The Howler
Volume 17, No. 11 Issue No. 194
November 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
14 Around Town
CONTRIBUTORS
ELLEN ZOE GOLDEN TONY OREZ TOM PEIFER JEFFREY WHITLOW MONICA RIASCOS
JEANNE CALLAHAN JESSE BISHOP MARY BYERLY ROBERT AUGUST
Openings, closings, parties, music. The Gold Coast has it all, and bar-hoppin’ David is in the groove.
15 Surf Report
Gilbert Brown wins his third National Championship at Playa Hermosa; Carlos Muñoz takes 2012 Airwalk in France; Roxy Surf Champ Camp.
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Deadline for December: Nov. 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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Ads must be submitted on CD or e-mail attachment, JPG or PDF format at 266 dpi, at the appropriate size (above). All comments, articles and advertising in this publication are the opinion of their authors, and do not reflect the opinion of Howler Management.
www.tamarindohomepage.com
The Big One!
The Nicoya peninsula has its long-awaited earthquake, 7.6 on the Richter, with almost no damage or casualties.
21 Pangas
A new beach club, connected to Las Mareas project, opens in Tamarindo with the accent on freshly-caught seafood and a relaxed lifestyle.
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Surviving Costa Rica
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The Mortality Blues
Having survived the earthquake, our columnist gives advice on how to survive the month of October.
The demise of some friends and neighbours reminds our writer that death’s winged chariot is only a short gallop away.
DEPARTMENTS
400
Discounts For 6 months, paid in advance, one month is deducted. For 12 months, paid in advance, two months are deducted.
www.tamarindobeach.net
Dining Out
Dragonfly Restaurant in Tamarindo is under new ownership, serving the same fine menu in elegant surroundings.
9 Parents’ Corner
23 Slice of Life
10 Book Review
24 Doctor’s Orders
11 Book Review
28 Sun & Moon
12 August Odysseys
28 Rain Gauge
20 November Forecasts
29 Word Puzzle
22 Yoga
31 Tide Chart
Cover Caption: Tamarindo surfer Chelsea Lisaius, Principal of TIDE Academy Cover Photo: MJ Photography Cover Design: David Mills
The Comets Are Coming!
Does anyone remember the night sky of the 1990s, when we could see not one, but two, comets in the sky at once? Night after night for months, these flamboyant visitors put on a pretty show. Since then, there have been no good naked-eye comets, but that may be about to change. Two comets are headed our way, to arrive at different times in 2013. In March 2013, Comet Panstarrs will pass closest to the earth at an anticipated magnitude of 0.5, which will make it clearly visible to the naked eye. Comet ISON, recently discovered by Russian astronomers, will pass very close to the sun in November 2013, and may achieve negative magnitude (very bright). Some observers predict that it could even be visible in daylight. Predictions of comet brightness are very “iffy”, so these two comets may not amount to much, or they may be amazing attractions in our night sky. But at least there are good chances of clear skies. Note that neither of these comets poses any threat to earth.
We’ve all heard that a million monkeys banging on a million typewriters will eventually reproduce the entire works of Shakespeare. Now, thanks to the Internet, we know this is not true. Prof. Robert Silensky, California Univ.
The Fourth Tamarindo Marathon was, apparently, a big success, and brought thousands of people to town and, hopefully, a lot of money, very welcome at the depth of the low season. But, coming so soon after the big earthquake and tsunami warnings, it raised questions such as “What would have happened if a disaster had struck between the Friday afternoon and Sunday noon?” Because at that time transportation in Tamarindo was cut off. Nobody could have arrived or left due to the bumper-tobumper stop-start traffic. The town, with almost no off-street parking, was down to single lane in many places. Again, we were lucky, but the town desperately needs another route for traffic.
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So we survived the Big One, our twice-a-century earthquake and, at the time of writing seven weeks later, are still experiencing some noticeable aftershocks. What doesn’t kill you makes you strong. Despite all the warnings about a very dry rainy season, and its effects on us during next summer, some people continue to waste water. I recently watched as two gardeners watered plants at a neighbour’s house – during a downpour! Magistrates of Sala Constitutional ordered that a cell tower be removed in Curridabat, as it was installed without an environmental survey being performed by the municipality. Another six such cases are being studied. The popular English-language weekly Tico Times has closed its print version, and is available only on the Internet at www.ticotimes.net. A friend suggested that his month’s Book Review should be written by a woman, as it is certainly a woman’s book. So we did both! Read both opinions of “Fifty Shades of Grey” on pages 10 and 11. Please add your own touch to The Howler by sending in your articles, poetry or photographs.
Arribada 2012 Turtle Nesting
Ridley Turtle arribada at Ostional, September 2012
Photos by: Marcela Leiton Goodell
Music Enter with the hums so pretty and clear Each vibe so strong so heartfelt and strict All my problems seem to just disappear The perfect passion for the void addict My music is like my medication In a world so immense I feel so small I am hooked, like an addiction When sinking in makes those feelings fall The one cure all we all appear to need Right in front of our eyes within our reach Devouring like food of which we feed I feed off my music like a faint leech Living life as I take it with all its downs I always have my music in which I can drown.
Alex Bonham
Dragonfly Restaurant Tamarindo
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ragonfly Restaurant changed ownership in January 2012, and is now operated by Rana and Dario Notte. Rana is Canadian, from Nova Scotia and British Columbia where she was an events planner; Dario’s family is in the catering business in Genoa, Italy. Dragonfly’s cuisine is fine dining, eclectic cooking using local ingredients, prepared by chefs Roberto and Sara. “We think our cuisine appeals to everyone,” says Rana.
Appetizers include black bean salsa with avocado and tortilla; tuna tartare with avocado and herb butter crostini; corn and jalapeño fritters with chipotle and honey aioli. We ordered a fresh heart of romaine salad with shaved parmesan and Argentina beef empanadas with chimichurri. Entrees are sautéed veggies w hoisin sauce and ginger jasmine rice; spinach & ricotta ravioli with a tomato basil or mushroom cream sauce, add chicken/shrimp; Thai crispy fish cake with cucumber salad and curried sweet corn; chipotle & grilled onion chicken breast on jasmine rice; roasted pork loin with mashed potatoes, sautéed spinach & mushrooms – 5-spice mustard jus; fiery Thai beef with glass noodles, herbs, chili-lime vinaigrette and chopped peanuts; pan-roasted mahi-mahi in passion fruit ginger glaze, jasmine rice, veggies; seared yellow-fin tuna, jasmine rice, wasabi aioli, sweet soy sauce; filet mignon, mashed potatoes, green veggies, garlic aioli & chimichurri sauce Desserts are chocolate walnut brownie, ice cream, chocolate sauce; passion fruit cheesecake. We enjoyed delicious food and good service in a very attractive ambience. There is music Tuesdays with Carlos Lopez on acoustic guitar. Dragonfly is behind Hotel Pasatiempo in Tamarindo, open 6-10 p.m., closed Sunday; all credit cards accepted; Reservations: 2653-1506; info@dragonflybarandgrill. com; www.dragonflybarandgrill.com
Parents’ Corner Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder - ADHD Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the term currently used for a specific developmental disorder that can be seen both in children and in adults that is characterized by lack of behavioral inhibition, of sustained attention and of resistance to distraction, as well as of the regulation of one’s activity level to the demands of a situation. The main characteristics are: • Problems with response inhibition, self-control and delaying gratification. The child can’t stop to think before acting; bursts out comments, can’t wait his turn when playing or having a conversation; cannot resist distractions when working or studying, can’t work towards long-term rewards. • Excessive display of task-irrelevant activity. Children seem to be always “on the go” and fidgety, extremely restless and always displaying motor activity that is not necessary to complete a task. This excessive gross motor activity tends to be less with age, but an older child and teenager with ADHD always displays more motor activity than his peers. • Poor sustained attention and persistence. This becomes more evident when the child is assigned repetitive or mechanical tasks; he will then move from one unfinished task to the next, distract with any minor stimulus and completely lose interest in the task at hand. Independent work and work without supervision becomes a challenge, as the child lacks the internal control to stay “on track” and work from start to finish. In some ADHD subtypes related with impulsivity you can also find: • Problems with working memory. Some children with ADHD often seem forgetful and disorganized, and lose track of the goal of their activities. This particular problem affects the capacity to anticipate events and prepare for them, as well as learning from past experiences. • Difficulties with regulation of emotions, motivation and arousal. Children with ADHD struggle with keeping emotions to themselves (internalizing their feelings) or with moderating their emotional expressions; often displaying mood in an inappropriate manner and appearing to others as emotionally immature. • Unusual variability in the task performance patterns; quantity, quality and even speed can vary from one day to the next, making it very difficult for parents and teachers to understand why a child can sometimes complete a task correctly and within the given time, and at other times he won’t be able to even get started. Even though precise causes for ADHD have not yet been identified, research confirms that brain biology and genetics contribute to the disorder. ADHD is estimated to be found in 8 to 10% of school age children, making it the most frequent disorder for which educational accommodations are requested. Unfortunately, it is also the most commonly misdiagnosed disorder, which often leads to inappropriate medical treatment and, more often than not, to a hindering label that can stand in the way of recognizing the real problem. ADHD diagnosis should only be performed by a Pediatric Psychiatrist, an Educational Psychologist or a Psychopedagogist; which includes a thorough assessment of the child’s developmental history, the assessment of the child’s cognitive and emotional development, and the analysis of data collected from parents and teachers. ADHD cannot be diagnosed in one parent interview, or by observing the child play; because ADHD symptoms can relate to a variety of situations, a thorough evaluation is essential. To this day there is no cure for ADHD, but there are many treatments that assist the child in copying with the symptoms and learning how to live with them. Education of the child, family and teachers in what ADHD is and how you can manage it is the most important one, and the only way of achieving long term success. Medical treatment is in some cases recommended and should only be prescribed by a Pediatric Psychiatrist after a thorough assessment. However, it does not substitute the psychoeducational intervention that teaches the child the necessary strategies to manage the disorder. Msc. Mónica Riascos Henríquez Psychopedagogist – Member of ASOLAP – Code 2024 consultariascos@live.com
Book Review
A Man’s View Tony Orez
Fifty Shades of Blasé
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iction trilogies are enjoying a new wave of popularity, particularly ones with edgy plotlines; “Hunger Games” and “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” have been the two most successful. The new “it” trilogy is “Fifty Shades of Grey”, by E.L. James, the pen name of Erika Leonard, a successful television executive in England. The edgy hook in this one is in its detailed description of a couple’s sexual encounters, many of them including bondage and dominant and subversive play-acting roles. The story is told by the main character: Anastasia Steele, a drop-dead gorgeous twenty-two year old senior at a university near Seattle; oh, by the way, she’s a virgin – so yes, the story is fiction, or perhaps fantasy is a better term. I found it difficult to believe anyone could be that naïve at that age. She meets and falls for Christian Grey, a stunningly handsome twenty-something multi-billionaire with a troubled past and a nonconventional sexual appetite. Ana decides he’s the one, allowing herself to be deflowered and enter his jet-set, kinky world. It turns out she has the natural abilities of a fifteen hundred dollar a night hooker, which works in nicely with the plot. She knows she’s in love with this hunk but isn’t certain about the dom/sub thing (she’s the sub, of course), but feels that maybe True Love can direct this zany couple. I found the writing lacking, with the authoress telegraphing upcoming events with a large air horn. The overuse of the word “murmur” is inexcusable and incomprehensible. It appears on nearly every page, sometimes more than once. Doesn’t Ms Leonard employ an editor, or at least own a thesaurus? Is murmuring supposed to be sexy? Because this novel is a veritable MurmurFest. In addition, there are way too many emails between the two, transcribed in entirety, including headers, etc., as if they were mimeographed onto the page. I understand using them to demonstrate the irony of the couple’s inability to converse directly, but does a working billionaire really have that much time for cutesy notes sent back and forth? I felt it became cumbersome and felt the same way about Anastasia’s dialogues with her subconscious and her “inner goddess”; it’s overused and becomes cumbersome. OK, I admit that some of the sex scenes are intriguing, real page-turners, but the lack of credibility of the story as a whole makes the book lack-luster. Even the forty-nine year old authoress and mother of three expressed shock at the avid response to her work, proclaiming it, “…my midlife crisis, writ large.” Her biggest readership demographic comes, not surprisingly, from other married women in her age group, a statistic that beckons the question: Is the title a reference to the hair color of that consumer group? I also wonder what could be lacking in so many women in this demographic for this trite novel to be so intriguing to them, because it really is poorly written and the kinky sex honestly is delivered with kid gloves. One redeeming factor is that it is getting people to read, and that is rarely a bad thing.
Book Review Fifty Shades of Grey
A Woman’s View Kristina Ulricht
When asked to do this review, I knew I was going to need help. My close circle of age-appropriate friends so vehemently refused to even read the book I thought to seek out a younger, more hip accomplice. So, my beautiful professional neighbour has agreed to do the task. Susan Adams.
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bout a girl fresh out of college, Anastasia Steele, who meets a very successful man, Christian Grey, in his late twenties, while doing a favor for a friend. She is charmed and hypnotized by his irresistible sex appeal, beautiful face, and mystery. Christian is equally charmed by her natural beauty, and what I feel to be her innocence, wittiness, and simplicity. He offers her a “position”, which she can’t refuse - or maybe she can?
This “position” is a role as his submissive, a female who lives with him, sleeps in a separate room, and is, for lack of a better word, his sex slave. Due to a past that we learn about later on, Grey has a slightly darker, or perhaps adventurous, take on what we consider “normal “ sex. He prefers a little more pain, in the form of spanking, handcuffs, ropes, paddles, metal balls, etc., in a room that was given the name “The Red Room of Pain” by Anastasia. The way it is explained in the book it sounds, perhaps, a little scary and crazy, but at the same time, I think I can speak for most females my age (30+/-); it definitely sparked my interest (or is that just me?). I might be willing to admit that, if in the right mood, and maybe with a Christian Grey, I could be talked to into a romp in this “Red Room”. The book is known for its sexuality, and maybe the plot isn’t winning awards, although I found it interesting The sexual encounters are certainly putting a lot of smiles on many women’s faces, and likely spicing up the bedrooms in their own lives. I was asked to read one of the sex scenes, but could not do it, as it would be like acting out porn in front of someone. The way this author writes is perfect for how women approach sex. Each sexual encounter has plenty of “foreplay”, a few paragraphs talking about how they kissed and where, “peeling” off clothing, grabbing, touching, breathing, then leads you to their “climax”, and in the end, always had my heart pumping! To be perfectly honest, I usually had to read this in a separate room. Men need fewer words and more action, but the text and the word usage is what makes this book so right for women. I’m wondering how to finish this review of Fifty Shades of Grey…and all I can say is that do not go into this book hoping for something very intellectual; know that it’s all about sex, lots of sex, mostly sex, and sex that maybe you haven’t had before! I read the other day something that said, “I do not want to just read books; I want to climb inside them and live there.” I would do that with this book for sure, at least for a little while! I found it fantastic to let my mind go, maybe to places I hadn’t gone before, to just enjoy the book for what it was…HOT!!!!
August Odysseys My Magic Childhood
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rowing up on a California beach was a wonderful experience; I cannot imagine that anyone enjoyed a more delightful childhood. I lived with my family in Seal Beach, California. From the age of six, I went surfing every day before and after school, and was soon a very accomplished surfer. In 1953, at eight years old I went with the family to Hawaii. Exciting! LAX airport didn’t exist; we flew Burbank to San Francisco, then a fifteen-hour flight to Hawaii on a propeller plane, bumpy and uncomfortable. I remember that the food was crap! I surfed Waikiki and had the surf to myself. Later we visited Baja California, surfed, fished, camped anywhere, rode motorbikes. It was wild and undeveloped, just a big desert and a playground for us kids. I starred in some Bruce Brown movies before “Endless Summer”, and received great support from my folks in surfing, school and my new business – board shaping. My dad would come to my shop at 5 a.m. and help me shape boards. I had the best Mom ever, and she was a great cook. My Dad retired at 50, and they travelled all over in a camper – Oregon, Nevada, Mexico. They had friends everywhere; I still meet many of their friends in my travels and they all speak very highly of my Mom and Dad. They had a huge banner on the side of the camper: Married 50 Years! Then Mom was taken ill. They didn’t have a doctor, never having been ill before. I took her to my doctor, who diagnosed leukemia and prescribed the usual treatments, chemotherapy, etc., but she died at the age of 69. After that my Dad lost interest, and he had a heart attack a while later and was taken to hospital in San Clemente. I drove there flat out from Huntington Beach, but was just too late. Dad was still in bed with the usual tubes, wires, plumbing, etc., and I was distraught. A trauma worker calmed me down and told me all they had done to treat him; she comforted me a lot. Then a nurse who had attended him came in – she was a well-endowed woman - and told me he had died happy. “Are you sure?” I asked. “Yes, certain,” she answered. “He just looked at me and said ‘Nice tits!’ then he died.”
The construction of an integrated community center will improve the well-being of hundreds of students; increase the number of services and programs in Guanacaste; increase the number of participants in programs and training; broaden the educational and vocational opportunities (night school); promote social cohesion, educational and work opportunities, heath and life quality of the population; allow institutional and intergroup articulation (public and private institutions, businesses, organised groups and participants) to attend, in an integrated way, the needs of the population; decrease the incidence of violence, poverty and social exclusion. We need your help! Please contact Laetitia at cepiacostarica@ racsa.co.cr.
AROUND TOWN La Paz Community School, on November 10, will hold its Ruta La Paz road race over5K and 10K distances to raise funds for scholarships. See ad on page 18 for details and registration. Cheboards opened its new factory last September in Costa Rica, where you can find a huge variety of surfboards, customized models and surfboard repair with quality certification. Come to our showroom between Villarreal-Huacas, 100m south of Best Western Hotel, or check out some of our boards at Witch´s Rock Surf Camp. More info on www.cheboards. com.” Pacific Coast Gym in Huacas offers exclusive GNC products – good for the health and for sports fitness. See ad page 19. Coconut Beach Club in Potrero reopens November 2. Come and enjoy a day in the sun, on the beach or in the pool, with great food and exotic cocktails. Call 2654-4300. Garden Plaza is coming back to life, with sixteen new stores and a middle-eastern restaurant, Gazebo, opening soon. A fully-equipped US-style gymnasium will offer monthly membership at $10 for local residents. Torre del Mar, Tamarindo’s 4th-floor restaurant, opens at 4:30 with Happy Hour with free slice of pizza; Monday night all pizzas ¢3,000; Saturday night all pastas ¢3,000. New: fondue bourguignonne of beef filet. See ad page 13. Gold Coast Women’s Group holds its 3rd Annual World Tour of Food, Fashion and Music on November 15, 5-8 p.m., at Mar y Sol Restaurant in Flamingo, with a fashion show by Azul Profundo. Tickets may be purchased at ReMax (next to BCR), Azul Profundo in Tamarindo, Maureen Thompson (costaricamom@gmail.com, Anne Scalf (annescalf@gmail.com). Tamarindo Church is a new church being started by Lyle and Stacey Watson. LOCATION: at the old “El Coyote” bar-restaurant located 200mts west of the Tamarindo Airport entrance. GATHERINGS: worship services w/ children’s church will be held on Nov 25th & Dec 23rd @ 4:00 pm. Weekly Sunday services begin in January 2013. For more info call Lyle at 8868-0871 or find out more at www.tamarindochurch.com Pacific Coast Gym and Fitness Center offers special prices for groups of three or more persons for aerobic classes on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 6 p.m. (restrictions apply). El Coconut Restaurant in Tamarindo is open again after vacation, and has some surprise changes to enhance your dining enjoyment. Call 2653-0086 for reservations.
Surf Report Ellen Zoe Golden (ellenzoe@aol.com)
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o much surfing news I hardly know where to begin. What words can I use to describe the accomplishment of Gilbert Brown (photo) in getting his third national surf championship? And to be honest, going into the finals at Playa Hermosa in August, there were so many contenders for the crown, it was not a given that the Puerto Viejo native would come out on top of the Circuito Nacional Olympus 2012, presented by Banana Boat. But his excellent maneuvering at the Grand Final Reef in front of an amazing showing of 6,000 people proved that his experience
Photo: Fabián Sánchez
did indeed count for something among the youngsters Anthony Fillingim (Santa Teresa), who came in second, and Noe Mar McGonagle (Pavones) third, and Anthony Segura (Jaco) fourth. At first, it wasn’t a high, high scoring wave that made the moves to the top place, but Brown drew a 6 from his arsenal with a lethal backside enough to dash the hopes of his opponents. Then, there was the long left wave, very well selected, where he applied four maneuvers with very critical action that the judges awarded the highest score of 8.33, putting away from his rivals with that combination.
In the Women’s division, the tight national ranking was also decided by the final placement of the Hermosa date. Lisbeth Vindas and Nataly Bernold, both of Jaco, were vying for the national trophy, but Lisbeth slipped further in the semifinals of the Hermosa date while Nataly placed second in the Finals, giving her enough points to claim her third national championship title.
2012 National Championships Playa Hermosa
Open 1. Gilbert Brown 2. Anthony Fillingim 3. Noe Mar MGonagle 4. Jair Pérez
- 5.585 - 5.395 - 5.135 - 4.755
Boys 1. Leonardo Calvo – 6.080 2. Noe Mar McGonagle – 6.010 3. Manuel Mesén – 5.630 4. Leo Glatzer – 5.300
Women’s 1. Nataly Bernold 2. Leilani McGonagle 3. Lisbeth Vindas 4. Eve Johnstone
– 6.010 – 5.510 – 5.370 – 5.135
Mini-Grommet 1. Malakai Martínez 2. Aldo Chirinos 3. Dean Vandewalle 4. Sage Guinaldo
Junior 1. Noe Mar McGonagle – 5.790 2. Manuel Mesén – 5.420 3. León Glatzer - 4.745 4. Alberto Muñoz – 4.645 Women’s Junior 1. Leilani McGonagle 2. Emily Gussoni 3. Arisha Griotti 4. Skye Chávez
– 6.290 – 5.750 – 5.123 – 5.005
Longboard 1. Anthony Flores – 6.500 2. Cristhian Santamaría – 5.800 3. Adolfo Gómez – 5.015 4. Enrique Pacheco – 4.213
– 6.500 – 5.605 – 4.475 – 4.355
“When I won my first national championship, I felt amazing, as it something that marked my life, but today the reality is different,” said Brown. “With all those young talents we have in the country there are many more surprises for me to achieve what I have. Today, for me to have beaten Anthony (Fillingim), Noe Mar or Anthony Segura is serious and so I know I have been victorious.” Gilbert earned his national trophy this year for the third time, having picked up the championship in 2008 and then again in 2004. This first place finish in Hermosa is the first time he has reached the top spot in the Circuito this year, however, his consistency and regularity in the season with four podium visits were what gave him enough points to earn the national championship.
On the other side of the world, in August, Carlos Muñoz (above) joined Lucia Martino of Spain in winning the 2012 Airwalk Lacanau Por Junior in 3- to 4-foot surf at La Grande Plage in Lacanau, France. According to reports at this Association of Surfing Professionals event, Cali “blew up” the final opening his wave count with an excellent 8.67
(continued page 18)
The
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or many years the Nicoya Peninsula has been anxiously awaiting the “Big One”. Our expectation is based on the fact that there have been severe earthquakes in the region approximately every fifty years (in 1853, 1900 and 1950) and experts from OVSICORI (Observatorio Vulcanológico y Sismológico de Costa Rica) have warned that the normal build-up of stresses due to tectonic plate slippage must have its relief, whether from short-period tremors over a long time, or one large (over 7.0 Richter) earthquake. So, for a dozen years or so we have waited with bated breath for the “Big One”. September 5, 2012, residents of the Nicoya Peninsula experienced a very large, long earthquake that was measured at 7.6 Richter. This level of ‘quake has the potential to destroy buildings, start large landslides and cause a large number of fatalities and injuries, but the incredibly low amount of damage and injury during this event has people wondering “was this the ‘real’ Big One?” Experts had predicted that the next “Big One” could destroy bridges and highways, cutting the Nicoya Peninsula off from the rest of the country and destroying power and communications grids. The September 5 event, with its epicenter near Nicoya, occurred at 8:42 a.m., and was felt by most people in the area. Reports varied widely, from “a slight shaking” to “very frightening. I thought the building was collapsing.” At one Tamarindo store, a large plate-glass door fell outwards, shattering on the ground; many supermarkets suffered products thrown from shelves; windows were broken at a plaza in Huacas; one restaurant owner said: “we didn’t lose one glass or one bottle from it,” while others suffered large losses from bottles of wine and liquor smashed on the floor. At ‘quake time I was walking in the surf on Tamarindo Beach, socializing with others as our dogs played together. Suddenly I found I couldn’t walk straight, and immediately blamed one Guinness too many the night before. As I realized that it was a terremoto I noticed that I was alone on the beach, everyone else running like rabbits and screaming “tsunami”. Many Tamarindeños congregated at a tsunami party on a hilltop in town with beers and wine – any time of day is party time in Tamarindo. Arriving home, I surveyed the damage. My TV face down on the floor, unbroken; four music cassettes on the floor; a bottle of shampoo fallen over in the shower. These 7.6ers are really vicious!!
IG One
as it?
David Mills
akin’ goin’ on - Jerry Lee Lewis Most businesses closed for the day as employees started cleanup, or left to check on their homes and families. Power was off for the next three hours, during which time we had little information from anywhere. When the electricity returned, I switched on the Mac to find an e-mail awaiting me - from Toronto, Canada, informing me that all radio and TV stations there were reporting a 7.6 earthquake in Costa Rica. Wheee! Fame at last!! Shake, Rattle and Roll. After the ‘quake, the aftershocks! Every couple of hours the earth shook, but much more gently. Aftershocks are good; they are Nature’s way of letting off excess pressure, but 1,700 of them in the next four days? Many were in the 4-5 range, respectable if taken alone, but anticlimactic compared with Wednesday’s shaker. Most of the aftershocks were centred around Nicoya, though some were in the Tamarindo/Huacas area. As late as Sept. 15 we experienced a 5.2 midnight shaker and three weeks after the ‘quake the Nicoya peninsula was vibrating like Shakira’s hips with a clutch of 4.4, 4.1, 4.5... Of course, given the high proportion of Californians in Tamarindo, I was told about a dozen times: “Oh, this is nothing. We get this all the time back home.” Despite common earthquake lore, my ridgeback didn’t predict any of the shakes; in fact, she slept right through them all. Even a month later, the experts hadn’t come to a decision as to whether that indeed was the “Big One”. If it was, we are among Nature’s protected. The Richter scale categorizes magnitudes. The intensity of an earthquake varies by a factor of ten between magnitudes; a Richter 7 is ten times stronger than a R6. An earthquake between 7 and 8 can produce “great devastation and many fatalities.” So we were very lucky. Now let’s hope that the threat of doom and annihilation predicted for December 21 is another non-event.
Surf Report (from page 15) and backing it up quickly with a 7.17 to take the heat lead, and never letting it go. “The flying Costa Rican left without pressure, started building momentum and found the best wave of the day,” the ASP wrote, to launch a massive backside air reverse rewarded by the highest score of the entire event, a near perfect 9.6 out of 10. “I’m really happy,” recalled Muñoz, who is on his first WQS tour. “It’s my first time competing here in France and all the waves came to me right from the start and I’m super stoked to be in the final with those guys. They surfed really hard!! I want to thank everyone here from the staff, etc., because I was made to feel very welcome and I surfed like at home.” Muñoz is current ranked 127 out of 745 on the ASP World Rankings and will look for the same excellent kind of result to better his situation and try to crack the Top 100 synonym of Prime events priority for next year. “I started my season in Hawaii and got a ninth in a 5-Star event and then a third in Acapulco. I haven’t had the best season so far but I’m hoping I can build on this cause my goal is the ASP Top 100 to get into Prime events next year. There are a lot of events to go so we’ll see how that goes for me.”
Lisa Andersen, the four-time Women’s world champion, along with the support of world champion surfer Sofia Mulanovich, led a six-day guided Roxy surf Champ Camp in Costa Rica with surfers from Hawaii, Florida, Peru, Argentina, Chile and Costa Rica. This included training technical analysis and water rescue. The daily sessions were based in Playa Negra but branched off to different beaches for different type of surf to maximize training in the water. Jointly with Anderson and Mulanovich, the day was highlighted different positive aspects in private sessions so the girls could improve their techniques with personal recommendations from the pros.
(continued page 29)
Your Stars in November
Aries: 21 March - 20 April
Libra: 23 September - 23 October
Taurus: 21 April - 21 May
Scorpio: 24 October - 22 November
You are feeling inclined towards a little adventure this month as your ruling planet moves through the sign of Sagittarius, so at least a short trip is in order. Relationships get a little intense at the end of the month as Venus and Saturn conjoin, bringing a serious overtone to the conversation. Mars joins with Pluto from the 24th-28th so use caution as this aspect can be explosive so watch your temper. Use the positive lunar vibes on the 22nd, 23rd and 24th to enjoy yourself. Relationships and the sharing of power will occupy a large part of your energy this month. You’re not a big fan of anyone trying to control you so the opposition from the energies of the Sun, Mercury, Venus and Saturn in Scorpio are a challenge. Stay out of the drama by being grounded in your own truth without being defensive. The lunar vibes on the 25th, 26th and 27th are supportive
Gemini: 22 May - 21 June
The vibrations of this month support a total habit, health and routine overall for you, time for a major internal cleanse, some bodywork or psychotherapy to explore any area that needs a tune-up. It would be quite powerful for you to do that now as your ruling planet, Mercury, will be retrograde from 11/6-11/26. Mercury Rx is always an opportunity to ‘re-do’ something that need tweaking, in this case, your health. The 1st, 2nd, full moon on the 28th and the 29th are your power days.
Cancer: 22 June - 22 July
This month’s energy supports you enjoying some healthy fun and the pleasure of your home space. Maybe consider having a party, or hosting some network gathering to meet new people. Whatever you decide to do, this is a time to open up to something new. Relationships could be rather tense at the end of the month so avoid confrontations between the 25th and 28th. Use the power of that time do some martial arts or exert some physical energy in some way. Best days are the 3rd, 4th and 30th.
Leo: 23 July - 23 August
You might start considering some home renovation or need a major repair in the next couple of years as Saturn transits your fourth house. This transit could also mean you form a closer connection with your ancestors or father figure as there’s a sense of responsibility or duty developing. The fourth house is a house of endings, so also look back twentynine years to give a clue to how this energy manifested the last time Saturn was here. Your power days are the 5th and 6th.
Virgo: 24 August - 22 September
This month supports you in backtracking a bit in your professional network to see who you know who can help you succeed. If it means taking some kind of training or course, do so. It will enable you to make 2013 a year that will give you a boost into new expansive territory. 2012 is about cleaning out the cobwebs of old stuck energy and focusing on a new goal, while 2013 will be about achieving that goal. Days of good support are the 8th and 9th. by Jeanne Callahan (jeannecallahan007@gmail.com)
Venus is in your sign now for three weeks, which should lighten your mood a bit though there will still be a struggle with relationships in the beginning as she opposes Uranus, a separating aspect. Saturn moves into your second house emphasizing taking care of necessities and not superfluous spending. And Jupiter’s Rx now in your solar ninth house should have you evaluating your belief systems and making a course correction if you find something isn’t working. Your days of grace are the 10th and 11th. With Saturn now in your sign for the next 2.5 years, this transit can have the effect of maturing your outlook on just about everything, including your physical appearance and how you look to others. You will need to rest more, and take better care of your health as small annoyances in the body can turn into more chronic debilities at this time. You’ll have more fun at the end of the month when Venus enters your sign. The 12th and the new moon on the 13th are your days of power.
Sagittarius: 23 November - 21 December
This is a good month for you socially as you are feeling a need to get more physical and do things with friends. Be on the lookout for some potential business opportunities out there as between now and January you could find something intriguing to research and explore. There’s also a strong need to spend some time alone, with Saturn in your twelfth house so honor that too. Just put that time to some productive use. Good days to be a part of the world are the 14th and 15th.
Capricorn: 22 December - 21 January
With Saturn now entering your solar eleventh house, you will be associating with people who have a lot of power, authority and social prestige. Venus entering your tenth house now will give you the charisma to make a good impression this month. Work it, as this is a very beneficial combination for success. Be careful with your words and actions between the 24th and 28th as your mood is likely to be volatile and aggressive. Use the positive lunar energy on the 16th and 17th to get your way.
Aquarius: 22 January - 19 February
With Saturn at the top of your chart for the next 2.5 years, this is the time to execute a long-term plan for your professional life. More responsibility will come your way as you are viewed as the most experienced one to handle the job. You will need to rest more and get better with time management. You will get lots of positive attention later in the month and into December as Venus moves across your public image section of the chart. Enjoy the glow and compliments, particularly on the 18th and 19th.
Pisces: 20 February - 20 March
With Neptune going into direct motion at the very beginning of your sign, it signifies a softening of your image, an emphasis on healing, the arts, beauty, imagination and occult wisdom. Be cautious about using alcohol and mind-altering substances, prescription or otherwise, as you could experience adverse effect. If you are lucky enough to live by the ocean or a large body of water, you will find it comforting to spend time alone there. The 20th and 21st are your most fortunate days.
Namasté Visit Jeanne’s site at CelestialAdvisor.com
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By Suzanna Lourie
his November, Flamingo-based restaurateur Jean-Luc Taulere and manager Elizabeth Cole bring a fresh take on Costa Rican cuisine to Tamarindo. Taulere, an eighth-generation chef, explains the concept behind the menu at Pangas Restaurant and Beach Club, opening mid-month across from El Tesoro. “We’re not a Costa Rican restaurant in the typical sense,” he explains. “The flavors are good from the earth and it’s important not to try to change them, but instead we want to take what’s naturally good and enhance those flavors.” Using Costa Rica’s fresh seafood, exotic fruits and local spices, Pangas will make a welcome addition to the Tamarindo dining scene. With a mix of cooking methods from across the globe Taulere will be showing the Tamarindo community just what makes his approach to Costa Rican beachfront dining so popular in the Guanacaste region. Pangas Beach Club is an extension of Las Mareas at El Tesoro de Tamarindo – a residential community that will feature 3-bedroom ocean-view villas and a beachfront boutique hotel within the El Tesoro gated community. Project manager Bruce McKillican explained the unique relationship between the Las Mareas residences on the hill and Pangas on the beach. “Pangas is absolutely the aspect of Las Mareas that all the owners and developers at Las Mareas are most excited about,” he said. “The members of our group have chosen to live in Tamarindo because we love the lifestyle – Pangas is an expression of that. We wanted to promote this way of life: a great place with great food where people can spend the day surfing and hanging out with family and friends.” The first residence at Las Mareas will be unveiled in December and the first six units are expected to be complete in March 2013. Pangas will play an important role in the Las Mareas lifestyle as well as serving as the public beachfront anchor to the Tamarindo community. Pangas will be serving up breakfast, lunch and dinner overlooking the Tamarindo Estuary with a menu that’s casually elegant marked by simple sophistication at an affordable price. “Pangas’ location and concept is automatically established in the name,” Taulere said referring to the name ‘Pangas’, which refers to small fishing boats like the ones in the Tamarindo Estuary. “That tells you how fresh we’re going to be – we’ll get our fish right off the panga boats; we’ll have the fishermen coming up to drop off their catch while people are eating in the restaurant.” Seafood is the staple at Pangas and an in-house fish market will be serving up freshly-caught fillets and a variety of premade dishes such as ready-to-eat shrimp cocktail, Peruvian-style ceviche, calamari salad and lump crab cakes. In addition to dining at Pangas, guests can pick up the catch of the day at the fish market to take home for dinner. “We’re trying to create the best possible quality of service, the best cuisine, wine and beer in an atmosphere that’s easygoing. I think that’s a big part of the formula,” Taulere said. “We have a beautiful design with quality features, but it’s not an expensive place – it’s going to be very approachable and very reasonable.” With high season coming up, Taulere will be busy rotating between Pangas and his two Flamingo restaurants, Mar y Sol and Coco Loco, but with Cole at the helm, the team hopes to cook up a recipe for succulent success at Pangas on the beach. For more information call 2653-0024.
Now Begins the Study of Yoga Hips Part II Here are three poses that are some of my favorites. First up is Agnistmabhasana (Fire Log Pose). Sit on your mat or on the edge of a blanket in staff pose or Dandasana. Bend both legs and set your left (L) leg on the floor, shin parallel with the front of your mat. Place your right leg on top of your left, stacking your R (right) knee above your L ankle, and your R ankle above your L knee. Flex both feet. Stay for 5-10 breaths and switch sides. In the gentler variation, cross your shins, and still keep your ankles and knees stacked on top of one another. Next is Pavritta Trikonasana (Revolved Triangle). This is a difficult pose: a forward bend, a twist, and strong work for the legs and core. Use support as needed so that you get good extension of your torso with the twist. Face the long side of your mat. Step your feet about 4 feet apart. Turn your right foot out 90 degrees and your left foot in 45-60 degrees. Line up your heels. Keep your R knee in line with your center toes, and gently rotate your L thigh inward. Ground into the outside edge of your L (back) foot, and into the inside edge of your front foot. Engage the muscles of both legs, tuck your tailbone, lift the pit of the abdomen, and inhale your arms up. Exhale as you fold forward and rotate your torso towards the right. Take your L hand to the floor, brick or chair. If possible, place your L hand on the floor to the outside of your R foot, or place your hand inside of your R foot, using a block if needed, or use a chair and place your L hand on the chair seat. The aim is to have your side lining up with the imaginary line between your heels, and your shoulders stacked on top of each other. Try to find balanced action in all of your body. Hold for 5-10 breaths, and switch sides. Last is a variation of Ardha Matseyandrasana (Half Lord of the Fishes). Start in staff pose, bend your R leg and place the foot to the outside of your L thigh. Rotate your L leg towards the floor and bend the knee, bringing your L foot towards your R hip. Inhale and lengthen your spine, then on your exhale, place your R hand behind you and hold onto your R knee with your L arm. Inhale to extend your spine, exhale to twist from your lower back and moving up, eventually turning your head. Stay for 5-10 breaths, then exhale to unwind. 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
A Slice of Life A Hippie Meets the Princess Rick Casorla
W
e just finished playing the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco, the same venue I had seen Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Traffic, all my rock heroes! As drummer in a rock band, I felt I had made it. But what I really wanted was to become an Actor! Well, really, I wanted to be a Movie Star; or at least star in a commercial...I mean, don’t they know who I am? Well, apparently not. However, I did get in eventually and started to study acting. The Clint Eastwood Spaghetti Westerns had just become a hit and so we converted Shakespeare’s Elizabethan fencing and dandies to cowboys and six guns! So as part of the acting company of “hippie renegades” I went to Edinburgh to perform a Wild West Production of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew! Now this is my first play, mind you, and I’m thinking: “I’ve got this acting thing down…soooo easy, it’s a breeze”. Little did I know all the hard work that lay ahead of me. The actor/ student who appeared opposite me had very little experience and he had a very strange way of reading Shakespeare; funny, but weird. His name was Robin Williams. We opened, and were an instant hit! Great reviews, sold-out shows, the works! Then we hear that Princess Margaret is coming to see the show! And they really do this. They rolled out a red carpet and seven Bentleys drive up; she and a few close friends wanted to see the hippies from California totin’ six guns and spouting Shakespeare. We were sold out and had to add seats that night. Princess Margaret was in the first row, her feet were resting on the stage! Lights go down, show starts, nerves are jittering, and we are all watching back stage to see if she is laughing or at least enjoying the show…..nothing yet, she looks like an oil painting, not even a smile……then came my entrance and my scene with Robin, and well, we got laughs! Lots of laughs! Oh, what a relief, she laughed at us! Then, as things could not get any better Robin and I were on a platform slightly above the audience, about to exit the stage, when my foot went right through the rotten floor! Not just a little bit, no, all the way up to my knee! And I could not pull it out for the life of me! The Princess thought it was part of the show and began to laugh and laugh, so I motioned offstage for Robin to come back on and help me and “let’s milk it” make a gag out of it, so we pushed and pulled and yanked, and all the while the Princess and her entourage are laughing hysterically….. and finally when the time was right I got my foot out of the hole. From that point on the show got all of its usual laughs and was again on track. After the show we all lined up and one by one were introduced to the princess, and when she got to me, she was very prim and proper, very princess-like; she smiled and said “how do you do?” and, as I was about to tell her, she just started laughing and laughing; well, right or wrong, I choose to take that as a sign I should definitely continue on in my pursuit of becoming an Actor, or Movie Star, ya know, which ever comes first! RICK CASORLA was a company member of The Berkeley Repertory Theatre for three years before moving to Los Angeles. There he gueststarred on “Charlie’s Angels”, “Bay Watch” and “Eight is Enough”, among many others, plus over 35 National Commercials. He operates Wash-a-Gogo Launderette in Huacas and Potrero.
Doctor’s Orders Jeffrey Whitlow, M.D. jwhitlow82159@gmail.com
F
or the past couple of months we have been discussing “recreational” drugs and the laws that make them illegal. We will continue that discussion this month by focusing on the harmful effects associated with each drug or class of drugs, starting with marijuana. Marijuana advocates tout the drug as harmless. Marijuana foes usually don’t dispute that point, but instead focus on pot as “addictive”, or as a “gateway” to more harmful substances. Of course, neither side gets it quite right. In fact, chronic marijuana usage is associated with a variety of harmful effects. Long-term marijuana use has been shown to adversely affect memory and learning, so chronic smokers have a higher risk of developing early senility or Alzheimer’s dementia. Marijuana increases the heart rate, so people who have pre-existing heart disease increase their risk of having a heart attack. Some studies have shown that marijuana depresses the immune system, so smokers might have a higher risk of infections. People who already have a respiratory illness, such as asthma, can worsen their condition if they use this drug, as it irritates the lining of the bronchial tubes. Males who smoke marijuana regularly can suffer from impotence and decreased sperm count, as marijuana temporarily lowers androgen levels. Prolonged and heavy marijuana use also causes cachexia, or body-wasting. The rapper Snoop Dogg is a classic example of this phenomenon, as he is so asthenic from his heavy smoking that he looks like a skeleton! On the other hand, there is no objective study that shows that users of marijuana are more likely to go on to use “harder” drugs than nonusers. There is simply a perception for some that marijuana users are more likely to be around people who use other drugs, and so will be more likely to try those other drugs because they are more convenient. In fact, the most recent study in this regard identified alcohol as the gateway to more serious drug use, rather than marijuana.
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Phone us at: 2-653-8041 • kaydodge@racsa.co.cr www.paintedponyguestranch.com The best horses on Guanacaste’s Gold Coast!
There is also no evidence that marijuana is an addictive substance. Addiction is a word that is overused. It is a strictly defined medical term that has been co-opted by various organizations and by the media and used to dramatize trivial conditions. So now we have sex “addicts”, shopping “addicts” and Internet “addicts”. Let’s be clear though. The medical definition, the real definition, of addiction is this: If you are addicted to something, you can’t give it up without suffering significant “somatic” side effects. In other words, you become very ill if you try to quit cold turkey. You can even die. Shopping “addicts” or sex “addicts” who have to quit cold turkey might get awfully nervous, but they aren’t going to die. Alcoholics, opiate addicts, and people who are addicted to benzodiazepines can all die during withdrawal. Marijuana “addicts” who quit or who are cut off might get a little temperamental or hostile, but that would be about the extent of their “withdrawal” syndrome. Next month we will continue this discussion by reviewing and commenting on the adverse effects of cocaine.
Barbara’s Pet Stories
Big Brother is Watching Me
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wice a week, Tuesdays and Fridays, is the fruit delivery to my house, each time 2.5 cases of bananas.Yes, 500 bananas a week; I have to feed about 25 coatimundis. This Friday only one half case was delivered, 50 bananas. I had some bananas left, so for Friday I was good. Saturday morning I went to the supermarkets in this area, but all I could buy were only 95 bananas. They were eaten in a heartbeat, Saturday and Sunday. So on Monday morning I was almost desperate, as they come into the house through the cat door, so about eight of the smaller ones were sitting on the shelf in the kitchen and were staring at me, watching my movements, and waiting for bananas...I walked out to the backyard, they all ran out, too, through the cat door on the roof. Outside they did the same: they all sat next to each other and watched every move I made. I started to talk to them: “Hi, my little bears, I have some delicious dog food”. I put a food bowl full of it in front of them on the roof. They looked at me and a second later the bowl was pushed down, clong, bong... I tried again with cat food, again, clong, bong...then I tried it with water melon. Some of them did eat a bit, but kept staring at me. “OK, I try to get more bananas; just stay where you are, do not move, I will be back, soon.” I did not believe it myself that I will find some more bananas. I ran to the trash from the super market and found some overripe bananas. Then I went back to the house, but as these bananas were so soft I could not peel them, I threw them as they were onto the roof. I thought what mess this would be, I have to clean it later. The coatis looked at me, like, what is this mash, do you expect us to eat this??? Again they watched all my movements, one sitting next to the other, with hungry eyes. I offered them wafers, I prepared pancakes (as my little coati, Nasi, likes this a lot), I think as they got the message - no bananas - they finally ate tiny bits of it. But all the time they were sitting on the roof, on the shelf in the kitchen, on the branches of the trees...watching me. Monday morning, midday, afternoon, even Monday night I could feel their eyes on my back. Finally, at 5 a.m. Tuesday morning, I could hear the fruit truck dropping off the cases of bananas. Out of my bed, down to the gate, I grabbed a case of bananas, back to the house, I almost could not believe it, but they were still sitting there. As fast as I could I peeled the bananas, broke them into pieces and threw them onto the roof. Oh, there was a scrap for it. More and more, they ate like they had had none for the last weeks. Then the case was almost empty, they went back to their nests in the trees. I can tell you I felt much better without those hungry eyes watching me...
Alcoholics Anonymous Schedule of Meetings
Whenever I have to decide between two evils, I always choose the one I haven’t tried before. Mae West
Flamingo
Tuesdays: 5:30 - 6:30 pm (open) Fridays: 5:30 - 6:30 pm (open)
Location: Hitching Post Plaza Unit 2, Brasilito Contact: Don H. at 2-654-4902
Tamarindo
Saturday: 10:30-11:30 - Open General Meeting Monday: 5:30 - Open Meeting Thursday: 5:30-6:30 - Open Meeting Location: Behind Pedro’s Surf Shop Contact: Ellen - 2-653-0897 / Steve - 8377-1529
Surviving
C hapter MMXII
COSTA RICA
Surviving October
If you are reading this then it must be November. I congratulate you for surviving one of the most grueling periods of existence here on the Pacific Gold Coast and you have shown yourself to be either one of those really tough types that hung in there or have recently returned from elsewhere.
of us who found ourselves stuck here with unseasonably beautiful weather with the task of finding something to do for a few months. Some of those choices were:
October, or the height of the low season, actually began much earlier this year, almost immediately after Easter. One of this October’s highlights was the real live honest-to-god earthquake in September that at least gave the remaining Tamarindoites something to talk about for the rest of the rainy season.
Reading: While awaiting November I embarked on a reading binge that included “War and Peace”, “The Holy Quran”, “Moby Dick”, “The Source”, “Atlas Shrugged” and the owner’s manual for my new i-Phone.
I myself was bounced out of bed in my birthday suit on that fated Wednesday morning; the house felt like it had been lifted a couple of feet and then dropped. Susan and I joined our maid who was huddled under the front door frame praying just as things settled down. Fearing a tsunami we grabbed the dog and a few guitars and headed for the hills. We drove up the road past the gym to the large lot we call “Little Roundtop”, where we encountered just about everybody else who still remained in town. No waves appeared to swamp the town and after a festive hour or so we headed back to town to resume the rainy season. In addition to providing a topic of discussion for the foreseeable future the earthquake’s aftermath provided the local roofing industry with a much-needed windfall. Almost immediately after the initial shock there began a series of aftershocks that have continued till this day…oops, I felt one just now! One of the interesting features of this year’s rainy season has been its lack of rainfall. There’s no lack of explanations for this phenomenon: it’s because of the “El Nino” effect, or maybe the girl one; it’s being caused by a comet; it’s being caused by the aftershocks; the President has put a “rain curse” on Guanacaste; the rain gods have no more tears to shed. This left those
Talking about the earthquake: Already covered.
I hope you don’t think I’m trying to impress you with the obvious deepness of my intellectual proclivity…….. but I can’t help it if you are! My wife Susan was handed a book review project by none other than the Howler Magazine’s long-suffering Editor and Publisher. He needed a less catty review of the recent smash blockbuster “Fifty Shades of Grey” than the one provided by Tony Orez. FSoG had recently gained notoriety for its erotic nature and was a huge sensation among the greater female world population, so the editor felt a woman’s perspective was needed. At first nothing much happened as she began the book. However on the fourth night as I returned from another late-night gig at Sharkey’s, I came home to a darkened house filled with burning red and yellow candles. As I groped my way through the smoky room into the boudoir I smelled strange sweet incense burning by a small shrine containing nude vegetable sculptures. The bed was covered in silk sheets as well as silk bindings for the four posts and my sweet Baptist Sunday School teacher wife was waiting in the dark with a chocolate-covered whip wearing only… However I’m sure the review is somewhere else in this November’s Howler so I won’t spoil it for you. Football and Politics: Those of us here of the “Extremely Gringo” persuasion always look forward to the return of North American
Story by Jesse Bishop (owlhumm@hotmail.com)
Football as a way to observe and celebrate things that only Americans can appreciate. No one but the aforementioned has any kind of clue as to how the game is played, much to the confusing dismay that comes with trying to explain the rules to an Argentinean. I am sure that you’ll share my sorrow in that the Dallas Cowboys are having their usual lackluster season. Even better than football has been the grand finale to the Greatest Show on Earth, the United States Presidential Elections! All the resident Liberal Pinko Types are starting to get nervous while local Conservatives in Exile are checking on flights back to the States. As of this writing there are still two Presidential Debates to go and about three weeks left before the voting, still time for the best drama on television. I’ll stop here ‘cos I know a lot of Howler readers are nervous about my political leanings. Especially those from Canada. Play Music: I have now progressed from being the “stand in every now and then” bass player for MatiXando to a “full-share paid member”, at least for the rainy season while the didjeridoo player is out of town. Oddly enough, even though every other music venue in town has shut down, these guys have been playing a lot: Sharkey’s on Friday, Oveja Negra on Saturday and Chillers on Sunday. I’m having about as much fun musically as is legally possible playing with the band, a Tico-Argo-Venezuelo-Gringo concoction, although being as “age challenged” as I am I find myself needing several power naps a day so I can begin playing at a time that I am normally going to bed. Get a Physical: Upon entering my sixth decade I thought it’d be a good idea to have a physical exam just to see if everything’s still working. To make a long story short, other than one little problem I’m okay. However I tested positive for the Bubonic Plague and will have to go back for more tests at a later date.
The Mortality Blues Tom Peifer (peifer@racsa.co.cr) Well it come ‘round your house but don’t stay long Look out the window one of your family be gone No, death don’t have no mercy in this land
M
aybe it has something to do with the season. You know, being autumn in the Northern Hemisphere and all.
The only thing I know is friends and acquaintances seem to be slipping loose from the tree of life like so many leaves in in a New England landscape this time of year. Settling to the ground to rest in peace. Some, as always, much faster than others. Striving for a bit of chronological accuracy, in truth, the apparent upsurge in mortality started back before the earthquake that shook many of us to the bone, back in September. In fact, I can’t remember just when it became clear for me that I was getting funeral notices about once a week. One neighbor’s father died after living well into his nineties and having populated an entire neighborhood in my town with offspring. A month later on a drizzly Saturday afternoon, my friend Alexis was being lowered into the ground just meters from his father’s tomb in the appropriately named town of Huacas. Even before the advent of Facebook, news of death travelled with a velocity rivaled only by news of blatant cuckoldry. Now, with social media providing the digital megaphone, one mouth can reach hundreds of pairs of ears with a click of the mouse or the press of a button. Just this morning, I noticed that two of my digital amigas had changed their ‘portraits’ to the familiar black wreath icon that symbolizes the pass of the Grim Reaper, cutting a swath close to their lives. That’s how I found out that their grandmother, Doña Julia, the matriarch of one of the hardworking and prosperous landowning families in our area, had passed into the same eternity that awaits us all. Even those who shout to the four winds the dubious wisdom of living for the moment. Modern commercial culture has somehow conspired to scare off the specter of death as incompatible with the ceaseless gobbling up of goodies, gadgets and other gratifications that keeps the wheels spinning away on the consumption-based economy. After all, a mindfulness of the future might just make you think twice about all those trinkets, junkets and just plain junk that we think we just can’t live without. But
there’s no market-based substitute for the solidarity of family and friends who are digging, laying block and plastering as I write, through the night, to prepare a proper resting place for Doña Julia. Ironically, in the confusing nether world where issues of morality are bandied about in the tainted waters of political discourse, there’s an ongoing debate about what constitutes a proper family structure wherein the raising of children can best be accomplished. Maybe I just didn’t notice, but nobody seems to give a hoot about what works when the elders near the end of the road. Correct me if I’m wrong but, in the ongoing theater of the presidential debates, so far a non-issue is the planning for the assisted care needs of an estimated eleven million baby boomers in the not-too-distant future. As a matter of fact, the much-ballyhooed ‘nuclear family’—Dad, Mom, two or three kids and a dog—is a fairly recent development in the historical record. Correlation—if not causality—can be attributed to such factors as affluence, increasing energy use, and the kind of constant economic growth in certain countries and certain areas, especially post WWII. Poor areas, especially poor rural areas, especially poor rural areas in Third World countries, somehow never made the great leap forward into the nuclear family age. The whole damn family included aunts, uncles, a cousin or two, all under the same roof as the situation demanded. The result being that many in Guanacaste reach the end of the road in their own homes tended, mourned and prepared for interment by caring members of extended families, people for whom the phrase ‘family values’ is more than a political buzz word. In Guanacaste, it’s a way of life. Over the years I’ve seen the desperate calculus of foreign transplants who get the medical version of a ‘Dear John’ letter and decide to pull up roots and head for home. Be it the guaranteed medical care available in Europe or the familiar lingo and surroundings back in the US, it might be argued that home is not just where the heart is but where you decide that your earthly remains do in fact remain.
(continued page 28)
Mortality...
RAIN GAUGE
10 9 8 c 7 6 m 5 4 3 s 2 1 0
(from page 27) RAINFALL - August/Sept 2012 Maricle Meteorological Observatory Villarreal de Santa Cruz
16
20
25
31
5
August
10
15
Sept
RAIN GAUGE
7.0 6.0
c
Given what seems to be my own gathering momentum down a slope that seems ever steeper with the passage of time, each ‘passing’ brings a pause for reflection, introspection about the road I’ve chosen to travel.
Total rainfall: 24.1 cm (9.5 inches)
RAINFALL - Sept/Oct 2012
5.0
For a solo cowboy, I find it easy to envy the sons and daughters of these lowlands, connected in a primal way with the soil that nourished them and to which they return, seldom as solitary passengers on the round-trip voyage from ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Immersed in the rites of passage—birth, the vitality of youth, the infirmity of age, death, graveside—from an early age, they get the life cycle on a gut level and don’t need poets to remind them:
Maricle Meteorological Observatory Villarreal de Santa Cruz
4.0
m 3.0
Total rainfall: 30.2 cm (11.9 inches)
s 2.0 1.0 0.0 16
20
25
30
5
Sept
10
Oct
Year-to-date 2012: 122.6 cm 2011: 212.8
Rainfall Sept/Oct 2012: 30.2 cm 2011: 51.1
t i m e s
l o c a l )
Sun
1st - rise 5:34; set 5:20 15th - rise 5:38; set 5:18* 30th - rise 5:45; set 5:19
* earliest sunset of year - 16th at 5:17 Last quarter: New: 1st quarter: Full:
15
“Therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.” - John Donne. And for the last word, I’ll reference Rene, one of my workers who, when I told him I was writing about all the recent deaths locally, remarked, “Don’t worry, for every one that dies around here at least two are born.” Precisely the point, and life goes on.
Tom Peifer is an ecological land use consultant with 18 years experience in Guanacaste. 2658-8018. peifer@racsa.co.cr El Centro Verde is dedicated to sustainable land use, permaculture and eco-development. www.elcentroverde.org/
November 2012 ( a l l
Having artfully disassembled the ‘ties that bind’, I struck out for greener pastures, deluded, frankly, that the lure of the tropics would draw friends and family alike to pitch their tents and forge their futures as in some kind of pioneer epic. It didn’t exactly work out according to the script. Unlike most local landowners, I may have sunk deep roots, but the proverbial tree did not bear an abundance of fruit.
Moon
6th 13th 20th 28th
6:36 p.m. 4:08 p.m. 8:31 a.m. 8:46 a.m.
Surf Report (from page 18) At some point, CEPIA kids were even involved in workshops, and a course of CPR was given. On the last day, a small competition was initiated, with Tatiana Weston of Hawaii the winner. The winner of the whole Lisa Andersen Champ Camp was Lucia Cosoleto of Argentina. She was awarded a surfboard. Participants of the Champ Camp were Roxy riders Leilani McGonagle (Costa Rica), Vania Torres (Peru), Melanie Giunta, (Peru) Lucia Cosoleto, (Argentina) Leilani Aguirre, (Peru) Adela Recordon, and Nikki Viesins, (Florida) Tatiana Weston, (Hawaii) and Nataly Bernold, (Costa Rica). Also on hand for the festivities was Andrea Díaz, who runs the only Roxy/Quiksilver surf camp in Costa Rica. It’s the Waves Costa Rica Surf Shop at Best Western Tamarindo Vista Villas in Tamarindo.
That’s all I’ve got. Looking forward to hearing what you think. Keep those emails coming at EllenZoe@aol.com. Send your comments, information, errors or praise, because I can’t do this column without you, the real surfers.
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. abrelatas atrocious beneficial blanco capillary convenience copycat delantero furgon gallon gauge huelgista jackass laguna leniency
luchar minestrone pensive propiedad pulga retrocede sacerdote tantrum telegrama terremoto tirabuzon tormenta trifle wriggle yankee
1T
2F
3S
4S
5M
0400 1011 1628 2221 0436 1047 1706 2259 0514 1125 1745 2338 0553 1204 1827
90 02 84 10 88 04 82 12 85 06 80 15 82 09 77
6T Last Qtr
0020 0636 1246 1912
17 78 13 75
10S
7W
8T
9F
0108 0724 1332 2001 0201 0818 1424 2056 0301 0919 1521 2154 0403 1021 1620 2251 0503 1121 1717 2345
20 74 16 74 21 71 18 74 21 70 18 76 19 72 17 80 14 75 13 86
11S
NOVEMBER TIDE CHART
12M
13T New Moon 14W
15T
08 80 08
16F
0037 92 0652 02 1308 85 1905 03 0127 97 0742 -04 1358 91 1956 -01 0216 102 1831 -09 1448 95 2046 -04 0305 105 0920 -12 1537 98 2137 -06
17S
0600 1216 1812
18S
19M
20T 1st Qtr
0355 105 1009 -12 1628 99 2228 -05 0445 103 1059 -10 1720 97 2321 -02 0538 98 1151 -07 1813 95
21W
0017 0633 1245 1910 0116 0732 1342 2011
24S
02 93 -01 91 07 86 04 87
22T
23F
25S
0220 0835 1443 2113 0328 0942 1547 2217 0435 1047 1650 2316 0538 1148 1748
11 81 10 84 14 76 18 83 15 75 16 83 14 75 16
26M
0010 0632 1242 1840
83 12 76 16
30F
27T
28W Full Moon 29T
0058 0719 1330 1925 0141 0800 1413 2006 0221 0838 1452 2045 0259 0914 1531 2123 0337 0950 1609 2201
85 10 78 15 86 08 80 14 87 06 81 13 88 04 83 12 88 03 84 12
1S Dec 2S
3M
4T
5W
0415 1026 1646 2239 0453 1103 1724 2319 0531 1140 1803
88 03 84 12 86 05 83 13 84 06 82
0000 0612 1219 1844 0043 0655 1300 1927
14 81 09 81 15 78 11 80