howler1004april

The Howler Founded in 1996 Vol. 15, No. 4 - April 2010 Issue No. 163 Editorial Office: Casa Equinox, Playa Tamarindo Guanacaste, Costa Rica Ced. Juridica: 3-101-331333 Publisher, editor and production David Mills dmills@racsa.co.cr www.howlermag.com Tel/fax: 2-653-0545 Contributors: TONY OREZ TOM PEIFER JOHN LYMAN ELLEN ZOE GOLDEN CYNTHIA CHARPENTIER JEANNE CALLAHAN JESSE BISHOP NINA WEBER KAY DODGE

Deadline for May: April 15

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The Howler Since 1996

April 2010

FEATURES 8 Dining Out

Serving a wide range of seafood, El Pescador is 100 meters from central Tamarindo, right on the beach.

13 Bienvenida,Presidenta Laura

Costa Rica’s first female president is about to take office, and has a full schedule of things that need fixing.

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

15 Surf Report

Women’s superstar Libeth Vindas has won the first three DayStar tournaments of 2009/10 and looks for her National Champonship.

17 A Quiz For people who know everything, only nine questions, but the questions are not that easy.

20 Beers, Brats and Blisters A sudden opportunity for a trip to Paris has our writer spending a very enjoyable week in Munich.

26 What’s Developing?

A development just outside Tamarindo has thirty fully appointed townhouses in a comfortable gated community.

33 Panning for Gold

Suddenly, the Costa Rican government sees that there may be a source of wealth in the soon-to-retire Baby Boomers.

34 Surviving Costa Rica

When Jesse’s wife develops serious neck problems, it’s time for a big operation at Clinica Biblica.

Cover Caption: Got Fish? The Gold Coast is one of the world’s great sportfishing areas.

Hook up with Marlin, Swordfish, Yellowfin Tuna, Wahoo, Roosterfish and more. But only Tamarindo has talking fish.

Cover design and photo: www.johnlymanphotos.com

DEPARTMENTS 10

CD Review

11

Book Review

12 Yoga 27 Puzzle 29 Tide Chart 32 April Forecasts 36 Sun & Moon 37 Student Voices

Editorís Note

T

he Ministries of Tourism and Exterior Commerce have finally recognized that retired extranjeros could be a valuable source of income to Costa Rica, and will promote the development of retirement communities in selected locations, such as Lake Arenal; Tilaran, Orosi, Cartago; Miramar, Puntarenas; and near Volcano Poas. They also recommend that real estate, health and recreational services be improved to attract the vast pool of “baby boomers” who are looking for a place to spend their retirement. It is estimated that 10,000 retirees will make their homes here, generating some $340 million and employment for 40,000 Costa Ricans.

In connection with this, the Immigration Ministry will set one window aside just for the processing of extranjeros. Further incentives will be the lowering taxes for importation of vehicles and household goods. As we go to print I see that columnist Tom Peifer covers this incentive in more detail in his article.

Well, here we go into Semana Santa, the psychological end of the High Season. And, for many, it has been a great season, lots of tourists spending lots of money. The slump we expected after Christmas and New Year, following the trend of the past two years, didn’t happen.

And now it’s Spring Break, that wonderful mini-season when thousands of cute young chicas arrive in Costa Rica with two objectives in mind. Good for bar owners who will sell a record number of shooters, shots and Jagermeister bombs to breakers looking to get drunk as quickly as possible, and for young Ticos looking for a brief romance. (Overheard in a local bar, from a breaker: “Drink up girls.

Happy Hour finishes at seven, and we all want to be s--tfaced by then.”) Where are all the guys? Don’t they take Spring Break?

Casagua Horses The greatest variety of tours and riding experiences for all ages, featuring spectacular countryside, howler monkeys, colorful small towns and fun-filled fiestas.

Cantina Tour - Nature Tour Fiesta & Tope Rental - Old Tempate Trail Tour Located near Portegolpe on the main road, opposite the Monkey Park, just 20 minutes from the beach.

Phone us at: 2-653-8041 • kaydodge@racsa.co.cr www.paintedponyguestranch.com The best horses on Guanacaste’s Gold Coast!

Careful, though, it’s a fine line between being a popular destination for Spring Break, and becoming Spring Break Central. The latter can ruin a destination as thousands of drunks take over a town and party it to death. Sure, immediate revenue may be terrific, but the nature and reputation of the town is destroyed. This may be why the “in” location changes every year – because nobody wants them back.

Dining Out

David Mills

Restaurante El Pescador Tamarindo

J

ust a little off the beaten track – that is, a five minute walk from downtown Tamarindo – is Restaurant El Pescador, serving a wide variety of seafood dishes right on the beach with wonderful views of Tamarindo Bay and its famous sunsets.

El Pescador is a family business, run by brothers Omar and Isaak (Chiqui) and sister Yuri, who have operated it for fifteen years as a typical Tico restaurant but want to also attract locals and tourists. Recently it has seen some cleanup of the local beach environment and tables are set up under the trees. The restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, although it is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and will provide a meal at any time.

For a light meal, the menu has sandwiches, salads, soup and ceviche, or choose small bocas in the Costa Rican style. Other appetizers include soups, stuffed tomatoes, guacamole chips, onion soup. My companion enjoyed a ceviche of mahi-mahi, while I had jumbo shrimps, eight fat crustaceans served in spicy sauce in a hollowed-out pineapple.

For those with an aversion to seafood, there is a range of other choices – a few lomito (tenderloin) dishes, chicken with various sauces and some pasta dishes. In true Tico fashion rice comes with shrimps, squid, octopus, seafood, scallops and chicken and there are casados of pork chop, beef, chicken, fish filet and whole fish.

Main dishes include jumbo shrimps, mahi-mahi, lobster with red snapper, surf-andturf shishkebab, pasta with shrimps or lobster. We shared the chef’s special, a huge platter of shrimp - jumbo and pinky - mussels, clams, calamari, two whole grilled snapper, two dorado filets, accompanied by rice, yucca chips, tomato and onion salad. The menu tells us it is for two people; it could have fed four or six!

El Pescador is right on the beach 100 meters south of Tamarindo Circle. Free transportation is available from Tamarindo and Langosta. The location is available for parties, weddings and birthdays. All credit cards are accepted. Tel: 2-653-2523, 2-653-0786 or 2-653-1001 for reservations or pickup.

I

Water Problems again

t seems I run this article every year about this time, and by now, both you and I are getting tired of seeing it. Unfortunately, it is necessary, as the Gold Coast is in a problem situation regarding water supply and delivery.

Over the past few years Tamarindo has been undergoing water shortages. The previous main supplier to our community, Industrias Beko, did a pathetic job of delivering water to homes on the hills. When Beko’s mandate expired, and the national utility AyA assumed the job, we hoped for better service. No such luck!

It is now a rare day that I have a consistent supply of water to my house. Fortunately, I have a large reserve tank, but that will not provide enough to water the garden in the dry season, with the result that my garden is now a desert of dust and dead plants.

On February 25, we received a letter from AyA that a broken pipe would be repaired within four hours. Since then, one month ago, we have not had a consistent supply, and AyA has been trucking water up the hill to fill customers’ tanks. The reasons given are several.

A spokesman for AyA told me that - they cannot get water to the tank at the top of Cerro Kuhn because the altitude is too high, and the pumps cannot generate enough pressure; - the customers at sea level are taking all the water, leaving little for those higher up; - there is huge waste of water, such as the daily washing down of driveways and parking areas; watering the street to keep down the dust; - one customer has a reserve tank larger than AyA’s own tank; and so on...

All these points were told to me years ago by Beko, and reported in The Howler at that time. Nothing has changed since then, except that the customer base has increased considerably; the water supply is still the same.

Residents of Tamarindo this month received a letter from AyA, the water utility, confirming that they can not pump water to many homes in the higher parts of town. They say that most of the available water is used by the residents at sea level, and they don’t have the equipment to pump it up the hills. Don’t they have enough money to purchase the necessary equipment? My suggestion is to put a secondary tank and pump half-way up the hill. Too simple?

Playa Flamingo also has its water woes as indicated in a letter from residents to AyA: Dear Mr. Sancho: The undersigned residents and business owners from Playa Flamingo express our grave concern over the way AYA is handling the aqueduct that supplies our community. This aqueduct was operated by an association of users (SUDAR), until 30 September 2009, which provided excellent service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Since AYA took over the system, water service has gradually been deteriorating, and from

December 26, 2009 until today, the problem of water shortages occurs almost daily.

Playa Flamingo is a beach community that has always had a premier reputation as a tourist and retirement destination. The continuing failures of the water supply have caused great losses to hotels, restaurants and rental homes, as large numbers of tourists have canceled reservations from having to endure several days without potable water. For restaurants, not having adequate water supply for operation causes a potential serious health hazard...

Part of the solution is in our own hands. A day’s observation around Tamarindo will show that an enormous volume of water is wasted. Driveways are washed down daily; people water the street to keep the dust down, a very wasteful and temporary solution; bar staff leave taps running while they mix and serve drinks; garden sprinklers are switched on during the heat of the day, when sun and wind dissipate a large percentage of the water that never touches the ground; leaks in pipes and faucets waste water. AyA tells us that a tap dripping one drip per second wastes 380 litres per month.

A little common sense can make a huge difference.

The cost of water is a concern for many users. One long-time resident showed me her water bill for January. In 2008 she used 205 cubic meters, at a cost of ¢31,195; in 2009, 203 (almost the same) cost her ¢80,485, an increase of 158%; and this year the exact same volume (203) cost ¢180,594, up again 124% over the previous year.

She now pays six times the amount she paid under Beko.

CD Review Putumayo’s New Listening Audience Tony Orez

T

he recording label that coined the term “world music” has broken into the Young Listener audience and no, I’m not talking about competing with the Jonas Brothers. Putumayo recently unveiled their first releases in their new “playground series” and they appear to be on the right track. Three of the first four titles have a Latin theme running through them that I could not help but notice. Here is a quick rundown of them.

Caribbean Playground kicks off with “Great Big Boat”, sung by an old acquaintance of mine, Taj Mahal. I’ve known Taj for more than twenty-five years and everything he records exudes his genuine exuberance in his work, this song included.

Jamaica is represented by no less than three of the twelve songs on this album, including Desmond Dekker’s version of “Jamaica Farewell”; Trinidad and Haiti each check in with two regional numbers. And José Gonzales y Banda Criolla from Puerto Rico turn in a great rendition of “Bomba Te Traigo Yo”. A perfect example of what a classy organization Putumayo is: 100% of their proceeds from sales of this CD will be contributed to the relief efforts in Haiti.

Latin Playground is a compilation of up-tempo songs for the kid in all of us. Omara Portuondo opens the set and sets the pace with “Guantanamera”. Other standouts include Cubanismo doing a foot-tapping, finger snapping, “Mardi Gras Mambo”, Terri Hendrix’ offering of “Lluvia de Estrellas” and legend Flaco Jiménez checking in with a truly memorable “De Bolon Pin Pon” on this eleven-song album featuring songs from nine different Latin American countries.

Sure to be an instant hit, with “Reggae Playground”, Putumayo received an incredible response from Jamaica’s surviving musical royalty with contributions from Toots and the Maytals (“Take Me Home Country Road”) and Rita Marley (“Haramble”) as well as a regal performance of the Beatle classic “Here Comes the Sun” done by The Burning Souls. It’s an impressive list of bona fide reggae masters whose contributions lend credence to Putumayo’s credibility on this project. But the disc is also a nice international compilation, including kiddie reggae ditties from Indonesian, French and Hawaiian performers.

All the Putumayo Playground CDs come with concise intros about the regions and cultures covered in each particular disc, a nice little historic blurb for the kids and their parents. The Latin Playground especially does a good job covering Latin Culture, concentrating on that culture’s history in The Americas. It should be noted as well that the emphasis of the music on all the discs is to have a good time, also highlighted in the notes which, as with all Putumayo productions, are in English, Spanish and French, as are all the lyric sheets and notes on each individual performer and their songs. And Putumayo contributes a portion of each sale to their Foundation Cross-Cultural Initiative, which introduces children (and their families) to varied world cultures in positive and educationally stimulating channels, in an attempt to open doors of communication and to encourage peaceful relationships among peoples of all ages and backgrounds. As the Beatle song says, “A splendid time is guaranteed for all!”

Putumayo CDs are available at the Jaime Peligro book shops in Playa Tamarindo, Tilaran and Quepos, where they will gladly sample the music for their customers.

Book Review The History of Costa Rica Tony Orez

R

ecently, the University of Costa Rica published its third edition of “The History of Costa Rica”, the first of its kind to be translated and printed in the English language.

Written by Ivan Molina and Steven Palmer, two of the leading and most recognized Costa Rican historians, the book is concise yet thorough and current, spanning this country’s rich history from the arrival of human beings, at around 12,000 B.C., to the beginning of the TwentyFirst Century, including the bulk of Arias’ term as president of the country.

This is the fifth book to be written in collaboration by these two authors. Palmer has a Ph.D. in Latin American History from Colombia University in New York and Molina received his Masters degree in History at the University of Costa Rica, where both men have taught. Their books have won many prestigious awards, including the Aquileo Echeverría National Prize in History, the Cleto Gonzalez Viquez Prize in History and the Ancora Prize from La Nación, Costa Rica’s premier newspaper. The book comes armed with eight different maps, more than eighty photographs, paintings and drawings, a comprehensive bibliography and an index that offers its readers a handy, thorough reference and complete chronicle of key events in Costa Rica’s history.

It is important to note the “The History of Costa Rica” is not published by the Tourism Agency. Rather, it covers the essential background and characteristics of the country that the reader is living in or visiting. There are no descriptions of menus from restaurants that have paid to be mentioned or phone numbers to make reservations at a hotel near a volcano or the beach. What the reader does get in this publication is a ringside seat on a safari with prehistoric hunters, their means of domesticating local vegetation and the subsequent formation of tribal societies, their cultural practices and how they progressed. One is allowed to witness the arrival of Cristóforo Colombo at Puerto Limón, then called Cariari, in 1502, and Ponce de León’s visit to Golfo de Nicoya seventeen years later. The reader is given privy to view the “civilized” diseases from Europe, such as typhoid, influenza and slavery, reduce the population of indigenous peoples from an estimated 400,000 to a mere 10,000 in less than a century. It would then take Costa Rica more than three hundred years to replenish this original population. You will also learn how San José flourished due to the tobacco cultivation there; and you can watch the establishment of the United Fruit Company and their systematic deforestation of surrounding terrain in order to plant groves of bananas, sugar cane and coffee – the “Golden Bean”.

The reader is also invited to mingle with the cultural swell of the 1930s and watch the social reform and flirtation with communism during the ‘40s. You will also learn how the Civil War in 1948 abolished the military here. It also gave women and all black people the right to vote and implemented the formation of everyone’s good friend, ICE (the Costa Rican national electric power company). The reader is there when then-president Oscar Arias Sanchez receives his Nobel Peace prize in 1987 for refusing to allow then-president Ronald Reagan to bring in the U.S. militia. Indeed, the Costa Rican people have a lot to be proud of in their lengthy fight to establish and preserve democracy in their Jewel of Central America.

“The History of Costa Rica” is available at Jaime Peligro book shops in Playa Tamarindo, Tilaran and Quepos.

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on the Beach

By Nina Weber Certified Yoga Instructor

YOGA AT CASA AZUL in Tamarindo Beachfront provides a combination of Dynamic * Challenging * Inspiring * Encouraging and Relaxing Yoga * Small groups and individual adjustments *Most important.: Yoga is fun !!!

Yoga Session that fits to your lifestyle.

You can do it anywhere, at home or at the beach.The value of an on-going practice cannot be overestimated. Start with a realistic assessment of how much time you have for yoga. Even 5 or 10 minutes a day makes yoga a part of your daily life. Regular short practices are more beneficial than occasional long ones. With time, your practice will naturally grow.

If your practice slips, don’t punish yourself. Breathe and start again.

Even spending time in your practice place will help you focus.

Here is a series of Yoga Poses (Asanas) which can be done within a short period of time - approximately 15 minutes.

Mountain Pose The Mountain Yoga Pose promotes the experience of stillness, strength, relaxed power, and immovable stability associated with mountains. This yoga posture, and coming back to this stillness after other poses, is one of the ways of becoming acquainted with stillness.

Cat Pose The Cat Pose improves flexibility of your spine, stretches the hips and middle and low back, rejuvenates the body, and helps in preventing back problems. It is a spine and back loosener.

Stretches front and back of body, frees neck and shoulders. Teaches correct pelvic movements: cat tilt, dog tilt, neutral. During cat tilt, the back muscles elongate and the abdominal muscles contract; during dog tilt, the back muscles contract and the abdomen stretches; in neutral, the spine is at its longest.

Stimulates spinal fluid, digestive tract. Improves circulation through spine and core.

Moon Pose The Crescent Moon Pose stretches and strengthens the arms and legs, increases stamina, improves balance and concentration, and can also relieve backaches.

Tree Pose The Tree Pose helps strengthen your thighs, calves, ankles and back. It can also increase the flexibility of your hips and groin. Your balance and concentration can also be improved with constant practice.

For more information email me at nina@tamarindoyoga.com. www.tamarindoyoga.com

These Basic Yoga Sessions are ideal for people who are to busy to do more Yoga Poses. Please avoid meals prior your practice.

Practicing in the morning will help you revitalize your mind and body, keep you energized and ready for the day.

Meditation and Relaxation Techniques is also advised during the night for restful, more peaceful sleep. It is also important for Yoga Practices to be done daily.

Now let’s go for a fifteen Minute Yoga Practice.

Heavy Legs on the Wall is a therapeutic yoga pose, known in the yoga community as the “destroyer of old age.” This pose is very easy to perform for people of all levels and all ages, and has several benefits: Aids anxiety, arthritis, headaches and insomnia; Aids digestive problems, mild depression and varicose veins; Aids menstrual cramps, PMS and menopausal symptoms; Helps regulate blood pressure; Relieves tired cramped legs; Gently stretches hamstrings and back of the neck; Calms the mind.

Triangle Pose Combines many elements in one posture.It builds strength and steadiness in the legs and feet, creates a magnigicant expansion and space in the torso as the arms and legs reach outward an balances the body.

Deep Relaxation No Yoga session is complete without the final pose. The body needs this time to understand the new information it has received through practicing Yoga.

Savasana is a resting pose, it’s not sleeping. You should stay present and aware during the final relaxation.

Canada Victory!

David Mills aking one morning, I interrogated myself as to what day it was. Here in Pura Vida Land, the days, dates, even months can evade you in the waking minutes. Using clues from last night, I deduced it was Sunday. I sat up straight – “Not Bloody Sunday!”

W

Today was the Clash of Titans – Canada was to meet the United States in the Olympics Hockey Final. One would leave with the gold; the other, silver. Just a week earlier, in the quarter-finals, we had seen U. S. beat Canada, sending the host country into a national depression.

Bienvenida Presidenta Laura

O

n the eighth of May Costa Rica installs its first female president, Laura Chinchilla. Riding to victory on February 7 with a landslide vote, she is a protégée of current president Oscar Arias. The transfer of power will take place in La Sabana Metropolitan Park in San José.

In the semifinals, the U.S. had trashed Finland to win 7-3, while Canada, the same day, squeaked through to beat Slovakia in a game that could have gone either way. Not an encouraging sign for the Big Day. Before the game, I rationalized a win for the U.S. This would bring happiness to 340 million people; a win for Canada would only delight 32 million.

No contest! But this was a

Chinchilla, of the Partido Liberación Nacional, in her campaign speeches, promised “Security, security and more security” and attention to social inequality and education. Jorge Mora, director of the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences in San José says Chinchilla, a former Justice Minister, “is generally regarded as an incorruptible woman, which is a very important calling card right now for Costa Ricans.”

Hockey Central (Sharky’s Sports Bar) was packed long before the game, Canadians much in evidence in flags and T-shirts, the U.S. lower key but plentiful and noisy.

Since being elected, she has named three women to her cabinet. Mayi Antillón will be minister of Economy, Industry and Trade; Gloria Abraham will head the Ministry of Agriculture and Development; and Anabel Gonzalez will be minister of Foreign Trade. “Three women will deal with 80% of national production and they will coordinate part of the activities with greatest impact on the economy,” said Chinchilla, who reserves for herself the “responsibility to ensure that the free trade accords that Costa Rica has signed be administered in the best manner possible”. She is also dedicated to improving tourism, appointing Carlos Ricardo Benavides as Minister of Tourism, a post he has held before.

cop-out. We gotta win!!

As the game progressed, Canada played encouragingly good offensive hockey, taking the lead 2-0 and stirring the hearts of the Canucks. But, in the third period, Canada went on the defensive, allowing the U.S. to score once, then again in the final few seconds to tie the game. Was Canada to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory?

This is what hockey is all about – Sudden Death Overtime! The first goal ends the game, 20 minutes of heartstopping excitement. If nobody scores in the overtime period, the game is decided on shootouts, a very anticlimactic way to end an exciting game.

Adrenaline ran high in both players and viewers as we waited for the start. Facetiously, I suggested to owner Ben that he switch over to the Saprissa-Cartago soccer game. He answered: “I’m sure 99% of my customers would rather watch Costa Rica football right now.”

Screams of “U-S-A” competed with “CA-NA-DA” as the gladiators battled for the glory, until, at 7 minutes and 40 seconds the elusive puck slid into the U.S. goal, and all hell broke loose.

Many thanks, United States, for a great series and, particularly, the final game. Pity somebody had to lose.

“We will have many challenges ahead in the next few years. Perhaps the main one being the deployment of organized crime bands toward this area”, the president-elect affirmed in her first speech to the nation.

Other priorities are improving the public education system, strengthening the Costa Rican Social Security Fund (CCSS), environmental sustainability, and promoting economic development.

In education, Chinchilla’s goal is avoiding drop-outs, improving funds for school scholarships, spreading education and making way for each school center in the country to access information and communications technologies.

Moreover, her government is committed to making more EBAIS clinics, providing the CCSS (health services) with more specialists, encouraging afternoon surgical operations and reducing waiting lists which are some of the main faults in the health branch. ¡Muy Buena Suerte!

David Mills

I

f you receive an e-mail letter purporting to be from someone you know, who is stranded without funds in a foreign city, it is a scam to get money from you. Call the owner of the account and have them send a warning message to all their contacts that it is a scam.

The Marine Corps League of Costa Rica needs a Few Good Men. This is an opportunity for U.S. Marines to associate with other Marines to preserve the traditions and promote the interests of the United States Marine Corps. Contact Bill Enell e-mail brisas22001@yahoo.com or phone 8812-0126. Semper Fi. Farewell to local troubador Bob Benjamin, who has been entertaining people in Costa Rica for eleven years. Bob is moving to South Carolina where he will continue to ply his musical trade. Muy buena suerte, Bob. Super Las Olas in Tamarindo holds a feria every Monday and Friday starting at 9 a.m.

If imitation is the sincerest for of flattery, we at The Howler are well flattered, because we certainly much imitated.

Rick and Chris are in business again. Sunset Catering offers a wide range of menus delivered to your home or pick up. Casual to formal, Latin, Asian, vegetarian or Middle Eastern. Parties, birthdays, weddings catered. Call 2-653-0289 or e-mail olivos@racsa.co.cr.

Shopping in Santa Cruz? Breakfast, lunch and dinner at Venus de Diria, opposite BCR, serving typical Costa Rican dishes.

Soda El Corcel in Tamarindo has moved next door to its previous location in Plaza Conchal. Open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. for typical buffet, only ¢2,000.

Tico Furniture Factory in Huacas has a choice of different packages for condos and apartments. Call 8-892-6328 or visit www. ticofurniturefactory.com. See ad on page 3.

GAR Charity Golf starts May 1 with a cocktail party at Reserva Conchal. Call Lindsey Cantillo at 8-829-8103 for details.

Vet Dra Carvajal in Villarreal now offers acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine for your pet. Also aquarium supplies and fish.

Surf Report Story: Ellen Zoe Golden

I

n a weekend that started with tough conditions, but ended with offshore wind waves of nice size, Montezuma’s Mattías Braun (photo) added a second victory in the Circuito Nacional de Surf, and the first in the DayStar 2009-10. This came after a final characterized by a give-and-take of positioning between the best surfers in the heat.

Joining Braun in the final were Tamarindo’s own Federico Pilurzu and Isaac Vega, as well as Jacó’s Jason Torres, all noted leaders in the country’s surf scene.

In the heat, they also at one time or another had the lead, but an inspired backPhoto: Fabián Sánchez side from Braun showed his dominance. He also invested greater energy, with long routes, and maneuvers characterized by a lot of force, and it was this investment that resulted in the highest combination of the event with a 13.84 against 12.33 of Torres, 11.64 of Vega and 11.10 for Pilurzu.

Odds and Ends We can read your mind

E

nglish scientists announce that they can read a person’s thoughts as they whip around inside the brain.

Using a scanner, they can predict problems such as loss of memory and can use treatment to avoid such problems.

Oops!

A

national soccer game was terminated when the electric power went off. The sponsor for one of the teams, emblazoned on their shirts, was ICE, the power company.

The Road to Langosta

T

he moment we have been waiting for is at hand.

After years of waiting, collecting money, schmoozing with President Arias, starting the construction, stopping the construction, permits in place, permits not in place, etc., everything is now ready.

With the victory, Braun notched his second Circuito victory, his first coming in Nosara during the 2007-2008 season.

“To win a date in this competition gives me a belief in myself, and makes me want to do more. In the end, sincerely I had luck because the waves that I choose were good and I didn’t waste them. I am very happy that my surfing is improving and with that I am adding stature to the Circuito,” expressed Mattías when he left the water.

“The truth is most of my surfing is done here in the North Pacific where the waves are prolonged and not as closed as the central Pacific. Nevertheless, it is a subject to improve and remove surf obstacles in any type of wave that I compete,” he added.”

Braun hails from Montezuma, and has trained in the waters of Malpais and Santa Teresa, which happens to be the next stop of the Circuito Nacional de Surf DayStar 2009-2010 next month.

The Caribbean-born, Tamarindo-raised Nataly Bernold used her local advantage to win the Women’s category today. Although she lives now in Jacó, where the favored Lisbeth Vindas also comes from, Bernold used a memorial frontside assault to claim the trophy. Bernold dominated the final with a combination of 14.00 points that proved unattainable to Vindas (10.64), Ericka Valverde of Dominical (6.64) and Merary Jimenez of Dominical (6.24). With the win, the first of the season for Bernold (Vindas won each of the three dates so far) Nataly makes the fight for the National Women’s championship title more interesting.

“This is a date I really wanted to win. I feel very motivated because I have been training a lot to win and finally I did,” affirmed Bernold.

In the Junior category, victory finally arrived for the surfer of Malpais Anthony Fillingim, who had up until now only been a finalist. Fillingim was inspired and put together a combination of 13.00 points in front of attempts by José Calderón, Angello Bonomeli and Roberto Jimenez, all of Jacó. (continued page 25)

Pretty soon, Langosta will once again be a part of Tamarindo!

No, this is not an April Fools’ Day joke.

W

ith no advance warning to the community, nor any request for advice or suggestions, the telephone utility ICE erected a 50-meter high metal tower, set into concrete foundations, to improve the cellular phone reception in town.

Three weeks later, they emailed residents to ask where they would like the tower located.

You want me to move what?

Those Beautiful Epiphytes of Costa Rica

by Kay T. Dodge, Ph.D

A

h, Avatar, cat-like half-human creatures, floating along epiphyte-covered branches in the canopy, populated with a diversity of colorful plants and animals drawn from the rich imagination of their human creators. The branches of the giant trees in the canopy were highways for all the creatures of the forest. With a strong environmental message, the camouflaged blue creatures taught millions of bespectacled moviegoers about the value of biodiversity and respect for nature. The message was particularly relevant to Costa Rica.

Orchids, along with bromeliads and some cacti and fern species, are epiphytes, plants that live attached to trees. Although some orchids and bromeliads such as pineapple grow on the ground, many seek the light, attached to branches in the tropical forests. Some think that epiphytes are parasites; however, they do not have a true parasitic relationship with the trees on which they grow. They attach to tree trunks and branches for support and sunlight and do not rob the tree of nutrients nor kill the host tree. The diversity of the epiphytes depends on the humidity and tree cover with fewer in the dry forest than in the rain or cloud forests.

In Costa Rica, when entering a restaurant, hotel or well-decorated home, we are often welcomed by an array of exotic tropical orchids proudly displayed on tables and tree branches. Whether bought at the orchid farm, vivero or in the supermarket, many of these spectacular flowers are not native to Costa Rica, but imported from Asia and grown here for the growing orchid market. Costa Rica’s 1200 species of orchids and 280 species of bromeliads have been threatened by the illegal plant trade in the Central Valley, especially the orchids with spectacular flowers and colors such as the Guarias, the national flower of Costa Rica.

Because of the deforestation in Guanacaste’s dry tropic forest, many of the plants and animals that depend on the trees have been lost or severely reduced. The orchids and bromeliads today can be found on larger trees and many times not as visible in the dry forest trees. During the dry season, most of Guanacaste’s orchids become dormant depending on energy stored in bulbs. (continued page 24)

“The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a person’s determination.”

Tommy Lasorda

WHAT ARE WE DOING COSTA RICA?

Routine

Cynthia Osborne Charpentier Routine: a way to do things just for practice and without reasoning.

“Everybody has a routine, they can manage it or it’s part of your way to live. I don’t like it, I can’t, It becomes an habit” - Mariana.

Routine is part of our lives. You get up, breakfast, shower and let’s go to work, or school, or to open stores and offices. It’s good for certain people. Routine tells you what to do. But is that healthy?

Let’s think about Hospitals. Doctors, nurses, have to do their work on time (when you are hospitalized). So, they change your biological clock and your body system it’s not the same. But they are busy, everything has to be on time: Wakey-wakey, shower, doctor, breakfast and then wait for lunch, and then what? Dinner, put the light off and the same next day. The patients can be depressed about the same routine!

¡Qué Tuánis!

Bar Restaurant & Cabinas

I

f you enjoy lunch or dinner and a drink in a typical Tico atmosphere, take a side trip off the main road in Huacas to Bar Qué Tuánis, a new restaurant with rustic wood accents, wide screens and music videos. The restaurant opens at 12 for lunch. Full menu of typical foods is served (casados at $2,000) and steaks and seafood, or choose a boca from the extensive menu at very reasonable prices.

For would-be songbirds, there is karaoke on Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday, and every night is dance night in true Tico style.

Cabinas $30 double

Last month a row of cabinas with private bathrooms, cable TV and A/C was opened, just a 15-minute drive to the beaches.

Turn at the Boya sign 300 meters east of Huacas junction.

Reservations Tel: 2-653-6231 / 8-354-1041

Do you know what Routine I love the most?

Nature! The animals have their own routine and it’s beautiful! My dog Freud has friends from Canada, Ron and Marilyn, taking him for a walk for two months. It’s true! They left and my dog got depressed, he didn’t want to eat, and laid down at their door waiting for them.

But routine is good for people to have to get up a certain time: to take a medication, or for many things, even to remember to take your pills.

Do you want to have lunch at 2pm? Or having a barbecue at noon?

What about dinner time? It’s always the same. Your stomach is not the boss. It’s your mind. Think about people in Haiti, Chile, Africa, Ethiopia, Limón (Costa Rica), and everywhere...

Jails: Routine? Ay Dios Mio! That’s why they go out of there as soon as possible, or commit suicide... The same, the same, the same.

You get tired about the same routine, even depressed, stressed or anxious. Some people will like to take a look of the moon or the stars, but no!

Go back to sleep if you can.

My friend was paralyzed from an accident and ended up in the hospital for three months. He told me the only thing he wanted: “I want to look at the moon”. Well, he couldn’t, that’s why he decided to stop eating. Now he is better, he can take a look of the moon.

Who doesn’t get all this sickness: Nature!

Does the Moon stress about the process in one month?

Ask the Sun, if he gets depressed about giving us life every day?

And the Ocean? No more routinely like the other friends.

He is coming and going, coming and going... (continued page 19)

Play Ball!

WHAT ARE WE DOING COSTA RICA? (from page 18) Does he complain?

Only we do, as a human beings. Why? Because we hardly take a chance to do something different.

What? Name it! Instead of your morning 1-2-3-4, go for 2-4-1-3.

The same, but different, it’s a relief. The same, but different the afternoon and night time. Routine makes you tired...

Solution: Creativity! What kind of? Anyone is welcome! Everybody has a routine, the point is that we have to manage it, before it manages us. We are in charge of our own lives.

Let’s make a little break every day that will make us feel better.

For example: Do you have to call your boyfriend, girlfriend, wife, husband, kids, neighbors at the same time? That’s is boring; there is nothing better than a surprise!

So Routine, is good for you or not so good? It depends on you. Like right now, you are reading this magazine, means that you are interested about different and important articles for us.

Women working at home? It’s a “maid for free”. It’s hard to say but it’s true many times. Breakfast for kids and husband. Laundry morning.

Cleaning the house. Lunch for everybody. Then ironing. Organizing rooms and kitchen. Preparing dinner for everybody. Finally she sleeps tired. Can you ask her if she is happy?

Marriage? Another one. Think about it. It can be the most beautiful time in your life, if not it can be boring. Sometimes you don’t have to say anything, just wait for next word, for next movement and you already know everything.

It’s sad, but it’s true.

“Oh no! Don’t talk to me right now, I have to watch my program. I am busy with my dogs, and then dinner time”. That hurts, you don’t even know when to talk to your friends or family.

Routines in church, baptisms... No, that is a ceremony, Only time is not.

Means that you have to be on time to get your burials, many people in line...

“The Routine to carry out for business is natural, obligation, you always do the same and for a remuneration.” - Gustavo Corrales.

“It’s good, I think is good to have an agenda, an idea, a map how you want to conduct yourself every day, but you better be ready to veer away from that theme, everytime it’s necessary.

It’s like the stem of a plant with the flower at the end of it. It needs to have leaves and other ways to go. It’s good to have it, but it’s good to vary away from it, that’s what I learned” - Jaime Peligro, Tamarindo.

David Mills

T

he major league baseball season is under way. Strangely, Costa Ricans are not in the least interested in the game, whereas other Latin American countries are passionate about it and supply many players for the North American leagues. But Costa Rica has a very tangible and unique connection to the major leagues: it supplies all the baseballs used in the games.

Rawlings Sporting Goods turns out two-and-a-half million baseballs a year from its factory in Turrialba, in Cartago province, just a few kilometers east of San José on the road to the Caribbean coast.

The factory moved to Costa Rica from Haiti in the 1980s to avoid the dictatorship in that island. Rawlings has an exclusive contract to supply Major League Baseball until 2013.

Workers at the plant turn out up to 200 balls apiece in a 10-hour day, manually stitching the waxy fibre into 108 stitches per ball. Each ball, which retails for about fifteen dollars, lasts only a few pitches before it is claimed by a proud fan after a foul ball or home run, or just becomes too worn to use.

The work is arduous, but welcome in a town with little other employment, though the workers know little, and care even less, about baseball. A minimum quota of 156 balls per day is required for each worker, and a ¢300 bonus is paid for each ball over that number.

Go Jays!

Beer,

Brat

A Visit to Day 1....35,000 ft. over Greenland I wanted to go to Paris, but I’m on a flight to Munich instead. Anyone who has ever traveled as a standby ‘non-revenue’ passenger, i.e. using an airline pass, will understand this. You’ve got to have a plan B and C, and sometimes D. As a retired airline employee, I’m used to being flexible.

However, Munich was not even on my list when I flew from Liberia to Chicago yesterday. I knew nothing about this city. But my seatmate on that flight had raved about Munich. He even gave me a list of recommended sights. In my hotel room last night, I got online to check the available seats for Munich, and it seemed like a good option, if need be.

The Paris flight looked impossible. I had now broadened my goal....get on a plane to anywhere on the European continent.

This morning I woke up in Chicago to glorious rain, and 48 degrees. I dressed for European weather and crammed my feet (that haven’t seen closed shoes for over a year) into black leather shoes. Part of traveling standby is obeying a dress code that prohibits flip-flops or athletic shoes if you want a seat in the First Class cabin. And since I packed for Paris, I didn’t even bring tennis shoes....I am sure the French would sneer at me if I wore them.

By noon, I had already given up on the Paris flight, and then I got shut out of the first Frankfurt flight. The next Frankfurt flight didn’t look good either, so I thought “Why not Munich?”. I spent time on my computer and used Tripadvisor.com and Frommers.com to make notes on possible hotels and how to get from airport to downtown. When you travel standby, this is the essential info you need to make your first 24 hours easy. After that, I enjoy the thrill of discovery in a new destination.

After six hours in Chicago O’Hare, walking miles between concourses and departure gates, 2 trips to the food court, and 5 trips to the bathroom, I had big, bleeding blisters on my feet. Even so, when my name was called for a seat assignment, I almost ran down the jetway and thankfully collapsed in my seat. A First Class seat!

Now we are only half way through this 10 hr. flight, just a little darkness left, and so to bed.

Day 2....20,000 feet over Germany The morning sun is peeping through the window shade. I open it. I gasp.

The jagged, snow-covered Alps stretch along the horizon against a cloudless, deep-blue sky. After such a long dry season in Costa Rica, the sight of the snow, the green fields and the lakes is incredibly refreshing.

Nice landing, I limp through Immigration and Customs. Almost 48 hrs after I left Liberia, I have finally arrived in Munich. Unfortunately, my suitcase has not! The Baggage Tracing people discover it is still in Chicago, they give me an amenities bag, and help me get a ‘distressed traveler’ discount at the airport hotel. Armed with magazines and brochures from the airport information desk, I check-in and take a 4 hr. nap.

Refreshed, I now settle amongst the plump down pillows and comforter and begin to read about Munich:

ts and Blisters

o Munich Munich, the capital of Bavaria, is a beautiful city of approximately 1.35 million people and one of Europe’s most visited cities. It was founded near a settlement of Benectine monks in 1158 and was ruled by the Wittelsbach dynasty from 1240 until 1918, when a revolution drove them out and established a people’s republic. It is most famous for the 1972 Olympics and the Oktoberfest, which, since 1810, has attracted visitors to its beer tents and fairground attractions. There are 400 beer gardens and 6 beer manufacturers here. However, Munich is also a city of art and culture, boasting over 50 museums, 3 world class orchestras and an opera. It has a wonderful transportation system of trains, subways, trams and buses.

A 2-hr. train ride will take you into the Alps to see castles, Innsbruck or Oberammergau, famous for its Passion Plays and richly painted houses. You can take the “Sound of Music” tour in Salzburg, Austria.

There’s a “Third Reich Tour” that “examines some of the darkest stories of human history”, or the “Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Tour”.

After either of those you might need the “Beer Challenge Tour” that takes you to four of Munich’s best beer halls.

I have only 5 days in Munich and I make my list of priorities.

I make a reservation for my first two nights at a small hotel with great reviews on Trip Advisor, and hope for the best.

Day 3......Munich at last As promised, my suitcase is delivered to the hotel at noon. I immediately exchange my black shoes for the flip-flops inside. Aaaaah. At least today it’s warm enough (65 F) to wear them. I purchase a 6-day transportation pass...$36 includes the 40-minute trip from airport (and return), and unlimited travel within city limits. For stays of only 2 or 3 days, individual day tickets are recommended. The entire public transport system runs on the honor system....there are no turnstiles to pass through. You only need to be sure you are carrying a validated ticket if you are stopped by one of the inspectors. I chuckle at the thought of how this would work in Costa Rica!

I am very pleased with the Hotel St. Paul when I arrive. The front door is only 20 steps from the subway! St. Paul Cathedral sits across the street, there is very little traffic, and I am only one stop on the U-Bahn (underground) to the Central Station. At the end of the block is the large park, Theresenwiese, where the Oktoberfest is held. I follow the desk clerk through the breakfast room, into a small courtyard, and up 3 flights of stairs to my room. Clean, quiet, efficient, and small! No floor space is wasted, but there is room to park my suitcase.

I head straight to a shoe store recommended by the desk clerk, buy myself some tennis shoes for $25, and am now ready to explore Munich.

Marienplatz (Mary’s Square) is the most historic and scenic (continued page 24)

Taberna y Restaurante

El Rinconcito de Doña Elda Restaurant Local and International Cuisine Delicious Bocas Catering Service

Tavern available for

Parties • Meetings Concerts • Weddings Live Music • Wide Screen • Dance Floor Opposite Gas Station Oasis in El Llano Tel: 8-842-2635 / 8-356-1370

The non-profit organization CEPIA financially survives thanks to 4 Platinum Sponsors, businesses with social responsibility believing in sustainable development.

CATHOLIC CHURCH OF CANADA A special thank you also goes to Super Massai, Ferreteria Buenaventura, Sugar Beach Hotel, Country Day School, Restaurante Nibbana, Nollman family, Capitan Suizo and Flamingo Beach Hotel.

Many others contribute, each one within its own possibilities, talents and opportunities.

Twenty-five volunteers - who will be presented to you in the next Howler issue - share their talents and spend their time with the children of our community.

Another fifteen volunteers work on special occasions or for very specific tasks.

The seven-member Board of Directors gathers together to think and rethink strategy and resolve all kinds of main problems occurring in our community.

Three staff members daily administer and coordinate the programs, the center, the children and volunteers, as well as the communication with all public and private institutions.

Empowered children and teenagers also contribute to the goal of improving the quality of life of all.

This amazing teamwork between volunteers, staff, children, teenagers, board of directors, community members, officials and businesses creates social transformation and sustainable development.

CEPIA celebrates its FIFTH year! Thank you for your believe, trust and support!! Join us! www.cepiacostarica.org

Juan Santamaria Costa Rica’s hero

S

David Mills

o who is Juan Santamaria, whose name is familiar to any who has traveled by air to or from San José International, because that is the name of the airport.

Juan is a Costa Rican hero, whose day is celebrated as a national holiday on April 11. The day commemorates his death in 1856, when he possibly changed the history of Central America with his brave deed.

William Walker was an infamous bad guy of those days. Born in Nashville, Tennessee, he started on a career of colonization, first in Baja California, where he was defeated and forced to retreat to the United States, then in Central America. Sailing from the States with 60 or so armed mercenaries, he overthrew the Nicaraguan government, captured Granada and declared himself president.

Walker’s plans were to take the whole of Central America and turn it into a slave-owning state. Disagreeing with Walker’s plans, Costa Rican president Juan Rafael Mora Porras called upon the nation to go north to Nicaragua and put an end to Walker’s filibustering.

Born in Alajuela of a very poor single mother, Juan Santamaria joined the army as a drummer boy and went north to fight. Battle was joined at Santa Rosa, where the Costa Rican army drove out some of Walker’s troops, then marched to Rivas, in Nicaragua.

At Rivas, opposition was fierce, and the Costa Rican army was unable to take an inn occupied by Walker’s forces. Drummer boy Juan took a blazing torch and ran to attack the inn. He was mortally wounded in the valiant effort, but managed to set fire to the building and drive out the defenders.

Walker again retreated to the United States.

In 1860 he tried another filibustering attempt, this time in Honduras, but was arrested, tried and executed.

A statue of hero Juan Santamario stands in a park in Alajuela, and a museum is dedicated to him in the same city. He was further honoured by having his name given to the international airport.

Beers...

(from page 21)

square in the old town and considered to be the heart of Munich. On the west end sits The New Town Hall, a garish yet fascinating gothic building built in the 1800’s. It houses the famous 43-bell Glockenspiel with dancing figures that put on a show at 11,12, and 5. There are souvenir shops and sidewalk cafes, where $5 will buy you a seat and a cup of coffee. I pay the 2 Euros to ride to the top of the Town Hall tower where I get a 360 degree view of the city....this is a great way to orient yourself. You can see almost all of Munich from here.

The area surrounding Marienplatz, several blocks square, is known as Walking Munich. No cars allowed.

This allows one a casual, peaceful stroll.

The quiet of the streets and the people is quite noticeable to me. I find myself crisscrossing Marienplatz many times while seeing nearby attractions. On the north end sits Peterskirche, the oldest church in the inner city and the focus of the early monastic settlement in 1158. Around the corner is the 5-acre Viktualienmarket with numerous stalls selling meats, cheeses, vegetables, and souvenir items. Nearby is Frauenkirsche, begun in 1468 and Munich’s largest Gothic church.

With its two bulbous towers, it is the most recognizable building in Munich.

I eat at a little cafe where $11 buys me a dinner of brats, sauerkraut, potatoes, bread and a Paulaner beer. I know everyone will ask “How’s the beer?” To tell the truth, I don’t find the beer any better than Imperial, and it costs about $5 for a half liter. Around the corner is the famous Hofbrau House, which dates from 1589 and seats 4,000 people. The Residenz, where royalty lived, and the English Garden are also nearby but I save those for another day. I stop at the Tourist Information Shop beneath the Town Hall Tower and gather up more info. After about 5 hours of pounding the pavement I am ready to return to my hotel and rest. It is 7:30 p.m. and still light out! Being used to sunsets year-round at about 6 p.m., this feels very strange to me.

Day 4.....another gorgeous day The breakfast included in my 75 Euro room rate is very substantial.

Eggs, sausages, breads, cheese, yogurt, cereal are offered buffet style.

It’s a beautiful spring day perfect for walking. I like to just wander the streets of a strange city and observe.

For more than 10 years, my vacations have only taken me to countries in Latin America. I’ve been living in Costa Rica for 2 years. Germany is a new culture to me and far different from what I am used to. I am impressed by how clean everything is. Not a single piece of trash.

The people all look healthy and happy, and at first it is peculiar to not see any dark-skinned faces. A large number of Munchners ride bikes. I see many collapsible bikes that fold in half when (continued page 28)

Epiphytes... (from page 17)

Two of the most common bromeliads in Guanacaste are the terrestrial pineapple and piñuela once commonly used as fence rows before barbed wire became available. Thick rows of piñuela are now used as spiny barriers around houses, fencerows and walls.

And if the gardener is patient, cut the spiny tops off your pineapples and plant in large pots or in the garden. About a year later the spiky top will grow and produce a little pineapple from a center stalk.

Buyer bewares. Often there are orchid vendors selling from the back of trucks, epiphytic and ground orchids collected from mountain forests and roadways. If purchased, most will die in Guanacaste’s dry climate and often need insects and other mutualistic relationships to survive.

Orchids are not easy to grow in Guanacaste and those once beautiful table arrangements dry up to a few leathery leaves that sit in pots until they are tossed out and replaced by a newly purchased plant.

Costa Rican orchids and other threatened plant and animal species are protected by the CITES agreement signed by 123 countries to prevent trade in protected species.

Although still seen in farmers markets in the Central Valley, native orchids and bromeliads are now being replaced by farm-grown plants sold legally and exported to foreign markets as well.

I have been trying to grow orchids for some time, learning to mist and fertilize these plants which are a challenge in the dry Guanacaste. On your next trip, either to or from San José, stop by the orchid farm and take the short tour and purchase your own orchids for a wholesale price and learn how to keep them alive and blooming. I now have them alive and am diligently working on the blooming. Want to learn more? There are many excellent orchid books available including J. Francisco Morales’, Orquideas, cactus y bromelaids del bosque seco, INBIO, 2001. For eye candy, watch Avatar in 3D.

What counts is not necessarily the size of the dog in the fight - it’s the size of the fight in the dog.”

General Dwight Eisenhower

Surf Report (from page 15) “I am very, very happy that I finally won after trying in so many dates. In Malpais the level of surfers is very good, and is growing and, with this result, it begins to show,” insisted Fillingim.

The next date of the Circuito Nacional de Surf DayStar 2009-2010 presented

by LimeCoral will be in Santa Teresa. The Copa Quiksilver will take place April 12 and 13, and will be 4 stars, awarding 1,500 points to the winners of each category.

Circuito National de Surf Daystar 2009-10 Witch’s Rock - March 13, 14, 2010 Open Grommet Girls 1Mattías Braun 1 - Tania Gonzales 2Jason Torres 2Leilani McGonagle 3Isaac Vega 3Cloe Velarde 4Federico Pilurzu 4Selena Moberly Women’s 1Nataly Bernold 2Lisbeth Vindas 3Ericka Valverde 4Merary Jimenez

Minigrommet 1Leonardo Calvo 2Sean Forester 3Kevin Montiel 4Edirsdo Venegas

Junior 1 - Anthony Fillimgim 2José Calderón 3 - Angello Bonomeli 4Roberto Jimenez

Minigrommet Girls 1Paula Duarte 2 - Arisha Grioti 3Leilani Mcgonagle 4Cloe Velarde

Junior Women’s 1Jordan Hundley 2Paula Duarte 3Leilani McGonagle 4Maia Velarde

Master 1Carlos Velarde 2Cassio Carvalho 3 - Adolfo Gómez 4Craig Schieber

Boys 1234-

Noe Mar McGonagle Josué Rodríguez Carlos Brown Daría Menendez

Novice 1Giannio Ferrandino 2Josué Venegas 3Esteban Valverde 4 - Andrés Cordero

Grommet 1Manuel Mesen 2Bruno Carvalho 3Noe Mar McGonagle 4Giancarlo Mendez

Longboard 1Cristian Santamaría 2 - Alex Gómez 3Jordan Hernández 4José Espinoza

Last month, before deadline, the Italian-Costa Rican resident of Malpais, Ramón Taliani, prevailed at the premier date of the Circuito Nacional de Surf DayStar in Playa Westfalia in Limón, beating in the finals the Jacó residents Luis Vindas and Jair Pérez, not to mention Tamarindo’s Luis Castro. In front of Hotel del Pilón, close to 1,500 people watched the finals and semi-finals with waves of at least a meter in size.

It was sunny in Limón and the atmosphere was great, adding tremendous support for the last heats, as Castro mounted a lead for the first 10 minutes, while Taliani lacked a better wave, only scoring 8.00 points in the first minutes. He eventually added two better waves—rights with strong (continued page 28)

THE RIDE OF YOUR LIFE!!!

CANOPY, HORSEBACK RIDING AND ATV www.CanopyPuraAventura.com info@CanopyPuraAventura.com Tel: 2-658-0781 / 8-883-5703 / 8-873-7236

What’s developing?

V

ery close to all the beaches and partway between Tamarindo and Flamingo is El Sandal, a development of 30 town homes in a gated community.

All the units are of exquisite design with modern amenities, and have an area of 150 square meters (1614 square feet), with 3 bedrooms and two-and-a-half baths. Layout is a duplex, with two residences sideby-side per building.

Units, of concrete block construction, have private terraces, 9 to 10-foot ceilings and ceramic tiles throughout the living areas. All interior doors are solid wood; windows are aluminium. Units are fitted with mini-split air conditioning, electric water heater, recessed lighting, and are wired for telephone, high-speed internet and cable television.

Kitchens have granite counter tops, ceramic tile splashbacks, European-style cabinets, chrome faucets and an oversize stainless-steel sink.

There are ceramic tiles on bathroom floors and surrounds, a pedestal sink, and a soaking tub in the master bathroom. Fittings again are chrome faucets, vanity and overhead lighting.

Each unit has two deeded parking spaces, and the common areas include a children’s zero-depth pool and fountain, adult pool and sun deck, barbecue and picnic area. The beautiful gardens are completely maintained.

As of writing, there are 8 units available for purchase: units 24, 28 and 30 at $199,000; units 8, 11, 12, 15 and 16 at $225,000. Payment plans are available with the total payment spread over the construction period.

El Sandal is centrally located, a short distance from Tamarindo, Flamingo, Huacas, Playa Grande, and a half-hour to Santa Cruz.

Golf courses at Playa Conchal and Hacienda Pinilla are a short drive away, as are the grand surfing beaches of Avellanas and Negra.

Tamarindo airport is within five minutes drive, and Liberia International one hour away.

For information, call Letizia Gugielmino at 2-653-6308, 8-8249218 or 8-996-0889.

A REGAL LIFESTYLE IN A SECURE GATED COMMUNITY TROPICAL DREAMING OVERLOOKING THE BEACHES AND NATIONAL PARK RESERVE OF PLAYA GRANDE AND TAMARINDO SURFING, SUNSETS, FISHING, GOLF, TURTLES AND BREATHTAKING PANORAMIC VIEWS LOTS ARE NOW READY WITH RUNNING WATER AND UNDERGROUND PO0ER

CORONA DEL CABO DEVELOPMENT IS LOCATED ON THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST COAST OF COSTA RICA, IN THE SUNNY PARADISE PROVINCE OF GUANACASTE, 55 MINUTES DRIVE FROM LIBERIA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT AND THREE MINUTES FROM THE BEACH

Sales Office: (506) 2-654-4919 Cel: (506) 8-392-9237 E-mail: coronadelcabo@gmail.com

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. amphetamine anecdotal anfitrion asamblea catatonic contradictorio edificio fortuitous fraternal galantear hormiga huelga humanidad inconsciente libidinous

license lucidity menacing orilla panoply precipitar psychedelic second spirit stagger terremoto tortoise tortuous tropezar tornillo

David Mills

Beers...

(from page 24)

boarding the tram/train. At the street crossings, wide lanes are assigned to bicycle traffic only. Walking in one can be dangerous.

If it’s over 50 F., you’ll see everyone sitting outside wherever they can. Dogs are welcome on public transportation.....but I don’t think they need a ticket! People seem extremely well-mannered and they rarely use their cellphone on the trains. From the looks on other passengers’ faces, it seems a major breach of etiquette to do so. Several times I climbed steep stairs from the subway, cursing that the escalators weren’t working. I finally realized that they are controlled by motion detectors, and only start up when someone approaches! What a great energy-saving idea. The level of service one receives is far superior than in Costa Rica. Attentive waitstaff and store clerks treat you as a valuable customer, no matter how much you are spending. I would rate the service here a 10.

This afternoon I tour Bavaria Filmstadt, one of Europe’s biggest and most famous movie production studios located in Grunwald, a beautiful wooded area on the southern edge of Munich. Admission to the Filmstadt is 11 Euros, and tours in English are given at 1 p.m. I pay $2.70 for a hamburger and coke at the MacDonald’s in the courtyard. The tour visits movie sets, includes participation in making a short film clip, and offers the chance to walk through the life-sized replica of ‘Das Boot’, a submarine that is 100 ft. long by 10 feet wide, and held 52 people during the filming of the movie.

Day 5.....Rain!

My tour of Neuschwanstein castle at 10:30 is cancelled as it’s cloudy and cold (50 F.) and only 2 of us showed up for the tour. I decide to go see a movie. I am an avid film buff, and haven’t seen a movie in a theater in over a year. Munich has two English language theaters where you can see movies without any subtitles. I pay $6 to see “The Boat That Rocked”, starring Philip Seymour Hoffman. This is a rollicking good time and tells the story of the disk jockeys who broadcast ‘illegal’ rock and roll from the North Sea to British radio stations in 1966. It’s been released in England, but not yet in the U.S....so who knows when the pirated DVD will show up in Tamarindo?

Day 6......The Fairytale Castle Today I am going into the Alps to visit Neuschwanstein Castle, built by ‘Mad’ King Ludwig in the mid-1800’s. Our tour leaves Central Station for a 2-hour train ride to Fussen, a beautiful Bavarian village of about 7,000 people. During the train ride, our well-informed guide tells us the dramatic story of Ludwig’s strange life, the building of the castle, and his mysterious death by drowning...was it suicide or murder? His life story reads like a soap opera.

From Fussen it’s a 5-minute bus ride to the small village at the foot of the castle. We have time for a quick snack (a brat again!) and start up the hill. Our group has decided to walk instead of taking the bus. It is a beautiful day...a little brisk, but perfect for a walk up the mountain via a steep wooded road.

Tour groups enter the castle every five minutes according (continued page 30)

Surf Report (from page 25)

maneuvers initiated on the routes. Vindas and Pérez had bad luck in each of their decisions, lacking the ability to find waves. Castro put in some of the highest combinations, but Taliani (photo) ultimately obtained the highest points in the race surfing 14.67 in the finals.

The support of the group from Malpais and Santa Teresa was present with shouts and pats on the back, since it was the first time that a surfer from this region won a 1st place trophy in the Open category of the Circuito.

Previously, Olman Morales of Santa Teresa had been the best, winning 4th place last season.

Photo: Asis Esna

“First I want to be thankful to God, family and to the people of Malpais who take the credit to a large extent for this win. This is the best moment in my surfing, and the reason why I want to dedicate the win to the zone is that it has good waves and excellent surfers there,” said Taliani, who adds 1,500 points to his rankings with this win.

With a win in the Women’s category, Lisbeth Vindas had then won all three of the Circuito Nacional de Surf DayStar 2009-2010 dates, and that made her a favorite for her eighth title for Women’s National Surf Champion.

The three wins were all 4-star wins and, according to the rules, she can keep the best four results, and eliminate the three lowest.

Nevertheless, to gain a win, and shut Lisbeth out, Nataly Bernold and Jordan Hundley still have the power to overcome her results by winning the remaining dates, already on the table with Bernold’s win in Tamarindo.

This means it’s now a fight for the title on the way to the finals at Playa Hermosa.

At the end of the day on Sunday, the present Women’s National Champion, Lisbeth, gave indicators of defeat in the last two minutes in her final series, when she pulled a long left and earned 5.50 points that she needed to command the win and push Bernold to the 2nd position of the heat.

“I do not even feel like the favorite, especially since Jordan and Natalie make things happen and the level of both of them is very high, even Mariana (Samudio). Yes, I am going to be in all the dates of the Circuito and I want to win the title,” affirmed Lisbeth in Limón.

And finally, in Juniors Carlos Muñoz, who did not classify in the last rounds of the Open, was concentrating on winning the Under 18, where he delivered the highest combination of the date. He came away with a 16.00 and 9.17 respectively in his last two heats.

With this, the Junior, in this third date of the Circuito, sees a new winner after Maykol Torres took Esterillos and Jacó.

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.

1T

2F

3S

4S

5M

04:08 10:09 16:27 22:40 04:54 10:54 17:12 23:25 05:40 11:39 17:57

9.5 -0.9 10.1 -1.1 9.3 -0.6 9.7 -0.7 8.8 0.0 9.1

00:10 -0.2 06:28 8.2 12:26 0.6 18:45 8.4 00:58 0.5 07:20 7.6 13:17 1.3 19:37 7.7

6T Last Qtr 7W

8T

9F

10S

01:51 08:17 14:14 20:36 02:50 09:21 15:21 21:42 03:56 10:28 16:33 22:50 05:01 11:29 17:38 23:50 05:57 12:20 18:31

1.1 7.1 1.9 7.1 1.6 6.8 2.3 6.7 1.9 6.7 2.3 6.6 1.9 6.9 2.1 6.8 1.7 7.3 1.7

11S

12M

13T

14W New Moon 15T

APRIL TIDE CHART

00:41 7.1 06:44 1.4 13:04 7.7 19:15 1.2 01:25 7.4 07:25 1.1 13:43 8.1 19:54 0.7 02:05 7.8 08:02 0.8 14:19 8.5 20:30 0.3 02:43 8.1 08:38 0.6 14:55 8.8 21:06 0.0 03:20 8.2 09:14 0.4 15:30 9.0 21:42 -0.2

16F

17S

18S

19M

20T

03:56 8.3 09:50 0.3 16:07 9.1 22:19 -0.3 04:34 8.3 10:28 0.3 16:45 9.0 22:58 -0.2 05:13 8.2 11:08 0.5 17:23 8.8 23:39 0.0 05:57 8.1 11:53 0.7 18:11 8.5

21W 1st Qtr

00:25 06:45 12:43 19:03

25S

0.3 7.9 0.9 8.1

22T

23F

24S

01:16 07:40 13:42 20:02 02:15 08:43 14:49 21:10 03:20 09:51 16:01 22:21 04:28 10:57 17:11 22:29 05:32 11:58 18:14

0.6 7.7 1.2 7.8 0.9 7.7 1.3 7.5 1.0 7.8 1.2 7.6 0.9 8.2 0.9 7.8 0.7 8.7 0.4

26M

27T

28W Full Moon 29T

30F

00:29 06:31 12:54 19:10 01:24 07:24 13:45 20:01 02:15 08:14 14:33 20:48 03:02 09:01 15:19 21:34 03:49 09:47 16:04 22:18

8.2 0.3 9.2 -0.1 8.6 0.0 9.6 -0.5 8.9 -0.2 9.8 -0.8 9.1 -0.3 9.9 -0.8 9.1 -0.2 9.7 -0.7

1S May 2S

3M

4T

5W Last Qtr

04:34 8.9 10:32 0.1 16:48 9.3 23:02 -0.4 05:20 8.6 11:17 0.5 17:33 8.8 23:46 0.1 06:07 8.2 12:04 1.0 18:19 8.3 00:32 06:56 12:53 19:09 01:20 07:48 13:47 20:02

0.6 7.8 1.5 7.7 1.1 7.5 1.9 7.2

Beers...

(from page 28)

to the time assigned on their tickets.

Audio-guides are available for most non-English or non-German speakers. Our tour is in English, and the large group makes it hard to hear the guide. We walk through bedchambers, a throne room and ascend the tower which offers stunning views of the lakes below. After the castle tour, we the walk to the Marienbruke, a bridge with a jaw-dropping view of the castle. For me, this has been the highlight of the trip. The villages are invitingly quaint, and the fertile countryside is a sharp contrast to the dry Costa Rican fields.

Day 7.....My last day I feel a certain anxiety about seeing the remaining things on my list.

I realize now that five days is not enough time to see all the things Munich has to offer. I start with Nymphenburger Palace on the edge of town. This baroque building, begun in 1664, is considered to be one of Europe’s most beautiful royal residences. It was the summer playground of royalty and measures 700 meters in length. I enjoy a stroll through the royal gardens which are in full bloom.

After Nymphenburger, I go to Odeonplatz to start my journey to The Residenz, Hofgarden, and the English Garden. From the bridge on the south end of the English Garden, you can watch surfers ride the Eisbach, a stream with a predictable, surfable wave in the midst of a major city. Measuring 1 meter high and 12 meters wide, the wave demands a lot of skill to ride and retreat without falling.....beginners are discouraged from trying.

Today has the best weather of all week. It is in the mid-70’s and perfect for exploring Munich’s famous park. The English Garden is 3 miles long, bigger than Central Park and the biggest city park in Europe. The meadow is full of sun-bathers and young people playing music. A pleasant 30-minute stroll takes me to the Chinese Tower, with Munich’s most famous biergarten below.

It seats 7,000 people and today seems filled with soccer fans wearing their team jerseys. Time for Hofbrau beer and wiener schnitzel before catching a tram back to Viktualenmarket. Here I enjoy wandering through the stalls, looking at strange vegetables, meats with names I can’t pronounce, and a variety of handcrafted souvenir items. I settle under the shade of the trees in the biergarten to enjoy a pretzel and beer. This is a great spot for people-watching.

By the time the sun starts sinking, I am tired and a little sad.

Five days is not enough time for Munich. It’s a comfortable place, with nice people, great service, and intriguing history to be learned.

It deserves to be enjoyed at a leisurely pace. And I know I have only scratched the surface of this beautiful city. Yes, I would definitely return here.....with good shoes and more time.

Story and photos by Tamarindo resident Sue Lindstrom

by Jeanne Callahan

October F orecasts April F orecasts

Aries: 21 March - 20 April

28

This month’s vibe is energetically very positive as you have the support of your ruling planet, Mars, moving forward in fiery Leo as well as the Sun in Aries giving you an extra boost to accomplish your goals. There’s more than a bit of sexual tension and attraction being generated too. Look hard before you leap and watch what you say as Mercury is going retrograde this month and signals can get misinterpreted. Best days are the 12th, 13th and new moon on the 14th.

Taurus: 21 April - 21 May

With your ruling planet, Venus, entering your sign you can expect more social occasions and other pleasures entering your life. The love vibe also surrounds you at this time so if you are at all interested in connecting with someone make your move this month. Also definitely a good time for a diet and exercise overhaul. Work behind the scenes on projects now. Someone wiser is trying to teach you something important. Best days are the 15th and 16th.

Gemini: 22 May - 21 June

Your career gets another boost this month as you connect with more people in meaningful ways. Listen to your advisors about how you come across in your appearance and your message. Communication is your forte but don’t waste your time with unproductive media just because it’s out there ...it must create value in your life not just suck up your time. Best days for schmoozing are the 17th and 18th.

Cancer: 22 June - 22 July

This month has some additional expenses showing up to create a little anxiety about your never-ending security issues. Everything works out and some of the cash outflow may have to do with a foreign adventure you are planning.

Your career is getting a boost right now so put yourself in the public eye to make the most of it. Your sincerity is your greatest asset. Good days for being seen are the 19th and 20th

Leo: 23 July - 23 August

Mars moving forward in your sign is giving you plenty of energy and drive to succeed. You are passionate and willful at this time and can attract almost whoever you desire in your life. If you have the opportunity to take a trip to another country this is a great time to do it. It is also a good time to get more education or some special training in your field. Best days to get your way are the 21st and 22nd.

Virgo: 24 August - 22 September

Your ruling planet, Mercury, goes retrograde on the 17th so it goes without saying some plans will be changed. Will it ever end with that Saturn in Virgo....yes, it will clear out of your sign on July 21st so start marking your calendar! You are in good shape in the partnership house and may make connections with people abroad or from other countries.

Money is a big concern for you this month so do your best to simplify your cash flow and consolidate your debts.

Best days to have a little fun are the 23rd and 24th.

Visit Jeanne’s site at CelestialAdvisor.com

Libra: 23 September - 23 October

Partnerships get a boost from the current Aries energy this month and you can make strong and lasting connections now. Saturn will back up into Virgo this month giving you a little some homework about details left over from the fall.

There are potential problems with your homecoming from underground so don’t be surprised if something needs to be dug up in your yard or in the neighborhood. Your most positive days are the 25th and 26th.

Scorpio: 24 October - 22 November

This month has Mars at the top of your chart taking your professional life to another level. You are very energized and excited about something work-related and your enthusiasm gets you noticed in a very positive way. If you are looking for love, this month has Venus entering your house of partnership so your options are many, just don’t over-promise and under-deliver. The best days for you are the full moon on the 28th and the 29th.

Sagittarius: 23 November - 21 December

This month some fun comes your way as well as creative ways to express yourself or perform in some way. People from your professional past will be contacting you for your services or favors. Opportunity involving foreign countries or philosophy may make an appearance this month. Let all ideas simmer after the 17th when Mercury goes retrograde.

Delay big decisions until after May 11th. Good days are the 2nd, 3rd and 30th.

Capricorn: 22 December - 21 January

You are more than a bit squeezed by professional demands now and are feeling battle fatigued. There is some financial pressure with Mars in your eighth house so don’t spend money you don’t have. This is a good month to take a little time off and spend it at home. No travel or rushing around, just some down time in a comfortable place will do the job.

Your energy will return if you let yourself rejuvenate. Best days to get your way are the 5th and 6th.

Aquarius: 22 January - 19 February

This is an excellent time for connecting with your siblings, neighbors and communications in general. For the Aquarians who write you will find that ideas are just pouring in almost non-stop. Make use of it! Money finds its way to you but you may have some irritation or anger to clear up in regards to partnerships. Someone close to you is a little testy, probably because they’ve been ignored for a while. Good days to make up with someone are the 7th, 8th and 9th.

Pisces: 20 February - 20 March

With Jupiter in your sign you are feeling optimistic and happy with yourself and the world right now. People are attracted to you right now as they want to bask in that vibe. Be aware that you sometimes attract users so learn to recognize that inner twinge from your past experiences.

Don’t believe everything you hear after the 17th...and don’t sign or buy anything major then either! Days to enjoy life in general are the 10th and 11th.

Namasté

Panning for Gold in the baby boom

Tom Peifer

“The hunt begins for the foreign retiree”—Headline, La Republica

I

n mid-February, at the national level, Costa Rica launched a high profile initiative. To the fanfare of articles in national papers, a special government edict, web articles and enthusiastic reverberations through the real estate blogosphere, a plan was unveiled to promote retirement communities for some of the 60 million baby boomers who are starting to sail off into their golden years. It was a classic example of rediscovering the obvious.

Better late than never, I chuckled, recalling a conversation with a prominent politician almost 6 years ago. I argued that the wave of retirees in Guanacaste was bringing in at least $2,500/month per couple, generating plenty of employment and was worth pursuing as an option for this country given the approaching retirement of the baby boomers. “It would be very interesting to run some numbers on that,” he commented. Well, somebody finally did and came up with the goal of 10,000 retirees per year, synchronizing with the current trend of medical tourism and building whole ‘clusters’—or retirement communities—in a number of zones that have been identified as desirable for a variety of reasons.

Seasoned skeptics might suspect that the ink is dry on big land deals that have already been advanced in the indicated areas or that the whole effort is just a way for the government to corner a larger part of the action that is already underway.

More sophisticated observers might conclude that the “leaders” have come to their senses and realized that there is more gold--and less infamy—to be garnered from above-ground activities than the nefarious open-pit gold mine at Las Crucitas, enthusiastically promoted by our ‘peace with nature’ presidente. Also at work is a subtle shift from the vision of this country as a future industrial export powerhouse competing with the Asian tigers, towards exploiting its comparative advantage in terms of climate, scenic beauty and traditional cultural qualities of openness, hospitality and congeniality. In addition, there may be a dawning recognition that the halcyon days of Asian industrial growth just happened to coincide with the consumption patterns of baby boomer families in the pre-crash U.S. It’s a safe bet that on that score things have changed for the duration.

Cabinet Ministers Jorge Woodbridge and Marco Vinicio Ruiz deserve high marks for this initiative, even if some might say that it’s about time given the head start of both Mexico and Panama in accommodating ‘pensionados.’

Furthermore, from my perch in the forest, I would say that the glass is still at best only half full.

Where the framers of this initiative have fallen short is in failing to insist that these projects serve as signposts along the road to addressing the historic problems of land use planning and development in Costa Rica. The rampant growth of the central valley around San José has paved over some of the finest agricultural soils in the world while leaving the underground water supplies in perilous condition--half empty and full to the brim with toxins. Not a week goes by without ads for new suburbs, ever further from the city centers and dependent on a decrepit road system and sewage treatment that has been decades in planning.

The retirement clusters offer the chance to deploy smart development thinking on a variety of levels. They provide an opportunity to establish Costa Rica as a pioneer in “developing peace with nature”, cornering the comparative advantage in the “head hunt for retirees” and ensuring a lasting positive impact on some other long-term variables that are more important than just a positive influx of dollars.

Frankly, I am not overly optimistic that Messrs Ruiz and Woodbridge have the slightest clue of how to go about using the cluster concept to chart the course from the economics of taking nature apart to one of putting it back together.

Recommended reading for these gentlemen would include a recent New York Times article on the South Village development in Vermont wherein a key amenity is a 16acre farm. The article notes that, nationwide, “There are currently at least 200 projects that include agriculture as a key community component.”

Additional reading to help government planners guide developers into a smart-growth century would be an article by Gerry Wilhelm, whose firm Conservation Design Forum, has designed water retention and re-use systems for developments of hundreds of homes, including the award-winning Prairie Crossing conservation community, not far from Chicago: “I. Water usage approaches that shed water from an area in volumes faster than it is replaced put aquifers in deficit, (continued page 36

Surviving

C hapter VI

Y

COSTA RICA

Serious Matters

ou will find that this month’s column is not very funny. This, of course, implies that it normally is.

Susan and explained she had bone spurs in several cervicals in her neck and surgery would be needed to correct it.

However, not this month, as I’d like to share some recent developments in my life’s survival attempts here in Costa Rica.

Dr. Brenes is one of Costa Rica’s premier neurosurgeons who has performed similar operations on a host of other Tamarindo luminaries and we realize now how lucky we were to have him.

Several years ago my hardworking artisttype wife began to experience increasingly more pain in her neck and shoulder occasionally bordering on the extreme. At that point we took her into San José for an MRI and several consultations with the medical community. The first prognosis was several herniated disks which hopefully could be dealt with by physical therapy.

Susan began a regimen of visits to our friend and healer Grace Cabanas here in Tamarindo and things got better although never really went away for good.

The next step was to find a date for the surgery and find out if insurance would indeed cover it, minus our deductible of course. At first Dr. Brenes suggested about a month into the future some time right after Samana Santa (Easter), giving time for INS to make up their mind. It didn’t work out that way though. We asked if there was any way we could go in as soon as possible, like the next week. Dr. Brenes said that would be possible and almost immediately after that we got the go-ahead from INS.

Flashing forward to the present time minus a couple of months the pain had returned with a vengeance, possibly due to a Halloween night escapade through the streets of Langosta in a jeep with no shocks. It got to the point where even visits to Grace weren’t helping, and was seriously affecting Susan’s ability to paint. Not to mention she hurt all the time. Something had to be done.

Back we go to Clinica Biblica and check Susan in at 9 a.m. that Wednesday for surgery at 1:30. At about 5:30 pm I’m allowed in the recovery room where Susan has already been for several hours. Dr.Brenes is there and tells me everything went exactly as it should have and explains in yeoman medical terms what he did, which was enter through her front neck to clean calcium deposits (spurs) on her neck bones

We visited Dr Piloto here in town, who re-confirmed the seriousness of Susan’s condition and got the ball started for eventual surgery in San José.

YIKES!!!!

We’ve had health insurance in Costa Rica since 2004 so we were really hoping INS (the one and only insurance group in Costa Rica and part of the government) would approve.

Susan was pretty wasted on good hospital drugs but did manage a wave. Not too much later they put her in her private room where I sat with her for awhile. She didn’t say much but had a smile on her face.

The next step was a new MRI, which was quickly approved by INS and was performed at Clinica Biblica in central downtown San José.

The plan was to keep her one more day and then release her Friday morning. When we admitted her I was told to put a deposit down and that we’d square up later. The deposit was hefty but less than I expected though I was pretty sure I’d get a larger bill at the end.

It was a brand-new machine and, in case you don’t know this, Clinica Biblica is a first-rate hospital. The results were sent to Dr. Javier Brenes who sat down with

I visited Susan in her room the next morning and the smile was definitely gone.

They’d woken her up at 4-something in the morning to give her a shower and get her

Story by Jesse Bishop

first day of recovery. I showed up at 9:30 a.m. but she thought it was sometime in the late afternoon and I was a tardy husband.

The rest of the day kinda went like that.

The pain in her neck and shoulder were gone and replaced by pain associated with someone tunneling through your neck. She also admitted she’s not the world’s greatest patient, something I already knew after thirteen years of marriage.

Friday morning my plan was to hit the hospital early enough to pay up, and then leave to start my cycle of weekend music gigs. I was to be replaced by our “Super Yenta” friend Janet. I went to the proper window and was told they were still putting the bill together. I was expecting something in the “lower thousands” and had warned my credit card people there was going to be a big transaction. I was finally called back where the hospital finance guy went through the bill and although his English was better than mine I really didn’t understand much.

He then said that they we’re going to refund $100 from my first deposit, and that was pretty much it!

I know at some point in the future something’s gonna catch up with us, or maybe the insurance people overestimated the costs to be on the safe side.

Susan spent three more days in San José recuperating at the Hotel Gran Costa Rica and then flew back Monday with Janet.

She’s back at home with her dog and is expected to be fully recovered with the month.

As much as we poke fun at and tend to get frustrated at Costa Rica, our whole experience with the surgery and the medical institutions was very heartening and it’s no wonder Costa Rica has become a “medical tourism” destination. It was interesting that all through this a continuing story on the news involved Conservative Republican Guru Rush Limbaugh who stated that if the Obama Health Care Bill passed he’d move to Costa Rica, a country that guarantees health coverage as a right of all citizens

Adobe Your name is Mud!

J

ust when things are moving along smoothly, up pops a problem to bite you in the bum. One mystifying problem just cost me two days of anguish, frustration, anger and almost panic.

Do you know that feeling of dread when something you do on a regular basis suddenly doesn’t work any more? I clicked on my InDesign icon, which I do a dozen times a day, to add a story to the April Howler. Instead of leaping to attention as usual, a message told me “InDesign cannot determine the serial number. Please reinstall InDesign”.

Oh, no!” I thought, “Production starts tomorrow.” Of course, it was Saturday afternoon, the standard time of the week for any problem to occur. Reverting to the old adage “If all else fails, follow the instructions”, I reinstalled the software: “InDesign cannot determine the serial number. Please reinstall InDesign”.

I e-mailed Jorge in San José. Jorge knows everything about Mac applications. He got back to me with words of wisdom, which I applied, and got the message: “InDesign cannot determine the serial number. Please reinstall InDesign”.

In desperation, I downloaded a new trial copy of the application, installed it and clicked: “InDesign cannot determine the serial number. Please reinstall InDesign”.

I had used this software 10-20 times a day over the past 7 years and it had always come across like a faithful dog. What could have happened?

After two days of angst progressing into terror, I again checked the Adobe support site. It throbbed with anger from messages from many users who couldn’t get their trusty InDesign to open.

Deadlines had been missed, businesses folding, editors jumping out of first-floor windows...Working my way through the messages, I felt a little hope. The problem could not be in my Mac, or my software; somehow, Adobe had managed to corrupt one of my 367,429 files. Which one?

Hidden away in the thousand messages was a fix!!! Seems that an update to another Adobe program, which I had applied Friday, had leaped across the application files and embedded itself into my InDesign file. Ten minutes later, I was up and running, smiling with relief but furious at the geek who had sent out an untested fix.

I hope he is selling pencils on a street in Silicon Valley.

So, if The Howler is a little late, blame Adobe. It’s not my fault!

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

Alcoholics Anonymous Schedule of Meetings

Flamingo

Tuesdays: 5:30 - 6:30 pm (open) Fridays: 5:30 - 6:30 pm (open)

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

Tamarindo

Saturday: 10:30-11:30 - Open General Meeting Monday: 5:30 Open Meeting Thursday: 6:30-7:30 - Open Meeting Location: Behind Restaurant La Caracola Contact: Ellen - 2-653-0897

Panning for Gold... cause springs to dry up, and change the base flow fluxes of rivers to the point where populations of fish and other organisms are progressively stressed.

II. If water is handled everywhere it falls, then energy is not needed to transform it from a renegade polluted volume to a clean and useable resource.

III. Water, sunlight and wind are the resources which nature provides to the top of the hill for free. Water especially should not be debauched as a waste product.”

Surfing the wave of the future in sustainable developments offers Costa Rica the chance to “put back the pieces” in an integrated fashion: infiltrate clean water, soak up atmospheric carbon, generate power within developments, employ the latest in climate-wise architecture and use the process to train and deploy a cadre of professionals and technicians with the tools and the talent to set about the task of developing a survivable ‘habitat for humanity’ into the foreseeable future.

The six years since my brief conversation with Ottón Solis on the possibility of ‘mining gold from the stream of retirees’ has been put to good use. In a small piece of land we have been doing precisely the kinds of things that should characterize developments nationwide: Strict attention to the hydrological cycle, food production within the project employing local people, diversifying the forest, environmentally sound sewage treatment. We even made sure that a young Costa Rican doctora would be one of the first residents. Ours is very much a walkable and hands-on-involvement community, since a guiding principle is that active living is one of the keys to longterm health.

I would cherish an opportunity to share my experiences with the powers in charge of shaping the new government initiative on retirement communities. I could even help them with their marketing. For starters, we never use terms like active retirement or ‘the golden years’.

We much prefer: Pura Vida!

April 2010

(all times local)

Sun

1st - rise 5:40; set 5:54 15th - rise 5:33; set 5:54 30th - rise 5:26; set 5:55

Last quarter: New: 1st quarter: Full:

Moon

6th 14th 21st 28th

3:37 a.m.

6:29 a.m.

12:20 p.m.

6:18 a.m.

Tom Peifer is an ecological land use consultant with 16 years experience in Guanacaste. Phone: 2658-8018. peifer@racsa.co.cr El Centro Verde is dedicated to sustainable land use, agriculture and development.

Web site: http://www.elcentroverde.org/

“There is a growing strength in women, but it is in the forehead, not in the forearm.”

Beverly Sills

S T U D E N T V O I C E S • C D S G

Skating Incident It was an awesome day. The sun was shining bright; Storm clouds were on the horizon. My grandma was in town, and I had decided to go skating with her so she could watch since she was so inspiring when I did sports. I thought it was going to be the greatest day of skating, but how wrong I was.

When I got to the skate park I looked it over. It was just how it always was, rundown ramps with graffiti, and the smell of damp mud and humidity filled the air. ‘’Perfect time to skate‘’, I said to myself and dropped in off the side of the ramp.

I wanted to impress my grandma so I showed her my skating and did the best I could. I tried so hard I wore myself out, and decided to do something exciting. I got my friends together, and we went to the end of the skate bowl. I told them that we were going to race to the bottom of the bowl. They all loved the idea and I was ready to win. I got on my board and sat down. This type of race was dangerous so we sat on our boards instead.

Just like that, we were off on our way down to the bowl. I was in the lead and about to win when smash! All I remember was lying on my back looking at my friend who had bumped me.

He was staring in awe as my finger gushed out blood. I didn’t feel it at first but then it hit me like a truck. My finger nail was gone and my veins were all that was left of where my fingernail was. It hurt so much.

Now, I bet you’re thinking “oh this guy is so weak I bet I could handle that. But this was something to talk about, given the fact that it also ripped the tip of my finger off. It bled everywhere and the fingers are where the nerve endings are. The fingers are one of the most sensitive parts of the body so this was painful.

I was rushed to the doctor across the street and got my finger stitched and wrapped with gauze. My grandma was very scared after the situation but after a while she got over it.

Mason Mckillican Grade 7

My Parents Are So Selfish, They Ruined My Life As I was sitting down in my living room watching TV, I would have never known that my life would change in the next few minutes.

My parents came down the stairs.

“Mom! Dad!” “Good morning sunshine,” my mother replied.

I hadn’t seen them in a week. They had been to Costa Rica for the third time. I should have thought that was suspicious, but I didn’t.

We hugged and laughed and my mom started making my favorite breakfast - pancakes. Then we all sat on the couch and my parents

“Money will buy you a fine dog, but only love can make it wag its tail.” - Richard Friedman

started talking about how wonderful Costa Rica was and how nice people were and how Montreal is a big city and we are always running everywhere and that the winters are so cold.

“We are moving to Costa Rica”, Dad suddenly announces.

I snapped out of my day-dream and for a second I was shocked but then I started laughing. I mean it was the first week of April and as usual my parents like making jokes on April Fool’s.

“Yeah, right. You guys are just kidding around.”

They turned on the TV and plugged in the video camera. At first I saw a beautiful house, then a school, and someone told the camera how happy he was to have me going to his school next year. I started freaking out. By the look on their faces, I knew that they were serious. At first I was unable to talk; no words could explain the tornado in my head causing a lot of damage.

My vision became blurry and I started sweating.

I ran upstairs to the bathroom, locked myself in and called up my friend Isabelle. Hot tears were running down my face. We cried on the phone for many hours.

I was feeling different feelings at the same time: anger, sadness, curiosity, excitement.

My friend had to go to eat dinner. I got on my computer and started writing an e-mail to my friends:

“Caution! Alert! Help! Distress!! Hey, everybody, my parents just told me we that we were moving to Costa Rica for a year! They are so mean! Anyway, I really need your help to stay here so please sign below so I can show my parents how many people care about me and don’t want me to leave.

Thank you, your friend who loves you, Amelia.”

I was pretty desperate. The following morning, I didn’t want to talk with my parents so when they would ask me questions, I would mumble something randomly and leave.

My friends were sad because, even though we were going to different schools, we often went to the movies or parties together. One of my friends owned a really big country-house. We had all planned to go there and spend a weekend together.

Gradually, I forgave my parents. Excitement was growing in me. We packed our boxes, rented our house and left on August first.

And now here I am, and I love Costa Rica!

Amelia L. - English 7th