Howler0904Apr

editor’s note

The Howler sends commiserations to Chad and Devon of Iguana Surf. Also to Gabriella, Jim and Susanne and Jeff and Gen, all of whom lost their businesses when a fire burned the building to the ground. We hope that recovery will be swift and that all will resume operations soon.

We have just experienced a remarkable month, weatherwise: rapid cold fronts causing very strong winds, low temperatures of air and water (even wet suits on the surfers). All of these factors lead to su-per-dry conditions and, unfortunately, the major water suppliers have failed to provide an adequate, if any, supply of water. This situation is unconnected with the takeover of Servicios Beko by A y A, reported elsewhere in this issue.

We have seen Tamarindo threatened by large brush fires, bomberos on the scene but prevented, by lack of water pressure, from offering much relief. In one case (mentioned above), the popular Iguana Surf, with Kahiki and Jimmy’s Restaurants, plus Heartwood and Blue Dolphin businesses, burned to the ground, allegedly from a flying ember from a brush fire which landed on the palm-frond palapa.

The Howler has, for the past few years, passed on warnings from the main water supply company, that our water supply is low and dimin-ishing. And yet, people who should know better are still acting as if there is an inexhaustible supply.

At the height of a major brush fire on March 4, two of my neighbors were soaking their grass and wood-shingle roofs all day from sprinklers built in to the apex of the structures. In the strong winds, most of the water was flying away horizontally to be wasted, while their neighbors higher up were totally without any supply. Both these homes were built within the last couple of years.

One has to ask why, in the name of sanity, people are still roofing their new houses with wood, frond or grass roofs. “It’s tradition,” they say, but doesn’t it make more sense to use less-flammable materials in an environment of hot, dry summers, strong winds and a failing water supply?

More water: The town of La Garita, near Tamarindo, faced down devel-oper El Sandal at a meeting March 15, showing alleged photographic proof of water illegally tapped from the Garita water supply, millions of litres taken without payment.

“Cuidar el agua es amar a Costa Rica”

The only publication seen in all beaches of the Gold Coast,

from Playa Potrero to Playa Junquillal, plus Santa Cruz and Liberia

is

We also have the best advertising prices.Advertise with us and

maximise your business dollarTel: [email protected]

The HowlerThe HowlerSince 1996

FEATURES

Since 1996April 2009

15 Surf Report16-year-old Carlos Muñoz, of Esterillos, is favoured to become the next star, winning the Boys, Juniors and Open at Playa Carmen.

29 My 72 HoursVisa renewal time, and an ex-Pat tries a new trip - into Panama via the Río Sereno border crossing.

8 Dining OutA new seafood restaurant, El Balcon del Marisco, has opened in Garden Plaza in Tamarindo.

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

13 Fire!On a dry, windy summer day in Tamarindo, blowing embers burn down a long-established business.

9 Evolution of a Guanacaste Treasure On a hilltop over Lorena, Chilito’s typifies the old-style Guanacaste family business - bar, salon, store.

16 Wired for TransitionIn a filmed interview, our ecological and economic expert tells his audience of the many threats to our current way of life.

30 Surviving Costa RicaGoing into competition with the Motion Picture Academy, Jesse does his own evaluation of nominated movies.

DEPARTMENTS

CD Review

Book Review

Yoga

Slice of Life

Tide Chart

March Forecasts

Sun & Moon

10

11

12

17

25

28

32

Cover Caption: Another glorious sunset Guanacaste style. This one is at beautiful Playa Junquillal. Cover design and photo: John Lyman Photos...www.johnlymanphotos.com

32 Water WarsForced by the government into handing over their aqueduct, the local utility goes to war against its successor.

Founded in 1996Vol. 14, No. 4 - April 2009

Issue No. 151

Editorial Office:Casa Equinox, Playa Tamarindo

Guanacaste, Costa RicaCed. Juridica: 3-101-331333

Publisher, editor and productionDavid Mills

[email protected] • [email protected]

Tel/fax: 2-653-0545

Contributors:

KAY DODGETOM PEIFERJOHN LYMAN

ELLEN ZOE GOLDENCYNTHIA CHARPENTIER

JEANNE CALLAHANJESSE BISHOPNINA WEBERTONY OREZ

The Howler

All comments, articles and advertising in this publica-tion are the opinion of their authors, and do not reflect

the opinion of Howler Management.

www.tamarindobeach.netwww.tamarindohomepage.com

Howler advertisingAdvertise in the Howler and

improve your business. The Howler now offers a wide range of ad-vertising sizes and formats to suit all needs. Please contact: David Mills - 2-653-0545 [email protected] - [email protected]

Discounts:For 6 months, paid in advance, one month is deducted.For 12 months paid in advance, two months are de-ducted.

Ads must be submitted on CD or e-mail attachment, JPG format at 266 dpi, at the appropriate size (above).

Size

1/8-page1/4

1/3

1/2

2/33/4Full

Dimension (cms)Width Height

9.4 x 6.15 9.4 x 12.719.2 x 6.1512.7 x 12.7 6.2 x 25.8 9.4 x 25.819.2 x 12.712.7 x 25.819.2 x 19.319.2 x 25.8

60100

150

180

200 250 350

Price ($)

Advertising rates (color)

Deadline for May: April 15

Tamarindo connection with Niagara Falls project

We offer congratulations to Charter Building Company, of St. Catherines, Ontario, Canada, on their “Project of the Year” award from the

Niagara Construction Association for the renovation and expansion of Table Rock at Niagara Falls, Canada. Char-ter also created the high-tech tourist attraction Niagara’s Fury, which sits on the edge of the falls. Working through the bitter winter of Ontario, building crews had to fight the ever-present spray from the falls, which froze on contact with every exposed surface; at times, there were ten inches of solid ice on the steel.

“The elements were a challenge every day. The mist never let up,” said Don Ward (below, right), president of Charter Building Company.

Niagara’s Fury tells, on a 360-degree screen, how the falls were created. In-side the show room the floor trembles, temperature drops by 40 degrees in two seconds and water surrounds the visi-tor, using technology previously used only in satellites.

What does any of this have to do with Tamarindo which suffers, for half its year, under 35-degree (100o Fahren-

heit) temperatures, and has never seen ice, except in a beverage glass. The connection is in the two high-quality projects – Tesoro de Tamarindo and Rancho Villarreal – which are being developed by Charter. Here the challenges are different – high temperatures, strong winds, montons of dust and the exigencies of the local supply services - but not outside the capabilities of the Canadian company.

“We did not let the elements and other challenges interfere with the Table Rock project,” continues Ward, known here as “Don Don”. “We just asked ourselves ‘How do we handle it and make our client happy?’ The answer is to look at it positively, and with a team approach. Our client, the Niagara Parks Commission, has probably the strictest building regulations in the world. If we can satisfy them – and we did – we can handle anything in Costa Rica.”

Rancho Villarreal inaugurated its new club house on the hills behind Villar-real in February. For information on El Tesoro de Tamarindo, call Tony at 8-815-1200 or Laurel at 8-817-8448. For Rancho Villareal, visit www.ran-chovillareal.com (see ad. page 2)

I never dined at Sukkha Restaurant at the Garden Plaza in Tamarindo. One look at the prices on the menu was enough, although I heard it was good value for money. So I was a

little wary when I heard that a new restaurant had opened after Sukkha closed. I need not have worried; when a friend sug-gested we try it, we found the food to be very tasty, plentiful and inexpensive.

El Balcon del Marisco is, obviously, a seafood restaurant with a selection of other items. Owner Alberto Jimenez has owned another of the same name in Curridabat, San José, for 14 years. Set in the Garden Plaza opposite AutoMercado, alongside the pond teeming with large golden carp, El Balcon is a very large restaurant with mall-style décor and ambience. And, without a doubt, these are the very best restaurant bathrooms in Gua-nacaste.

We were greeted with a complimentary ceviche of shrimp, oc-topus and fish, very delicious and almost a meal in itself. The heavily-illustrated menu features appetizers of fish fingers, patacones, salpicon, soup, shrimp, vigoron, sopa de mariscos, octopus salad; many lobster dishes – with garlic, butter, ther-midor, Newburg; and jumbo shrimp, battered, with garlic, butter, on a skewer and thermidor. For the non-fish people there are filet mignon, lomito in various sauces, Chateaubriand (for two of course) and chicken breast; spaghetti and salads. From the wide inclusion of Costa Rican dishes, I would classify the restaurant as upper-class comida tipica.

I would like to have tried the paella, a favourite, but that was for two people and we wanted a variety. A promotional flyer on the table suggested two specials at lower prices than the same menu items, and we tried those – lobster dinner with rice and fresh vegetables, and the shrimp kebabs – 7 large crustaceans skewered with onion and sweet peppers - on a bed of rice with salad and fries. These meals were very large and certainly value for money. Desserts are the usual selection: cakes, coconut flan and fruit plates, but they were not yet set up to serve them, a moot point as we could not have eaten more.

With beer and a few glasses of red wine, the whole meal for two cost less than $40.

El Balcon del Marisco is open seven days a week from 11:30 to 11:30, and accepts all major credit cards. Telephone 2-653-1575.

El Balcon del MariscoTamarindo

Dining OutDavid Mills

Quality, Celerity, Agility and Confidence

Tel: (506) 2-653-1503 Fax: (506) 2-653-1538www.crattorneys.net E-mail: [email protected] Tamarindo Sea Tower, 3rd floor, Tamarindo, Guanacaste

Is a full-service Costa Rican law firm that offers quality legal and business advi-sory, following basic priciples of action.

Just give us a call; we would like to serve you

Under the concept of “Total Advisory” we offer our clients global solutions for their business and personal needs, in every different area of the law practice.

p

[email protected] / 2-653-6282 / 8-354-1041

He sat on the cooler behind the bar and counted the number of his brothers and sisters on the fingers of his remaining hand. Counting those of his mother’s seven, plus his father’s

two, they came to nine.

“How many years have you been living here?” I asked. “How much did the land cost?” We have known Chilito for years and counted him as a friend, but this was the first time I probed into the facts of his personal life. I hastily scribbled notes on the scrap of paper torn from the accounting book. Chilito Barrantes, owner of La Cima, the bar/salon which is a favorite stop on our Cantina Tour, has always been like a “folk figure” to me, the essence of a Guanacaste, hard-working, small-town businessman. His bar/salon/store/home is located atop a hill overlooking the small town of Lorena, on the old oxcart trail between Portegolpe and Cartagena. He has lived there for 30 years with his family and seemed to thoroughly enjoy sharing the stories and facts of his colorful life “on the hill”.

Having rarely gone to school, at thirteen he saved his money and bought his first pair of shoes. Not knowing a lot about sizes, they were very large, but he tied them up tight and wore them proudly anyway. He lived with his godmother in Lorena and earned 18 co-lones a week cutting trees and became an expert with an axe. The story of his life reads like a novela, a Spanish soap opera. Growing up in Guanacaste over sixty years ago, finding a wife, establishing a home site, raising a family, and becoming a successful, respected businessman and grandfather, his stories certainly could fill more than just the space I have to offer. However, I will share just a sam-pling of the story of this fascinating small-town character that will help us appreciate more about the people that have grown up in this area of Guanacaste.

Thirty years ago, the hill and the man were very different. When Chilito came to the hill with his wife and child, La Cima was for-est-covered and few people lived in the area. They married in the old Catholic church in Cartagena - he 27 and she 14. He bought his 30x30-meter lot for an amazing 30 colones. He cleared it and built his first home, a rancho with round cane walls and a thatched roof, a humble start to a now-thriving barrio. He and Francisca, now lov-ingly known as Doña Chica, worked hard, raising not only crops of corn, beans, cucumber, rice, watermelon, and yucca, but also five children. She smiles as she recalls, “we had only one plate to eat on, but we shared it.” Life was not easy, water came from the river, and later a well, and walking was the main means of travel to and from work. But they were in love and had no fear of hard work.

Business on the hill evolved from selling homemade goods - tamales, bread, rosquillas, and yellow soap. At first, to buy a head of a pig and augment his salary of 18 colones a week; later, as a few colones were saved, to invest in candy and camfine (kerosene). Profits from the candy and 5-gallon container of kerosene were reinvested in more candy, fuel and later cigarettes. The store was born. Today, Doña

Evolution of a Guanacaste Treasure

Kay Dodge de Peraza

Chica still runs a small store, still attached to her house inside the salon. She sells all the basics to her small community and family members. In addition, she helps run the bar. Chilito now owns about a hectare of land on the hill. There is his wooden house that replaced the rancho; attached to it are the store and the bar/salon, 5 houses of the immediate family, and a cleared platform sitting at the highest point of the hill that is reserved for “someday”. Chilitos is located just up the hill from the main paved road, the first turn off the dirt road to Lorena. A cluster of small houses now surrounds the hill.

Normally, the first bar of a small town is located on the plaza, along with the school, church and football field. Chilito opened his bar sixteen years ago on the hill. As the bar and tin roof attached to the house grew, the covered area became a dance floor, later a salon with weekend dances and community parties. Long before the Cantina tours started, we would stop by the bar on the hill, named La Cima, for a cold drink on our rides. Although the sign outside the bar says La Cima (the summit), we all know it as Chilito’s. The salon has become the life center of the community. In the corner of the salon, the crop of the season could be seen - corn, watermelon, black beans, etc. In the other corner one of his sons would be fashioning wooden beds or tables. Family members and friends rocked babies and shared community news as an array of children played games or chased puppies.

Although the house, bar and store stayed the same, the salon grew. An extension on the tin roof, an expanding cement floor, and new bathrooms to replace the “cleanest outhouse in Guanacaste” contin-ued the evolution. Until a few years ago, when the roof finally com-pletely closed in the salon, tables and stools were set up on cleared dirt floor under the stars. In my opinion, a little of the romance was lost when the walls and roof finally enclosed the dance floor, but it certainly made it nicer during the rainy season when partygoers would crowd under the partial roof during downpours.

A few years ago, a tragic fire destroyed the entire building, bar, salon and family home, but the cantina tour crowd, led by Finca Casagua, clubbed together to help the rebuilding with cash and items of use. Now the salon is rebuilt, much as it used to be, but with more spa-cious bar and living quarters.

The salon became the home base of the popular local band Los Alegres de Lorena which featured Chilito’s son as guitar player and singer. On our rides we often encountered the afternoon practice ses-sions and danced along to popular salsas, meringues and cumbias. Dancing kids, babies, as well as dogs, pigs and chickens, became favorite photographic subjects for visiting tourists as they shared a unique Guanacaste cultural experience. The drinks were

(continued page 26)

CD Review

More Salsa

Tony Orez

Like much of the modern Latin American culture, salsa music and dance originated literally hundreds

of years ago on the islands that include Puerto Rica and Cuba. At the time, the region was called the Spanish Caribbean. But the term “salsa” is generally credited to Izzy Sanabria, a graphic artist who report-edly coined the phrase to identify the Latin music that was popular in New York in the Sixties. Sanabria designed album jackets for the popular Fania Records in New York City’s “Spanish Harlem”, founded by Jerry Masucci and Johnny Pacheco. It refers to a phrase the audiences would call out to the musicians during the montuno, the instrumental portion in the middle of a song, to “spice up” the established melodies, dance and rhythms of the time, such as la conga, cumbia, guaguanco and danzon, with a new, notable jazz influence.

In 2003, Putumayo Music, the label that coined the phrase ‘World Music,’ re-leased “Salsa Around the World”. Now, in response to the mounting popularity of this style of music, Putumayo has decided to release a second CD, titled simply “Salsa”. Yes, salsa has become mainstream, but that is not a bad thing. While Putumayo’s first disc presented salsa music from unexpected places like Scotland, Finland and Japan, the second disc displays how this genre initially seeped into the rest of Latin America from its original Caribbean origin.

The ten-song disc opens with the Colombian band Grupo Gale performing “Volv-er, Volver”, an upbeat, very danceable tune. The nine-piece group, founded by percussionist Diego Gale, has an immense following, including a hefty allegiance in Europe. Two more Colombian bands make an appearance on the disc. Fruko y Sus Tesos play “Naci en la Barriada”, another up-tempo tune. The band was founded in 1970 by Ernesto “Fruko” Estrada at the tender of age of fifteen. And Juanito y la Agresiva demonstrates the music of a new generation of Colombian salsa musicians with the song “Angoa”, the final cut on the disc.

Cuba gets a double nod on the album, with Chico Alvarez and his Afro-Caribbean band doing “Rumba en el Solar,” a selection from one of their eight albums. In addition, the Cubano 50s-style charanga band Orquestra Aragon donates “Son al Son,” a tribute to modern salsa’s roots. Famed pianist Eddie Palmieri lends credence to this compilation with his “Sujetate la Lengua”. It’s nice to see the nine-time Grammy winner participate on this venture. Another bow to Palmieri comes from the group Son Boricua playing their version of his classic tune, “Muneca”.

As always, the album is produced in premium Putumayo style, complete with an informative booklet in Spanish, English and French and packaged in an eco-friendly cover. I do need to comment, however, that I am more than a little disappointed by the lack of representation of Central American salsa music. The Costa Rican band Orquestra la Solucion, for example, is an extremely popular and accomplished group who would have filled a glaring void in this compila-tion. Hopefully, some day the musical culture of this continent will get the global recognition it deserves.

In Playa Tamarindo and Tilaran, both of Putumayo’s salsa CDs are available exclu-sively at Jaime Peligro, where they will sample the music for their customers.

What do you do when a monkey who lives in your

area of the rainforest finds a camera and decides to start taking photos of you, even when you prefer him not to do that? This is the dilemma facing the frogs and iguanas, the butterflies and other local inhabitants in the new children’s book “The Rainforest Paparazzi”. This recently released publication, the third for Pachanga Kids, comes with a CD, as did the first two. The story is told concurrently in Spanish and in English, which is always a plus in our ever-shrinking planet. It is also a nice touch to have the names of local flora and fauna appear in the illustrations. The CD is a recording of Juan Carlos and Jeana Urena performing “The Silly Monkey” in both languages and then instrumen-tally, for the karaoke crowd. Jeana also translated the story into English for the book. The story itself is sweet, endearing, and not without a subtle message to the kids about respecting others’ privacy. Actually, maybe that message could include the adults, too.

I like the unwritten, illustrated explanation of how Titi, the monkey, found his treasured camera. I also enjoyed the methods used by the various animals as they lead Titi away from their lives and habitats, and toward that of other rainfor-est species. Part of the Pachanga Kids’ mission is to educate children through “adventures and songs for every living thing in the Rain Forest”. This book certainly does that, and makes it a fun education as well. The story was written by Yazmin Ross, one of the founders of Pachanga Kids. The wonderful illustra-tions are by Ruth Angulo, who has created the artwork for all three books (both are seen below with the Pachanga Kids). I think it is appropriate now to refer to them as the “Pachanga Kids Collection”. As with all the hardbound books in this series, the paper stock and ink are of very high, durable quality.

The popular singer/songwriter Juan Carlos Urena is recognized as a leader in the “nueva canción” movement in Costa Rica. He has recorded nine albums, four with his wife Jeana, who has been performing with him for fifteen years. The duo has always kept a very positive slant to their music. Their contribution to the book is an adaptation of the traditional children’s nursery rhyme, “Los Monos”. Sr. Urena plays all the musical instruments on the CD: guitar, banjo, bongos and harmonica. The couple obviously enjoyed making the recording and the tune is truly infectious, guaranteed to make the kids laugh and monkey around to the song. Make no mistake: this tune is not a lullaby. Again, it’s nice to hear people enjoying what they do for a living.

I believe that with these three books, Pachanga Kids has established themselves as the principals of bilingual children’s books based on stories from the tropics. They have recognized a need and filled it with the utmost degree of quality. In

their upcoming book, Yazmin Ross and company venture “In Search of the Golden Toad”. I look forward to taking the jour-ney with them.

All three of the Pachanga Kids books are available at Jaime Peligro Book Stores in Playa Tamarindo and Tilaran.

Book Review

Paparazzi in the Rainforest

Tony Orez

Enquire about special rates for residents

By Nina WeberCertified Yoga Instructor

on the BeachYOGA AT CASA AZUL

in Tamarindo Beachfrontprovides a combination of Dynamic * Challenging * Inspiring * Encour-aging and Relaxing Yoga * Small groups and individual adjustments *Most important.: Yoga is fun !!!

For more information email me at [email protected].

www.tamarindoyoga.com

Adho Mukha Svanasana, Downward-Facing Dog.

Yoga exercises are used to develop flexibility, strength, and stamina. There are various styles of yoga which offer different approaches. Some styles are more athletic, focusing on physical fitness, while other styles em-phasize stress reduction and physical rehabilitation.

All styles work to develop a more har-monious relationship between the body and the mind, or integrated fitness. There are many great advantages and lots of benefits adding yoga exercise into your daily fitness routine. One of the most popular benefits of yoga exercises is that it not only strengthens and improves your physical condition, but also helps you to relieve stress and tension and to improve your mental outlook. Yoga exercises are gentle, non-violent and very powerful.

Breathing is the catalyst that moves all functions of the body’s vital energies. The Breath creates heat in the body. Breath is life - Breathing is even more important than eating or drinking, but it’s automatic so we rarely think about it. Yogic breathing or Pranayama are known to deliver a wide range of health benefits and health cures. It also helps in increas-ing oxygen supply to the brain, which in turn helps controlling the mind.

Let’s get started and begin with my fa-vorite : DOWNWARD FACING DOG This pose really works, it’s my morning “wake up call”.

Adho Mukha Svanasana, or Downward-Facing Dog pose, is a Hatha Yoga posture. The name comes from the Sanskrit words adho (downward)

mukha (face) svana (dog) asana (pose). It is also known as Downward Dog.

Get stronger and more flexible (even if you’ve never downward-dogged in your life).

Here is a way to do downward facing dog if your back and legs are tight.

Start on all fours with hands directly under shoulders and knees under hips.Walk hands a few inches forward and

spread your fingers wide, pressing the palms into the mat.Curl your toes under and slowly press the hips toward the ceiling, bringing your body into an inverted V, pressing shoulders away from ears. Feet should be hip-width apart, knees slightly bent for beginners.

Hold for 5 full breaths and move into child’s posi-tion. Repeat 5 times.

Benefits of this pose:• Stretches the shoulders, legs, and spine • Builds strength throughout the body• Overall body stretch • Removes fatigue and rejuvenates the body• Increases blood flow to the sinuses• Strengthens the immune system• Calms the mind and lifts the spirit• Improves digestion • Strengthens arms, legs, and feet.

This posture is not recommended when the wrists are sensitive or injured.

At around two p.m. on a blazing hot, windy, typical Gua-nacaste summer day, flaming debris from a brush fire just outside Tamarindo landed on the thatched rancho of

Iguana Surf and ignited it. Immediately Chad Gaston evacuated the kitchen staff, asked his wife Devon to call 911 for assistance. Dashing out again, he grabbed the hose, but a weak trickle of water ran out. Within minutes the rancho was ablaze, sparks flying into the air and igniting nearby tree branches.

Reacting very quickly, Chad told the restaurant staff to uncouple the gas tanks, then he dashed into the house, next door to the restaurant, grabbed passports and other documents and released the dogs.

In a short while fire trucks were on the scene, having been en route for the brush fire at the time. Any water they had on board soon ran out, and when they looked for a supply it was seen that Servicos Beko, the water utility, had cut off their water subject to a mandatory hostile handover to the national water company AyA.

The propane tanks were still very close to the blaze and pre-sented a great threat to the whole block, so Chad and helpers, drenched by water from the fire hose, managed to roll them clear. Subsequent action by a line of helpers managed to bring water from two local pools to keep the fire from Chad’s house and the next door neighbors’.

With nothing to deter it, the blaze leveled the palapa, Kahiki Restaurant, Heartwood Boutique and Blue Dolphin Sailing office to the ground.

“We want to thank the community who helped a lot in the emer-gency,” said Chad. “We are devastated. We probably lost about $250,000 in materials, and Iguana Surf is doing its lowest busi-ness ever due to the economy.”

Gaston plans to rebuilt the property after settlement by INS, the insurance company. The other three businesses were not insured, and lost a lot of product and money.

F i r e!Water shortage helps destroy Iguana Surf

Sean Davis

Sean Davis

David Mills

Surfrider events:

April 4 - a fundraiser at La Laguna del Cocodrilo to benefit

its beach clean up projects

April 18th from 9 a.m: - Beach Clean-up at the Recycling Tent across from Aqua

Disco.Tamarindo Recycling Day, Households only, 9:00

a.m. - 12:00, across from Aqua.

April 30th at 7 p.m. - Surfrider Foundation Tamarindo Chapter monthly meeting, 7:00 p.m. Surf Club Sports Bar Playa

Langosta, all welcome.

The Surf Club Sports Bar in Playa Langosta is proud to report that they have acquired the Major League Baseball package and will be showing baseball games nightly, Go Red Sox!!!

A Ladies’ Golf Day will be held Tuesdays at 10 a.m. at Hacienda Pinilla. Entry fee of $30 includes cart fee and nine holes of golf. There will be weekly events and occasional clinics. If interested, call Irene at 2-653-0049, or contact Jason Bauer, pro at Pinilla.

At the time of going to publication the movie “Fe De Agua” was half-way through its five days’ filming schedule. Already locations shot include a traditional Tico house on the road to Santa Cruz, Cala Luna, Iguana Surf, Tamarindo Beach and Brasilito Beach. In the coming days the crew will film Tamarindo river mouth, Santa Rosa Cemetery, San Jose de Pinilla and Santa Rosa itself. Filming is 12 hours daily. Working very hard has been the young Mauricio (Carlos Daniel), older Mauricio (Johnathon Yonkers) and a whole cast of first time actors. Paul Belanger has been the on set as act-ing coach.

Fé De Agua has raised $4300 from fundraisers and individual do-nations. And in a startling offer of assistance, San Jose Production House Diseño, Arte y Tecnologia (DARTT S.A.) has come forward and offered a full package of post-production facilities and editing time in their state of the art facilities.

“We have been blown away by the support of businesses and indi-viduals in the region.” said Executive Producer Thornton Cohen. “We firmly believe that this support is a vote of confidence in the future of film making in Guanacaste and the promotional value of this medium. It also lets us know that there is a firm belief in the future of the region.”

Fe De Agua will be continuing fund raising events through the year all the way to the premiere in Tamarindo later in the year. Look for announcements in The Howler.

Aro

und

Town

by David Mills

Located inside Wild’s Restaurant (old Stella)150 meters east of Pasatiempo.

www.howlermag.com

One would be hard-pressed to argue that the Costa Ri-can surfers who represent international brands such as Billabong, Red Bull or Maxx Energy Drink, and toil on the

Circuito Nacional de Surf (CNS) year after year are superstars here. Certainly they deserve the fame for making a mark for this country on the international stage at the big shows like Interna-tional Surfing Association World Surfing Games.

That’s why it’s no surprise that, when a couple of the pros are plucked from the water and set down for an autograph event, long lines of surf fans form to get the signatures of their idols. On March 14, at the Multiplaza Escazú, surfers Diego Naranjo, his brother Juan Carlos, and his wife Lisbeth Vindas—all of Jaco—signed autographs as part of the Expo Desportes y Salud that took place during that weekend. It was also an exhibition of the Costa Azul Surf School, which is owned by the family Naranjo-Vindas.

At the Expo was general information about Costa Rica surfing, video projections about the surfers, as well as videos about the CNS, plus an exhibition of professional surf photography. Be-sides signing autographs, the two Naranjo brothers and Vindas distributed brochures and magazines to lovers of surfing, as well as giving out information about the International Surfing Assoca-tion (ISA) Billabong World Surfing Games Costa Rica 2009 in Hermosa this August. Both Diego and Lisbeth were members of the #5 team that performed at the ISA World Surfing Games 2008 in Costa de Caparica, Portugal.

“This is a very good opportunity to educate people on surf, in-ternational history of surfing, surf schools, the Circuito and the World Surfing Games. From what I understood, the Multiplaza holds an average of 90,000 people during the weekend, so surfing will have a very good exhibition,” affirmed Diego, the 2006 Costa Rica national surf champion.

As to this year’s Circuito Nacional de Surf DAYSTAR 2008-2009, presented by Coca-Cola Zero, there’s still a lot of big news. The 16-year old surfer from Esterillos, Carlos Muñoz (photo), made history and amazed the crowds this past March 7 and 8 by dominating the categories of Boys, Juniors, and Open during the Torneo Day & Night Playa, the fifth and second-to-last date of Costa Rica’s CNS. And in the Open finals, the young hotshot even bested the two surfers who are now in place fighting to take the national championship title -- Jaco’s Jason Torres and Tamarindo’s Federico Pilurzu. Torres and Pilurzu have visited the winner’s podiums 5 and 3 times, respectively, and are chomping at the bit to head to the 6-star, 2,500-points Gran Final Terrazas Reef Playa in Playa Hermosa on May 1 and 2.

Considered in Costa Rica -- and Latin America--the rising promise of surf -- Muñoz obtained during the final heat the highest combi-

nation score of the tournament with 17.50, in addition to the best wave to date of the contest, according to the Federacion de Surf de Costa Rica (FSC), which earned a 9.50. This occurred after the surfer pushed two aerials on the first one, and then a 360 with the addition of some radical maneuvers where he cut to a floater so advanced, Muñoz flew for a second time.

Altogether, with the three categories, Muñoz surfed 45 minutes at podium 1. First Boys Finals, then Juniors and directly from the Junior finals, the forces seemed run out due to the strong current

that crossed in the afternoon hours of Playa Carmen. Neverthe-less, he was able to explore sufficiently and find the best wave zone where he remained. In the last 5 minutes of the Open heat, Pilurzu, Torres, and Jefferson Tascon (Jaco, and new the to Open finals situation), invaded the point where Muñoz sat. It didn’t mat-ter. Whether bad luck or lack of time, Pilurzu and Torres did not represent major danger for the young surfer.

With Muñoz, the town of Esterillos had an impressive showing in the Torneo Day & Night Playa in Playa Carmen. In the past years, he has held a championship record in Juniors when he was only 15 years old. In addition, Muñoz was a record national champion on the CNS for Juniors, Boys, Grommets, and Mini-Grommets, consecutively from 2008 through 2005. And, he holds the record for being the national surf champion for Boys and Juniors for 3 years in a row.

“I want to thank my family, my sponsors, the competitors, and the Federacion for organizing the dates of the Nacional Circuito. Today something has been fulfilled in me that I have dreamt

Surf Report

Story: Ellen Zoe Golden

(continued page 22)

Fabián Sánchez

I suppose they’re called ‘tricks of the trade.’

On a recent weekend I was working with some visitors on a documentary film about sustainable communities. They had shot footage of different techniques for water conservation, organic food production, the monkeys in the trees and the fish in the pond. Now it was time for the bright lights, the camera in the face, that clammy feeling in the armpits: The interview.

Looking back you have to admire the sophistication. Tech-niques of interrogation have come a long way since a country cop told me I could run for the door and he’d count one-two-three before pulling out his gun. Now they start off with the easy stuff. Get you comfortable, talking freely. There were a lot of questions about what would help small communities weather the impending storms of economic crisis, food crisis and climate change. Material that was easy to talk about (regular readers of The Howler Magazine can attest to that fact). Then we took a brief break.

In all fairness, I was forewarned. In the next segment they wanted to directly address what they had seen on the ground here in Guanacaste. In less than two weeks they had noticed a gigantic gulf between the claims of ‘sustainability’ and ‘eco-friendliness’ of numerous developments and ‘eco-com-munities,’ and observable facts on the ground. They wanted me on tape, as a credible local informant, using words like “hypocrisy”, “scam”, “green washing.” The “F-word” was out, but “son-of–a-bitch” was OK.

The questions began again, and the pace quickly intensified. It was getting a bit nerve-wracking but smoking was verboten due to the microphone taped to my chest. Squirming in my chair as the pressure mounted, I finally noticed the coup de grace. An extra twist of the cable between the microphone and the transmitter had effectively left me wired to the chair, immobilized, facing the increasing tempo. I was being grilled on my own pet topic. My temporary discomfort notwithstand-ing, the concerns of my inquisitors were right on the money. For more reasons than one.

First, if a couple of first-time visitors can check out a project’s website and then take one look at the front gate and model home of a self-proclaimed “sustainable project” and imme-diately detect an healthy dose of the BS factor, said project has problems with its image.

Second, and on precisely this point I was being grilled, how do we measure, define and establish sustainability within communities and developments?

Tricks of the trade, chapter two: Do as the politicians so often do. Don’t answer their question. Answer your own question.

Still tethered to the chair, I boldly seized the initiative. It’s not about sustainability, isolated in both space and time (one of the oldest tricks in the book: if you use both “space” and “time” in the same sentence, people tend to think you’re a heavyweight thinker). Sustainability conjures up the roman-tic notion of self-sufficiency. Somehow you are going to be producing everything from Asparagus to Zanahorias, and at least three grades of petroleum substitutes to boot. Forget it, I said, let’s be more pragmatic and try to focus instead on ‘transition”.

The transition movement grew out of a concern for the twin threats of climate change and diminishing supplies of petro-leum. Among other things they emphasize local production of food, localized manufacturing and crafts, and rational, low-carbon systems of housing and transport. Given the current economic “situation”, it just might be a case of doing the right things for the wrong reason.

Consider the advice of an anonymous “Wall Street Titan,” recently cited in a Wall Street Journal article: “ Everyone should try to own a house... no matter how big or small, but it has to have some land, on which you should learn how to grow things.”

Now, you ask, why on earth would a guy on Wall St. say a thing like that? I mean, OK so the banks have problems and the stock market is falling, but, hey, I don’t have any invest-ments anyway...

Consider this tasty morsel from a respected economist:The global credit markets and financial systems are deeply interconnected, meaning that contagion spreading from an Eastern Europe default to the rest of Europe and the US is virtually assured. So those pressures will be felt by the entire global financial order, and such new and profound stresses upon an already extremely shaky order won’t likely be en-dured without a genuine meltdown of the entire system.

A couple more references from informed commentators, to drive home the point:

...It’s about preventing something worse than we have now, namely screaming, bug-eyed, blood-in-the-streets, rape-the-crops-and-burn-the-women panic....we will be staring at the real possibility of a global catas-trophe.

Well I bet you I’m gonna’ be a big star,Might win an Oscar you can never tell...

Wired for TransitionTom Peifer

(continued page 31)

On a blistering April day, we dropped our bicycles out-side the country bar and stumbled in for a refresher. “Hola, Don David,” greeted the bartender, “the usual?

Imperial y baso con hielo.”

“Si, por favor.”

The bartender looked around the tiny bar, then called out “Donde esta el baso,” to the few customers around a small table. “Aquí,” came the answer, “Alberto lo tiene.“

“No, that’s OK,” I protested, “I’ll take it without ice. Or un plastico.”

“No problema,” said Alberto, “I’ve just finished my drink,” as he passed the glass to the bar.

The salonera washed the glass, dropped in some ice and passed it to me. Under the gaze of Alberto and the other locals, I didn’t enjoy that beer as much as I had hoped.

A Slice of LifeThe Bar With One Glass

Sports FishingHikingPackagesSunset Sailing & Snorkelling

Canopy ToursTransportationNational Park Excursions...and much more

Take the stress out of your vacation - let us book your adventures for youTour Operator and Booking Center, Tamarindo Tourist Center

Located in Tamarindo at Plaza Conchal II suites 6 & 7

Do you have a story to tell? This page is available for your “Slice of Life” - any short incident of your life which readers may find interesting or amusing. E-mail to [email protected] to submit your story.

The greatest variety of toursand 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: [email protected] www.tamarindo.com/casagua

The best horses on Guanacaste’s Gold Coast!

Casagua Horses



is



The beach, certainly, was born beautiful but it takes a lot of work to keep it that way. Every day for the last fourteen years, regardless of temperatures, torrents or blowing

sand, Jose Santos Corrales, known affectionately as Ro-Ro, has been walking the streets and beaches of our Tamarindo/Langosta community picking up trash. He’s a great guy, but he isn’t doing this for free. He and Gerardo Acosta share this full-time posi-tion which was paid for by the Associacion Pro Mejoras until it became inactive in 2008. If anything is mandatory for Tamarindo, it’s a clean beach. It’s probably the only thing we all agree on. If the beach looks

like a trash dump, our town is history. This is the concern wi th which Pro Mejoras members approached Tam-arindo’s fledgling chapter of the Sur-frider Foundation. Surfrider’s prima-ry focus, contrary to what its name might suggest, is

not surfing. The Surfrider Foundation is an international orga-nization dedicated to protecting the world’s oceans and beaches and guaranteeing free access to them for all people. In August of 2008, Surfrider accepted the responsibility of providing Ro-Ro and Gerardo with their salary and the corresponding coverage by the CCSS. Since then, every day is a Surfrider beach clean-up day. This small group of sea-lovers has been working hard to pull together the $800 needed each month to perform this daily beauty treatment on Tamarindo. That’s a big check for a tiny non-profit organization to write each month. The Surfrider Foundation wants to publicly thank Orange Realty for their gen-erous donation of $1,600 which paid for two months of Ro-Ro’s salary. The Asociacion Nautica (or, less formally, “The Boat Association”) makes a monthly contribution of $50 to Surfrider and various members of the community have demonstrated their support with donations ranging from $20 to $1,000. We depend on the beach and the beach depends on us. Two other sister organizations were born in March of 2008 and have just celebrated their first birthday. One of them is the Tamarindo Lifeguard Program. In the year that donations have paid for the salaries of certified lifeguards on Tamarindo beach, at least 30 people have been rescued from potential drowning situations and many others treated for injuries caused by surf-boards. In spite of the fact that multiple deaths and the ensuing bad publicity have been avoided, the Lifeguard program is itself in need of emergency rescue. Several months ago, the Hotel Tamarindo Diria assumed total responsibility for the salary and benefits of one of the lifeguards, leaving the town of Tamarindo the responsibility of funding only one lifeguard. Cheryl McKilli-can, who single-handedly manages the program while raising

a family, explains that the program, at present, does not know where its next meal is coming from. One thousand dollars is necessary per month to cover expenses and the $4,000 raised for this purpose by the Raft-Up has all been spent. Minimal sup-port from the homes and businesses that benefit from the safety that the lifeguards provide has caused this crucial program to survive on a monthly hand-to-mouth basis with the constant possibility that this month will be their last. Everyone seems to think that someone else should pay. The Lifeguard Program wishes to thank, in addition to the Hotel Tamarindo Diria, the Surfrider Foundation, Hotel Capitan Suizo, Hotel Cala Luna and Tienda Dolores for their willingness to contribute. The third sister celebrating a birthday is Tamarindo Recycles. The community’s thirteenth Recycling Day was held on Satur-day, March 14 in conjunction with a Surfrider beach clean-up. In its first year of existence, Tamarindo Recycles has redirected tons of trash away from our landfills and sent it over the moun-tains to San Jose in a rather rickety-looking truck to be recycled in San Jose. Tamarindo Recycles is run solely by hard-working volunteers who meet several times each month to organize publicity, education and of course Recycling Day. Mark it down and no more excuses: Recycling Day is held the SECOND SATURDAY of each month with the exception of the one in April, that will be on the THIRD Saturday due to Semana Santa. This organization is different. It isn’t asking for your money. It asks for an hour of your Saturday morning once a month and the use of your feet for crushing cans, your hands for twisting off bottle caps, your arms for unloading boxes from cars. Businesses with a large volume of recyclable mate-rial are now be-ing asked NOT to bring their cast-offs to Recycling Day, but will be put into direct contact with the driver of the truck in order to ar-range on-site pick-up. This allows a manageable amount of trash to be collected from community households and the large quantities of material to be moved a minimum number of times, conserving the backs of willing-hearted volunteers and simplifying logistics. On Saturday, April 4, 2009, the Surfrider Foundation, the Life-guard Program and Tamarindo Recycles would like to invite all members of the Tamarindo/Langosta community to join us in celebrating the continuation of our positive work in the com-munity. A fundraiser fiesta, held at La Laguna del Cocodrilo, will collect a suggested donation at the door in order to sustain the health and beauty treatments that keep our town alive and vital. The bar will donate a percentage of drinks purchased, so come enjoy the music and revelry with the really cool people who make it all happen.

Keeping Our Beach Beautiful - and SafeDiana Zimmerman

In February, 2009, a surf movie “Noah’s Ark” was screened at the Calvary Church in Villarreal to bring a message to the local population from the Christian

Surfers’ Association.

The Christian Surfers’ Association’s mission is to bring surf-ers together to help their community, to introduce surfing to kids and give them an alternative to street living, with its drugs and partying.

The Association, which came to Costa Rica seven years ago, is now active in Tamarindo, and holds informal “hang-outs” at the skateboard park on Monday evenings at 6:30. All are welcome; the hangout is come-as-you-are. There are no barriers to age, sex, business, nationality and you don’t even have to be a surfer to belong. All that is required is the will to help people of the community through the gospels of Jesus Christ.

The only Christian Surfers church in Costa Rica at present is in Jacó, but chapters have opened in Tamarindo, Nosara and Guiones. In Tamarindo, some members also belong to the Beach Community Church.

Monday night “Hangouts”, in English and Spanish, provide snacks, drinks and video game competitions on a big screen. In mid-April there will be a pizza night at Restaurant Vita Bella, above Supercompro opposite the skate park. Look for announcements locally.

For further information, visit website at christiansurferscos-tarica.com, or e-mail to [email protected].

Christian Surfers Associationopens chapter in Tamarindo



is



The Parent Group of the Country Day School of Guana-caste announces the 2009 Beach Challenge VIII, which is scheduled to take place on the north end of Playa

Potrero Beach on Saturday, April 25, 2009. The event will begin at 7 a.m. until 12 noon.

This event is an important fundraiser for the CDSG Parent Group. Our Parent Group endeavors to integrate the CDSG School with local schools and neighbors. This is our fourth year of an association with CEPIA. One third of the profits raised go directly to CEPIA to be distributed to the local communities for purchase of sports-related equipment and sports-related

activities for their children. Additionally, this year CEPIA’s con-tributors will sponsor children from local communities to enter the Beach Challenge.

The Beach Challenge will feature running events and paddle races for Adults and Children, bicycle and sack races, and a long jump. Medals will be awarded to 1st, 2nd and 3rd place finishes in all categories for both male and female. The cost to enter all events is ¢5,000 and all participants get a free Beach Challenge T-shirt.

The Beach Challenge is open to all. Please come out and join us and your community for a great day of fun in the sun.

Country Day School GuanacasteBeach Challenge 2009

Surf Report(from page 15)

for years,” said Muñoz during his trophy acceptance speech.

Muñoz’s showing that weekend in Playa Carmen will undoubt-edly put his name on top of a short list of elite surfers who will be considered for the Costa Rica National Surf Team which will be competing for the country at the World Surfing Games Costa Rica 2009 in Hermosa this August. Already Muñoz has been chosen as a member of the Costa Rican National Junior Surf Team that will travel to Ecuador for the ISA World Junior Surfing Games 2009 between March 28 and April 5, 2009.

In the Women’s division, there remains the unstoppable 16-year-old Nataly Bernold of Jacó, who once again took it all. At the Torneo Day & Night Playa in Playa Carmen, she surpassed 3 more rivals in her finals heat--Lisbeth Vindas (Jacó), Liz Block (USA), and Kristin Wilson (USA). The member of team Roxy and Red Bull was crowned the winner of the Women’s Open and will, certainly, earn her second national championship after the Gran Final Terrazas Reef Playa in Playa Hermosa in May.

The next date of the Circuito Nacional de Surf 2008-2009 DAYSTAR will be the the Gran Final Terrazas Reef Playa in Playa Hermosa on May 1 and 2. It will distribute 2,500 points to the winners of each category and is a 6-star event.

It’s important to note that the Torneo Day & Night Playa is realized in Playa Carmen thanks to the support of Coffee Artemiz, Pizzería Tomato and Hotel and Commercial Center Playa Carmen. The CNS DAYSTAR 2008-2009, presented by Coca-Cola Zero, sponsors are: 69 Slam, 911 Groovy Radio, Balance Natural, Banana Wax, Banzaii Surfboards, Billabong, Coca-Cola Zero, Carton Surfboards, Christian Surfers, Day & Night Beach Club, DAYSTAR, FCS, Gim-nasio Platinum, Gorilla, Hotel Backyard, Hotel Terraza del Pacífico, Ibarquero Design, Jass Surf Shop, Mango, Powerade, Quiksilver, Quique, Redbull, Reef, Roca Bruja, Surfos Magazine, Surftech, Witch’s Rock Surf Camp, WOW Surf Shop.

For more information on the Circuito Nacional de Surf DAYSTAR 2008-2009 or the Federacion de Surf de Costa Rica, please go to the webpage at www.surfingcr.net.

Contact: Don H. at 2-654-4902

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

Location: Hitching Post Plaza Unit 2, Brasilito

Alcoholics AnonymousSchedule of Meetings

TamarindoSaturday: 9-10 a.m. - Closed - Chicas 10:30-11:30 - Open General MeetingThursday: 6:30-7:30 - Open MeetingLocation: Behind Restaurant Fiesta del Mar

Contact: Ellen - 2-653-0897

(continued page 27)

CEPIA would not have evolved into a respected and beloved orga-nization without its volunteers. Children and teenagers receive their love and dedication and that is what makes a community stronger every day. Helping others is enough to let the energy of love ex-

pand through the world. The en-ergy and teach-ings they bring to children have a direct impact on the well be-ing of our entire community. We are very grateful to them because they are respon-sible of creating

many positive feelings and thoughts in these young minds. Vol-unteers and children are connected and their parents feel deeply thankful for that. Children are protected by our volunteers.

CEPIA wish to express their gratitude towards those very special persons: Heather Allenby, Kerry McClennen, Nova Everson, Alejandra Parody, Joe Kirschner, Esteban Young, Peggy Pease, Barbara Belanger, Karol Davis, Diane Taylor, Janet Brown, Janyce Ellis, Karen Aren-sault, Larken Un-derwood, Sussie K e l l e r , C a t h y Deweer, Mayra Dressen, Octavio Suarez , Car los Soto, Claudine Vi-gne, Tina Soucie, Christian Fautz, Tara Lynn, Rebec-ca Clower, Silvia Mora, Sarah Haun, Karol Solano, Courtney Borquet, Diane Barry, Diego Arnedo, Andrea Spencer, Dyana Elizabeth, Ellen Dugan, Erin Darlow, Federico Pilurzu, Geri Joy, Joshua Wilson, Karen Cerdas, Laura Murillo, Mary Ann and Walter Augustine, Nicolas Huet, Ricardo Cañas, Toh Gouttenoire, Mauricio de Sostoa, Dustin & Kim Short, Sue Kallis. Jamie Pascucci, Jeanne Cordes, Carolina Ruiz, Adela & Maria Feliz Rosales, Olivia Benavides, Ana Graciela Mejía, Julian Chaves. A special regard goes this month to CEPIA’s still-active founding members: Gerardo Brenes, Caroline Lemaire, Isabelle Vandevelde, Laetitia Deweer and Van Salcedo.

“Volunteers of the heart”

TilingWeldingDrainagePlumbingCarpentry

RemodellingLandscapingRefrigerationRoof RepairWater TanksSeptic TanksWater PumpsCement WorkElectric Gates

Air ConditioningAppliance RepairElectrical Services

Looking for Long-Term Rental?3-bedroom, 3 bath in main villa; in Hernandez

Looking for the right people and we’ll give a great priceCall John at (508) 760-4060 or e-mail [email protected]

High Speed Internet

[email protected] 8385-8744

Legally now availablePura Broadband S. A.

Certified Wi-max TechnologyNon Satellite - Non Telephone Line - Non ICE

Amazing Wi-Fi systems also available for all applications

APRIL TIDE CHART0.08.00.68.50.47.71.07.90.87.41.47.61.17.41.47.51.17.71.27.7

00:2506:4112:4019:0201:1807:3813:3820:0302:1908:4514:4821:1403:2909:5916:0622:3004:4311:1117:2323:41

1W

2T1stQtr

3F

4S

5S

0.88.20.7

8.00.48.70.28.40.19.2

-0.28.7

-0.19.5

-0.58.8

-0.29.6

-0.6

05:5112:1518:28

00:4306:4913:1019:2401:3607:4013:5820:1202:2308:2514:4220:5603:0709:0715:2421:37

6M

7T

8W

9TFullMoon

10F

8.8-0.19.4

-0.58.60.19.2

-0.28.30.58.70.17.91.08.2

0.67.51.57.7

03:4909:4716:0422:1704:3010:2716:4322:5505:1011:0517:2223:3405:5211:4618:03

00:1506:3612:2818:46

11S

12S

13M

14T

15W

1.17.11.97.11.56.72.36.71.96.62.46.52.06.72.36.61.97.02.06.8

00:5907:2413:1619:3501:4808:1814:1220:3302:4409:1915:1621:3703:4610:2016:2422:4204:4611:1717:2523:41

16T

17FLastQtr

18S

19S

20M

1.77.51.4

7.21.38.10.87.70.98.60.38.10.59.1

-0.28.50.19.5

-0.6

05:4012:0718:17

00:3106:2812:5119:0201:1707:1203:3219:4501:5907:5414:1320:2602:4108:3614:5421:08

21T

22W

23T

24FNewMoon

25S

8.7-0.19.7

-0.88.9

-0.28.7

-0.88.9

-0.19.5

-0.68.70.29.1

-0.28.50.58.6

03:2309:1815:3621:5104:0610:0216:2122:3504:5210:4917:0723:2205:4011:3917:58

00:1206:3412:3518:53

26S

27M

28T

29W

30T

0.28.20.98.10.68.11.27.70.98.11.27.61.08.21.17.61.08.50.8

01:0707:3213:3619:5602:0808:3714:4521:0403:1409:4515:5722:1404:2110:5017:0723:2105:2511:5018:09

1FMay1stQtr2S

3S

4M

5T



is



cold and cheap, the bocas free and the people friendly and open. Almost every returning rider wants to go back to Chilito’s. Now, even before we tie up the horses at the hitching post he built, he and his wife are setting up tables and chairs for our groups. At the bar, locals talk about the weather, football or local politics. There have been a few times when, after a successful weekend of dances or when the trucks failed to arrive, the beer and sodas are gone. But if we let Chilito know we are coming, he will hire a car to go to Cartagena to stock up. We had to convince him to charge something for the bocas he gives so freely. We were convinced that with the beers being under a dollar he wasn’t making that much. Because he could charge something, our bocas went from canned tuna and crackers or fresh-fried river fish to fried chicken and tasty cuadro chips. The chicken has become so popular that they now sell portions of what has become known as some of the best fried chicken in Guanacaste.

Oh, I forgot to tell you that, almost 30 years ago, Chilito lost his arm just below the elbow fishing with dynamite in the ocean near Potrero. Once you know him you soon forget that he has lost his arm. There is little that he can not do, or has not done, and he cer-tainly has accomplished more than most with two good arms and two hands. He did receive a pension from the government for the loss of his arm; the ¢300 a month has now risen to ¢13,000, the equivalent of $33.50 a month. As he shared his memories, Chilitos said he would look for a prized photo of himself, “when I was younger, with two good arms”. There is no sadness or regret in his voice. His smile is infectious and his genuineness is refreshing in a self-made businessman. To me he exemplifies what is meant by the word noble, or in Spanish, noblessa. As he gently holds one of his nine grandchildren on his lap behind the bar, or talks with love in his eyes about his wife and partner in the business, who recently recovered from a life threatening illness, I see what success is all about. He has his family around him, all but one son lives on the hill and the other visits frequently from Santa Cruz near by. Although not literate, he is wise. He can read the weather and the faces of people, and most importantly has earned the respect of all who have come to know him. Chilito, the king of his hill, is a true Guanacaste Treasure.

Guanacaste Treasure(from page 9)

Flamingo Equestrian Center

Riding School - Boarding FacilityLighted Indoor Arena - Jump Course

Year-round Customized Horse Camps and Clinics

[email protected]

8-828-6879

Surf Report(from page 22)

That’s all I’ve got. Looking forward to hearing what you think. Keep those emails coming at [email protected]. Send your comments, information, errors or praise, because I can’t do this column without you, the real surfers.

Open1) Carlos Muñoz2) Federico Pilurzu3) Jefferson Tascón4) Jason Torres

Women’s1) Nataly Bernold2) Lisbeth Vindas3) Kristin Wilson4) Liz Block

Junior1) Carlos Muñoz2) Anderson Tascón3) Mykol Torres4) Ramon Taliani

Junior Women’s1)Nataly Bernold2) Maia Velarde3) Avalon Esterak4) Naomi Bernold

Boys1) Carlos Muñoz2) Jordan HernC3ndez3) Manuel Mesén4) Anthony Segura

Grommets1)Noe Mar McGonagle2) Manuel Mesen3) Tomas King4) Josué Rodríguez

Mini-Grommets1) Juan Carlos Hernández2) Bruno Carvalho3) Leonardo Calvo4) Carlos Brown

Mini-Gromments Girls1) Cloe Velarde2) Leilani McGonagle3) Avalon Esterak4) Paula Duarte

Master1) Casio Carvalo2) Mauro Sergio Oliveira3) Craig Schieber4) Marcelo Matos

Grand Masters1) Carlos Velarde2) Casio Carvalo3) Craig Schieber4) Chaix Christophe

Longboard1) Anthony Flores2) Alex Gómez3) Alexander Buker4) Adolfo Gómez

Novices1) Francesco Dagapiti2) Itai Hagage3) Eduardo Mora4) Eduardo Guardia

Results of Torneo Day & Night PlayaCircuito Nacional de Surf 2008-2009

DAYSTAR March 7, 8Playa Carmen

Aries: 21 March - 20 AprilThis month awakens the desire to progress but also some frustration at having to still wait for right timing due to your ruling planet, Mars, being weak in Pisces until the 23rd. Then life gets very interesting and picks up speed with the potential for love and romance, too. Be gentle with others on the 4th as you could be very grumpy and be extra careful on the 15th as you may be accident-prone at that time. Your best days are 22nd and 23rd.Taurus: 21 April - 21 May Your ruling planet, Venus, is still in retrograde motion in the sign of Aries until the 17th. To use this energy you should be doing a life review of the last 18 months to see where your values have changed. Write down what you would like to change and be willing to let go of people, places or things that may be holding you back. This is deep and sometimes painful work as Taureans are known for their steadfast nature—releasing is difficult for this sign. Trust that a new and more sustainable future is waiting for you. The new moon on the 24th is an excellent time to move ahead with your life and the 25th is a day for comfort.Gemini: 22 May - 21 JuneThis is a great month for inspired ideas relating to your public im-age and professional life. Dare to try something unique to connect with new business prospects and peers. While the 15th may have you parting ways with someone, there will be new support close behind as your powers of attraction increase after the 23rd. Launch new projects after that time period and network like crazy. Spring and early summer are great months for you because your energy increases as the sun moves closer to your sign. The 26th and 27th provide great opportunities for socializing.Cancer: 22 June - 22 JulyApril’s energy brings in a wave of professional opportunities but be patient to see who is really serious enough to commit to a solid plan until after the 17th. Lots of interesting ideas are circulating now. If travelling to foreign lands take extra care on the 15th as there is potential for accidents. You may also come in contact with people from other cultures who have something to teach you. This is a month where you make decisions about how you want to live the next part of your life and the people you want in it. The 1st, 2nd, 29th and 30th are days to relax and enjoy the spring weather.Leo: 23 July - 23 AugustThis month has some critical issues forming regarding partnerships, both professional and personal, so be forewarned. Finances will play a big part in these discussions, and some support you may be count-ing on will not materialize. Avoid conflicts between the 4th and 15th when the energy is not favorable for negotiation. Keep your cool if others get testy with you during that time, delay meetings until after the 17th. The 3rd and 4th are days you get your way.Virgo: 24 August - 22 SeptemberThe energetic signature for you has money as a major theme creat-ing a sense of urgency and anxiety for you. Be direct with your questions but don’t let a bad mood spill over onto the workplace. Strive to create a harmonious atmosphere at work as those around you are sensitive to your moods and it kills productivity as people feel like they must walk on eggshells around you. Be very careful on the 15th as the Mars-Uranus conjunction makes you susceptible to accidents or unusual occurrences. The vibe improves at the end of the month. Enjoy yourself on the 6th and 7th.

Libra: 23 September - 23 October With a stellium of planets in your opposing sign of Aries, expect some confrontation with your partner. Avoid arguments between the 4th and 15th as they will have a way of escalating into a huge deal. Use your Libra diplomacy to delay the encounter. You should devote time into some creative or playful activities with your children to take advantage of a cosmic vibe of imagination also happening at this time. The 8th and the full moon on the 9th are your days to shine.Scorpio: 24 October - 22 NovemberThis is a good month to shake up the energy in your workplace by moving the furniture, adding some new exciting colors or participating in a community service project. The vibes are great for having a party in your home this month too, but it would be better to save that festivity till later when Venus goes into direct motion on the 17th. Be careful on the 15th when Mars travels with Uranus providing the potential for mishaps. Use the positive lunar energy on the 10th and 11th to your benefitSagittarius: 23 November - 21 DecemberA short trip or weekend vacation might provide the mood lift you need right now. Things haven’t been too exciting for you but that’s about to change. Your professional responsibilities are about to increase and your creative mind will be working overtime right soon. There’s a love/romance vibe around you too, so if you are looking for a partner you could meet them this month. Don’t get too involved until after the 17th when Venus, the planet who rules love and relationships, goes into direct motion. The 13th and 14th are good days for you.Capricorn: 22 December - 21 January You have some serious matters to attend to as Pluto goes retro-grade in your sign on the 4th for the next four months, giving you time to re-evaluate the success/failure of your business plan since the beginning of 2009. Capricorns don’t like failure and will persevere to reach the top. Use caution between the 23rd and the 27th as Mars squares Pluto creating a volatile situation. The 15th, 16th and 17th are your most favorable days this month.Aquarius: 22 January - 19 FebruaryThis month has the planet of great benefit, Jupiter, getting closer to Neptune, the visionary, in your sign increasing your creative vision and faith in the future. So what do you do with this energy? After the 17th start an action plan on any new ideas or businesses that have been rolling around your brain, or use this energy to inspire others to take action for themselves. Relationships will improve after the 17th with potential for love and romance blossoming if you are looking for it. The 18th and 19th offer inspiration.Pisces: 20 February - 20 MarchThe cosmic vibe for you has a major mood swing involved. The beginning is quite unstable and volatile with Mars and Uranus dancing with the stars and culminating that energy on the 15th. Mars joins Venus at the last degree of Pisces on the 17th as Venus goes direct and they pretty much travel together through early July. This will create a greater chance for harmonious relationships and partnerships. People will want to get together with others in all ways, but romance is a definite possibility. Money issues are still present but there seems to always be a way to make it. Your best days are the 20th and 21st.

28

Oct

ober

For

ecast

sO

ctob

er F

orec

ast

sA

pril

For

ecast

sby Jeanne Callahan

Namasté

Visit Jeanne’s site at CelestialAdvisor.com

My 72 Hours Story & photos:Karen Dixon

It’s that time again. Three months is almost up and I must decide where to cross the border and where to stay for three days to get my passport stamped to give me another 90 days in Costa Rica. Where shall I go this

time? Shall I follow the familiar well-worn trail to Granada? Where will I get on the Tica Bus? Do I really have to go all the way into San José just to get on the bus and then turn around and drive back the way I came? Why can’t the Tica bus stop in Grecia? And then there are thoughts of those horrible crowded, hot, sweaty border crossings, if you’re not on a plane.

Panama perhaps? I start asking around what my friends and associates have done with their three days to Panama. How did they make the connections, and what recommendations they have for places to stay. A friend prompted me to visit Boquete on the eastern slopes of Volcán Barú, an hour-and-a-half bus ride from David in Chiriqui Province.

There is a way to visit Boquete and Volcan and avoid the crowds of the ugly Paseo Canoas border crossing. A little bus adventure will take you to the relatively small and unknown border crossing below San Vito at Río Sireno to the north of Paseo Canoas. While in Panama, I kept hearing about the remote border crossing at Río Sereno. I decided to try crossing there, but how? I

couldn’t find anything in print, so I started asking around. I was told that there were buses that took one over beautiful mountain terrain and that there was easy access to public transportation on both sides of the border.

Logistics to cross the border at Río Sereno from Costa Rica to Panama: Take a direct bus in San José from the Tracopa Bus Station (at the Antigua parada de Cartago- 200 meters east and 200 meters south of Clínica Bíblica Hospital; leaving San José at 6 am, 8:15 am, 12 noon (direct), and 4 pm, returning from San Vito to San José 4 am (direct), 6:30 am, 9 am, and 2 pm. Tel: (San José) 2-222-2666, (San Vito) 2-773-3410). The 12 noon direct bus arrives in San Vito at 9 pm.

Fodor’s Costa Rica Travel Guide calls the Hotel El Ceibo, San Vito, “The best deal in town... tucked in a quiet cul-de-sac behind the main street. The architecture is reminiscent of Italy, with graceful arcades and decorative bal-ustrades. Rooms are compact but tidy, bright, and comfortable. Some rooms have small balconies opening onto a wooded ravine alive with birds.” I had a delightful stay and it’s only ¢16,000 per night. You can make reservations by phone: 2-773-3025.

Have a good night’s rest, wake up to a good cappuccino in a nearby coffee shop before taking a morning bus to Sabinilla. In Sabinilla, transfer to a $5 bus ride to the border at Río Sereno. Río Sireno is an out-of-the-way and uncrowded border crossing. There were only three people crossing when I was there. It’s a walk across a very understated international border. On the other side is a restaurant and several junk shops. Ask for the local shuttle/mini

bus into Volcán, Panama. It’s approximately 1-1⁄2 hours to Volcán through beautiful mountainous countryside via a small but comfortable bus/shuttle. In Volcán, ask a taxi driver to take you to Hostal El Cubano, a huge hostel with few visitors owned and run by a charming woman, Ana. I had a dorm room to myself for $10/night (hostalcubano.blogspot.com).

Volcan is not a tourist spot. However there are interesting hikes and guided tours from here for those willing to spend the time. Most of the tours listed with Boquete are also available in Volcan. If Volcan does not suit your taste, take a taxi up to the Los Quetzales Lodge and Spa (http://www.losquetzales.com/), Cerro Punta (a bit pricey), or continue down to David City en route to Boquete. Both Boquete and Volcan are on the slopes of Volcan Baru. Although they both lie at approximately at the same elevation, to get to Bo-quete you must go to David first, and then from David’s central bus station, catch a bus to Boquete (approximately a 1-1⁄2 hour ride each way)

Boquete (photo 4) is an upcoming choice location for “gringos”. It’s a gem of a town 1,600 meters (5,250 feet) high, snuggled high in the fertile foothills of the volcano. Both the coffee and the oranges grown here are purported to be the finest in Panama. The Rio Caldera (photo 3) tumbles

through the town alongside pastel-painted homes and tiny cafes; flowers grow everywhere, and the air, free of the smothering humidity of the Pana-manian lowlands, carries the taste of jasmine. There are hot springs nearby and a volcano overhead and the people walking the streets have the relaxed, satisfied glow of health spa denizens.

In Boquete, I chose Pension Topas on Avenida Belisario Porras (www.pension-topas.com; e-mail: [email protected]). A hearty breakfast is served on a patio, and there is a charming swimming pool (photo 1). It suited me to a “T” with its comfortable rooms and beds. It’s also a close walk to town and shopping. It is cool here at times in Boquete, so bring a sweater or jacket.

I didn’t need to do anything extra because the town of Boquete was so pleasing to be in and Pension Topas was so congenial. Laying low and staying still worked for me, but should you want more or enjoy nature and hiking, tours available in and around Boquete include horsebackriding, hik-ing adventures to Volcan Baru, the magnificient “Mi Jardin es Su Jardin” private garden (photo 2), the Quetzal Trail, hot springs and petroglyphs and even a cross-country 4- to 5-day hike for the adventurous hiker and nature lover through La Amistad International Park to Bocas Del Toro on the Caribbean side.

Be warned about taking your 72 hours in Panama, as you might decide to move there. I met an expat there who did a couple of 72 hours out in Boquete area and decided he liked it better there.

Boquete, Panama vie Río Sereno

All my life I‘ve been a big movie buff and I suppose the only reason I never became a “Serious movie

critic” is my total lack of credentials and training to do so. However those six or seven of you out there are by now aware of the extremely lax rules around here at the Howler Corporate Industrial Publishing Bunker where 1,000 or so words is all the Editor cares about.

Hence I am now this month’s movie writer, with no desire to be very critical!

There are three major sources of obtaining movies here in Tamarindo. You can always go down to VIP Videos, a long-surviving bu-siness (an accomplishment in itself) on the road into town. They somehow managed to get just about every nominated movie from this year’s Academy Awards a week or so before the Oscars, so we were able to catch the flicks beforehand.

The first one rented had to be “Slumdog Millionaire” which had already won just about every award possible in all the other competing awards show. Foreign movies are no stranger to the mainstream movie scene but this one was the first “Bollywood” (Indian) film to break into the market, albeit with both an English director and producer. My wife didn’t like it as much as I did; I’m always a sucker for movies about other cultures and I think that just because it was so different from the typical Hollywood teen car crash special effect product that seems to dominate the industry that it deserved all the fuss.

VIP had two Kate Winslett movies, “Re-volutionary Road”, a very serious movie with former “Titanic” partner Leonardo De Caprio, as two young people caught up in the deadly boring lives of normal people everywhere that film types always like to portray; and “The Reader”, in which she was nominated for “Best Actress”, another even more serious effort about a former concentration camp guard who couldn’t read. Poor Kate had already been nomina-ted eight other times and never won. This time she did!

We’d already seen “Milk” and got to see Sean Penn kiss a bunch of guys. Both the

wife and I liked the movie and were a little surprised when he beat out the likes of Brad Pitt and Richard Jenkins to receive Best Actor for another controversial and very serious movie. There sure were a lot of “serious” movies getting few awards while “Slumdog” won just about everything and was the only movie with a gigantic dance extravaganza at the end of the movie that had nothing to do with the rest of the film.

The movies Susan and I enjoyed the most out of this year’s Oscar Nominees were actually the two we’d put off as being either “too serious” or “too long”. Susan is addicted to listening to NPR (National Public Radio from the States) through her laptop while she paints, and they hadn’t been too excited about “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” which they described as two-and-a-half hours of Brad Pitt and Kate Blanchett looking beautiful. We rented it and thoroughly enjoyed its quirkiness and even though it didn’t try to be too heavy the ending left my wife teary-eyed. Not me though, I’m too manly. “Doubt” was the Meryl Streep and Phillip Seymour Hoffmann flick about all the Ca-tholic Priest fooling around stuff that the Pope’s always apologizing for, certainly not light fare but very well done without being too preachy.

VIP Video has got plenty of the teen stab-em screamers for the mainstream Tama-rindo type but it’s also possible that those of us of an extremely older type can still find plenty of good stuff to view.

Another possible source of movies can be found on your local cable affiliate be it Amnet (ours) or Cabletica. Both feature Cinecanal and Cinemax which are cons-tantly surprising us with film gems that you very rarely see. One example is “Walker” a 1987 movie starring Ed Harris (one of my favorite actors) as William Walker, the erstwhile presidente/filibuster who ran roughshod over this part of Central America in the late 1850s, and one of the area’s most beloved villains due to the fact that he was a Gringo who eventually got what he deserved. I

remember reading about it in Rolling Stone when it first came out but it immediately di-sappeared. The movie features campesinos with rocket launchers, people on motorcycles and a final scene with Walker’s men being helicoptered out of danger during the fall of Managua. Very Vietnamesque.

Although the majority of cable movies are of the American variety, all with Spanish subti-tles, there are plenty of others from all over the world. An abundance of Spanish-subtitled Chinese martial arts and historic epics, Italian, German, French and British films with little or no special effects and Spanish subtitles, and even movies from Spain, Cuba, Argentina and Brazil some with and some without Spanish subtitles.

The two Cable companies usually have the South American HBO feed which is more mainstream-oriented but still good in a pinch, and if you enjoy advertising there are plenty of other offerings available.

A third option for movie viewing is go to a theatre, which used to mean having to drive to San José. No longer so, as there’s been a standard issue mall-style Cineplex in Liberia now for several years that specializes in the teen scream slash-and-burn fare that you can already find in our local shop.

Which, of course, means that to see anything new or half-way adult you have to go San José where they have just about every new release in English (with subtitles)! Our problem is that when we’re in town we’re trying to do about a dozen things at once and a movie, no matter how tempting, just can’t be fitted in.

The last time we were in a real movie theatre was earlier this year on a visit to Managua. We had about three days to kill so we bought tickets for about two bucks each and in air-conditioned splendor watched Tom Cruise as a good Nazi trying to kill Hitler. “Valkerie” was the movie and although it’s well known that I’m a WWII buff it was Susan who actua-lly picked it, and she doesn’t even like Tom Cruise! Actually it was historically correct and well-acted and even received big thumbs up from the spouse. Until later, I’ll see you in the movies...... or maybe the video store.

Story by Jesse Bishop

CSurvivinghapter XXXIVCOSTA RICA

The Movies

OK, OK, you ask, but, what does a meltdown mean, how does it concretely affect my margarita at the beach for sunset, and when is the article going to transition back to “transition”?

Fact: a recent survey of farmers in the US found at least 15% experiencing difficulty obtaining financing for seeds, fertil-izer, fuel and other costs that need to be covered for spring planting. If you add that to the effects of climate change in places like Argentina, Australia, and parts of China—also important grain producers—you begin to get the picture. No credit, no water, no seeds, no crop = no food = no eat. The imported Triple Sec for the sunset margarita may be the least of our worries.

Fact: 80% of what goes into your typical Costa Rican egg is imported, processed via a caged hen and delivered to your neighborhood store.

Fact: Ditto for the commercial chicken, pork and beef.

No one, and I mean no one, better epitomizes the process of “awakening” to the need for transition than the oft-quoted columnist for the New York Times, Thomas Friedman.

Formerly the pied piper of globalization, the author of “The World is Flat” has undergone a radical transformation. Im-portantly, he “gets” the synergistic relationship between the financial death spiral and climate change, depletion of forest, mineral and fish stocks, water scarcity, etc. A recent article ends with the stark words: ”...for me there is no doubt: 2008 will be the marker — the year when ‘The Great Disruption’ began.” Call him a pessimist, or call him a realist. Or simply take note and start planning for a “transition” to what the new reality looks like.

Still wired to the chair, I struggled to close with a flour-ish before transitioning myself to a cigarette. The task of transition here in Guanacaste is much easier than in many areas. The past, of lower energy consumption, local food production, self-reliance and the thousand-and-one-tidbits of knowledge related to living off the land, is still here. It is just not evenly distributed. And importantly, it is marginal to the mainstream of the ‘modern’ economy, which has only recently developed. Building a community with strong ties to locals, to local food production, is not akin to re-inventing the wheel. The wheel rolls along. The cycle of local farming is still here, turning as always, with the seasons.

Farsighted residents of Tamarindo have added a bit of economic grease to the axle of regional farming by forg-ing ahead with a weekly farmers’ market. Developers near Paraiso have farms within their project or allocate parcels for planting corn in exchange for chopping fence lines. Rumors abound that the area planned for golf courses on a couple of nearby projects will instead be let out for local corn production in the short term.

These initiatives are smart for both public relations and the longer-term goal of enhancing the viability of the underlying agricultural economy. Consciously or not, they are part of transition. They are steps towards the day when the daily fare of imported wines, anchovies, virgin olive oil and frozen salmon becomes scarcer on supermarket shelves.

With a dexterous flick of the wrist I managed to slip free of restraint and lunge towards the pack of Menthol Lights. The filmmakers seemed satisfied with the outcome of their efforts and appeared to agree that “headed in the right direction” was as, or more, important than “where you are now.” As for myself, I made a solemn oath to never again submit to being put under interrogation, hard-wired to a chair, in front of a camera, even if the topic was transition.

Epilogue:

The day after the above interview, Monday the 16th of March, the WWF Turtle Project of Playa Junquillal spon-sored an informative presentation on the effects of climate change—and specifically, higher ocean levels—on our area. During the question-and-answer session, I mentioned the need for attention to rainwater infiltration techniques in developments in order to counteract the increased threat of salt-water intrusion into underground aquifers. While enjoying refreshments, a free-lance journalist introduced himself and said he was working on a documentary about water issues in Guanacaste. Would I consent to an inter-view?????

Tom Peifer is an ecological land use consultant with 13 years experience in Guanacaste. Phone: 2658-8018. [email protected] El Centro Verde is dedicated to sustainable land use, agri-culture and developmentWeb site: http://www.elcentroverde.org/

Wired for Transition(from page 16)

A p r i l 2 0 0 9( a l l t i m e s l o c a l )

1st quarter:Full:Last quarter:New:

2nd

9th

17th

24th

8:34 a.m.8:56 a.m.7:36 a.m.9:23 p.m.

Moon

1st -15th -30th -

rise 5:40; set 5:54rise 5:33; set 5:54rise 5:26; set 5:55

Sun

Water WarsTamarindo out of water as rival utilities

fight war of words

“The pump don’t work ‘cause the vandals took the handle”Bob Dylan – Subterranean Homesick Blues.

In Tamarindo, during an extremely hot and windy sum-mer season, two water supply entities engaged in a war regarding administration of the largest aqueduct in town,

which provides 75 percent of the town’s water.

Under an application by AyA (Aqueductos y Alcantarillados, the national water company), the Tribunal Contencioso Ad-ministrativo refused to extend the concession to Servicios Beko, which expired February 14, and required that the company hand over management of the aqueduct to AyA. The resolution was passed March 3; the handover took effect two days later. Around the period of the handover, the system’s 2,000 customers lost their water supply for two days. They were the lucky ones; some were without water for over two weeks!

Responding to complaints by customers, Beko blamed the outage on “A y A’s unfair actions.”

On March 7, a letter from AyA communicated to some customers that they were taking over the system, but that Beko had sabotaged the delivery system by removing parts of the equipment, causing shortages to some customers. As an emergency measure, AyA had brought tankers of water to Tamarindo to augment the supply. In response, Beko denied any sabotage, insisting that they had followed the letter of the law concerning the handover, and sug-gested that legal action would follow AyA’s accusations. They blamed the two-day water outage on AyA’s not being ready to take over the system.

On March 9, Claudio Cerdas, President of Servicios Beko, sent customers a letter claiming that they had executed the handover as quickly as possible under the circumstances, denying any suggestion of sabotage or actions against public health.

Tamarindo has suffered a serious lack of water supply while two entities, one private, one public, indulge in a war of words.

Ricardo Sancho, president of AyA, said, in a press release, “We will take over the whole aqueduct, and in conjunction with the business community of Tamarindo will look for an integral solution for the town, including a water treatment plant.”

And now let’s see how AyA interprets the word “service”, a

word not completely understood around here. On March 10, I called the AyA number in two local telephone guides – 2-653-0876. A very unhelpful and disinterested girl told me this was not the right number, and gave me another – 2-653-1600. This turned out to be the AyA’s new office in Galeria del Mar, still under construction; I received a recorded message telling me this number is out of service. Back to the bored girl, who transferred me to a guy who told me to try 2-680-0262, the AyA office in Santa Cruz. That number ran and rang until it disconnected. Great service!

Slowly, AyA fixed portions of the aqueduct, gradually put-ting parts of the town back in order, while tanker trucks pumped water into holding tanks or buckets.

At press time, March 19, my neighbors and I have not received a drop of water since March 5 – fourteen days of eking out the water in my storage tank, taking two-minute showers, watching my plants die, while AyA digs up the street outside the house every day to try to decipher the mess left by Beko.

A spokesperson at AyA told The Howler that “most people in Tamarindo have water again, but those on the hills don’t, because the ones lower down take the water...” Well, isn’t that a surprise? Rocket science? isn’t that a situation in dire need of a remedy?

Ah, well, only two months to the rains...

Cyn th i aOsbo rneCha rpen t i e r

WHAT ARE WE DOING

COSTA RICA?

C: CynthiaI: Interviewees C: “Are you a policeman?I: “Mm, somehow”.C: “What do you mean, somehow?”.I: “We are private security”.C: “Private?”I: “Yes, we take care of houses, properties and locals, it is private, not public”.C: “Who pays you?”.I: “The Association from here. The Association are members, an organiza-tion for their own satisfaction”.C: “Un momentito, you said something interesting, satisfaction for them-selves, economically?”.I: “Eh... No, social well-being for everybody”.C: “Where do they work, where is their office?”.I: “Well, I have seen them organize at Castillo Restaurant”.

C: “What’s your name, sir?”I: “Eduardo”.C: “What do you think about the police, security and protection, because there was a robbery of a Coca Cola truck and that can happen to you. Are you protected?”I: “In that case we don’t have a problem because we don’t carry money”.C: “And what do you think about the police here, in Potrero, here in Surf-side, here in Guanacaste?”.I: “We are not from here, we are from Liberia”.C: “Liberia is Guanacaste”.I: “We can not talk about the police here”.

C: “A few days ago there was a rape here in Santa Rosa; What did the police do?”.I: “I don’t know, it’s what we don’t really know”.C: “It’s what you know, but don’t really know”. C: “What do you think about the police here in Surfside or Potrero?” She closes her lips, no comments. Another lady, no comments. Another lady, she doesn’t have opinion. There is a National Police School in Costa Rica.Janina Delvechio, Ministra de Seguridad Publica: “Arias Administration promises to increase police work.Today we have 11,940 positions. Many of them get in rotation for retire-ment or different circumstances. In this moment we have 10,500 policemen. Everything started in 2007. The budget of this Government in 2006 didn’t do it. From 1000 positions we have:800 policiales; 200 administration; 800 positions in 2008”.

We have to teach policemen. There are six-month courses at the Police Academy, to give basic information and procedures to form policemen.There are procedures for men and women, some of them professionals and different careers.Those courses are around ¢2 million or ¢2 million and a half. Somehow that money goes to the Private Sector and not to the public Security Ministry. “Movement in Fuerza Publica is high. Many of them go to Sector Publico, that pays low salaries. Some of them go to Municipalities. The state is only one and they work for a Municipality, the Municipal Police. There is a continuous formation. And to be a policeman there are many incentives. It is a profession, paid professionally”.(Janina Delvechio, Ministra de Seguridad Publica). Who is here now in the Fuerza Publica looking for more policemen is working for his own people, not to be pushed for Political Power, only his own value.The increase of policemen helps reduce underworld delinquency.They need more procedures, work instruments, radiopatrols, motorcycles, cameras. It’s necessary that the communities know that police are close; they should cooperate and give them information that they need. The policemen have guns, with rules about how and when to use them.The budget to Fuerza Publica has to increase.We don’t have an army; the police work for citizens.There are differences between Directores Regionales,The budget comes from Legal Statuto.¢268,000 for students from Ministerio de Seguridad.¢300,000 when they are policemen. C: “What’s your name sir?”.I: “Vijalva Acosta”.C: “And you are a Coastguard?”.I: “With a lot of honor, ma’am”.C: “And where is your office?”.I: “In Flamingo, at the Marina”.C: “How do you feel about your salary?”.I: “To me it’s fair, it’s part of my studies”.C: “And cutting employees from Ministerio de Seguridad Publica?”I: “I don’t know about cutting employees”.C. “How many coastguards are you in Flamingo?”I: “We are 26 partners”.C: “One more question, how do you feel about security here in Potrero, Flamingo, Brasilito?”.I: “No, there’s not much. But we have security in beaches, the ocean and everywhere, Tourist Police and Coastguards”. Little security, much insecurity in Tamarindo. Let’s trust the police and be ‘awake’!

Police

the mountain, and then walk up, a good workout in itself. “Las Escalistas Locas” then tackle the stairs, 230 of them in a very steep and twisty for-mat. The sizes of the stairs are different from each other, giving more exer-cise as it is not possible to get into a rhythm. Mostly, they walk up and either walk or run down. Chad Gaston (right) sprints down them two at a time, a real challenge. Bruce McKillican goes one fur-ther, bear crawls down them for extra upper body workout.

A good trek up the stairs and down (one lap) takes about four min-utes, and many do that several times. Chad’s personal best, probably the leader among the men, is 16 “laps” in 68 minutes, while his wife Devon and sister Lindsey do about five minutes a lap. There is friendly competition between par-ticipants – in the lead are probably Lexie Hutton (left), Christie Lalonde and Maria Sabatto, all of whom do 8 to 10 laps a session.

Running the stairs is not a substitute for the gym-nasium. Most Escalistas

also use the gym, the difference being that the stairs get you into the open air, with gorgeous sunset views of Tamarindo Bay instead of the inside wall of the gym.

The stairs are on private property, and any who use them should get permission (call Bruce McKilli-can at 8-844-9102) and, of course, show respect for the property.

Why do they do it? Because it’s there?

One reason that there are so many stunningly fit women in Tamarindo is the “Stairway to Heaven” a long flight of stone steps leading to the water tank above El Tesoro de Tamarindo. Every day, dozens of women – and a few men – park their cars at the real estate office at the front gate and walk up the long hill. Arriving at the top, they are faced with a fearsome flight of stone steps leading almost vertically upwards.

So, what is all the fuss about? Anyone can climb a few stairs. So I take Lila the ridge-back and we set out from the gate on Tam-arindo’s main road, where my pulse rate is idling at 66 rpm. Five minutes later, pass-ing the luxury Howler Headquarters, I am revving smoothly at 116, then the road gets steeper. At the top of the paved road, the rev counter hits 120, not too bad.

We set off up the stairs and make it to the top, where I am registering an artery-busting 170. I’m sure that if I were to do this every day, I

could get that pulse rate down to, say, 165 – or maybe 0!

The puppy just wants to play; forget that! But the view is worth the heart attack, to the right a wide panorama across the estuary to Playa Grande and beyond; to the left, all over Tamarindo to Langosta.

And it’s all downhill from here.

The masochistic practice of walking, sprinting or running the steps started about a year ago, when Bruce McKillican, who owns property in El Tesoro, started it as a personal exercise. Since then it has grown until, at present, some 30 or so people

do a daily workout on the steps and moun-tain. Approximately 25 of the participants are women.

Participants, arriving usually early morning or around sunset, park their cars at the foot of

Stair CrazyDavid Mills

GOT MOLD?Contact us now and let us show you the latest technology to completely KILL MOLD and keep

it from reappearing permanently.

Until now nothing was available in Costa Rica to KILL MOLD permanently. We are the only

company in Costa Rica with this advanced technology.

For 20 cents a day we will keep your home MOLD FREE without running your A/C!

Special introductory offer for first 10 customers: 50% off regular price!Special rates for property management,

hotels and condominiums.

Call Wayne NOW! 8-377-4677 • [email protected]

In Your Home or Office?LET US KILL IT FOR YOU

Howler0904Apr

Documents

supply of water

garita water supply

failing water supply

main water supply company

major water suppliers

lack of water pressure

inexhaustible supply

strong winds