The Howler
Volume 17, No. 8 Issue No. 191
August 2012 Founded 1996
TAMARINDO COSTA RICA www.howlermag.com THE HOWLER Ced. Juridica: 3-101-331333
FEATURES
Publisher, editor and production David Mills
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dmills@racsa.co.cr Tel: 2-653-0545 Howler • Mono Congo
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CONTRIBUTORS
ELLEN ZOE GOLDEN TONY OREZ TOM PEIFER JEFFREY WHITLOW MONICA RIASCOS KAY DODGE
JEANNE CALLAHAN JESSE BISHOP MARY BYERLY CYNTHIA CHARPENTIER ROBERT AUGUST
Deadline for September: August 15 Howler advertising
The Howler offers a wide range of advertising sizes and formats to suit all needs. Contact David Mills • dmills@racsa.co.cr
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Susan Adams art exhibition
Tamarindo artist Susan Adams opens her exhibition at Hidden Garden Art Gallery near Liberia.
14 Around Town
Openings, closings, parties, music. The Gold Coast has it all, and bar-hoppin’ David is in the groove.
15 Surf Report
Jair Pérez is on the way to becoming national champion; a Perfect 10 for Malakai; stand up paddling.
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Doña Vera
In a Mother’s Day tribute to working women in Guanacaste, we look at the life of a woman born and raised in Cartagena.
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From Ice to Fire
Recumbent cyclist enters his final country, Argentina, after cycling from Alaska.
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Surviving Costa Rica
Langosta is without water for days; the hot tub is broken; a new plan for residency - in Nicaragua.
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Will Your Investment Weather the Storm?
After the turmoil of world-wide economic disaster, will your property in Guanacaste still be here for you, and what will it be worth?
DEPARTMENTS 10 CD Review
27 Parents’ Corner
Discounts For 6 months, paid in advance, one month is deducted. For 12 months, paid in advance, two months are deducted.
11 Book Review
28 Doctor’s Orders
12 August Odysseys
32 Sun & Moon
23 A Slice of Life
32 Rain Gauge
Ads must be submitted on CD or e-mail attachment, JPG or PDF format at 266 dpi, at the appropriate size (above).
24 August Forecasts
33 Word Puzzle
26 Yoga
35 Tide Chart
All comments, articles and advertising in this publication are the opinion of their authors, and do not reflect the opinion of Howler Management.
www.tamarindobeach.net
www.tamarindohomepage.com
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Dining Out
Barbecued lobster, shrimp, chicken and sausage, served on Tamarindo Beach at El Pescador, every Wednesday.
Cover Caption: Cover Photo: Cover Design:
Mother’s Day bouquet from Floristería Crístal flower shop in Huacas. Tel: 2653-8762.. Floristería Crístal David Mills
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traveller recently arrived in Tamarindo Beach, having journeyed down from Honduras along the coast. He said that Tamarindo has the cleanest beach in Central America. This is not an accident of nature, but an effort by a very few dedicated people who have the foresight to understand that our beach is our selling point. For over seventeen years, the town has paid a worker to clean up, not only the beach, but the streets of the town. Earlier, the work was paid by Pro Mejoras, then by Surfrider Foundation, then by Lee Wenrich from Bingo revenues. Now the money is running dry, and Roro, the man you see lugging a trash bag around town every day, is not being paid on a regular basis and has taken extra jobs to support his family. We all benefit from having a clean town, most of all the businesses that depend on tourism. So where are all the hotels, beach clubs, surf schools, cabinas and B&Bs on the list of supporters? Anyone can help pay for beach clean-up. We know that many people would like to help Roro if they knew how. Contact Chris Spilsbury at 2653-0289 or olivos@racsa.co.cr for details. I once suggested that we try a little experiment (but nobody had the will to try it): send Roro on vacation for a couple of weeks during high season. When our beach starts to look like the one in the photo (a Costa Rican beach that does not have cleanup services), I will bet that the tourist businesses will fight each other to pay for cleanup.
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Regular readers will be getting fed up with constant reports on our very poor water supply system, but now it is getting serious. We just received this note from AyA (national water company): Due to low water levels in the two wells that supply Tamarindo, we expect in the next few days a low water supply in areas of Tamarindo such as Langosta and the Italian sector. Our people are working hard to find solutions. We urge you to use great care in saving water. Looks like we are almost out of water! So, do you really have to wash your driveway every day?
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amarindo is renowned for its beach and its fabulous sunsets, so it is always an enjoyable experience to dine on the beach. El Pescador offers a wide menu for al fresco dining all day, but Wednesday evening is special, with a barbecue dinner cooked right on the beach. Chef Luis Briceño fires up the grill around 5 p.m. and proceeds to broil a tantalizing selection of meats – chicken, ribs, beef, lobster, jumbo shrimp, fish, sausage – working away behind a fragrant cloud of smoke. Choose what you want, fill the big plates and add garnishes of salads of vegetables, pastas, garbanzos, bread rolls and various dressings. Plus dessert. The plates are king-size and diners are permitted to go around twice so you can really pig out. On our night we were serenaded by a Latino group of marimba players with additional drums and saxophone. There is a covered dining area, but the tables on the beach are well-covered by umbrellas against those afternoon showers. El Pescador has been operated by Canadians Steve and Liisa Quinn since January. They have made it a comfortable place to enjoy the beach and the ocean. Relax in a hammock with a tropical cocktail while you check your e-mail. El Pescador is right on the beach 200 meters (five-minute walk) south from Tamarindo Circle. Tel: 2653-2523 / 2653-1001. Elpescadortamarindo.com.
Local Artist Susan Adams at Hidden Garden Art Gallery
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amarindo artist Susan Adams opens her exhibition “Costa Rica Mia” at The Hidden Garden Art Gallery, near Liberia, on August 4 continuing to September 14. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Susan has been painting in Costa Rica since 1995, finding unending sources of inspiration from the country, its wildlife and people. A graduate of Southwest Texas State University with a degree in commercial art, and having studied with the likes of Scott Burdick and Tom Browning, Susan is an award-winning artist, including Best of Show 2002 Corpus Christi Independent, first place in Great Texas Birding Classic, and selected for Southern Living’s Green Home Showcase, Cinnamon Shores 2009. Whether traveling throughout the world, or within Costa Rica, scenic beauty is very inspiring for Susan; says Adams, “I’m not sure if I travel to paint, or paint to travel. My camera and laptop are integral parts of my process.” It can take Susan two days to get the canvas primed and ready to paint; and sometimes a week before she actually starts painting. Her subjects can be a Guanacaste horse tope or fiesta, persons, places, and all types of animals. Of her newest exhibit, “Costa Rica Mia,” Adams says, “How can one capture the essence of Costa Rica on canvas: from its magnificent nature to the people, their culture, and traditional way of life? For this show I have selected subjects taken from my immediate world here in Guanacaste: the oxen, solid, loyal, and patient, pulling stones out of the creek, uprooting trees and hauling carts of fence-posts at the edge of Playa Tamarindo. I am constantly amazed at nature’s complexity and brilliance, hoping to capture a moment that connects us to a jaguar lying unaware or playing.” Her techniques include stucco, gesso, acrylics, metallic paints and oils, and her images come to life on canvasses and banana papers, sometimes doors and windows. Hidden Garden Gallery is located 5 km west of Liberia International Airport.
CD Review Avelino Here, There and Everywhere
Tony Orez
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abio Avelino dos Santos was born in the small town of Limoeiro, near Recife, on the Atlantic coast of Brazil. He started playing guitar at the age of fifteen and began performing to audiences at the age of eighteen. He considers Brazilian musicians like Luis Gonzaga to be among his major musical influences, as well as the writer Paulo Coelho and The Beatles. Avelino had a big smile when he told me about the difficulty he had learning the Beatle song “Yesterday”, his eyes a little lost in memory. But then, Avelino smiles a lot. Let’s fast forward now to 2012. Fabio has been living in Tamarindo for nearly eight years. When he arrived, he spoke only Portuguese and he now handles himself very well in Spanish, English, Italian and French. His musical influences have grown to become international as he continues to perform in this town and outlying areas that get visitors from all over the world. If you go out at night in Tamarindo, chances are good you have seen him perform: he could easily be the hardest-working musician here. He told me (smiling, again) that during the high season, it is not unusual for him to perform as many as twelve shows in a week. He recounted to me a time he played in Pinilla at midday, then a sunset show at Playa del Coco and wrapped it up with a night show in Tamarindo, then singing to himself on his way home on his scooter, to keep from falling asleep. His shows are exuberant as his passion for playing can be magnetic, drawing the crowd into his always upbeat energy. Fabio recently completed his new CD “Costa Rica Paraiso Tropical”. It was recorded live at a sunset show on June 10 of this year at Langosta Beach Club. I believe it is one entire set, played consecutively from beginning to end, so it is an excellent representation of what to expect at one of Avelino’s shows. Fabio sings and plays guitar, accompanied by local musician David Herzovich, who actually hales from Argentina. He plays a steady, anchored bass guitar, allowing Avelino to venture into his musical flights of fancy. As a duo, they call themselves Che Brasil. The twelve-song set opens with a lively percussion and vocal intro, setting the tempo for the show. Avelino tracked and looped the basic percussion tracks and adds live percussion along the way. The music definitely has a Caribbean influence, as well as samba and bossa nova; it is very uptempo, jubilant even. Standouts on the sixty minute disc include “Sina” and “Filhos de Gandhi”. My personal favorite is “Estrela Divina”, a song in which Fabio poetically describes an early evening star as a “descendent of the Big Bang”.
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Avelino also told me he is working on new songs that will continue to incorporate Spanish, Portuguese and English in the same lyrics, a true musical marriage of cultures. The CD is available at any Avelino live show; finding a live Av e l i n o p e r f o r m a n c e should not be a problem at all in the Tamarindo area: he’s everywhere!
Book Review
Tony
Orez
Mayan Mysteries Decoded
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he recent publication of “A Forest of Kings” has shed new light on some of the mysteries surrounding the ancient Maya culture. The book is a collaboration between the two prestigious archeologists Linda Schele and David Freidel, who collectively have spent more than fifty years in Central America and Mexico excavating Maya ruins and deciphering their glyphs. For some time, archeologists have understood the Maya counting system, their adroit understanding of astrology and the systemic patterns of stars and planets, and some of their religious beliefs. A big question mark has been the explanation for the apparent collapse of the entire empire nearly five hundred years prior to Europeans arriving on the continent and what predicated the slow repopulation of their abandoned sites. And this is where Schele and Freidel come in. Linda spends most of her time in Guatemala and Honduras, while David generally concentrates on the Yucatan Peninsula and Quintana Roo in Mexico. Though the two rarely work side-by-side, it was through their sharing of information and comparing notes that most of the breakthrough occurred. And it was by translating several key verbs, understandably, that the actions of Mayas started making more sense. Truly, this work has the makings of a giant puzzle, much more real than any Dan Brown novel. It also has nothing to do with the 2012 Doomsayer’s predictions or some New Ager reading your Mayan Astrology. As an amateur student of the Maya civilization (I’ve visited twenty-two different sites), I take great offense with these pretenders when they sling the Maya moniker around to gain ambience or credibility. With their new information, Schele and Freidel postulate that, ironically, success led to the Mayan civilization’s failure; that as sites became more populated, there was a need among the hierarchy to dispense power to maintain the population and try to defend against and/or conquer neighboring city-states. And kings lost their credibility among the masses as the voice of the gods through their lineage as they relinquished the reins. In addition, as the upper-middle class grew in each community, the concentration of population in the center of the community intensified. Originally, these sites had been chosen because they were fertile but as these richer areas became covered with temples and upper-end dwellings, farmers were pushed into the less fertile hills, which were soon depleted, their topsoil washed away in the rainy season. And so the cycle began and the kings’ credibility lessened even more. Prosperity, theoretically, bred an eventual defeat and evacuation of the sites. It is amazing how the written language survived during this seemingly dead time because, upon returning to their original sites, the Mayas continued to build and inscribe. Even more amazing is the hundreds of unexcavated sites the jungle still harbors, some small and some massive. It will take lifetimes to unearth these places, just as it took lifetimes to create them. “A Forest of Kings” is a useful book for readers interested in more than just a glimpse at the storied Maya civilization.
August Odysseys
Robert August
My First Board
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very surfer remembers his first board. It goes along with memories of his first wave, first stand-up, first surf trip and of his buddies during those experiences. So I’ll share my memories of my first surfboard. In those days, before the dawn of history, we lived at Seal Beach, California. I was seven years old. Nearby lived Jack Haley, lifeguard at Seal Beach and a great surfer; he even won the West Coast championship, at Huntingdon Beach. Jack had a 9.5-feet board, very beat-up and pretty much waterlogged. All boards in those days were fashioned of balsa wood, a very light wood but porous, and they absorbed water, in contrast to today’s boards which are made of closed-cell foam and therefore impervious to water. Anyway, my dad acquired the board from Jack, stripped it of fiberglass and stored it in the attic where we had forced air heating. It sat there about six months until it was thoroughly dry. Then he shaped it down to eight feet and took it to a boatyard in Long Beach and had it fiberglassed, as there were no board shapers in those days. They charged him $80 to glass it and they added a fin. I got to choose my color; I chose red. I kept that board in my bedroom, and surfed every day, for the most formative years of my life. At the age of fourteen I was a pretty accomplished surfer. I also remember my first ding, and I was almost in tears. My best friend was hurt! When Dad came home from work I asked him to fix it. He replied “I’ll do it tomorrow.” I almost yelled at him “No, please do it now! My buddy’s hurt!” By now there were commercial board makers springing up, so I eventually sold the board to a friend and saved up for a new board. Greg Noll built my second board in his mother’s garage – it took two months to finish it - and sold it to me for $75. I have owned many boards since then, and have shaped many thousands, but I will never forget my first board.
Community Centre Project
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EPIA’s latest efforts to help meet the needs of the community are taking the form of plans to build an integrated community center to be located in Huacas. CEPIA’s current facility does not provide adequate space for us to fully help the community. This community center, to be called CCI, is already greatly needed and will only magnify the potential for CEPIA to help community members who need assistance. The land to build this center has already been donated to CEPIA and construction will begin as soon as complete funding is secured. CCI will provide an area for night school, extracurricular activities for youth, counseling, a library, hospitality courses, daycare, a cafeteria, a computer lab, and an overall positive environment for children, teens, women, and families. This community center is ultimately a necessity for CEPIA to continue with our mission to promote cultural development, educational and work opportunities, physical and mental health, and social cohesion for community members from poor backgrounds to improve their quality of life. Since June, a group of college students from the United States, representing the Sullivan Foundation, has been working on a consulting project. These students have been tasked with aiding the efforts of CEPIA to help CCI become a reality. Specifically, this student group is focused on securing support and funding for this much-needed community center. They have created a short video, which displays the benefits of CEPIA’s work and seeks aid from those interested in helping our mission to continue expanding and helping more community members in need. Please take part in the 500,000 View Challenge these students have created and view this video on YouTube under the name “CCI CEPIA”. CEPIA’s current community center video can be found by searching YouTube for “Cepia Community Center Costa Rica”. If you are able to help in any way, CEPIA will greatly benefit from the donations you provide. Money donated for the Community Center project is tax-exempt in Costa Rica, United States, and Belgium. While monetary donations are greatly appreciated, donations in any form are accepted. Donations specifically for construction are welcome, such as: concrete, blocks, sand, wood and other building materials. More information can be found on the website: www.cepiacostarica. org For further information about donating, click the Help Us button on the web page.
AROUND TOWN Yoga classes are held at Langosta Beach Club Monday to Friday at 9:15, and Pre-natal Yoga Monday and Wednesday at 10:45. The gymnasium offers a one-month membership at $40 (green season). Contact Magaly info@langostabeachclub.com A Dogs’ Hotel is available to care for your dogs when you are away. Pets, safely boarded in clean cages of four square meters, are allowed to run free in a 2,000 square meter fenced yard if their owners desire it. All the structure is one meter above the ground to avoid ticks, frogs and snakes. All pets will check-in at Hospital Veterinario Cavallini, in order to verify that they are free from external parasites and also to check their vaccination and deworming records. Call Dr. Cavallini at 2652-9009 or 8815-5713 for details. Your Zen Yoga has partnered up with Pura Vida Ride & Yoga Energy Studio to bring you a Stand Up Paddle Teacher Training Retreat of a lifetime, here in Costa Rica. Receive your SUP Yoga & Fitness Certification and kick off your new career in this growing industry. Only a couple of spots left. Training is August 23-29, at Las Catalinas, Playa Danta. Contact Dori for local rates at YourZenYoga@gmail.com or call 8977-7701. Yoga classes with Dori, of Your Zen Yoga, are available in Playa Grande, at the RipJack Inn, Tuesdays & Thursdays 8 - 9:15 a.m. And, SUP Yoga is on Fridays 9 - 10:15 a.m, at Playa Danta with Pura Vida Ride. All levels welcome. Supplies provided and local discounts honored. “It’s your practice, your place of internal zen.” Visit on FB.com/YourZenYoga or www.YourZenYoga.com Ex-Flamingo resident Mary Ann Marlow has published her book “Pursue to Paradise”, which gives you the impetus to restart your life using natural skills and learned experiences. The book is available at Jaime Peligro’s Book Store or order at pursuetohappiness@gmail.com. See ad page 12. Langosta Beach Club has two Happy Hours every day: from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday afternoon features live music (if weather favourable). El Corcel Negro has returned, next door to Voodoo Restaurant, with buffet service, fried chicken, and much more. Open daily from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Call Luis F. Badilla at 8974-9757. Carolina’s Restaurant has reopened as Russell’s Bar and Grill, open daily for breakfast and lunch. Phone 2653-1946. Qué Tuánis Restaurant and Floristería Cristal invite you to celebrate Mother’s Day on August 15. Reserve at 2653-6231.
Surf Report Ellen Zoe Golden (ellenzoe@aol.com)
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lthough there are always spectacular sights at each of the Circuito Nacional de Surf dates, there were a couple of great occurrences worth remembering at the Copa Britt Iced that took place in June in Jacó. We’ve been keeping our eye on the twelve-year-old Tamarindo boy Malakai Martínez, as he has made his way up to the podium each month, racking up the points in the Mini-Grommets category. However, admittedly, it was an amazing sight for those on hand to witness the little guy score a perfect ten in the semifinals of his division. He went on to take third place in the Mini-Grommets at this date of the Olympus Circuito 2012, presented by Banana Boat. The other big news is the fact that Jair Pérez (photo), the local from Jacó, won the Open at the Copa Britt Iced, and now, with his other win in Esterillos earlier this year, and his fourth place showing in Dominical, is the frontrunner to become the national champion. Going into the Jacó event, it was clear that a few favorites would emerge to win the national title in Playa Hermosa this August, and
began this run for the championship. I am very positive moving forward and hope to finally be the national champion.” “In the last wave (8.60), I wanted to hit one more air at the end to earn a perfect score, but I fell. In the end, I went with everything I had; I was lucky and got to give the audience something they liked.” With this win, Jair now has five Open victories since 2008, when he premiered that year’s Circuito Nacional in Nosara. A new face emerged to win the Women’s Open. With the visit to Costa Rica of Barbados’ 16-year-old surfer Chelse Tuach, the Finals were shaken up. Tuach ended up with the win, beating out the regular champs, Nataly Bernold and Lisbeth Vindas, and the new regular Emily Gussoni, all of Jacó. Another shakeup occurred in the Juniors division, with the debut of Jean Carlo Mendoza of Pavones. He beat out the experienced Thomas King of Tamarindo, and fellow Pavones surfer, Noe Mar McGonagle. The next date of the Olympus Circuito 2012, presented by Banana Boat moves to Santa Teresa’s Playa Carmen, for the next-to-last round. Called the Banana Boat Surf Challenge, the dates will be July 25 and 26.
Copa Britt Iced Jacó - June 16 / 17, 2012 Photo: Fabián Sánchez
that prophecy came to fruition. Other contenders for the crown include Gilbert Brown (Puerto Viejo), Jefferson Tascon (Jacó) and Maikol Torres (Esterillos), all of whom made it to the Finals. The date’s 1,500 points, however, went straight to Pérez, who now enjoys a hefty lead in the rankings. Pérez accomplished the Jacó trophy by being one of the four in the Finals who surfed a more aggressive style than is common in the Circuito. His craftmanship in the water earned him a total Finals score of 16.27 (7.67 and 8.60) which, coincidently, was the highest combined score of the event. The crowd gave him a standing ovation for that 8.60, a right of near perfection. Brown was second with 13.27, Torres was third with 11.06 and Tascon rounded out the category with fourth and 9.50. “I’m very happy to have won here in Morgan’s Cove like I did last year,” Pérez said. “My motivation now is different than before I
Open 1. Jair Pérez 2. Gilbert Brown 3. Maykol Torres 4. Jefferson Tascón
– 16.27 – 13.37 – 11.06 – 9.50
Boys 1. Manuel Mesén – 13.50 2. Leonardo Calvo – 11.30 3. Noe Mar McGonagle – 10.37 4. Juan Carlos Hernández – 10.00
Junior 1. Jean Carlo Mendoza 2. Noe Mar McGonagle 3. Tomas King 4. Jean Carlo Méndez
– 12.73 – 12.03 – 9.80 – 8.80
Minigrommet 1. Aldo Chirinos 2. Malakai Martínez 3. Sage Guinaldo 4. Luke Guinaldo
Open Femenino 1. Chelsea Tuach (Barb) – 11.94 2. Lisbeth Vindas – 10.73 3. Danielle Ciminero – 8.83 4. Nataly Bernold – 8.83
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– 14.67 – 9.80 – 5.76 – 5.17
Doña Vera
To Be a Working Woman in Old Guanacaste
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s she stood by the end of my bed rubbing my feet with a special massage oil her grand–daughter, a pharmacy student, made for me, Doña Vera, my Costa Rican mother-in-law, said a silent prayer that I would make it through the 10-hour surgery scheduled for the next day. With all the jokes about mother-in-laws, it was a blessing to have a really good one, one that accepted me as family when I was so far from my own family. Having been teachers for most of our lives, we shared the role of working women, something that in her time was much less common in rural Guanacaste.
up over the mountains to San José, a long, three-day trip to go to teacher’s college to work on her degree. She attended the school commonly known as the Edificio Metálico (metal building - photo) that has housed many different schools over the years. When I finally got my degree, I applied for a teaching position with the local school district and taught over my twenty-six years of teaching high school, college and university, never more than a half hour from my home. In Costa Rica, there is one big school district with, in her time, two categories of teachers - urban or rural. Newly graduated teachers go where the state sends them for their first few years, then later can request a closer position. Doña Vera, with three and later five children, was stationed in Potrero school, about 25 km from Cartagena, a short trip today, but in her time more than a half-day horse-back ride, over the rustic trails over the mountains. Her husband would go with her to Potrero, and then return at the end of the week to ride with her back home. Most new teachers would have to board in the town they are assigned during the week and return home on weekends or even less often.
Doña Vera, aka Berenice Contreras Bustos, was born in Cartagena over 80 years ago, and her story is one that celebrates the lives of the women of Guanacaste. Her story is a long and interesting one that spans a time in Guanacaste history that goes from horse and oxen power to four-wheel-drives and high-speed computers. Having a dream to be an elementary teacher, Doña Vera’s journey to realize her dream was very close to that of young women in the United States who became teachers around the turn of the 1900s. At that time, many teachers finished high school and became rural teachers at eighteen, then continued their studies in college as they worked. I thought I had had it hard, driving 130 miles every day to go to college for my teaching degree, while taking care of my two children and husband. Doña Vera had me beat by miles…and miles. She had children as well, but had to go to San José from Cartagena to complete her studies to become an elementary teacher. After she completed high school in Liberia, she set out on an even a longer trip to San José. She would go by horseback or oxcart from Cartagena, over the mountains and down to the Tempisque river to the boat dock at Puerto Ballena, then travel by riverboat on the Tempisque and on to Puntarenas. There she would catch the narrow-gauge railroad then going
After teaching several years in the small Potrero school, she was given a permanent position in the Cartagena school where she taught till she retired. She is remembered fondly in Cartagena as one of the best, most respected teachers. Because of the hardships of teaching in a rural school, teachers were given a pension after twenty years, rather than the normal twentyfive. Later she volunteered teaching adult students in a night school program. My husband Esteban recounts stories of all the Peace Corps volunteers that came to Cartagena and stayed at their house when he was just a boy. Doña Vera has stayed in touch with some of those volunteers over more than fifty years. So what does a working Guanacaste woman do after she retires from teaching and seeing that her six children (four girls and two boys) received their college educations? She starts her own business, of course, and she did for another 25 years. First she began to sell Rena Ware, high-end (by Guanacaste standards) pots and
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From Ic
Epic story of a bicycle ride fro Story: Christoph Mueller Edited: David Mills
Argentina: Paso Sico Overwhelmed with joy to have arrived in the sixteenth country since Alaska I just had enough time to get to the migration before sunset. The next day I hit the lonely road again. My first meters in Provincia de Salta showed a plain so large that I almost could not see to the horizon. Unfortunately, I carried only about seven liters of water and ran out of it towards the end of the day. Finally I found an indigenous community which looked more like a ghost town. A family filled my bottles and I gave them a tip. It was a strange ambiance in the village; I didn’t know if I was welcome or not. The days in a row through the desert are consumptive, mentally and physically; by day pushing on and by night trying to sleep in the cold tent with little oxygen. When I finally reached the last peak of the extended Paso Sico, Alto Chorillo, I got an immense view to the eastern slopes of the Argentine Andes, then I arrived in San Antonio de los Cobres. The village appeared more animated than I had expected up there at 3,700m. Quickly I filled my belly in a restaurant and pushed on focusing my mind on Argentina’s road top, Abra el Acay that should lead me directly to Cafayate in the end. I noticed often that by focusing the next goal mentally I could hold my physical strength high over a period of rough days. Llamas came close and observed me curiously. Their trust touched me. I felt very satisfied just climbing the road top of Argentina at 4,969m and knowing that only a long downhill was ahead of me. Riding here for me were some of the nicest days since the beginning. After months of nervous tension due to very inconvenient situations since we left the United States (except for Chile) I arrived in a secure country again. One day I recognized from afar a storm right in the direction of the route: Soon a tough wind caught me. Sand like abrasive paper almost ripped my skin off. I hid behind a small hill. After it got quiet again I continued but the further I came the more destroyed the road was. Stones had fallen by erosion and whole areas were flooded. Only by pushing and dragging for hours I overcame the unlucky passage through the mud. In its end I reached with joy and satisfaction the pavement. With best weather it was indeed the silence after the storm although an emergency bike wash was absolutely necessary.
ce to Fire
om Alaska to Tierra del Fuego
Almost flying for excitement towards San Carlos and Cafayate I enjoyed at least the last hour of the eighth day in a row and was finally riding through vineyards, lovely old villages and groves of poplars. The further south I came the dryer the desert became; nevertheless I liked the area. The distances between the villages increased, which required again carrying more water and more mental force. Sometimes there is not even one small curve in distances of 30km. The horizon is the goal and the day one long mental fight. All the lovelier appeared the small villages such as San Blas and Pituil. Heading again for Chile the strong thermal air provided a fair tailwind. It was already evening when I reached the Argentine migration where I set my tent behind a gas station. The next morning I got up very excited - and a bit nervous too - as I was about to climb the huge mountain range over 4,700m the last time. Agua Negra was a desolated pass road to cross the mountain range to Chile. It is open only some months a year during summer and there is hardly any traffic. 
At midday I met a group of Argentine mountaineers who showed me indigenous stone paintings just beside the road. After camping at about 4,000m altitude I advanced slowly towards the top. I felt very weak due to a severe lack of oxygen, and moving was very hard. At mid-afternoon I reached the top just when the weather was about to change. I took some photos, clothed myself warmly and rushed forward to flee from the snow. A huge downhill to La Serena at the Pacific Ocean was about to start. A thunderstorm arose and at about 4,400m altitude I had to put up my tent to save me from the freezing conditions. Before sunset the snowstorm was over and a silence covered the valley. In the cold air I enjoyed the sunset, hearing even my own breath. Such moments I will never forget - the hours alone far out in the nowhere where there is no noise and distraction at all.
In the early morning the downhill could continue. It was the most beautiful part of the pass. The scenery showed up in all kinds of colours, reddish and yellowish volcano slopes seamed the gravel road and the route led through wide stone fields to an artificial lake. Valle Elqui was so beautiful with all its vineyards, wherever possible clothing the rocky desert valley in a green garden. Next episode – Valparaiso, Santiago and, finally, my goal, Ushuaia in Tierra del Fuego!
Dog Show
On a beautiful Saturday morning in July, Tierras Nativas Kennel Club in Bejuco organized a Dog Show. A wide variety of dogs, and owners, took part in categories such as Best Costume, Obedience, Prettiest, Waggiest Tail, Best Kisser and a timed agility course. Notable winners were Hannah’s dog Tillman (right), whose performance won him the Best Trick award hands down. Tillman does a handstand on his front paws and pees in the air!! Best Dog in the show was Kate’s dog Coco (photo bottom right). Others worth mention were Rackety (far left) for most handsome. (Photos: Sean Cliver & David Mills)
Doña Vera... (from page 16) pans. Later, she became one of the first Avon representatives in the area, with a bevy of young women selling below her on the Avon pyramid. Over the years she has won refrigerators, appliances, cash and recognition as top Avon sales representatives. She was always traveling somewhere for an Avon meeting or promoting her wares; however, she rarely used the makeup, being a very conservative Catholic woman. She lost her husband a few years ago, and traveled more often to San José to be with her growing family, but she always was here at Casagua ranch to help us when we hosted the Grand Circle Tours for a typical lunch and show. She was one of our best cooks and famous for her hand-tossed tortillas. Today, my angel sits on her front porch facing the plaza and new church in Cartagena. That front porch with its traditional rocking chairs is a meeting place for many friends, ex-students, and, of course, family. Her trips to San José to spend time with her five children, grandchildren and great grandchildren are fewer now, and the family has a companion who travels and spends time with her at home, and everyone visits for holidays. Amazingly, she has not slowed down a lot, having just returned from several bus trips to Panama and north to a round of other Central American countries. If not on the porch or traveling, she can be found in the church or at a funeral. Everyone knows her, and she knows everyone. Over the years, I have gained so much respect for Guanacaste women, and men too, who struggled to get their education and succeed as professionals during very difficult times. Every time Esteban quotes a Spanish poet, or Dostoyevsky, I remember his mom was a teacher before electricity, running water, and the telephone came to town, and she was the force that produced a family of successful, educated children and grandchildren. So to finish my story, with the help of My Angel’s prayers, and the support of her eldest son, I did survive the 10-hour surgery and get back in the saddle. I love my Mother-in-law, she’s my Angel! By Kay Dodge de Peraza
Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, it’s at the end of your arm. As you get older, remember you have another hand: the first is to help yourself, the second is to help others. Audrey Hepburn
Barbara’s Pet Stories ¡Tarantula!
Surf Report (from page 15)
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was “talking” to some of my puppies, “schooltime”, making them sit and stay and so on... All of a sudden I heard a sound like a baby is crying, coming from the direction where my bodega is, in a very high voice: aehhaeh and again ..aehhaehh “Oh no”, I thought, “do people drop off babies or kids now, too?” I went to where the noise came from, and again...aehhhaehh. It took a load off my mind when I saw that there was no crying kid, but then a little panic came up: my raccoon was lying there on her fat little belly and ahead of her a pretty huge tarantula! Each time this hairy spider was moving, my raccoon cried out - aehhhaehh. My raccoon’s name is Waschi, so I called her by her name, telling her to stay calm, I will go for help... I ran to the house, grabbed an empty plastic soda bottle, (this was the only thing that came into my eye that quick), cut it in half, ran back to Waschi..she was still laying there, not moving, as I had told her...and the tarantula was now in the move to jump onto Waschi!! aehhhaehh ...and schwups... the spider jumped into the bottle. As fast as I could I put the open side from the bottle towards the floor, so the tarantula was trapped. My Waschi crawled to me, I could see it in her eyes, she was relieved...poor thing, I took her into my arms and I caressed her fat little belly.
As of this writing, the Costa Rica National Masters Team is in Playa Colorado, Nicaragua, for the World Masters Surfing Championship. Our team of over-surfers competed against twenty-six nations. Last year Craig “Tequila” Schreiber (Limón) earned a gold medal in the Grand Kahuna (over 50) category, and Andrea Díaz (Tamarindo) placed fifth overall. To find the results, go to isawmsc.com Stand-up Paddling It goes without saying that Stand-up Padding is really popular now. At the end of June there was a contest for SUP in Playa Danta. With the Federación de Surf de Costa Rica (FSC) estimating that over 1,000 people practice this discipline of surfing, it makes sense that they would be considering running a contest in SUP. In July, the FSC offered a clinic on SUP at the Hotel Cariari by Hilton Double Tree San José. The activity took place in the hotel’s swimming pool. The instructors were the Costa Rican National Surf Team physical advisor Donald Vega, head Circuito judge Gustavo Corrales, Surftech distributor Wimm Van Cleynenbreugel, open-water rescue trainer Marvin Pérez, with additional yoga moves taught by instructors from Del Mar Surf Camp in Jacó.
The idea was to train the participants in balance, facing waves, flat-water loops and long-distance races.
A dress makes no sense unless it inspires men to take it off you. Francoise Sagan
José Ureña, President of the Federacion, who was present at the event, said: “This sport is already growing strong. It proves once again that the shores of our country are among the most privileged for all water sports and especially for surfing and its branches.” “Surfing Federation is given the task of adapting to a rapidly evolving discipline that has appeared in this world in the last two or three years. We must begin with clinics to train new athletes
(continued page 33)
A Slice of Life Short Friendship David Mills
T
he favourite bar for Happy Hour was on Tamarindo beach. There were cheap beers, great sunset views, an attentive bartender – all you could want. One thing we didn’t want was the bar dog, an elderly boxer bitch – in both meanings of the word. She slunk around, looking as if she hated the world and everyone in it, wouldn’t be petted. Newcomers who tried to stroke her received a nasty warning snarl; we locals just ignored her. I had taken a three-week vacation and left my dog in the care of a house/dog-sitter. On my return I found my Lab a very sick dog, emaciated and not eating. The sitter claimed the dog was fine and was eating well, but that was not the case. I took her to the nearest vet, in Santa Cruz, and he gave me medicine but told me she had advanced tick fever and wouldn’t make it. For two days I nursed Boca, but it was a lost cause, so I called a vet friend to come over and administer the final injection. He had an important party that night and couldn’t come, but if I could come to his house he would give me the necessary potion. “You find a good vein in her leg,” he advised me. “Syringe 1 will put her to sleep in ten minutes; syringe 2 will complete the job.” Well, I guess I am no doctor, because I probably missed the vein and she stayed awake for almost two hours while I held her in my arms, begging her to let go. Eventually she slept so I used the second syringe and waited until the breathing stopped. I wrapped her in her favourite blanket and carried her to the grave I had dug earlier, then filled it in. It’s no fun to kill your dog; I was a basket case. By now it was late evening and I decided to go out for a drink. I walked to the bar, empty now that Happy Hour was long past, and ordered a double Jim Beam. The bartender, who had never known me to drink other than Imperial, asked what I was celebrating. I couldn’t answer him, so walked onto the beach to be alone with my grief and sat down on a log, almost in tears. Suddenly I felt a touch on my hand, looked down, and there was the bitch, Canela, licking my hand. I really lost it then, and poured my tears into the sand out in the dark. Next day I went to the bar for Happy Hour and, delighted that I had made a new friend, walked over to Canela with my hand outstretched. She snarled at me and bared her teeth!
A friend to all is a friend to none. Aristotle
by Jeanne Callahan (jeannecallahan007@gmail.com)
October August Forecasts Forecasts
Aries: 21 March - 20 April
The main action for your sign takes place primarily in the seventh house of partnership where things might be a bit tense between the 12th and 19th of the month as Mars nears a conjunction with Saturn in the sign of Libra. Still there are power struggles in your professional life as Pluto on the 10th pulls some controlling moves that may limit your individuality. Fun, huh--I’d say not but this is the vibe you’re still dealing with. Best days to get your way are the 6th and 7th.
Taurus: 21 April - 21 May
You will be experiencing more abundance and financial opportunities this month with Jupiter and Venus still in your second house of gains and assets. You may find that you have some repairs issues in your home come up, so take care of them after the 8th when Mercury is in direct motion again. Venus in Cancer in the seventh gives you a sweet vibe with which to promote yourself. Good days for that are the 8th and 9th.
Gemini: 22 May - 21 June
With Jupiter and Venus in your sign, you carry an energetic signature of benevolent kindness now. This is a very good time to promote yourself and ask for favors. Mercury is still Rx till the 8th but after that time, people will come out of the woodwork to assist you if you just ask. Your professional life is still confusing with Neptune in the tenth so include some walks in nature or by a body of water. Your days of good fortune are the 10th, 11th and 12th.
Cancer: 22 June - 22 July
Visit Jeanne’s site at CelestialAdvisor.com
Libra: 23 September - 23 October
The month is a little testy for you as Mars moves into a conjunction with Saturn between the 12th and 19th. You will be perceived as SOB if you take too hard of a stance at that time. If that’s what you’re going for, you will succeed, but if you want a solution that is more user-friendly, rely on guidance from your intuition to find a workable compromise. Venus is in a position to help your career efforts after the 8th. Make use of this vibe for your great gain on the 20th and 21st.
Scorpio: 24 October - 22 November
This month has some challenges for you, mostly regarding stress. A question to ask yourself now is “will taking this action help or harm my situation?” Don’t succumb to revenge or intricate secret strategies as they will not work out. Include your partner in any big decisions as they have wisdom you need to hear at this time. Things get better after 7th and again after the 23rd when Mars enters your sign and revs up your internal engines. Go for it on the 22nd and 23rd.
Sagittarius: 23 November - 21 December
If you are looking for love, this is a good month for it as Jupiter and Venus are in your seventh house of partnership. While the vibe may be off between the 12th and 19th, after that you have a good idea how best to proceed. Someone from your past may have expressed an interest, but there’s someone new on the horizon that is a better fit for you. If you are considering any foreign travel, do so after the 8th. Best days are the 24th and 25th.
Capricorn: 22 December - 21 January
Venus enters your sign on the 7th creating some favorable vibes coming your way. This is also a good time to look for love, though I’d be very careful about connecting with anyone new around the 16th-20th, as the aspects are a bit harsh at that time. After Mercury goes direct on the 8th you will find more money coming your way. It’s a good time to fix up anything that is broken or is no longer useful in your home. The vibes favor your interests on the 13th and 14th.
This month has some tension as aspects between the 12th and 19th are about conflicting interests. You may have to relinquish some power to another in your profession or get rid of some nuisance property or entanglements at home. Walk away if you have to, it will all work out in your favor in the future. Partnerships gain after the 7th when Venus enters your seventh house and proceed smoothly after the 23rd, so delay contract signings until after that date. The 26th and 27th are your most favorable days.
With the Sun in your sign as well as Mercury, you can attract attention to yourself now. Wait to launch any promotional campaigns until after the 8th when Mercury is direct. Venus and Jupiter in your eleventh house of networks, visions, friends and associates indicate that your message will be well-received and you can attract people who want to help you succeed. Best days are the 15th, 16th and new moon on the 17th.
This would be a good time to take a trip after the 20th, if you need a change of scenery, which I believe you do. Don’t sweat the small stuff as having a bit of fun will relieve you of some of your control issues if you just relax and lighten up. Between the 12th and 19th, you are likely to be uptight and tense so arrange for some physical activities to burn off some stress. The full moon on the 1st, the 2nd, 28th and 29th are your power days.
With your ruling planet, Mercury, in retrograde motion until the 8th you may have had lots of contacts with people from your past over the past three weeks. This all works out in your favor as Jupiter and Venus in your tenth house in Gemini signals gains in that area after the 8th. Financial challenges decrease at the end of the month and you are liberated from something that’s been a burden. Lunar aspects favor your interests on the 18th and 19th.
The aspects around the 12th to 19th are a bit stressed about finances, insurance or end-of-life matters. There will be a solution if you avoid getting too upset by the situation. Seek advice from an expert regarding what you don’t understand. If you have children, one of them will be a source of comfort and support after the 7th when Venus enters Cancer. Good vibe days for you are the 3rd, 4th, 30th and 31st.
Leo: 23 July - 23 August
Virgo: 24 August - 22 September
Aquarius: 22 January - 19 February
Pisces: 20 February - 20 March
Namasté
Advertise in The Howler “Long time no see. How’s The Howler going?” asked Frank. “Still here,” I answered, pointing to the latest edition on the table in front of me. “Good,” said he, “it’s a part of Tamarindo.” I like to think so too, but would appreciate more support from the people who get a free read every month. Every month we keep you up-to-date with surf competitions, latest books and CDs, local happenings and politics, restaurant reviews, parenting, health, ecology, humour, horoscopes, tide charts, etc. And it’s all free! Tourists gape in disbelief that our little town has such a classy magazine. Yet, many local businesses fail to grasp this opportunity to promote their business with advertising. Advertising is not charity; The Howler gives you the best exposure on the Gold Coast. We distribute in many places where other publications are unknown. Why have so many of my advertisers been with The Howler for 5, 10, 12 years? If they were not getting positive results from their ads they wouldn’t do it. In many businesses it is easy to quantify the value of an ad. If you buy a quarter-page ad ($120) for your restaurant, and it brings you a table for four twice a month it has paid for itself. If you sell tours at $75 and your ad brings one couple a month, you have made a nice profit. A half-page ad that sells a $80,000 lot has paid for itself for years. This is a no-brainer! It’s part of Tamarindo, and it’s your magazine. Let’s keep it going. Call 2653-0545 or e-mail to dmills@racsa.co.cr.
Now Begins the Study of Yoga
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The Yamas and Niyamas
ver 2,000 years ago Patanjali wrote the Yoga Sutras, 196 short statements that are considered the source of what yoga is about. In the Sutras, Patanjali explains that classical yoga has eight limbs, the first two of these limbs being the Yamas and the Niyamas. The Yamas and Niyamas are ethical statements to guide us in our lives, very similar to moral codes found in the world’s religions. All well and good you say, yet what does this have to do with what most of us think of as yoga; you know, those crazy poses? What Patanjali lets us know is that in all of the eight limbs, only two of them have to do with physical activity; the asanas, or poses, and pranayama, cultivating the prana or energy of our breath. Within the Sutras, it’s explained that when working with all of the limbs, not just those poses, we can achieve freedom that comes with being, knowing, connecting with our true self, this being the real purpose of yoga. Without this purpose of connection, yoga becomes just another form of exercise. Yoga requires us to become mindful within the physical activity of the practice and beyond. The Yamas and Niyamas are a great way to begin to bring something of the whole of yoga into your life.
So while many of us come into yoga by doing the poses, It is a great addition to your asana practice to take one of the Yamas or Niyamas to focus on for a while, whether it be one a day, week, month, or even a year. Here are the ten precepts: Yamas Ahimsa – compassion for all living things Satya – truth in thought, words, and deeds Asteya – not stealing Brahmacharya – merging your energy with spirit Aparigraha – generosity Niyamas Saucha – living purely Santosha – contentment Tapas – disciplined use of your energy Svadhyaya – Study of self Ishvarapranidhana – Acting from love, devotion, and good intent, and letting go of attachment to results of your actions. There are many interpretations of the Yamas and Niyamas. Some of my favorites are: How to Know God by Swami Prabhavananda and Christopher Isherwood, The Heart of Yoga by T.K.V. Desikachar, The Essential Yoga Sutra by Geshe Michael Roach and Lama Christie McNally, and most recently I have been appreciating the depth of Donna Farhi’s interpretations of the sutras, which can be found in just about any of her work. I highly encourage you to begin exploring how the Yoga Sutras can contribute to your practice of yoga, your life, and the connection to your true self. This is what the study of yoga is all about. Namaste, Mary Mary Byerly is one of the owners and the yoga teacher at Panacea. An oasis of tranquility and health 10 minutes from Tamarindo. Discover Paradise and Bring a Peace Home www.panaceacr.com • 2653-8515
Parents’ Corner Importance of Art in Children’s Development
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umans are creative by nature, and ART is a natural expression… even without formal art classes, children will constantly experiment with colors, shapes and textures, sounds and movements, as driven by an inner urge to Create and Transform. As children start experimenting and exploring the world through their senses they develop an awareness of the world around them, as well as an understanding of their inner self. In this process Art is, without any doubt, the best way to connect with our emotions, to understand them, and to find inner balance. Children must be given lots of opportunities and resources to express themselves freely … Art is a safe place, and it makes children feel confident and happy. Parents and teachers need to encourage children to draw, paint, and color or even sculpt, in whatever form they are interested. Children should also experiment with music, dancing and acting… three wonderful allies in cognitive and emotional development stimulation. You don’t have to turn the living room into a studio, and you don’t have to spend a lot of money on supplies; if children are given the time and space for free expression, they will surprise you with the most incredible creations and transformations just using what they have available: crayons, chalks, watercolors, play dough, old clothes and hats, strings and beads, tin cans and pots. Art can be the key to a child’s mind and in some cases, the only way of communication. While children often find themselves incapable of smooth expression, art helps them to express themselves in a safe environment. We expect schools to provide our children with artistic experiences, but we, as parents, have a responsibility to expose our children to this wonderful medium ourselves, beyond the art classes and extracurricular activities. Here are some tips on how parents can encourage their children in artistic expression: 1. Limit TV and video game time; these activities have the potential to become addictive and can interfere with the development of healthy communication skills and a healthy life style. 2. Provide your child with a basic art kit: crayons, watercolors, pencils, brushes, paper, scissors, glue stick, play dough. 3. Have a dress-up box for your child: old clothes, hats, belts, shawls, make up, old sun glasses. 4. Some simple instruments will allow your child to experiment with sound: a toy drum with sticks, maracas, a tambourine and a flute would make the perfect “music-adventure kit”. 5. Expose your child to Art in its different forms whenever you can: go to a concert, visit a gallery, listen to Mozart, Vivaldi, Bach or any of the great classics (children are very sensitive to classical music), watch a dance performance… and, of course: sing and dance with your child on a daily basis! Let your child unleash herself and watch her evolve into an expressive personality… this could be your best gift to your son or daughter! “Every human is an artist. The dream of your life is to make beautiful art.” - Miguel Ángel Ruiz
Msc. Mónica Riascos Henríquez Psychopedagogist – Member of ASOLAP – Code 2024 consultariascos@live.com
Doctor’s Orders
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Jeffrey Whitlow, M.D. jwhitlow82159@gmail.com
ast month we started a discussion regarding the reluctance of some people to accept the fact that human beings have a “natural diet”, just like every other animal, and that any deviation from that diet will result in significant and predictable consequences. I am accused of arrogance, that I am professing to know something that no one else knows. The beauty of the Internet age is that information is so easily accessible. Type the name Mary Enig, Ph. D., into your favorite search engine and follow the links to a new world. To make a long story short, her research led to the recent ban on Trans Fats. It took over fifty years for her findings to be accepted as fact. This was so because the oils and foods she warned against were cheaper and so made more profit for food suppliers and producers. The fatal flaw of the capitalist model is its slavish devotion to profit; this leads to the suppression of information that works against the interests of those who hold the wealth. I guarantee you that no one mentioned Mary Enig’s name at any time during my medical education in the early 1980’s, thirty years after she published her initial findings. Type the name Dr. Edward Howell and read about the father of the theory of enzyme nutrition. The results of Dr. Howell’s tireless research are available for all to see at the touch of a button, thanks to the incredible power of the Internet. To summarize, his research demonstrates that there are significant and predictable consequences that result when we eat cooked food. Since a raw food diet is not an option for most, he then gives practical advice as to how to mitigate those consequences. I never heard his name either in ’84. Nor that of Dr. Francis Pottenger, whose work inspired that of Dr. Howell. William Duffy wrote the book Sugar Blues, a summary of the research showing the dangers of refined sugar and flour, and so on.
Casagua Horses The greatest variety of tours and riding experiences for all ages, featuring spectacular countryside, howler monkeys, colorful small towns and fun-filled fiestas. Cantina Tour - Nature Tour Fiesta & Tope Rental - Old Tempate Trail Tour Located near Portegolpe on the main road, opposite the Monkey Park, just 20 minutes from the beach.
Phone us at: 2-653-8041 • kaydodge@racsa.co.cr www.paintedponyguestranch.com The best horses on Guanacaste’s Gold Coast!
All I have done is share my research with you. All of this information has been out there since artificial foods became popular, starting in the 1890s with packaged cereals. In the 1920s and ‘30s the process began in earnest, due to the chronic food shortages that occurred because of WWI and the Great Depression. My years of medical training and practice give me a unique perspective though, and I would put an emphasis on the word practice. It was an extraordinary experience to listen to my preceptors and watch them work with their patients, and I feel that I put that experience to good use in my twenty years of practice. That’s why I can say in confidence that it’s plain to see that we as physicians, both then and now, pay short shrift to our patient’s dietary habits and the impact of those habits on their ailments. I have alleviated suffering in others with the knowledge I have gained in my research, and I even healed myself of my then-impending peptic ulcer disease. “Physician heal thyself” indeed! So why hasn’t someone done a study, treating one group with enzyme therapy and diet modification and another group with conventional methods, i.e. “patent” medicine(s)? Who’s going to pay for it? Do you think that the drug companies would dare take the chance to expose a multibillion dollar “industry” as a fraud? Do you think the government can afford such an undertaking as a matter of course? The lust for “profit”, as always, is the fatal flaw. Don’t blame the messenger.
Roberto Recycles
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elp keep Tamarindo clean - recycle today! It is socially responsible. A private enterprise is operating a recycling program, and will take away, free, all your recyclable materials in Tamarindo and surrounding towns. All you have to do is: 1. Separate and organize your recyclable materials in boxes or bags. Categories are: Plastics: Bottles, bags (all types), packages, boxes (tetra pack), furniture, domestic appliances, broken fans, styrofoam (take-out containers). Miscellaneous: Lighters, pens, razors; if it’s plastic we will take it. Glass: Bottles of all colors, jars (only unbroken glass.) Metals: aluminum cans, tin, steel, tin foil, cans, wire. Broken: washers, refrigerators, appliances, building materials; if it’s metal we will take it. Paper: Cardboard Boxes, paper of all types, cardboard, egg container. Electronics: Batteries all types. 2. When you have a large amount of material for pick up call: Roberto: 2657-0032 / 8941-7956 / 8749-6633.
Recicle Hoy! Roberto recoge desechos reciclabes en el area de Tamarindo and pueblos acercanos. … ellos recogen todo!... Gratis! 1. Separar y organizar sus materiales reciclables en cajas o bolsas. Se le quitará: Plásticos: Botellas, bolsas (todo tipo), envases, cajas (tetra pack), muebles, electrodomésticos, ventiladores rotos, platos y envases de espuma de poliestireno para llevar las comidas) ...Varios: encendedores, bolígrafos, maquinillas de afeitar, lo que sea si es de plástico nos lo llevamos! Vidrio: Botellas de todos los colores, jarras, vidrio (sólo enteras). Metales: latas de aluminio, estaño, acero, papel de aluminio, latas, alambre ... Roto: lavadoras, refrigeradores, electrodomésticos, materiales de construcción…todo metal! Papel: Cajas de cartón, papel de todo tipo, cartón, envases de huevos. Electrónica: pilas (todos tipos).
Alcoholics Anonymous Schedule of Meetings
2. Una vez que se ha acumulado una gran cantidad llamar a Roberto Reciclaje - 2657-0032 / 8941-7956 / 8749-6633.
Día de la Madre In Costa Rica, one of the most important days of the year is August 15 - Mother’s Day. In a country mainly dominated by men, the matriarch is still the most important person in the family. Go and visit tu mamá if you can, call her if not, send her flowers or take her to dinner. It is Her Day, and she is not here forever.
Flamingo
Tuesdays: 5:30 - 6:30 pm (open) Fridays: 5:30 - 6:30 pm (open)
Location: Hitching Post Plaza Unit 2, Brasilito Contact: Don H. at 2-654-4902
Tamarindo
Saturday: 10:30-11:30 - Open General Meeting Monday: 5:30 - Open Meeting Thursday: 5:30-6:30 - Open Meeting Location: Behind Restaurant La Caracola Contact: Ellen - 2-653-0897
Surviving
C hapter XCII
COSTA RICA
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Semi-happy Endings
ife here in the Gold Coast is often a series of obstacles. Some are short-term while others linger on for years, but all are finally resolved, although maybe not the way one might wish. For instance: as of this writing we here in Playa Langosta, Tamarindo’s oft-neglected satellite community, most often known as the training ground for the area’s burglar population, are now experiencing a severe lack of water and its corresponding amenities such as regular bathing and dental hygiene. To quote the local water authorities:
I was therefore excited to read of a new way to get a guaranteed residency in a Central American country that might not be Costa Rica but nonetheless is pretty close.
“Our personal is working to give all the alternative solutions at this problem. For which we offer the apology for any inconvenience this may cause. Besides, we urged the population from Tamarindo and Langosta to take the necessary measures and savings in water consumption.”
Estimates are that the six million Nicas expected to be employed for the projects will not be enough, and foreigners willing to spend ten years laboring in the jungles will be awarded citizenship to either the worker or his/her next of kin. The Nicaraguan government will supply a shovel but applicants must provide their own malaria and cholera vaccines. Dengue is optional. However any new Nica will still have to leave the country for seventy-two hours on forced vacations to Costa Rica.
My assumption is that by the time you are reading this the situation will have been dealt with one way or another by either intervention by higher powers in the form of the precipitation normally associated with the “Rainy Season” that has so far avoided us, the improbable probability that AyA will actually fix the water distribution problem, or the abandonment of Langosta by its foul-smelling mosstoothed residents. This opens the possibility of restoring Langosta to its original state of “secret spot” for the adventurous surfers willing to share the beach with the abandoned condominiums. Residency remains elusive to many of us here and not necessarily from lack of trying. I spoke with a local inhabitant who has applied for and been turned down for residency five times over the last nine years, most recently for using an improper Spanish verb conjugation on the essay part of his residency dissertation. Those people at Immigration are very strict!
Daniel Ortega, the President “not necessarily for life” of Nicaragua, recently announced a new program granting Nicaraguan citizenship to any foreigner willing to work on the upcoming canal construction project about to begin as soon as the hundred trillion Cordobas are found to begin construction.
I used to live in the United States of America where many of the homes have “hot tubs” or “Jacuzzis”. I can’t say they were luxury items, more like an extremely comfortable appliance. Thanks to a magical thing called an “Extended Warranty” any problems arising were quickly solved by guys who fixed the things. One has a tendency to take this kinda stuff for granted. A couple of years after we bought our house in Langosta (it may still be there) we had some local guys build us a new outside wall with a concrete hot tub added on. The contractor assured me that his brother was an expert on Jacuzzi installations and so he set up the pumps, valves, water heater, doodads, thingamajiggies etc.
Story by Jesse Bishop (owlhumm@hotmail.com)
If you are one of my typical readers with a high degree of intelligence and a firm grasp of the obvious you already know where this is going. What we ended up with looked like something from Rube Goldberg with figureeight tubing going every which way and then into the concrete wall of the hot tub. But it worked and what was much more important….. it made my wife happy. Note: Those of you that have never been married to a wife may not know the importance of keeping them happy. Her love affair with the hot tub hit a rough patch when the $1,200 Heywood water heater burned up after about eight months. Upon inspection by real electricians it was decided that the heater had not been wired correctly. To no surprise the contractor and his brother could not be found. And thus began a never-ending hot tub story lasting for years, involving any number of short-term fixes and long-term headaches and spousal discontent. The best I ever got was making it a huge bathtub with hot water flowing from a now long-burned-out kitchen water heater. Then the tubes inside the concrete tub started leaking, leading to the most recent “repair” that has now made it impossible to empty. I ask you, whom do you know that actually has a hot tub here in this part of the world? Whoever that might be is probably much wealthier than yours truly. I know I may be asking too much of my adopted country to provide an infrastructure capable of providing adequate resources for hot tubs and Jacuzzis. But it sure would be a happy ending if they did.
Will Your Investment Weather the Storm?
Tom Peifer (peifer@racsa.co.cr)
There’s something happenin’ in here, what it is ain’t exactly clear... Buffalo Springfield
S
ometimes it seems like you shake your head in utter disbelief for long enough that you’d better well find yourself a competent massage therapist. Or stop reading about what exactly is “happenin’ in here.” Current case in point: the unfolding ‘scandal’ over the multi-year manipulation of a base rate, the ‘LIBOR rate’, the benchmark for trillions of dollars of loans worldwide – mortgage loans, smallbusiness loans, personal loans. It’s compiled by averaging the rates at which the major banks say they borrow. So guess what? They’ve been playing dirty all along—at least as far back as 2007. Playing with these numbers has allowed big banks to rip-off possibly trillions of dollars--all with rather blatant collusion of so-called government ‘regulators.’ Part of the reason for letting them continue was that the massive skimming operation helped the banks stay solvent as the credit bubble party came crashing down with the ripple effects that washed like a tsunami through—among other things—our local real estate market. Ironically, the LIBOR scandal came to light as I was reading a book which basically details the failure of economists to see credit bubbles even as they are in the midst of them. Small comfort that the response to the ‘problemitas’ both in the U.S. and most recently in Europe has been the massive infusion of make-believe money---more debt, i.e. more credit—into the country-in-crisis du jour. It’s like using your credit card to get out of the hole…until you get the bill in the mail. The much ballyhooed ‘rescue plans’ are little more than efforts to re-inflate and perpetuate the credit bubble, no ‘invisible guiding hand of the free market’ whatsoever. Observing the boom and bust cycle that has long affected the global economy, one economic historian issued a stark warning: “There is no means of avoiding the final collapse of a boom brought about by credit expansion. The alternative is only whether the crisis should come sooner, as the result of a voluntary abandonment of further credit expansion, or later, as a final and total catastrophe of the currency system involved.”
Now most of us are too busy living paycheck to paycheck—in whatever currency we earn—to really grasp the intricacies of a worldwide financial edifice that is grounded on a shared belief in the value and durability of the U.S. dollar. Nada mas, friends, and the fact is, that all the financial shenanigans that have come to light over the last few years have eroded the bedrock of confidence underlying the almighty greenback. Just as panicked savers desperately tried to get their money out of savings in Greece and Spain, investors and entire countries are taking steps to cover their derrières in the event of any severe shaking of the dollar-denominated ecosystem of global commerce.
One adviser presented the following question to his readers: How do I preserve wealth during a period of intense official intervention in, and manipulation of, money supply, price, and asset markets? It should be noted here that gold and silver, both traditional refuges for investors in times of financial uncertainty, have recently been revealed as subject to concerted government intervention to manipulate the market as a way to maintain faith in paper currency. It is useful to remember that the early birds tend to get the fattest worm, that is, the highest returns in any new investment opportunity. Coastal Guanacaste is a case in point. Those who bought decades ago practically paid per hectare what a square meter is going for today. Early birds also know instinctively to take flight when there’s a shift in the way the wind is blowing. As they say on Wall Street: “If you’re going to panic, panic first!” As a friend with a successful beachfront hotel told me a while back, “Now is not the time to build a new hotel, now is the time to buy one for cheap.” Case in point, a beachfront hotel a couple of miles away, 14 rooms, swimming pool and tennis courts just went on the block for $750K. Heck, I know people who are spending more than half that on private homes. Given the surplus of reasonably upscale homes on the local market—beachfront, hillside, mountaintop—these individuals are likely to find themselves in the position of having, in effect, paid more for a product than it is actually worth. Whether the situation stays that way or not is anyone’s guess. Just yesterday, I gave a presentation to a group of students from the University of Georgia. Referring to some hastily scrawled notes on a blackboard, I basically told them that they were going to be coming out into a job market—and a lifetime in the US—faced with a conjuncture of challenges: Energy supplies, economic stagnation or outright recession, a climate that seems to be spiraling out of control faster than anyone predicted. Investors, or for that matter anyone with an ounce of inkling to stave off some serious economic backsliding in what promises to be a very turbulent future, are looking at the same set of challenges in charting a course with minimal risk and maximum opportunity. I will try to distill hundreds of hours of reading into a few concise suggestions, and illustrate them with examples from our proverbial neck of the woods here in coastal Guanacaste. 1. The more exposure you have to food and fuel price hikes the worse off you are.
(continued page 32)
Your Investment... (from page 31) We’ve already seen what high gas prices can do to our pocketbooks, airline tickets, and the ability of municipalities to keep the roads graded. Expect more price volatility in the future; if your living situation involves a long drive over rough roads, pray for miracles, buy a horse—or plan a move. If you have ever dreamed of growing some of your own food, now is a great time to turn theory into practice--even better if your neighbors happen to be avid gardeners.
RAIN GAUGE
9.0 8.0
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2. Access to abundant supplies of clean water is going to become a challenge in many areas of the world. Some experts even predict that water will become more precious than oil, and that the future will bear witness to wars over water supplies. Closer to home, we’ve seen the national predictions that Guanacaste will experience a ‘split’ rainy season, featuring a two-month dry spell within about 10-20 years. Incorporating rainwater harvesting into the design of your home might not be a bad idea.
RAINFALL - June/July 2012
7.0
Maricle Meteorological Observatory
6.0
La Garita
5.0
Total rainfall: 29.5 cm (11.6 inches)
4.0 3.0 2.0 1.0 0.0
16
20
25
30
5
June
Rainfall May/June 2012: 29.5 cm 2011: 74.6
Year-to-date 2012: 59.8 cm 2011: 104.4
t i m e s
2012 l o c a l )
Sun
1st - rise 5:33; set 6:07 15th - rise 5:34; set 6:02 31st - rise 5:34; set 5:53 Full: Last quarter: New: 1st quarter: Full:
15
As one investment futurist spells out bluntly, “Food is always a good play.” From some experience I can guarantee you that, in our climate, decent soil and ample water get you more than halfway to having a front yard that can feed half the neighborhood. Given the scenario sketched out in the preceding paragraphs I think it is fair to ask, “OK, what would you do at this point in time, right here in Guanacaste?”
August ( a l l
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July
3. Building local communities and economies based on an awareness of where things are likely to head. A friend recently sent me a link to a project in Oregon which buys farmland and provides it to aspiring young growers who are simply unable to get started in farming due to lack of land. The investors see it not only as a “social” and environmental investment; they see it as a mid-to-long-term prospect, far more secure than, say, T-bills. Ironically, in Guanacaste, low-lying, naturally fertile, pastureland, usually sitting on top of ample ground water supplies, has not attracted the same kind of developer interest, as have the higher, hillside and mountain top sites with the spectacular views.
Moon 1st 9th 17th 24th 31st
9:27 p.m. 12:55 p.m. 9:54 a.m. 7:54 a.m. 7:58 a.m.
Let’s say I had an extra $5-10 grand kicking around, or sitting in the bank at whatever measly interest rate they are now paying. Without hesitation, my response would be to set up a windmill—the ones that pump water—over a well in my floodplain and build a tank up on a hill to store water for gravity-fed irrigation to the gardens below. And if I had enough money, I’d do solar too. Electricity prices can only continue to rise. Pumping water takes a lot of electricity. Dry season food production consumes plenty of both. The windmills involve a simple, sturdy technology that has proven the test of time. And, given the way things are headed both globally and locally, at some point they might well be worth their weight in gold. Sounds like a smart investment, huh? Tom Peifer is an ecological land use consultant with 16 years experience in Guanacaste. 2658-8018. peifer@racsa.co.cr El Centro Verde is dedicated to sustainable land use, permaculture and eco-development. www.elcentroverde.org/
Surf Report (from page 22) and thereby start a National Tour that will take place at unusual surfing beaches,” he added. Since SUP can be practiced without waves, the available locations for a contest are vast, and can include La Sabana, La Fortuna de San Carlos, among others. “Many did not know this, but the sport was created to renew a discipline that seeks to be suitable for all human beings and for all functions such as yoga, fishing, lifeguard rescues, among others,” said Corrales, who is licensed by the ISA as a Paddleboard instructor. “Today, all Costa Ricans, will have the opportunity with expert people trained.” Tentatively, the FSC is looking to do the first SUP Circuito in the summer months, starting in December.
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.
Word puzzle Miscellany
All words from the list below can be found in the word block on the right. Answers may be forward, backward, upwards, downwards and diagonal. alianza beginning blackboard cirujano confederacy conjugar cordillera crumb desarrollo development entity esplendida flea hambre ketchup
machine maquina mayonesa obsequioso pizarra porcelain precipitate principio pulga redondel substance servitude surgeon surroundings unpunctual
1W Full Moon 2T
3F
4S
5S
01:37 07:40 13:57 20:12 02:30 08:34 14:49 21:01 03:19 09:24 15:37 21:46 04:05 10:11 16:22 22:29 04:49 10:55 17:06 23:11
8.8 0.7 9.4 0.0 9.3 0.3 9.6 -0.3 9.7 0.1 9.7 -0.5 9.9 0.0 9.6 -0.4 9.8 0.0 9.4 -0.2
6M
7T
8W
9T Last Qtr 10F
05:31 11:38 17:49 23:51 06:13 12:20 18:32
9.7 11S 0.3 9.9 0.2 9.3 12S 0.7 8.4
00:31 06:55 13:05 19:16 01:13 07:39 13:50 20:05 01:58 18:27 14:41 21:00
0.7 13M 8.8 1.1 8.9 1.3 14T 8.3 1.5 7.3 1.9 15W 7.9 1.9 6.9
AUGUST TIDE CHART 16T
12:50 09:22 15:40 22:03 03:50 10:23 16:43 23:08 04:57 11:25 17:45
2.3 7.5 2.2 6.6 2.6 7.3 2.2 6.8 2.7 7.4 2.0
00:08 06:00 12:22 18:39 01:00 06:55 13:12 19:25
6.9 19S 2.4 7.6 1.7 7.4 20M 2.0 8.0 1.2
17F New Moon 18S
01:44 07:42 13:57 20:07 02:25 08:26 14:40 20:46 03:04 09:06 15:20 21:24 03:43 09:47 16:00 22:03 04:22 10:28 16:40 22:42
8.0 1.5 8.4 0.7 8.5 0.9 8.5 0.3 9.1 0.4 9.2 -0.1 9.5 0.0 9.4 -0.3 9.8 -0.3 9.4 -0.4
21T
22W
23T
24F 1st Qtr 25S
05:02 11:10 17:22 23:24 05:44 01:54 18:07
10.0 26S -0.3 9.3 -0.3 9.9 27M -0.2 9.0
00:08 06:30 12:42 18:56 00:56 07:21 13:35 19:52 01:52 08:19 14:36 20:56
0.0 28T 9.6 0.0 8.6 0.4 29W 9.2 0.5 8.2 0.9 30T 8.8 0.9 7.8
31F Full Moon
02:56 09:26 15:44 22:08 04:09 10:39 16:57 23:21 05:35 11:49 18:06
1.3 8.4 1.2 7.6 1.6 8.2 1.2 7.8 1.5 8.3 0.9
00:28 06:34 12:51 19:06 01:25 07:32 13:46 19:57
8.2 3M 1.1 8.6 0.6 8.7 4T 0.7 8.9 0.2
1S Sept 2S
02:15 08:22 14:34 20:42 02:59 09:07 15:18 21:24 03:41 09:49 16:00 22:03 04:21 10:28 16:39 22:41 04:59 11:07 17:19 23:17
9.2 0.3 9.2 -0.1 9.5 0.0 9.3 -0.2 9.7 -0.1 9.3 -0.2 9.7 0.0 9.1 0.0 9.5 0.1 8.7 0.4