Musicians without Borders

Question: What do you get when you mix ten musicians from all over the World Atlas who have never played music together before playing for the first time at Diego’s Red Door in Grecia?

Answer: A jam session like you have never heard before.

This was an evening of high energy and great music that Craig Zumbrogel organized for the lucky patrons of Diego’s Red Door on April 17.

A melting pot of musicians from Holland, England, Australia, Germany, Canada, and the United States who had never played together before rocked the house with a mix of Rock & Roll, Country & Western, and some funky Blues. A few of the crowd’s favorite songs they played were Me and Bobby McGee, The House of the Rising Sun, Folson Prison Blues, Red House Blues, Dead Flowers (Rolling Stones) and Proud Mary (Creedence).

A vocalist, Jude from Atenas, stepped up to the microphone and

Jeffeny C. Metz

belted out great vocals of Mustang Sally. Aussie Paul Posterino was the vocalist for many of the other songs, along with Peter Vanzyll de Jong of the group Blue Desert.

The musicians were so tight that the event seemed rehearsed. The mu-sic they created was so fabulous sounding you would swear that these musicians had all played together previously many times. It was a gathering of people who seriously wanted to play their instruments and make some music.

Craig said in his announcement on stage that “These are seasoned musi-cians.” That was easy to see. I would go further and call them “seasoned musical magicians” for the magic they conjured up on stage. Fortunately there will be at least one or two more Jam Sessions at Diego’s Red Door. Two Can Jam will be return-ing in May. Keep an eye on Diego’s for announcements of the next Jam Session. You have got to hear these guys.

editor’s note

This month when the rains begin in earnest, vast swarms of insects will stir in their underground lairs and emerge for brief theatrics upon nature’s stage. The cast of diminutive actors includes ants, termites, flies, and in the starring role--the Coleoptera--beetles.

Unless you suffer from a true entomophobia--psychotic delusions about insect attacks and infestations--your minor dread about those flying and crawling creatures is probably normal cultural repulsion. Most of us are refugees from urbanized environments where it was easy to be insulated from raw nature; but now we are no longer living in hygienically-scrubbed urban environments.

Instead of dreading insects, why not turn their entry into your life as a biological journey of discovery and exploration. You could become an amateur naturalist and contribute to an extraordinary project called the Encyclopedia of Life. This is an initiative started by Harvard entomologist Edward O. Wilson. The EOL began when the Smithsonian Institution took Wilson up on this idea of a webpage for every species on earth. Costa Rica’s Dr. Rodrigo Gamez, the founder and Director of the National Biodiversity Institute (INBio), was a student of Wilson. INBio now has a special affili-ation with the EOL.

At present, the Encyclopedia has some starter pages to show as it recruits scientists, naturalists, amateurs, and even students to begin the mammoth task of cataloguing all of life on the Web. For obvious reasons, the directors of EOL prefer trained scientists to perform the specialized work of classifi-cation and biological systematics. But just as Dr. Gamez realized years ago at INBio, there will never be enough scientists to do the job, so he began training campesinos, workers, and housewives as parataxonomists. These amateur scientists encounter the unparalleled biodiversity of this country directly. They have face-to-face meetings with scads of insects that not only may be unfamiliar to them, but may also be unknown to science. They col-lect, identify, and pin them in to the vast collections at INBio’s cavernous biodiversity archives.

The EOL project needs your help. They want your photographs of, well, everything biological. Look at the Encyclopedia of Life (www.eol.org). You can use Flickr as the site to upload your pictures (http://www.flickr.com/groups/encyclopedia_of_life/). The curators will examine them and, if they make the grade, the pictures become part of the Encyclopedia’s visual archive of the organisms of the world.

Start by leaving the porch lights on at night. Rig a white sheet in front of a bright light bulb so that the night creatures can land on it. Get your digital camera and take pictures of your visitors from several angles. Shoot close-ups and hold the camera steady. During the day, you’ll see interesting and previously-unseen insects if you look around. If an insect is on a certain flower or plant, show the flower and leaves of the plant as well as the close-up of the insect.

Looking at insects more closely lets you see how the ecosystem of your house and garden works. You’ll get glimpses into the complexities of your micro-environment. The beauty you can find at smaller scales of observa-tion makes it less important that you have not yet seen a Jaguar or Harpy eagle in the wild. Your personal explorations of the wildness all around you can be an experience as fecund as were the walks of Charles Darwin or Alfred Wallace.

The Encyclopedia of Life

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DEPARTMENTS

Sun & Moon

CD Review

Book Review

Doctor’s Clinic

Meet the Neighbors

Around Town

May Forecasts

Bodywork

Word Puzzle

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FEATURES

The Mountain HowlerSince 2009May 2009

9 A Garlic-flavored Revolution It’s so easy! Grow your own garlic and save tons of fuel needed to transport our commercial stuff from China.

Cover: The practiced, weathered hands of a campesino peel open an ear of fresh corn (elote). Inset: Isidoro Vargas, resident of Ángeles Sur, near San Ramón. Cover design and photography: Stephen Duplantier

8 El Occidente - The Western Central ValleyLet’s take a look at the six towns which make up the distribution area of The Mountain Howler, each with its own personality.

6 Dining OutLike a good, thick, juicy sizzling steak? Then do your taste buds a favour and take them to Mario’s Steak House in San Ramón.

7 A World Built on MaizeThe cultivation has been carried out for nearly 9,000 years, and has been developed into a fine art.

14 The Sweetest Road in Costa RicaThe Occidente produces vast amounts of sugar. Read how it is grown and processed.

25 My 72 HoursYour 72-hour visa trip is not just an inconvenience, if you spoil yourself with an all-inclusive vacation to San Andrés.

15 Leafcutters and the Art of WarThe leafcutter ant can do great damage to your flower or kitchen garden. Use advice from Sun Tzu to protect your garden.

Founded in 2009Vol. 1, No. 4 - May 2009

Issue No. 4

PublisherDavid Mills

Tel: 2-653-0545 - dmills@racsa.co.cr

EditorStephen Duplantier

Tel: 8-398-4388 - stephen.duplantier@gmail.com

Sales and MarketingJeffeny Metz

Tel: 8-881-6084 - mountainhowler@gmail.com

Contributors:

TONY OREZJOE RICHARD

JEFFENY METZBUDDY TETREAULTJEANNE CALLAHAN

STEPHEN DUPLANTIERCHRISTOPHER HOWARD

GLORIA FETHERSTONMICHAEL ANTHONY

GENE WARNEKECARLA RIGIONIJEFF HICKCOX

The Mountain 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.

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Dining OutJoe Richard

Mario’s Steak houseSan Ramón

I have come to the conclusion that the perfect steak is an obsession in my case. I had din-ner at Mario’s Steak House in San Ramón

again the other night, determined to have a pasta dinner. I tried, really, but the aromas from Mario’s kitchen forced me back to the “De la Parilla” page and previous steak dinners there danced in my mind and wouldn’t let me do it.

You’ll understand when you sit before a thick, juicy, hot, perfectly grilled NY Steak, fork ten-der and a melt-in-your-mouth delicacy. Yes, I went with the big one, 330 grams rather than the certainly dinner size 250-gram steak. I’m not bashful. Mario doesn’t just serve an ordi-nary steak; he has a ranch in Guanacaste where Brangus is raised. For the first fifteen months they eat sweet grasses and then for their last three months it’s grain! However, before you are served, each cut of beef is aged for forty days! Can you envision tender?

Such a choice of cuts! 330 grams of Rib Eye Marios or two sizes of Filet Mignon finished as you like and covered with a wonderful creamy mushroom sauce. You might even challenge yourself to a 500-gram Porterhouse that is as big and magnificent as it sounds.

Of course there are other meat choices, like a scrumptious Pork Tenderloin in a sweet sherry wine sauce, sizzling chicken or beef Fajitas and happily for the lunch crowd or youngster, two hamburger cre-ations that will keep the little ones quiet right to dessert.

One of the won-derful benefits of the very difficult task of researching for a res-taurant review is you get to do it with friends. How else can I taste Pasta and Chicken dishes or wonderful dishes displaying seafood offer-ings? My more-than-generous dinner com-panions, besides sharing, offer such insight into preparation, presentation and success of other dinner offerings.

One of my companions raved over a BBQ chicken dish with two fat breasts slathered in

a very tasty sauce and accompanied by large grilled potato wedges and tasty fresh vegetables as with other dinner selections. I was happy to sit elbow-to-elbow with a friend who shared an enormous platter modestly called Seafood Grill, but buried under really jumbo shrimp, corvina and calamari, octopus and mussels.

Mario has been performing his artwork as a chef for forty years, learning early on in London, England, and perfecting his talent in Palermo, Italy, Puerto Rico and many years in Connecti-cut in the US. A resident of Zarcero, he and his wife Kattia, who spends just as much time in the restaurant working as her partner, recently owned the Hereford Grill for eight years on the road to Zarcero. His is a continental cuisine, and he’ll discuss his menu, make suggestions for a perfect meal and happily talk beef.

Mario’s has an imaginative selection of salads including a succulent Eggplant Parmigiana. Oh, did I mention the pasta page on the menu that I haven’t tried yet. Just because this review is written doesn’t mean I’m not going back. I will have the Linguini Puttanesca that I tasted, and simply fell in love with.

A full bar is offered with traditional cocktails and the margarita mix is the real thing. Wine is also served by the glass or bottle. Two steak dinners with a bottle of wine cost forty dollars.

You certainly can spend less.

Mario Valenci-ano is about to offer an “Early Bird Special” from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday for $9.95, featur-

ing NY Strip or Ravioli or Chicken Parmigiano or Spaghetti with sausage and sides. This won-derful restaurant is open 7 days a week from 11 a.m. to midnight.

San Ramón, you’ve deserved a restaurant like Mario’s and it’s been a long time coming. You can find it by taking the pista exit for San Ramón, turning left one block before the church and going 6 1⁄2 blocks. Reservations are made by calling 2445-5945.

On a day close to May 15, Isidoro Vargas will plant seeds of his heirloom maize in the thirsty volcanic soil of his finca near San Ramón, just as the indigenous people of

Costa Rica have done at least for nearly 3,000 years, and the rest of Central America and México have for much longer—some 8,700 years. Maize cultivation goes beyond the middle of the hemisphere-- it spread far into North America and South America as well. This is a tradition that is as wide as it is deep.

Some details have changed over time. The maize varieties across such a vast area differed regionally. The date of the planting is based on when the rainy season starts and, of course, that date varies based on the local geography. How important was maize to the Huetar Indi-ans, those ancient residents of the Occidente? It was everything to a people who had long since given up hunting and gathering and now lived in scattered small settlements under chieftains. In the Angeles Sur valley just north of San Ramón, teams of archaeologists from UCR have recently surveyed the area. A resident found an unusual discovery in her cane field that greatly interested the archaeologists. It was a four-inch long stone carving of a mazorca (“ear”) of maize with a hole drilled through the center longitudinally. The archae-ologists interpreted it as a tool that was dipped in a vegetable dye and used to imprint the design of maize, possibly on the bodies of ritual participants in a maize harvest festival ceremony of some kind.

Those early Middle American farmers who domesticated the wild grains that later became Zea mays, the maize we know today, cleared the land by burning. The slash-and-burn agriculture of the New World tropics is an ancient technique which may have a few short-term advantages such as releasing a jolt of nutrients, raising the pH of the soil, killing microorganisms and removing pests, but it is no longer a sustainable practice. The population density in the tropics no longer permits the use of such techniques. Even worse, clearing the forests releases carbon dioxide and removes the trees and vegetation that sequester the greenhouse gases. This is no time to continue ancient or modern deforestation practices.

Isidoro’s small plot of land is a milpa. Milpa is a word of Nahuatl origin that describes an agricultural complex of intercropping. Isidoro plants maize, black beans, and ayote—squash. This is the Holy Trinity of Middle American subsistence foods that have nourished the succession of people, cultures, and high civiliza-tions for millennia. His field is ringed with manioc, plantains, bananas, aracache, and assorted savory and medicinal herbs.

Isidoro shakes his head in disgust when he tells me about the farm-ers who burn the maize stalks and leaves left in the fields from the past harvest. His condemnation extends to the sugar cane farmers who torch their fields every year in defiance of the law and com-

mon agricultural sense. Isidoro says that the burning kills the land’s productivity. After a few years of burning, nothing much grows on the fields except weeds and grass. It takes years or even generations for the land to be restored and the forest to return.

When Isidoro gets his land ready he does not clear off the organic matter, nor does he till the soil. In previous years he has used a spade to make shallow rows. In ancient times in Costa Rica, the Indians probably used a simple hoeing technique to make a small hillock in which to plant the seeds. The rows we see nearly universally in the countryside today are a legacy of the plows pulled by oxen or horses. The beast-pulled plow tilled the soil and broke the grip of the tough grasses. It saved the farmer’s back, but at a price. Tilling soil, which seems to have a common sense practicality to it, in reality, contributes to the degradation and loss of the topsoil nutrients. But what is far worse is that tilling drastically reduces the mycorrhizal fungi living in the soil without which almost nothing would grow. These fungi infect the roots of plants and permit the plant to take up the nutrients in the soil. The fungi have long and thread-like struc-tures penetrating the soil. Tilling breaks these up and puts oxygen in the soil—something that neither the plants nor the fungi need.

The current best practice of agriculture as determined by plant scientists and botanists is no-till agriculture. The yields are much greater and it takes so much less work. For home gardens, no-till style is the only one that makes sense. The evidence is in and the concept is no longer new, yet most people mistakenly think they need to dig, dig, dig in the soil to force it to be produc-tive. In between no-till and destructive tilling is a practice called chiseling. The old campesino ways of planting call for minimal soil tillage with a shovel or hoe. This is equivalent to light soil management in a kind of bas-relief sculpting of the land. But even this chiseling style of soil preparation is harmful to the ben-eficial fungi, though less so than mechanical tilling or plowing.

It is much better, says Isidoro, to leave the fields cluttered with the organic material that builds up. When he drops in four seeds in the dibbled holes he has made every 50 centimeters, he wisely clears enough space for the tender shoots to emerge unscathed eight days after planting. But when the shoots are established and hardy, he dresses them with the old stalks and leaves. He says that this gives the beetle grubs and insect larvae in the soil something to eat besides the newly-growing maize shoots.

Isidoro uses a small-grained, heirloom maize variety he calls maice-na. Not many farmers still plant it. Most use the hybrids that yield mazorcas (ears) almost twice the size of the heirloom variety. The

Stephen Duplantier

(continued page 17)

El Occidente - The Western Central Valley Gene WarnekeHome Range of The Mountain Howler

In the geographic center of Costa Rica lies the verdant Central Valley that is populated by roughly 80% of the country’s 4.5 million population. The capital city of Costa Rica, San José, sits roughly in the center and at the western end are the coffee and sugar cane towns of Grecia, Atenas, San Ramon, Sarchi, Palmares and Naranjo that were settled in the mid-19th century.

Grecia: Cleanest City in Central AmericaThe thriving city of Grecia has the distinction of twice being voted the cleanest town in Central America. The local community here is outgoing and friendly and eagerly welcomes foreigners into their homes as well as their hearts. On a per capita basis, the canton has the highest average income and the highest number of professionals in Costa Rica. The people here are relaxed and laidback. Being an important agricultural hub of the country, sugar cane is grown and harvested in Grecia in large amounts, as is premium coffee and pineapples. Only 35 minutes northwest from the country’s main inter-national airport, Grecia is close to, but not in the urban zone of capital, San José. Several national and local parks are within an hour’s drive. The Pacific Coast is only 1-1⁄2 hours’ drive through beautiful vistas.

Atenas: The Best Climate in the WorldAtenas may be a small town (population 27,000), but it carries a very lofty

title: The Best Climate in the World. Safe, dynamic, centrally located, and overflow-ing with beautiful scenery, Atenas boasts the largest population of expats in Costa Rica, comprising mostly Canadians and Americans. Atenas is located around 40 minutes from San José and under 1 hour to the Pacific beaches. A foreigner will immediately feel at home in this quaint town. The combination of beautiful

weather, stunning mountain and city views and the expat-friendly atmo-sphere has made the tranquil town of Atenas one of the fastest growing for retirees and investors. Although Atenas retains its strong agricultural background and traditional values, there are an increasing number of upscale and private communities offering amenities for all lifestyles. The town center offers expanding choices for the growing expat popu-lation like; private medical clinic, fine restaurants, high-speed Internet, and social and volunteer groups. Property values continue to climb, but remain well below the prices seen in North America and Europe. Explore this jewel of the Central Valley and you may just find the perfect balance between tranquility and opportunity.

San Ramon – Cradle of Poets & PresidentsFive of Costa Rica’s Presidents and three famous poets hail from San Ramon. Revolution is also in the blood of San Ramón. This is where Pépe Figueres plotted the overthrow of tyranny in the 1940’s and created with his comrades the army-free Second Republic of Costa Rica, now a beacon to the world. San Ramón is the route to the cloud forests on the east side of the Tilarán range and the gateway to Volcan Arenal from the Central Val-ley. San Ramon’s nearby attractions include the Los Angeles cloud forest which consists of 800 hectares of primary forest full of local populations of howler monkeys, big felines, bird species, and of course, lots of cool insects.

Sarchí – Famous Artisan TownSarchí has a plethora of art and craftsmanship of the highest caliber. Oxcart craftsmen, furniture makers, artists and artisans are everywhere. You can’t turn down a street without finding hidden, one-room workshops making beautiful wooden objects. Costa Rica’s premier botanical garden, the Else Kientzler Botanical Garden, with its thousands of tropical species is located north of the downtown. You know right away you where you are when you see the giant oxcart in town center built by artisans at the Fernando Alfaro factory. This is the largest oxcart in the world. Unless you’re Paul Bunyan, you don’t want to meet the oxen that could pull it, and you definitely wouldn’t want to walk behind those same oxen. The largest oxcart factory is the Joaquín Chaverri Oxcart Factory, which opened in 1902. Prior to the Chaverri factory, lesser-known oxcart makers were crafting these indispensable vehicles in the area for half a century to supply the needs of the cafeteleros in the Occidente. Another factory uses a small stream that flows nearby to generate hydropower for the machines and saws in the woodshop. A visit to Sarchí should always be made in an empty car, because you will want to fill it up with great furniture and crafts.

Naranjo – Premier Coffee Growing RegionNaranjo is the oldest of the coffee towns of the Oc-cidente and, due to its altitude and rich volcanic soils, just this last year won an award for best coffee in Costa Rica—which arguably means the best in the world!

Naranjo is small and quiet, and spread out. Each year, a large festival is held in honor of the Virgin de Lourdes. Devout Catholic pilgrims from all over Costa Rica come for the festival which honors the Virgin’s appearance in Portugal. From Mount Espírito Santo lookout, there are beautiful views of the mountains and

thousands of hectares of coffee farms. The coffee tour at Espírito Santo give a great overview of the techniques of processing coffee at a large beneficio.

Palmares – Home of the Grand FairPalmares has a well-deserved reputation as a wide-open party town in Janu-ary as it hosts the Fiestas de Palmares, Costa Rica’s largest fair. It’s a huge party with plenty of live music, dancing, concerts, Tico-style bullfights where only the humans get hurt, and a grand tope (horse parade). However, most of the time the town is quiet. Palmares has more furniture factories than Sarchí. Palmares also has a town-supported natural park on the slopes of the Montes de Aguacate range with hiking, an excellent botanical garden and wild flowering heliconia patches jammed with hummingbirds. Just down the winding street a few ki-lometers in Zaragosa is a charming church, parque central, and old wooden buildings and houses of the town’s former coffee barons. The highway winds down the mountain in the direction of Atenas. This was the old oxcart feeder road in the 19th century, which carried the highland coffee to Puntarenas. Palmares means coffee, coffee, and more coffee. Hacienda Candelaria is a huge coffee beneficio on the route to the coast alongside the Montes de Aguacate. The Swiss-owned Candelaria produces world class coffees (mostly shipped to Europe) and is located not far from Zaragosa

Early Saturday morning in San Ramón is a good time to go to the Feria Agricultor in the back of town. The market is bustling with farmers and vendors arranging

their bountiful local produce. There are mounds of papayas and pineapples from San Carlos, plaintains and non-commercial banana varieties from all over the Occidente, culantro, lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers from Bajo Zuñiga. But you’ll also see piles of little white mesh bags of garlic with Chinese characters on the labels that you know are not local.

In fact they are the opposite of local. This garlic comes from one of several agricultural provinces of China, some 15,000 kilometers away! If you wanted to buy some local garlic, which does grow in Zarcero, you would be hard-pressed to find it. Chinese garlic supplies 75% of the world’s market. Go to any fresh market anywhere in the world and those little white bags of Chinese garlic will be there. To be fair, garlic is a plant originally from northern Asia, so the pungent bulb is coming from the garlic motherland. You know generally how your local produce is grown. But did you know that in China, according to Chinese agricultural ex-perts, human waste is used as a fertilizer on their giant fields of garlic? Monocrops such as garlic harbor pests and fungi, so the Chinese method is to spray biocides, fungicides, and pesticides on the garlic, injecting it in the ground near the roots and bulbs where the pests thrive. These biocides and fungicides are highly toxic carcinogens and nerve and reproductive poisons that are banned in Europe.

It is difficult to gauge how much of the biocide residues might remain on or in the garlic you buy. Even if there is none, the problem of shipping garlic on oil-burning freighters from so far away strikes a discordant note today. We are used to the results of global trade that permits us to buy from all over the world not only such things as agricultural produce, but your clothing, MP3 players, plastic, tires, cars...the list goes on and on.

It’s hard to make cars and tires in your backyard, but it is easily possible to grow your own garlic. What if every household in Costa Rica planted a square meter of garlic? The country’s cu-linary need for garlic could easily be met. This garlic revolution could get started without government committees, or permis-

sions, or loans from the International Monetary Fund. No legislation needs to be passed, the Diputados do not need to debate this issue, we don’t need trade dele-gations flying off anywhere to make deals, no certifi-cates from MINAE are necessary. Suppose we could all take this small, but decisive step against the global corporate vampires. The collective actions of the citizens of Costa Rica would be both hugely symbolic, but also real. Our garlic revolution certainly wouldn’t affect the imbal-ances of global trade, and probably the international cartels wouldn’t even notice this mosquito bite-sized attack against their mighty global trade networks and empires. But something real and important will have been accomplished. The garlic revolution would require the potential millions of new square-meter finqueros of Costa Rica to learn how to compost their kitchen scraps, yard wastes, and animal manures. They would learn how to mulch their one-square-meter fincas to conserve water and keep out weeds. All the health benefits of fresh, home-grown organic garlic would be theirs. Their gallo pinto and olla de carne would taste better.

Every year at garlic harvest time, each barrio could have its own Garlic Fiesta. They could select a Garlic Queen. Home chefs could have a competition to select the best traditional and non-traditional dishes made using garlic. Artists could get involved making garlic-inspired art for display and sale. Musicians might be inspired to create new songs with garlic-inspired themes. Why not create a hot new dance - the Ajo Cuadrado! There could be mini-workshops on new varieties and cultivars of garlic, how to handle pests organically, and techniques of better ways of composting soil and producing more garlic.

This project--can we call it Ajo Metro Cuadrado (“A Square Meter of Garlic”) can start tomorrow. To be sure, there are techniques to be learned and practiced before we all get good at it. Let’s ask the experienced garlic growers in Zarcero how to grow good garlic in our zone. But by all means let the garlic revolution begin. All revolutions start by the seat of their pants. Don Pepe Figueres would be proud of us.

The Mountain Howler will feature on our website a special section for the exchange of information about home garlic gardening. You will be able to read about the basics of how to start. As the information exchanging and troubleshooting gets rolling, we can all refine our techniques. We’ll all learn what we can and cannot do. But above all, start planting garlic in the backyard and let’s change the world.

A Garlic

Flavored

Revolution

Stephen Duplantier

This is a new column for our readers who care about the environment and want practi-

cal solutions to reverse current bad ecological trends. Hmm, let’s see, that would be all of our readers! Even if you believe the sun revolves around the earth or deny human-caused global warming, who doesn’t have at least some concerns?

We read about the massively complex issues and find ourselves seemingly powerless to do anything effective. We do know, for example, that what seems like our paltry efforts at reducing elec-trical usage or oil consumption really can make a difference—a small one anyway.

Thee are dozens of other practical, realistic things you can do. This column will explore these with you. Here is one you can start tomorrow. Bring reusable bags with you when you got to markets and grocery stores, or shopping in general. This is not a new idea, but you actually have to do it and not just think about it. Make a big deal out of it at the checkout stands. Talk to the people behind you in line about how bad all those plastic bags are, how they clog landfills and do not decompose. Tell them how easy it is to reuse bags to take home your purchases.

Any reusable bags will do, but if the bags look good and broad-cast the message about recycling, you’ll have a bigger impact. We all need practical ecological solutions to spread faster than the Swine Flu.

The Farmás company has started a new recycling program. They are selling reusable bags for 1,000 colones at all of the seven stores in their chain of pharmacies in Grecia, Sarchí, Naranjo, and Poás. This is good by itself, but there is a further incentive. When you bring that reusable bag with you when you shop, you will receive a discount on a wide variety of products.

What a great way for a conscientious merchant to reduce the use and need for the plastic bags! It saves them money too, because they have to buy the bags and pass the cost on to you. It’s easy to be part of this very worthy program and participate by buying several of the bags and using them to pack up your purchases.

I was in the recycling business for six years in the United States and saw directly how it helps he environment and empowers ordinary citizens to do their share—the only way we are going to make it. It’s great to see the movement starting here. What else can we do? Each one of you can help by submitting your ideas and experiences to at the Mountain Howler. I’ll incorporate them into this Going Green column every month. Send them to me at mountainhowler@gmail.com. Remember the mantra of recycling is:

Reduce – Reuse – Recycle!

Going GreenJeffeny Metz

This is a new column for our readers who care about the environment and want practi-

cal solutions to reverse current bad ecological trends. Hmm, let’s see, that would be all of our readers! Even if you believe the sun revolves around the earth or deny human-caused global warming, who doesn’t have at least some concerns?

We read about the massively complex issues and find ourselves seemingly powerless to do anything effective. We do know, for example, that what seems like our paltry efforts at reducing elec-trical usage or oil consumption really can make a difference—a small one anyway.

Thee are dozens of other practical, realistic things you can do. This column will explore these with you. Here is one you can start tomorrow. Bring reusable bags with you when you got to markets and grocery stores, or shopping in general. This is not a new idea, but you actually have to do it and not just think about it. Make a big deal out of it at the checkout stands. Talk to the people behind you in line about how bad all those plastic bags are, how they clog landfills and do not decompose. Tell them how easy it is to reuse bags to take home your purchases.

Any reusable bags will do, but if the bags look good and broad-cast the message about recycling, you’ll have a bigger impact. We all need practical ecological solutions to spread faster than the Swine Flu.

The Farmás company has started a new recycling program. They are selling reusable bags for 1,000 colones at all of the seven stores in their chain of pharmacies in Grecia, Sarchí, Naranjo, and Poás. This is good by itself, but there is a further incentive. When you bring that reusable bag with you when you shop, you will receive a discount on a wide variety of products.

What a great way for a conscientious merchant to reduce the use and need for the plastic bags! It saves them money too, because they have to buy the bags and pass the cost on to you. It’s easy to be part of this very worthy program and participate by buying several of the bags and using them to pack up your purchases.

I was in the recycling business for six years in the United States and saw directly how it helps he environment and empowers ordinary citizens to do their share—the only way we are going to make it. It’s great to see the movement starting here. What else can we do? Each one of you can help by submitting your ideas and experiences to at the Mountain Howler. I’ll incorporate them into this Going Green column every month. Send them to me at mountainhowler@gmail.com. Remember the mantra of recycling is:

Reduce – Reuse – Recycle!

Going GreenJeffeny Metz

Food as an aphrodisiac is not ex-actly new subject matter in litera-ture. On the contrary, it’s been a

concurrent theme for many new fiction and travel journals. Bunny Buitrago’s re-cent novel Senora Honeycomb certainly falls into this category. But what sets this book’s main character apart from any other I’ve read in this genre is that Tea-dora Vencejos is one part Aphrodite, one part Cinderella and one part Julia Child, with a little Sleeping Beauty thrown in for good measure.

Like the authoress, Teadora is a Colom-biana, but when the novel opens, she is working in Madrid, crafting culinary cuisine designed to pique erotic curiosity. And she is a master (mistress?) at it, as her boss Dr. Amiel is always willing to point out as he works on alongside her on their bawdy confectionary creations. Teadora, as it turns out, is a living, breathing fertility icon, albeit a very naïve one. Unbeknown to her, there is no creature, animal or vegetable, who can resist her charms, with the possible exception of her philandering husband, Don Galaor Ucros, the laughable villain in this work of fiction.

OK, the book is basically an adult fairy tale. But it’s a fun little romp of literature, well-written and not without its redeeming qualities or evil god-mothers. Senora Honeycomb is Bunny Buitrago’s fourth novel and her first to be translated to English from her native Spanish. I think Margaret Peden is to be commended for her translation and in preserving the wistfulness, the wordplay and especially the humor of the original text. It’s hard enough to write good comedy in one’s native language, let alone to have it successfully transcribed to another.

Teadora’s small Caribbean hometown in Colombia is full of colorful charac-ters and, as in any small community, gossip is, of course, the central nervous system of communication in Real de Marquez. Every citizen seems to have a whimsical nickname (my favorite was “The Turk”, who in fact was Arab. This lengthy moniker follows him throughout the novel like a string of tin cans tied to his leg). And when Teadora returns to her hometown incognito, she is allowed to view the village’s dynamics as an outsider, but with a complete knowledge of the histories of these people which, in turn, gives her a new perspective on the scenario and inter-relationships of the citizenry. There are enough subplots and minor characters to keep the reader’s interest, without the storyline becoming too congested or convoluted.

Even the fairytale ending works in this novel because Fanny’s colorful writing leads the reader comfortably into it. The book closes with a glos-sary: “Colombian Kitchen and Garden According to Fanny”, a useful tool for local references (that are conveniently italicized) in the novel and an interesting read on its own, including some regional recipes. I’ve heard that Fanny Buitrago has recently started to write children’s fairy tales as well. After reading Senora Honeycomb, it is easy to see how she could make this transition. Fanny Buitrago has a knack for keeping her reader enthralled in suspended reality.

Book Review

Señora Honeycomb

Tony Orez

Do you know what your level of blood cholesterol is? Have you been told it is high?

A high level of colesterol in the blood-stream reduces the blood’s ability to circulate through the arteries of the body. This reduction of flow in the arteries of the heart can produce a heart attack; if in the brain, a stroke. This is why I’m giving you some points on how to reduce these levels. 1. Know your risk factors. Some factors can predispose you to higher levels of colesterol; the more of these factors you have, the more important it is to reduce them. Some factors are: obe-sity; cigarette smoking; family history of high cholesterol or heart problems; excessive consumption of fatty foods; sedentary life; diabetes mellitas.

2. Know the lipid figures. A simple blood test will tell you how much cholesterol is in the blood. Have this test done whenever suggested by your physician. It is important to know the amount of lipids; this includes total colesterol, HDL, LDL and triglycerides. Normal values depend upon your risk factors, but, as a guide, the ideal is:

HDL (high-density lipoprotein, also called “good cholesterol”) – over 40. This substance gets rid of bad cholesterol. Exercise and a diet high in Omega-3 fatty acids helps form this substance.

LDL (low-density lipoprotein, “bad cholesterol”). It can block arteries and cause heart attack and stroke. This is the factor most important to your physician, and should be kept as low as possible.

Triglycerides – less than 150. These fats store energy in the body, but a high level can be a heart risk. Obesity, inactivity and high consumption of carbohydrates contribute to this substance.

Adequate diet. Eating habits affect significantly the levels of cho-lesterol in the blood. Learn which foods affect cholesterol levels; fatty intake increases cholesterol levels. Avoid the following: fatty meats, cold cuts and bacon; creamy sauces; biscuits and greasy pancakes; fried foods; creamy dairy products; egg yolks; coconut or palm oil products; foods cooked in trans fats.

Include in your diet low-fat products and high-fibre foods, such as: white-meat fish (without skin); vegetable proteins – beans and tofu; skimmed or low-fat milks; whole grains; high-protein foods such as cereals, citric fruits, apples and beans.

When cooking with fat, use as little as possible, or substitute vegetable oils – olive or canola. These can reduce the choles-terol levels.

Continued next issue...

The Doctor’s ClinicControl Your Cholesterol

Dr. José Fco. Jiménez Q.

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in Mountain Howler

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en Mountain HowlerCall/llame a Jeffeny: 8-881-6084

mountainhowler@gmail.com

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

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 dmills@racsa.co.cr to submit your story.

From January through May each year long stretches of the Volcán Poás road from Grecia are heavily

sweetened. This is the zafra, or harvest season, when sugar cane stalks fallen from cane trucks and tractor-pulled car-retas heading for the CoopeVictoria sugar refinery line the road for kilometers. Costa Rican children were once taught that it was the only sugar refinery in all of Central America. Today, the refinery remains a top producer of refined sugar and sugar byproducts. Many of its almost 3,100 members grow much of Costa Rica’s finest sugar cane in the rich volcanic soils of El Occidente.

Up until 1942, the firm of Willy (Guillermo) Niehaus, a German-born Costa Rican entrepreneur, controlled most of the sugar cane production in the Grecia area. Because of U.S. anti-Ger-man wartime pressure in 1942, Costa Rica’s Junta de Custodia took over control and administered of all of Niehaus land hold-ings, which produced 25% of Costa Rica’s three million kilos of sugar for export. Although the Junta de Custodia promised the American government that the proceeds would be frozen and not turned over to the German owners until after the war, the U.S. still refused to buy any sugar produced by German owners until the Costa Rican government outright expropriated

their lands. In the fall of 1943, the government gave in to the pressure. Full expropriation was made and the lands were turned over to the newly formed cooperative, CoopeVictoria, whose original 19 associates commenced operations with a capitalization of ten thousand colones, divided into 100 shares of 100 colones each. Willy and his two brother’s Costa Rican citizenships were revoked and in July of 1944 were flown by the U.S. Army to an internment camp in Texas.

The cooperative took off quickly and additional shares were offered to another 400 farmers. In the first year of operation, CoopeVictoria received almost 30,000 metric tons of cane from its members and local non-member growers. It’s grown

to almost 3,100 members and in 2008 received about 192,000 metric tons of cane directly to its main facility or via its 24 estaciones recibidores (receiving stations) located at various locations throughout the area. Sugar cane is the source of about 70% of the world’s sugar which is extracted from the sweet, juicy stems. Sugar’s long and sometimes cruel history has included its spread from the South Pacific to South

Asia, then via Arabs to the Mediterranean. It became the foundation of the Caribbean trade where slaves were traded from Africa to work the cane fields that produced rum and sugar for export principally to Europe. The sugar cane grown in Costa Rica’s Central Valley and El Occidente was tended by freemen, not slaves.

Sugar cane is the common name for six perennial species of the grass family of which four are complicated hybrid cultivars. All commercial canes today are hybrids grown in tropical and subtropical countries throughout the world. Cane can grow from eight to twenty feet tall with stalks generally five centime-ters or two inches thick. Sugar cane yields the highest number of calories per unit area of any plant, producing anywhere from 10 to 22 tons of sucrose per hectare.

Most of the common varieties don’t produce fertile seeds, so stem cuttings are used to propagate the crops. Because of this, commercially grown sugar cane would not survive without human help. Sugar cane is grown from setts or cuttings from mature sugar cane stalks in lengths of about 40 centimeters. The setts are best if taken from the upper third of the cane be-cause the buds are younger and less likely to dry out. The setts are normally planted at a 45-degree angle or laid horizontally in a furrow with fertilizer. The setts are lightly covered with soil until they sprout in approximately 10-14 days. After

The Sweetest Road in Costa Rica

Article and photos:Gene Warneke and

Anay Fallas

(continued page 23)

Although the 40 some odd species of leafcutter ants that live in the tropics from México to Brazil had been successfully raising their underground fungus gardens for 50 million years, it was the arrival of humans 12,000 years ago in the Pleistocene era when the ant populations soared.

These ants are a gap-lov-ing species. They thrive in open areas away from the dense cover of complex forests. Once tropical agriculture began with the domestication of maize some 9,000 years ago and the associated rise of the slash-and-burn technique

of preparing land for planting, the ants’ prayers were answered. Humans not only cleared vast swatches of land, but planted field after field of tender crops that the ants cut and carried home. To be accurate, it was the ants’ fungal colonies that relished the succulent leaves. Leafcutter ants eat the fungus from their underground gardens, not the leaves they cut.

The ants are out there right now, waiting patiently underground, more than eight million in each nest. When the rains start, they’ll be back and your plants will not be safe. An individual nest can weigh as much as a cow and eat as just as much too--maybe 75 pounds of leaves a day.

The standard technique used by local farmers and land owners is to spray the nests and trails with Mirex. Why Mirex is even allowed to be sold in Costa Rica is a mystery. It has been banned in the U.S. since 1978. This poison is a horrific insecticide. It is biomagnified in food chains and has long-term toxicity since it is not broken down by soil microorganisms. It is carcinogenic to humans, yet you see it being used all over the place by unprotected homeowners and farm workers. Do them a favor and tell them how dangerous Mirex is. There are other ant poisons that your Tico neighbors may recommend, and some may be less dangerous than Mirex. Use them at your own risk. Even if you kill a nest, there are others close by. As long as you live on your lot or finca--the ecological equivalent of a treefall gap with succession plants growing (otherwise known as your garden)-- you’ll have leafcutters. Research in Costa Rica has shown that the ants avoid areas where there is structural complexity, plenty of leaf area, and species rich-ness. This sounds like a description of a maturing natural forest. The ants overwhelmingly prefer cleared, sunny areas with no leaf litter on

the ground and tender, isolated monocrop plants. This sounds like virtually every farm and home garden in Costa Rica.

You have seen the big-jawed leafcutters. There are other sizes in the colony, but these are the ones that defend the colony and also clear the paths they walk on. This preference for a cleared path is important. It makes the ants’ pheromone communication system work more efficiently. The more ants use an easy trail, the more other ones will use it. This is how they pick the best path using their group mind-like swarm intelligence. Individually, each ant doesn’t know much. It only knows to follow the smell trail of its fellow colony members among a few other bits of ant intelligence. This gave me a clue about how to win tactical skirmishes with the ants. I took a cue from the Chinese general and war philosopher Sun-Tzu. One of the famous dicta from his treatise, The Art of War, is that “All warfare is based on deception.” Following Sun-Tzu, I reasoned as follows: if ants encounter thick organic matter as they begin their search and destroy missions, they will assume that they have run into a patch of forest--their least-favored environment. I got bags of shredded bagasa- the crushed stalks leftover from the sugar cane milling process and mulched the areas around the vulner-able plants many inches thick. This effectively imitates the litter and debris field of a complex forest floor. Mulch is good for the plant and soil anyway, even without discouraging the rampaging leafcutters. Mulch keeps the soil moist and eventually decomposes into compost. The earthworms and essential mycorrhizal root fungi benefit from this as well. To be sure, an ant can walk over the obstacles of coarse bagasa, but not as easily as they can on bare earth-- the usual style of growing practiced here. This is the key. If many ants do not walk over your mulch Maginot Line, then according to the ants’ simple rules, others don’t follow. There are no money-back guarantees with this, but at least you’ll be following Sun-Tzu’s proven methods of winning battles--deception. In all honesty, the odds are against our winning. The 50 million years of successful practice of the leafcutters does not bode well for futile human resistance. If you plant rows of delicious rose bushes in cleared soil in the tree fall gap you call your house lot, then you are announcing to the ants to come and get it. What about going one step beyond the deception tactic of thick mulch? Why not imitate the more complex, species-rich growth of a maturing forest and plant gardens and landscapes using the more pleasing aesthetic design principles of nature? Study a patch of for-est or wild area and try to imitate what nature has done. Do you see how nature mixes things up and allows plants to grow in, on, and around each other? You’ll have a garden with the regular irregular-ity of biodiversity with a hundred species, patterns of contrast and similarity, density, depth, complexity. In a word–– the natural beauty of the fractal geometry of nature.

I’ll have more on how you can discover and use nature’s geometry to design more beautiful landscapes in future columns.

Henry Walter Bates

The poetic impulse in campesino life is alchemy–– simple things turning into precious ones. This is the general magic of farming, but nixtamalization is an even more dramatic

example of the alchemist’s dream of the transmutation of base materials into gold.

Maize, the grain of the Americas, is magical enough. One grain planted as a seed returns 500 more like it when the ears mature. But something even more important happens when humble ashes

from the fireplace are mixed with water and cooked with the hard, dry maize kernels. A subtle, but hugely important chemical change takes place. The campesinos can-not describe the chemistry—only that they are following the most ancient of mystery formulas that really works. The chemical change called nixtamalization transmutes the niacin in maize and makes it

available as Vitamin B3; it improves the protein availability, and makes the maize flavor much richer.

Nixtamalization increases calcium and protein quality. This was important to the people of the Americas who did not have access to dairy products before the Columbian exchange. Nixtamaliza-tion also reduces phytic acid in the maize which, untreated, blocks absorption of zinc, calcium and other important minerals.

Without this chemical transformation, maize is not sufficiently nutritious to have nourished millions of people for thousands of years and enabled them to create cultures and civilizations of the highest sophistication and intricacy. Maize is eaten all year round, but doesn’t grow all year round. So the ears must be dried on the stalks by bending them over. The thick, protective husks keeps out most pests, even strong-beaked parrots. A few larvae get in, but the worse are the various fungal rots that can affect the ears of maize. The maize is stored in dry conditions, but the ubiquitous Aspergillus fungi commonly found in soil, decay-ing vegetation, hay, and grains can infect the ears. The fungus colonizes and contaminates the maize before harvest or during storage. Maize is not the only crop affected; aspergillus also infects rice, wheat, peanuts, soybeans, chili peppers, coriander, and coconut.

Aspergillus produces a particularly nasty aflatoxin called myco-toxin. Children, are especially affected by exposure that leads to stunted growth and delayed development. Chronic exposure can also lead to a high risk of developing liver cancer. Fortunately, nixtamalization reduces the mycotoxins on the dried maize by 90% or more.

The importance of nixtamalization cannot be overemphasized. Food historian Sophie Coe, commenting on the superiority of the transmuted grain, writes that “...it is tempting to see the rise of Mesoamerican civilization as a consequence of this invention, without which the peoples of Mexico and their southern neighbors, would have remained forever on the village level.” Nixtamalized

maize did not lead inevitably to highly stratified, theocratic states such as the Maya, Toltecs, and Aztecs. In Costa Rica, cultures remained at the chieftainship level without developing into nation states. Yet nixtamalized maize supplied the caloric and nutritional basis for such development if other factors prevailed.

Later, in the Columbian exchange of plants and animals from old world to new and vice versa, maize went to Africa, Europe and eventually Asia. The process of nixtamalization missed the boat with the devastating consequences of widespread malnourishment and vitamin deficiencies for those who adopted untransformed maize alone.

Once the swollen grains of maize are changed by the alkaline wood ashes, they must be ground into wet flour. In antiquity, the swollen grains were pulverized on a volcanic stone metate us-ing a stone grinding bar, or mano. Even today metates are still sometimes used, though most people use a small metal mill for home use. So important was this step of making the masa, which was the basis for many of the foods of the Middle Americans, that the metate itself was transformed from an indispensable kitchen implement – the food processor of its day—into the symbol of the transformation of higher things such as states of being and consciousness. Somehow, death and the transition to other realms was conflated with the metate’s transformative functions. Elaborate ceremonial metates show up as grave goods in the burials of importantly ranked caciques—the chieftains of Costa Rica. These decorated metates show jaguars, mon-keys, and other beasts of the rainforests in mute scenes from long-forgotten myth com-plexes.

Compared to the real alchemical magic of nixtamalization in which a pot full of hard maize grains soaking in water with a small handful of ashes added that looks, for all the world, like lumpy, dirty water, the grinding of the maize on a metate is but a footnote.

See corn recipe on next page.

The Alchemy of Middle American Food and Life Stephen Duplantier

PORK, CHILI, & NIXTAMALIZED MAIZE SOUP

(Recipe by Butch Vanek)

Ingredients: 1 lb lean pork loin, trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch cubes 1/ 4 teaspoon salt 4 cups water 2-4 dried ancho chilies (or your favorite dried chili) 4 garlic cloves 3/4 teaspoons dried oregano 1 large onion diced 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 cups hominy (or posole) drained (See below) 3 cups chicken broth Garnishes: Tortilla chips, avocado slices, lime slices.

In a large saucepan put water salt and pork. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and continue cooking until pork is tender in about 20 minutes. Remove pork from liquid to a bowl and cover bowl with damp cloth. Using the same liquid, add the chilies. Remove from heat letting the peppers soak about 20 minutes. Transfer the chilies and liquid to a food processor or blender. Add garlic and oregano and process until smooth. In the same saucepan add oil and sauté the onions stirring until lightly browned-- about 10 minutes Stir in the hominy and the pureed peppers. Add chicken broth. Stir in the pork and bring soup to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until the pork cubes are tender in about 30 minutes. Serve garnishes on the side.

How to nixtamalize your maize Pick over two cups dried whole maize to remove spoiled grains and foreign objects. Add enough water to cover the grains. If you are a purist, add two spoonfuls of strained wood ashes to the pot. Otherwise use one heaping tablespoon of cal (calcium oxide powder––ask for it in the central market of your town). Strain the cal to remove hard lumps. Simmer on a low fire for two hours or until tender. Discard liquid, rinse very well, remove any loosened husks by rubbing handfuls together under cold water. Note: You could buy a can of cooked hominy. but it’s better to make our own. You will be participating in an ancient woman’s household practice that had the power to transform civilizations.

hybrids feed cattle as well as people so bulked-up ears are desirable, but they don’t taste the same. Don Isidoro grows his maize to feed himself and his wife Etilma. They prefer the taste of the old maicena variety.

Isidoro does not use the fossil-fuel based fertilizers that most farmers buy at the agricultural supply stores in town. Instead, he goes to Bajo Zuñiga, a few kilometers away, to buy sacks of organic compost from his friend Francisco Cruz. Don Francisco is that rare Costa Rican farmer—a campesino who follows the biodynamic gardening prin-ciples of Rudolf Steiner! Cruz uses organic compost, and he mulches his garden and plants by lunar and meteorological cycles, in addition to other cryptic Steinerian lore. Many other farmers in the country know the rules of thumb for planting by the phases of the moon as if following an orally-transmitted Costa Rican Farmer’s Almanac. But Francisco Cruz has the backing and explanations of the esoteric prac-tices of the 19th century German polymath Steiner to back him up.

(from page 7

Choosing a retirement location in Costa Rica has many variables for you to consider. You must evaluate what is important for you to be comfortable such as climate,

access to airports, shopping, services, and, perhaps most important, medical services. It seems that access to medical services is paramount for retirees.

Atenas, known for its wonderful climate and tranquil atmo-sphere, has become a retirement haven for many foreigners. Located about halfway between San José and the central Pacific beaches, Atenas is convenient to both city services and top tourist locations, while offering cool mountain breezes and a friendly social climate.

Besides offering foreign retirees a plethora of stores and res-taurants, Atenas also provides for basic medical services in-cluding a new public clinic (CAJA), a private clinic, Red Cross ambulance service, testing laboratories, OBGYNs, dentists, chiropractors, alternative medicine clinics, optometrists, and numerous pharmacies. Many of these establishments have English-speaking professionals.

The public clinic is a clean new building that is well-equipped to handle emergencies and minor ailments. They will ser-

vice foreigners for a nominal fee, but one can expect longer lines here. The Red Cross ambulance service is free (as they operate from donations), however they only transport to CAJA hospitals.

The most popular clinic among foreigners is Linea Vital (www.LineaVitalCR.com), which is a private clinic and ambulance service. Dr. Candy Midence Noguera and chief paramedic Jorge Morera Sanchez operate the clinic. They are both fluent in English and Spanish. Their services include emer-gency treatment, non-emergency medical transport, home visits, office visits, consultations, physicals, and hospice care. Their fees are $50 for an office visit and $70 for a home visit. Linea Vital also offers membership programs that cover their full range of services.

The local dentists, chiropractors and other specialists in Atenas have the modern equipment and techniques that foreigners from North America or Europe are accustomed to. However, they are far less expensive than their counter-parts in the “developed” world. You will be surprised by how warmly you will be treated, and how much time each of these professionals will spend with you. You will definitely not get the impression that you are a number to them.

Retirees will find that the pharmacies are convenient and helpful, and have just about every medication and pre-scription imaginable. In addition, they each have a doctor on–site to administer shots and issue good advice regarding prescriptions.

Atenas is also blessed to be located just 45 minutes to the Escazú–San José area, which is home to many private medi-cal services. Costa Rica is fast becoming an off-shore medi-cal paradise for foreigners who suffer from the high costs of services in their native countries (especially Americans). The industry began with inexpensive plastic surgery, followed by advanced dentistry, and has now blossomed to cover nearly every modern medical procedure.

CIMA Hospital (www.hospitalcima.com), which is ranked the best private hospital in Central America, is very convenient from Atenas. Furthermore, Atenas has two entrances to the new Caldera Highway (expected completion 2010) which will dramatically reduce the driving time to CIMA. CIMA, affiliated with Baylor University Hospital, can handle any major medical procedure and has a variety of specialists from every field. Nearly all doctors at CIMA speak some English, if not fluently. Indeed, many have been trained at U.S. institutions. If you are seeking a quiet retirement town in Costa Rica that provides convenience to top-quality medical care, you will discover Atenas has it all.

Health Services in Atenas

Saprissa’s El Monstruo presides over the tomb of La Liga, at Bar Villa Costa in Villarreal de Santa Cruz, Guanacaste

Adios, Liga

Jeff Hickcox

Just before or after the tollbooths near Grecia on the Intera-mericana (depending on which direction you are headed) you can follow the signs and take the turnoff to Vista del Valle

in Rosario de Naranjo. You’ll shortly be at the gates of Vista del Valle--the green emerald of the Occidente.

The location, the landscaping, and the ambience of this resort is extraordinary but it is also the people who live and work there who make it different.

One of the key people of the wonderful group of Costa Ricans working at Vista del Valle is Maria Elisa Nuñez Quesada. Elisa is the Manager of Vista del Valle. She has been with the resort for 11 years, watching it grow into its present incarnation as a resort that wants to change the world. Elisa has helped own-ers Michael and Johanna Bresnan shape Vista into a movement, really. It’s not just the organic gardening, and advanced hydro-ponic demonstration project, but also the outreach to the local community that has involved them from the beginning in the operation of the hotel.

Elisa is a local. She lives in Rosario de Naranjo with her family who has been there since her grand-parents moved from Naranjo.

She enjoys horseback riding on the fine horses in the Vista del Valle stables. Reading is another passion of hers, but her all-time favorite pastime is dancing. She can move through all the hot Latin rhythms that get people tapping their feet. Her cumbia is a work of art.

Of all the unbelievably varied and exotic flowers in Vista del Valle’s lushly landscaped grounds, she loves gladiolas the best for the sheer beauty of the flower. Elisa sings in her parish church choir, so you know that music is a large part of her life. She goes to Friday night choir practice and sings her heart out at Sunday services.

Elisa will greet you at the front desk and she always has a smile, a soft, sweet voice, and a knowing word to help you and make your time in Costa Rica a joy.

Meet the NeighborsElisa Nuñez Q. Nuñez

Why I Chose Costa RicaBy Christopher Howard M.A.

About 36 years ago, I spent a year as an exchange student in Puebla, Mexico. It proved to be the best experience I ever had and the turning point of my life. I truly became

enamored with the Latin culture and decided I really wanted to live in a Spanish-speaking country.

I was barely 20 years old and still had to finish my last year of undergraduate work at UCLA. Nevertheless, I did not give up on my dream. After graduating, I obtained a teaching credential so I would have three months of vacation each year to explore Mexico and the rest of Latin America.

My journey began with Guatemala. Subsequently, every country I visited in Central and South America had something to offer. But as a whole, Costa Rica was by far the leader of the pack. Brazil had Rio and its vibrant culture. Argentina had cosmo-politan Buenos Aires, Mendoza, the Pampas, Patagonia and Bariloche. Chile had its Switzerland-like lake region in the south and Santiago in the center of the country set against the back-drop of the Andes. Peru had Lake Titicaca, pre-colonial Cuzco and Machu Picchu with their rich Incan culture. Ecuador had the Galapagos Islands and colonial Quito. But none of these countries, including beautiful Mexico to the north, came close to Costa Rica. So, after extensive research and travel I decided the country where I really wanted to live was Costa Rica.

I began to return to Costa Rica every chance I had. My first trip was for two weeks. My next visit was for a month. Each time I found a way to protract my stay. I was living in the San Francisco Bay area, but found myself spending most of my time thinking about Costa Rica. I really felt more at home here than in the United States. Consequently, I decided to follow my heart and move to Costa Rica to pursue my dream. I did not want to wait until I was 65 years old and retired before I made the move.

All of my friends and relatives said I was crazy to give up a secure teaching position and move abroad. They just couldn’t understand why I would leave the comforts of the good old U.S.A to move to a third world country. Some even asked me if there was a revolution going on in Costa Rica. Obviously they were confusing Costa Rica with Nicaragua and El Salvador of the 1980s.

Needless to say, I made my move, and twenty-eight years later I have never looked back. I love this country, the culture, and the people. My adopted country has been very good to me and I have found success and happiness here.

¡Pura vida!

Christopher Howard is the author/publisher of the bestselling The New Golden Door to Retirement and Living in Costa Rica, and The Guide to Costa Rican Spanish. Mr. Howard conducts retirement and relocation tours. For more information go to www.liveincostarica.com, or call toll-free 800-365-2342. Send him an email: liveincostarica@cox.net

The mango tree (mangifera indica) is an unexpected source of a hardwood that can be made into beautiful furniture, but almost no one in Costa Rica seems to know this. Sometimes it takes a fresh

pair of expat eyes to find a new solution to an old problem. Susan James, of Sarchí, is an expert in mango wood. She had previously been an importer of mango wood furni-ture to the United States. Susan was surprised to learn that furniture mak-ers in Costa Rica were not incorpo-rating mango wood in their furniture creations.

Mango is a hard, beautiful wood, and in other parts of the world it has been a renewable resource for fur-niture and other uses for decades. In Indonesia and other tropical Asian countries where the tree originated, plantations of mango grown for the fruit have been used for the timber once the mango tree stops producing its fruit.

Costa Rica has suffered serious deforestation since the early 20th century. We hear so much about sustainability today, but how much consideration is being given to finding new ideas to help sustain our wood resources? Susan’s hope is that Costa Rica will realize the value of this sustainable resource and start using it. “The mango orchards are already here,” she said.

To show people how it can be crafted in highly-desirable furniture, Susan has opened her own company--Turi Imports. The company has imported its first shipment of mango wood furniture to Costa Rica to help educate

the industry and develop a demand among the people. This inventory of quality, handcrafted furniture in-cludes dining tables, coffee tables, sideboards, wine rack, cabinet with glass doors, lamp tables and other select pieces. Finely crafted mango wood is an eco-friendly furniture option when looking to furnish a home, condo or hotel. The inventory is available for viewing by appointment and special showings.

Contact Susan James at turiimports123@gmail.com or at 8308-7732 View Turi Import’s website and catalogue at www.mango-wood-furniture.com

Mango wood furniture offersa sustainable alternative

Joe Richard

GreciaBro Restaurant/Bar continues to host live music on Friday and Saturday evenings. Call for information as to who is performing.

Jam session at Diego’s Red Door recent Thursday evenings, orchestrated by Craig Z. in the absence of his partner in “Two Can Jam”. What a success it was! Now Jamie is back from the States and “Two Can Jam” will be back playing at Diego’s Red Door on Thursday evenings 7-9 pm.

Keep posted for the next session as Craig looks for another venue. If you have any ideas of a restaurant/bar where seasoned musicians can get together to jam and entertain give Jeffeny a call at #8881-6084.

Electa Café is the latest and greatest for a good cappuccino and breakfast. Because of rising costs at other cafaés there has been a mass exodus to the Electa. Tel: #2494-5529.

Another good café to check out is La Pearla. There is always a great cup of coffee and terrific coffee cake waiting for you. Down the street from Perimercado going west, across the street from Gallo Appliances.

Beraca Café is yet another choice for gourmet desserts, which are for the most part from Yency’s Sweet Delights, and great coffee. The café is tastefully done and comfortable and the food always delicious! Tel: #2494-3295.

Dr. Rodriguez holds a Free Animal Clinic for dogs and cats on the last Wednesday of each month to get your dog or cat neutered or spayed.

Cine Fabrica is the movie theater in Grecia, but they were only able to provide a weekly list so call for information: 8815-8599.

NaranjoFor a Great Weekend of MUSIC go to Vista Del Valle. Beginning on Saturday May 9 “TWO CAN JAM” will be playing from 12 to 2 p.m. Sunday brings an entirely different kind of music as “The JOE ANELLO QUARTET” entertains from 12 to 2 p.m. at the JazzzzLunch! Call: #2450-0800.

AtenasA lot has been happening in Atenas. There is a new German restaurant, Haedel’s right across from the Park. The owners are Siegfried and Chris-tina. The food is authentic and delicious prepared by Siggi. Being a coffee junkie of course I try the cappuccino first and it was served with a dollop of real whipped cream, the best I’ve had, and the Strudel is to die for darling. I am sure that our “Dining Out” columnist – Joe Richard - will dine there soon and you will get all the details. Until then please call at the restaurant for more information: 2446-0810.

Malpais performed recently at the monthly Concert in the Park on Sundays. The music of Malpais is original and composed by brothers Fidel and Jaime Gamboa. In combination with stellar musician Manuel Obregon on the keyboard, this group is tight and very professional. For more information and a concert agenda: www.grupomalpais.com. Concerts in the Park continue on the Second Sunday of the month at 7 p.m.

Kudos to Kay and Tom at Kay’s Gringo Postres. Half of a case of the Mountain Howler magazines were dropped off for distribution and when I went back there was not one left! Kay and Tom are usually in the thick of things and always part of a fundraising event or some activity that provides support to those in need. If you are in Atenas be sure and stop by for the

Around TownJeffeny Metz

latest in the news, good food and always a good cup of coffee! For direc-tions and info: #2446-0664.

Poker Club is starting up in Atenas! “Texas Hold ‘em” being the favorite pick! The stakes are NL so if you are itching for a good game contact John Gonzales, tele: 8917-3224.

SarchiGood Times Bar and Restaurant hosts live music and has a huge dance floor! For more info: #2454-2992.

Mangia Pizzeria is a new Italian Restaurant in Sarchi owned and operated by two brothers, Victor and Jorge. Jorge learned to make pizza in an Italian restaurant in Manhattan... Oh Mama Mia!!! They have express delivery or dine in. Located on the road to Viejillos in Rincon de Alpizar in Sarchi Sur. For more information call: 2454-1581. Buon appetito!

PalmaresFrom all the feedback the new Mar y Mar Restaurant is a winner! Seafood is the main cuisine, and from all reports it is outstanding and the prices very reasonable. Located in the building where the NavCafe used to be. Tel: 2452-1700.

San Ramón Demonstrations are now available through an internationally known watercolor artist, Jan Hart, author of the book “The Watercolor Artist’s Guide to Exceptional Color”. Jan is offering a week-long watercolor class in San Ramón in May. For all information contact jan@janhart.com or 2770-1857.

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Visit Jeanne’s site at CelestialAdvisor.com

Aries: 21 March - 20 AprilThis is a good month to initiate new plans of action—particularly in partnership with someone else. Your ruling planet, Mars, is in Aries all month with Venus lagging slightly behind. What this means is that you lead the way. You will inappropriately interfere with your long term goals if you ignore that paradigm shift. Aries is independent loner energy but that won’t work in the old ways as well now—include others in the plan. Best days are 20th and 21st.Taurus: 21 April - 21 MayWith the Sun now in your sign you see the light at the end of the tunnel and feel better about the future. The energy picks up speed with your ruling planet, Venus, now in direct motion and in Aries. Look around and see who’s on the same page as you and seek to combine forces to conquer the task at hand. Jupiter and Neptune in your tenth house of profession give you the faith to move forward and accomplish your goals. Best time to set plans in motion are the 22nd and 23rd.Gemini: 22 May - 21 JuneYour ruling planet, Mercury, will be doing its retrograde dance this month beginning on the 6th moving back into Taurus before going direct on the 31st. Taking a step back to review the events of the last two months will give you the proper perspective for the changes you need to make in June. As usual, don’t sign/don’t buy is the dictum for a Mercury retrogression. You have the sup-port of Mars and Venus in your house of gains from profession so lock them in early in the month. The new moon on the 24th and the 25th are days to network for new business.Cancer: 22 June - 22 JulyWhile the Sun in Taurus is a cozy match for your own nurturing feminine vibe, some of the other energies happening now are just not too comfortable for you as your personal security is not as certain as you’d like it to be. Do your best to be calm amidst all the changes in your professional life as what you are moving away from is a positive. The 26th and 27th are best utilized by taking some time off and getting away near a body of water.Leo: 23 July - 23 AugustThere are still many challenges you are working through this month and you should experience some breakthrough in finances after the 17th when Saturn goes direct. The stalemated situation shifts and you know where you stand. If something ends, so be it....move on. There is support for you coming from foreign-ers, someplace distant or those involved with higher education. The 1st, 2nd, 28th and 29th are days to make your case for a new position.Virgo: 24 August - 22 SeptemberYour ruling planet, Mercury, goes retrograde on the 6th through the 31st giving you a break in the action—a time to step back and review your options for the future. Don’t let others pressure you to proceed too quickly now. Using your energy with caution is the best course of action—besides, you are really tired. Waiting until June to begin anything new would be advised now. You can make progress with improving your health this month. Best days for rejuvenation are the 3rd, 4th, 30th and 31st.

Libra: 23 September - 23 OctoberWhile you don’t like confrontation (no Libra does), particularly about relationships, this month is not the time to shy away from discussing problems with your mate. The situation has been deteriorating rapidly during the recent Venus retrograde and now that your ruling planet is direct you have to face the music. This could get a little heated as Mars is traveling close to Venus and can bring some fire to the mix as hurt and anger surfaces. The 5th and 6th are your best days for centering.Scorpio: 24 October - 22 NovemberThis month has a primarily dual cosmic vibe for you of creative hard work with some conflict inherent in working out problems and a deep appreciation for your home. It might also be time to do a little fix-up in the home to make it even more suited to your needs. It’s OK to do some of the planning now but don’t start until June when Mercury is direct in Taurus. Cooperation and compromise will work much better now than competition. The 7th and the full moon on the 8th are your stellar days.Sagittarius: 23 November - 21 DecemberYou will have some pleasant and exciting support from the Mars/Venus conjunction in fellow fire sign Aries. This charismatic pair activates your fifth house of fun, pleasure, romance, creativity...in other words you get to have some of the good stuff of life. Take advantage of it at the beginning of the month as the last part may bring some work and responsibility to your professional life. Some minor health problem may arise but, like I said, it’s minor. Let the 10th and 11th offer you some fun adventureCapricorn: 22 December - 21 January Your ruling planet, Saturn, goes direct in Virgo, a fellow earth sign on the 17th. This energy will free you up from a stagnating condition if you use the energy to move forward. There is the support of Jupiter in your second house of income along with Neptune and this combination creates a condition that fosters great faith in the future by believing in your worth and your ability to manifest your desires. The 12th and 13th are your most productive and centered days.Aquarius: 22 January - 19 FebruaryThe cosmic vibe you will primarily experience this month is the Jupiter/Neptune/Chiron conjunction in your sign indicating a spiritual understanding is unfolding for you. Take the opportunity to quiet your mind and go within to identify and source what’s holding you back. You can receive quantum insights about your own nature as well as the larger nature of the universe. Don’t underestimate the power this can deliver to your life and those close to you. The 15th and 16th are your most receptive daysPisces: 20 February - 20 MarchThis month’s vibe could be described as mystical and inspired as you have the Jupiter/Neptune/Chiron conjunction happening in your twelfth house of dreams, seclusion and the unconscious. This is a time of going within to uncover and heal your hidden fears. Don’t avoid the journey by escaping into some additive behavior. Face it and move forward. The Mercury retrograde may slow the process down but that may be the best way for you to assimilate the lessons. Your best days are the 17th and 18th.

a few weeks new shoots grow from buds on the joints of the setts and break through the surface of the soil. It takes 12,500 - 20,000 setts to plant one hectare.

Sugar cane grows best in warm, sunny, frost-free weather. It needs fertile, well-drained soil and approximately 1,500 milli-meters of water each year from rain or irrigation. Sugar is made in the leaves of the plant by photosynthesis and is stored as a sweet juice in its fibrous stalks. Sugar cane usually produces crops for about 3-6 years before being replanted. The first crop is called the “plant crop” and takes about a year to mature in El Occidente. Cane cutting with machetes is still done here, although mechanical harvesters can be found in some loca-tions. The cane is cut close to the ground because the lower stem has the highest sugar content and it aids in ratooning, the emergence of new crops from the stems. Ratoon crops take about a year to mature. After four or more ratoon crops replant-ing is necessary, mostly due to the slow decline in yields.

Burning of sugar cane fields before cutting is still a common practice here despite being illegal. The fields are burnt to remove leaves, weeds and other matter which can make har-vesting and milling operations difficult. There is also a shortage of cane cutters to harvest the fields. However, burning results in sugar cane stalks with less weight. Growers are paid by the weight of their cane, so they make less by delivering burnt cane stalks. It’s also a heavy burden on the CCSS socialized medical system, due to the large numbers of people entering emergency rooms with respiratory problems from the smoke.

When the fields are burned and the soil is exposed to constant and heavy downpours in tropical climates, erosion becomes a problem. CoopeVictoria promotes farming practices that reduce soil erosion. One such practice is called green cane harvesting. This involves harvesting the cane green without burning the leaf trash and spreading the trash cuttings over the harvested field. These cuttings act as a protective blanket for the soil, preventing soil erosion, naturally assisting in weed control, improving soil structure and conserving moisture in the soil.

The cane is brought to the refineries in large truck trailers hold-ing up to 12 large bundles of cane, or via smaller tractor-pulled trailers (chapulines). The trucks and tractors drive onto large scales when they arrive full and again when empty to calculate the weight of the cane. A sample of the cane is also taken by a tractor with a core driller to take samples to check for quality. The harvested cane is then loaded into massive shredders by cranes and special lifters to be crushed by trapiche crushers with rollers to retrieve the juice which contains 10-20% sucrose. The pH is raised with lime and the mixture is heated to around 100 degrees C for several hours. The lime causes suspended materials, proteins, waxes and fats to precipitate. Further impu-rities are allowed to settle in large containers and are removed from the bottom. This residue is known as filter cake or filter

mud. The juice is again heated in a series of evaporators to form crystals which are then separated from the molasses in centrifuges. About one ton of raw sugar can be extracted from eight to nine tons of cane. This raw brown sugar can then be further refined to produce white sugar.

Besides brown and white sugar, sugar cane has many other byproducts. Molasses is one. It’s residual syrup from which no more crystalline sucrose can be obtained by simple techniques. Approximately 2.7% of a ton of cane can be extracted as molas-ses. It’s used as cattle feed because of its high carbohydrate contents. It is also distilled and fermented to produce the alcoholic distillates of guaro* or rum. Ethyl alcohol (ethanol) is another alcohol produced from molasses, which in itself has many uses such as gasoline extender for cars, for vinegar, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, cleaning preparations, sol-vents, and coatings. Other products produced from molasses are butanol (a solvent), lactic acid (a solvent), citric acid (mostly for foods and beverages), glycerol and yeast. A recyclable by-product of sugar production is bagasse, the fibrous residue left after the juices are extracted from the cane. It’s the main source of fuel in sugar factories and can also be used in mak-ing paper, cardboard, fiber board, and wall board.

Since the middle 1800’s, sugar cane has enriched El Occi-dente’s residents and will continue to sweeten their lives and ours (not to mention our coffee and repostería) for generations to come.

*Guaro is a generic term for rum. Rum is different from guaro in that it is aged in whiskey barrels for at least a year. In Costa Rica, Guaro liquor is produced by a government-owned distill-ery conglomerate called FANFAL (Fábrica Nacional de Licores). In that conglomerate, there is a subsidiary called Cacique which produces inexpensive 60, 70 and 80 proof labels. Guaro is clear in color and has a slightly sweet flavor. If guaro wasn’t watered down so much, it could be called, according to world standards, a sugarcane vodka.

The Sweetest Road...(from page 14)

Some individuals are blessed with good genes and no matter how many unhealthy lifestyle habits they might have, they will probably live into old age. But for most people, exercise is one of the keys to protect the quality of life. And the good thing is that it’s not ever too late to start. A program of exercise and energetic physical activity is as important as all your other official and unofficial expat activities. What’s the point of moving here, going through all the readjustments, and build-ing a new life, only to watch your body and health decline?

Muscle mass decreases as we age. Beginning in the fourth decade of life, adults lose 3% - 5% of muscle mass per decade, and the decline increases to 1% - 2% per year after age 50. Muscle keeps us strong, it burns calories and helps us maintain our weight, and it contributes to balance and bone strength. Without it, we can lose our independence and our mobility. Among older people, osteoporosis is a common disorder. It is characterized by fragile bones due to reduced bone density. The fragile bones tend to fracture. But bone density can be increased in older women by physical activity such as tennis or aerobic dance. Muscle mass can increase at any age in response to exercise. There are important studies that demonstrate at any age, even 80+, people can increase their thigh mass, speed and strength by weight lift-ing. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends a five-to-ten minute warm-up and then 30 to 45 minutes of continuous aerobic activity three to five times a week, with a stretch and cool-down period in the last five-to-ten minutes. The ACSM also recommends weight training targeting the body’s major muscle groups. The U.S. Surgeon-General recommends accumulating 30 minutes of moderate intensity activity on most, if not all, days of the week. You can do it in two bouts of 15 minutes, three bouts of 10 minutes, or one bout of 30 minutes. This recommendation emphasizes incorporating activity into your daily life–activities like walking instead of taking the bus, taking stairs instead of the elevator, or washing your car by hand. Visit Adrenalina by MultiSpa for the best advice to achieve your exercise and health objectives! Call 2-495-6030.

Senior Exerciseby Carla Rigioni

Adrenalina by MultiSpa Gym, Grecia

Story & photos:Gloria Fetherston

If you are tired of those bus trips and crowded frontier crossings to Nica-ragua and Panama to renew your visa, you should consider San Andrés and Providencia Islands—two Columbian jewels in the Caribbean Sea

even smaller than Costa Rica.

At the Grecia Travel Agency in downtown Grecia, I found a brochure for the Decamaron All-Inclusive Hotels and Resorts. It announced trips to San Andrés and Providencia Islands and other exotic ports of call. A Costa Rican

friend, Lucila, had previously enjoyed visits to the San An-drés Island and had highly recommended it. Interestingly, San Andrés is actually a lot closer to the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua and Costa Rica than to Colombia. I was certainly intrigued with a package deal that offered four days and three nights, double occupancy, and only cost about $460 per

person, including airfares, taxes, a shuttle to a Decamaron Hotel, food and entertainment, plus free use of the facilities and free meals at any of the other six Decamaron Hotels on the island. Such a deal!

The charter flight on Taca Airlines carried 100 people and left mid-morning from Juan Santamaria airport. Most of our fellow passengers were Costa Rica families on vacation, although I did hear a few Gringo twangs. The smooth flight got us there in no time.

A Decamaron greeter phoned for the shuttle to take us to Hotel Marazul—the hotel that Margarita at Grecia Travel agency had touted as the best of the island’s Decamaron Hotels. Fifteen minutes later, dancers undulating to the hot/cool rhythms of Colombian Cumbia music greeted us on the front steps with a fruit cocktail to refresh us. Nice start! Yellow bracelets clipped around our right wrists were our passports in the hotel, and we were guided back down the steps to our lodgings.

The location was to die for –– a luxurious foyer overlooking meandering pathways of exotic tropical flowers and plants lined with white chalets. Our spacious air-conditioned studio featured two king-size beds, plenty of cupboards, cable TV, phone and a refrigerator. We marveled at the lavish swimming pool and its backdrop of creamy ocean sands caressed by the soft aquamarine waves. What a setup for some serious relaxing!

We were hungry travelers and it was now 1:30. We ambled to the Terraza, their buffet restaurant, but it had just closed since it was 2:30! It was an hour later in paradise and we forgot to reset out watches. Not to worry. A snack bar was open serving free hamburgers, hot dogs and soft drinks.

I told my friend Arlene I was going to buy us a margarita to celebrate! We walked to a circular cocktail bar on a white pier beckoning invitingly. When I tried to pay the waiter he pointed to my bracelet and said: “Señora, all the drinks are free.” And that included liquor, beer, cocktails, even wine! Arlene and I had a couple of extra margaritas and knew that we’d be back to try other cocktails, after wine with dinner, of course.

I checked the sports activity center on the beach. It was open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. We could choose from aerobics and dance classes, paddle boats, windsurfing, and kayaks – all free to use as we wished.

The evening buffet tempted us with delicious choices of soups, a copious salad bar, and main courses garnished in topical finery, beautiful presenta-tions of luscious papaya, pineapple and mango slices framing dishes such as tilapia in a creamy sauce, roasted chicken, meats in elegant gravies, and desserts such as crème caramel and chocolate.

The English-speaking Colombian waiters hovered close by, solicitously refilling our wine glasses and coffee cups in a flash. The cocktail bar beckoned for post-prandial libations, and to cap the evening the superb dance group on the open stage on the beach performed the most energetic non-stop professional choreography I’ve ever seen. Not a bad day, and still just the beginning of the trip.

Friday we traveled around the island by bus. It didn’t take long for a complete tour since the island is only 15 by 5 miles. Anywhere you want to go, you are there in a flash. We stopped at three of the other Decamaron Hotels, breakfasting at the San Luis, a swim and lunch at El Isleño and afternoon cocktails at the Maryland. But our trip advisor Margarita at the travel agency was right on–– the Marazul Hotel was the best we’d seen. On our bus trip to the Maryland Hotel at the other end of the island, we were surprised to pass through a sophisticated, well-paved town with chic, duty-free shops. Obviously we were going to need more days on this green spot in the azure sea.

You don’t need to change your money into Colombian pesos during your stay. You just take several one-dollar bills and use them as tips and even on the buses. There are roughly 2,300 Columbian pesos to the dollar if you do change some money. Change your money at a bank. The front desk will only give you the low rate of 1,800 pesos to the dollar. Sample prices: it costs 1,250 pesos per ride on the bus, and 5,000 pesos for a taxi (remember to reverse your Costa Rican calculations).

We dined that night at the Marazul in the a-la-carte restaurant “The Caravelle” ––elegant and hushed with wonderful service and wine. You must make a reservation in the morning between 7 a.m. and 2 p.m. for any restaurant, including the other hotels.

Saturday we stayed put at the Marazul and relaxed, eating a leisurely buf-fet breakfast where they will make you any kind of omelet. We could see other palm tree-fringed islands in the distance and guests boarding boats to visit them. Our evening candlelight dinner at the El Rodeo Steak House, the second a-la-carte restaurant, provided another good dining experience. For this meal I ordered a steak grilled rare just as I like it. We ended the meal with a visual and musical dessert of more high-energy entertainment on the beach, and a visit to an after-hours disco up a stairway in the lobby. After that we were ready to call it a night.

Sunday morning had come too quickly. Another smooth flight, with the one-hour time difference, got us back to Costa Rica ten minutes before we left San Andrés. Time travel at its best! I heartily recommend that you try San Andrés for the greatest 72-hours out of the country.

Pick up a brochure, and book your trip at a travel agency, or contact Margarita at affordable-tours.com. Telephone number 800-340-8612, for more infor-mation.)

San Andrés Island

If you are looking for a higher-end guitar, another thing to consider is this: does the guitar you are considering really appeal to you? Is it really the guitar you want to bring home

with you, and will you be happy with it? If you start making too many compromises, than that should be a pretty good indicator that you are about to make a mistake! You shouldn’t have to make a lot of compromises on the instrument itself. You may very well have to make a number of compromises in your fi-nances (i.e. convincing your spouse), but you should never do that with the guitar. At least not when you’re looking at buying a higher-end guitar.

I recommend that you make two lists. 1: list all of the things you’ve ever liked about the best guitars you’ve ever played, and 2: a list of all of the things you’ve ever disliked about the worst guitars you’ve ever played! Then think about what color, size, shape, brand, and so forth that you really would love to have as your guitar. Then go back over this list and condense it to a simple list of features, and voila-- you’ll have a well-thought-out, well-articulated definition of what it is you want in your next guitar This will makes the searching process a much easier if you actu-ally know what it is you are looking for. It is also a healthy thing to bounce your ideas off fellow musicians their advise, prefer-ences, likes and dislikes of what you’ve come up with. But you shouldn’t take their word as a rule, and importantly, don’t take it personally if they dislike some of your preferences. We all have different tastes so, eat the fish, and spit out the bones!

Then do some research about what it is you would like to acquire. Search online to see if there is any standard models that have most of what you are looking for. If there are, then read some online reviews about them (but with a grain of salt!), and balance your options. Also, if there really isn’t a standard model, then don’t overlook the possibility of trying a smaller guitar shop or lesser-known luthier, since they can provide a great chance to experiment with your ideas before ordering your custom dream guitar from any of the bigger, well-known shops or factories! Going to a lesser known-luthier still may not be cheap, but they are usually very good quality, and by doing this you help support someone’s dream of doing what it is that they love, building cus-tom guitars! Besides, you might just end up with the real guitar of your dreams in the process!

Take care, Buddy - The Guitar Guy

Buddy Tetreault is a Master Fingerstyle Guitarist, Recording and Performing Artist, Guitar Technician, Consultant, and Teacher. For more information about Buddy’s services visit: www.Buddy-Guitar.com, call: 8353-2116, or email: info@BuddyGuitar.comFor any questions, or subjects you would like me to write about, please send them to: theguitarguy@BuddyGuitar.com.Thank you!

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