The Howler
Volume 19, No. 2 Issue No. 208
TAMARINDO COSTA RICA www.howlermag.com THE HOWLER Ced. Juridica: 3-101-331333
FEATURES
Publisher, editor and production David Mills
A change of name and a new Italian menu makes That’s Amore a delightful choice for dining on a balcony overlooking Tamarindo Beach.
dmills@racsa.co.cr Tel: 2-653-0545
14 Around Town
Openings, closings, parties, music. The Gold Coast has it all, and bar-hoppin’ David is in the groove.
CONTRIBUTORS
Howler • Mono Congo
JEANNE CALLAHAN JESSE BISHOP MARY BYERLY ROBERT AUGUST KAY DODGE
ELLEN ZOE GOLDEN TONY OREZ TOM PEIFER JEFFREY WHITLOW BARBARA DEPPE SUSAN SMITH
Deadline for March: February 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 Bus Card 1/8 1/4 Banner 1/2 Full
Dimensions (cms) Width Height 6.4 9.4 9.4 19.2 9.4 19.2 19.2
x x x x x
4.00 6.15 12.70 6.15 25.80 12.70 25.80
Price $ 30 100 140
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
15 Surf Report
Local surfer Katie Herman is making big waves in the surf arena - and she’s only nine! Maikol Torres wins at Playa Bejuco.
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The Learning Experience
Living in Costa Rica teaches us many things we never knew, or needed, before, a whole process of personal enrichment.
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Una Navidad Para Todos
Partaking in a Christmas fiesta for needy kids brings a great satisfaction to our writer.
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Surviving Costa Rica
Suffering another attack of Writer’s Block, our columnist takes a stroll around town searching for inspiration to fill his page.
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Fire Next Time
The devastating fires raging across California may be Nature’s way of punishing its misbehaving child - the human race.
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Discounts For 6 months, paid in advance, one month is deducted. For 12 months, paid in advance, two months are deducted.
www.tamarindobeach.net
8 Dining Out
DEPARTMENTS 10 Music Review 11 Book Review 12 August Odysseys 19 Word Puzzle 24 Barbara’s Pets 25 Dharma Corner
Cover Caption: Beach House in Potrero Cover Photo: Maureen Thompson Cover Design: David Mills
After the sad but predictable road situation over the Christmas/New Year period, when it took forty minutes to get from Tamarindo estuary to the Circle, there is good news on the local roads. The road through Los Jobos to Villarreal – the other way into and out of Tamarindo – has been graded and is in pretty good condition. For the rest of the summer it will probably be passable even for two-wheel drive, but when the rains arrive it will probably revert to its usual mudhole, but at least it’s a start. To bypass Tamarindo during heavy traffic days, drive up the hill past the gymnasium, turn left at the T and follow the road to Villarreal at the Colegio. From Villarreal, turn South at Bar Villa Costa opposite the football cancha. The main drag from Villarreal to 27 Abril has had its completion date pushed back a couple of months but, so far, it is in good surface condition except for the dust. God help the residents who live along that road. But after April they should breathe easier. Some serious drainage construction has been completed at the Milagro intersection that should eliminate the huge lake that forms with heavy rains, as it will carry much more runoff into the ocean. •
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Only eight weeks into the dry season, and AyA is having water distribution problems. Doesn’t help that the infrastructure is in such bad shape. Since it was reported two months ago, this leak (photo) has been attended by AyA several times and is still running continuously. And they exhort us to not waste water. •
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There are lots of visitors in Tamarindo now, midJanuary, many encouraged by the bitter winter in North America, and we have three more months of high season before Semana Santa, so let’s all look forward to a prosperous season.
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t took a while after entering to erase from my head the lyrics of the ‘50s Dean Martin song after which the restaurant was named, but then the experience got better. You are dining on a balcony over the street and overlooking Tamarindo Beach. Gian Luca “Pit” Arcieri runs a fine restaurant, and it is very popular, so reservations are recommended. We arrived on New Year’s Eve, so the place was packed, but Pit and his staff very swiftly set up an extra table.
A Panini menu offers; veggie bite; pollo loco; baja shrimp; caprese; seared ahi tuna. For more traditional tastes there are: Koi bacon cheeseburger; chicken quesadilla; and fish fingers. Antipasti are bruschetta; beef carpaccio; fried calamari; octopus carpaccio; coconut shrimp; tuna poky. A combination plate for two includes fritto mixto; octopus carpaccio; ceviche and seafood skewers. We started with fritto mixto, beer-battered morsels of tuna, calamari, shrimp and vegetables; and seafood skewers of calamari and shrimp pan-fried and served with a pesto sauce. There is a choice of salads: green; Caprese; and exotic - four raw fish served with avocado. The pasta menu (all pasta homemade) offers linguini Amatriciana; macaroni pesto; seafood pasta; ricotta & spinach ravioli; truffle ravioli; lobster pasta; gnocchi Bolognese; and tagliatelle. Seafood comprises Mediterranean stuffed seabass; lobster; mahi-mahi. My companion was delighted by the sesame-seared Ahi Tuna, cooked rare and served with veggies and jasmine rice. The meat menu has: chicken breast; New York steak; pork tenderloin. I chose a filet mignon in a red wine sauce, cooked to perfection and served with vegetables and roast potatoes. We very much enjoyed the meal and the service, even with a full house, was excellent. Desserts are ice cream; tiramisú; brownie with ice cream; passion fruit cheesecake. That’s Amore is on Tamarindo’s main street, telephone 8705-7638; open daily; Happy Hour 5-6:30; all credit cards accepted. See ad page 21.
Music Review Perrozompopo Takes on the World
Tony Orez
jaimepeligro.tamarindohomepage.com
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egend has it that when Cuba shipped guns and military aide to Nicaragua, there were stowaways onboard: the perrozompopo, large, aggressive geckos from the Caribbean island with black tails, white bellies and red, triangular heads. In a short amount of time, they had proven Darwin’s theory to be correct as they overran the local lizards and claimed Managua as their domain. The name of the gecko became local slang for being street tough. Ramón Mejia is from Managua. He is a singer, a guitarist, a songwriter whose stories embrace the lives and everyday occurrences of the common citizens of Nicaragua. He adopted the stage name “Perrozompopo”, the scrappy streetwise one. His first album, “Romper el Silencio”, was released in 2005 by the tiny Nicaraguan label Delicias Discograficas but picked up by Papaya Music in Costa Rica for distribution, Mejia’s first big break. The album gained him a fan base and concerts outside his home country. “Quiere a Tu Pais” and “Romper el Silencio” remain two of his most requested songs at live appearances For his second CD, Perrozompopo utilized his new friends and business connections by recording half of “Quiero Que Sepas” in Managua and the other half at the Papaya studio in San José, with notable Costa Rican musicians like Marta Fonseca and various members of Malpais to contribute musical accompaniment. This project certainly helped Mejia to reinforce the musical bridge he was building between the two neighboring countries. This sophomore album focused on the lives of impoverished women living in his country and, I believe, gained him credibility toward becoming a voice of his generation. Songs like “Mujeres del Centro y del Rio” and “Muchacha de Arena” reveal a more mature writer and composer. The third album by Perrozompopo, “CPC”, released in 2010, was a socially and politically charged collection of songs that garnered a lot of radio airplay and gained him a new audience in Guatemala. He also received a Grammy nomination for “Best Alternative Latin Album”. Two of the standout songs on this collection are “El Pais de la Mentira” and “Mirando al Sur”. He successfully expanded his audience throughout Central America with this album. Now, Perrozompopo is ready to reach out globally, with his fourth release, appropriately titled “Mundo”. The album was recorded last year in Los Angeles on the Cosmica label, which is also stationed in Tucson, the San Francisco Bay Area and Mexico City. Perrozompopo sees a chance for a more global market with the label tied into areas with strong Latin communities. Ramon has been promoting the upcoming album with live concerts in Managua, Masaya, Leon and Granada, then looking toward San José, Costa Rica and Antigua, Guatemala on the next leg. The subject matter of the new album has transcended Central American issues as well, delving into more universal subject matter. The album is due out in March and I, for one, am anxious to hear Perrozompopo taking it to a new level.
Book Review ¡Costa Rica Wow! jaimepeligro.tamarindohomepage.com
Tony Orez (from page 10)
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hen Wila the Tapir decides to follow her lifelong dream to become a professional surfer and go to Puerto Viejo to participate in the World Surfing Championship, of course, she invites her two best friends to come with her on the adventure. Her two closest friends are a coati by the name of Otto and a trogon with brilliant plumage by the name of Waldo. And so we have the introduction to “¡Costa Rica Wow!”, the newest book for young readers by the Costa Rica publishers Pachanga Kids, the sixth in their series. The adventure of the three friends begins in Parque Nacional Corcovado, in the southwestern area of the country. They plan to travel north along the Pacific Coast to Manuel Antonio, then turn right to the East, cross the middle of the country and arrive in Puerto Viejo, on the Caribbean Coast. Their plans go awry, as plans often do, and the trio ends up traveling along another route, through many of the diverse and unique National Parks of Costa Rica. On their new, transformed way, they meet and befriend many other animals, indigenous to each area. There are surprises and messages about persistence, being ready to improvise, and having trust. Almost all of the animals help them, but you always have to be careful about the behavior of monkeys! This wonderful new book was written and illustrated by Ruth Angulo, who is already a part of the Pachanga Kids team; she has previously illustrated two books for them: “El Mar Azucarado (The Sweetened Sea)” and “El Mono Paparazzi”. In a business where typically there is a writer and a separate illustrator, Ruth has bridged the gap and I think there is a level of comfort and cohesiveness in the fact that she had complete artistic control on this project. The book works on a lot of different levels, the most obvious being that it is bilingual. The story is presented in Spanish on the left page, in English on the right, in a format I call “side by side”. It is a wonderful tool for learning a new language. The book also operates as a travel guide for some of the major Costa Rican National Forests and is very informative about the geography and wildlife at each one. I particularly enjoyed the “stamps” on the periphery of each page with colorful illustrations of what you can expect to see at each park. I also thought the map of Costa Rica was a great idea, diagramming the original, intended route and the one the group of friends actually took. It is helpful, informative and fun at the same time. In all, I consider “¡Costa Rica Wow!” to be a wonderful way for parents and their children to learn about new languages, new places, new customs and new wildlife together, making reading an enjoyable family experience. And isn’t that really what it is all about?
August Odysseys
Robert August kristenmattoxbrown@gmail.com
SurfExpo A couple of weeks ago I travelled to Orlando, Florida, for Surf Expo. I don’t really remember how it started, but SurfExpo started as a gathering of people in surfboard manufacturing. It was held outdoors with a swap meet atmosphere somewhere in Florida over thirty years ago. It wasn’t very organized, but people got together to see the new surf products for the next year. A little while later beachwear was added to the show and from there the show has really evolved. SurfExpo now is the largest surf, skate and beach lifestyle trade show in the world and is held at the Orlando Convention center twice a year. For me, I really like seeing the new products and materials to make surfboards at the show. SurfExpo also has become an annual reunion for me. This past show it was really great to see old friends from all over the word and people that I have done business with for over thirty years, like the first-ever retail surf shop on the East coast (as far as I know), Smith and Holland, from Virginia Beach. I also had the opportunity to chat with a lot of fellow surfboard manufacturers. In addition to the trade show, SurfExpo was the host for the kickoff event celebrating the 50th anniversary of “The Endless Summer”. The opening day of the show ended with a screening of “The Endless Summer” in a rather large auditorium, complimented with Bruce Brown’s, Mike Hynson’s, Wingnut’s, and my narration. In my mind, I thought, “This could be a joke if only forty people show up.” To my pleasant surprise the auditorium was packed. It certainly will be a fun and exciting year as the celebrations continue for the anniversary, with my annual charity event Surf ‘n’ Turf here in Tamarindo from March 21-23 being part of the festivities!
dmills@racsa.co.cr
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FIFA Wants to Punish “Divers”
urely the one thing that angers all viewers of soccer games is the high incidence of simulation (diving, when a player fakes an injury, usually to draw a foul or to waste time). Fifa president Sepp Blatter has proposed the use of a time penalty as a deterrent to diving in football. He says “I find it deeply irritating when the half-dead player comes back to life as soon as he has left the pitch,” adding that players who get treatment but are not injured should have to wait before returning to the field. In Britain’s Premier League this season, 13 yellow cards were issued to players for simulation. The figure would certainly be much higher if the carding rule were applied in Costa Rica, where medics often spend more time on the field than players. A frequent ploy is to simulate injury near the end of the game to run down the clock when the offending player’s team has the lead. Lousy sportsmanship. In a very blatant example of diving Costa Rican player Joel Campbell dropped to the floor and began writhing around in a qualifying game between Costa Rica and the United States. Although official videos later showed absolutely no contact, nearby U.S. player Matt Besler received a yellow card and missed the next game against Mexico. Blatter continues: “The longest breaks in the game nowadays are almost exclusively the result of dives, simulation and play-acting to feign injury. This kind of thing is treated with scorn in other sporting disciplines but it has become a normal and accepted part of football nowadays.”
AROUND TOWN Travelling around Lake Arenal, we were happy to find Arenal (ex-Volcano) Brewery back in business. Just eight kilometers past Tilaran and two-and-a-half hours from Tamarindo, it is a lovely hotel overlooking the lake and serving good meals and home-made beers. Rooms are delightful and service very friendly. El Coconut Fine Dining in Tamarindo is not only serving BBQ lunches and delicious dinners - They also offer live music every Wednesday with Celine, and Fridays with Luis on the sax. For reservations call 2653-0086. El Coconut Beach Club, Surfside Playa Potrero, is staying loyal to their everchanging events every Sunday. This month’s calendar contains: Feb 2: Michel and his classics Feb 9: Electric Storm, rock as we like it Feb 16: Charly Lopez Feb 23: Los Dos Do go and enjoy the pool, the bocce ball and the good times Reservations 2654-4300. Add to your sports enjoyment with a little side bet or two at the Doctor’s Office – wager on horses, games, elections, casino. See ad on page 7. Real Canadian maple syrup is now available in Costa Rica from Pure SweetnessCR. A healthy substitute for sugar, it is 100% syrup and great in recipes. Check the ad on page 22. Astrologer Peter Williams had such a successful visit here last year that he has returned, and is available for your reading until February 8. See ad page 31. Solar Costa Rica has completed an energy evaluation at Seven Cave Bar on Playa Grande, and will audit your property to save on your energy costs. See article on page 33. Looking to make a large investment? For sale are Don Brasilito’s Bar/restaurant in Brasilito; Club Paraiso in Cartago; and Hotel San Francisco in Cartago - all priced to sell. See ads on page 9. It took me seventeen years to get 3,000 hits in baseball. I did it in one afternoon on the golf course. Hank Aaron
Surf Report Ellen Zoe Golden ellenzoe@aol.com
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hat do Brooks Wilson, Andrea Díaz, Nataly Bernold and Katie Herman all have in common? These females, all from Tamarindo, are champion surfers. The last name, however, may not be familiar to those who have followed the national competitions over the last fourteen years. That’s because she is only nine years old and just now participating in her second Circuito Nacional de Surf. That fact hardly covers all the good surfing this little dynamite has been doing. In the first week of January, Herman beat out all the Mini-Grommets who were competing against her in the Triple Crown of Surf, Nosara 2014, which went off in the waves of Playa Barrigona. This was her second year going at it in Nosara, and last year she pulled out two first place wins to score the overall MiniGrom championship. She intends to repeat, and Barrigona was an excellent start. “It was fun competing with my friends, and I liked the waves at Playa Barrigona because they were the perfect size and glassy,” recalled Herman afterwards.
There are some important things to notice about Katie when she surfs. First of all, she’s a switch stance surfer—always facing the wave: regular foot when going right and goofy foot when going left. She feels “excitement” on a wave, and is fearless; even if presented with a big wave, she’ll still go for it. Perhaps she gets some of these things from her role model, Leilani MacGonagle from Pavones, the Costa Rican and Central American surf champion. Katie remembers the move Leilani made that inspired her admiration. MacGonagle was up on a wave, it petered out, so she got back down on her stomach paddled some more, caught it again, and then stood back up and completed her ride. Last year on the Circuito, MacGonagle won first place in the Junior Women’s that weekend. After she received her trophy, she pulled the fourth place Herman up on the podium with her and announced to the crowd that the youngster was the future of surfing. For her last birthday, Herman’s parents gifted her with a lovely book about women surfers. Particularly inspiring was the story of four-time world champion Lisa Anderson, who ran away from her home in Florida at sixteen to make something of herself in the surfing world of Huntington Beach. “Surfing is a passion for me, too, not a hobby,” explained Katie, who is lucky to have the support of her parents and her friends here in this area. These days the La Paz student is all about her free sessions and the various competitions all over Costa Rica. On Thursdays, you will find her in Playa Grande with about 40 kids from her school who are all getting in top surfing shape along with their fathers. At other times, the locals give her a lot of support and free up some waves when they see her in the spots around town. She is out there three or four times a week.
Regardless of the conditions, Katie surfs in any kinds of waves, even though she’s only been doing it for two years. Inspired by her older brother Max who was surfing first, she even remembers the exact date of the first paddle out with her father Jeff pushing her in the waves of Capitan Suizo. That was January 3, 2012, and father and daughter recently celebrated that anniversary in nice session in Avellanas. At first, she obtained a used board, and attended a few clinics for kids offered by local surfer Shannon Vacca, but Herman finally got to the point where she could paddle into most of the waves she wants to ride. In practice sessions that range from Suizo, Tamarindo, Grande, Negra or Langosta, Jeff will still get in the water just to assess his tiny daughter’s moves and offer kind encouragement and advice. In contests, for the most part he’s on the beach coaching. This Herman combination has garnered good results. Besides, the Circuito and Triple Crown, she is also participating in four categories in the Guanacaste Circuito to good result.
Last month, she ventured into huge waves in Playa Bejuco for the opening dates of the Circuito Nacional Olympus 2014 presented by Adrenaline Rush (see below). With waves well overhead, she was smart enough to stay on the inside. By far her favorite beach in Costa Rica is Cocles out near Puerto Viejo, which she hit last year during the national contest. “Surfing without a contest, I practice, but I’m not as serious,” Herman said. “In a contest, it is more intense, I’m more focused. I usually do my own thing, and don’t pay attention to the other surfers. I love it and I hope to keep doing it.” Actually, Katie’s goal is to eventually be the next national Costa Rica women’s champion. According to Jeff Herman she has made a great start: “One of my many joys is to be coaching her and surfing with her. I see something in her and that’s why I encourage her. She is a natural athletic drive, so good at focusing and listening carefully to what I say.” (continued page 22)
St Valentine’s Day is celebrated in many countries, and commemorates the martyrdom of an early Christian priest called Valentinus, who was imprisoned by the Roman emperor Claudius for ministering to Christians and arranging weddings for soldiers, who were forbidden to marry on the grounds that being married might destroy their wish to go away and get killed. Claudius tried to convert Valentinus to paganism, but Valentinus retaliated by trying to convert the emperor to Christianity. For this, he was executed. While in prison awaiting execution, he cured his jailer’s daughter of her blindness. On the eve of his execution he wrote a card to the daughter, signing it “Your Valentine” and starting the tradition that continues today. Valentine’s Day became associated with romantic love in 1382 when Geoffrey Chaucer wrote a poem to King Richard II on his engagement to Anne of Bohemia. In 1415 Charles d’Orleans addressed his wife as “my very sweet Valentinée” in a letter from the Tower of London, and Shakespeare uses “to be your Valentine” in Hamlet. More recently, the sending of Valentine cards and gifts has become a huge commercial enterprise, an estimated 200 million Valentines being sent every year in the United States. Now, of course, with the internet and Facebook it is so easy, 15 million Valentine greetings having been transmitted electronically in 2010. So, continue this long-standing tradition; write or text your love greeting and buy a nice box of chocolates or a bouquet of roses, or anything with diamonds in it and enjoy the results.
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. aircraft altimeter appliance chowder connection electrical equivocate flashgun happiness individual lecture natural overseas pocahontas popular
potato powerful pseudonym relaxation residence seventeen slippery square supermarket surrealism tactical trigger tropical uranium vision
The Learning
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o matter how you feel, a foreigner to this country, about living here you have to admit that it is a learning experience. When I arrived here after many decades of living and traveling in many countries, thought I knew all there was to know, but I can’t believe how much more I have learnt since then.
Living in Costa Rica requires that you get your hands dirty, literally and figuratively, as you solve the myriad problems and challenges that confront you. Sitting back and waiting for someone to do a repair job is often not an option. First you have to ask around and find the person who has the ability and the inclination, to help you. If you are lucky you may get the job done, but often the repair guy won’t show on time – maybe never – so you have to take matters into your own hands. I have learnt to ignore the experts and do it myself. That way I know it will be done. I believe that I spend more tim repairing things than using them – everything from dog collars, pressure cooker, washing machine, stove ignition system – everything including the kitchen sink. Many of us have had houses built here, and have watched, day by day, as the concrete block climbed out of the ground to form a recognizable structure. Next comes the infrastructure – electrical wiring, water pipes, septic and drainage systems… Then the finishing off, carpentry, windows, cabinetry, bathroom and kitchen fixtures. You pay close attention to the process, because some day you will have to fix something and it helps to have watched the muchachos when they built it. I have never had experience with concrete houses, but now know a lot about the process, and have replaced water pressure tanks, pumps and hot water elements and installed lamps, doors, intrusion detectors and deadbolt locks. I have also built acceptable cabinetry just from watching my Nica carpenter or copying his work.
Most people are either “dog people” or “cat people”. Back in an earlier life was a “cat person”. I admired these neat animals, their independence, their acceptance of attention as if it was their right, their total indifference if they didn’t get it. But a cat, standing in the driveway saying “meow” to unwanted visitors doesn’t have quite the deterrent of a growling 50 kilogram rottweiler so I, like many others here out of necessity, have become a “dog person”. Dogs are like children, very complicated and demanding. I know how to identify the symptoms of parvo, hip dysplasia and ehrlichia and hav watched as my dogs were separated from their testicles and ovaries. I can fumigate my house and garden against ticks, and administer dose after dose of antibiotics to unwilling dogs with a bad attitude and big teeth. Skills I never wanted or needed in my past life, and I have paid dearly for these lessons. I have learned to locate the vital artery to make that last injection, to hold her in my arms as the light fades from her eyes.
I have learnt a lot about insects, much of it fascinating but useless; some definitely useful. I can identify termite tunnels up a wooden pillar, as the greedy little bastards enter my roof to munch on its framework. A few days of hacking away the tunnels with a machete and anointing them with Baygon usually weakens their determination and sends them to the neighbour’s house.
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David Mills
We also learn about nature - plants, animals, insects - and about the sky, something denied to us in our brilliantly lit cities. The movements of the tides, our incredible sunsets, moon phases, eclipses and comets and jet-black nights filled with stars and planets. Securing oneself from crime is a skill permanently needed here. Best way is to learn to be a burglar, to look at your property and ask “How would I break into this?” Be creative – they are. You also learn to write down the phone numbers to cancel your stolen credit cards, and keep the list in a safe place, because they one day will vanish like snow on desert sand. The quality of local roads, the unavailability of spare parts and the long wait at the shade-tree repair shops dictate that everybody become a mechanic. People who once could barely change a tire can now tell you in minute detail how to connect jumper cables for a flat-battery start or rebuild a constant velocity joint on a ’88 Trooper. Gardening is another learning discipline, as we find out, by trial and error, when, where and how to plant tropical species never previously heard of, what will grow and what will not. I can discuss the pros and cons of quinze-quinze-quinze fertilizer against diez-quinzeveintecuatro. The Guanacaste soil and climate is very picky. Whereas in Britain and Canada I could grow every vegetable imaginable, here I have had zero success with even lettuce or tomatoes. A problem here is often of stopping things growing rather than making them grow; my garden is full of heavily-fruited citrus trees that came unbidden from the dregs of a sunset rum drink tossed into the garden. My ten-metre mango tree, produce of a seed thrown away, gives a juicy harvest and has even had a baby sapling from its own seed. I learned to tie slices of kitchen foil into the guayaba tree to crackle in the breeze and save the fruit from the squirrels. Of, course, the ultimate learning experience is gaining command of the Spanish language. This can be a tough assignment, coping with genders, strange letter sounds and the infamous irregular verbs, but it is definitely worth while if you want to get the most Costa Rica has to offer. And the lesson is continuous; you never stop learning. David’s Seventh Corollary to Murphy’s Law states that the chance of something breaking is directly proportional to its distance from the repair facility, so many things that elsewhere would work flawlessly will fail here with depressing frequency. And not just the day after the warranty expires. Because somewhere in tiny print in the warranty is the dreaded phrase “only in the United States and Canada.” So, when my top-of-the-line Canon digital went kaput after 22 days of use and I mailed it (registered) to the repair shop in Illinois, I was told “we cannot accept packages from outside the U.S. It will be returned unopened.” And when all is said and done, the more I learn the more I realize just how much I don’t know.
Surf Report (from page 15) And the possibility that Katie would come to him and say she wants to be a professional surfer? “I would love it,” he said. “I see it as a good life, and professionals have a good attitude. I see Katie representing the sport well.” Speaking of the Triple Crown of Surfing Nosara, I just want to take a quick moment to acknowledge Chelsea Lisaius, the coorganizer of the Guanacaste Circuito and founder of Tamarindo’s Tide Academy. She won first place in the Women’s division. Look out for her in the other contests. She’s fierce.
For the first time ever, Maikol Torres (photo) of Esterillos won a national competition. He scored this achievement at the premier of the Circuito Nacional Olympus 2014, which took place in December at Playa Bejuco. The COPA Dunkelvolken went off in beautiful-sized waves of 5- to 6-feet. To achieve this trophy, Torres outsurfed guys who are also new to the Open podium. This included his pal Anthony Segura (Esterillos), as well as David Herrera (Quepos) and Enoc Santa (Puntarenas). “This has been the result of a process of training and motivation to reach my goals,” beamed Torres. “Now I have new and better sponsors than in the past, good boards, and am very positive. This is just what I needed. I’ve always wanted to win a Circuito Nacional date.” Despite finding herself with a large selection of worthy competitors, 10-times national women’s champion Lisbeth Vindas pulled out a spectacular win, showing everyone who thought she would go down easy that they were wrong. Ferocious competition came from newcomer Jill Kepich (Bejuco), Leilani McGonagle (Pavones), Paula Duarte (Jacó), but they went down one by one.
(continued page 33)
Una Navidad Para Todos
Ralph Joseph
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aving been raised and grown to adulthood in the USA I have been perpetually exposed to the vast commercial enterprise Christmas has become. Thankfully that part of the tradition has not found its way to Costa Rica and the intimacy upon which memories are built appears to be intact. It was with a great deal of curious anticipation that I embarked on a compelling one-day journey called Una Navidad Para Todos. And the message was clear from the moment I entered the hall in Huacas with my musician friends Fabio Avelino and Joe Hrbek. When Mr. Avelino invited me to play music with him at this feastival of charitable events I agreed with the feeling I was helping out people less fortunate than myself, and also assisting a friend in enriching the experience for the 300 children who would attend this party. As it turned out I was fooling myself. It was I who was the recipient, and the children the givers. As the day progressed and the music came to a close I had some time to absorb what was going on around me, a sea of humanity, 300 children and their parents, some grandparents, and volunteers. Then “Santa” arrived – Argentine bassist David in full Santa attire, sitting on a truck-in mound of beautifully wrapped gifts, assurance that Una Natividad Para Todos would be a reality. Three hundred of the extraordinarily well-behaved, neatly (if not stylishly) dressed children and their proud families waited patiently to hear their names called. These were not the kids from the New York suburbs where I lived for years until moving to Costa Rica, their conversations and text messages often dominated by what “levels” they had achieved at the latest video game. No, these were grateful, unspoiled children who by “accident of birth” happen to be “poor” in the economic realities of life but wealthy in their sense of community, family, and the simple pleasures that money can’t buy. I was especially impressed with their appreciation of something as simple as a name called and gifts presented. These are “the people,” those who may be forgotten by some of us, but who live not only in Huacas but all over the world. My helping out at Una Navidad Para Todos was not my gift to those children; it was their gift to me and I will never forget it. On my way out with the last of my equipment I glanced at a beautiful girl, wheelchair-bound with a disability I could not begin to identify. She looked up at me and I smiled. She smiled back, and what more can I say. This annual event is created trough the generosity of those who donate time, money, and gifts including staples such as diapers and clothing. No grants or government assistance are available. For information about how you can help, call Mr. Willian Mora at 8606-4766.
Barbara’s Pet Stories Dog Care
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very morning 5:30 a.m. my Coatimundi family comes to get their breakfast. Each time I can hear the paws on the roof I walk into the garden and I give them peeled bananas. So this morning…they were waiting already one next to the other, pushing each other…I had one banano in my hand, as my tame coatimundi, Nasi, bent forward from the roof to get it first…bent over a bit too much and fell down to the ground. While being still a bit dizzy, one of my dogs grabbed the coati by its neck and carried it into the house. I ran after them, and had to smile when I saw it: the dog had placed the coati into one of the dog beds, like it needs now something soft to lay on, this poor baby. My Nasi did not feel too comfortable, so Nasi took the next possibility to escape this wet dog snout.
barbara.s.animalrescuecenter@gmail.com
Dharma Corner The Guanacaste Community Center In November, 2013, CEPIA began the construction of Guanacaste’s first Community Center. Why a Community Center? Guanacaste has high rates of domestic violence, sexual abuse, poverty and extreme poverty, school drop-out, drug addiction, teenage pregnancies and alcoholism. These problems affect our society, our community, our growing children. If we want healthy, safe and united communities where youth and adults feel good, help each other and work hard, we need to educate our young people and children about values, about the importance of school, about sex, about drugs, about good friendship, and more. At the same time young people need a safe space to develop their talents, to spend time together, to hang out, to learn and play. CEPIA will not change! CEPIA will still remain a non-profit organization driven by volunteers, helping kids with educational needs or victim of abuse and violence, and empowering teenagers at social risk and adults in extreme poverty. The Community Center will allow us to do this under better conditions. But the Community Center will offer more: a bilingual day care in coordination with the government (IMAS), adult technical trainings by the National Apprentice Institute, a permanent art exhibition to allow all artists to show and sell, a second-hand shop, a technology room open to all public all day, and healthy space for teenagers to party, to play music, to dance, to hang out, instead of wandering in streets. Additionally, other organized groups, public and private institutions will have office space to work together and accomplish projects in a synergetic and participative way! Be part if this dream! We have received the donation of two matching funds each of $20,000. Please help us out! The first floor will be completed soon!! We need $80,000 more to finish the entire building by July. Guanacaste and its people thank you! Contact cepiacostarica@gmail.com
Sue Smith
A Day at the Spa...aaaaah!
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Lee Davidson
hree days into my longanticipated Costa Rican vacation, I hadn’t completely let go of the mental check-list of “to dos” necessitated by my job as an administrative assistant which enabled me to finance a much-needed break from my North American urban routine, not to mention the snow and cold of a Toronto winter, if only for three weeks. The fact I was starting to experience difficulty remembering whether it was Monday or Tuesday was a good sign I’d begun to ease into a vacation state of mind, but five hours of pampering at Los Altos de Eros Spa left me feeling simultaneously calm and invigorated, if such a combination is possible. Within minutes of my arrival at this open-air tropical oasis of simple, yet beautiful, wood floors and furnishings, situated high in the hills just outside Tamarindo, I was relaxing on a comfortably cushioned chaise longue, sipping a cup of delicious Costa Rican coffee, gazing at the green-hilled panorama, serenaded by howler monkeys roaring in the distance; the first step of my journey towards total relaxation had begun. Over the next four hours, one of the skilled and charming staff provided my choice of three treatments, beginning with a 90-minute full-body massage with fragrant oil, something I had never experienced in my life, and I felt the tension being coaxed out of muscles I didn’t know existed. The second treatment consisted of being lathered in volcanic mud, then swaddled in plastic and a warm towel, a process designed to draw toxins from the body; whether the intended result was achieved or not, after emerging from the cocoon-like wrap and showering off the mud, my skin felt as smooth as silk. The final treatment was a red clay facial, which included more massaging of my hands, arms, legs and feet while the clay worked its magic on my northern winter-weathered skin, leaving it as soft and smooth as the rest of every inch of my body. As I savoured the delicious gourmet lunch which concluded my spa experience, feeling the breezes waft against my now satin-like skin, I was aware my mind felt as cleansed and relaxed as my body, free of the lingering quotidian cares and concerns with which I’d arrived, now open to absorb the sights, sounds and sensations of my remaining vacation days which, hopefully, I would carry home with me to ease the transition back to a northern winter and work schedule. Although only a few hours, my experience at Spa de Eros was a mini-vacation within an already pleasurable holiday and one in which I hope to indulge again – besides, I have yet to experience the milk bath, the oatmeal and honey facial and chocolate wrap! Contact Los Altos de Eros at 8850-4203 / 8850-4222 or visit: www.losaltosdeeros.com
Doctor’s Orders Jeffrey Whitlow, M.D.
jwhitlow82159@gmail.com
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Cancer IV
his month we will continue our discussion on the available treatments for cancer, and the politics that surround those treatment options. In the next few columns, I will be writing about the so-called “unconventional” treatments for cancer, that is, those treatments that don’t involve surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy. Most of these treatments are not approved for use in the U.S. Patients who want these treatments have to go to Mexico, Central or South America, or Europe, in most cases. Otto Warburg, the winner of a Nobel Prize in physiology and medicine in 1931, theorized that cancer cells generate their energy in a fundamentally different way than normal cells. Specifically, he thought that cancer cells use fermentation, rather than respiration, to produce energy. Normally, our cells take in oxygen and give off carbon dioxide and water as waste products. However, cancer cells ferment, or break down, sugar (glucose), and give off lactic acid into the bloodstream. That lactic acid is carried to the liver and kidneys, where it is converted back into glucose. That conversion process is very labor-intensive for the body, and it results in the weight loss that we commonly see in the terminally ill cancer patient. Joseph Gold, a physician from Syracuse, NY, had studied Dr. Warburg’s work extensively, and he felt that he could find a substance that could selectively block the fermentation process in cancer cells. He came across a scientific paper that stated that the compound hydrazine sulfate could block a key enzyme in the liver that allowed lactic acid to be converted into glucose. Clinical studies began with this compound in 1973, and the results were quite dramatic. But then the FDA got involved, and as you might imagine, that was where the trouble began. Because hydrazine sulfate is a relatively cheap and widely available compound that can’t be patented, the cancer establishment had no real interest in bringing its use into the mainstream. According to Dr. Ralph Moss in his book The Cancer Industry, the researchers at Sloan-Kettering sabotaged the clinical trials for the compound that were commissioned by the FDA, just as they had sabotaged the trials for Laetrile. Even though Dr. Gold’s research showed clinical improvement in over 70% of treated patients, the American Cancer Society (ACS) declared in 1976 that hydrazine was an “unproven method” of cancer treatment. That declaration did not stop researchers from continuing to study the drug however. A large study was done in the Soviet Union that confirmed all of Dr. Gold’s findings. Another study was undertaken by some researchers in California, led by Dr Rowan Chlebowski, and these researchers again obtained clinical improvement in over 70% of treated patients. However, the ACS and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) have refused to certify or even acknowledge these positive studies and continue to refuse to fund any further research on this compound. I highly recommend that anyone with advanced or disseminated cancer seek out a physician or clinic that is skilled in using hydrazine sulfate as a treatment. Even though the cancer establishment has declared the compound useless, the clinical evidence states quite the opposite. Next month, we will continue this discussion, focusing on other “unproven methods”.
A Slice of Life Hot Rod Lincoln Jim Surfer “Put my foot on the pedal, pushed it clean to the floor. Said that’s all there is boys, there ain’t no more…”
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amily vacation, driving back East, everybody asleep in the back as my dad drove through the night. Sometime after midnight he told me to take over while he took a nap. I was fifteen and had just received my learner’s permit, but I slid behind the wheel of our ‘56 Lincoln Capri, with the black arc of Route 66 shooting across the Texas Panhandle. Now that model was the Mexican Road Race Lincoln, the car that dominated the murderous, bizarre race series from the early ‘50s, sponsored by the Mexican government. Twenty-one hundred miles from the Rio Grande to Guatemala on the newly-completed portion of the Pan American Highway system, those legendary Lincolns clocked an average of 93 mph, across deserts and over mountain passes topping 10,000 feet. Starting in 1952, the Ford Motor Company provided factory support, sending 300-horsepower, 4,100-pound Lincoln Capris hurtling across Mexico at speeds well over 100mph, with awe-struck sandal- and serape-clad Indios crowding the blacktop. Spectators and drivers died by the dozens, including the wealthy Mexican businessman and amateur racer José Estrada, who famously pledged to win or die in the attempt, then promptly plunged to his death into a bottomless ravine. The “Carrera Panamericana” quickly became a major international event, the list of drivers including such legends as Juan Manuel Fangio, Phil Hill, Bobby Unser, Dan Gurney, Mickey Thompson... I gripped the wheel and prepared to join the list. With dad quickly asleep, I started off reasonably enough while gradually picking up speed. Just like in the song, “I saw miles and miles of Texas, all those stars up in the sky.” After a while I was sailing past everything in sight, which were all semis at that hour, on that long, flat, two-lane blacktop. I have no idea how fast I was going, although I recall that Lincoln had a 130mph speedometer and never complained a bit. Just before dawn, dad woke up, looked around, opened the map and asked what town we’d just passed. I’ll never forget the look on his face when I told him… Do you have a slice of your life to share with our readers? Anything unusual, entertaining, humorous? E-mail it to dmills@racsa.co.cr. After all these years, it’s still embarrassing for me to play on the American golf tour. Like the time I asked my caddie for a sand wedge and he came back ten minutes later with a ham on rye. Chi Chi Rodriguez
Selected Poems from “Tell me about the telaraña” by Diana Renee
my face will I adorn with the wild honey of over-ripened mangos my hair I will veil with the yellow flowers of the tamarindo my arms I will paint with red mountain clay and how I will dance on the day of my wedding to the sun god how we will light up the sky “Tell Me About the Telaraña” is available at Jaime Peligro’s Bookstore in Tamarindo.
small fish pull out the hook before you throw me back in, please you size me up and see i’m not fat enough to fill you the sorry filets behind these gills will never do my little fins my little tail at least pull the hook out first from my cheek where it’s stuck still trailing the worm
Your Stars in February
Aries: 21 March - 20 April
Libra: 23 September - 23 October
Taurus: 21 April - 21 May
Scorpio: 24 October - 22 November
The energy for this month begins with some uncertainty or confusion about what to do next as the upcoming Mercury retrograde happens close to Neptune in your twelfth house of the hidden, hospitals, institutions, karma and the past. Your ruling planet, Mars, is in Libra, pulling you in opposite directions and your path will take several months to unfold as it goes retro next month. Be patient and do what’s in front of you without getting too far into the future. Best days are the 3rd and 4th. Your ruling planet, Venus, is now direct in the ninth house of beliefs, philosophy and mind expansion. Some issues you’ve been struggling with over the last two months are more clear now and will influence your next career move. Artistic ventures are favored with an aspect to Jupiter and also Mercury and Neptune are giving you inspired visions and creative urges in a new direction. Go with the unusual!Days of harmony are the 5th, 6th and 7th.
Gemini: 22 May - 21 June
Your ruling planet, Venus, is now direct and helping you find clarity with problems surfacing in relationship as Mars travels through your sign. This is a slow unfolding as Mars will be retrograde in March and in Libra through the third week of July. Resist the urge to do anything questionable or hidden as it will be discovered during this cycle. The Mercury Rx moves through your fifth house of love affairs, so don’t repeat the mistakes of the past. The 17th, 18th and 19th offer a bit of peace. With Saturn still in your sign, you are cautious about all your business and personal affairs, as you should well be. Still, this is a time when you can impress people with your abilities and skills if you don’t come across as too heavy. Get some estimates for improvements or at least call your parents to cooperate with the energy. Venus is helping you make nice with your siblings and your neighbors so it’s a good time for a little party or gathering. The 20th or 21st would be good days for it.
Sagittarius: 23 November - 21 December
Your ruling planet, Mercury, goes retrograde from the 6th-28th giving you a chance to revisit something in your professional life. This is really good for creativity and artistic expression but it could make you hypersensitive to your surroundings. It would be a good time to re-evaluate your image and make some positive enhancements. Take some time off when you feel off center, things will smooth out at the end of the month. The 8th and 9th are your favored days.
Financial matters start to clear up this month as Venus is direct in your house of assets. Stay away from the temptation to spend money on luxuries as overindulgence would be a mistake. There’s a possibility that someone from your past could be in contact with you trying to revive a relationship. Probably not a good idea to do that this spring, so let the urge pass. Pay attention to your investments as there’s some good fortune coming in that part of life for you. Days to enjoy are the 22nd and 23rd.
Relationships are still in focus for you this month as you continue to learn about boundaries and the balance of power. This will be a theme throughout the spring as Mars’ position in Libra keeps triggering the issue through June. Strive for clarity in communication so you truly understand what the other’s needs are; however, you could hit the wall in mid-April and just decide it’s not worth it. Your best days are the 10th, 11th and 12th.
Leo: 23 July - 23 August
With Venus now direct in your sign you are experiencing some lightness of heart and enjoying relationships more than usual. Money matters take a different turn this month. You might have to spend more to make more but this is the month to evaluate whether it will be worth the time and attention. All good stuff, the putting it into practice will happen in the spring and summer months, but it’s a trial and error period. The 24th and 25th are your best days.
Virgo: 24 August - 22 September
This is an interesting month for you as you are focused on an idea and will have the time and attitude to develop it. Be patient with yourself as it may take the whole month for you to be satisfied with what you turn out. Professionally you have lots of responsibilities now and are viewed as the authority in your position. Don’t be too hard on others if they have trouble understanding what you expect of them. Be clear and without superiority. The 26th and 27th are stellar days for you.
Cancer: 22 June - 22 July
Capricorn: 22 December - 21 January
Work and health issues are on your plate this month as you strive to move forward and make things more pleasurable in your surroundings. Questions arise about why things are done the way they are done in terms of work and relationships. You feel more contrary than usual when people don’t go along with your ideas. Siblings or neighbors could need your assistance at this time. Your generous natures intervenes for the good, particularly on the 13th and 14th. Valentine’s Day brings you a grand gesture and joy!
Aquarius: 22 January - 19 February
Your ruling planet, Mercury, goes retrograde on the 6th, giving you an opportunity to revisit some creative projects and plans. Cut yourself some slack and enjoy a more relaxed pace than you normally do. Life is not all work, you know, though you might be doing some work with people from your past. You might also be tempted to revive a love interest from your past as well. The energy favors tying up loose ends so you are clear for the future. The 15th and 16th are days where things go your way.
Pisces: 20 February - 20 March
by Jeanne Callahan jeannecallahan007@gmail.com
You will have a bit of a confusing month as Mercury retrogrades in your sign close to Neptune, giving it a nebulous and directionless quality. All can actually go quite well, if you just go with the flow and throw a schedule out the window. Once you do that, with a cheery attitude, people with join you with joy! Best days are the 1st, 2nd and 28th.
Namasté Visit Jeanne’s site at CelestialAdvisor.com
Now Begins the Study of Yoga Urdhva Mukha Svanasana Upward Facing Dog As part of a sun salutation, Upward Facing Dog, or Urdhva Mukha Svanasana, is done daily by yoga practitioners. It is a wonderful pose for strengthening the upper back and wrists, improving posture, and teaching us to lift our hearts. As a backbend, it is felt that this pose is an uplifting one for our spirits as well. Upward facing dog comes after the “yoga pushup” or cataranga dandasana and before downward facing dog in the sun salutation. I sometimes see students rush through this pose, often because they feel it is too hard on their wrists or their low back. Finding the correct way to do this pose for your body may help you to avoid hurting yourself, and help you enjoy the benefits of this great asana (pose). Although Upward Facing Dog looks like it is all about the arms, like all other yoga asanas, all of your body needs to be actively involved. I will often have students do this pose while holding a yoga block in between their thighs. With this tool, they can then feel how much it helps to lightly squeeze the block and imagine lifting it with their legs. Secure the top of the feet down into the mat, and make sure that you stay centered on them. If this is a lot for your legs, you can always do this first on your toes – that way the legs have a little less work. Once you feel stronger, then switch to doing the pose on the top of the feet. Activate the legs before coming forward and up into the full position. Mid-body, it is important to tuck the tailbone and lift through the pit of the abdomen. Then the upper body has a firm foundation for the spine to lift forward and upwards. Place the hands under the shoulders, shoulder blades firmly into the back and down towards the waist. Press into the hands, radiating the body weight out into the base of the fingers, and then lift from your inner upper arms. Blocks under the hands can be useful for creating more lift and length in the spine. The eyes are forward or slightly lifted, and the back of the neck stays elongated – as the spine is lengthening up and back. If you lift your chin way up, the back of the neck is then pinched, so think of lifting the crown of the head. Done altogether, the spine arcs into a wonderful back bend, the legs are engaged to support the work of the arms, and the heart shines upward. A great way to bring some lightness into your heart for this Valentine’s time of year!
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
Green Savings with Eco-tourism
Surf Report (from page 24) “I’m happy to win a date which I went into eager to get a good result. Bejuco is a very good wave and I know what the conditions would be, so I thought I could do something good and I did,” reported Lisbeth. By the way, the Circuito Nacional de Surf 2013-14 is sponsored by Olympus, Adrenaline Rush, LimeCoral, Dunkelvolk, Creatures, Fox, Unit, Reef, House of Marley, Cobian, Hurley, All Ocean, Carton Surfboards, Banzaii and 979 Radio.
COPA Dunkelvolken December 14, 15 Playa Bejuco Open 1. Maikol Torres 2. Enoc Santana 3. David Herrera 4. Anthony Segura
Boys 1. Sean Forester 2. Dean Vandewalle 3. Leilani McGonagle 4. Joseph Méndez
Open Women’s 1. Lisbeth Vindas 2. N/A 3. N/A 4. N/A
MiniGrommet 1. Dean Vandewalle 2. Isauro Elizondo 3. Tao Rodríguez 4. Atua Mo’e
Junior 1. Manuel Mesén 2. Noe Mar McGonagle 3. Malakai Martínez 4. Kevin Montiel
Minigrommet Girls 1. Valentina Resano 2. Calendaria Resano 3. Kill Mo’e 4. Surya Folger
Junior Women’s 1. Leilani McGonagle 2. Paula Duarte 3. Emily Gussoni 4. Coral Wiggins
Longboard 1. Anthony Flores 2. Cristian Santamaría 3. Adolfo Gómez 4. Alex Gómez
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.
Jon Harrington
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he eco travel industry is on the rise worldwide. According to Tripadvisor in 2012, 71% of their clients intend on making more eco-friendly choices in their travel plans. And 48% of eco tourists rate Costa Rica as the top destination. But is eco travel real or just greenwashing? How energy efficient are local businesses? If air conditioning was added to a hotel built for natural ventilation, as most of them are, the consumer unwittingly air conditions the outside. The only difference to them is that the room cost $10 more per night. The Scallywags complex, home of Seven Cave Bar and BBQ, and Wilmart mini super in Playa Grande had an energy audit performed in early 2013 by Solar Costa Rica (SCR), a local renewable energy company. Jon Harrington, the principal at SCR and certified in solar installation, building energy audits, and mechanical systems efficiency, used his thermal camera to identify problem areas. “We try to evaluate the property to identify the easiest types of improvements, with the highest return. Many improvements are free so the payback period starts from day one,” said Harrington. “The thermal camera is a great tool for identifying hot spots in walls, ceilings, appliances, etc. At Scallywags we even found an overloaded electrical circuit that was wasting money and a fire hazard.” Upon completion of the audit, Wilbert Arroyo, Scallywags’ manager, acted on the recommendations. He changed over the entire resort to LED lighting, and did simple things like moving his commercial coolers away from the hot west wall in WilMart. He also stocked them full to reduce the hot air that enters each time a customer opens the door. Tuanis Laundry Service located at Scallywags removed the electric dryer and now dry their clothes with solar and wind power on a clothes line. SCR installed a small demonstration solar array to produce enough electricity to operate the Friday night LED and laser light show at the Cave Bar. “These simple changes created a dramatic effect on the resort’s power bill,” said Harrington. “It went from over $1,800, in December 2012, to only $620, in December 2013.” With the high price of electricity in Costa Rica, even solar energy can pay back in as little as 5–7 years. “I don’t know what happened, and I’m not stealing power,” remarked Arroyo. “And we are doing much more business than last year.” Through marketing eco tourism and investing in the energy efficiency, business owners can magnify their results by educating their clients on what green actions they have taken, and encouraging them to act on this knowledge at home. This is how we make the world a better place for everyone and have fun doing it. See Solar Costa Rica’s ad on page 10.
Surviving
C hapter XXXIV
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COSTA RICA
must apologize now to those of you who have just gone through the arduous task of locating and purchasing this, the most recent copy of the Howler Magazine, and then tearing it open to locate “Surviving Costa Rica” for its usual content of fortuitous wisdom and informed opinion. Not this time. Those of you familiar with the literary shortcomings often associated with said column are by now aware that, on many occasions, I haven’t the slightest idea on what to elucidate, often causing an over-use of my thesaurus. All the while I’m receiving a series of progressively more unpleasant e-mails informing me that I’m late and in danger of procuring the editor’s wrath. As you can tell it’s gonna be one of those kinda columns, so I won’t mind if you go and check out the Horoscopes, Wave Reports, free Medical Advice and, of course, the advertisements available on other pages in this month’s magazine. It stands to reason that in a town such as Tamarindo it’d be easy to just go out on the streets and run into something interesting. This was my wife’s idea, a good one, although I suspect she just wanted me out of the house. Off I went in my trusty Bego, plowing through freshly laid molasses by-product and dodging baby carriages. As I’m passing Kahiki I notice that on my left a heavily laden surfboard-toting muscle SUV had skidded on the molasses into the famous car-eating ditch, thus putting the swollen surfboard rack at about street level. They had a group of about twenty-eight or so local surfers as well as nine large rottweilers all hitched to a very heavy rope and endeavoring to extricate the SUV from its hole. Continuing into town I searched for a parking spot, and after paying some guy not to break into the car I proceeded into town in search of magazine fodder.
Lame Excuses and Bad Ideas
I round the corner and run into Dr. Mike, a podiatrist turned electric-guitar-playing street musician who was enthusiastically belting out some Bob Dylan through his battery-powered PA and amp. Dr. Mike is famous in my book for taking the Pasatiempo Open Mike Stage and performing one of the late great Arthur Lee’s big hits “Signed DC”, a dirge about heroin addiction that I’m not sure the wellheeled bunch in the audience appreciated as much as I did. An aside about Arthur Lee and his group Love, if for no other reason than to pad the column. Love was one of LA’s premier psychedelic bands of the Sixties and included Jimi Hendrix as a guest guitarist on occasion, but they never made it huge and today are only remembered by guys like me and Dr. Mike. I was therefore quite tickled when, the week after Dr. Mike’s performance, another troubadour visiting from the States got onstage with a South American stringed instrument that resembled a ukulele on steroids and launched into a rendition of Love’s classic “Seven and Seven Is”, about as rocking as you can get. After throwing several hundred units of the national currency in Dr. Mike’s hat I proceeded into town and was approached by a very serious-looking woman carrying a large document-laden clipboard who asked if I would answer a few questions on the upcoming presidential elections. I explained to her in my theoretically understandable Spanish that I was only a potential candidate for residency and not permitted to vote, but she either didn’t understand what I said or wasn’t interested. She asked how I felt about frontrunner Johnny Araya. He’s been the mayor of San José for a long time and many believe that, in the fine Democratic traditions of Costa Rica, it’s his turn. His PLN Party has pretty much been dominating the elections in past years, maybe because the other party’s presidents kept being asked to go to jail. Hopefully a Chepe in office won’t be anything like what the city folk from San José did to Tamarindo this Christmas Break.
Story by Jesse Bishop owlhumm@hotmail.com
The good news is Johnny Araya is a selfproclaimed Beatles fan, with musical sensibilities much better suited for the Casa Presidencial, as opposed to current president Laura Chinchilla’s choice of Liberace. As we proceeded down my interviewer’s checklist, providing my favorite foods and beverages, the frequency of conjugal obligations and my current weight and net worth I started to get the impression that the woman had ulterior motives and, after the final question, she cut right to the chase and offered me twenty-five thousand colones if I would agree to vote for her as she herself was running as the Presidential Candidate for the Popular Christian Democratic People’s Socialist Progressive Non Vegetarian Popular Front, (PCDPSPNVPF). It was just easier to take the money and leave her to an arriving bus of tourists from Wisconsin. I proceeded further down the main drag still hoping to find something worthy of my column, and while passing a group of sword-swallowing albino jugglers from Buenos Aires who were inaugurating the new three-storey Pizza and Souvenir Center I ran into a nice young fellow who offered me an amazing price on a brand-new camera, only to have him run off before I could consummate the deal. There must have been a lot of exercise-oriented people in town because not more than thirty seconds later a very large fellow dressed in a print Hawaiian shirt and cargo shorts went running (lumbering) by in the general direction of the camera salesman. Sadly I returned home still clueless on what to send to David, the Head Howler. The good news is I’ve just passed the minimum 950 words required of me and can now start working on next month’s column.
Fire Next Time Tom Peifer peifer@racsa.co.cr
God showed Noah the rainbow sign, Wont be rain be fire next time - It’s Gonna Rain
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ometimes you just have to wonder if things that happen are simply coincidences. Having all but abandoned turning over stones looking for the hidden cosmic connection, a couple of days ago, I got a bit of a wake-up call, as it were, from the cosmos. It started with a recent visit by an old college friend who lived up the road a bit, as they say, back in the day. This was a while ago, when we were in the University and there still was a bit of countryside in the megalopolis that has metastasized across the landscape of Southern California. Chuck and I lived in old rental homes on hardscrabble chaparral hills, behind the small town of Del Mar, just east of the newly opened Interstate 5. In the summer the place was a tinderbox. And we saw what could happen, first-hand and close-up. During autumn of 1970, all eyes were on the mountains to the east of us. The Laguna fire, which scorched almost 200,000 acres, turned the nighttime sky into something resembling a distant battlefield, while smoke, ash and ethereal colors wafted towards the coast in the strong Santa Ana winds. Numerous local blazes, provoked by the same conditions, kept us on our tippy-toes, ready to evacuate at a moment’s notice. While it was a formative experience for two kids from the suburbs, it was also a portent of bigger, much bigger, things to come. Chuck’s visit, and an ensuing conversation about the ongoing conditions in the late great state of California, prompted me to dig out an article I wrote over 10 years ago: “Reflections in the Flames” (published in The Howler, Jan. 2004). “San Diego County was once again converted into the ‘ground zero’ of a hellish conflagration that set new records for area, intensity and property losses as cars, homes and lives were consumed by the uncontrollable maelstrom. Even the sleek jets at Miramar Naval Air Station, so prominently featured in the movie Top Gun, were threatened by windswept flames raging across the runways. No small irony there; the US might be able to project full spectrum dominance into the skies world-wide, but meanwhile, back at home, the situation can go code red in an instant. Due to the 60-100 mph gusts of the Santa Ana winds, air power is largely ineffective.” Fast forward ten years, January 2014. Almost the entire state of California is going code red, and in the middle of winter, in theory at least, the rainy season. The town of Willits, up near the
pot-growing mecca of Humboldt county, has about thirty days of water left in its reservoir. CNN is reporting out-of-control brush fires in several areas in the southern part of the state. I repeat, folks, it’s frickin’ January, not October, after the ‘long hot summer’ has dried things out. This is not ‘normal’, but by any number of metrics, the Golden State is headed towards a new version of normal. California depends on runoff from the snow pack in the Sierra Nevada mountains for something like 40% of its water. Movie aficionados who saw Chinatown, by Roman Polanski, may recall that the storyline revolved around the scheming of influential Angelenos to divert the abundant runoff from the Owens Valley in order to slake the thirst of the growing—and highly profitable—suburban sprawl of the nascent mega-city that LA has become. This year there’s a slight glitch in the plot line. The snow pack in the Sierras is at 20% of normal. Add in the political component. States, cities and counties across the country are still reeling from the budgetary effects of the financial meltdown. Property tax revenues are down due to falling property values and, unlike the federal government, states, cities and counties cannot ‘self-finance’ by printing money and running up reams of new debt. Budget slashing is affecting agencies across the board, including precisely those involved with fire prevention and fighting. States have already shown their true colors. Texas voted to deny federal assistance to the victims of Hurricane Sandy, but then shed ten-gallon hats full of crocodile tears when they needed federal money to respond to their own drought-related crises. For those with an historical bent, it now appears that any number of indigenous civilizations—the Chaco canyon culture in New Mexico and the Classic Maya, at the very least—were laid low due to what are called “mega El Niño” events. These are depicted as sort of the El Niño on steroids. Instead of a 2-3-5-year-long drought, you get a mega drought which lasts 25-50 years, long enough to wreak enough havoc with food supplies and unleash the internal tensions within cultures that are manageable during the years of plenty. In my home state, the historical struggles between North and South, between agriculture and urban interests are sure to sharpen in the face of a diminishing water supply.
(continued page 36)
Alcoholics Anonymous Schedule of Meetings
Flamingo
Fire Next Time
(from page 35)
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 Wednesday: 10:30 - Open Meeting Thursday: 5:30-6:30 - Open Meeting Location: Behind Pedro’s Surf Shop Contact: Ellen - 2-653-0897 / Steve - 8377-1529
February ( a l l
t i m e s
2014 l o c a l )
Sun
1st - rise 6:06; set 5:48 15th - rise 6:03; set 5:52 28th - rise 5:58; set 5:54
1st quarter: Full: Last quarter: New:
Moon
7th 15th 23rd 30th
9:39 p.m. 10:52 p.m. 11:19 p.m. 3:38 p.m.
I beg the forbearance of the reader to allow me an extended citation from my article of ten years ago. In part this was prompted by an early morning visit from a family of Howler monkeys, in part because it is more relevant now than it was when first penned a decade ago: “There is just no easy way for me to explain my gut feeling that the underlying reason for the fires in California is more than just a mix of thermodynamics and meteorology.” As I write, a troop of Howler monkeys swings gracefully through the forest on its way to snack on a few papaya leaves. Elegantly adapted to life in the treetops, these distant relatives of ours live in harmony with the paradise which God bestowed upon them. Not so their upright cousins--homo sapiens--who apparently came down out of the trees, took stock of the situation, and began the task of rearranging nature more to our liking. From the fires set by early hunters to massive deforestation for agriculture and settlement, mankind has been hell-bent on showing Mother Nature just who runs the show. Reweaving DNA, the strands of life itself, and sucking out the earth to belch it into the sky are just the latest chapters in the long epic of pride at work. As predicted by folk myths, Mother Nature is capable of spanking her favored child when it misbehaves. I’m not evoking hell-fire and brimstone, the retribution of a judgmental Father in the sky, simply the consequences of how we choose to live on earth. Globally, the US is still setting the trends. Satellite broadcasts are beaming in - and creating the demand for - the affluence, the fun and games of the American way of life. What they fail to show are the consequences. The fires provided at best a glimpse of what happens when we overlook nature’s bottom line.
Casagua Horses
According to reports, parts of San Diego County now look like ground zero at Hiroshima. The long-term results of environmental malfeasance at the planetary level invite a day of reckoning that will make the recent fires in California look like child’s play. Mankind may one day find itself longing for the lazy life up in the trees.”
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Tom Peifer is an ecological land use consultant with 19 years experience in Guanacaste. 2658-8018. tompeiferecv@gmail.com
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