howler1005may

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The Howler Founded in 1996 Vol. 15, No. 5 - May 2010 Issue No. 164 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 JEFFREY WHITLOW ELLEN ZOE GOLDEN CYNTHIA CHARPENTIER JEANNE CALLAHAN JESSE BISHOP NINA WEBER KAY DODGE

Deadline for June: May 15

Howler advertising

Advertise in the Howler and improve your business. The Howler now offers a wide range of advertising sizes and formats to suit all needs. Please contact: David Mills - 2-653-0545 dmills@racsa.co.cr Advertising rates (color) Size 1/12-page 1/8 1/6 1/4 1/3 1/2 Full

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www.tamarindobeach.net www.tamarindohomepage.com

The Howler Since 1996

May 2010

FEATURES 8 Dining Out

Hidden away on a back road near Huacas is Qué Tuánis, a Tico restaurant with a large mixed menu.

14 Around Town

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

15 Surf Report Luis Vindas won the Copa Quicksilver in Santa Teresa, and stands set to win the National Championship, with only Nosara to go.

17 Guanacaste Cowboys

Guanacaste’s cowboy culture is, in several ways, different from that of other countries. We look at local cowboy terms.

18 Bar Tales of Tamarindo Tamarindo has had more than its fair share of eccentric characters, and many of them have owned bars and restaurants.

24 What’s Developing? Mar Vista in Flamingo uses many techniques to be a truly “green” development; Las Tinajas offers condo living in Huacas.

29 High Tension - The Shocking Truth Fixing his property for electric supply, Tom has to also consider the effects of electricity on his monkey neighbours.

30 Surviving Costa Rica

Easter week every year, Tamarindeños hunker down and try to ignore the invasion of visitors from San José.

33 Chorotega Pottery

A visit to Guaitil where artisans use age-old techniques to make beautiful pottery; a pottery operation in Tamarindo.

Cover Caption: Just outside the town of Santa Cruz is the famous artisan village of Guaitil. Learn how the Chorotega Indians make their pottery using the same techniques that were used by their Pre-Columbian ancestors. For more on Guanacaste pottery check out page 33. Cover design and photos: John Lyman Photos...www.johnlymanphotos.com

DEPARTMENTS 3

Word Puzzle

9

Student Voices

10

CD Review

11

Book Review

12 Yoga 13

Soccer

21 Slice of Life 25 Tide Chart 26 May Forecasts 28 Doctor’s Orders 32 Sun & Moon

Editorís Note

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bout the time you read this magazine, ground is being broken for the start of a new major medical facility – Pacific Plaza Health and Living - near Liberia. In the initial phase, a CIMA hospital, associated with the CIMA in Escazú, will be constructed with a completion date of June, 2011. The facility will be a fully operational hospital with all services, including its own heliport. Attached will be a three-storey medical office building housing a complete range of practitioners. In January 2011 a start will be made on a Continuous Car Residential Community (CCRC) a very popular concept in the United States. This facility will offer progressive accommodation from condominium living, through various stages of aging, to assisted living and beyond, with 100% services provided for independent living. Designed under the American Disability Act, the facility will include an Altzheimer’s unit. The medical facility, which will take eight years to completion, is located next to the Do-it Center in Comunidad. As usual, Semana Santa marked the end of the high season, and the Gold Coast is quiet, a big difference from the last three months. As I write, the skies are covered in dark cloud, and we actually had a brief shower this morning. The rains may arrive soon, a month early, and very welcome they will be after a very long, very dry summer.

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.

...de cierto os digo, que si no os hacéis como niños, no entraréis en el reino de los cielos. Mateo 18.3

Greta

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

April 2010

Word puzzle World Capitals

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. addisababa beijing belmopan brasilia brazzaville bridgetown budapest canberra caracas copenhagen damascus edinburgh georgetown islamabad khartoum

kingston managua monrovia montevideo nicosia ottawa paris portofspain reykjavik sansalvador santiago santodomingo stockholm teheran vientiane

David Mills

Dining Out

David Mills

Bar & Restaurant Qué Tuanis Huacas

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n our travels around this wonderful province, we are constantly trying out new eating and drinking establishments and, in some cases, bringing them to the notice of our readers. Some are upscale and in the towns; others are low-key and out in the country. Qué Tuanis is totally hidden and unseen from any road, although it is only a 200-meter drive from the main drag between Villarreal and Huacas. Very definitely a Tico bar and restaurant, it nonetheless serves a comprehensive menu. Arriving at the door, you are confronted by an array of plants and flowers inside and out. Not surprising, then, to find that the business is owned and operated by Alvaro Ramirez Monge and family, who also own the better-known Floristeria Cristal. In fact, Qué Tuanis is immediately behind the floristeria. The restaurant is spacious, with rustic wood furniture, and open to the outside with choice of inside or outdoor seating. The music is good and unobtrusive, mostly Radio Dos-style, although the place can get into a party mood, especially on Saturday nights when the karaoke singers get started. For light eaters there is a range of bocas – chifrijo, patrulla, patacones, fajitas, tacos and sustancia. The menu is heavy on seafood. Appetizers include ceviches and salads, fish or chicken soups or cream of seafood, mushroom or asparagus. We chose a chicken salad and cream of mushroom soup. For main dish there are four pasta dishes; rice with seafood, shrimp, squid, chicken; lomito with four sauces; chicken breast four ways. Seafood dishes include crayfish, shrimp, filet, shrimp kebabs or whole fish. Of course, there are the casados without which a tico menu would not be complete, and hamburgers. My companion selected the jumbo shrimp with seafood sauce, which came with rice and vegetables, while I had lomito with jalapeño sauce and French fries. Both were plentiful and tasty. We skipped dessert, with its ice cream, jelly (jello), fruit salad or tropical pineapple. Qué Tuanis is one kilometer from the Huacas junction heading towards Villarreal. Turn right at the Buoy and go 200 meters. Tel: 2-653-6231 / 8-354-1041. Open seven days from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m., all credit cards accepted.

The Day I Learned How to Surf

S T U D E N T V O I C E S • C D S G

I remember the day I learned how to surf. It must be weird; I am 12 years old living in Costa Rica and I don’t know how to surf. I remember it was my first time going to Tamarindo. The drive from Flamingo to Tamarindo seemed very long, but I knew it was shorter. When we drove up to Kelly’s Surf Shop I thought this is different. It was very quiet; all I could hear was my dad talking to the owner, Kelly, and Jonathan, my surf instructor. As soon as they stopped talking we were heading out to the beach. Now we were on the beach. I had to learn to stand up. I could fell the sand sweeping my feet and the blazing sun on my shoulders. All I could hear was Jonathan and the waves crashing. Once I learn how to stand up we headed for the ocean. I saw many people lying on the beach or playing in the water and surfing. I started riding the white part of the wave first. I did fall a few times. My very first wave I was pushed and I had to stand up but I didn’t bend my knees and I fell. The second time I bent my knees too much. I tried about four times and I still fell. The salt water crashed against my legs and Jonathan told me not to give up, although I did feel like giving up. So I just tried again. He pushed my board on the wave break. I stood up, bent my new board and rode the wave in. I was so proud. I tried again and I didn’t fall for about five times. Then Jonathan told me we were going to ride small waves. I wasn’t sure about that. There it was coming towards me. It looked like it was going to eat me. I felt my nerves rush over me. I could smell fear but I also smelt the salt water. I was on my board, the wave wasn’t going to wait for me so I had to ride it. I felt somebody pushing my board so I got up and I rode the wave. I felt so proud. I felt like I was on top of the world. Again I rode it and again and again. I did fall many times. When I couldn’t stay on the board I felt like giving up and never trying again. But if you don’t try how will you learn? The sun was starting to set and that meant that it was time to start surfing. I played in the water with Jared for a little bit. After we went to Witch’s Rock for dinner. It was fun. I felt so proud and happy. I could hear people talking all around me. Some people were speaking Spanish; some were speaking Spanish and Polish I think. I ate chicken nuggets and nachos.

Sabrina Black Grade 7 The Try-out I arrive at the gym in the Prince Charles building. It’s cold outside; the snow is falling lightly. It’s only about 4:45 p.m. but it’s already dark. It’s ominous. The nets are set up and some people are already warming up and volleying, setting, serving, and spiking to each other. “Good luck,” my Mom says. “Thanks,” I reply and she leaves and I walk into the cavernous gymnasium. I take off my boots and put on my court shoes, grab a

ball and start to serve against a wall. I’m fifteen minutes early but my Dad told me that his coach always used to tell his basketball team, “If you’re ten minutes early, you’re five minutes late.” So technically, I was just on time. I didn’t know any of the people at the gym. They were probably all from Oakville, Arthur Meighen, and La Verendrye schools. Finally a fellow Yellowquill School student, like myself, arrives and along with her, a couple of others. I ask Sierra, one of the girls that just arrived, if she wants to practice with me. She agrees and we start peppering. Bump, set, spike. Bump, set, spike. We continue this for a while to warm up and then Melora arrives. Sierra catches the ball and says, “One sec.” I nod, slightly impatient because I want to warm up and get a little practice in before the coach arrives. But I tolerate it, cross my arms and wait. She runs over to Melora and talks to her, and asks a question. Melora answers and then they keep on talking while Melora gets ready. Now, I’m really impatient. Hurry up, Hurry up, I think to myself and tap my foot. Then Melora gets up and she and Sierra walk over to the left of the gym and start passing to each other! I walk over to them and ask Sierra, “Ummm, Sierra? Weren’t we practicing?” She looks at me, “Oh... yeah. I’m going to practice with Melora now. Is that okay?” She asks, with a look that says she could really care less. Well, it would have had to be okay because she didn’t wait for an answer, just turned to face Melora again and started volleying. Great! Now I need another partner and another ball. I then go over to Katie, who I ask to practice with me. She agrees and we start practicing. Soon, the coach arrives and asks us to circle up. She instructs us to run around the court a couple times to warm up and then stretch. The coach makes us do various drills like she throws the ball to the side and we have to bump it to her, and then we do some scrimmaging. The try-out goes by fast. “There are a lot of talented girls here,” she tells us. “I’m afraid, though, that I can’t have you all on the Prairie Fire girls volleyball team.” She hands out envelopes individually and we all know that the truth is just a sheet of paper away. “Please, leave the gym before you open the envelopes,” she instructs us. My Mom is waiting when I get in the car. “How’d it go?” she asks me. “Fine,” I reply. I explain to her how nervous I am to open the envelope and how I want to be on the team but that I didn’t play my best at the try-out. She reassures me and says that whatever happens is for the best. With a deep breath, I open the envelope. “I am sorry to inform you that you did not make the Prairie Fire girls club volleyball team” For a second I am filled with disappointment, then, I think of the incident before the practice. Would it have been that way at every practice? Is this really the best thing I can do with my time? I might have Cassie on the team with me, she’s a good friend. (I didn’t know until later that she didn’t make the team either. Sierra and Melora, on the other hand, did.) No, my Mom was right, it was all for the best.

Shawn Pallister Grade 8

CD Review New World Music Box Tony Orez

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funny thing about music: it doesn’t recognize imaginary boundaries men have drawn on maps. Or, put simply: music transcends borders, travelling into the ears of its listeners then, hopefully, into their hearts, too. And music doesn’t need a passport to accomplish this. That is part of the appeal of World Music for aficionados from anywhere on the globe. We now have a plethora of Eurocafé discs, Middle Eastern lounge CDs and Indonesian trip-hop fusion albums while, regretfully, Central American music has been largely unrepresented. Until now. A joint venture by the four most popular and progressive recording labels in this part of the world has begun to fill that void with the release of La Caja de Musica Centroamericana, the Central American Music Box. This compilation album showcases musical styles that ignore the borders of places we call Nicaragua, Belize, Honduras, Guatemala and Costa Rica. The Garifuna music represented here is a good example. The Garifuna culture was spawned nearly four centuries ago when survivors from two sinking slave ships cohabitated with indigenous Arawak tribes on nearby islands. Eventually, they migrated to mainland Central America. The music that evolved is unique, mesmerizing, and anything but Latin. Then there is Perrozompopo, a rock singer from Managua, Nicaragua, who records with Costa Rica’s premier label, Papaya Music. And it’s a nice touch on this historic album having Manuel Monestel’s calypso band Cantoamerica sing “Calaloo”, a song written by his mentor, the legendary Walter Ferguson, and the contribution by the Calypso Limón Legends. This style of music has certainly contributed to the creation of other musical styles, including reggae. The Moka Discos label from Nicaragua is represented by the fabled Duo Guardabarranco, along with Moises Gadea, internationally acclaimed Clara Grun and Katia Cardenal, the label’s founder. And the ethereal voice and variety of musical styles of Guillermo Anderson who co-founded the Honduran label Costa Norte with Max Urso is testament to the wide scope of rich culture here. No Central American compilation album would be complete without a song from the popular Costa Rican band Malpais, and they are here, along with a solo piece from their pianist Manuel Obregon, one of the founders of Papaya Music. I like the contribution by Leroy Young, discovered “doing his thing” while washing cars in Belize City. He went into the studio, recorded his infectious art and now he’s a dub poet. I admit that when I moved here eight years ago, I had no idea of the wealth and diversity of Central American music. This collaboration, under the name The Central American World Music Network, has done an excellent job of offering samples of the broad scope of culture that lie within these imaginary boundaries. I couldn’t review this CD without mentioning the artwork and overall production. Sharing the duties of production executive, Luciano Capelli from Papaya Music, Ivan Duran of Stonetree Records, and Sylvie Duran from Costa Rica, who was instrumental in getting the key players together at last year’s World Music Expo (WOMEX) in Copenhagen, have collectively done an incredible job putting this coalition of talent together; Priscilla Aguirre from LaCabeza Estudio and Paula Cruz from Papaya did a first class job in packaging and presentation, complete with classic Central American watercolor artwork and a bilingual booklet, with text by Yazmin Ross. Potentially, this project is just the tip of the iceberg; each of these four labels has an abundance of talent that could easily make this album the first in a series. As they say in the business: “It’s a monster!” Already, I can’t wait to hear the songs music on Central American Music Box II.

Book Review Osa on my Mind Tony Orez

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t had never crossed my mind that one of the reasons that the Osa Peninsula has remained such pristine terrain is because its isolation has helped it to remain an entity. This geographical logic comes up early in the text of the stunning new book “Osa – Where the Rainforest Meets the Sea”, a successful collage of photographic art and insightful journalistic essays that portray this unique region in southwest Costa Rica like no publication that has preceded it. In fact, two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and Harvard Professor Emeritus Edward O. Wilson proclaimed the work, “the best way to experience (Osa) short of going there.” High accolades, indeed. The two hundred twenty pages are separated into eleven sections with a forword by internationally renowned biologist, conservationist and nature writer Adrian Forsyth, certainly lending more credence to this two-man project by highly acclaimed nature photographer Roy Toft and writer Trond Larsen. Toft’s work has been featured in National Geographic, Smithsonian, Audubon and Discover Magazine, to name a few. He has been traveling to the Osa Peninsula for more than twenty years. His partner in this book, biologist/conservationist Trond Larsen received his PhD from Princeton and has been conducting scientific research on the Osa for more than a decade, has established a new biological station there and is currently a research fellow with the World Wildlife Federation and the Smithsonian Institute. But the book speaks for itself and in ways that make the resumes seem inconsequential: it is a masterpiece. The scenery photos are spectacular and the writing is truly heartfelt. And I think it is the wildlife photographs that help to put this project head and shoulders above all others along with the obvious emotion, the care that went into the entire presentation. Trond told me that it took him nearly two years to find time away from his research biologist job to put together his half of the project and that Toft’s photos in the book are a cross-section of literally thousands of shots he has taken in the Osa over the past decade or more. More than fifty years ago, botanist Paul Allen wrote of the Osa that “it is difficult to believe that anyone could view these forests without emotion”. That sentiment emanates from every page of this publication. The staggering wealth of bio-diversity and life there is portrayed both in images and the written word, along with the sense of the delicate balance, the micro-environments and unique situation that exists at Osa. Larsen has done a highly commendable job of making this information palatable to a lay person, such as me. The division of information into chapters is also subtly yet well-calculated, beginning with a nice overview and history of the peninsula. Four of the chapters are dedicated to the different animal groups in the area: mammals, arthropods, reptiles and amphibians, and birds. Another chapter focuses strictly on the flora, while three other chapters each are immersed in a particular ecosystem: watersheds, the rainforest intersecting with the ocean, and the Golfo Dulce. The final chapter, “The Human Animal”, looks at how we have and will fit into the history of this unique area. The book also dedicates, not surprisingly, one chapter to the importance of conservation. Personally, I think the whole book does a good job of reminding us about this essential topic. It is important to note that a portion of each sale of this book is donated directly to conservation projects on the Osa Peninsula. The book is available at all three Jaime Peligro book shops in Playa Tamarindo, Tilaran and Quepos, where the customer can view a sample copy of “Osa – Where the Rainforest Meets the Sea”.

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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 Meets Dance Set your body, mind and spirit wildly free! Experience the healing benefits of gentle yoga, freeing dance movement, and meditation in one powerful, transformational and exhilarating class suitable for all levels at Casa Azul. Rock’n’roll and relax. Feel more alive! The benefits of a Yoga meets Dance reach well beyond the physical, into the emotional, mental and spiritual realms restoring a deep sense of well-being to one’s entire being. It brings joy into life. Bio: ELYSE MADSEN - was a dance major at Hunter College and holds a BFA in Arts Management, with a concentration in dance, from Long Island University. She has performed at the Clark Theater, Lincoln Center, the Tilles Arts Center, Long Island University Little Theatre and at the Sylvia and Danny Kaye Playhouse in New York. Ms. Madsen has also spent time in Maui, Hawaii, where she had trained with Tilt Contemporary Dance Company. Recent performances in Orlando, Florida, include Cirque USA, AntiGravity, Seaworld, Universal Studios and Disney Cruise Lines. Yoga: I started yoga in college, as a required course, and immediately became a fan. Yoga had helped my dance training with increasing my focus and stability. I also found yoga to be very connected to dance in its movement. Both dance and yoga allow you to express and challenge yourself. It is an exploration of your soul.

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

Watching World Cup 2010

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ell, it is called the World Cup, so we can expect it to be held in various places around the globe. The problem is that the game times are naturally inconvenient for some countries. Although not the best screening times, this year’s schedule is a lot better than the 2002 World Cup, held in Japan and South Korea. Only one bar in the area stayed open for the games at 12:30, 3:00 and 5:30 a.m., and a small group of fanatics watched faithfully through the night. It helped that the bar owner was a police officer! This year, the venues in South Africa work fine for much of the world, but not for our hemisphere. All games in South Africa are afternoon and evening games which, with that country being eight hours ahead of us, gives start times of 5:30 a.m., 8:00 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Unless it’s a critical game, few people will be watching the early morning games, but the later times are certainly doable. Fortunately, only ten games are at 5:30 a.m, and those are in the opening Group of 32; in the Round of 16 and playoffs all games are at 8 a.m. or 12:30 p.m. Sharky’s Bar will open for these games. France wins World Cup - 1998

Next month’s Howler will feature a full-page spread of the fixtures, so you can follow your favourite team through the tournament from June 11 to July 11. Costa Rican forward Brian Ruiz was featured on the cover of Dutch magazine Voetbal International March 16 with the title “Brian Ruiz is a class apart.” Ruiz has helped put his team, FC Twente, at the top of the Holland first division.

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he weekly open-mike jam session has relocated to the Crazy Monkey Bar at Best Western, hosted by Jesse Bishop with the Banana Kings every Sunday. Good news, for oldies like me, it runs from 7 to 10 p.m. Bring along your instrument – or just your voice. Grab a cool beverage and choose a meal from the copious menu. The Monkey Bar at Best Western has also offered the use of its pool and sun deck to Tamarindo residents during the day. See article on page 27. The long-awaited World Premiere of the Tamarindo movie “Fe de Agua” will take place at Aqua Disco on Friday, May 7. Tickets (¢2,000) available at Jaime Peligro Bookstore. For details call 8339-5570. Mystic bar/restaurant is open at the old Bistro Langosta location. Cathy and Jean-Claude invite you to enjoy French cuisine, or join them for Happy Hour, 6 to 8. Celebrate the new road to Langosta with a Coctel Asfalto. See ad on page 13. Sharky’s now has a “beer-pong” tournament Sunday evenings from 9 p.m. Come and have fun tossing little balls into beer glasses. Very conveniently located in Huacas is Casa de la Montaña, with two large apartments for rent. Each is two bedrooms and two baths, available by the day, week or long-term. See ad on page 32. We welcome to our pages Jeffrey Whitlow, M.D., who will write a monthly column on nutrition (see “Doctor’s Orders” on Page 9). Jeffrey has many years’ experience in the subject and is nutrition consultant to many “big name” corporations. For a change of cuisine, try Terra Nostrum in the Garden Plaza opposite AutoMercado. Great Bolivian food and exotic Inca drinks. Laetitia Deweer, originator of Cepia, has started practice as a family counselor, licensed in Costa Rica. Children, teenagers and adults who need psychological support from a professional may visit Laetitia in her private psychotherapeutic counseling office (in Flamingo near Banco Nacional) or call 8-301-8282 for an appointment. A new on-line school is open, with principals Carol & Mark Slutzky. Please call 8-387-1855 or visit www.goldcoastlearningcenter.com.

www.howlermag.com The optimist sees opportunity in every danger; the pessimist sees danger in every opportunity Winston Churchill

Surf Report Story: Ellen Zoe Golden

Costa Rican Scotch Robert Darmsted

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ou say that there is no such thing as Costa Rican Scotch, that the only liquors available are Ron Rico and Guaro? May I assure you that there is Scotch and that it comes in two brands (or came, as I am writing about 1946-48, and who cares to know what has happened to Scotch since then!)

In Santa Teresa, Luis Vindas (photo) of Jacó pushed himself right to the top of the rankings by winning the date and making it his second top trophy of the Circuit Nacional de Surf DayStar 2009-2010 season. He was simply the best that weekend, and with that win under his belt, as well as the Esterillos date in January, he jumped up to the top of the rankings with only Nosara to go before the Gran Finals in Playa Hermosa.

You know the first Costa Rican Scotch by the name Dewar’s White Label, which was the only whisky sold in Costa Rica. The Ticos never heard of bourbon, and a good thing! Before opening a bottle of Costa Rican Scotch, it was carefully and reverently inverted several times to assure, it was said, that none was cheated.

he race for the surf championship is so exciting this year. Each category has its leaders and its challengers and as we closed out the fifth date – the Copa Quiksilver in Santa Teresa on April 10 and 11 - the picture got clearer in each division, but there still seem to be spoilers, albeit not many.

Photo: Fabián Sánchez

The game is still interesting, you see, because Nosara next month is a four-star date, where any of his competitors could take it. He should worry about Jason Torres (Jacó) or Jair Pérez (Jacó) the most, not to mention record breaker Carlos Muñoz (Esterillos) or Mattias Braun (Montezuma), who might put together a win in Nosara and Playa Hermosa. Things are still very interesting indeed. For those of you who want to find out what exactly happened at the Copa Quiksilver, let me back up and give you the report. Vindas found himself the winner after battling a final in waves of 3.5 meters with Muñoz (15.50), Anthony Fillingim of Malpais (10.86), and Braun (9.43). In the end, the main threat was the defending champion of the national title, 16-year-old Muñoz, who fought to the last minutes of the heat, with a great wave of 8.50, a long left with all kinds of maneuvers including a superman at the end of the route. Nevertheless, Vindas’ surfing was complete and with force and obtained the combination near to 16 with his two best waves coming with his second and sixth attempts. It was Braun who, on the the other hand, posted the highest wave of the event, with a 9.50 in the semifinals, after a long, deep, right tube with a clean exit, but luck didn’t accompany him in the finals. Fillingim, a 16-year-old new to the finals, rode a wave that earned a 5.33, but didn’t obtain much higher than that with others and placed in the third position despite his routes. As you can see, with Muñoz and Braun landing in the finals, they chocked up some much-needed ranking points. (continued page 23)

Scotch came to Costa Rica through the port of Limón. When discharging the ship, the dock hands kept pails and buckets close by. When a pallet of Scotch was swung over the dock, the winchman alerted the hands and would then drop the load hard enough to break the bottles, allowing time for the hands to dash under, buckets in hand to catch the draining Scotch. You may wonder: what about the broken slivers of glass? No problem. Anyone born and raised on gallo pinto would have no digestive problems drinking Limón Scotch. Furthermore, given a choice between Ron Rico, guaro and Limón Scotch, who would hesitate? Now for the second brand which will not, one hopes, ever be found at La Gran Via, but don’t be too sure! Those who worked at La Sabana, then the international airport, were a close bunch, Ticos and Gringos. Perhaps there were 6-700 working for TCA International, TACA de Costa Rica, LACSA, and mostly (over 500) for SALA. SALA, be it explained, was an aircraft maintenance facility doing work for all the airlines in the Caribbean basin (Venezuela, Colombia, Cuba, Mexico, Central America) converting Lockheed 18s and DC-3s to executive configurations for the oil moguls in Texas. The remains of the hangars and shops can be seen as one drives along the street at the east end of La Sabana. This was a young group of men, and a few women, mostly in their 20s and 30s with several older, and were much inclined to party at any opportunity. Carlos Holst was a young co-pilot flying for TACA de Costa Rica and had been promoted to captain, a perfect reason for a party. This one was held at a cafetal, a short walk from La Sabana. At the entrance was the party site, with a wash tub with a block of ice, overseen by a guard armed with an ametralladora. This was a no-host party, and all attending brought their own bottle or two, which was emptied into the tub. The contents were then declared Costa Rican Scotch. To my certain view Ron Rico, guaro, Bacardi, Scotch, several colors of wine, and the contents (continued page 31)

WHAT ARE WE DOING COSTA RICA? Cynthia Osborne Charpentier

International Festival of Arts (FIA) The International Festival of Arts was inaugurated by President Oscar Arias in 1989. Theme: Peace messages, Democracy, Culture, Values. That year the Festival ran from April 18 to April 28. Many artists came to enjoy our festival from Africa, Alemania, Argentina, Belize, Honduras, Guatemala, Belgium, Slovakia, Bosnia, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Cuba, Denmark, Spain (the host), United States, Italy, England, France, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico. You have to organize your activities because, there is a lot to see: Music; Literature; Theater; Dance; Performance; Street Theater. It’s a lot of excitement, even for those not used to these activities. It is good, because we can learn different cultures from some other countries”.

¡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

One of the favorite plays for the spectators was “ “History of Montescos and Capuletos”, from Tascabile di Bergamo, Italy. They like it because it is a new version, plus beautiful balls, details and costumes. At the end there were two versions of death: Feminine and Masculine: Romeo and Juliet dancing dead at the end. “This Festival was very well organized. Everything was beautiful. There were varieties of art from fine to more interesting from Indians in Costa Rica. Creativity, nice Illumination, concerts, “pasacalles” (Theater on the streets). It was a really good experience” - Mariana, C.R. “Theater and music makes it a possibility to live, or at least not to die, It’s like a language that sends us there from this ‘impossibility of living”. Miriam Goldschmidt, participant actress at the Fiesta with the play “Warum, warum”. I can’t believe how many artists can get through your skin into your soul. This a very special occasion, to get to go out of the routine, and enjoy with your families and friends. I am sad about my dear Guanacaste. In the past FIA was always in San José. I am happy they went to another two provinces: Limón and Alajuela. It’s wonderful for those who live far away and had the opportunity to enjoy the Festival. Now Guanacaste, I wish we could have those cultural events here. Somehow, maybe one day, the FIA can come to Guanacaste. We have Santa Cruz, we have Liberia and we have our arms open. We can not go too easily to San José; it’s really far. Let’s hope that the FIA it’s going to think about us. I was an actress with the National Theater Company of Costa Rica. We opened the first International Festival of Arts, 21 November 1989, at the National Theater. The play was “The Tragicomedy of Serene Don Carlos” from Carlos Muniz, directed by: Luis Carlos Vasquez and Lucho Barahona. One of the actors, Gerardo Arce, won the best prize for Best Supporting Actor. (continued page 17)

WHAT ARE WE DOING COSTA RICA? (from page 16) We were more than 60 actors and actresses, with big different sets during the play. The Iighting was wonderful, and the costumes the best. The National Theater exhibited the costumes when we finished, they were amazing! We had to study really hard those days with the King Felipe II (1545-1598), and the Queen Elizabeth de Valois (1527-1568) interpreted by me. Ten scenes studied very long by the directors and stage directions for the movement of the cast. After that we were invited to the VIII Festival de Caracas (Venezuela), it was a wonderful experience, meeting more different cultures, actors, actresses, ballets, dance, music, and a lot more. After Caracas we were invited to the II Festival Iberoamericano de Bogota (Colombia). Those Festivals marked part of my life. It was a success, especially in Colombia, with the public standing up clapping for around ten minutes, believe or not, (I will never have an experience like that again, it’s in my heart). We couldn’t believe it : Actors, actresses, directors, cast and technical equipment, we were all crying. “Artists move like clouds: in many different ways. It’s so good to go see them, they are not themselves, they transform. Actually, more than that: to be an artist you have to be creative, from your inside first and then transmit the feelings to the public, never keep it inside without transmitting to the public, that will be an empty experience for the artist and disappointment for the public”. (Cynthia Charpentier, National Costarrican prize: as a Best Debut Actress, once. As a Best Supporting actress twice). MUSIC! Music is part of the world and part of our lives. It is everywhere. From the ocean, the trees, birds, nature, your rooster in the morning, even the alarm clock can wake you up with music.I have seen groups from another countries making music with only tools, ordinary tools, it was amazing! Even the workers make music: they get the hammer and nails and they put them together as harmony. Any kind of music makes us happy. That’s what happened in the International Festival of Arts this year. Many musicians, many groups and many concerts in the open air. One of the favorite was Gilberto Santa Rosa, from Dominican Republic, who plays Salsa Music and made a concert on La Sabena to close the Festival. To combine salsa and the National. It was difficult but a success. The Orchestra wasn’t sure at the beginning, but they start rehearsing very hard. That much effort that the clapping was for them. Even Gilberto Santa Rosa, humbly was to them all the time. What a nice experience. He closed the International Festival of Arts and a beautiful fireworks were there, I would be crying... Another concert that was very good was from Fito Paez, Argentina, with Spanish Music Trova. People were excited for his music, clapping like crazy, singing, dancing, everybody was happy! And of course the Costa Rican musicians, were there and the public was excited with Costa Rican concerts. I close with the wonderful words of Frida Khalo, great Mexican artist, who said: “Feet? Why do I have feet if I have wings to fly?”

Guanacaste Cowboys Vaqueros & Sabaneros by Kay T. Dodge de Peraza

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uanacaste is cowboy country. Whether you call them vaqueros or sabaneros, the cowboys of Guanacaste have evolved a unique, colorful culture long before the tourists flocked to the beautiful Pacific beaches. Today, you see cowboys herding a group of cattle along Guanacaste country roads, trailed by a faithful dog; in the bull ring, lassooing angry bulls at weekend fiestas; or mounting their best steeds, in the traditional Tope horse parades. Even today, Guanacaste cowboys are in the saddle before they can walk and learn their trade from their fathers and grandfathers. The term vaquero comes from vaca, cow in Spanish, while sabanero comes from the term sabana, grasslands; both are correct names for local cowboys. Caballero is the term used for gentlemen, because historically, gentlemen rode horses. Much of the cowboy culture was born on the large cattle ranches of Guanacaste over the last two centuries. Not very different from the cowboy culture of other parts of the world in many ways, the Guanacastecos have created their personal style in their saddles, horses and their rodeo events. How is the Guanacaste cowboy different from those in other countries? The following is presented as a primer as you start to explore the cowboy culture of Guanacaste. I recommend joining the cowboys at a local ranch, fiesta or tope to experience the real cowboy culture or, if you’re lucky as I am, you can marry your own cowboy. Caballo – The Spanish horse of Guanacaste is called a Criollo, a mixture of Andalusian, Spanish Barb and Peruvian Paso bloodlines not very different from the mustang of the North American west. Guanacaste cowboys often have several horses – small, comfortable working ranch horses selected for their comfortable ride and high-stepping horses for the weekend Tope horse parades. The criollo horses are known for their noble character and comfortable gait. Albarda – The homemade Guanacaste saddle and tack are referred to as the Albarda. The flat saddle has a tree, or foundation, of river reeds wrapped in rawhide for flexibility, then covered with sheets of tough cowhide. The fancy covered stirrups protect the rider’s feet and the pechera (breast) and grupera (tail) hold the saddle in place. The jaquima, similar to a hackamore, is the halter head stall. The saddle fringe keeps flies away. The special fringed head piece called a tapa ojos attached to the jaquima, can be also use as blinders. Albardas (continued page 22)

Bar Tales of

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ven the most recently-arrived resident has seen a multitude of changes in Tamarindo. In recent years, many people have seen the growing town as the Money Tree – I’ll start a business here, and in a couple of years I’ll be rich. Many of these have found, to their chagrin, that this is not always the case. Businesses open with great hopes, and close far too soon due to an over-optimistic view of business and a lack of long-term funding. Change is the common denominator; the town is never the same two days in a row. Bars and restaurants come and go. Well, in fact, often they don’t go – the operators do. Many locations in Tamarindo have changed hands, and sometimes names, and many of them have little stories to tell. Here, The Howler will blow the whistle on some tasty incidents that have regaled our lives in the last couple of decades. Names of bars and of owners will in some cases be withheld to protect the innocent – me! Glued to Your Seat A restaurant was opened by an Englishman who, after short observation, was suspected of sniffing stuff up his nose. For his big inauguration he cleaned the place and painted it a heavy dark green, and invited the whole town. (In those days, the whole town would, indeed, fit into a medium-sized restaurant). And, as there was little else to do then, the whole town showed up. The party went well for a while, then people got up to dance – or tried to. Every bottom was firmly fixed to its chair by the fast-drying paint. For weeks, everyone in town had dark green paint stains on their shorts or dresses. A month or two later, I went there to try breakfast to support a fellow Limey. I ordered bacon and eggs, sunny side up, but, after half-anhour, no food had arrived (and I was the only customer). I went to the bar to investigate, to find the owner/chef/waiter sweating over a hotplate and cursing like a demon. “Damn these $#*%@*@!# eggs. They keep breaking!” he was screaming, as he scraped a pile of scrambled eggs into a corner and broke a sixth egg onto the griddle. “Forget it,” I said, and piled the six eggs onto a plate with the bacon. My last meal at that restaurant. He didn’t last long. Later, a pretty young woman took over the place. Pretty, yes, but not too friendly, so few people were attracted in. As we went in for our nightcap one evening, we saw she had a large table of 16 diners. Success at last! She told us they had mostly ordered lobster, a big revenue-spinner. However, shortly afterward she went into the kitchen, and we heard her voice loudly arguing with the chef. The furor increased in volume, until a furious young man stormed out of the kitchen, throwing his uniform, and his job, on the floor and leaving her to sixteen disappointed diners. Take the Bus La Diferencía was a watering place just outside Tamarindo. It was just a broken-down bus up on blocks, where the owner lived, and a bar fixed on the back. The beer was cheap, the bocas delicious and the locals friendly. A couple of days before the Villarreal tope (horse parade), which starts in Tamarindo, the owner approached me: “David, you ride the tope, don’t you? How would it be if you had your horse-riding friends stop here on the way to Villarreal. I could use

f Tamarindo

David Mills

the business, and I’m at about the half-way mark of the tope. You guys will be pretty thirsty by then.” So, on the day, I talked some friends, about thirty of them, into stopping at The Bus, and, yes, we were pretty thirsty. Without dismounting, real western style, we had a couple each, then continued into Villarreal. The following day, I asked how his business had been, since he must have sold at least fifty extra beers. “Terrible,” he complained, “those horses dumped all over the place. I spent all afternoon cleaning it up.” I see, in an article from The Howler in 1977 that we were paying the grand sum of ¢150 for an Imperial at that bar! The Bus was then taken over by a couple of guys who named it “Dos Amigos” but things went downhill so fast that we renamed it “Dos Enemigos. The end of this episode came when The Bus burned to the ground. All Night Party Another bar/restaurant had a very wild life. Originally owned by an Eastern European who sat at the bar all day in his pyjamas, an inelegant sight that, I’m sure, scared many customers away, it then passed to a family, Ma and Pa and three teenage kids, who kept it open all night and attracted some very colourful characters. The youngsters got so involved in the local drug scene that a contract was taken out on one of them, and the family did a literal midnight flit back to the U.S. Gone, lock, stock and barrel. The new custodian managed it well as a restaurant, until one night, upset at some argument with a musician, he took out his .38 and fired a few shots into the ceiling. The busy restaurant cleaned out fast – who knows how much he lost in takings. The bar’s next incarnation was as an all-night disco, with fake silver-painted girders to simulate a warehouse, then it was taken over by a couple who opened an elegant restaurant there. The place had finally found peace. A while later, the couple moved to a new location, and the restaurant was knocked down to make space for new construction. Where the Girls Are One of the best bars in those days was Las Olas, situated where Carolina’s Restaurant is now. Always a fun place, where everybody knew your name, it was at its best on Wednesday nights. Before nine, the bar was full - of men. Not a female to be seen. About ten to nine, the ladies started to arrive, and hung around outside in groups. On the dot of nine they crowded into the bar and placed their orders, because this was Ladies’ Night, booze free from nine. Another bar owner, a few blocks away, thought he would grasp an opportunity. New to the bar business, he placed a sign outside his bar “Wednesday - Men’s Night - 2 for 1 all drinks”. Later, he complained to me that nobody came in on Wednesdays. “Women have their night at Las Olas,” he said. “I thought I’d give the men somewhere to go.” (continued page 31)

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

CEPIA’s fifth anniversary celebration: a success! Last March 19th, CEPIA’s fifth anniversary was celebrated at the Beach Club of Reserva Conchal, making that night a memorable and joyful event. Approximately 250 people enjoyed the show, music and the auction collecting together $5,500! Thank you for your participation! These funds allow Cepia to continue the work with teenagers excluded from the system, take care of children in violence and commercial sexual exploitation, protect the environment and give children more opportunities of learning. This way CEPIA tries to bring more equality and justice to our community, reduce poverty, stimulate sustainable development and prevent young people from integrating gangs and delinquency. We deeply thank the volunteers working for the event’s success: Courtney Borquet, Cathy Deweer, Caroline Lemaire, Carolina Ruiz, Lineth Valerio, Heather Allenby, Liliana Rodriguez, Petra Schwabe, Gery Joy, Peggy Pease, Muriel Cuny, Isabelle Furet Pignon, Dori Matthews, Van Salcedo, Elise Garnier, Pedro Villarreal, Armand Tcherniack, Yves Deweer. The artists who offered a free performance: Circo Araknido, Merlo Clown, Las Estrellas de Fanny (Belén), Grupo Tropical (27 de abril). The artists’ sponsors: Best Western Vista Villas, Panaderia de Paris, Nogui’s restaurant, Le Beach Club, Hotel Luna Llena. The event’ sponsors: Reserva Conchal, Paradisus Playa Conchal, Pollos Alondra, Soda Peter Pan, Super Massai The auction’ sponsors: Ivette Gomez Mora, Blue Dolphin Sailing, Papaya con Leche, Diria Driving Range, Canopy Tour Pinilla, Laura Herrera, Villa Deevena, Nogui s, Art Connexion, Sildelau Salcedo & asociados, Vagabundo Sailing,Isabelle Dutry, Coastal Dental Huacas, Angelina’s, Amberes, Moa, Papillon Handbags, Valerio Racing School, Infinity Pacts, Carolina Heaviland, Kim and Dustin Short, Cathy Deweer, Mickael Kallis, Flamingo Beach Resort, El Huerto, Isabelle’s Friends, Stella & Dot, Ferreteria Buenaventura, The Palms, Bahia Art Shop, Petit Paris Beauty Salon, El Frijol Feliz, Frijoles Locos, Norma Calderon, comunidad, Reserva Conchal Golf, Hacienda Pinilla, Calypso, Jocelyn Broyles, Hibiscus Catamaran, Guanacaste Living Solution, Niños de CEPIA, Tamarindo Tennis Club, Agua Rica, ATMA, Monica Riascos, Paradisus Playa Conchal, Optica Pacifico, Super 2001, De la Costa Gourmet Coffee. www.cepiacostarica.org

A Slice of Life Take the Money David Mills

I

t was a road trip, through the eastern United States, always a pleasant occupation, but made more pleasant due to the exchange rate, which had the Canadian dollar riding high at about US$1.03. Not exactly a huge bonus, but when the norm had been around $0.85 for so long it was highly welcome. We were traveling the back roads of West Virginia and stopped for lunch at a quaint Mom and Pop café, always a good bet for the best in local food. As I paid the bill I noticed that I was low in funds, and realized with a shock that it was Saturday morning. Fortunately, a little bank was open nearby, one of those cute cottages with a bank inside so common in U.S. rural villages. I offered a $100 Canadian bill to the teller and asked for the U.S. equivalent. She gave me $90! I protested the exchange amount, and the manager, who overheard the conversation, came over. “Can I help you?” he asked. “Maybe,” I replied, “I think your teller made a mistake in the exchange rate. It should be 103 to the dollar.” “Where did you hear that?” he asked. “It’s in the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times,” I answered. Smiling, he said “Of course it is. And if you take the Canadian money to New York, I’m sure they will give you that rate. But right now you are in the mountains of West Virginia, and we’re about to close for the weekend. What would you like to do?” I took the money. Do you have a short anecdote, weird, interesting or funny, to share with our readers? Please e-mail to dmills@racsa.co.cr

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

Flying High

W

hen next you fly from Costa Rica to Miami or other destinations, you may hear the pilot announce that “we have just reached our cruising altitude of 29,000 feet...” Take a moment to reflect on this and examine the world outside the pressurised cylinder in which you travel. Of course there can be no life at this level. The air temperature is way below zero – Fahrenheit, Celsius or Centigrade, it doesn’t matter – and oxygen is almost non-existent. Look at the ground so far below; you can barely make out small towns. On the ocean a huge container ship is a tiny dot. Between you and the ground stretch many layers of cloud: cumulus, nimbus, stratus. Empty. Even eagles can soar to only a fraction of your altitude. Nothing unusual about these observations, until you realize that you are in the hostile realms of Everest climbers! Yes, this is the height that those intrepid explorers must attain in order to reach the summit of the world’s highest mountain. But just how big is Everest? To put it into perspective, if you made a scale model globe of the earth large enough to just fit into the average room, floor to ceiling, the entire Himalayan mountain range – up to six miles high – would be a tiny line almost too small to see, one sixteenth of an inch thick (about the size of a pencil lead) and one foot long laid on the surface. Expect for space traveling, all man’s endeavours and explorations throughout history have taken place within a minute shell around this large globe to a height of one-quarter of an inch. It’s a big world out there.

Guanacaste Cowboy... (from page 17) run from simple to fancy, with decorations made from horse hair and colored leather. Vaqueta – The soft suede cover for the saddle doubles as a blanket ground cover for siestas and a “cape” used in the bull ring by Guanacaste-style matadors whose job is to keep the bull away from the fallen bull riders. It is a prized possession of the cowboy and taken into the house for safe keeping. McClellan Saddle – Many cowboys now ride in a McClellan saddle adapted from the US Cavalry saddle. It is shorter and lighter than traditional western saddles and fits the criollo horses well. Sombrero – Although the Western cowboy hats from the US can be seen in the horse parades, the real cowboys wear the traditional white cotton sombreros. The hats come in a variety of crowns with large heavily stitched brims, perfect for rain or sun. Note: To buy one of the best hats that will last years, visit Paco’s fabric store on the corner of the park in Liberia. Polainas - Most Guanacaste cowboys do not use full chaps, but opt for half-chaps called polainas. They are stiff leather with fringe or other decoration to protect the lower legs. They are versatile because they can be used with any type of boots. Espuelas/Spurs – Few Guanacaste cowboys use spurs because the criollo horses are quick and willing. However, you will see spurs used in the bull ring during fiestas both by the riders roping the bulls and the bull riders. Manila or Soga – The cowboy’s ropes come in many sizes up to 14 meters depending on the use. Once made by hand of leather, they now are available in feed stores and veterinarian shops. A short rope is called a Reata.

Get away from my babies, you great ugly lizard!

Don’t waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you are ahead; sometimes behind. The race is long and, in the end, it’s only with yourself. Kurt Vonnegut

Danta – The whip which hangs from the wrist of the cowboy traditionally was made from the skin of a Tapir (Danta) or from a dried, twisted bull’s penis (yes, penis). Bramadero – The post in the center of corrals used to “break” horses the old, sometimes brutal, cowboy way. Note: The bramadero was the first thing to fall to a chainsaw on Finca Casagua; we use natural horsemanship. Finca – The term for a small ranch or farm.

Surf Report (from page 15) Women’s Open: It looks like Lisbeth Vindas is well on her way to getting her 8th National Women’s Surf Championship. She did that by locking up the 1st place trophy in Santa Teresa and sending Nataly Bernold, her frequent thorn-in-her-side to 2nd place. Nataly really needed this win and she didn’t get it. Lisbeth’s surfing earned an 8.04 combination against the 7.43 that Nataly scored. The only chance Nataly has is to win Nosara and hope that Lisbeth does not end up in the finals in Playa Hermosa. Not very likely. Junior: This category is as hard as the Open to predict because of the strong surfing levels going on. Right now, Muñoz, having won 1st place in Santa Teresa, now has two Junior wins in the Circuito Nacional de Surf. He is tied with Maykol Torres of Esterillos who also has two wins. Although the favoring goes to Muñoz, because he has the national title right now, let’s not forget Jordan Hernandez of Limón who is up there in the rankings. He still could make his move in Nosara or Hermosa. And what about Fillingim, the winner in Tamarindo? Junior Girls: The talent and youth of Jordan Hundley (Jacó) almost make her the champion of this division already. I think she has sown it up. It has been a fight, but no one has really challenged her, not even Nataly Bernold, who has owned this division in the past. Boys: Everything indicates that Noe Mar McGonagle (Pavones), the new promise of power at 13 years of age, is collecting the rewards that Carlos Muñoz once did—a championship in all the categories he runs. So far, he’s won Jacó, Westfalia and Tamarindo, so also in Santa Teresa local Elija Guy won with a combination of 14.17, Noe Mar has all but written his ticket to the top. Noe Mar’s top follower is Jacó’s Josué Rodríguez, who just needs to win to climb the rankings. Grommets: Noe Mar McGonagle won 2 dates, and in Santa Teresa came in 2nd place. This division’s main threat is the younger brother of Lisbeth Vindas—Manuel Mesén (Jacó)—who tightened the race in Tamarindo and brings the fight for the title closer. He didn’t place at the Copa Quiksilver, so I don’t think Noe Mar has too much to worry about. Grommets Girls: Who will be the first champion in this new category? The leader is the younger sister of Noe Mar, and a surfer for Roxy, Leilani McGonagle (Pavones). Nevertheless, the first 4 ranked in this category are the new great generation of surf females of Costa Rica and they all have a chance at the title: Leilani, Arisha Griotti, Paula Duarte and Emily Gussoni (the last 3 of Jacó). Longboard: Getting 2nd place at the Copa Quiksilver made up for last month’s showing: The 9th place he received in Tamarindo was the result of an injury for Anthony Flores. However, the Jacoeño won the first 3 dates and is going “smooth all the way for” the title in Playa Hermosa. Masters and Grand Masters: Both the categories are led by Puerto Viejo’s Craig Schieber. Nevertheless, Peruvian Carlos Velarde and the Brazilian Cassio Carvalho can complicate everything. (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?

S

ince we looked at Mar Vista four years ago some fine progress has been made, and the project is coalescing into a very ecologically friendly development with its objective of a low carbon footprint. Administrator Alejandro Berkowitz tells me: “We are prepared to walk the talk, to actually do green things because we want to and believe in the philosophy, not just paying lip service to it. Our description of the project is natural elegance.”

Mar Vista Flamingo

The 800-acre project, just between Brasilito and Flamingo, embraces several ecological themes: Water runoff – a park at the confluence of 3 rivers with waterfalls and natural pools will act as a sediment trap to filter and process sediment from the development so it will not reach the ocean. Organic farming – an orchard, garden and farm will grow organic produce for local use. Power generation – solar and wind power will be designed to take the project off-grid. A fleet of electric vehicles is in place for residents. Local materials – by using local materials – sand, rock, wood and cement – the project will reduce its use of transportation. Recycling will be used for almost all materials. Community involvement – Mar Vista has donated a $2 million parcel of land for the future Escuela La Paz, and for development of homes nearby, so that schoolchildren can walk or cycle to school without crossing roads. Education – each schoolchild will grow an endangered tree, from seed, under supervision, until it is 3 years old, when it may be transplanted to as permanent location. Picnic days provided for local schools will teach such topics as local flora, erosion control and ‘green’ topics. Water treatment – under the condominium rules by which the project is managed, double-septic systems or sewage treatment plants must be used by homes. Water – all the project’s water will come from its own wells. Mar Vista has lots ranging in size from one-quarter to ten acres, and in price from $99,000 to $999,000. The project is located half way from Brasilito towards Flamingo. For information, call 8-387-8888, 8-3805140, e-mail to mvecostarica@gmail. com, or visit www.marvistacr.com

David Mills

Lajas • Huacas

L

ocated in Huacas, just minutes away from Playa Grande and other popular beaches, is Condominios Tinajas, a small 3storey exclusive condo complex.

The complex includes a pool, Jacuzzi and barbecue area with picnic rancho. The project has full security with guard. All units are 2bedrooms with two baths and private balcony. Each unit is wired for cable TV, internet and telephone, and is air-conditioned. Condos come in two sizes – 105 square meters (1,130 square feet) or 100 square meters (1,076), and are available furnished or unfurnished, Kitchen and bathroom cabinetry are wood-crafted from local trees; all counters are granite or marble, with modern or rustic options. At the choice of the buyer, units may have a private hot tub and alarm system. There is ample parking for residents and their guests. In the neighborhood are two shopping plazas, medical and dental centers, supermarkets and restaurants. Within a few minutes drive is Tamarindo airport, and the Liberia International airport is an hour away. For golfers, Conchal is ten minutes away, and Hacienda Pinilla is a half-hour drive. There are 30 beaches within a 30-minute drive. An on-site office will handle condominium administration, rentals and leasing. For details, call André Auclair at 8-876-6649, Pierre at 8-388-6565 or the office at 2-653-6565, or e-mail to info@ condominiotinajas.com. The website is at www.condominiotinajas.com

1S

2S

3M

4T

5W LAST QTR

04:34 10:32 16:48 23:02 05:20 11:17 17:33 23:46 06:07 12:04 18:19 00:32 06:56 12:53 19:09 01:20 07:48 13:47 20:02

8.9 6T 0.1 9.3 -0.4 8.6 7F 0.5 8.8 0.1 5.2 8S 1.0 8.3 0.6 9S 7.8 1.5 7.7 1.1 10M 7.5 1.9 2.2

02:11 08:44 14:45 21:01 03:07 09:41 15:47 22:02 04:04 10:36 16:48 23:01 04:59 11:28 17:42 23:55 05:49 12:14 18:30

1.5 7.2 2.6 6.8 1.8 7.2 2.2 6.7 2.0 7.2 2.1 6.7 1.9 7.5 1.8 6.9 1.8 7.8 1.4

11T

12W

13T NEW MOON 14F

15S

MAY TIDE CHART

00:43 06:36 12:58 19:13 01:28 07:19 13:39 19:55 02:10 08:00 14:20 20:35 02:51 08:42 15:00 21:15 03:31 09:24 15:42 21:56

7.2 1.6 8.2 0.9 7.5 1.3 8.6 0.5 7.9 1.0 8.9 0.2 8.2 0.8 9.1 -0.1 8.4 0.6 9.3 -0.2

16S

17M

18T

19W

20T 1ST QTR

04:14 10:08 16:25 22:39 04:58 10:54 17:11 23:24 05:45 11:44 18:00 00:12 06:35 12:37 18:54 01:04 07:30 13:36 19:52

8.6 21F 0.5 9.3 -0.3 8.6 22S 0.5 9.1 -0.1 8.7 23S 0.6 8.9

0.0 24M 8.6 0.7 8.5 0.3 25T 8.5 0.9 8.2

26W

02:00 08:29 14:39 20:55 03:00 09:31 15:44 22:01 04:03 10:33 16:50 23:06 05:05 11:33 17:53

0.6 8.5 1.0 7.9 0.8 8.6 1.0 7.8 0.9 8.7 0.9 7.8 0.9 8.9 0.6

00:07 06:05 12:29 18:50

8.0 30S 0.8 9.1 0.3

27T FULL MOON 28F

29S

01:04 07:01 13:22 19:42 01:56 07:53 14:12 20:30 02:45 08:42 14:59 21:16 03:33 09:29 15:44 21:59 04:18 10:14 16:28 22:42

8.2 0.7 9.3 0.1 8.5 0.6 9.4 -0.1 8.6 0.6 9.4 -0.2 8.7 0.7 9.3 -0.1 8.7 0.8 9.0 0.1

31M

1T JUNE 2W

3T

4F LAST QTR

05:02 10:59 05:11 11:24 05:46 11:44 17:55

8.6 1.0 8.7 0.3 8.4 1.3 8.3

00:05 06:31 12:29 18:40 00:48 07:16 13:16 19:27 01:32 08:02 14:06 20:17

0.6 8.2 1.6 7.9 1.0 8.0 1.8 7.5 1.4 7.8 2.0 7.2

October F orecasts May F orecasts

by Jeanne Callahan

26

28

Visit Jeanne’s site at CelestialAdvisor.com

Aries: 21 March - 20 April

Libra: 23 September - 23 October

Taurus: 21 April - 21 May

Scorpio: 24 October - 22 November

You’ll realize that your partner is bowled over by you and his or her affectionate ways and kind words will be the confirmation of this, Your efforts have been worthwhile but you are not being your true self. Total confusion at work will reign due to a frenetic atmosphere and impending deadlines. If you want to finish your duties, don’t drag behind. Try not to tire yourself out too much as you are already at the edge of your limit. Postpone all complicated matters. Good days are the 12th and 13th. Something isn’t quite right in your relationship and you’ll take the blame. As a personal problem is being hidden from you, focus on communication and dialog. A missed opportunity and an unresolved problem will cause you a lot of upset in the workplace. Just stay loyal to your ideals and beliefs. Healthwise, you could experience some skin problems, due to poor nutrition. Deal with people on the 14th and 15th.

Gemini: 22 May - 21 June

Once again, you’ll feel afraid of opening up to your beloved. Your behavior will be forced and false. Your stubbornness in the office will lead you to carry on a project despite criticism. You’ll finally show that you were right and all criticism will turn into praise. Stay calm when faced with unexpected events. The 16th and 17th are favorable.

Cancer: 22 June - 22 July

You’ll be able to control your stubborn ways as you are in love. And not only will this lead to better complicity and harmony with your partner, but you’ll discover far more pleasures this way. You’ll be able to show your worth among your colleagues at work by doing a task really well. However, there is a tense atmosphere and this will influence your mood. In the third week you’ll be able to relax in peace and tranquility. Do some yoga or private meditation. The 18th and 19th are your best days.

Leo: 23 July - 23 August

You’ll spend a great deal of your time trying to solve a problem which has many repercussions on several activities in the firm. You’ll handle this well and will be praised. In your relationship you’ll tend to keep yourself to yourself and won’t allow anyone to console you, not even your partner. You’ll continue to worry about problems, making mountains out of molehills. Get some rest and try to communicate. But all is good on the health side. Take time off on the 20th, 21st and 22nd.

Virgo: 24 August - 22 September

You are making a big choice in your relationship and are feeling confused and disoriented. However this will turn out to be the right choice, so stick with it. Due to the stress you are not feeling too good and your health will suffer as a result. In the workplace you have problems with co-workers and refuse to listen to their suggestions. Have fun on the 23rd and 24th.

You’ll tend to distance yourself from your beloved as things aren’t going too well. Running away isn’t the right solution as it doesn’t solve anything. Face your problems. In the office you’ll need someone trustworthy to whom you can delegate part of your job. You are reaching your limit so start teaching someone exactly what you do. Check your health and make sure your posture is good as this will help you avoid chronic backache. Best days are the 25th and 26th. You’ll realize you’ve found someone who shares the same interests as you. Do not rush things as you usually do; culture the relationship slowly and sweetly. You should be more confrontational at work. Someone will try to waste your time and energy on useless tasks. Don’t go to bed straight after dinner, this could cause bad digestion. Start a diet on the 27th.

Sagittarius: 23 November - 21 December

In the workplace you could commit a grave error by not agreeing to check back on every detail of a task recently given to you.Your mood will be up and down and this will create tension in those around you. Try not to be so snappy with your partner, remember the old give and take. Physically you feel great; you feel the urge for movement and games. Organize a sporting event with friends for the 28th or 29th.

Capricorn: 22 December - 21 January

Get lots of exercise. A life which is too sedentary could lead to problems with your spine so move around a little. You’ll feel perturbed by your beloved’s requests for complicity. You’ll feel both fear of commitment on one hand and your lack of affection on the other. Your efforts to improve at work will be praiseworthy although you’ll realize this isn’t enough to get the results you desire. You need training. Good days are the 30th and 31st.

Aquarius: 22 January - 19 February

Suddenly, you’ll experience doubts and won’t be sure you’ve made the right choice. These are important moments of growth and maturity. At work you’ll be against everything and everyone. You’ll feel as if you are in the firing line and this will mean you won’t manage to work serenely. Reflect about how much depends on you and how much your attitude affects others. Moderate what you eat or you could gain weight. Diet on the 1st.

Pisces: 20 February - 20 March

You have no desire to listen to advice from those who are only trying to help and you’ll be rather inflexible with your partner who will ask you why you are behaving like this. In the office you’ll receive the results you want by taking small steps. Avoid confiding your plans to others. You could be prone to bouts of melancholy so don’t isolate yourself from others; spend time with friends and enjoy yourself - you need it. Best days are the 2nd and 3rd.

Namasté

Pool Parties at Best Western

B

est Western Vista Villas, a family-owned business in Tamarindo since 1991, has opened its pool and sun-deck for the free use of local residents during the daytime hours. “We just want to share our beautiful amenities with the community,” says administrator Alejandro (Moose) Berkowitz. “All we hope is that they will try one of the delicious offerings from our extensive menu. We have always supported all local interests and needs. Now we ask that the community support us.” The Crazy Monkey Bar and Salsa’s Restaurant sits high above Tamarindo’s main street at the north end of town with gorgeous views of the ocean, estuary and, of course, the incredible sunsets. You reach it by a staircase “the Stairway to Heaven” from the street, or you can drive up and park behind the restaurant. Seating is either indoor or out on the deck. Every night is a theme night at Vista Villas: Monday – Rasta Reggae and Pasta Special Tuesday – Tex-Mex Salsa Special Wednesday – Music with Jesse Bishop from sunset to 8. Maybe Moose will sing along. Thursday – Bar Games and Classic Rock. Friday – Famous Ladies’ Night, with disco and 8-piece local band Son de Barrio.

Saturday – 2-for-1 pizza, best this side of the Tempisque. Sunday – Open-mike jam session with Jesse Bishop and the Banana Kings, from 7 to 10. Bring your instrument and join in. Saturday and Sunday afternoons it’s Pool Party and Barbecue time. All are welcome. Come and support your local businesses. Vista Villas is available for any parties, fully catered. Call 2-653-0114 for information and reservations.

Surf Report

Doctor’s Orders

(from page 23)

Jeffrey Whitlow, M.D.

M

y name is Jeffrey Whitlow, M.D., and I have been a practicing physician for over 25 years. My specialty is family practice, but I have done work in the emergency room as well. In addition, I have been a nutritional consultant for the last five years, working with companies such as Hard Rock Café, Tony Roma’s, and The Cheesecake Factory. My company assists these clients in preparing and disseminating the nutritional and allergen information for their menu items. The subject of my columns in The Howler, in the main, will be the attainment and maintenance of a healthful lifestyle. Additionally, we will be taking questions about medical issues from our readers. This month’s column will be about my favorite subject, nutrition. Proper nutrition is the centerpiece of a healthful lifestyle. There is a lot of confusion among both the lay public and health professionals as to what constitutes a healthy diet. My research in this field has led me to conclude that the main reason for this confusion is a profound misunderstanding among human beings of the fundamental nature of life and man’s place in the grand scheme of things. Naturally we are a proud species, and we would like to believe that we are special among God’s creations. In fact, our pride and arrogance has led us to believe that we know more than He! But the bottom line is that we can invent some wonderful things, but the one thing that we cannot create is life, as we cannot, with our limited intellectual and perceptive capacities, capture the subtle essence of what constitutes a living thing. For instance, we can create a prosthetic arm so wondrous that it has more strength and function than the one that nature gave us. However, if the prosthetic arm breaks or malfunctions, someone has to be called in to repair or replace it, whereas the injuries that occur to the natural arm heal by themselves, seemingly as if by magic! In a similar fashion, the foods that man creates are tasty and satisfying to the appetite. Unlike natural foods, though, they lack the subtle life essence that would allow our bodies to process and incorporate them in a seamless fashion. It takes a tremendous toll on our body to process unnatural foods. It is almost a given that human beings who eat a diet containing processed and unnatural foods will almost invariably develop a chronic medical disorder between the ages of 35 and 50! Diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, lipid disorders, and the various autoimmune disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and the like, are not the inevitable consequence of aging, but rather they are the natural result of eating unnatural foods. In subsequent columns, I will go more into depth about the differences between natural and unnatural foods, and the effects of each on your body and health. Please feel free to contact me regarding your health questions. jwhitlow82159@gmail.com

The world is full of willing people, some willing to work, the rest willing to let them. Robert Frost

The next date of the Circuito Nacional de Surf is at Playa Guiones in Nosara, May 22 and 23. It is a 4-star contest that will award 1,500 to the winners of all categories. If you like surfing and following the rankings game, it will be a great place to see a high level of jockeying going down.

Copa Quiksilver Santa Teresa April 10 - 11, 2010 Open 1234-

Luis Vindas Carlos Muñoz Anthony Fillingim Matías Braun

Minigrommets 1Leonardo Calvo 2Stone Van Timmeren 3Sean Forester 4Storm Van Timmeren

Women’s 1Lisbeth Vindas 2Nataly Bernold 3Jordan Hundley 4Maia Velarde

Minigrommets Girls 1Paula Duarte 2Leilani McGonagle 3 - Arisha Grioti 4Emily Gussoni

Junior 1Carlos Muñoz 2Roberto Jimenez 3Rex Calderón 4 - Anthony Fillingim

Longboard 1Diego Naranjo 2 - Anthony Flores 3Crsitian Santamaría 4Pablo Bolaños

Junior Women’s 1Jordan Hundley 2Maia Velarde 3Leilani McGonagle 4Kristel Stanley

Novices 1Carlos Gallego Pacheco 2Luis Jimenez 3 - Alejandro Vaca 4Giannio Ferrandino

Boys 1234-

Masters 1Craig Schieber 2Carlos Velarde 3Geancarlo Loría 4Giovanni Benneti

Elija Guy Noe Mar McGonagle Alberto Muñoz Josué Rodríguez

Grommets 1Leon Williams 2Noe Mar Mcgonagle 3Jean Carlo Méndez 4Leonardo Calvo

Grandmasters 1Craig Schieber 2Carlos Velarde 3Cassio Velarde

Grommets Girls 1Selena Moberly 2Leilano McGonagle 3 - Arisha Grioti 4 - Tania Gonzales

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.

High Tension

the shocking truth

N

othing grates on the skin like being upstaged by a parvenu. Kind of leaves a bad taste in your mouth. Maybe you recognize the syndrome. People get off the plane, take a look around, read a few things on-line and start telling you like it really is. Definitely sticks in your craw. Even worse when they’re completely right. I went through a recent—albeit shortlived—dethroning from the pinnacle of environmental preaching while struggling to finally get power lines into a project. Progress had been held up by every imaginable combination of Costa Rican bureaucratic snafus. Stressed to the max, juggling a jillion balls at the same, I developed a severe case of ‘contractor’s syndrome’: get the clients out of the way, the heavy stuff in place and the job done. Appearance notwithstanding, we were going with overhead cable due to budgetary reasons. Also, over the years, I have seen enough damage—wash outs, tree falls and maintenance nightmares—from the ‘eco-friendly’ underground installations to make me skeptical. So I had it all figured out. Butcher a swath through the trees over the road, accommodate the nice people from Coopeguanacaste and then replant like mad. I had done my homework. Several books on ecological corridors inhabit my library. Trees and vines, specifically chosen to provide Howler food in the critical months of January through May, surround my house. I’ve nursed a couple of hundred seedlings through two dry seasons in preparation for the roadside re-plantings. Thanks to the prior work of Salvemonos and concerned folks up and down the coast, proven designs for ‘monkey bridges’ are ready to go and materials on hand. As it turns out, my over-confidence was a bit under-informed. In retrospect, I should have known better. It turns out that monkeys, like other hominids, including us, like to take short cuts. The arduous life of nearconstant foraging for food in their arboreal domain leaves little extra energy for leisurely detours to the safest route from Point A to Point B. In Howler think, ‘if it looks like a vine, and it stretches from tree to tree like a vine, and God forbid I don’t have to go down and cross the road with cars and dogs and whatever else,’ then it makes perfect sense to cross this convenient path to get to the next group of trees. What biologists know and neither Howler monkeys nor developers seem to get, is that the worst design for an ecological corridor is long, narrow and with

Tom Peifer

a predator lurking in it. It becomes a one-way trip for the targeted species. In the case of the Howlers, you couldn’t get a better death trap than a gleaming bridge with an invisible, silent predator lying in wait: 12,000 volts of pulsating electrical current. My learning curve had to go positive again. It appears that Coopeguanacaste now offers insulated cables. It’s the only real way to ensure that our arboreal cousins won’t go up in a puff of smoke while we enjoy the AC-powered creature comforts that have come to be considered as a normal and necessary part of life. The challenge for me becomes a simple question of balancing the financial side of the equation plus a few technical tidbits on trees, planting, maintenance, etc. The good news: my little niche of the forest may be safe. The bad news: outside this little corner of paradise, the monkeys—and not only the monkeys-- face increasing threats throughout their native habitat. If you visit the Howler enclosure at the world renowned San Diego Zoo, you’ll notice a bright red plaque: THREATENED! Due to habitat fragmentation. Anyone with 20/20 vision can see that fragmentation is alive and well in the coastal zone. The massive roadside deforestation that has preceded ‘improvements’ like the new highway down the Nandamojo valley, the months’-long electrical upgrade to support the Hotel Marriott and other projects in the area of Hacienda Pinilla, the ongoing widening and ‘improvement’ of the coastal road from Avellanas down to Marbella are a few noteworthy cases in point. Inquiring minds might ponder just how many monkey bridges are needed to restore the miles of canopy, which used to extend along and overhang the roads in many places. Curiously enough, we love the new roads, plug into and eagerly consume the improved electric supply and can hardly wait for high-speed cable with both Internet and—praise the Lord!—hundreds of channels of 24/7 TV. The shocking truth is that many of us have evolved a curious duality in the head zone. We feel no apparent contradiction between demanding monkey-friendly developments and litter-free beaches while jetting around on intercontinental flights and enjoying the smoothness of asphalt roads as if there were no

(continued page 36

Surviving

C hapter MMX

W

COSTA RICA

ed., April 31, 2010: We knew they were coming; all the signs were there. Troops of howler monkeys were retreating into the darker reaches of the surrounding jungle, flocks of pelicans could be seen heading straight out over the Pacific in the general direction of Hawaii, while the local iguana, skunk and raccoon populations were also seen making themselves scarce. It was only a matter of time before the dreaded hoards of Chepes (egg eaters) invaded Tamarindo, terrorizing locals and visiting tourists alike with acts of barbarism and senseless mayhem. City Fathers at the Tamarindo Pro Mejores Command Bunker, buried deep beneath Nogui’s at the circle, had been receiving ominous intelligence reports for quite some time from our agents operating deep behind enemy lines in downtown San José. The Egg Eaters were planning for a large-scale assault, working feverishly throughout the early part of March to assemble enough suntan lotion and Guaro to accommodate the close-to-a-million Chepistas. Our agents had also reported that every available vehicle had been commandeered for use in the planned invasion, including the much-feared Toyota Assault Prados.

The Great Siege of 2010

warning Tamarindoites about this city-bred menace for a long time. “Los Chepes de Santo Pollo” are a quasireligious sect of Costa Ricans who practice bizarre egg eating rituals involving pre-born infant chickens. Over the years they have been building up their strength and numbers and have recently taken over the Central Government, proclaiming Sunday, April 4th, as Semana Santo Pollo. They had since proclaimed an “Egg Jihad” directing all Chepistas to converge on poorly defended coastal towns. Thur., April 1, 2010: Advance Chepe scouting forces in the form of the elite “Transito” motorcycle troops have successfully infiltrated into town, setting up check points and snaring the few helpless souls still driving around. By this time most of the locals had gone underground and only the foolhardy and desperate, also known as business owners, could be found on the street. At first it seemed as if Tamarindo would not be a major target; incoming traffic appeared light and in a strange cannibalistic way the Transitos were molesting their own people. This however was not to be.

A request for some form of help from the municipalidad had only resulted in gales of laughter from Santa Cruz Palacio, so Tamarindo would have to go it alone. Our Civic Leaders put out the word to prepare for the onslaught. Local residents would turn their homes into “Chepe Shelters” with enough provisions to hopefully weather the upcoming storm while groups of volunteers labored in the streets to deepen the potholes (Prado Traps). However everyone knew these would only slow down the assault for a short while. We just wouldn’t be able to stop the Chepes.

Fri., April 2, 2010: Dawn broke to a town completely taken over by a howling mob of Egg Eaters, ingesting their sacred Imperial elixir while taking ritual baths in the Pacific. As strange as it may sound the Chepe High Command had forbidden the purchase of the aforementioned “Imperial elixir” for two days as a sign of atonement. The elixir was, however, totally in abundance quite possibly due to abundant sacking and plundering. The Chepistas immediately brought downtown Playa Tamarindo to a complete stop, jamming the streets with a myriad colorful attack Toyotas and Hyundais, while sending the Assault Prados ahead to take on Playa Langosta.

Who are the Chepes and why do they have to come to Tamarindo.......constantly? We here at the Howler Corporate Publishing Conglomerate have been

Meanwhile the Gringo, Italian, French, German, Argentinean, Canadian, Dutch and Israeli population of Tamarindo waited out the conflagration, hunkered down in

Story by Jesse Bishop

their shelters doing whatever needed to be done to survive. A few brave souls would occasionally sneak into town to report the damage. Condominiums built to house two small Europeans were being occupied by up to a hundred rampant youths hopped-up on elixir and raggaeton, cars were being used to fill up drainage ditches, large pyramids of “sacred trash” dotted the beaches and roadsides and there were large numbers of women wearing very small bikinis. The inferno continued on into the night. Assaults were made on several local discos that somehow hadn’t got the message about not selling sacred elixir and numerous fires appeared on the beach surrounded by the fanatical Egg People dancing and behaving badly. Sat., April 3, 2010. Dawn broke at sunrise to find the beaches and streets strewn with sacred garbage pyramids and vast numbers of empty bottles. But there were no Chepistas to be seen. A few Tamarindo residents cautiously made it back into town to assess the situation. It was true; the hoards who had threatened to destroy all that was good in Playa Tamarindo had disappeared. Even the elite motorcycle units had withdrawn. It can now be revealed what happened. It turns out our city fathers weren’t just sitting deep in their bunker doing nothing. An elite group of Nicaraguan residents (of nearby Villareal) had been selected and then biologically altered to resemble residents of San José. They were then inserted into the swarm and began a whispered rumor campaign that the rock band “Guns and Roses” would be giving a free concert back in San José. That had done the trick, all the Josefinos immediately split and the town had been saved. In a final act of revenge there actually was a Guns and Roses concert in San José that weekend....and it was cancelled!

Costa Rican Scotch (from page 15)

suspicious bottles were deposited. It was a wheeeee of a party, long remembered, and Carlos was duly inducted into the Society of Airline Captains. A year or two later, Carlos took his two-week vacation from TACA and signed on with a Nicaraguan airline flying beef from Managua to Miami. Taking off from Managua with an overloaded C-46 he lost an engine, was unable to maintain altitude, and crashed. A fine man, an excellent pilot, a good friend, a sad, but not forgotten end. The gay times, the sad times. Robert Darmsted lived in Costa Rica from 1946 to the ‘90s. He worked for TACA Airline during the pioneer days of flight in Costa Rica. Don Roberto passed away in California in 2007.

Bar Tales...

(from page 19)

“Idiot,” I answered. “When all the women are getting drunk at Las Olas, that’s where the men will be.” It’s a Croc! Another restaurant had a unique sunset show for customers. The chef would come out of the kitchen with a bucketful of chicken pieces, and throw them into the air over the laguna. Ten-foot crocodiles would leap out of the water and snatch the tidbits out of the air. The tables nearest the laguna were not the most popular with diners. Tamarindo’s Del Rey Just out of town was a large bar next door to a car repair shop. If your repair job was small you could slope off to the bar and have a cool one, and the taller would call to you when the car was ready. If it was a big job, you could rest longer in the upstairs rooms of the bar with a pleasant companion. One day the owner, who had served time in one of Britain’s crack military groups plus the French Foreign Legion and thought he was still at war, bragged to me, apropos of nothing: “I could make one phone call and have this place sprayed with nine-millimeter in five minutes.” I shook my head in sympathy and made my way back to my car. His boast was prophetic. A year or so later a large Mercedes pulled up outside and the bar was indeed sprayed with nine-millimeter, allegedly by some businessmen from some country just south of Panama, who objected to the bar’s interest in their national product. Nobody was hurt, but the bar and a couple of parked cars were badly damaged and some customers really scared. How boring you are now, Tamarindo!

High Tension... (from page 33)

tomorrow of eco-negative consequences associated with these behaviors. Worse, we feel entitled to them. This, in spite of glaring evidence that “... above all, it is our consumption and affluence that is causing it,” as pointed out in a recent article on climate change denial. In Guanacaste it is hard to imagine that anyone with a couple of square inches of functional epidermis could deny that this dry season has been more of a scorcher than ever. Could this be a sign that the proverbial chickens are coming home to roost? An arm’s-reach from my desk, a pair of rufus-naped wrens is putting the finishing touches on the inside of their new nest. They are lining the inside with the silky tufts of pochote flowers. Convenient, huh? The downy material just happens to be in abundance exactly when the wrens are in a hurry to bring their hungry hatchlings into a world full of flying insects brought on by the coming rains. It is no secret that the flowering times of trees are subject to alteration with changing temperatures. The same is undoubtedly true for any number of the thousands of finely tuned interactions in the Bio-Geo-Chemical cycles which underpin the tropical dry forest that the Howler monkeys call home. What happens to the monkeys when the whole forest ecology goes topsy-turvy?

M a y ( a l l

t i m e s

2 0 1 0 l o c a l )

Sun

1st - rise 5:25; set 5:55 15th - rise 5:22; set 5:58 31st - rise 5:21; set 6:02

Last quarter: New: First quarter: Full:

Moon 5th 13th 20th 27th

10:15 p.m. 7:04 p.m. 5:43 p.m. 5:07 p.m.

Good news sometimes comes in small packages. Yamileth Davila Canales, the diminutive daughter of a nearby neighbor, approached me yesterday with a request. She wants help to orient a group of motivated friends to do something positive about the environmental situation in our valley? They have received enough information on climate change at colegio to be concerned and to want to take positive steps to ensuring a livable world for themselves. You might call it enlightened self-interest. For me it’s a bright glimmer of hope in the looming darkness. I invited Yamileth to form a youth group to work with our local ‘Reef to Ridge’ restoration effort called Restoring our Watershed. After all, the kids are the true stakeholders in any attempt to leave a living legacy. They’re the logical choice for architects and engineers to build the bridges to a greener future—for the monkeys and the rest of us as well.

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/

Chorotega Pottery an ancient tradition

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uaitil is a small town that still practices some traditions of their Chorotegan ancestors, one of the main indigenous cultures of Costa Rica. At present, the whole town is dedicated to the production of clay pottery, similar to that of the past, following their ancient tradition; this is how they reuse and renew the precolombian decorations characteristic to the Chorotegas, using clay that they obtain in the area. Guaitil is located only 12 kilometers away from Santa Cruz. Getting to the town is easy; if you travel by car you will not find any problems since the road is kept in good condition and, if you go by bus, there is one leaving from Santa Cruz twice a day that will take you there in about 20 minutes. Guaitil has basic services such as drinking water, electric power and phone, but there is no lodging available. There are two small home-style cafeterias that will offer you the delicious traditional food. The secrets of craft-making have been passed along from generation to generation, creating a never-ending system that economically supports the people of Guaitil. Tourists that wish to obtain a handmade copy of indigenous pottery for their collection will have the chance of doing so and for a very reasonable price. Clay pots, jars, pitchers, vases and other crafts fabricated with ancient techniques are part of the offering you will find around the town’s park, the area where most of the commercial activity takes place. “Making clay pieces like these takes lots of time and dedication, since the methods used are those of the indigenous tradition”, explained Manuel Angel Chavarría, one of the natives. In brief, the process starts by obtaining the raw material, which is clay, and allowing it to dry. Once it is completely dry, the next step is “pitarlo”, that is to mash it until powdered. This powder is later mixed with “iguana sand”, a type of very soft fresh water sand used by iguanas to lay their eggs. Then they add water and mix until the mixture is a paste. Then the material is kneaded and stretched with a stripped corncob and later, with a spoon made out of jícaro they start shaping the piece. This spoon is rounded and it is used to make the “bellies” of the pots. A piece of flexible leather is the tool used next and it helps to form the neck of the vases. Once the piece has been shaped, it receives color dips with red, black or white and the shades that can be obtained by combining them. Once the piece is painted, it must undergo a polishing process, using a “sukia” stone to make the piece shine. After it has been polished, the piece is left to dry

Photos: David Mills courtesy of Willy Villafuerte

in the shade; then it is transferred to the sun and, depending on its size, it will take one or two days to be completely dry. After that, it is placed in a firewood oven for the final step of the process. These pieces can be used in several ways; in the old days they were used to cook and store food, to mezquellar (mash) corn and for transporting water. Now they are used mostly for decoration and in collections. The weather in Guaitil is very warm and dry, so vegetation is scarce. Iguanas, squirrels and monkeys can occasionally be seen. If you wish to learn more about traditional Costa Rican indigenous crafts from people that still conserve their historic roots attached to their daily lives, in Guaitil you will be able to take a glimpse of past without leaving the present.

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Guaitil in Tamarindo

or over 800 years, hand-thrown pottery has been an artistic tradition handed down from generation to generation originating from the indigenous Chorotega Indians. In the town of Guaitil, located on the Nicoya Peninsula, Arbin Espinosa Guevara was handed down this tradition from his own mother at the age of 10 and since then, has been practicing this folkloric craft of pottery making. In Tamarindo, Arbin displays and sells his pottery at his gallery/workshop Guaitil Pottery Studio, where as he explains, he opened his shop “so that our visitors could have the opportunity to see pre-Columbian pottery and to learn how it has been made for the last 800 years. The Chorotega Indians are a part my Costa Rican history and this art represents their culture.” Guevara and his artists hand form the pottery pieces without any electrical wheels or tools, as the Indians had done themselves. The clay mud comes from San Vicente, a town next to Guaitil, and has historically been found in the mountains. Different colors of sand are ground to clay with a mortar and pestle and then used as paint on the pottery before it is fired. The artistic designs are created to replicate pre-Columbian designs that have their own symbolic meanings. Guaitil studio is part gallery and part workshop, and on any given day (except when the waves are good), you can find Arbin in the workshop creating new pieces. Recently, he has added pottery classes for anyone who wants to learn how to make pottery pieces of their choice. “The best way for people to learn about this art is through making it with their own hands. They need to feel the clay in their hands in order to understand the art” says Arbin. Once you have picked out the specific piece you would like to make, Arbin will teach you how to form the piece and prepare it for painting. He then fires it in the oven and then it is ready once it’s cooled. For more information about the pottery classes, you can either stop by the gallery, which is located in the Tamarindo Circle next to La Caracola Restaurant or call Arbin at (506) 2-653-2005 or e-mail at Arbin@TamarindoPottery.com.