor’s Orders

12 August Odysseys

29 Word Puzzle

24 March Forecasts

32 Sun & Moon

25 Parents’ Corner

35 Tide Chart

Cover Caption: Gold Coast Cruising With Antares (Article page 16) Cover Photo: Matos Films • 8826-2899 • www.matosevents.com Cover Design: David Mills

Daylight Saving Time starts March 10 in North America. After that date Costa Rica is on Mountain Time, 2 hrs behind Eastern, 1 behind Central and 1 ahead of Pacific Time.

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The Spring Equinox occurs on March 20 at 5:02 a.m. That is the moment that the sun crosses the equator heading north.

Some evil person has been scattering poisoned rice around Playa Langosta, killing many wild birds. Local dogs that have presumably eaten the birds have also died.

We welcome Diane Zimmerman back to The Howler. Diane lived in Costa Rica for many years before returning to the United States a couple of years ago. Before Tamarindo, she lived in the very rural village of Guaitil, home of the famous Chorotega pottery. When in Tamarindo, starting in 1997, Diane submitted to The Howler some very good poetry and fascinating stories under the nom de plume Diana Renee.

Diana has now published a little tome of poems “Tell Me About The Teleraña”, available at Jaime Peligro’s Bookstore in Tamarindo and at Amazon. In coming months The Howler will publish some examples of her lovely poetry.

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Water supply continues to be a problem in Tamarindo, with many residents without water for days on end. Frequent leaks attest to a deteriorating delivery system, and AyA just doesn’t seem to know how to solve problems, or doesn’t care. Residents are forced to buy tanks of water (photo).

Dinner Theater comes to Tamarindo

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all it Supper Club or Dinner Theater, Tamarindo is about to hit the big time with a presentation of Neil Simon’s two-act play, “The Odd Couple”. Produced by Mixed Nuts, an outgrowth of the popular children’s theater production company Beach Nuts, Joy Weber, Rick Casorla and Paul Belanger have collaborated with Fisch Restaurant in Tamarindo to bring this wildly popular play with its universal theme to Guanacaste, a first.

“We chose this play because its theme is easily accessible to a wide audience,” the group stated. “Combine this award-winning play and professional cast with an outstanding meal at one of Tamarindo’s finer restaurants and you have a delicious night out on many levels”.

“Laughter and great food, in a beautiful Costa Rican setting; it truly does not get any better.“ stated Joy Weber, a resident of Tamarindo with a professional background in theater.

“We hope that we can build on the success of this type of entertainment in Guanacaste and in Costa Rica.“ added Paul Belanger, the founder and director of Beach Nuts. This will take theater in Guanacaste to a new level and we hope it will be available to many different venues.”

This classic comedy opens with a group of guys assembled for cards in the apartment of divorced Oscar Madison. And if the mess is any indication, it’s no wonder that his wife left him. Late to arrive is Felix Unger who has just been separated from his wife. Fastidious, depressed and none too tense, Felix seems suicidal but, as the action unfolds, Oscar becomes the one with murder on his mind when the clean-freak and the slob ultimately decide to room together with hilarious results as The Odd Couple is born.

“His skill is not only great but constantly growing...There is scarcely a moment that is not hilarious.” - The New York Times.

“Fresh, richly hilarious and remarkably original. Wildly, irresistibly, incredibly and continuously funny.” - New York Daily News.

The local cast is a mix of professionals and local theater aficionados. Joy Weber will direct, Paul Belanger plays Oscar and Rick Casorla plays Felix. Joining them as production and acting members are David Rubin, Barry Lawson, Scott Barry, Margaret Nevins and Dee Condly. Stage managers are Cinthia Carvajal and Lori Shreenan. You cannot afford to miss this unique “evening out” in Tamarindo.

Where: Fisch Restaurant, Tamarindo When: March 15th-17th and 22nd-24th.

Time: 6 p.m. Dinner; 8 p.m. Show Cost: $39.95/pp; group rates available for 10 or more.

Tickets for sale at Jaime Peligro Book Store and Fisch Restaurant, Tamarindo. Reserve early as there is limited seating. For reservation info: rosiedb@gmail.com tel: 2653-0100.

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: 5:30-6:30 - Open Meeting Location: Behind Pedro’s Surf Shop Contact: Ellen - 2-653-0897 / Steve - 8377-1529

Of course food is essential to us all, several times a day.

But isn’t it so much nicer, dining out, when it is presented with pride and care, looking like a work of art?

We visited On Egin, a recent addition to Tamarindo’s dining inventory serving Basque cuisine from Spain. Curious about the name, we learned that it is not from the title of a Pushkin novel, but the Basque way of wishing “good appetite.” Owners Judith and Edu Fernandez, from the Basque region, serve delicious dishes on a balcony overlooking the street, the tables set in tasteful shades of grey. Edu has 24 years’ experience cooking in Paris and all over Europe. He welcomes customers with “sophisticated tastes, people who appreciate very good cooking.”

The Comets Are Coming!

Greeted with a tasty tuna tapa, we checked the small menu.

Appetizers (tapas and salads) include homemade croquettes; squid with onions and grilled vegetables; shrimp with spicy mayonnaise; Catalan roasted peppers and tuna in balsamic vinegar; jumbo shrimp and avocado salad. We chose a mixed salad with sweet vinaigrette, and mussels stuffed with béchamel sauce.

Main dishes include Biscay-style tuna filet; tuna filet with grilled pepper sauce; mahi-mahi filet and clams in green sauce; mahi-mahi with jumbo shrimp and seafood sauce; homemade beef meatballs with Spanish sauce; chicken filet with curried vegetables; pork tenderloin with beer sauce; beef tenderloin in mushroom sauce.

We skipped all these and split a seafood paella, rich with clams, mussels, shrimp, squid and octopus, cooked slowly so the rice absorbs every delicious nuance.

Though we didn’t need it, we finished off with a chocolate fondue, delightfully sinful with banana, pineapple and strawberries to dip in the hot chocolate. Other desserts are ice creams with caramel; fruit cocktail with orange juice; and fruit pastry cream.

The comet that was expected to be very brilliant in March, Comet Panstarrs, has already started to decline in brightness, though it may still be a naked-eye object in the early part of the month.

Above is a chart of its positions as it climbs higher in the west after sunset.

All washed down with a rich, fruity Rioja from Spain. We greatly enjoyed the meal, the service and the artistic presentation.

(The second bright, maybe extremely bright, comet this year is Comet ISON, expected around November. The Howler will keep you informed of its progress.)

On Egin will make sandwiches to go, for a beach lunch, from noon to 2; open 6-11 dinner. Tel: 84644223; Facebook: On Egin. At the moment, they are awaiting credit card service. Plaza Tamarindo above ABC Real Estate.

Music Review La Opera Andina

Tony Orez

Inspiration comes in a variety of shapes and sizes, in a plethora of locations, at any given time of the day; Jerry Garcia once said it happens “in the strangest of places, if you look at it right”. For Bolivian musician Cristobal Colón, it came as he gazed upon a waterfall deep in the Bolivian jungle. A longtime fan of Jimi Hendrix, he felt a vision, the apparition, the voice of Hendrix telling him that it was time to stop thinking and start creating the opera he had been mentally formulating for some time. In the liner notes, Colón also explains that the Andean Opera “was inspired by the beautiful nature in those too few areas that have not endured the ‘Progress’ of mankind”.

The eight-part opera was composed by Colón and Miguel Angel Lima, who contributes percussion as well as the quema flute-playing. Colón supplies vocals, guitar, charango, bass and percussion. The female vocals by Cristina Baden add a dimension that I think helps round out the entire sound. The music has an obvious influence from indigenous Andean music, but certainly a sound and flow all its own. And I know I heard a direct influence from the Jimi Hendrix song “Red House”.

The opera opens, appropriately, with “El Nacimiento” (Birth), a song about the unique physical and emotional connection between mother and child. The opus moves through the phases of “Growth”, based on the Bolivian rhythm called “tinku”, a song basically about youthful rebellion in the face of all he has learned and been born into. “Separation” is a passage devoted on the time in a man’s life when he considers himself completely independent. The music is a fusion of modern Andean Rock and Afro-Blues music, at a tempo that invites dancing. The fourth entry, “Loneliness”, also based in the Bolivian “tinku” rhythm, pulls away the analogy of child and mother to proclaim the opera one about mankind and his Mother Earth. “Destruction” is a mix of spoken and sung lyrics that deal with the negative footprint humans have stamped into their home, their planet. Inspiration was the first entry written for this opera. Appropriately titled, it reflects a ray of hope on a new shining sun. “Solution” offers a positive slant, reminding people not to play the “blame game” but to move together to find ways to repair our global home.

Finally, “Animals”, which is based on the song of the “chulupia”, a bird native to Bolivia, perhaps a reminder of the joys that still exist on this planet.

The music has wonderful rhythmic changes, recorded with pristine deftness

by Yuval Zekharya in “Mezcal Ladyland Studios”, another obvious Hendrix reference. The entire CD spans seventy-seven minutes, including two bonus tracks and I found the booklet enclosed very helpful for me to follow the story wrapped inside the opera. I’m sure that somewhere, Jimi is smiling down at this accomplishment.

The entire project was financed and supported by Ginger’s Paradise, nestled in the jungle of Bolivia. They have a cool site at www.gingersparadise.com . The CD is available at the Jaime Peligro bookstores in Quepos and Playa Tamarindo, where they will gladly sample the music for their customers.

Book Review Pura Vida,

Detroit Style

Tony Orez

Cops grow a tough shell. They have to, I am told, or they’ll never make it. The violence, injustice and dark underside of the human condition that they witness on a regular basis hardens them. Everyone is a suspect. They eat hoagie sandwiches while cracking jokes together at gruesome murder scenes. Take, for example, Detroit homicide detective Jacob Miller: he’s been on the job for thirteen years, seen it all; hell, even his dad was a cop, even if they aren’t speaking to each other any more.

Jacob Miller is also the main character of “Pura Vida”, the first novel by Jim Utsler, who has been coming to the Tamarindo area for a dozen years, each year trying to stay a bit longer. But back to detective Miller who, along with Albert, his work partner of five years, decide finally that enough is enough in regard to a drug dealer by the name of Willy, who has taken “scumbag” to a new level with some of his unspeakable practices. So the two cops decide to teach him a little lesson and abscond with some of his money in the process. Their real problem starts when Albert shoots and kills Willy. They do a poor job of covering it up and eventually get thumbed. Miller decides to rat his partner out for in exchange for a short term at a minimum security federal pen. During his five-year stint, he meets some higher-end crooks and finds a way to skim a fellow inmate who has illegally hidden a lot of money in off-shore accounts.

When he is released, Miller knows he can’t stay anywhere near Detroit, so he grabs some of his money and makes his way to the Pacific coastline of Costa Rica, moving into a little town that looks a lot like Tamarindo and Langosta.

Utsler’s portrayal of some of the atypical ex-pat characters here is a hoot, something, I believe, he enjoyed lampooning. But wait! One of the affluent gringas turns up dead, brutally murdered. And Miller cannot resist re-donning his detective’s cap and solving the crime. This actually lands him in a tureen of trouble as his good gesture receives international press coverage, and the guy he burned in The Pen hears about it.

Utsler told me he wanted to write a novel about revenge and he certainly has accomplished that. I think he did a splendid job of portraying Miller’s detached character and I particularly liked the language used for the main character’s inner reflections at the beginning of some of the chapters. And there is also a bit of romance, which may be part of the subject matter for Utsler’s second novel, which he is currently writing. Jim assured me that it will be “driven by the same search for some sort of passive-aggressive salvation as in ‘Pura Vida’”. I will definitely read it.

“Pura Vida” is available at Jaime Peligro book store in Playa Tamarindo and Jim Utsler will be signing copies of his book there on Saturday, March 2, from 10:00 a.m. until 12:00 noon.

August Odysseys

Robert August

FUNdraisers are FUN! Over the many, many, MANY years that I have lived, I have been involved in a lot of great charity events. From a very early age I learned the importance of community and the value of helping other people. On family trips to Mexico, my parents used to bring down bikes for the local kids. My dad also was a trained mechanic and welder, so when he showed up in the local towns he happily helped with whatever work that needed to be done.

I feel fortunate to be able to lend a helping hand to organizations and charity events such as the annual Luau and Longboard Invitational for cancer research in San Diego, Free Wheelchair Mission trip in San José, Surfrider fundraisers in New York City and Tamarindo, as well as numerous past fundraising events in California, Texas, Florida and around the globe. Another one of my favorite events is the annual “Have a Heart” golf tournament at Hacienda Pinilla. The tournament is in its 14th year and it helps to raise money for Amigos de la Educación, a non-profit organization supporting quality education and scholarship for students and teachers in Costa Rica.

“Have a Heart” falls on Valentine’s Day every year, so last month I rounded up my golf team and we set out on a great day of golf at Pinilla. It was warm, but there was a nice breeze the whole day. Thankfully there were no howling offshore Papagayo winds! Like the golf tournament in Surf n Turf, Have a Heart is best ball. Overall my team played played pretty nicely. Cedric and Cairo can sure hit the ball, and Kristen sank a beautiful, 20-foot downhill putt to birdie the hole for us! I am happy that my drives were going straight!

And now that I have warmed up my golf skills, I am ready for Surf n Turf! The countdown has begun...I can’t believe that Surf n Turf is this month, March 15th-18th! This year’s event certainly is shaping up to be another bitchin’ time. The event kicks offs on a Friday evening with a welcome BBQ at Witch’s Rock Surf Camp. Saturday is the golf outing at Hacienda Pinilla in the morning and beachwear fashion show

by Azul Profundo at Le Beach Club in the evening. Sunday is an early start at Avellanas for the surf competition with lunch at Lola’s, concluded by a salsa contest during the awards ceremony that night back at Witch’s Rock. Monday we all sail away on a beautiful catamaran tour by Hibiscus Sailing.

In addition to the site sponsors of Surf n Turf, I can’t begin to thank all of our sponsors and people who have donated to help raise money for CEPIA. So, if you still are on the fence, what are you waiting for?!?!

Hope to see you all on March 15th!

The Road to RĂ­o* February 6 saw the start of World Cup qualifying rounds in the Concacaf division. Costa Rica, plagued by their usual inaccurate passing, came back from a 2-0 deficit to tie the game against Panama at 2-2.

In the other games, Mexico tied with Jamaica, 0-0 at home, while the United States, playing away, lost to Honduras 2-1.

Standings in Round 4 are Honduras with 3 points; Jamaica, Costa Rica, Mexico and Panama with one each; and USA zero. The top three teams will go to Brazil.

The fourth will play a team from Oceania for the next place.

Following games for La Sele are: March 22, away - United States March 26, home - Jamaica June 7, at home - Honduras June 11, away - Mexico June 18, away - Panama Sept 6, home - US Sept 10, away - Jamaica Oct 11, away - Honduras Oct 15, home - Mexico March 22 is a very active day for qualifying games, a total of thirty-nine games being played on that date.

Please understand there is no depression in this house and we are not interested in the possibilities of defeat. They do not exist.

Queen Victoria

AROUND TOWN Tony and Vivianna, previously of Vita Bella, have opened Waves, in the Commercial Centre Rodamar opposite Witch’s Rock in Tamarindo. Serving Lebanese-style wraps, kabobs, pastas and pizzas. Express delivery. Tel: 26531279/8472/0084.

Celebrate Easter at Tamarindo Church Sunday, March 31st at 10:00am English-Speaking Service For direction & further info, visit us at www.tamarindochurch. com Pizza&Co is the cheapest and best pizzeria fast food in Tamarindo. In three minutes Erik & Silvia will prepare you the pizza or the bruschetta you like with the only stone oven in Costa Rica. Open from 11:30am to 2am – free delivery from 6pm.

Plaza Conchal II, Tamarindo – next to the liquor store – under the black horses. Sunday closed.

Surf Report Ellen Zoe Golden (ellenzoe@aol.com)

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bout seven years ago a young kid named Carlos Muñoz from Esterillos started competing in the Circuito Nacional de Surf and right away won the national championship for Mini-Grommets. That guy went on to win the titles in Grommets (no longer offered), Boys (twice), Junior (twice) and the Open three years ago. He was the ninth best surfer in the world according to the International Surfing Association’s World Surfing Game rankings in 2010. Now, sponsored by Volcom, he travels the world competing on the Association of Surfing Professionals World Qualifying Series circuit and, quite honestly, has been making people notice because of his skills.

Now, there’s another little guy who is literally making waves. Meet 11-year-old Malakai Martinez (photos) from Tamarindo. Gaining attention for winning the Mini-Grommets Circuito trophy last year, and currently ranked #1 so far this year, Martinez wants to follow in the footsteps of his hero by emulating the former’s admired qualities.

“He’s really humble and I like how he surfs,” says Martinez about Muñoz. “He does radical turns and tricks. When a new trick comes out, he’s already doing it and dominating it. His family doesn’t have much money and he’s supporting his whole family. I especially admire how he’s from Costa Rica and he got to go to the Volcom Pipe Pro (in Hawaii’s North Shore) and did really well there.”

Martinez has more than that Mini-Grommets trophy in common with Muñoz already—both boys are sponsored by Volcom. On his own, last December Malakai was featured in a big story with photos in the Costa Rican newspaper Al Día.

where he tried a couple of dates with his dad pushing him. Now he’s a strong paddler and has elevated his level to become an excellent power surfer, tough on turns and even pulling off an arsenal of airs.

“I like my surfing, especially when you do a turn, it makes you feel psyched, and it gives you another push. When I see a new trick, if I try it and I land that trick it makes you feel extra good,” Malakai explains. “I prefer power surfing, it looks better and feels better. When you do hard turns, it feels better than airs. It’s something you can’t explain because it’s a feeling that you don’t get from anything else.

Also when you’re surfing and someone compliments you or a judge gives you a high score, it gives you an extra push to move on and keep getting better, and completing challenges.”

The current path of this young surfer’s life, which includes school at La Paz, practice surfing as much as he can, and enjoying time with his family, started way back when he was four.

It’s funny, but he doesn’t remember when he was learning to surf because he was so young. But regulars around Tamarindo can recall the kid kicking it fearlessly out in the waves of Casitas, Tamarindo, and Pico. And why wouldn’t he be? His parents are two fantastic surfers and very supportive. Mom Shannon Vacca used to live in Hawaii and compete in California, and has been riding in Tamarindo and all over the country (not to mention her favorite spot in Bali, Indonesia) for almost 20 years. Dad Jesús Martinez has been surfing about that long here in Costa Rica and wherever else he can.

Then there were the photos popping up of Malakai ripping down south in Pavones, the legendary left that is known to go on forever.

“I was pretty scared the first time, but I went out anyway,” he recalls.

Two years ago last October, the entire family, including sister Leilani, who also surfs, took a trip to Hawaii’s North Shore. Malakai paddled out in 6- to 8-foot sets, but wasn’t frightened at all. “I was more scared in Pavones, even though Hawaii was bigger. I was more comfortable in Hawaii because I was with my older brother Forrest.” They hit a lot of spots including Pupukea, Chuns and even at Kaneohe Bay Military Base, where his uncle lives.

For the youngster, competing in the Mini-Grommets category and snatching the national championship wasn’t enough. He needed to put himself on trial by entering the Boys division with those surfers 16 and under. The results were good: Martinez placed 10th overall last year among the Boys. Not bad for his first full season competing in the countrywide contest, and only one year away from his debut

“Being from Costa Rica, you always think you want to go somewhere else,” adds Martinez. “Then, going to Hawaii, I was like woo, it was prettier than I thought it would be, and the waves were great, but it wasn’t that much different than here.”

(continued page 22)

Gold Coast Cruising with Antares Lounging on a beanbag, cool drink in hand, kebabs grilling on the barbecue, dolphins leaping nearby, the wind whistling in the rigging, and the Guanacaste coast a thin line in the distance. What a lovely way to spend an afternoon.

Antares is an 80-foot Sparkman & Stephens schooner displacing 45 tons, built in 1947 in Oyster Bay in New York. Originally a commercial fishing boat, it was later used as a treasure hunter based in Panama, and made several good hauls of gold and silver in Santo Domingo.

Captain Hermes Quisada is the son of an admiral in the Argentine Navy, and has been sailing since a child. Trained as a medical doctor, Quisada took a break from internal medicine and left Argentina in a 40-foot sailboat, no electrics or instruments except a sextant, and sailed solo to the Caribbean, where he operated a charter sailing business.

He met Candy, now his wife, and started a family (Their first child, also Hermes, was born on board their boat). They then moved to Tamarindo, where Quisada became the local doctor. He now practices at a clinic in Santa Cruz.

Sailing Antares is a family business. Young Hermes, now 17, and second son Noah, 15, know sailing and the boat intimately, and crew on board when school permits. Candy prepares the delicious food that is served on board, and Hermes, in addition to being captain, is, of course, ship’s doctor.

David Mills

Antares is operated in cooperation with Christian, of Le Beach Club, who handles publicity and bookings from Keith at the boat’s office at the Club. Outside, on the beach, is a sales booth where passers-by can book a tour.

Daily sunset cruises leave the beach outside Le Beach Club or El Pescador at 1 p.m. A typical cruise will sail across Tamarindo bay to a secluded beach north of Cabo Velas, where the boat will be anchored while the passengers explore the beach, swim, snorkel or just relax on board. A lunch is then served and kebabs are barbecued on board. An open bar operates during the cruise.

Dr. Hermes and his crew will be happy to answer any questions about the boat, and passengers can lend a hand if so inclined. The cruise ends just before dusk to avoid ferrying passengers to shore in the dark.

Antares has recently been refitted and is in as-new condition, new sails, lifejackets, new paint. Comfort is assured by the new colourful beanbags all over the deck.

The boat has a Certificate of Navigation, and is fully insured with INS. She is available for private charters, parties and weddings. Private dinners may be arranged for 6-12 people. With a global range, and a displacement of 45 tons, Antares can go anywhere and is completely happy with heavy weather, though that is pretty rare here. Overnight trips are run to famous surf breaks at Ollie’s Point and Witch’s Rock for six to eight people, or full-day trips can be made to the beautiful Catalina Islands. Typical companions on the trips include turtles, dolphins and humpback whales.

Contact Antares at Le Beach Club in Tamarindo; Call Keith at 85413747; or visit Facebook at Antares Sailing Adventures.

A Slice of Life Why Are You Here?

David Mills ...Is a question I am often asked. The answer is “It was all a mistake, a geographical error.”

Many years ago, in Toronto, my friend Tim had just returned from vacation. “It’s a lovely country,” he said, “lots of little islands off the coast, great for diving and snorkelling, and the language is English.”

He told me the name of this idyllic place, which I promptly forgot.

Years later, in the depth of a Toronto winter, I was discussing the need for a vacation with another friend, Bob. “Let’s go together,” he suggested, “maybe try somewhere new.”

“Great idea,” I answered, and I know the ideal place. It’s a lovely country, with lots of little islands off the coast, great for diving and snorkelling, and the language is English. It’s called Costa Rica.”

(You may have guessed that this was in a time when Costa Rica was not the popular destination it is now; then it was totally unknown to most.)

Immediately Bob picked up the bar phone and called his travel agent.

Ten minutes later he hung up, saying “OK, that’s done, a one-week trip to San José. We can pick up the tickets tomorrow.”

I suggested that we find out a little more about our vacation spot, so off we trotted to the city library, where we found a huge atlas. Plodding through the pages, we arrived at Costa Rica and found that there are no little islands off the coast, and the language is Spanish.

Flipping a few pages we found the little country of Belize – little islands off the coast, great for diving and snorkelling, and everyone speaks English. “We’re going to the wrong place,” complained Bob. “Never mind,” said I, “Let’s go there anyway.”

So we did, and found ourselves in a hotel in downtown San José for a week. After two days we were bored out of our little minds, so we rented a car and drove to the Pacific coast, discovering a country totally different from the ugly city. I was enchanted; had we stayed in the city, I probably would never have returned to Costa Rica but, having seen its beauty (and its beauties), I returned again and again until I could move here and settle.

I never did get to Belize!

Bigamy is having one wife too many.

Monogamy is the same.

Oscar Wilde

Our Colorful World of Change Guanacaste’s Dry Tropical Forest

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s we move into the heart of the dry season, memories of raging rivers flooding their banks, rubber boots and muddy foot prints quickly fade. With the onset of the dry season and the strong gusts of the December Papagayo winds, Guanacaste’s lush green countryside begins to fade into February’s dry season hues of browns, ochre and red. But look a little closer, and you will see the colorful changing world of Guanacaste’s dry tropical forest.

Guanacaste’s dry tropical forest exhibits dramatic changes during the three distinct seasons – the dry season, December to April; the green season, May to September; and the rainy season – September to November. These changing climatic conditions are in direct contrast to the more uniform climate of Costa Rica’s wet tropical forests and cloud forests. The dry season is not just dusty and dry, look closely and you will be treated with a rainbow of color - the flamboyant flowering of the dry forest semi-deciduous trees– the yellows of Ziano and later, Cortez Amarillo and Cañafistula; the various pinks of roble; and the orange of malinche also known as flamboyant. The dry fields, rocky hills, and roadside fence rows are dotted with bare trees sporting pink, yellow and purple flowers set against bright blue cloudless skies. The colorful blooms attract wandering bees and bird pollinators insuring the seed crop for the next rainy season and abundant food for other dry forest inhabitants.

The dry season begins by providing a bounty of colorful citrus fruits – oranges, limes, grapefruit - with other local tropical favorites - mangos and jocote - arriving later in the dry season. Bright green parakeets, with splashes of yellow, orange, and red, feed in noisy flocks in the crowns of the dry forest trees, often heard, but camouflaged, until they burst from the tree tops. Pairs of parrots, olivaceous trogons and turquoise-browed mot-mots are more easily seen as they flit tree-to-tree during the dry season.

As the rivers and once-flooded fields dry up, water birds can be easily observed in the remnants of wetland as they feed in the shrinking ponds and wet fields. In the dry season, tourist birdwatchers “flock” to the fringes of the mangroves and estuaries along the Pacific coast and the islands of the Rio Tempisque to look for exotic birds such as the wood stork, brown pelican, glossy ibis, tiger heron, boatbilled heron and the primitive hoatzins. The anhinga, also known as the snake bird, because of its habit of swimming with its body under water and head emerging like a snake, can be seen perched on the mangrove trees with wings extended to dry in the sun. In the dry tropical forest the mangroves and inland swamps are limited

Kay T. Dodge Ph.D.

in size by the disappearance of year-round fresh water streams due, in part, to deforestation. The fresh water is essential to mix with salt water to support the rich mangrove ecosystem. From the large swamp ecosystem of Palo Verde National Park, to the small puddles of “charcos”, the seasonal wetlands of Guanacaste provide a living laboratory for natural history observers. In the past these seasonal wetlands drew duck and waterfowl hunters from all over the world. Now most hunters arrive with cameras and binoculars.

In the fresh water wetlands, the roseate spoonbill can be seen feeding on bottom life with its specially flattened spoon-like bill. The herons, ibisis, and egrets have evolved a variety of bill modifications and body and leg sizes, adaptating to feed in specific wetland niches. The family of herons, including the tall great blue, the common green-backed and the little blue, can be seen frozen waiting for a passing fish or frog. The snowy egret with its showy white plumage and black legs and bill, is similar but smaller than the great egret with smoother white feathers and yellow bill. Flocks of fast-flying cattle egrets can be seen following cattle feeding on ticks and other insects. During the breeding season the males sport yellow on their head, chest and back. In the evening large groups of cattle egrets can be seen flocking to favorite trees to perch for the night.

The old network of oxcart trails that lead from town to town in Guanacaste provide a wonderful opportunity to observe wildlife, both in seasonal wetlands and tree-lined old pastures. One of my favorites is the old road from Cartagena to Santa Cruz which passes through lowland swamps and rivers. The entry is about a half mile west of the entry to Cartagena and is passable by car from January to August. Many of the other trails, easily accessed on horseback or on foot, abound with life early morning and l a t e a f t e rnoon.

In an otherwise dry and dusty dry season environment from February to April, look closely and you will be treated to colorful flowering trees, tropical birds, flitting butterflies, noisy troupes of howler monkeys and an array of flowers planted around the homes of the native Guanacastecos. Although most of us appreciate the improved and paved roads and shopping malls, we often rush by and don’t really see the beauty that is around us. The old adage, “stop and smell the flowers” is a good piece of advice. Pull your special “sense of wonder” out of your back pocket and take time to enjoy the wonderful world we live in.

Art on the Beach

Local Artist Promotes Guanacaste Talent

G

uanacaste artist José Jackson Guadamuz has developed a project called “Living the Guanacastequidad through the Visual Arts”, which is being exhibited around Guanacaste to bring visual arts to the people of the province.

The word ‘Guanacastequidad’ means the set of characteristics that define Guanacastecans: their music, dance, literature, language, savannah culture and history – their unique cultural identity.

Guadamuz is an artist from Santa Cruz, Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Costa Rica. He has exhibited his artwork in San José, Guanacaste, Limón, San Ramon de Alajuela and Panama, and has won several awards.

The project’s objectives are to implement a program or institution to bring art to Guanacastecos; to create a financing program for sustainability of art in the province; to encourage art – painting, sculpture, drawing, etc. – in schools and colleges.

Locally, Guadamuz is holding exhibitions of his art at restaurants and parks. One fun feature of the exhibitions is a communal painting, where audience members participate in the creation of a canvas (photos top and bottom).

At El Coconut Beach Club in Potrero in February, Guadamuz exhibited his works, assisted by French artist Martine Coste, who lives in Junquillal, and by patrons of the restaurant. Curator of the exhibition was local businessman Dario Chimisso.

Contact Jose Guademuz at 8857-2316 or e-mail to Guadamuzdesantacruz@gmail. com.

Martine Coste can be reached at 8548-0258 or coste.art@ wanadoo.fr.

It’s a Dog’s Life

C

by Sabine Lyons

osta Rica is world-renowned for its conservation efforts to protect its environment, be it trees, animals, insects or birds. Tourists from all walks of life have been drawn to this land so blessed with natural beauty.

I recently had an experience of seeing behind the tourist attractions.

While waiting for a bus in Huacas, a dog caught my eye. She was limping, emaciated to the point that her ribs, hips and vertebrae were barely covered by a layer of hairy skin; she also had a sore eye. She was standing outside a restaurant that was exuding the smell of roasting chickens, just stood there panting, hoping to get a morsel. My heart sank at such a pathetic sight, and I felt compelled to do something for that poor dog, so I went into the restaurant and bought a piece of roasted chicken and asked for water for the dog. The staff were dumbfounded that I would buy good chicken for a dog, even that I insisted on the water for her. The poor creature inhaled the chicken and drank the water. As I walked away the dog limped after me the best she could. Regretfully, I had to insist she stay there.

That night I could not sleep; the thought of the dog disturbed me. I had to do something for her if I ever wanted to sleep well again. I wondered why there are rescue centres for sloths, toucans, monkeys, butterflies and snakes, while dogs starve in the street.

Perchance I came across the January issue of The Howler and saw an advertisement for a dog rescue center in Flamingo, so I called Barbara, the lovely person in charge, and asked if I could bring her a dog. Although she was at her limit with 18 dogs already there, she agreed to take her if I could find her again. I was now on a rescue mission.

The next morning I hired a kind cab driver and he took us to Huacas.

Asking around, I found the dog with two others in similar condition at home. It took some fancy wheeling and dealing because the owners didn’t want to part with their starving dogs. A thousand colones later I was in the cab, with my new dog covered in fleas but headed for a new life of hope, food, love and comfort. I sobbed, relieved that this dog would have a chance but knowing that there were two more dogs left behind.

At the pet shop, Barbara was appalled at the condition of the poor dog. I told her there were two more there, so she phoned her dedicated veterinarian friend and they assured me that they would go to get the other dogs.

Felicia (the dog’s new name) received food, water and a bath. I covered the vet care bill and now I can sleep at night knowing that a life – or two or three – was spared. Barbara’s rescue centre is a lovely place and the dogs there looked very content.

If anyone reading this feels a little compassion, please feel free to act upon it. Your donation will go a long way; the work done at the rescue centre is done out of love and devotion but it badly needs financial support. Please contact Barbara at 2654-4148, or deposit to Banco de Costa Rica: account number 325-120-1 ahorros in dollars. Felicia and her friends thank you.

Shelter Squad Community Service Group Goes to Nicaragua to Help Those in Need

At the end of January, Country Day School Guanacaste and La Paz School, two local schools, teamed up to help build houses for those in need, paint a school, help an orphanage, and donate food and clothing to the residents of Cristo Rey, a town outside of the Managua trash dump. Nicaragua is the second poorest country in the Western hemisphere and its trash dump is definitely not regal, so one can easily imagine the presence of such a place, where people are reduced to scavenging the waste to try and find a few recyclables to return for a couple of cordobas. The smell is putrid; rotting produce, burning plastic, and the water reeking of the waste it collected. The sights are

barren; fields of dust are accompanied by hills of trash along a stretch of several hundred meters.Grit can be felt in between your fingers and the dust fills your lungs. If it weren’t for the wonderful smiles of the locals, the grim surroundings might have been overwhelming.

etly handed us her ticket for a couple of food items.

This was very humble, because she had waited until everyone had gotten something, to ask for very little. The second, very humble moment came from a 14-year-old deaf boy named Byron. He worked on building the houses for days on end, whilst others accidentally and humorously tried talking to him. He worked hard and asked for nothing in return, but we insisted on finding him medical care for his condition. Cristo Rey is full of beautiful people who deserve better than to have to live in a metal shack next to a trash dump, however something is better than nothing, and nothing is what many of them have.

Even amongst all the hardship, the trip was fantastic. Smiles were very easy to find on this trip and fun was had everywhere. Some of the members of the trip were sad that it was over. On a personal note, the trip is a highlight of my life, because every second on that trip (even the down ones) could be appreciated through and through. I am a 16-year-old at Country Day School Guanacaste and I learned many lessons and I highly recommend this life-changing experience to anyone who chooses to go the next time around.

In preparation for our trip we raised nearly $12,000. With that money we were able to do the following:

The residents of Cristo Rey do not possess many valuables, but they do possess a value that is quite intangible. They have joy to be alive, happiness to be with their family, and jubilation to have their God. Imagine on a day-to-day basis how much we take for granted; we have enough resources to afford a place to sleep, food to eat, and clean water to drink; we are among a small percentage of the world that has no worries in that regard. The humility of Cristo Rey’s population in not having much, yet still giving to those who were there to help build houses, was very impressive. They gave what water they had to create concrete, gave us a few supplies to use, and gave more than enough love to the visitors. The ones who needed the most gave the most.

Built four houses (donated money for 2 more) Painted a school Purchased chairs for the school Purchased a new gate for the school Purchased a piano for a worship leader to lead music at his church Helped a deaf boy get surgery so he can hear Helped a cross-eyed girl get surgery so she can see Helped a Nicaraguan worker get a growth removed from his hand Distributed 200 food bags to people in need Distributed thousands of clothes and toys to those in need Purchased and donated many school supplies for a teen orphanage Made a large cash donation to a baby orphanage Made a wooden crib for the baby orphanage from scratch Purchased braces for a man who had his leg amputated in the Nicaraguan civil war.

Carolina lives in Cristo Rey and helped us to pass out food supplies and clothing to the locals and she put in many hours of work to help us. And as we were finishing with handing out the supplies, she qui-

By Andrew Ferguson, Country Day School Guanacaste 10th Grade Student

“Never doubt that a small group of concerned individuals can make a difference in this world; in fact, it is the only thing that ever has.”

–Margaret Mead

Surf Report (from page 15) Given his choice of places he knows that he would like to surf, Malakai would choose Southern California. Vacationing there, he surfed in Huntington, which is now his favorite, because “it had a good feeling and vibe” and Oxnard, which he felt was “okay.” The pièce de resistance for the youngster was the fact that he was there for two weeks and everyday he could find a place to surf good waves.

During that time in California, Martinez was able to participate in two Volcom VQS contests, upping his entry to Groms. According to Malaki, these contests attracted surfers—about 50 to 60 kids—who had better skill sets, and offered him a better fight compared to when he competes in the Circuito at home where he only faces 2 to 3 surfers that are pushing him to win.

Martinez recalls: “The VQS is harder, more challenging. I have to surf harder to be at the level of those other surfers. It’s a challenge you have to live up to.” Despite the work, he made it to the Semi-finals in the VQS both times.

Volcom brought a VQS to Hermosa a couple of times, and of course, Malakai goes front and center with his board. The first time, he won the championship Grom trophy, and last time, citing poor waves, he made it to the podium in 4th place.

you can go now

by Geretta Geretta when together in a straight line you can see from childhood to life’s end possibilities dreams plans hopes lost \ some won when you can see light at the end of the long longest journey the only journey the longest walk & you recognize choices made fears compounded some joy some right some wrongs & finally your just reward / you hung in / gave one for the gipper / the ole school try / fought the good fight / well finally you can go

While it can be said that Malakai’s #1 sponsors are Mom and Dad, he’s been lucky enough to gain attraction of many companies. Volcom is his top supporter. “I like Volcom because it’s more of a family, more than the others I checked out. And I’m friends with a lot of the guys on the Volcom team, like Ronald Brown and Carlos Muñoz. They told us that from now on, whenever we go to Hawaii, they will set my family up to stay in the Volcom House.”

In 2012, pro surfer Josymar Fuentes from Jacó filmed a movie of Martinez that helped get the attention of some new sponsors. (You can check out the movie on Malakai’s Facebook page or on Youtube in the Josymar Fuentes videos section.) In addition to Volcom, Malakai is sponsored by Mitchington Surfboards (until the end of March when he will change to SUPERbrand Surfboards), Future Fins, A1 Energy Drink, and Salsyboy Surf, owned by Freddy “Salsyboy” Camacho.

With a large selection of beaches in Costa Rica, and a family willing to travel to surf those breaks, it turns out that Junquillal, south of Tamarindo is his favorite place. To ride Junquillal there needs to be a swell for waves, but when it does this beach break peels off right and left and Martinez just loves it.

During his interview, Malakai jumps back to Costa Rica whenever he can, displaying his Tico pride. “It’s an honor to be in a place that is beautiful and peaceful, where there’s no war, and plenty of waves to ride.”

At his young age, it’s wonderful to see that he already knows what he wants to accomplish in the future. Martinez’ goal is to be a good (continued page 33)

Your Stars in March

Aries: 21 March - 20 April–ºThis month is a good time for Libra: 23 September - 23 October

extensive reflection or just pulling back from the public eye for the first two weeks as six planets in Pisces transit your solar twelfth house. Your ruling planet, Mars, will enter Aries on the 13th so you’ll have renewed your energy and are ready to re-enter the fray at that time. Do be careful on the 21st as Mars conjunct Uranus could make you more than a little accident-prone. Love finds you after the 23rd. Your best days are the 12th and 13th.

The energy this month is primarily about health and working conditions for the first two weeks and then about partnership issues the rest of the month. You’ll be looking at signing contracts after the 17th, ending a stalemate situation that’s been ongoing for a long time. The 23rd signifies a breaking point in the energy holding you back. Hold your temper at that time as you are able to negotiate a better deal for yourself on the 27th and 28th.

Great month for networking or linking up with some organization that can promote your cause. Six planets in Pisces will transit your solar eleventh house making you more visible and giving you an edge for connecting with the masses. Trust your intuition now more than ever as Pisces energy is uber psychic! Saturn Rx in your seventh has you re-evaluating your partnership needs. The 14th, 15th and 16th are days of heightened lunar vibes for you.

You have plenty of charisma this month as six planets in Pisces transit your solar fifth house making you available for fun, love affairs, creative projects and speculations. However, Saturn, retrograde in your first, dampens your enthusiasm and spontaneity. Bummer, but that’s the way it is. Indulge yourself anyway and let friends talk you into joining their festivities…you can be the designated driver! The 1st, 2nd, 29th and 30th are your best days

Taurus: 21 April - 21 May

Scorpio: 24 October - 22 November

Gemini: 22 May - 21 June

Sagittarius: 23 November - 21 December

This month holds some opportunity to boost your career as six planets in Pisces transit your solar tenth house. People will seek your advice and counsel at this time. Your ruling planet, Mercury, goes direct on the 17th, clearing the way for progress in general. Relationships of all kinds improve now so if you are seeking partnership, it may find you towards the end of the month. Keep your eye on the ball with your health and recommit to an exercise plan. Your best days are the 17th and 18th.

Cancer: 22 June - 22 July

There’s a lot of energy focused in your solar ninth house of law, higher education, knowledge and travel this month with the six-planet stellium in Pisces transiting there. It’s a good time to travel if you can, though take care around the 23rd as Mars conjunct Uranus could spell some trouble for you. Your children may need to spend more time with you this month as some imbalance needs to be corrected. The 19th, 20th, and 21st are your most favorable days.

Leo: 23 July - 23 August

The six-planet stellium in Pisces transits your solar eighth house, making it necessary to review all end of life matters, in regard to wills, insurance, taxes, and legacy matters. This is a house of psychological transformation too so it might be a good idea to seek the advice of a counselor and don’t solidify decisions until after the 17th. Pay attention to your dreams as they are trying to reveal the truth about something you’ve kept hidden for a long time. The 22nd and 23rd are days of relief and renewal.

Virgo: 24 August - 22 September

This month you put some serious energy into forming new partnerships, both personal and professional. Your ruling planet, Mercury, goes direct on the 17th, clearing the way for progress. There will be plenty of time for taking action with some of the planets move into Aries after the 21st.

Take a step back before taking any actions on the 23rd as Mars joins Uranus and makes a situation volatile. The 24th, 25th and 26th are times when your advice will be taken seriously.

by Jeanne Callahan (jeannecallahan007@gmail.com)

This is a good month to spend a little time and energy in your home, either entertaining or fixing the place up a bit. There’s a renewed sense of pleasure and sharing your optimism with others at this time so make sure you take advantage of it. With your ruling sign in your solar seventh house it’s also a good time to meet a potential partner. So if you are looking, you will find someone. Best days are the 3rd, 4th, 5th and 31st.

Capricorn: 22 December - 21 January

With six planets in Pisces in your solar third house, you will be busy dealing with siblings, neighbors, communications, and possibly taking lots of short trips. It’s an interesting time as you set in motion some ideas and plans for future projects. With Saturn retrograde in your solar eleventh house, friends and people from the past may show up to re-connect. Your intuition will definitely tell you whom you can trust or not. The 6th and 7th are your best days.

Aquarius: 22 January - 19 February

This is a good month for making money and increasing your assets as six planets in Pisces transit your solar second house. Your choice, but avoid making any decisions to that effect around the first week as Venus’s position makes it troublesome then. You may be called in to consult or advise former business associates about something you have expertise in. All in all, the month has much to offer you in the way of interesting experiences. Best days are the 8th and 9th.

Pisces: 20 February - 20 March

The month has six planets in your solar first house putting you in the spotlight a bit. With a trine from Saturn in the 9th, there’s a good opportunity to make a positive and responsible impression with your elders and people who hold power. With Jupiter in your fourth you could entertain or have many visitors in your home at this time. It’s a great time to beautify things after the 17th when Mercury is direct and you are clear in your thinking. The 10th and 11th are your best days.

Namasté Visit Jeanne’s site at CelestialAdvisor.com

Parents’ Corner Educating our Sons and Daughters How to Establish a Healthy and Functional Home Structure Anyone who is a parent will agree: no task is more challenging than parenting, and it is the one task we are the least prepared for. Becoming a parent requires no credentials and there is no formal education that prepares us for this delicate and difficult job, which makes parents often insecure. Parents may feel overwhelmed with the huge amount of information from media and from friends and family, while they have to deal with their own reality that requires less theory, and more practical solutions.

Here are some basic guidelines that may help you establish a functional structure and a balanced environment to raise your children: 1.

Look at your parenting style: we tend to either reproduce our own parent’s model, or choose the complete opposite of it. On the extremes we find the authoritarian parents, that will promote passive children, or the permissive parents, that will produce defiant children… in both cases, children will lack self-confidence and will struggle with finding their own identity. While the authoritarian parent is perceived by the child as intimidating and overpowering, the permissive parent is perceived as weak and unreliable. The solution is found in the golden middle: a parenting style based on a democratic model will promote a healthy self-esteem and a cooperative attitude. Democratic parents are in control of their children’s education using an open and respectful communication, being consistent and coherent, and therefore being perceived by their children as strong and reliable.

2.

Actions are stronger than words: be your child’s role model!

The qualities of the family’s emotional bond, the parent’s social and emotional adjustment and the general behavior models have an important impact on your child’s behavior.

3.

Manage inappropriate behavior in a consistent manner and send out clear and precise messages that your children can understand.

4.

Establish rules that will help set up age-appropriate limits for your child, and make sure to adjust rules as your child grows up. Involve your child in the creation of these rules, and present and discuss the consequences that apply when rules are broken.

5.

Provide for a predictable environment through daily routines that will give your child a sense of certainty and safety. Contrary to rules, when a routine is not being respected, there are no imposed consequences, but natural ones… for example: if I don’t get ready on time for school, I will miss the bus, and will get a tardy in school.

6. Promote autonomy from an early age on… remember that our main goal is for our children to need us less and less as they grow up.

Allowing a child to do things by himself will strengthen his self-esteem, build his character and give him a sense of being a capable and useful member of the family.

7.

Promote self–control and help your child learn how to share, how to wait, how to express emotions in words, instead of impulsive actions, and how to value himself positively.

Above all: trust your own instincts and acknowledge that you can’t be perfect. Parents are human, and will make mistakes… those mistakes are opportunities to learn, not to feed on guilt and self-doubt. Don’t shy away from apologizing to your child if you feel that you have not handled a situation appropriately… you will be teaching your child an important lesson. Enjoy being a parent and have a sense of humor about it… smiles and laughter are the secret ingredients to successful parenting!

Msc. Mónica Riascos Henríquez Psychopedagogist – Member of ASOLAP – Code 2024 consultariascos@live.com

Now Begins the Study of Yoga Yoga at Work Whatever type of work we do often involves some repetition of actions or movements. Whether we do office work or more physical jobs, we use and abuse our bodies with the repetition or by doing something for way too long. Typically, it takes an injury or pain to start to look at what we do on a daily basis that is contributing to our low back pain, shoulder tightness, or tenseness in our neck and shoulders. An acupuncturist and homeopathic doctor once told me that every 45 minutes we should change what we are doing. We need to do this so that wear or stress on any one area of the body does not occur.

Take a look at how you can incorporate mini-breaks into your workday to help your body as well as your mind. Stretching your body at least once every 45 minutes in the midst of repetitive physical work and at least once an hour if you are working at a desk, will keep your body and mind healthier.

If you have been hunched over your desk, do something to counter balance, like a light back bend. The pictures this month include some of our Panacea staff doing their “yoga breaks”, as well as Debbie modeling how to do some stretches in the office.

If you are doing some standing poses, feel the roots of your feet connect with the earth, then lift the earth’s energy up through your legs, spine, and through the crown of your head. If you are seated, start with your feet solidly on the ground, heels under your knees, sitting at the front of your chair seat. Whether sitting or standing, draw your shoulder blades down your back and open across your chest – feel how just doing this can help to lift your spirits! Hold the poses you do for anywhere from 3 – 10 breaths. Let yourself find the feeling of creating opening in your body as you do them.

If you start to feel like you are creating tension, then gently release or back off. The idea is to feel yourself releasing any accumulated stress or tension in your body – so experiment to find the right place that happens for you. Keep breathing in and out through your nose – deep breathing alone has a myriad of benefits and can fairly quickly bring you more peace. And lastly, have some fun. Let your yoga work break also lighten your mood!

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

Barbara’s Pet Stories Fun in the Kitchen

I

was eating a piece of banana bread. It was so good, that I wanted to keep the rest of it for later, so I put it into the fridge. Later I went to the fridge to get it...it was gone. “Harald! did you eat my banana bread?” I almost yelled at him. He said : “No.” I replied: “Yes, yes, then a cat took it out of the fridge, right?”

Next day I went into the kitchen to get some water, and I thought, no, can’t be true. My coatimundi, the three raccoons...they had fun!

Somehow they had managed to open the fridge door, had taken out a piece of water melon, a Fresco Leche, into which they had bitten to suck out the milk, one or two eggs were smashed on the floor, one of the baby raccoons was licking the egg yolks. As soon I stepped into the kitchen they all took off. No one was left to blame except the cloth I cleaned up the mess with.

I was already out on my patio when I heard a noise coming out of the kitchen. I turned around and I saw the coatimundi standing in front of the fridge door and with his long claws he opened the door. Just as easy as I would do it. A second later the three raccoons ran back into the kitchen, now all standing in front of the fridge, thoughts in their eyes: what can we take out now? Too bad, I jumped into the kitchen, with a scream I closed the door and I said, “out, go out, all of you!” They took it easy: “OK, we will wait until you are gone again.”

No, my boys and girls, no more! I put a case of beer in front of the door. Ha, now try to open it again, and I left to go back into my shop.

Minutes later I heard noises again from the kitchen. I ran back, and I just stood there with my mouth open. The coatimundi and the big raccoon, these two were pushing – yes, pushing - the beer case away from the door. And into the fridge...they got again two eggs and a piece of cheese, still wrapped in plastic. No big deal, long claws can open this in a heartbeat...and when they started to bite into the cheese I stepped in. Nobody even moved. Me standing in the middle, they kept biting pieces from the cheese. The two baby raccoons came around the corner and, seeing me as I was just standing there, saying nothing, they started to bite into the cheese, too. So I had to put a chain around my fridge...

fairytale

by Diana Renee the princess cannot sleep rides her eagle-eyed horse through moonless night at the enchanted castle swims the moat with singing frogs the handsome prince with a kiss turns into a dragon and locks her in his high tower her wild hair grows long she becomes a bird flies through the window calls to her thunder-footed horse and rides on

Doctor’s Orders Jeffrey Whitlow, M.D. jwhitlow82159@gmail.com

Opium

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For the past few months we have been discussing the harmful effects of the various “recreational” drugs. We will continue that discussion this month and next by focusing on the harmful effects associated with the drug opium and its derivatives, a class of drugs known as the “opiates”.

The opiates, a class of drugs that includes morphine, heroin, methadone, hydrocodone, and oxycodone, among others, carry their own set of risks. Remember though that, up until 1914, all of the opiates that existed at that time, i.e. raw opium, and synthetic or refined opium in the form of morphine and heroin, were legal over-the-counter substances and could even be purchased by children! In fact, the drug “heroin” was originally trademarked by Bayer in 1898 as, among other things, a cure for morphine addiction. That trademarked product was also marketed as a headache pill that was probably pretty effective!

Morphine is a powerful sedative and pain-killer, but it is rarely used outside of a hospital setting, so recreational use of that drug is uncommon. Heroin is as powerful as morphine, it is relatively cheap compared to the other drugs in this class, and it is relatively easy to find, so it is the opiate of choice for college and high-school aged kids.

Methadone is a synthetic opiate that was created to help addicts quit taking heroin or morphine, but the cure proved to be worse than the disease again, as methadone also turned out to be highly addictive.

All of the opiates can suppress the “respiratory drive” at high doses. We don’t have to think about breathing, even when we sleep, because there is a part of our brain that controls our respirations in response to the oxygen level in our blood. The person who overdoses on these drugs goes to sleep and never wakes up because, once they are asleep, they literally “forget” to breathe. It is relatively easy to overdose on any of these drugs, but heroin is the most dangerous because, as with cocaine, the street user has no idea as to the purity of the product that they are purchasing and ingesting.

These drugs, like cocaine, meth, and even alcohol, can interfere with the interactions between brain cells and mimic a seizure focus. That can cause an opiate user to have an epileptic seizure.

However, even extremely high doses of these drugs will not cause permanent brain damage or epilepsy. When these drugs are metabolized in the body, the compounds produced can interfere with the functioning of the immune system. Sterile abscesses and other serious infections, such as pneumonia, are the result of that compromised immune function.

Heroin users on the street share needles and don’t sterilize their needles properly. Using dirty or unsterilized needles can lead to infection with AIDS and other blood-borne diseases, such as hepatitis.

I took care of a heroin user who had a heart that barely functioned. He had used a dirty needle and an infection went straight to his heart and almost destroyed it. Again, it makes you wonder as to how a “high” could be worth that kind of risk.

Next month we will conclude our discussion on opiates, focusing on the pill and tablet forms of this class of drugs.

Word puzzle

Animals of Costa Rica 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. boaconstrictor caiman capuchin caracara coatimundi crocodile cuckoo frigatebird garza harpyeagle howlermonkey hummingbird kingfisher kinkajou kiskadee

grackle iguana leatherback macaw motmot pelican pizote quetzal sandpiper terciopela tern toucan twotoedsloth vampirebat zopilote

Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Flattery Well, I’m flattered. After being the only Howler in Costa Rica for many years, I now see that there are three more. One is an on-line publication from The Palms development in Flamingo; another is The Howling Monkey coupon book from Coco Beach; and there is Howler Radio.

Seriously, guys, couldn’t you be a little more original in your choice of a name? With the plethora of wildlife here, couldn’t you have chosen the Vulgar Vulture, the Scary Scorpion, the Galloping Turtle, the Creepy Culebra, the Horny Owl, the Crying Crocodile, the Crawly Cucaracha, the Spiteful Spider, Coatimundi Radio…?

I guess it’s just so much easier to copy someone else.

Surviving

C hapter X

COSTA RICA

“Things to Do” can mean different things to different people. My assumption is, if you’ve just recently arrived here in Costa Rica, you would probably be what is commonly referred to as a “tourist”. Your list of things to do that you’ve been looking forward to doing for the last few months is much different from what a “local” might have, in many cases containing things much better left undone.

Things To Do Story by Jesse Bishop (owlhumm@hotmail.com)

A recent four-hour clash between a group of visiting dentists and what was described as a “well organized and equipped” group of over one hundred simians is being described by local authorities as an “isolated incident”.

And finally there’s the “San José” to-do list, in our case compiled once a month.

It’s usually a pretty long and dull one that takes one to all corners of Costa Rica’s capital procuring paint, guitar strings and legal documents.

Most tourists arrive looking forward to turtle tours, surfing lessons, monkey encounters and cultural interaction, all fine things to do and totally approved by the Howler Magazine. We might suggest a few experiences that you may not normally encounter.

Tourists tired of Tamarindo can also visit Nicaragua and see what the third world really looks like. As the crow flies it’s about 20 miles (35km) from here, which means you should be able to reach the border in about four hours. After being de-loused, strip searched, and signing documents promising not have sex with children or farm animals you are allowed into the country just in time for you to leave again.

Susan and I are doing the “become a resident” thing for the second time. We’ve gathered our birth certificates, marriage license and police reports, and have registered with the US Embassy, so now it was time to get fingerprinted. This we decided to do separately. Someone needed to stay at home and take care of the dog, who would have a nervous breakdown if we both left, and has a nasty habit of eating any hotel room dumb enough to permit pets.

A very “Tico” thing to do would be to visit one of the many “Fiestas” that every tiny village or town alternately puts on every week. Visiting tourists are always welcome to participate in the “corridas de toros”, the main event held in a recently constructed shaky wood and tin bull ring surrounded with equally shaky bleachers.

“Things to do” can be something completely different for those of us who, either by chance of birth or bizarre and unusual circumstances, find ourselves living here.

A list of this nature, often compiled by illtempered and despicable types sometimes referred to as “wives”, has very little to do with fun stuff.

Off I went to the Ministerio de Seguridad Publico at 7 a.m. for my prints. I soon found out that I had to get in the long line already formed and wait, And wait, and wait, ‘till I got to the next line in which I further waited and, etc.

Tourists are enthusiastically invited to enter the ring and join the festivities involving taunting a 1,000-kg bull and then avoiding being gored and then trampled. Woman over fifty are discouraged from entering although there’s always some woman from Canada that insists on being let in for the fun. Survivors can then dance the night away in the local salon to music that can be heard twenty miles (35 km) away after which you can experience the adventure of looking for a cab in an unknown village at four in the morning.

What’s the point of living the expatriate dream here in paradise if you have to paint the bathroom, fix the hole in the screen, take out the garbage or shower regularly?

As harmony is preferable to funkiness it’s better to just bite down and do what you’re told so you can get back to your own list, which reads something like this: Have a beer.

Get in the hammock.

Have another beer.

Etc.

After about five hours I got to the final line and as it was shorter I only had to wait a little longer. Finally I got to the guy at the desk, who seemed to be worried I might not know my address, (which I did!) and proceeded to get the information needed for fingerprinting: Am I right- or left-handed?

How many times have I been married?

How much do I weigh? After answering everything mostly truthfully I proceeded to the final line and, after a shortish wait, had my fingers printed, the ink of which is still on my fingers as of this typing, I mean word processing.

Golfing can be a great pastime for those who choose to follow the putter and there a several courses in the greater Tamarindo Metroplex to choose from and if you forget to bring your clubs you can usually rent a locally made set made of bamboo and stone.

Although it is hard to find available firearms here in Paradise it is nonetheless suggested that you show up packing due to an unusual number of jaguar sightings, as well as packs of local Howler Monkeys who have recently evolved to the points of fashioning tools of mass destruction.

The people sharing their country with us are known as “Ticos”, an old indigenous Mayan word meaning “egg eaters that stand in long lines”. You would expect a culture as far removed and dissimilar from the “Expatriate Dream Community” as you can get would have different list priorities.

I have recently obtained a “hacer” list from an up-and-coming Tico which reads: Have a Cerveza Get in the hamaca Have another Cerveza Etc.

When I left the building the sun was setting but I felt I had accomplished something.

My wife Susan, who is sometimes treated quite differently than I, went through the same process three days later, waited in line for about fifteen minutes when a passing dignitary picked her out of line and immediately took her to the fingerprint line after which she was taken to the Presidential Mansion to have lunch with the President.

The Man of the Milpa Tom Peifer (peifer@racsa.co.cr)

The best fertilizer on any farm is the footstep of the farmer. - Confucius.

Sometimes, in small towns, a funeral draws a bigger crowd than a dance. There is a certain logic. The food and beverages are free, underage kids are allowed and it’s quiet enough to gossip. In the case of the recently departed don Arturo, he was one of the founders of our town, a throwback to a bygone era, a man of the land. There was plenty to talk about.

The news travelled fast and hit me like a shot. The man resting in the candlelit coffin in the tiny living room of the humble home was born when my grandfather was hunkered down in muddy trenches during World War I. Arturo had almost surely been sent out as a kid to scare away birds from the ripening corn at a time when jaguars and mountain lions were on the prowl nearby. It was like an ancient tree had fallen in the forest. Somehow you notice them more when they’re gone.

I arrived at dusk. The gathering had spilled out into the street, occupying benches set up to accommodate them. Hundreds of mourners appeared through the night to pay their respects, share the grief of the family and bear witness to the 96-year legacy of don Arturo.

Fortunately the cantina was a few steps from where I had parked.

Now the crew in the cemetery, working through the night to prepare Arturo’s tomb, may well have had a bottle or two of guaro to keep them fortified, but the libations at the wake itself are normally nonalcoholic. Semi-hidden behind my strategically located pickup, I handed the first of several Imperiales to José Abelino, a long-time friend, former co-worker and one of Arturo’s sons. As the alcohol began to flow, the memories bubbled up to the surface.

I recounted the story of my photo, at dawn just up the road from where we stood, some eight years ago when Arturo at the age of 89 had planted what was to be his last milpa—or cornfield. “He was planting until the very end,” remarked Jose Abelino with a sigh. “When he planted these cuadrados (plantains) along the fence line he told me they were to provide food for his grandchildren, that he’d never live to see them bear fruit.” Walking back to the cantina, it crossed my mind that if were we all to emulate don Arturo’s selfless ap-

proach—leaving more for the generations to come-- the world would be headed in a very different direction than at present.

While waiting for the next round of cool ones, I engaged in some small talk with Emiliano, another native of our town, as he waxed surprisingly philosophical on the passing of don Arturo. “The man was a store of knowledge about how to survive here with nothing more than a machete, a brain and the strength of years of working in the forests and fields. These kids think their future is going to be Facebook, iPhones and air-conditioned offices, but I guarantee you they’ll need the know-how of the men and women of don Arturo’s generation to survive what’s in store for them.” (As if this wasn’t enough of a surprise, Emiliano told me that his European girlfriend regularly translates The Howler for him.) By now I had realized that I was accumulating content for a future article. I headed back to the growing crowd with a couple of fistfuls of frias.

The cerveza-consuming subset of the main show had expanded to include Bolivar, don Arturo’s ever-jovial nephew. Boli’s dad, known to all as ‘El Leon’, had planted the very mango trees around the town plaza, now towering some 80 feet above the home where his younger brother Arturo lay at rest.

At one point, girls fanned out amongst the crowd to collect the plastic cups and plates and drop them into garbage bags. As they made the rounds, a question came to mind. I asked Bolivar, “Hey, how did they use to serve drinks at velorios, you know, before plastic cups.”

Unbeknownst to Boli, his response would provide even more grist for my emerging narrative.

“In the olden days, they’d use guacales,” he replied. The gourd-like fruit of the jicaro tree, the same container that don Arturo strapped to his waist as a container for the corn seed. They grow in a variety of sizes and shapes and are an ever-present feature in traditional kitchens in our region, for scooping water out of the pila, or, perforated with holes, as strainers for washing seeds. In the past, Bolivar continued, people who needed 50-100 cups to serve drinks at weddings or funerals would hire don Arturo to harvest and prepare them. Not surprisingly, the jicaro trees were usually left in the field when clearing for milpas. Corn, while important, was hardly the whole picture.

Historically, the planting of corn was just one facet of a complex adaptation to and management of agricultural ecosystems—and not simply the “slash and burn” obliteration of everything in the way of one specific crop. Key to the sustainability of the system was (continued page 32)

The Man of the Milpa

Hangin’ with the birds on Playa Tamarindo

March ( a l l

t i m e s

2013 l o c a l )

Sun

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

Last quarter: New: 1st quarter: Full:

Moon

4th 11th 19th 27th

3:53 p.m.

1:51 p.m.

11:27 a.m.

3:27 a.m.

(from page 31)

letting the land rest, or lie fallow, and the re-emergence of native vegetation over a period of 6-10 years would restore the fertility to support another year or two of corn cropping. Friends here tell me of the overflowing bounty of their family granaries, ‘back in the day’ when land was abundant, rains were dependable and the soils not yet depleted by cycles of continuous cropping—with agricultural chemicals taking the place of the restorative force of natural processes.

Among other trends, the feeder roots of a growing global economy put the squeeze on the corn-based culture in our area. Land dedicated exclusively to cattle and, later, land destined for development led to land becoming unavailable for the crop that largely fed the inhabitants of Guanacaste for the last 4-5,000 years. Put another way, in the span of don Arturo’s life, we’ve ‘progressed’ from a planting stick and guacal full of seed and granaries bursting with the bounty of the land, to a landscape peppered with cell phone towers, crisscrossed with asphalt roads and a tourism dependent economy that provides us with the monetary means to buy our largely imported food.

It is anyone’s guess just how long the fossil fuels, airline flights and secure pension plans will permit the survival of the perhapsonly-ephemeral economy that currently rules the roost in our area.

It’s the same economy that has elbowed the milpa—and people like don Arturo—out of the limelight, far from center stage.

My son studied milpas in a Mayan region of southern Mexico almost a decade ago. In response to economic drivers, most of the young men had left the area to find work in the cities or further afield as migrants in the US. The local agriculture reflected the changing patterns of labor and land availability in Mexico just as it does in here in Guanacaste. Yet people still plant corn, corn is still an important part of the diet and the culture and people still save seeds and plant again the next year. As Marley pointed out, milpa agriculture may have adapted, but it will continue to play a role in the complex interactions between people and their way of deriving sustenance from the land. Hopefully, it may be just ‘waiting in the wings’ for the next act in the drama of history to bring it back for an encore.

After all, in the words of H. Garrison Wilkes, a maize researcher at the University of Massachusetts in Boston, “the milpa is one of the most successful human inventions ever created.”

Tom Peifer is an ecological land use consultant with 18 years experience in Guanacaste. 2658-8018. peifer@racsa.co.cr El Centro Verde is dedicated to researching and promoting sustainable land use, permaculture and environmentally sound development. www.elcentroverde.org/

Surf Report (from page 22) role model for Costa Rica. Of course, this includes being a surfing champion, but also a good student. With his education, Malakai would like to expand on his love of the ocean and become a Marine Biologist, so he can do something good for the world two times over.

Given what we already know about Malakai Martinez, there’s no doubt he will reach his goals.

There seems to be no stopping three-time national champion Gilbert Brown. In the second date of the Circuito Nacional Olympus 2013, presented by Adrenaline Rush, Brown returned to his home break in Puerto Viejo’s Playa Cocles de Talamanca, Limón, to steal the win of the LimeCoral Caribbean Classic last month.

It looks like Brown is intent on defending his national title, and to date for this year he is now ranked #1 in the Open category, having placed ninth in the debut tournament of the Circuito in Palo Seco.

The event was great for the hometown crowd of more than 2,000 people in waves of 5-feet, for not only did Brown win first place, but another local surfer, Jordan Hernandez was able to score second in the finals.

The others who placed were Ramón Taliani of Mal País in fourth and frequent podium visitor Noe Mar McGonagle of Pavones in third.

“This is a win I’ll remember for the rest of my life. Winning at home is what every athlete in the world dreams of one day accomplishing, and for this reason I want to thank the community of Puerto Viejo for the feeling I have,” raved Brown afterwards. “It is an amazing event because finally, after many years of waiting, and visiting my home, I won, and in appreciation of this I want to dedicate this title to my people, who wanted Jordan and me to win, and we both won!”

Holy cow! At thirteen years of age, and already considered one of the best surfers this country has seen, Leilani McGonagle surfed past two national Women’s champions to earn first place in Puerto Viejo—not an easy task in a strong wave. Beating both Lisbeth Vindas and Nataly Bernold, as well as newcomer Eve Johnston (all from Jacó) young McGonagle overcame a third place position in the final to put together a high-scoring wave in the last five minutes to take the top spot.

The Circuitos Master & Metropolitano is well underway with its second date completed in early February in Jacó. Even though the contest moved to the notably easier wave in front of the El Malecon restaurant on the north side of the bay, the wave conditions were reportedly running about 4- to 6-feet or so and apparently challenging for the competitors.

At the end of the two days, clear winners emerged by conquering the rough waves by patiently waiting for big waves and then maneuvering in tight spaces to obtain higher scores. Such was the case with Master champ (35-39 years) from Quepos, Cristian Jimenez, who obtained his first win in this category, although he has already faced international competition as a member of the 2011 Costa Rica World Master team who fought it out that year in Panama. In Jacó, he beat

out Mauro Sergio Oliveira of Brazil, Marco Picado of Limón and Gustavo Castillo of Jacó.

“I’m super happy and satisfied with this victory,” reported Jimenez.

“The truth is, the waves were very complicated and to win here was to take risks, and I did that to complete the waves and have the best two days of competition.”

The Metropolitan division, which calls on surfers from non-beach areas, was filled with entirely new competitors. However the weekend only saw the Junior division run in the waves of Jacó. The winner was San José’s Josiah Dearnley, beating out fellows from San José, Mauro Sergio Oliveira, Diego Gonzales and Marco Montero.

The finals in the Grand Masters (40-44 years) was Kennet Avila from Puntarenas. And coming in the trophy winner in the Kahuna (45 and higher) was a familiar medalist in the World Master Surfing Games—Craig “Tequila” Schreiber.

A month earlier, in Playa Bejuco, there was another set of winners in the premier date of Circuito Masters & Metropolitan. Here the conditions were excellent, also 4- to 6-feet. In front of Hotel Bejuco, the current Metropolitian national champion, Felipe Pozuelo (San José) won the date again in the category. Avila was good enough to score the trophy for both Masters and Grand Masters. And finally, Brazilian Cassio Carvalho won the Kahanu division.

LimeCoral Caribbean Classic Puerto Viejo January 26 and 27, 2013 Open Gilbert Brown (Puerto Viejo) Jordan Hernández (P. Viejo) Noe Mar McGonagle (Pavones) Ramón Taliani (Mal País)

Boys Bruno Carvalho(Jacó) Leonardo Calvo (Barranca) Leon Glatzer (Pavones) Bryan Araus (Limón)

Open Femenino Leilani McGonagle (Pavones) Nataly Bernold (Limón) Lisbeth Vindas (Jacó) Evie JohnStone (Jacó)

Minigrommets Dean Vandewalle (Tamarindo) Killian Guerin (Puerto Viejo) Sage Guinaldo (Tamarindo) Gabriel Córdoba (P. Viejo)

Junior Noe Mar McGonagle (Pavones) Bruno Carvalho (Jacó) Leonardo Calvo (Barranca) Josué Rodriguez (Jacó)

Longboard Anthony Flores (Jacó) Cristian Santamaría (Nosara) Ariel Gonzales (Dominical) Adolfo Gomez (Sámara)

Junior Femenino Leilani McGonagle (Pavones) Emily Gussoni (Jacó) Paula Duarte (Jacó) Surya Folger (Tamarindo)

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.

1F

2S

3S

4M Last Qtr 5T

05:03 11:03 17:23 23:31 05:44 11:44 18:05

9.0 6W -0.5 9.6 -0.5 .8 7T -0.3 9.4

00:15 06:29 12:29 18:51 01:04 07:19 13:19 19:44 01:58 08:18 14:18 20:46

-0.3 8F 8.5 0.0 9.0 0.1 9S 8.1 0.4 8.6 0.5 10S 7.7 0.9 8.2

11M New Moon

03:02 09:26 15:27 21:57 04:14 10:41 16:44 23:11 05:27 11:52 17:59

0.8 7.4 1.2 7.9 1.0 7.5 1.2 7.9 0.8 7.8 1.0

00:19 06:33 12:54 19:03 01:19 07:30 13:49 19:58

8.2 14T 0.5 8.7 0.5 8.5 15F 0.0 8.9 0.0

12T

13W

MARCH TIDE CHART 02:11 08:19 14:37 20:46 02:58 09:04 15:21 21:31 03:42 09:46 16:03 22:12 04:24 10:26 16:43 22:52 05:05 11:05 17:23 23:31

8.9 -0.4 8.3 -0.4 9.2 -0.6 9.6 -0.6 9.3 -0.7 9.7 -0.7 9.2 -0.5 9.6 -0.5 8.9 -0.2 9.2 -0.2

16S

05:45 11:43 18:02

8.5 21T 0.2 8.8

17S

00:11 06:27 12:23 18:43 00:53 07:11 13:05 19:27 01:38 08:00 13:53 20:18 02:30 08:58 14:50 21:18

0.2 8.0 0.7 8.2 0.7 7.4 1.3 7.7 1.2 6.9 1.8 7.2 1.6 6.6 2.2 6.8

18M

19T 1st Qtr 20W

22F

23S

24S

25M

26T

03:31 10:02 15:57 22:24 04:37 11:07 17:06 23:28 05:38 12:04 18:06

1.9 6.4 1.8 6.7 1.9 6.6 2.2 6.8 1.7 7.0 1.8

00:24 06:30 12:52 18:57 01:13 07:16 13:36 19:42

7.2 29F 1.3 7.5 1.2 7.7 30S 0.8 8.1 0.6

27W Full Moon 28T

01:56 07:57 14:16 20:24 02:38 08:37 14:56 21:04 03:18 09:17 15:35 21:45 03:59 09:58 16:17 22:27 04:41 10:41 16:59 23:10

8.2 0.3 8.8 0.0 8.6 -0.1 9.3 -0.5 9.0 -0.5 9.7 -0.9 9.2 -0.7 9.9 -1.0 9.2 -0.7 9.8 -1.0

31S

1M Apr 2T Last Qtr 3W

4T

05:26 11:26 17:45 23:57 06:14 12:14 18:35

9.1 -0.5 9.6 -0.7 8.8 -0.1 9.1

00:48 07:07 13:08 19:31 01:44 08:08 14:10 20:35 02:48 09:16 15:21 21:46

-0.3 8.4 0.3 8.6 0.2 8.0 0.8 8.1 0.7 7.7 1.1 7.8