Tico Times Feb. 9, 2007 - appraisal-educ

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Friday, February 9, 2007 – San José, Costa Rica
Since 1956
NEWS
LOOK BOTH WAYS
New Mayors Begin
Tackling Priorities
Photo by Mónica Quesada
Some of the 81 municipal leaders who took office
this week discussed their goals and priorities with
The Tico Times.
Page 8
First Charges Filed in
Alcatel Corruption Case
A former Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE)
board member has been charged with taking bribes
from the multinational telecom firm Alcatel.
Page 4
BUSINESS
Legal Action Stalls
Assembly’s CAFTA Debate
Legislative deliberations on the controversial U.S.
free-trade agreement have been delayed by a lawsuit filed by the opposition parties.
Page 12
WEEKEND
Costa Rica’s nearly 1 million students headed back to school Wednesday, and Transport Minister Karla
González, above with 6th grade student Luis Marín of the Rincón Grande School in the western San José suburb of Pavas, turned out to tout the government’s new efforts to make sure they got there safely. The ministry
plans to distribute 4,000 vests for crossing guards and 11,000 reflective stickers for students’ backpacks this year
in hopes of reducing the number of traffic accidents involving minors.
Love is on the Air
With Dave and Margie
DJs Dave “the Dude” Scott and Margie Flaum,
recently married, are teaming up in the studio
with a morning show to debut Valentine’s Day.
Page W1
Fires Prompt Safety Overhaul
By Leland Baxter-Neal
Tico Times Staff
In the wake of
two fatal chemical
fires in late 2006,
the government has
been scrambling to
get a handle on chemical and fuel safety in Costa Rica.
But as officials work
to prepare new regulations and legislation, it
appears that the problem of hazardous waste
disposal will remain unresolved for the time
being.
Because Costa Rica’s government has no
safe containment site for chemical waste, the
disposal of such substances is often left to the
discretion of the companies involved. Lax supervision means waste leaks into Costa Rica’s
environment, and a lack of options has meant
that when the government is forced to deal
with hazardous materials after spills or other
emergencies, it has resorted to sending them to
landfills. Officials, however, say the Health
Ministry is now shying away from this practice.
Costa Rica’s most recent and possibly
Japan’s Gifts Raise Eyebrows
By Dave Sherwood
Tico Times Staff
Toshihisa Miyamoto bowed ever
so slightly from the
hip as he greeted
Virgita Vargas, the
principal of La California Elementary
School, in the shadow of Juan Santamaría International Airport in Alajuela,
west of San José.
On the wall beside him, an engraved
plaque detailed the generous donation of the
Japanese Embassy to the school: new classrooms, a refrigerator for the kitchen, a fresh
coat of paint for the walls, new roofs and
ceramic tile floors to hold down dust in the
dry months.
“The children are so excited. Now there
are enough rooms for all the students to
attend school at once, and everything is so
much cleaner. We have a new sense of pride
in our school,” Vargas said.
Miyamoto, undersecretary of economy
Page 3
worst-ever chemical disaster erupted Dec. 13,
2006, when an explosion at a chemical storage
plant outside the Caribbean port of Moín
quickly became a raging fire with flames billowing stories high. A massive black cloud of
toxic smoke was visible for miles around and
across the country on special live news coverage. Two workers died from burns sustained
during the inferno (TT, Dec. 15, 2006).
Several weeks earlier, on Oct. 29, two siblings ages 5 and 13 burned to death in the
backseat of their mother’s car after a gas spill
at the Shell station where they were filling up
Page 11
Onlookers Scarce
At Villalobos Trial
By Leland Baxter-Neal
Tico Times Staff
The anticipated trial of financier
Osvaldo Villalobos got under way this week
with thousands of affected investors not
showing up.
Of an estimated 6,000-plus people,
mostly North Americans, Europeans and
wealthy Costa Ricans, who say they lost between thousands and millions of dollars in the
Page 2
THE NICA TIMES
Tourism Director
Envisions Future
Nicaragua’s new director of
tourism discuses his vision
for the future in an exclusive interview with The
Nica Times.
EVERY WEEK
Editorial 16
Letters 17
Cartoon 17
Classifieds 18
Weekend
Horoscope W4
Exploring CR W8
Fishing Report W12
Movies W13
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Business & Real
Estate 12
Crossword 23
Weather 23
48 PAGES
2 | NEWS | THE TICO TIMES
–
February 9, 2007
Defense Promises to Return Funds
Trade Minister Announces
Negotiators for E.U. Pact
Page 1
Foreign Trade Minister Marco Vinicio
Ruiz announced Wednesday that a team of
three Costa Ricans, two of whom helped
negotiate a controversial trade pact with the
United States in 2003, has been chosen to
represent the country in negotiations for a
Central American-European Union
Association Agreement.
Chief negotiator Roberto Echandi –
who is also Costa Rica’s ambassador to the
European Union – as well as adjunct negotiators Cristian Guillermet, representing the
Foreign Relations Ministry, and Fernando
Ocampo, representing the Foreign Trade
Ministry (COMEX), will work with representatives of other Central American countries in the coming months to prepare for
the first E.U. meetings, expected to begin
mid-year, Ruiz told reporters following
President Oscar Arias’ weekly Cabinet meeting.
Asked why he chose Echandi and
Ocampo, who served on the often-criticized
negotiating team of the Central American
Free-Trade Agreement (CAFTA) – activists
at anti-CAFTA marches often claim the pact
was negotiated “behind the backs of Costa
Ricans” and that negotiators ceded too
much ground – Ruiz said they’re simply the
most qualified people for the job.
“It’s not a political team. It’s a technical
team,” he said, adding later that, “we need
the best people there, and these are the best
people.”
However, the government plans to
“learn from the experiences we had (with
CAFTA) and involve the ministries a great
deal” in the negotiation process, as well as
social groups, Ruiz said. The Foreign
Ministry and COMEX will work with ministers to ensure the sectors under their leadership are represented, and will coordinate
with the Planning Ministry to ensure that
aid or cooperation the European Union
offers during negotiations meets Costa
Rica’s needs.
–Katherine Stanley
defunct investment operation known as
“The Brothers” – allegedly run by Osvaldo
and his fugitive brother Luis Enrique
Villalobos – only a few were present at the
start of the trial Monday. At least two fell
asleep during the dry, initial proceedings.
At its most crowded, a sprinkling of
fewer than 20 onlookers peppered the 408seat, improvised courtroom in the Miguel
Blanco Quirós auditorium in the Judicial
Investigation Police (OIJ) building in downtown San José. The auditorium was outfitted
for the trial in anticipation of a multitude of
investors, many of whom had their life savings invested when the Villalobos brothers
closed up shop in 2002.
A tired-looking and soft-spoken Osvaldo
was present at the trial this week, but will not
testify until the end of proceedings, according to his defense team. He declined to talk
to The Tico Times.
Observers were nearly outnumbered by
the judges and lawyers until the handful of
attorneys representing private cases added to
the public prosecution’s case (known as
querellas) one by one announced they had
come to an agreement with the defendant,
dropped their charges against Osvaldo and
left the building. By the end of the day, government prosecutors Walter Espinoza and
Ilem Meléndez were joined only by Ewald
Acuña – a well-known lawyer representing
hundreds of investors in their claims against
the Villalobos brothers.
Whether the lawyers’ clients caved to the
months of pressure exerted by Villalobos
supporters on those who filed personal
fraud claims (TT, Jan. 19) is unknown. But
Osvaldo’s defense team announced it would
not seek legal fees from anyone who drops
their querellas, as is the right under Costa
Rican law of any person who has a lawsuit
filed against them that is later withdrawn.
The defense also may have told the
lawyers what it told The Tico Times this
week: once Osvaldo is cleared, everybody
will be paid back their original investments.
“For us, the withdrawal of the querellas
means that people have realized that there is
no crime here, and when this ends, they will
get their money back,” said Rodrigo Araya,
one of Osvaldo’s attorneys.
How? With what they say is $12 million
in bank accounts currently frozen by the
government – significantly larger than the
figure of $7 million always maintained by
Judicial Branch officials – and by going back
to the same business as before. According to
the defense, the government can only seize
the frozen funds if they convict Osvaldo of
money laundering.
“When (the money) is unfrozen, these
people who have been working legally are
going to continue working to continue producing and to pay down to the last penny,”
Araya said. He did not explain how Osvaldo
would earn enough to pay the astronomically large outstanding debt, only that the
Villalobos brothers had “many different
businesses.”
It has never been clear what The
Brothers did with the money to produce the
high returns paid out, and some have said
there was no way a legitimate operation –
which The Brothers claimed to be – could
show such soaring profits.
Empty Seats:
The anticipated
trial of Osvaldo
Villalobos
began this week
with a smallerthan-expected
audience.
Officials opened
the trial in an
auditorium, but
only a few
investors
showed up to
see the
proceedings.
Mónica Quesada | Tico Times
The Storied History
Osvaldo is facing charges of money laundering, fraud and illegal financial intermediation – for which he could get up to 36 years
in prison if convicted on all charges – in connection with The Brothers, which for more
than 15 years paid monthly interest payments of 2.8-3% of investments, which in
the later years were accepted only in sums of
$10,000 or more.
Though it was run out of the same office
where Osvaldo operated a money exchange
business, Ofinter S.A., Osvaldo’s defense
insists their client had nothing to do with the
investment service run by Luis Enrique.
“We are going to prove that there is not
one criminal act that has been committed by
Osvaldo Villalobos. Osvaldo Villalobos’ business was always a legal, decent business, a
business that always fulfilled its obligations
with its clients. We believe the Prosecutor’s
Office is mistaken,” Araya said. “Ofinter
never received investor money. Its commercial operations were the purchase and sale of
foreign exchange and changing checks.”
The Costa Rican government began
investigating The Brothers – which was not
regulated by financial authorities – in 2002
and raided their offices in July of that year as
part of a joint investigation with the Royal
Canadian Mounted Police, who believed a
Canadian drug trafficking ring laundered at
least $300,000 through the Villalobos operation (TT, July 12, 2002).
The Brothers continued to operate after
the raid, and accepted more deposits until
October, when Enrique vanished, allegedly
with as much as $1 billion of investors’ money
(TT, Sept. 24, 2004). Osvaldo, who stayed
behind, was arrested shortly after and held in
prison and house arrest for nearly two years
before being released (TT, April 1, 2005).
Court Proceedings
In the spacious auditorium, the trial
began Monday morning with prosecutors
Espinoza and Meléndez taking turns reading
the government’s accusation in its entirety –
a monotonous process that involved citing
thousands of checks, check numbers, bank
account numbers, dates, businesses and shell
companies allegedly used by the Villalobos
brothers in their financial operation. The
reading took the entire first day of proceedings, and continued into the second.
Contact Us
While lead prosecutor Espinoza refused
to comment on the case, the government’s
accusation called The Brothers “a family
business,” and a described a “circular system
of receiving and paying” investor funds, similar to a pyramid or Ponzi scheme. The prosecution alleged Osvaldo and Luis Enrique
used Ofinter and 22 other corporations
allegedly linked to the Villalobos brothers to
channel funds through different bank
accounts and investments, hide the origin of
the money and eventually use the same
money to pay investors’ monthly interest.
The Brothers’ investments did not produce
nearly enough to account for the operation’s
high returns, and investors were given supposed guarantee checks that in reality were
linked to a bank account with less than
$5,000 and which had been inactive since
1997, the prosecution alleged.
The prosecutors’ accusation was followed by Acuña’s, which wrapped up
Tuesday afternoon. José Miguel Villalobos
(no relation), a former Justice Minister and
attorney hired by the United Concerned
Citizens and Residents (UCCR) – an association of Villalobos brothers’ supporters –
was intermittently present at the trial, and
said he was cooperating with the defense
team but would have no part in the trial. The
UCCR attorney was reportedly paid more
than $100,000 from funds collected from
UCCR members to look out for the group’s
interests, according to a former UCCR
member, and had initially talked of suing the
Costa Rican government (TT, Feb. 7, 2003).
Wednesday morning the defense made
their opening statements, asserting Osvaldo’s
innocence and insisting he had nothing to do
with The Brothers. Defense lawyers also challenged the hundreds of civil suits and querellas filed by investors with Acuña, alleging procedural errors. According to defense lawyer
Rodrigo Araya, many of the claimants incorrectly processed their power of attorney, and
therefore their suits should be dismissed.
Trial proceedings were suspended until
today as judges considered the motions.
The trial is presided over by lead judge
Isabel Porras, and judges Carlos Pérez and
Manuel Rojas, and Jeaneth Villareal serves as
a supplementary reserve judge to replace any
of the three if needed. The prosecution has
called 57 witnesses, while the defense has
called 60, and the trial is estimated to last
between four and six months.
Trucker License Requirements
Tightened after Recent Deaths
The freewheeling truck driving industry
in Costa Rica, which has long recruited
drivers with little or no experience on the
road, may be coming to a screeching halt
soon, according to a statement by the
Ministry of Public Works and Transport.
The Ministry announced that it will
once again require prospective trailer truck
drivers to have five years of experience or
more before obtaining the necessary permits to handle the big rigs, according to a
report in the daily La Nación.
The process will also require a test that
proves applicants capable of handling the
trucks, which outweigh anything on the
road and intimidate, and often endanger,
other drivers.
The recent announcement came after a
number of highly publicized accidents
involving young truck drivers on Costa
Rica’s notoriously dangerous roads.
Currently licensed truck drivers will also
be required to take a test before they can
renew their permits – allowing for a full
“cleansing” of the system, according to the
La Nación report.
–Tico Times
Apdo. 4632-1000 | San José, Costa Rica | Tel.: (506) 258-1558 | Fax. (506) 233-6378
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THE TICO TIMES – February 9, 2007 | NEWS | 3
Critics Skeptical of Japanese Generosity
Page 1
and aid for the Japanese Embassy in Costa
Rica, blushed and smiled, then bowed again.
On a recent press trip, this school was
one stop of several in the Central Valley
designed to demonstrate Japanese generosity
to the people of Costa Rica.
In San Isidro de Grecia, municipality
water officials requested and received a grant
of $77,000 from the Japanese Embassy,
allowing them to build an aqueduct – known
locally as the Tanque Japonesa – holding
500,000 cubic liters of water and ensuring
hundreds of residents clean, safe drinking
water. In Zarcero, Japanese support allowed
local organic farmers to build a co-op that
markets more than 30 varieties of fruits and
vegetables from the region.
Since 1989, the Japanese have donated
more than $17 million in community aid
projects, and more than $6.5 million in cultural projects – including the purchase of
instruments for the Costa Rican symphony
orchestra, high-tech Japanese equipment
endoscopes for hospitals and even chemical
pesticides to help fight the spread of
dengue fever.
During the past few months, Japanese generosity has reached an almost feverish pace,
with press releases announcing new projects
flowing from the embassy like river water in
Costa Rica’s green season.
Which begs the question: Why?
Mauricio Álvarez, of the Costa Rican
Federation for Environmental Conservation
(FECON), is skeptical, especially since the
recent upturn in aid projects seems to coincide with a critical juncture in the future of
whaling in the world’s oceans – an upcoming
vote of the International Whaling Commission in June on whether or not to resume
commercial hunting.
Though whaling is outlawed worldwide
except for scientific purposes, the Japanese
have long insisted “sustainable whaling,”
causes no harm to global populations –
much to the chagrin of international environmental group Greenpeace, which helped
orchestrate the original ban in 1986.
“Every time the issue of whale hunting
comes up, investment in the country from
Japan increases,” Álvarez said.
COSMETIC
PLASTIC
SURGERY
ROSENSTOCK
LIEBERMAN
Helping Out Communities: Japanese
Embassy representative Toshihisa Miyamoto, left, inspects a water tank
funded by his government.
Last month, a week before the Japanese
press tour, national and international environmental groups made headlines in downtown San José’s Culture Plaza, toting a lifesize inflatable whale and urging the government to oppose Japan’s plans to resume
commercial whaling (TT, Jan. 26).
Last week, Broad Front legislator José Merino filed a lawsuit against the Environment
and Energy Ministry (MINAE) in hopes of
forcing the government’s hand on the matter.
Marine biologist Damián Martínez
warned that Costa Rica has been behind on its
dues to the whaling commission for 20 years,
and must pay up in order to regain voting status and stop Japan from hunting whales.
“There are towns in the Osa Peninsula that
survive on the tourism whales bring to the
area, and these migratory whales could become
the victims of hunting if Japan’s plan goes
through,” he said. Costa Rica is among the top
destinations in the world for whale-watchers.
Since the whaling commission declared
the worldwide commercial whale-hunting
ban, Japan has been intensely lobbying
smaller countries – often with generous gifts
Ministry, Japan’s generosity is nothing new
or unusual – the country has granted millions of dollars in aid to both private and
public institutions in the country since 1989.
“Even after this region became less and
less important strategically in the world,
Japan’s program of support did not change.
You can’t say the same for other countries,”
said Circe Villanueva, director of international cooperation for the ministry.
Villanueva said the ministry has yet to
compile international cooperation statistics
for 2006, but she said Japan’s program, while
perhaps up a little, hasn’t wavered in years.
Asked by The Tico Times to put Japan’s
generosity in perspective, Villanueva pointed
out that not all embassy aid programs are as
well organized and publicized as that of Japan’s, and thus they often go uncounted, making country-by-country comparisons difficult.
She did, however, affirm that Japan’s
“program of cooperation is among the most
important in our country.”
According to Suzuki, the program – the
same one which helped bring roofs and floor
tiles to the school in Alajuela – will remain
open to further applications from Costa
Ricans, regardless of the outcome of any
whaling commission vote.
Last week, as the group of reporters and
Japanese officials filed out of the newly
remodeled school building, principal Vargas
stopped in front of a freshly painted map of
the world, another new edition to a school so
desperately in need of attention.
She pointed to Japan – a mere speck near
the bottom right-hand corner of the big, colorful map – and smiled at Miyamoto and the
delegates from the Japanese Embassy.
“It’s a small country, but also very big,”
Vargas said.
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– in order to gain votes in favor of lifting the
moratorium, according to Greenpeace.
Álvarez said such gifts are not so subtle, influencing both politicians and public opinion.
“These investments by the Japanese government are far more important than the
influence that Greenpeace can have, or any
other environmental group,” he said. “Obviously there has been some pressure – and it
wouldn’t be the first time that’s happened.”
Álvarez cites other cases in Central
America, including Guatemala in 2005 and
more recently Nicaragua, where a similar skirmish ensued last year when Greenpeace campaigner Milko Schvartzman accused that
countries’ fisheries director, Miguel Marenco,
of being “an employee of Japan” and using his
influence to sway a Nicaraguan vote in favor of
whale hunting (NT, April 7, 2006).
While the allegations eventually fizzled
and no such innuendos ever proven,
Nicaragua did indeed vote against the whale
ban, leaving international environmental
groups fuming.
Yasuhisa Suzuki, advisor to the Japanese
Embassy in San José, acknowledged his country’s interest in whaling in international waters.
“Yes, we are in favor of hunting whales.
But we are not saying hunt them to extinction, we are in favor of sustainability,” he said,
insisting that Japan’s intent is to fish only for
abundant species of whales. He denied the
issue has anything to do with his country’s
well-known international aid program.
“We owe much of the infrastructure of
Japan to the United States. They don’t need
the help, so we’re helping other countries to
develop – we’re simply returning the favor
paid to us after World War II. This is a longstanding program,” he said.
According to Costa Rica’s Foreign
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–
February 9, 2007
Alcatel Case Advances, Finland Case Delayed
By Katherine Stanley
Tico Times Staff
After more than two years investigating
various former public officials accused of
receiving kickbacks in connection with a government telecommunications contract, prosecutors have made their first formal charges.
Hernán Bravo, a former member of the
Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE) board
of directors, has been formally accused of
accepting approximately $1.05 million from
multinational telecommunications firm
Alcatel in 2001, according to the daily Al Día.
The charges were filed Jan. 23 before a
judge from San José’s Second Circuit Court
by the Adjunct Prosecutor’s Office for
Economic Crimes. Additionally, Bravo has
been ordered to pay the government $1.08
million, the daily reported.
According to the Prosecutor’s Office,
Alcatel’s regional representatives channeled
funds to Bravo and other officials to ensure
Alcatel would receive a $149 million contract to operate 400,000 GSM cellular lines
to the state-run ICE, which has a monopoly
on telecommunications.
Other government officials under investigation in the case, which came to light in
2004 after the daily La Nación and other
media published reports about the alleged
kickbacks, include ex-President Miguel
Angel Rodríguez (1998-2002). In total, former Alcatel officials are accused of distribut-
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ing $9.6 million in bribes.
Among the expected witnesses in Bravo’s
trial is ex-President Rafael Angel Calderón
(1990-1994), accused of accepting kickbacks
in another major case under investigation,
involving a medical equipment purchase
from a Finnish company. According to the
daily, Calderón is expected to testify regarding the relationship between Bravo and
another suspect.
Legal proceedings against Alcatel’s former senior vice-president for Latin America,
Christian Sapsizian, are under way in the
United States, where Alcatel – now AlcatelLucent – is a publicly traded company.
Sapsizian is one of the former Alcatel officials accused of paying bribes to Costa Rican
officials (TT, Dec. 8, 2006).
Other news in the case came this week
when ICE announced it has decided to end
its contract with Alcatel two years early,
assuming operation of the 400,000 lines – an
option stipulated in the original contract in
the case that ICE is not satisfied with
Alcatel’s service. Though part of this decision stemmed from widespread problems
with coverage in the areas for which Alcatel
is responsible, the daily La Nación reported,
ICE president Pedro Pablo Quirós said the
corruption allegations “weighed heavily” in
the final decision.
The decision came days after the Ethics
Branch of the Government Attorney’s Office
asked the Second Circuit Court to increase
an embargo on Alcatel’s services from $9
million to $17.81 million.
The Government Attorney’s Office
requested the $9 million embargo in
December 2005, but Alcatel made an $8.7
million bank deposit last November to free
itself from the restriction. ICE officials then
began evaluating the possibility of purchasing 200,000 additional cellular lines from the
company, a step the Attorney’s Office strongly opposes, according to La Nación. Costa
Rica ran out of GSM lines last October.
Meanwhile, the governments of Costa
Rica and Finland have accused each other of
delaying the other corruption investigation
that involves ex-President Calderón. The
case involves allegations that Calderón and
other public officials received substantial
“commissions” in connection with a $39.5
million purchase of medical equipment
from Finnish company Instrumentarium by
Costa Rica’s Social Security System (Caja).
According to La Nación, Costa Rican
Prosecutor Andrea Murillo says her Finnish
counterparts have not responded to three
requests sent more than a year ago for information about companies involved in the
transaction.
Poti Kari, administrative and consular
attaché for the Finnish Embassy in Nicaragua, said the embassy received the requests
and sent them to the appropriate authorities
in early 2005, but has not received any
response from Finland.
The complaints go both ways. The daily
reported that Finnish Police Chief Tapio
Kalliokoski has said Finland’s investigation
of Instrumentarium, now a holding of
General Electric, has not advanced at all
because the Costa Rican Prosecutor’s Office
hasn’t sent crucial information Finnish
authorities requested in early 2006.
Murillo told La Nación the reason for that
delay is that Finnish authorities did not
authenticate the signatures properly, a step
she called “indispensable.”
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THE TICO TIMES
Iberia Airlines Increases
Flights to Costa Rica
Arias: National Police Force
Does Not an Army Make
Spanish airline Iberia has announced
plans to add daily direct flights to San José
beginning in June, according to a statement
from the Costa Rica Tourism Institute
(ICT).
The airline now has seven flights weekly
to Costa Rica from Spain: six with layovers
in either Guatemala or Panama and one
direct flight. In June, it will add three direct
flights per week between Madrid and San
José.
These new flights will be serviced by
Airbus A340-600 aircrafts with capacity for
232 passengers.
Iberia announced this decision Feb. 2 at
the International Tourism Fair (FITUR) in
Madrid. Representatives from ICT, along
with those from the National Tourism
Chamber (CANATUR) attended the fair.
Their goals included attracting European
airlines to fly here to regain tourists lost
when the Spanish airline Air Madrid shut
down late last year (TT, Feb. 2).
Tourism Minister Carlos Benavides
expressed “enormous satisfaction” over
Iberia’s decision, which he said, “demonstrates the enormous trust in the growth of
European tourism to Costa Rica,” according
to the statement.
–Tico Times
President Oscar Arias this week criticized Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega
for claiming that this country has an
army.
On Saturday, Ortega, explaining why
Nicaragua should not destroy its remaining
SAM-7 missiles, said that “we have armies
throughout Central America, including
Costa Rica, which has a very powerful force
they call the National Police, for which reason Nicaragua won’t keep disarming itself
while neighboring countries have more
powerful air forces,” according to wire service AFP.
Arias called this suggestion “completely
false.” Costa Rica officially abolished its
army in 1948.
“It makes no sense to confuse a civil
police force for the protection of our citizens, with a military army,” Arias told the
daily La Nación. The President, who
received a Nobel Peace Prize in 1987 during
his first presidency, said Central America
should aim to become the world’s first
demilitarized region.
Ortega made his statement after
Nicaraguan legislators from the opposition
Liberal Constitutional Party (PLC) and
–
February 9, 2007 | NEWS | 5
Liberal Nicaraguan Alliance (ALN) introduced a bill that calls for the destruction of
the weapons – something the United States
has long requested as part of its war against
terrorism. Ortega indicated that as long as
other Central American countries continue
expanding their armed forces, “the Sandinista government will buy new rockets,”
AFP reported.
–Tico Times
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–
February 9, 2007
Reporter Convicted, Priest Acquitted of Libel
Tico Times Staff
ted of the charges, eliciting cheers from several community and environmental groups.
However, a reporter from the daily La
Nación was convicted of libel because of a
mistake apparently made by an official he
quoted. (The reporter, Ronald Moya, was
among the journalists who covered priest
Ronald Vargas’ high-profile case.)
A judge ordered Moya, along with fellow
reporter Freddy Parrales and the newspaper,
to pay damages of ¢5 million (approximately $9,615), Moya told The Tico Times this
week. The reporters were convicted of the
civil charges against them, though acquitted
of criminal charges.
The reason for their conviction? In a
story published Dec. 17, 2005, Moya and
Parrales attributed to then-Public Security
Minister Rogelio Ramos a statement that
“the police chief of San Vito de Coto Brus, of
the last name Cruz…is object of an investigation” for alleged irregularities related to
contraband liquor cases.
Had they misquoted the minister? No,
Moya said: the police chief apparently filed
suit because Ramos, and subsequently the
reporters, had incorrectly identified the
Southern Zone canton in which he served.
Though La Nación ran a retraction by
Ramos, and Ramos himself appeared at the
trial to admit that the error was his alone, the
judge ruled that the reporters should have
confirmed his statements with the Judicial
Branch, and that the error caused the police
chief “moral damage,” according to Moya.
The Tico Times asked the San José
Second Circuit Criminal Court and the
Judicial Branch for a copy of the decision
and more information about the case, but
did not receive it by press time.
“Obviously we’re going to present an
8401
Two cases involving Costa Rica’s laws
governing freedom of expression yielded
very different results this week.
A Catholic priest – accused of libel
because he’d allegedly claimed that La Cruz
Mayor-elect Carlos Gonzaga, who took
office this week, illegally acquired lands in
the northwestern province and transferred
them to President Oscar Arias – was acquit-
•
•
•
•
appeal,” Moya added. “(Ramos) isn’t just any
source – he’s an accredited source. It’s
absolutely absurd.”
An e-mail from reporter Hazel Feigenblatt distributed through the listserv of
the Institute for Freedom of Press, Expression and Public Information (IPLEX)
said the ruling against the La Nación
reporters “sets a terrible precedent…if one
publishes that an official is being investigated and he alleges that he’s ‘traumatized,’ etc.
then there is a civil damage.”
IPLEX and other press-freedom advocates have been working for more than six
years to change the country’s Press Law,
which is more than a century old and calls
for prison sentences for reporters convicted
on criminal charges of libel. A bill to change
the law finally made it to the upper stratosphere of the Legislative Agenda in December, but has since been shoved aside to make
room for other bills.
In priest Vargas’ case, Guanacaste judge
Rafael Saborío ruled that the witnesses who
testified against the priest “don’t deserve credibility” and failed to prove Vargas had made
“injurious statements,” La Nación reported.
He also stated that the witnesses against
Vargas shared “a direct line of friendship.”
Vargas said his comments about Gonzaga’s alleged acquisition of land from the Agricultural Development Institute (IDA), and
subsequent transferal of the land to President
Arias, were based on TV news reports and a
Comptroller General’s Office report.
Mayor Gonzaga said he plans to appeal.
Arias’ brother and spokesman, Rodrigo
Arias, told wire service AFP that the President
obtained the lands “without knowing their
origin” and “had nothing to do with the complaint against the priest.”
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–
–
February 9, 2007
New Mayors Take Office, Explain Priorities
Tico Times Staff
The 81 new mayors who took office
Monday are a varied bunch. The National
Liberation Party (PLN) certainly carried
the day in December’s elections, winning
59 seats, but municipal leaders also include
representatives of local parties; experienced politicians, as well as newcomers; 10
women; and a range of ages from 24 to 68.
With the administration of President
Oscar Arias touting plans to provide mayors with increased funding and introduce
legal reforms that would give them more
clout (TT, Jan. 26), these leaders may have
a more prominent role than their predecessors.
The Tico Times asked several mayors
from around the country to explain their
plans to address the biggest challenges facing their cantons. In selecting this group
from the 81 new leaders, we attempted to
represent various political parties and both
genders, rich cantons and poor, areas of
booming tourism development and those
that historically have been neglected.
The Institute for Municipal Development (IFAM) provided information on
budget and territorial extension, showing
the vast differences among the resources
available to each mayor.
Excerpts follow:
SAN JOSÉ,
San José
Johnny Araya, 49
Agricultural engineer
National Liberation
Party (PLN)
Second term
Budget: ¢25.76 billion (approximately
$49.5 million)
Territorial extension (square kilometers):
44.62
Goals: This is
Araya’s second
term as a popularly elected
mayor, but he’s
been a municipal
leader for 20
years. He served
on the city’s
Municipal
Council from
1982-1986 and was appointed the
Municipal Executive, then the mayor, from
1991-2002, when the first-ever popular
municipal elections were held. This political longevity has made Araya a prominent
figure on a national level, and also a hard
man to interview, as two weeks of our
unsuccessful attempts proved. In his lofty
inauguration speech on Monday, however,
Araya outlined some of his plans, foremost among them the urban renewal proposal “San José Posible,” which seeks to
make the downtown area more pedestrian-friendly and reorganize traffic. He also
pledged his support for the Tropical
Architecture Institute’s proposal to plant
trees and plants to make San José a greener place. Security-wise, Araya plans to create a Citizen Safety Council to coordinate
the municipality’s efforts with the Public
Security Ministry, Judicial Investigation
Police (OIJ), Immigration and other
organizations working to tackle the city’s
crime problems. In the speech, he urged
the Legislative Assembly and Executive
Branch to push for reforms that would
decentralize Costa Rica, Latin America’s
most centralized nation, by giving mayors
more funding and responsibility.
ESCAZÚ,
San José
Marco Antonio Segura, 67
Economist, accountant
PLN
Second term
Budget: ¢4.88 billion ($9.4 million)
Territorial extension: 34.49
Goals: Segura told
The Tico Times
that his canton,
which boasts the
highest humandevelopment
index in the country, nonetheless
suffers a yawning
gap between rich
and poor, a problem he plans to address by making Escazú
the country’s “most educated canton.”
Building a home for the Escazú Technical
High School, now open for two years but
temporarily holding classes in elementary
schools (TT, July 7, 2006), is a priority, as
is continuing career classes offered
through the National Training Institute
(INA). Segura also plans to improve citizen safety – an area in which he said the
canton “isn’t as bad as the rest of the
country, but we’re not OK” – by installing
five video surveillance cameras in highcrime areas this year and making mobile
technology accessible to the Municipal
Police. In addition, Segura plans to continue improving the local government’s
online services, “taking the municipality
to the park” by allowing residents to
search files or pay municipal bills using
their computers or cell phones.
TIBÁS, San José
Jorge Antonio Salas, 53
Lawyer
Citizen Action Party (PAC)
First term
Goals: Salas says
his top priority
will be trash collection, and that’s
not surprising. His
canton has
become infamous
for what was
arguably the
biggest municipal
disaster in recent
memory: the Tibás garbage crisis. For
months, hundreds of tons of trash piled
up on the streets of the northern San José
suburb, causing the proliferation of
odors, rats, and mosquitoes, as well as
protests that drew national attention. The
problem was solved only after the government declared a state of emergency in
Tibás and the National Emergency
Commission (CNE) took over trash collection (TT, May 19, 2006). Salas, who
Roy Arguedas Arias | Tico Times
was an advisor to the Municipal Council
during the crisis and was elected as its
president in February 2006, said the
problem was that because of bad blood
between the council and then-mayor
Percy Rodríguez of the Social Christian
Unity Party (PUSC). The council, which
must authorize municipal spending,
wouldn’t give Rodríguez the money for
additional trash-collection equipment.
Now, Salas says, the municipality has
solved the problem by allotting funds to
repair its trucks and rent two others. He
said he expects to have better relations
with his Municipal Council based on his
past experience, and says he supports
proposed reforms to give mayors a vote
on the councils. Other priorities in Tibás
will be instituting a recycling program
through cooperation with a private foundation, road repair, and creating a zoning
plan for the canton.
MONTES DE OCA, San José
Fernando Trejos, 52
Union for Change (UPC)
Lawyer
First term
Budget: ¢2.12 billion ($4 million)
Goals: The 48-year
Montes de Oca
resident has
watched his canton, home to the
University of
Costa Rica (UCR)
and Universidad
Latina, become
home to nightmare traffic and
rising crime, with the infamous Calle de
la Amargura – the “Street of Bitterness”
and thumping nightclubs – drawing
near-constant media attention. Trejos
wants to revive the canton’s Municipal
Police force, abandoned five years ago, in
part by increasing municipal taxes. The
canton’s roads take a beating because
traffic from San José to eastern Central
Valley towns such as Tres Ríos and
Cartago must pass through small roads
in San Pedro that weren’t intended for
buses and trucks, according to Trejos,
who served as Labor Minister during the
administration of President Abel Pacheco
(2002-2006). He plans to use municipal
funds and solicit external aid to improve
the roads.
UPALA, Alajuela
Juan Acevedo, 53
Businessman
PLN
Second term
Budget: ¢503 million ($967,000)
Territorial extension: 1,508.7
Goals: With one
of the smallest
municipal budgets in the country
despite the canton’s ample size,
Acevedo said his
top priority during his second
term will be finishing a project
that began during his first: a canton-wide
cadastre, or property mapping system,
that will give the municipality a more
accurate view of the property taxes its
residents should be paying. The municipality has been working in conjunction
with the National Cadastre Plan to
update its data, hoping to reduce municipal tax evasion, which in Upala is
approximately 61%, Acevedo said.
Because Upala, one of the country’s
poorest cantons, doesn’t have major
tourism draws or multinational corporations to boost income, improving property assessment and tax collection is the
only way to give the municipality more
resources, he said. What would he do
with increased funds? He’s working on
improvements to the sewer network – a
group of University of Costa Rica (UCR)
students have been visiting Upala to help
with preliminary studies – and creating a
zoning plan for the canton. He said the
Northern Zone Development Council,
which the central government created last
year to allow municipal leaders from
Upala and neighboring cantons to meet
with authorities from the Presidency
Ministry and other central institutions,
“will help a great deal because it provides
more direct access to the government.”
THE TICO TIMES
FLORES, Heredia
Jenny Alfaro
Business administrator
PAC
First term
Budget: ¢443 million ($852,903)
Goals: Flores’ first
priority is attending to a dilapidated aqueduct that
has 20% of her
canton’s population without
water. She says it
“hasn’t received
any maintenance
for years – they’ve
been putting patches on it.” Second, she
plans to find out what’s holding up Flores’
zoning plan, which was completed three
years ago but since then has been awaiting
approval by the National Institute for
Housing and Urban Development
(INVU). Once approved, the plan will
allow the small canton to organize its
development, restructure the municipality
and make other changes. Improving the
municipality’s treatment of its clients, creating a “preventive police force” to address
rising crime, and coordinating with the
central government to establish a daycare
center so single moms with limited
resources can hold down a job are
among Alfaro’s other goals. For mayors’
universal priority – improving infrastructure – she plans to put power in the hands
of neighborhood associations and district
councils, granting them 25-50% of the
infrastructure budget. “It’s the people
from the barrio who know what the needs
are,” Alfaro said. “Those councils were created on paper, but they haven’t had
power.”
AGUIRRE, Puntarenas
Oscar Monge, 60
Author
Aguirre Labor Organization
First term
Budget: ¢860 million ($1.7 million)
Territorial Extension: 543.77
Goals: Monge –
whose latest literary creation is “El
Último Sello”
(“The Last Seal”),
loosely based on
corruption in his
central Pacific
canton – says he’s
going to follow the
letter of the
Maritime Zone Law when it comes to the
area’s coveted beachfront spots. (In the
past, demolitions of structures built within the protected zone have caused controversy and protests in Aguirre, as in other
coastal cantons.) As mayor, Monge will let
the Comptroller General’s Office dictate
the municipality’s enforcement of the law,
he said. He also plans to take a naturefriendly approach to stimulating tourism:
in his canton’s hot spots such as Manuel
Antonio and Quepos, tourism is growing
out of control, damaging the environment
but also providing employment to many
families. To create a better balance, Monge
will push eco-tourism projects and lobby
for the Legislative Assembly to approve
plans for the Central Pacific Technological
Institute, to train people in Quepos and
the surrounding area for better tourismindustry jobs. Finally, Monge plans to
improve municipal tax collection to boost
the budget to ¢3 billion (approximately
$5.8 million) by 2009.
GOLFITO, Puntarenas
Jimmy José Cubillo, 45
Business advisor
PLN
Second term (served as Municipal
Executive, 1996-1998)
Budget: ¢591 million ($1.1 million).
Goals: According to
Cubillo, Golfito is a
canton of terrible
contrasts. Despite
natural resources
and a booming
investment climate,
it’s one of the
country’s poorest
cantons, with a
39% poverty rate.
Its population is dropping, he says,
though the opposite should be taking
place, given the area’s potential. To address
this problem, which Cubillo attributes to
central government neglect and local failures, the mayor wants to offer simpler,
speedier services to both local and foreign
investors, and improve infrastructure. He
hopes both steps will attract more businesses and create jobs. He also seeks to
decentralize the government of the sprawling canton, where two sizeable towns –
Puerto Jiménez and Pavones – lie approximately 170 km and 80 km from Golfito
through circuitous land routes, making it
next to impossible for their residents to
access municipal services. By creating district councils in both towns and empowering them, rather than requiring that the
mayor sign off on most decisions, Cubillo
said living conditions will improve.
Though many of his colleagues say mayors
need more power, not less, Golfito’s new
leader said, “I don’t think any authority is
lost by decentralizing.”
LIMÓN, Limón
Eduardo Barboza, 43
Lawyer
PLN
First term
Goals: “Because
Limón is the face
of Costa Rica in
the Caribbean, we
need a privileged
position,” Barboza
told The Tico
Times. He was
referring to plans
to build a megaport in his coastal
canton, but he could have been speaking in
general terms: over the years, Limón,
plagued by unemployment and crime, has
long been neglected by the central government. The ambitious Barboza plans to
make Limón the most developed canton in
the country, pinning his hopes on a new oil
refinery that would provide 1,000 jobs; the
mega-port, which President Oscar Arias
threw his weight behind during a visit to
Limón earlier this month; and increased
cooperation between the municipality and
private businesses. Coordination with the
Arias administration “couldn’t be better” so
far, said Barboza, who plans to install surveillance cameras on every street corner in
central Limón within the first few months
of his term in an effort to give citizens “the
chance to walk calmly on the street again.”
LIBERIA, Guanacaste
Carlos Luis Marín, 43
Administrative assistant
PLN
First term
Goals: For Marín,
it’s crucial that
Liberia prepare its
citizens to take
advantage of the
real estate and
tourism boom that
surrounds them –
a theme other
mayors of cantons
with high levels of
foreign investment, such as Aguirre and
Escazú, echoed. The new mayor, who
spoke to The Tico Times before a municipal conference at Casa Presidencial in San
José last month, said he hopes to work
closely with the central government to
accomplish this goal. In particular, he
plans to work with the Labor Ministry to
create a Liberia employment directory
that would allow businesses opening up
shop in the canton to find local laborers
and services to meet their needs. His other
goals for his four-year term include
improving infrastructure and opening a
Guanacaste Museum in Liberia’s old
police headquarters.
SANTA CRUZ, Guanacaste
Jorge Enrique Chavarría, 55
Administrator, veterinarian
PLN
First term
Goals: As the new
mayor of Santa
Cruz, Chavarría
will be in charge
of managing
booming tourism
destinations such
as Tamarindo,
where one of his
predecessors ran
into some trouble
– Pastor Gómez was suspended last year
by a San José criminal court investigating an allegedly shady concessions deal.
Chavarría, unsurprisingly, asserts that
“we’re going to ensure the laws are complied with… everything will be normal.”
He said his top priorities include
improving infrastructure and building a
garbage facility near the town of Santa
Cruz to improve sanitary conditions in
the canton. He also hopes to give the
town a Santa Cruz Theater for folkloric
presentations and other cultural attractions, and a modern health clinic. Last
but not least, Chavarría said he plans to
work with the Public Security Ministry
to expand the Municipal Police force
from 13 officers to 98, improve training,
and focus the new forces on Tamarindo.
Though a first-time mayor, Chavarría
said he has been involved in municipal
politics in Santa Cruz for years.
–
The New Mayors
SAN JOSÉ
Central
Johnny Araya, National Liberation Party (PLN)
Escazú
Marco Antonio Segura, PLN
Desamparados
Maureen Fallas, PLN
Puriscal
Jorge Luis Chaves, PLN
Tarrazú
Iván Suárez, PLN
Aserrí
Mario Morales, PLN
Mora
Gilberto Monge, PLN
Goicoechea
Oscar Enrique Figueroa, PLN
Santa Ana
Gerardo Oviedo, PLN
Alajuelita
Tomás Poblador, PLN
Vásquez de Coronado Leonardo Herrera, PLN
Acosta
Rónald Durán, PLN
Tibás
Jorge Antonio Salas, Citizen Action Party (PAC)
Moravia
Edgar Vargas, PAC
Montes de Oca
Fernando Trejos, Union for Change (UPC)
Turrubares
Rafael Vindas, Social Christian Unity Party (PUSC)
Dota
José Valverde, PLN
Curridabat
Edgar Mora, Curridabat 21st Century Party
Pérez Zeledón
Rosibel Ramos, PUSC
León Cortés
Leonardo Quesada, PLN
ALAJUELA
Central
Joyce Zürcher, PLN
San Ramón
Raúl Antonio Gómez, PLN
Grecia
Giovanny Arguedas, PLN
San Mateo
Erwen Yanán Masis, PUSC
Atenas
Wilberth Martín Aguilar, PUSC
Naranjo
Eugenio Padilla, PLN
Palmares
Luis Carlos Castillo, PLN
Poás
José Joaquín Brenes, PLN
Orotina
Emilio Jesús Rodríguez, PLN
San Carlos
Alfredo Córdoba , PLN
Alfaro Ruiz
Marco Vinicio Rodríguez, PLN
Valverde Vega
Víctor Manuel Rojas, PUSC
Upala
Juan Acevedo, PLN
Los Chiles
Santiago Millón, PLN
Guatuso
Fidel Condega, PLN
CARTAGO
Cartago
Rolando Alberto Brenes, PLN
Paraíso
Marvin Solano, Libertarian Movement (ML)
La Unión
Julio Antonio Rojas, PLN
Jiménez
Jorge Humberto Solano, PLN
Turrialba
Luis Alfonso Pérez, PLN
Alvarado
Angel Raquel López, PLN
Oreamuno
Marco Vinicio Redondo, PAC
El Guarco
William Adolfo Cerdas, PLN
HEREDIA
Heredia
José Manuel Ulate, PLN
Barva
Mercedes Hernández, PLN
Santo Domingo
Raúl Isidro Bolaños, PLN
Santa Bárbara
Rolando Hidalgo, PLN
San Rafael
Alberto Vargas, PAC
San Isidro
Elvia Villalobos, PLN
Belén
Horacio Alvarado, PUSC
Flores
Jenny Alfaro, PAC
San Pablo
Aracelly Salas, PUSC
Sarapiquí
Pedro Rojas, PLN
GUANACASTE
Liberia
Carlos Luis Marín, PLN
Nicoya
Lorenzo Rosales, PLN
Santa Cruz
Jorge Enrique Chavarría, PLN
Bagaces
Luis Angel Rojas, PLN
Carrillo
Carlos Gerardo Cantillo, PLN
Cañas
Katia María Solórzano, PLN
Abangares
Jorge Calvo, PLN
Tilarán
Jovel Arias, PUSC
Nandayure
Luis Rodríguez, National Union Party (PUN)
La Cruz
Carlos Matías Gonzaga, PLN
Hojancha
Juan Rafael Marín, PLN
PUNTARENAS
Puntarenas
Agne Gómez, PLN
Esparza
Dagoberto Venegas, PUSC
Buenos Aires
Primo Feliciano Alvarez, PLN
Montes de Oro
Alvaro Jiménez, PLN
Osa
Jorge Alberto Cole, PLN
Aguirre
Oscar Monge Aguirre, Labor Organization
Golfito
Jimmy José Cubillo, PLN
Coto Brus
Rafael Angel Navarro, PUSC
Parrita
Gerardo Róger Acuña, PLN
Corredores
Gerardo Ramírez, PLN
Garabito
Marvin Elizondo, PLN
LIMON
Central
Eduardo Barboza, PLN
Pococí
Enrique Alfaro Vargas, PLN
Siquirres
Edgar Cambronero, Communal Action Party
Talamanca
Rugeli Morales, PUSC
Matina
Lorenzo Colphan, PLN
Guácimo
Gerardo Fuentes, PLN
Source: Institute for Municipal Development (IFAM)
8238
–
February 9, 2007
2978
8358
CENTRAL AMERICAÕS LEADING ENGLISH-LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER
THE TICO TIMES
–
Gov’t Plans to Regulate Chemical Waste
Page 1
became an explosive blaze (TT, Nov. 3, 2006).
In both cases, investigators have traced
the causes of the accidents to workers ignoring safety procedures, and have found the
disasters were made worse by a lack of proper or functioning safety equipment. The gas
station, for example, lacked an emergency
shutoff switch, while the chemical plant had
containment dikes – meant to keep a fuel
spill or fire from spreading – that were smaller than required and had deteriorated.
The response has been public: last week, in
front of a throng of journalists, Environment
and Energy Minister Roberto Dobles
announced the launch of a nationwide inspection of every gas station in Costa Rica (TT,
Feb. 2). During the first week of inspections,
officials shut down a gas station in Heredia,
north of San José, for various violations. The
station where the siblings died was also
ordered to remain closed.
Last month, officials with the Public
Health Ministry began conducting a diagnostic of every business and industry that
deals with possibly hazardous chemicals
(including petroleum), evaluating their
emergency preparedness and working on
new legislation and safety regulations.
According to Héctor Chaves, head of the
National Insurance Institute’s Firefighters
Corps, one serious problem Costa Rica faces
is how to dispose of the waste and residue
left after chemical accidents, as well as that
which is produced in the standard operations of many industries.
“This country does not have a center to
deposit dangerous materials,” Chaves said.
The disposal of chemical waste is left up to
individual companies, he explained. And
while many companies are responsible, and
properly treat or store their materials, hazardous waste often ends up in Costa Rica’s
conventional dumps or, even worse, in its
rivers and even city streets, he said.
On Jan. 16, children in the southern San
José district of Desamparados discovered an
abandoned barrel that, when opened, released
toxic gases. Approximately 12 of the kids were
hospitalized for symptoms including eye and
throat irritation, dizziness and vomiting.
“In this case, what do we do with this
chemical product? We don’t even know what
it is,” Chaves continued.
The fire chief said his department responds
to about 12 chemical emergencies a month,
including minor incidents such as gas leaks.
“They are few, but they can have a serious impact,” he said, adding that, while
improperly disposing of chemical waste is
against the law, he has never seen a company
fined or otherwise punished for it.
Arturo Navarro, an industrial chemist
with the Public Health Ministry’s Department of Human Environment Protection,
told The Tico Times that the supervision of
chemical handling in Costa Rica is “absolutely not” sufficient, and the country “needs to
improve a lot more.”
Navarro confirmed that chemical waste
disposal is left up to companies, which are
monitored by regional Health Ministry offices.
Private companies are expected to present an
operations plan to the local authorities
approximately twice per year that describes
how they deal with their materials. However,
the Health Ministry official said, “we need to
be more aggressive with monitoring.”
“Some companies have been burning
(their chemical waste), which is not in accordance with international standards,” he
added. Certain chemicals, especially those
that contain chlorine, release dangerous
byproducts into the air when burned, specifically dioxins and furans, which are carcinogens and neurotoxins. The Stockholm
Convention, to which Costa Rica is a party,
requires nations to curb production of dioxins and furans, he explained.
In Costa Rica, chemical disposal falls into
the government’s hands in cases of chemical
accidents, Navarro said. In that case, officials
have two options: store them in a landfill, or
burn them in a giant oven at the Holcim
cement factory in Cartago, east of San José.
That’s what authorities did with the various
chemicals left over from the Moín fire.
Holcim, a Costa Rica subsidiary of the
Swiss-based company of the same name,
burns 10,000 tons of environmentally harmful
waste, confiscated drugs and confidential documents yearly (TT, Dec. 16, 2005). Because the
plant’s ovens must reach extremely high temperatures (between 900 and 2,200 degrees
Celsius, or 1,652 and 3,992 degrees
Fahrenheit) to manufacture cement, they are
ideal for destroying waste because the elevated
temperatures eliminate the nasty byproducts.
However, Navarro said, not all chemicals can be disposed of at Holcim. “A lot” of
chemical waste is sitting in Costa Rican
landfills, he said.
“We are trying to lessen the use of landfills. It is not a suitable option,” Navarro said.
Currently, the La Carpio landfill in western San José run by EBI Berthier de Costa
Rica, a subsidiary of EBI Berthier in Canada, is
the only dump in the country authorized to
take what is called “special waste,” such as
chemical leftovers, which must be specially
treated and stored in “an impenetrable cell,”
Navarro explained. Costa Rica’s other landfills,
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however, are already overflowing and many
are under orders to close, but can’t because of
a lack of options (TT, Oct. 13, 2006).
“There’s no more room,” Navarro said.
While acknowledging Costa Rica’s shortcomings, Navarro was quick to point out the
efforts being made in the current administration to improve the country’s handling of
dangerous chemicals.
In what appears to be a direct response to
the Moín fire – though officials were vague –
Navarro’s office is in the midst of a total overhaul of the supervision of all companies that
deal with chemical substances, and classifying
the materials according to a variety of attributes, such as whether they are flammable, corrosive or toxic, as well as examining the companies’ locations. The Moín disaster took on
much larger proportions when it was discovered a spring that supplied water for 20,000
area residents was fewer than 75 meters from
the plant. After daily monitoring, the National
Water and Sewer Institute (AyA) declared the
water suitable for human consumption more
than a month later (TT, Jan. 26).
Navarro said he had found “around 20
highly dangerous companies,” but did not
provide further details.
Each company is being asked to present a
report on its management of chemicals as
well as emergency response plans and safety
infrastructure. That information will be
compiled in a report to be presented within
weeks to a new government committee.
Officials from the Health and Environment ministries are also working to prepare
a bill that would set new regulations and
procedures for the handling of liquid, gas
and solid chemical waste, and create both a
regulatory agency and a monitoring agency
to oversee and enforce the new rules.
12 | BUSINESS & REAL ESTATE | THE TICO TIMES
–
February 9, 2007
Business
Real Estate
Lawsuit Delays CAFTA Discussion in Assembly
By Blake Schmidt
Tico Times Staff
The longer until the Central American Free-Trade Agreement with
the United States
(CAFTA) reaches a
vote in the Legislative Assembly, the
longer an emerging
pro-CAFTA bloc will have to remain united,
legislator Janina Del Vecchio said this week.
After opponents slowed attempts to
send CAFTA on a fast track last week, supporters of the controversial trade pact questioned whether the five-party pro-CAFTA
coalition can endure the lengthy legislative
process to come.
“We have to maintain that block of 38
(legislators). It’s a tight block,” said Del Vecchio, president of the International Affairs
commission that has spent the past year
debating CAFTA.
The bloc was created in recent weeks in a
series of political negotiations in which the
National Liberation Party (PLN), which
brought pro-CAFTA President Oscar Arias
to power last year, tried to scrape up some
political capital by offering potential CAFTA
allies support for their initiatives.
CAFTA is on the agenda to be discussed
on the assembly floor, but Liberation legislator Del Vecchio told The Tico Times lawmakers will wait to see whether a proposed
fast-track legislative reform will make it past
constitutional review before discussion on
the pact begins.
Besides Liberation, which has 25 of 57
legislators, the other parties in the bloc
include the six-member Libertarian Movement, the five-member Social Christian
Unity Party (PUSC), and one-member parties National Restoration and National
Union. The parties have been politicking in
recent weeks to agree on a complimentary
and social agenda that would be passed with
CAFTA (TT, Feb. 2)
However, an opposition bloc has also
emerged, composed of the 17 Citizen
Action Party (PAC) legislators and two onemember parties: Broad Front and Access
Without Exclusion.
A proposed legislative reform that
would put CAFTA on a fast track was
slowed last week when the opposition bloc
asked the Constitutional Chamber of the
Supreme Court (Sala IV) to weigh in on the
proposal’s constitutionality. The court has a
month to opine.
The fast-track measure would reform the
assembly’s regulations, allowing legislators
to speed up CAFTA’s vote by limiting the
number of sessions legislators can spend
debating it to 22, according to Del Vecchio.
The legislative trámite of CAFTA wasn’t
the only battlefront in the free-trade debate
this week. Former presidential candidate and
opposition leader Ottón Solís used his recent
trip to Washington D.C. to cast some shadows on the Arias administration’s CAFTA
strategy; a group of indigenous people from
the southern Caribbean region of Talamanca traveled to the capital to demand a
fair say in CAFTA; and PAC made sure to
bring to everyone’s attention potential conflicts of interest that CAFTA-bloc legislators may have in supporting the opening of
the telecom market as required under
CAFTA.
A new round of free-trade verbal jousting
began after PAC founder and presidential
runner-up Solís returned from a trip to the
United States last week, where he met with
U.S. congressmen and aides (TT, Feb. 2).
Solís pointed a finger at Arias for using
what he called a “fear campaign” to push the
CAFTA agenda.
He said that during his U.S. visit he consulted members of the Democratic Party –
which swept November elections and raised
concerns worldwide over how protectionist
the new Congress will be. Solís said everyone
he consulted said the benefits of the
Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBI) will not
necessarily expire – statements that caused
confusion back in Costa Rica.
The CBI is a U.S. program aimed at promoting economic development in Central
America and the Caribbean by diversifying
CBI country economies and expanding
their exports. The initiative refers to three
different acts passed between 1983 and
2000 in the wake of regional disasters and
civil wars, and guarantees duty-free treatment for most exports from the Caribbean
Basin region to the U.S., according to the
Economic
U.S. Department of Commerce.
In a Feb. 8 meeting between Solís and
Arias, Arias confirmed Solís’ statement that
the United States doesn’t plan to eliminate
trade preferences of the initiative if Costa
Rica doesn’t ratify CAFTA. Costa Rica is the
only signatory yet to vote on CAFTA.
“It’s true. At least they’ve never told me
that they’re thinking about doing that,” Arias
told the daily La Nación.
Part of the initiative is set to expire,
however. An act passed by President Bill
Clinton in 2000, which allowed apparel
manufactured in CBI countries using U.S.
fabric, among other products (i.e. certain
footwear, tuna, petroleum products, watches, and luggage) to be exported into the
United States duty-free, will expire in
September 2008. The 2000 act demanded
that countries make progress in worker
rights, intellectual property, environmental
protections and support the U.S.-led war
on drugs.
Solís said CAFTA will bring Costa Rica
few additional benefits beyond the existing
CBI agreement, which is why he has been
pushing for the renegotiation of CAFTA.
Presidency Minister Rodrigo Arias fired
back this week, saying, “it’s not the same to
be granted a unilateral concession as to have
a bilateral agreement.”
Being a unilateral agreement, Minister
Arias pointed out, the CBI can be modified,
suspended or eliminated by the United
States at anytime.
Page 14
Indicators
Feb. 1-7 | Current Values and Percentage Change
BNV STOCK EXCHANGE
U.S. DOLLAR EXCHANGE RATE*
BUY:
SELL:
¢517.17
¢521.19
0.012%
0.27%
*Wednesday’s Central Bank reference rate.
See www.ticotimes.net for daily updates.
ALL PRICES IN MILLIONS (¢ and U.S.$)
VOLUME
¢378,756.56
26%
COLONES
US$
BY CURRENCY:
¢232,024
$279.79
23.72%
28.95%
GOV’T
PRIVATE
BY ISSUER:
¢341,893
¢36,862
24.54%
41.39%
INFLATION
LAST MONTH PAST 12 MONTHS
0.95%
9.19%
ACCRUED ‘06
0.95%
DEVALUATION
ACCRUED ‘06
0.38%
Atlas Eléctrica, S.A. (common)
Corporación Improsa, S.A.
Volume (Millions)
¢4.74
¢2.56
Last Price
¢41.95
¢4.11
Change
-4.66%
2.49%
5333
LAST MONTH PAST 12 MONTHS
0.38%
4.07%
MOST ACTIVE STOCKS
Stock
SOURCE: SC Consulting Group
U.S. Tax
And
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A R T | C U LT U R E | E N T E R TA I N M E N T | F E B R U A R Y 9 , 2 0 0 7
Love Is On The Air
DJs, Newlyweds Margie and Dave Team Up
By Dave Sherwood
Tico Times Staff
ll right, everyone relax: DJs Dave “the
Dude” and Margie, of Costa Rican
English-language radio fame, are
coming back. But you’ll have to retune your
dial to listen to them; their new venue is 99.5
FM Radio Dos.
And by the way, they got married, too.
“Everyone’s happy. It’s like a big love story,”
said Dave Scott, who has been entertaining
listeners with good music, good humor and
his trademark English accent for 11 years.
So what’s with all the changes?
“New love, new station, new music,” Scott
said. “We wanted to work together.”
Getting married was step one.
“I’ve been asking her to marry me every
year since I met her. She finally said ‘yes’ last
year. I was stunned,” he said.
It’s quite the leap of faith for this freewheeling DJ, blues musician and veteran of
the music industry, who went 64 years before
tying the knot.
Beginning next week, listeners can enjoy
the newlyweds together – they’ve not only
joined in marriage, but in radio, too. Their
new show, “Buenos Días, Costa Rica,” will air
for the first time on Valentine’s Day, Feb 14.
The duo is thrilled at the opportunity.
“She’s such a pro. She’s funny; I can
bounce stuff off her. And besides, she’s got
the perfect face for radio,” said Scott with a
smirk and laugh over coffee last week.
“We laugh all day. I wish everyone could
feel like we do,” said the blonde, blue-eyed
and boisterous Margie Flaum, who expects
listeners will be laughing, too.
One thing that won’t change is the hour;
the new show will air from 6 to 9 a.m. weekday mornings. Evan Luck, former morningshow DJ at 99.5, has chosen to take the afternoon slot, a welcome change after six years
of early rising.
“It worked out perfectly; Evan is a night
person – he was getting tired of waking up so
early – and we can’t stay up late,” Scott said.
The first show will feature Luck, Scott and
Flaum together. After that, Luck moves to
the evening slot, from 5 to 7 p.m., where he’ll
pick up more live broadcasts from the
A
Chelcey Adami | Tico Times
New Love, New Show: Radio DJs Dave “the Dude” Scott and Margie Flaum, recently married, will air their new show,
“Buenos Días, Costa Rica,” on Radio Dos for the first time this Valentine’s Day.
beaches, and restaurants and bars in the San
José area.
“I’m excited, too. It’ll give us all a chance
to try something new,” Luck said.
Together, the three will practically
monopolize English-language radio in
Costa Rica, providing listeners with good
tunes and entertainment that many, Ticos
and foreigners alike, have come to take for
granted. Better still, their show will now be
broadcast throughout the country – not just
in the Central Valley as before – and even
around the world through live-streaming
Internet radio.
“We get an amazing mix of people who
listen to our radio show. A lot of Ticos listen
to learn English. It’s great. I love the mix,”
said Scott, who has never considered his
work on the radio a “job.”
“Music is our life,” Scott said. “Some people go to work, and do a job their whole lives
and don’t like it. I think it’s so important to
have a job you love, like we do.”
The duo’s new show will air at the same
time as Scott’s old one, and both confess it
will be nice to have some company when the
alarm sings at their home in the western suburb of Escazú.
“It can be lonely that early in the morning,
headed to work,” Flaum said. “Now we’ll
have company.”
Listeners will be able to enjoy the good
company, too.
INSIDE
Alajuela Boasts New
Municipal Theater
Arenal Residents Live
With Active Volcano
Taste of the Tropics:
Pejibaye and Palmito
Director David King
Returns to LTG
Page W7
Page W8
Page W10
Page W16
W2 | WEEKEND | THE TICO TIMES – February 9, 2007
COMMUNITY
Tamarindo Talk
The first Tamarindo town meeting, hosted by the Tamarindo Improvement Association, drew a large, mixed group of community members to Hotel Pasatiempo. At the
microphone, association vice-president
Sandi May and director Jessica Del Rossi
bilingually outlined the six areas of focus on
which the previous administration had
commenced work. The crowd was then
guided toward various tables representing
the new committees, taking up the mantle
of the tasks at hand for the entire area of
Tamarindo, including Villarreal, Santa Rosa,
a portion of San José de Pinilla, Hernández,
Cañafístula, Linderos, Cebadilla and more.
These groups included: 1) enforcement of
Costa Rican laws in the Tamarindo area,
headed by Brock Menking, Francisco
Saborio and Walter Hoevel; 2) work to pass
a plan regulador for sustainable development that also includes clarification of the
Green Zones and Adopt-a-Park programs,
headed by Sandi, Janet Raftis and Jerry
Smith; 3) Blue Flag program, headed by
association president Jorge Calvo, which
encompasses the Tamarindo Lifeguards and
anything to do with the beaches; 4) blackwater treatment plans, headed by Bernal
Navarro for Active Citizens for Tamarindo
(ACT), Griet Depypere and José Sandoval;
5) crime prevention and security, headed by
Grant McLean; and 6) infrastructure issues
including roads and parking concerns,
headed by ACT.
Monthly meetings were set for the first
Friday of every month; one took place last
week at Las Baulas, and the next is set for
March 2, once again at 4 p.m. at Hotel Pasatiempo. Everyone is invited to attend and
participate. For more information, e-mail
the association’s board of directors at
[email protected].
Banco Improsa, in partnership with
Centro de Negocios Costa Rica, has opened
an office in the Tamarindo Business Center,
next to Azul Profundo on the main road of
town. Most significantly, the group is offering financing and loans to foreigners, which
may be used
to buy homes
or for construction and
development.
This is a significant new
opportunity
right here in
town. For
more info, call
653-2039 or
653-2041.
Denis Herzog,
owner of
B-day Boy: Denis HerHigh Tide
zog and daughter Gaelle. Adventures,
had a great
birthday party aboard the catamaran
Marina del Rey, where he celebrated with
his children, Luca and Gaelle, and guests,
including the 80-foot boat’s new hostess
Olivia Rich, Nicholas Petry, Nicole Loría,
John Brown, Philine Nugteren, Andrés
Marín, Alex Orias and many others.
Alex will be DJing on that same boat Feb.
17, for the Maximal Crossfade Summer
Tour 2007. He’s on a bill with his usual
partner, Spain’s De Sostoa, opening for
highly recognized DJs from Cancún Robbie
+ Barrack. There are two other DJs as well.
For more information, call 653-0114.
New yoga outfit Voice of Environmental
Change (VOEC), at Suite 5, Galleria del
Mar, is hosting a “green community forum”
tomorrow. The idea is to teach participants
how to become involved in environmental
programs and initiatives that will help
Tamarindo become a healthier and more
sustainable community.
The program, jointly hosted by the
Barracuda Art Gallery, also in Galleria Del
Mar, begins at 5:30 p.m. with music, circus
acts, food, drinks and meditation.
Meanwhile, pick up a yoga schedule at
VOEC, which offers more than 24 classes a
week, including hatha, anusara, ashtanga,
flow, iyengar, sivananda and restorative
yoga, as well as yoga for tots, kids, kinder
and “Mommy and Me.” For info, call 6530852 or visit www.VOECretreats.com.
Debbie Turner, who publishes The Shop
and The Menu magazines, let me know that
I missed out on announcing the opening of
the big appliance store Importadora Monge
at Villarreal Construcenter. A grand opening was held Feb. 2, including fireworks,
dancers and live models.
Happy birthday to Suzy Lawson and
Sarah Pfeiffer on Jan. 31, Brooks Wilson
on Feb. 5 and Francesco Sassi today.
–Ellen Zoe Golden
[email protected]
Flamingo/Potrero News
Welcome back, Max Chellimi! Max is the
son of Melissa and Richard Chellimi of
Potrero/Surfside, and has returned to
Country Day School to finish out his high
school education after taking a break and
going to San Clemente High School in
southern California for one quarter. Max
flourished there, taking honor classes and
academic prep classes. He was also selected
to be a player on the school’s basketball
team. After he completes his schooling here
in Guanacaste, Max plans to return to the
United States to continue with college plans.
The Santa Cruz district recently held its
weeklong National Folkloric Festival, which
included bull-riding competitions, dancing,
live music and a tope (horse parade). This
year, several residents from the Potrero area
participated in the parade, including Laurie
and Dennis Schmeidge, owners of Surfside
Properties, Don Burrows, a part-time
Surfside resident from Canada, and Wendy
and Wes Johnson and Doug and Barb
Sawatsky, visitors from Canada. Kaye
Dodge of Finca Casagua and her husband
Esteban were the instigators in getting local
riders to participate among about 1,200 riders. It must have been an amazing experience to be in the midst of all those riders
and gorgeous horses.
CONNECTION
If you are looking for native Costa Rican
souvenirs for family and friends when visiting here in Flamingo, take a few moments
to stop by the Nativo Costa Rica shop on
the second floor of the Flamingo Beach
Hotel. Jose Elkin Gómez from Colombia
has moved here to make a better life for
himself. Check out his handmade wares and
local crafts made of wood, shells and
threads. For more information, call 6544410, extension 3147, or 815-1252.
A new 2007 telephone directory is now
available for the Tamarindo (primarily),
Flamingo, Potrero, Playa Grande, Playa
Negra and surrounding areas. It is a highquality, professionally photographed and
bound book that is great for your home or
office. It includes important and emergency
phone numbers, small local maps of the
beaches, business advertisements and of
course many residential and business numbers. To have your name or business included for next year’s edition or to get a copy, email [email protected].
The Playa Flamingo Improvement Association held a general assembly meeting Jan.
27 to report an update of the past year’s
events. Rene Bount, treasurer, and Chantal
Willemse, fiscal, have stepped down from
their positions, and a midterm election was
held for their replacements. Eugenio Vargas
is now the new fiscal and Bill Brady the
new treasurer. Craig Macklin was voted in
as the new vocal to replace Bill Brady.
–Babe Hopkins
[email protected]
Arenal Report
Citizen activism has put the brakes on
the imposing new U.S.-style, multi-store
gas station at the Cañas highway’s entrance
to Tilarán, putting it out of business before
gas ever filled its underground tanks, but
not before approximately $900,000 had
been invested by Tilarán businessman
Carlos Adrián “Cayenne” Vargas. Tico residents of the neighborhood atop the hill
behind the gas station objected to the location of the station and found that permits
had not been obtained for the construction. Since the construction had been
going on for months in this prominent
location, we wonder why the municipal
authorities did not act on their own to
check the permitting.
Gringo residents who continue to question the permitting and practices of Lake
Arenal developers have had some success.
Work on forest trails for hiking and horseback riding has been suspended at one of
the larger developments.
Longtime residents James and Tanya
Hayward returned to Tronadora from the
U.S. state of Colorado at the end of January
to complete the sale of their house and its
contents. The Haywards moved back to the
United States to give their two sons, homeschooled here for several years, the typical
North American high school experience.
Meanwhile, the Arenal Country Club,
where the Haywards used to play tennis, is
reportedly on the block again and may have
found a buyer. Remaining tennis players
hope the courts – and perhaps the swimming pool and fitness room – will be open
again before long.
The Hotel Tilawa’s biggest art show yet is
just five days away. On Valentine’s Day, local
artists will be joined by artists from San José
in exhibiting and selling their paintings,
ceramics, sculptures and jewelry. The show
opens at 2 p.m. Meanwhile, the hotel’s tennis court, swimming pool, spa and bar will
be open to residents as usual on
Wednesdays.
–Alex Murray
[email protected]
Notes from Puerto Viejo
De Talamanca
Beto Torres of Legalize Surf School in
Puerto Viejo is organizing the Legalize It
Surf Tournament for Feb. 17 and 18. This is
an annual event to promote surfing on the
Caribbean coast. For info, contact Beto at
885-9688 or [email protected].
–Wendy Strebe
[email protected]
Manuel Antonio/
Quepos Tidings
Good news! Banco Nacional in Quepos is
now open Saturdays for teller transactions
from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Congratulations to chef Cristian López,
who has worked as a chef in Manuel Antonio for many years. He has just opened up
his own restaurant in Playa Matapalo called
Restaurante Vista del Mar, in front of the
plaza de deportes with an ocean view. Karen
Alpízar and family will also be working in
the restaurant. If you want to take a break
from Manuel Antonio and Quepos, take a
drive to Matapalo and have a great meal at
Restaurante Vista del Mar. For more information, call 787-5122 or 390-9541.
We recently received the current edition
of Explore Costa Rica, and it is beautiful.
Harry Pariser is the author. Featuring
extensive and thorough coverage of our
area, the 648-page guide features numerous
color photos, maps, charts, a bus guide,
Spanish vocabulary and many useful tips.
You can order it from any bookstore or
directly from the publisher. Or, you can
order it with a credit card from SCB
Distributors at (800) 729-6423, or go to
www.ecocostarica.com.
Happy Valentine’s Day to all! On Feb. 14,
Gaia Hotel and Reserve will be hosting a
seven-course Prix Fix Dinner accompanied
by classical music trio Tonos Finos. Guests
are encouraged to reserve early, as the
evening is expected to sell out. Call 7779797 for reservations.
Rainmaker is now offering night tours to
see reptiles and amphibians with a naturalist guide. For information, call 777-3565.
–Jennifer Rice
[email protected]
& Anita Myketuk
[email protected]
Community Connection welcomes reports from readers about happenings in their area of Costa Rica. Those interested in submitting reports can contact Weekend Editor Meg Yamamoto
at [email protected]. We are also accepting photos of events or local happenings from readers. Please e-mail inquiries.
THE TICO TIMES – February 9, 2007 | WEEKEND | W3
Singer Johnny Dread Tours C.R.
Special to The Tico Times
t first glance, the K-9 municipal police
circling through the young Tico
crowd at Bar Roots in the eastern San
José suburb of San Pedro seemed like an
inevitable profiling prelude to the Johnny
Dread concert scheduled that night. But soon
after, the packed house began filing slowly
out of the bar as a resigned-looking doorman
peeled refunds off a thick stack of colones.
Big police raids may be great for TV, but
reggae concerts? Not so much.
“I think it’s the music – they don’t understand what it is,” said the Miami-based singer
in a telephone interview a few days after the
cancelled show. “Sure, there might be a little
marijuana, but it’s clean … It didn’t have to
be an underage drinker – five (police) cars
with dogs showed up – something was going
to happen.”
Yet, true to his laid-back Rasta roots,
A
Upcoming Concerts
Feb. 9: Salon Monrio, Turrialba (Caribbean slope)
Feb. 15: Bar Babylon, Tamarindo (Guanacaste)
Feb. 17: Lizard Lounge, Playas del Coco
(Guanacaste)
Feb. 18: Monteverde Amphitheater (north-central
region)
Feb. 20: El Observatorio, San José
Feb. 24: Rippers, Playa Hermosa (Central Pacific)
Feb. 25: Afternoon show at Roca Verde, Dominical
(Southern Zone)
Schedule subject to change.
65 Days for Building Peace:
10th Season for Nonviolence
For the 10th year, Costa Rica will celebrate the World Season for Nonviolence, a
universal observance of peace actions and
thought. The season began Jan. 30 and will
last through April 4, spanning the anniversaries of the deaths of Mahatma Gandhi
and Martin Luther King, Jr., both leading
advocates of nonviolence to achieve social
change.
Building a culture of peace is this year’s
theme. The season focuses on peace activities, which can be organized programs or
individual actions, and can be public
events or personal means of achieving
Dread is taking this inauspicious kickoff to
his Costa Rica tour in stride.
“We’re now starting Round 2 – Revenge of
the Dread,” he said with a laugh, referring to
the remaining dates on the tour, but quickly
added, “No, there must have been a reason
we weren’t supposed to play.”
Dread is no stranger to Costa Rica and the
stumbling blocks it poses for touring musicians. But since 2001, when he first performed
at a major concert as part of the oil-drilling
protests in the southern Caribbean beach
town of Puerto Viejo, he has pulled together a
grassroots system that – for the most part –
works. A local band, built up from previous
visits to the country and featuring talent from
groups such as Mekatelyu and Bamaselo
Reggae, backs up his Caribbean, Afro-Cuban
and rock-influenced sounds.
“If you’re here to score big, this (reggae
music) is not it,” he said. “It’s more about
bringing the vibe.”
The former college basketball star and
hotel management student’s musical career
includes a stint with Anthony Booker (Bob
Marley’s stepbrother), Ras Bagga and other
well-known reggae musicians. As Copacetic,
the group recorded “Ghetto Rock,” which
reached number seven on the Billboard
Reggae Charts in 1990. The following year,
Dread struck out solo.
With nods to The Beatles, Bob Dylan, The
Police and Bob Marley, Dread is largely
about consciousness-raising lyrics. But he
says playing in non-English-speaking countries is never a problem – the message truly
becomes the medium.
“We connect with the heart,” he said.
“(Costa Rica) is a humble land, with no real
strife … it’s a cool little place I like to come to.”
Born Juan Carlos Guardiola to Cuban
peace through meditation, prayer or discussion groups.
Activities should be designed to promote
and strengthen good values and attitudes
such as respect for life and human dignity,
justice, solidarity and tolerance within the
family, the community, the country or the
world. Everyone is invited to take some
action for a nonviolent future.
Various studies show that violence is the
foundation for the biggest problems in the
world, according to a statement by Dulce
Umanzor, coordinator of this year’s season.
“Here in Costa Rica, the usual solution
given is more police and stiffer sentences,
which are repressive answers to violence,”
she said. “Yet much of the blame for a violent society is laid to a loss of values, and
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Bringing the Reggae: Singer Johnny
Dread will be touring around the
country through February.
parents in the United States, the singer’s confident Spanish doubtlessly also goes a long
way toward keeping up the onstage banter in
Latino countries – and he has a lot to say.
Dread does not expect any more showstopping glitches, and will be performing at
several venues around the country this
month (see box). For information about his
music, go to www.johnnydreadmusic.com.
For concert info, call 863-0395.
(506) 262-26-28
TOTALLY RENEWED!
We have apartments
with monthly rates
It is a colonial house
with 12 rooms, each
with private bathroom
and solar hot water, and
cable TV •Green areas
to rest •Free Parking Lot
Heredia, from the Post office 200 mts. north, 200 mts
west and 50 mts. north. Tel: (506) 260-5649
the solution is in recuperating our values.”
For this reason, the aim of the season’s
activities is to create an awareness of the
principals and practices of nonviolence as a
way of recuperating values and reducing
violence. Participating groups include government, religious, volunteer and nonaligned organizations and people.
The World Season for Nonviolence is an
initiative of the United Nations. In Costa
Rica, the season concludes with an awards
ceremony for “builders of peace,” people or
organizations that practice or promote positive values.
To participate or find out more, contact
Umanzor at 258-6133 or temporadano
[email protected].
–Mitzi Stark
200 mts north
of the Post Office
•17 rooms each
with bathroom
•Solar-heated water
•Monthly rates
•Apartments fully
furnished/unfurnished
•Special deal for
retired people
•Cable TV
•Fan
•Parking lot
Tel. (506) 237-30-36
$15 Single $25 Double $30 Triple
Start Your
Day
Informed
International Baptist Church
welcomes you every Sunday
Guachipelín de Escazú, west of Multiplaza
on the north side of the Santa Ana Highway
8:30 am - Worship
9:45 am - Sunday Morning
We offer you kind attention!
Web site: www.hamerica.net
Bible Study.
www.ticotimes.net/daily.htm
For reservations in Hotel América,
Hotel Ceos and Hotel Heredia call:
Tel (506) 260-92-92 Fax:(506) 260-92-93
6170
Church Office: 215-2117
Pastor Paul’s Cell: 365-1005
Read The Tico Times
Daily News page at
7231
8221
11:00 am - Worship
Free bus service in front of
tha Gran Hotel at 9:00 am.
100 mts
north,
100 mts
west of
the Post
Office
✂
By Suzanna Starcevic
IN HEREDIA,
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Seven Day
Star Forecast
Gibson Returns; Crow Visits Uvita
T
By Licda. Ana Luisa Monge Naranjo
The conjunction of the sun and Neptune in
Aquarius suggests a very eventful time for
Aquarians when vitally important decisions
can be made. Libras and Geminis can see the
positive side of events, but some of you may
go through drastic and unpleasant changes,
especially those born Feb. 8-11, May 9-12,
Aug. 9-12 and Nov. 10-14.
ARIES
(March 21 to April 20) Organize your
life to ensure two sources of income, since one
may not be stable. A steadying influence might
be needed to keep up with challenges.
TAURUS
(April 21 to May 21) You may be feeling very practical about money. Don’t let emotions interfere with decisions related to a business partner.
GEMINI
(May 22 to June 21) Patience is not
one of your strengths, but you need it now.
Faulty decisions, perhaps too hastily made, can
result in financial disaster.
CANCER
(June 22 to July 23) Your vivid imagination may be enhanced this week. You can
be very efficient when working with families
and children. Connecting to the past may also
be appealing to you.
LEO
(July 24 to August 23) Your powers of
leadership may be difficult to muster this week.
Employees or co-workers may resent your toohigh expectations. Make adjustments.
Katherine Stanley
he world’s leading bum-bum
shaker passes
up a presidential
meeting, a U.S. rocker soaks up the sun,
and Mad Max plays
with spoons in the
latest edition of Star
Watch:
Mel Gibson, fresh off the December
release of his epic “Apocalypto,” is becoming
a real Costa Rican regular. He visited in
November 2004 to scout movie locations
and again last April, when he stayed at the
Four Seasons in the northwestern province
of Guanacaste and reportedly visited Arenal
Volcano. This time, according to the daily La
Nación, he hung out in the Southern Zone’s
Punta Dominical Jan. 18, chowing down on
fish and drinking a diet soda in La Parcela
restaurant.
The daily reported that although Gibson
was immediately recognized, people hung
back, taking photos from a distance – perhaps intimidated by the story of the antiSemitic tirade he allegedly delivered when
arrested for drunk driving last July – until
two kids approached Gibson for an autograph. When the Australian-born actor and
director gave them a warm welcome, even
teaching them some sort of spoon trick,
other guests and even waiters started asking
for his John Hancock. Where will the Oscarwinner pop up next?
Sheryl Crow visited the Southern Zone as
cancer and former relationship with Tour de
France champion Lance Armstrong – spent
five days at the hotel with a group of friends
who arrived before her. Crow, who traveled
alone, was greeted at the airport by a driver
with a sign bearing a false name she’d
assumed to protect her privacy, Krogulec
said in an e-mail.
Photo courtesy of Paola Sánchez
Hangin’ in the Southern Zone:
Sheryl Crow, right, with Hotel Rancho
Pacífico owners Garrison Krause and
Silvia Jiménez. The singer stayed at the
hotel on a recent visit to Uvita on the
southern Pacific coast.
well last month, staying at the Hotel Rancho
Pacífico in Uvita, according to hotel spokeswoman Hanna Krogulec. The Grammy-winning singer – known for her album “Tuesday
Night Music Club” and hits such as “All I
Wanna Do,” as well as her battle with breast
Next up on the star circuit is U.S.-Puerto
Rican crooner Ricky Martin, who’s scheduled to sing at Saprissa Stadium in Tibás,
north of San José, Feb. 19. Tickets for some
areas, such as the VIP zone, are already sold
out, according to the daily Al Día, and one
fan in particular may want a private audience: President Oscar Arias.
Lina Barrantes of the Arias Foundation
for Peace and Human Progress told the
daily that Arias, who founded the organization with the money from the Nobel
Peace Prize he received in 1987, has known
Martin for some time through collaboration with the singer’s Ricky Martin
Foundation, which works to combat the
trafficking and exploitation of minors. The
President apparently suggested the two
schedule a meeting while Martin is in Costa
Rica.
However, Barrantes said the Ricky Martin
Foundation indicated the singer wouldn’t be
able to make it since he is leaving the country the day after the concert (though concert
producer Evenpro stated that Martin won’t
be leaving until Feb. 22). One thing Martin
will have time for, the daily reported: a preshow massage, one of the requests he made
to organizers.
VIRGO
(August 24 to September 22) Though
your popularity is not at its peak this week,
you’ll get along with others thanks to your
ability to follow instructions. Watch your tendency to carp.
LIBRA
(September 23 to October 23) To offset a feeling of tiredness, look for an environment of beauty and harmony, both physical
and emotional. It will make a big difference.
Lebanese Cuisine
SCORPIO
(October 24 to November 22) You like
to push your limits, but don’t go around making unnecessary messes. Intimate involvement
with a co-worker can bring undesirable results.
Hommus, Falafel,
and a great Lamb.
Enjoy the best Lebanese
food in Costa Rica.
After eating visit our bar.
SAGITTARIUS
(November 23 to December 21) Seeing your decisions bear fruit is crucial for
your personal satisfaction. Participate in an
event in which people profit directly from
your good work.
AQUARIUS
(January 21 to February 18) Despite
your independent tendencies, you may feel a
strong need of companionship this week. Be
generous, but avoid wasting your money on
trendy fripperies.
7306
Specializing in
Middle East and
International
Cuisine
On the way to Irazú Volcano
Best Costa Rican and International food.
• Houmos, Baba Ghanooj Tabule,
Chawarma, Falafel, Lamb chops,
The best baked lamb in town.
Try our great fresh sea bass and enjoy our chef ’s specialties. We have 100 photos and info about the
earthquake of Cartago. SUNDAY BUFFET SERVICE.
PISCES
(February 19 to March 20) Though
you may have two jobs at the same time – one
to survive and another to fulfill your dreams –
you can find a lot of rewards in your job for
survival. Enjoy it.
What others do Well
We do it with Excellence
Reservations 536-6063
[email protected]
300 mts. north from the white
statue of Christ, on the road to
Irazú Volcano.
Open every day from
10 a.m. till 9 p.m.
Breakfast starting 9 a.m.
Fri.-Sat 10 a.m. 11 p.m. SHOWS!!
www.restaurante1910.com
5083
S
AY
ID USIC
R
F M EST
E B
LIVTHE EF
& F CH ’S
O CK E
JA SIN
I
CU
7135
Ana Luisa Monge is an astrologer member of the
International Society for Astrological Research.
For appointments, call 203-3439 or e-mail
[email protected].
Thursdays: Belly Dance 9 pm.
5001
Paseo Colón in front of
Mercedes-Benz.
Tel: 257-6071
7791
CAPRICORN
(December 22 to January 20) Failure
to see immediate results can undermine your
self-confidence. Keep steadily climbing the
ladder to success, but don’t try to scale several
rungs at once.
Visit us in
Panamá too.
(507) 225-7844
Open Tuesday to Saturday from
11 a.m. to 3 p.m. 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
In Sabana Norte, from Rosti Pollos,
200 mts. North in front of Casa España.
Tel: 296-9622 • 384-2710
8010
Leather Worker Produces Fine Goods in Atenas
Bernard Giossi, a Swiss fashion designer,
who asked her to make the accessories for his
next showing. Until the successful show in
Geneva in 1984, Barrette had been selftaught. While working with different kinds
of materials, she discovered the potential of
leather and wanted to make a living out of it.
She decided to go back to Canada to learn
the craft at Centre des Metiers du Cuir de
Montréal, a leatherworking center in the
province of Quebec.
Barrette, who later taught at the center for
six years, continued to work for the fashion
industry. She set up her own workshop in
Montreal and took part in exhibitions and
competitions.
“To me, working with leather is like building something,” the craftswoman says. “It
allows me to play with materials and colors.”
After going back and forth between
Canada and Costa Rica for 10 years, Barrette
and her husband, Andrés Studer, a Swiss
painter and designer, decided to settle in
Atenas permanently (TT, Feb. 10, 2006). The
couple’s latest joint project is entitled
“Molusco” (“Mollusk”), a three-dimensional
sitting object designed by Studer and manufactured by Barrette, who is currently developing the prototype.
“‘Mollusk’ first appeared in one of my
husband’s paintings,” Barrette says. “It can
be used as a chair, stool or sculpture. There
are many ways to move it, and you can still
sit on it. We’re using our ‘Mollusks’ every day
to relax, read or watch TV.”
For more information about Barrette’s fine
leather goods, or to place an order, contact
the leather worker at [email protected].
By Gaby Kyriss
rom buffalo to ostrich and snake, there
is no type of leather with which
Canadian native Guylaine Barrette has
not worked in the past 20 years.
Based in Atenas, a coffee town northwest of
San José, the certified leather worker and
teacher designs and creates fine handmade
leather goods. Barrette manufactures everything from stylish totes, handy backpacks and
elegant belts to sophisticated briefcases, useful accessories, purses, wallets and colorful
leather bindings. Inspired by the Bauhaus
and art nouveau styles, her customized products exude her dedication to the highest quality standards and her passion for the craft.
“Leather is luxurious, precious and noble.
It is the skin of an animal, a demanding
material that ages with style. To make something of good quality, you have to have a lot
of experience, and you need to know your
craft well,” says the vivacious 47-year-old,
who markets her products under the pseudonym Gya Barra.
Humans have used leather for thousands
of years as an important material with unlimited possibilities. It is a renewable resource,
created through the tanning of animal hides,
pelts or skins. The best-quality leathers are
gained from the uppermost layer of the hide
or skin, where the hair of the animal was.
“Calfskin is my favorite because it is flexible and young, providing the pieces with a
perfect look,” Barrette says.
For leather care in the tropics, she recommends keeping the pieces in a ventilated
F
Gaby Kyriss | Tico Times
place, checking them regularly. Leather
should be stored away from heat, and not
needlessly exposed to sunlight. Mold must
be removed with a slightly damp cloth. If
desired, leather cream can be used once or
twice a year.
Barrette began her career as a craftswoman at the age of 19. The handmade cloth
bag she had given her sister for Christmas
was such a success that she began to produce
handcrafted items for family and friends.
She started selling her products and experimenting with all kinds of handicrafts, from
batik to ceramics.
On a trip to Europe, the avid traveler met
Exportable Orchids
Ask for your export permit
Species Flask
Exportable
Ecological
Carefree
Get them at the
best souvenir stores
costaricanorchids.com
[email protected]
THE LITTLE THEATRE GROUP
Dreaming of Bamboo
Blanche Brown Theatre, Escazú
Custom Designs by Brian Erickson
8223
8068
Located in Plaza Itskatzu, below Hooters
Phone 289-9860 * San Rafael, Escazu
Locales 129, 130
Visit us for a free tour
or call for hotel delivery
Meets USDA requierments
Tel:232-14-66
Cel:305-55-23
Presents
Strawberries in
January
A ROMANTIC COMEDY
Feb. 23-March 11
7:30 p.m., Fri. & Sat.
2:30 p.m., Sun.
CALL: 355-1623
ONLINE RESERVATION
www.littletheatregroup.org
15009
Exotic Bamboo plants also
Tel. 710-1958
7959
Guest Director David Allan King
7885
8355
2 international chefs making fusion fare,
who have a nice extensive wine menu
and a passion for making people happy.
Join us for lunch & dinner. We also
have nice tapas, desserts and
aperitifs. Or just lounge out with
our full bar and cocktail menu.
Mention this ad and get a free
glass of wine.
We also offer catering services.
Photo courtesy of Guylaine Barrette
Photo courtesy of Guylaine Barrette
Working with Leather: Based in
Atenas, French Canadian Guylaine
Barrette, shown at left using a leather
finishing tool, produces handmade
leather goods such as the red calfskin
bag with crocodile button and Bauhaus leather and wood bag above.
Two’s Company: Where to Celebrate Valentine’s Day
By Tyler Pearce
Tico Times Staff
o just who started Valentine’s Day? And
exactly when did it start? A few different
legends try to explain it. St. Valentine
may have been one of several different figures, most of whom were martyrs. The bottom line is that no one really seems to be
sure exactly who deserves the credit.
While the history of this special day may
be cloudy, what seems to work for many to
woo their lovers is pretty clear: chocolates,
flowers and dinner for two. This recipe has
been followed by couples of all ages across
the globe. Here are some suggestions to keep
the recipe fresh.
White House hotel, restaurant, casino and
spa will be staging an elegant Valentine’s Day
affair with a view, at its location in the hills of
San Antonio de Escazú, west of San José.
Though specifics were not available at press
time, The Capitol Grill restaurant will be
offering a choice of three menus, “Valentine’s,”“Passion” and “Love.” For info or reservations, call 288-6362. For more about the
hotel, visit www.whitehousecostarica.com.
Down in Bello Horizonte de Escazú, Big
Mike’s has prepared an impressive menu to
dazzle your loved one on Feb. 14. Owner
Michael Forbes says Valentine’s dinner will
include an appetizer, salad, entrée, dessert
and a glass of house wine for about ¢12,000
($23) per person. Lovers can choose from
filet mignon à la béarnaise, salmon fillet with
shrimp filling, sautéed rainbow trout
almondine, shish kabob with rice pilaf or
skewered jumbo shrimp with bourbon
molasses. Call 289-6087 to reserve. For more
about Big Mike’s restaurant, cooking classes
and other culinary adventures, visit www.
S
Maisie Crow | Tico Times
Vicky Longland | Tico Times
Restaurants for Romance: Clockwise from above, Olio restaurant in Barrio
Escalante; Heredia’s Baalbeck; The Capitol Grill at White House hotel in Escazú;
and Park Café in Sabana Norte.
culinaryadventurescostarica.com.
Also in Escazú, Sebastian restaurant will
be offering its regular international menu,
including dishes such as tenderloin with
cilantro sauce (¢6,200/$12), pasta in a black
squid sauce (¢4,800/$9), and pasta in white
wine sauce with cayenne pepper and shrimp
(¢5,500/$11), accompanied by a string and
percussion duo that will entertain diners at
their tables. To reserve, call 289-8208.
For romance in the hills of Heredia, Baalbeck restaurant will be offering some deli-
Blooms and Sweets
Flowers and chocolates are, of
course, standard tokens of love on
Valentine’s Day. Here’s an abbreviated list of options:
Biosfera Flores y Más in the
western suburb of Escazú (2896529) offers roses by the dozen in
red, white and pink, as well as varied floral arrangements. A dozen
roses wrapped in paper and tied
with ribbon run ¢6,500 ($12.50).
The shop also offers greeting cards
and other small gifts.
Floristería Embrujos (2286365) in Escazú features a large
selection of roses as well. You can
choose from red, white or pink varieties, as well as other bouquets of flowers. A dozen red roses sells for ¢12,000
($23). Delivery is available at an additional cost.
Flor de Oro in the eastern suburb of Curridabat (280-0810) offers a dozen roses wrapped with a ribbon for
¢10,000 ($19), as well as a selection of varied arrangements starting at ¢8,000 ($15). If you’d like chocolates or
a bottle of wine to accompany your flowers, Flor de Oro will pick these up for you and deliver them, for an additional cost. Florist Julieta León recommends you place your order at least one to three days ahead of time to guarantee delivery.
La Gardenia, with locations in San José (223-3232) and the eastern suburb of San Pedro (224-4527), offers
plenty of rose and varied floral arrangements. A vase of a dozen roses runs ¢12,000 ($23) and a rose bunch with
fruit costs ¢15,000 ($29). You can view floral arrangements online at www.lagardeniacr.com.
Floristería Marvin has four locations in the Central Valley: Paseo Colón, downtown San José (256-1056); the
northeastern suburb of Moravia (240-4150); Curridabat (272-9098); and Heredia (237-5011). A dozen roses costs
¢10,000-12,000 ($19-23); delivery is extra.
Another floral option is to visit www.flowersdelmundo.com. With Flowers of the World, you can choose from
many floral arrangements, as well as cakes and chocolates, and have them sent anywhere around the globe. This
is a great option for those in long-distance love.
The site www.chocolatesdelmundo.com specializes in gourmet chocolates by Giacomín chocolate factory in
Escazú. An assortment box including milk and dark chocolate, macadamia nut, marzipan, caramel and praline goes
for about $24. For something with a little more kick, try the liqueur box of truffles filled with whiskey, rum,
Cointreau or cognac, for $21.
–Tyler Pearce
cious options to strike your fancy. Choose
between three main dishes of Middle Eastern
fare, followed by a dessert choice of either
coconut flan or tres leches. A glass of white or
red wine is included in the fixed meal, which
will cost $26 per person. After dinner, stay
around to enjoy a mix of Caribbean music,
salsa and merengue by Grupo Marfil, starting at 9 p.m. Baalbeck is in Los Angeles de
San Rafael in Heredia. For reservations, call
267-6683.
For a truly unique, ultra-romantic experience, Park Café in the western San José
neighborhood of Sabana Norte is a choice
you won’t forget. With several Michelin
restaurants under his belt, chef Richard Neat
opened Park Café just a few weeks ago to
complement his partner Louise’s existing
antique shop. The open-air dining area surrounds a courtyard complete with tinkling
fountain, intimate lighting and a gorgeous
selection of antiques providing elegant decor.
The menu for the evening is a set meal of
five tapas, including soup of leek with ham,
ravioli of mushrooms with asparagus, tataki
of tuna with aubergine puree, brochette of
shrimp with a Thai mango salad and millefeuille of chicken and bacon with guacamole. A sampling of five exquisite dessert
items follows, lined on a long platter for an
intimate, shared dessert experience. The cost
for this set meal is ¢15,000 ($29) per person.
To reserve, call 290-6324.
In nearby Sabana Sur, popular Spanish
restaurant Casa Luisa will be featuring two
guitarists playing romantic music and trova
to serenade lovers while they dine, as well as
complimentary champagne. The restaurant’s
menu includes Spanish paella and exotic
items such as rabbit, lamb and tepezcuintle
(paca). For reservations, call 296-1917.
The Aurola Holiday Inn in downtown
San José will be offering a fixed menu
including appetizers, main dish and dessert.
Start with canapé mushrooms with an avocado dip, follow with a fresh caprese salad,
and then choose between fish Florentine or
pork loin for your entrée. A single-servingsize bottle of red or white wine is included in
the meal, which will cost ¢7,000 ($13) per
person. To turn up the charm, each party
will be given a complimentary rose. For
information or reservations, call 523-1000.
Photo courtesy of White House
Photo courtesy of Park Café
In eastern San José’s trendy Barrio Escalante, Mediterranean restaurant Olio has its
own special Valentine’s night prepared. For
starters, diners can choose between cream of
pumpkin soup or salad with smoked
salmon, followed by an entrée of fish fillet
with seafood salsa, chicken Florentine, steak
in Cajun sauce or vegetarian pasta with
tomato and olives. For dessert, lovers may
choose between almond cassata and passionfruit mousse. To add some romance to the
air, a jazz saxophonist will play throughout
the evening. The set menu is priced at ¢7,500
($14). For info, call 838-8266.
If all you have is a sweet tooth, Mara’s
Pastelería, in downtown San José’s court
district, offers a sinful selection of homemade cakes and pies for ¢9,000 ($17) each.
As a Valentine’s Day special, Mara’s will be
offering specialty cakes with a personal message of your choice to show your love. For
information, call 221-5930.
If you’re looking for something different
to enjoy with your partner, Broadway
Beauty in Escazú offers a couple’s massage
with aromatherapy for ¢35,000 ($67) per
person. Guys can be treated to a little more
sugar with a chocolate facial lasting one hour
and women are offered a collagen or vitamin
C facial for ¢25,000 ($48) each. Or go deluxe
with the spa’s third option of full-body exfoliation, massage, manicure and pedicure for
¢65,500 ($126) per person. Appointments
can be made at 282-0232.
New Municipal Theater Sets Stage in Alajuela
hough Alajuela is the second largest
city in Costa Rica, it has never been a
serious theater town. A few theater
workshops or troupes and some short-lived
theater groups have made the circuit sporadically, but now, with a permanent theater resurrected by the municipality, a permanent dramatist directing and two theater
groups waiting in the wings, the city northwest of San José is ready for the shows to
begin.
Directing this new era for Alajuela is playwright Jorge Arroyo, an alajuelense whose
plays and books have won national and
international awards and whose ambitious
work, “Tertulia de los Espantos,” opened the
theater’s premier season.
Situated in the center of town, one block
from the Central Park and facing Juan
Santamaría Plaza, the theater was built in
1956 to replace an earlier theater and ballroom built on the site in the early 1900s that
once housed plays, orchestras and balls
from the glamorous art deco period. But for
most of the past 50 years the building has
been idle and boarded up, used occasionally for programs or as dressing rooms for
street activities.
Now totally refurbished and dressed up as
part of the civic program Alajuela 2010, the
building has been restructured to meet
modern building codes and to provide comfortable seating and elegant lobbies for theater patrons – 21st-century elegance with a
19th-century touch. A European-style café
will soon enhance theater evenings.
T
During last week’s grand opening for an
invitation-only audience, the theater’s
lights went on for the first performance of
“Tertulia de los Espantos” (“Gathering of
Ghosts”), an original drama that brings
together the legends and lore, much of it
scary, of each of the provinces of Costa
Rica. This gathering of the cart without
oxen, the headless priest, El Cadejos (the
man turned dog) and other spirits that
haunt Tico lore makes up a multifaceted
work tied together with narration and marionettes. Featured are 29 actors from two
drama groups, Teatro Carpe Diem, directed
by Marcos Araya, and Grupo Sombrero
Rojo, led by Rodolfo Oreamuno.
One of the stars on opening night, Jan.
30, was President Oscar Arias, who praised
the city of Alajuela for its vision in recuperating not only the building but also the
Costa Rican “culture and history formed
by our ancestors,” adding that this may spur
the recuperation of a dispersed and isolated society by encouraging people to
come together in town centers to enjoy
their culture.
Regular performances of “Tertulia” begin
at 7:30 p.m. Friday to Sunday through next
weekend. Admission is ¢2,000 ($3.80),
¢1,500 ($2.90) for students with school ID
and ¢1,000 ($1.90) for older adults. Tickets
are available at the ticket booth from 4 to 7
p.m. on performance days. Advance reservations may be made by calling 436-2362.
Matinee children’s programs and “Golden
Wednesday” performances for senior citizens are scheduled for later in the season.
Future programs will feature local, national
and international artists.
A Permanent Home for Theater in Alajuela: Dramatic lighting enhances a
scene from the opening night of Jorge Arroyo’s “Tertulia de los Espantos,” the
inaugural play at Alajuela’s new municipal theater.
8214
By Mitzi Stark
EXPLORING
COSTA RICA
Arenal Residents Live in Harmony with Active Volcano Arenal Area Resident
Recalls 1968 Eruption
By Kate Roff
By Kate Roff
estled at the base of one of the
world’s most active volcanoes, in the
north-central region of Costa Rica,
lies the aptly named town of La Fortuna –
“fortune” or “luck,” in English. Arenal Volcano’s violent July 1968 eruption destroyed
three small villages, killed 87 people and
wiped out 232 square kilometers of crops
and livestock, but La Fortuna was spared.
Since then, its 8,000 residents have made
their peace with the consistently active volcano to form a delicate harmony.
Each year, Arenal Volcano National Park
receives approximately 60,000 visitors, and
infrastructure in the area is increasing to
support the constant flow of tourists.
Most La Fortuna residents have become
accustomed to the frequent rumblings of
Arenal Volcano, and have begun to recognize their dependence on the booming
tourism industry drawn by its regular, aweinspiring activity. The volcano has become
the star attraction in a long list of tourist
activities La Fortuna has to offer, including
hot springs, horseback riding and adventure
tours ranging from zipline canopy tours to
white-water rafting.
N
Not Scared
Since the tragic deaths of an 8-year-old
U.S. tourist and a Costa Rican tour guide
after an August 2000 eruption (TT, Aug. 25,
2000), and the resulting risk-area zoning
established around Arenal Volcano by the
National Emergencies Commission (TT, Feb.
23, 2001), tour operators have settled into a
respectful coexistence with the volcano.
Local tour manager Vanessa Willing of
Wave Expeditions said she has lived in La
Fortuna for two years and is not overly concerned about living in the shadow of Arenal.
“I’m not really scared,” she said. “No one
has completely forgotten about the volcano.
They can’t; it’s a part of all our lives, and
most of our work depends on the tourism
received from it.”
She said as long as it stays slowly active, no
one is concerned.
“When it goes quiet, that’s when I’ll
n 1968, Jorge Eduardo Solórzano lived
six kilometers from north-central Costa
Rica’s Arenal Volcano, near the town of
La Fortuna, then a basic village that supplied
necessities to area farmers and cattle ranchers. The 10-year-old boy attended fifth grade
at the school in La Fortuna.
“I had to walk a few kilometers every day
to get to school, on a dirt road that formed
part of the forest, which scared me because
wild animals and snakes often crossed
there,” recalled Solórzano, now 49.
Back then, the looming figure of Arenal
Volcano was just another mountain, called
Cerro Arenal, dormant for more than 400
years and thought to be extinct.
According to area residents, some people
even slept in the crater; the fertile land surrounding it was an ideal place to grow crops,
and the crater offered farmers protection
from the elements at night.
Two days before the fateful eruption, residents say, strange warning signs became evident. The temperature of the water in the
river rose, and minor earthquakes began to
shake the town.
Solórzano recalls that he and his family
were terrified of the earthquakes on that
Sunday evening.
“The rumbling noises sounded like airplanes taking off,” he said. “But we thought it
had to do with the severe storms that were
common around that time of year.”
Villagers living near the volcano did not
realize the danger of these signs until it was
far too late.
On the morning of Monday, July 29, 1968,
Solórzano arrived at school, only to be sent
home by an informed teacher who
announced that Cerro Arenal had become a
volcano. Safe on their distant property,
Solórzano and his family watched the volcano explode.
“Nothing could be seen between the colossal roars that sent ash columns tumbling
down; it seemed like a giant, black cauliflower
and the tremors did not stop,” he recalled.
I
Constant Rumbler: North-central Costa Rica’s Arenal Volcano, left, the most active volcano in Central America, is a constantly rumbling presence looming
over the town of La Fortuna, right. Photos by Kate Roff | Tico Times
worry,” she said.
La Fortuna Hotel owner José Soro said the
town almost entirely revolves around tourism.
“Ninety percent of La Fortuna depends
on the tourism industry; the rest is agriculture and dairy farms,” he said. “Most of that
90% are local business owners, which
means the money we produce stays in the
region. This is very important for us and
the country.”
Soro doesn’t feel concerned about living
next to the volcano; on the contrary, he is
excited about the energy it brings to the
town.
“I feel completely comfortable and have
great expectations for La Fortuna,” he said.
Besides adventure tourism, one very successful area of business has been the devel-
opment of hot springs. Using rainwater and
water heated by the magma of the volcano,
hot springs resorts such as Tabacón and
Baldi have become trademarks of the
Arenal experience.
Tabacón Grand Spa Thermal Resort
opened in 1993 and is considered the most
luxurious, and expensive. Since then it has
flourished as a resort, with the tourism
industry pushing it to renovate and expand
over the past few years to include 114 guest
rooms. The resort was recently awarded fivestar status from the Costa Rican Tourism
Institute (ICT).
Active Volcano
Protected within a national park of the
same name, Arenal Volcano erupts approximately every 10 minutes, according to
park guide Oscar Artanla. With a permanent seismic station constantly measuring
tremors and eruptions, residents such as
Artanla are confident that another eruption would not be as devastating as the one
in 1968.
“The volcano is constantly monitored;
that information gets beamed back to stations in Florida (in the United States), where
they have experts looking at the material and
statistics,” Artanla said.
“I think La Fortuna is safe because it’s on
the east side of the volcano,” he added. “I do
think we have to respect the volcano and
take responsibility to make sure all the visitors are safe on the tours in Arenal.”
Despite confidence that a serious eruption
remains unlikely, opinions vary on whether
or not the town is prepared.
Area resident Warner Baltodano said the
city recently executed an evacuation drill
and that he was comfortable with the way
the test evacuations were carried out.
“They got everyone out of the town in a
test run about four months ago. That
worked well,” he said.
However, other residents feel an eruption
could take residents off guard. Willing said
she was not so confident in evacuation
plans. She was not informed of the practice
evacuation and was not aware of many
emergency plans.
“I think if it’s going to blow, then we
wouldn’t have much warning,” she said.
Arenal Volcano
La
ke
Ar
en
al
La
Fortuna
Tilarán
Arenal
Volcano
San
José
N
Pacific
Ocean
W
E
S
Roy Arguedas Arias | Tico Times
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COSMETIC & GENERAL DENTISTRY
You can be a foreigner and legally
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Photo courtesy of Jorge Solórzano
Survivor: La Fortuna resident Jorge
Solórzano remembers Arenal Volcano’s
1968 eruption, which killed 87 people.
According to Arenal park guides, 87 people were killed that day in settlements closer
to the volcano, but La Fortuna was spared.
Solórzano and his family retreated to the
Central Valley coffee town of Palmares,
northwest of San José, for a month before
returning to their property.
The eruption marked a huge change in
the lives of all area residents, Solórzano said.
“Everyone immediately wanted to know
what had happened and why; we were all
uncertain,” he recalled. “But as time passed,
little by little people began to return to the
volcano.”
Now Solórzano agrees that Arenal
Volcano has become a huge tourist attraction that the people of La Fortuna have
learned to use to their advantage.
“I am a commercial retailer and have
devoted my life to tourism,” he said.
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www.nicatimes.net
Friday, February 9, 2007 – Granada, Nicaragua
An 8-Page Publication of The Tico Times
NEWS IN BRIEF
DIVER DOWN
U.S. Denies Supplying
Fighter Jets to Honduras
Photo by Eric Sabo
No Crowds: The remote Corn Islands, off the Atlantic Coast, are a diver’s paradise, offering great underwater
sights without all the people that crowd other Caribbean dive spots.
Story Page 5
Law Student Gets ‘101’ in Libel
By Eric Sabo
Nica Times Staff
MANAGUA – A
recent college graduate from the U.S.
state of Ohio received a crash course
last week in Nicaragua’s strict libel
laws, narrowly avoiding a ruling that would have left the 23year-old writer to defend her reporting
against one of the country’s most powerful
coffee families.
A municipal judge threw out the charges
of slander brought by coffee producer José
Esteban McEwan, but defendant Caroline
Nagy, an aspiring law student who has
worked in Nicaragua for the past year, could
still face additional legal challenges over an
article she wrote last year for an academic
journal in Managua.
The libel suit stems from Nagy’s portrayal of a long-standing and sometimes-violent land dispute on the Santa Emilia
Estates, a sprawling coffee farm owned by
McEwan on the outskirts of Matagalpa.
Calling it a “David-versus-Goliath battle,” Nagy detailed the accusations made by
a former Sandinista soldier, Vicente Padilla,
who alleges that he was roughed up and
kicked off his small plot of land by
McEwan’s armed guards.
The story was published last August in
Envio, an academic journal associated with
the University of Central America (UCA).
Nagy claimed in her article that Padilla’s
land dispute had been “complicated” by
alleged corruption involving McEwan and
local authorities – an accusation denied by
McEwan and his lawyer, Orietta Benavides.
During the Feb. 1 hearing in Managua,
Benavides argued that Nagy had slandered a
respected Nicaraguan family, whose holdings include various coffee brands marketed
in the United States.
“This article was of malicious intent simply to get publicity,” Benavides said.
Benavides requested that the judge hold
Page 2
New Tourism Director Draws Future
By Tim Rogers
Nica Times Staff
MANAGUA
–
Mario Salinas, the
new director of the
Nicaraguan Tourism
Institute (INTUR),
is in the business
of visualizing things
that don’t exist, and
then building them.
That’s his training as an architect educated in Italy, and that’s what he has done for
the past 16 years as the head of a development company that plans, designs and builds
residential and commercial projects in
Nicaragua. His company, Grupo Sooner, has
built or is constructing seven urban development projects in Nicaragua to the tune of
$150 million.
Now, the 63-year-old Salinas, who is a lifelong Sandinista and personal friend of
President Daniel Ortega, is putting his architectural and development background to use
as the head of INTUR.
“As an architect, I have been trained to
imagine things in my head that later
become a reality,” Salinas told The Nica
Times during an interview this week in his
Managua office. “This is the training I
bring to INTUR. This is my machete, as we
say in Nicaragua.”
Salinas, who helped to head construction
of the Sandinista government’s ambitious
$30 million Montelimar tourism complex in
the late 1980s, took over the top seat at
INTUR last month, replacing the young and
energetic Maria Nelly Rivas, who has gone
into the private sector.
Salinas says the change of government
Page 3
MANAGUA – The U.S. Embassy released
a statement Feb. 4 denying allegations by
President Daniel Ortega that the United
States had “approved the renewal of
Honduras’ fleet of fighter jets.”
Ortega, in comments to the local press
Feb. 3, said that it would be “absurd” for
Nicaragua to destroy its remaining SAM-7
shoulder-launch missiles if the United States
was going to rearm Honduras’ Air Force.
The United States said in its statement
that it is not supplying Honduras with any
fighter jets, but acknowledged that the
Honduran government is in the process of
buying eight “Storm Rally” jets from the
United States for the purpose of detecting
drug-trafficking and conducting searchand-rescue missions.
“More than a month ago, the government
of Honduras decided to use funds donated
by the U.S. government to buy eight planes
known as ‘Storm Rally,’ which are small
planes for one or two persons,” the embassy
said in its release.
The embassy stressed that the Strom
Rally jets, “don’t have any offensive capabilities and have not yet been given to the
Honduran government.”
Historic tensions between Honduras and
Nicaragua were at an all-time high during
the first Ortega government in the 1980s,
when the U.S.-backed Contras trained and
launched attacks against Nicaragua out of
bases along Honduras’ southern border.
Suspicions were again raised last year,
when Honduras announced that it was
building a military base near its disputed
Caribbean border with Nicaragua. The
International Court of Justice at The Hague
is set to rule next month on the HonduranNicaraguan border dispute, filed by
Nicaragua in 1999.
The United States concluded its statement
by again urging Nicaragua to continue with
the process of destroying its SAM-7 missiles,
which the Sandinista government bought in
the 1980s to protect itself from possible air
attacks out of Honduras.
At the behest of former U.S. Secretary of
State Colin Powell in 2005, Nicaragua has
destroyed a majority of its 2,100 stockpiled
missiles, leaving 400 for “national security
purposes.”
Former Defense Minister Avil Ramírez
told The Nica Times last year that the SAM7s could be used only against helicopters or
other slower-flying aircraft, but not fighter
jets.
The United States is worried the missiles
will fall into terrorist hands and be used to
down a commercial airliner.
–Nica Times
Inside
2 | NEWS | THE NICA TIMES – February 9, 2007
Libel Law Protects ‘Honor’ of Offended
Page 1
Nagy on a 5,000-córdoba ($278) bond and
restrict her from traveling outside of
Nicaragua until another trial date was set.
The judge, however, dismissed the case and
said that Nagy is free to return home at any
point. Benavides said her client could still
pursue the case if he chooses.
“This was just a preliminary hearing,” she
told The Nica Times. “We can return and
present the charges again.”
Living with Libel
The libel accusation has left an unusual
legal cloud over Nagy, who had to list the
pending charges on her recent law-school
applications to Georgetown and Harvard.
Nagy said that the whole Padilla story has
become a serious “detour” from her work at
the Casa Ben Linder in Managua, where she
helps bring together other activists to network on various social causes.
“Honestly, I’d be happy if I never talked
about this case again,” she said.
Nicaragua’s libel laws can bring stiff
penalties to anyone who damages a person’s
reputation, especially if it involves a domestic or private matter. The truth of the allegations, lawyers explain, is less important than
the perceived damage that is inflicted upon
the person suing for libel.
“In Nicaragua, it’s all about protecting
someone’s reputation or honor,” said
Almicar Navarro, a lawyer with the Managua
Day in Court:
Caroline Nagy
(left), who plans
to attend law
school in the
United States,
confers with her
attorney outside
a Managua
courtroom.
Eric Sabo | Nica Times
firm Garcia & Bodan.
Judy Butler, one of the editors of Envio,
said that this is the first time her magazine
has been sued for libel. She said that Nagy’s
story was different from the usual articles
that run in the now two-and a-half-decade
old publication, which is geared toward academic articles with a leftist bent.
“We don’t do much street journalism,”
Butler said.
But the editor said she became convinced
about running the story after Nagy spent two
months in Matagalpa, where the young
reporter poured over court documents and
interviewed eye witnesses who were quoted
as backing Padilla’s claims.
“This was the most thoroughly researched
article we have ever published,” Butler said.
According to Nagy, the Santa Emilia
Estates had been confiscated by the revolutionary Sandinista government in the 1980s
and then given to a series of cooperatives
after President Violeta Chamorro was elected
in 1990. A McEwan family member was
allegedly compensated $1 million for the
confiscated land in 1994, according to the
article.
Yet José Esteban McEwan was “unwilling
to see the family estate remain in the hands
of mere peasants,” Nagy wrote, and so made
plans to “reacquire it.”
Although Nagy admits that her article
clearly sides with the poor farmer fighting
McEwan, she said that she was careful to shy
away from anything she couldn’t substantiate – Padilla’s land title claims, she wrote, are
“unclear and complicated,” much “like many
things in Nicaragua.”
But Benavides, who complained in court
that Nagy never interviewed her client,
McEwan, says that the article could be
enough to cause serious harm to the family’s
coffee business.
“If a stranger reads this article, how will
they be able to interpret this information?”
she asks. “We can’t calculate the extent of the
damage.”
Private Investors Give Ortega Another Vote of Confidence
MANAGUA – The head of the country’s
main business chamber, COSEP, called on
local businessmen to invest in Nicaragua and
to trust the new government headed by
President Daniel Ortega.
“I tell all businessmen, ‘let’s go, these years
that are coming are very good ones’,” said
COSEP president Erwin Krüger after emerging from a meeting Jan. 31 with Nicaragua
Vice-President Jaime Morales Carazo. “We’re
starting off on a good footing in the government.”
Krüger said that “this government is
opening doors and we want to keep them
open. “We’re the second-poorest country in
Latin America and to be able to get out of
that situation, we have to all agree to push
the cart in the same direction together.”
COSEP groups Nicaragua’s 15 leading
industry chambers and trade associations.
Krüger’s enthusiastic endorsement for the
Ortega government was followed by similar
reinforcement the following day by Mexican
telecom mogul Carlos Slim, considered the
wealthiest businessman in Latin America.
Slim met with Ortega and Nicaragua’s leading business leaders Feb. 1 to announce an
increase in investment here in areas of energy,
telecommunications and infrastructure.
“We have confidence in the country, in its
government, in its business class and in its
economic possibilities,” Slim said.
Slim, a Mexican of Lebanese origin, said
he is interested in geothermal and hydroelectric energy projects here because “they are
the most efficient and abundant sources of
energy Nicaragua has.”
Sealed with a
Handshake:
Mexican
business mogul
Carlos Slim
(left) met with
President Daniel
Ortega last week
to promise more
investment in
Nicaragua.
Mario López | EFE
Along those same lines, Canadian investment group Polaris Geothermal announced
Feb. 1 that it is going to invest another $68
million in Nicaragua to increase energy production to 31 megawatts at its geothermal
plant in León.
Slim, meanwhile, said he is also interested in
Contact Us
Vol. III Nº 107
increasing his telecom investment in Nicaragua, especially in rural and semi-urban areas.
As president of the Mexican business
group Grupo Carso, Slim already owns
Teléfonos de México (Telmex), which indirectly controls the Nicaraguan telephone
companies Enitel and Aló PCS.
Publisher Dery Dyer
General Manager Abby Daniell
Editor Tim Rogers
Reporter Eric Sabo
Circulation Ivette Sánchez
Production Mayra Sojo
Published Every Friday by THE TICO TIMES S.A.
Apdo. 4632-1000, San José, Costa Rica
Phone (506) 258-1558 | Fax (506) 233-6378
Nicaragua address Apdo. 73 Granada
Phone (505) 841-1643
E-mail [email protected]
“When we started in Nicaragua, just a very
short time ago, only three of every 100
Nicaraguans had a cell phone. Now 35 out of
100 have cell phones and we hope to get that
to one of every two Nicaraguans with cell
phones very soon,” Slim said.
–EFE
Advertising Vanessa Marenco
[email protected] Tel. (505) 838-7848
Circulation Nicaragua Ivette Sánchez
[email protected] Tel. (505) 250-1100
Costa Rica Subscriptions [email protected]
www.nicatimes.net
Copyright Convention: unauthorized reproduction in whole or in part is strictly prohibited.
THE NICA TIMES – February 9, 2007 | NEWS | 3
Tourism Director Confident about Future
Page 1
markets, and give special new attention to
promoting the country as a tourism destination within Central America, particularly in
Costa Rica and El Salvador.
does not mean a change in the policy of prioritizing tourism as a principal engine to
power the country’s economy. In fact, he
said, the new government will be working
even harder to strengthen tourism.
“Undoubtedly, the government of President Ortega is clear about the important
role that the tourism sector plays in generating money and jobs,” Salinas said.
Ortega Appeal
Confusion over Law 290
The new tourism director claims that the
recent government restructuring under Law
290, which will pass INTUR from the auspices
of the Ministry of Finance to that of the
Presidency, is a sign that tourism will continue
to be prioritized by the new administration.
“Now we will answer directly to the
Presidency. This gives a clear signal that the
country is giving great value to tourism,” the
new INTUR director said.
Salinas downplayed concerns that the
restructuring under Law 290 will debilitate
INTUR’s ability to spend money on publicity to promote Nicaragua – an element that
is considered crucial to the institute’s ability to sell the country as a tourism destination abroad.
But not everyone at INTUR shares Salinas’
confidence.
The debate and confusion over Law 290,
passed Jan. 24 (NT, Feb. 2), involves a controversial reform that apparently will reallocate some $5.5 million in budget funding
earmarked for government promotion and
publicity for the various ministries and government institutes to the newly created presidential Council of Communication and
Citizenship, headed by First Lady Rosario
Murillo.
Opposition lawmakers claim the measure
is illegal because it will be usurping funds
from the ministries and giving them to a
non-elected office held by Ortega’s wife. And
the national media, much of which survives
on government advertising, argues that the
reform will be a way for the Sandinista
administration to “reward” the loyal media
with large advertising contracts, and “punish” opposition media by starving them of
government advertising revenue.
Murillo claims the measure is about creating a coordinated strategy for government
austerity to prioritize limited funding for
needed social programs.
That’s the line repeated by Salinas, who
doesn’t think the reform will effect
INTUR’s ability to promote Nicaragua as a
Tim Rogers | Nica Times
Visionary: INTUR director Mario Salinas says the first step toward building the
future is to imagine what can be built.
tourism destination.
“INTUR manages its budget and it will
continue to manage it,” Salinas said. “No one
is talking about freezing funds, they are only
talking about coordinating the government’s
message. INTUR will always have its $1.5
million for promotion.”
Others in INTUR say they think the press
office’s budget for national advertising will
now be controlled by the Council of
Communication and Citizenship, but that
the larger budget for foreign promotion,
which is largely generated by separate taxes
and income from outside of the national
budget, will not be affected. But overall, most
people are still confused about the implications of Law 290.
Challenges Ahead
Despite sustained 10%-plus growth over
the past several years, the tourism industry
in Nicaragua, with 773,000 visitors last year
and $239 million in income, still lags behind
that of other Central American countries.
Only Panama and Belize have fewer annual visitors, but Panama’s duty-free shopping
generates close to $1 billion annually in
tourism-related revenue.
Nicaragua also spends a lot less than its
neighbors on international promotion.
INTUR’s budget last year was around $1.2 million, compared to the Honduran Tourism
Institute’s $3 million, Panama’s $5 million,
Costa Rica’s $6 million, El Salvador’s $7 million
and Guatemala’s $9.2 million, according to the
Central American Integration System (SICA).
Salinas said INTUR has to work to bring
more tourists to Nicaragua in the coming
years, and to convince them to stay longer
once they are here. The INTUR director
noted that the average tourist’s stay in
Nicaragua is less than four days, while the
average stay in Costa Rica is 12 days.
Salinas hesitated to speak in terms of specific projects or goals that INTUR has
planned for the next five years, claiming that
the tourism institute is still finalizing a set of
concrete goals and numbers that will be
announced in the near future.
But in general terms, he said, INTUR will
work in these coming years to diversify its
product, improve the quality of attention to
tourists and work to increase the amount of
money tourism generates for the economy
and social spending.
He said INTUR will continue to work to
promote Nicaragua in U.S. and European
Salinas says he thinks Ortega’s return to
power will also have a positive secondary
effect on tourism promotion.
“Ortega is a figure who attracts a lot of
attention; he doesn’t go unnoticed anywhere,
so this assures that Nicaragua will be making
the international news,” Salinas said. “And if
the news out of Nicaragua continues to be
reported in the same positive way it has been
recently, I think it will be positive for us.”
Salinas said that the new Sandinista government has already shown that it is willing
to cooperate with the private sector to build
a better country. And that cooperation
between the government and the private sector is making international headlines –
something that wouldn’t necessarily be news
if one of the other presidential candidates
had won the election last year.
“People are paying attention to what is
happening in Nicaragua,” Salinas said. “The
left wing has returned to power and people
are interested in how the left is managing
development with the private sector. This is
getting people’s attention and getting people
to think about Nicaragua.”
As for Ortega’s relationship with Latin
America’s more radical, anti-U.S. left-wing
element, Salinas said each President speaks
on behalf of his own country. And in the case
of Nicaragua, he added, “I haven’t heard any
message from President Ortega that could
scare away any investor or tourist.”
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MANAGUA – In a move that could
either further unite the Catholic Church
with the Sandinista government, or divide
the Catholic faithful, Cardinal and former
Archbishop of Managua, Miguel Obando,
is considering taking a government post as
the coordinator of the newly created
Council of Peace and Reconciliation.
While Obando deliberates on whether to
take the post offered by President Daniel
Ortega, some other leaders in the church
are urging him not to.
“It would be a catastrophe for the faith of
many Nicaraguans,” Monseñor Sócrates
René Sándigo, secretary general of the
Nicaraguan Episcopal Conference, told the
daily La Prensa this week. “We urge our
government to not involve such honorable
people as the Cardinal in internal conflicts
that could compromise (relations) with the
people.”
Obando served
as a coordinator
of the peace talks
in the 1980s, but
it was a non-governmental post at
the time.
Sándigo said
that under 1983
canon law, members of the church
hierarchy are pro- Cardinal Obando
hibited from participating in government posts. He also
reminded the Cardinal of what happened to
Ernesto Cardenal, who served as the
Sandinistas’ Minister of Culture in the
1980s and was publicly rebuked by Pope
John Paul II.
Others in the church have said the decision is a personal one for Obando. Managua
Archbishop Leopoldo Brenes said that if
Obando decides to take the post, he will be
doing so as a private citizen, and not in any
representation of the Catholic Church.
Obando, an outspoken critic of the
Sandinista government in the 1980s, has
had a very visible reconciliation with Ortega
in recent years, often appearing alongside
him at public events.
The Cardinal said a mass for the fallen
Sandinistas during the 25th anniversary of
the revolution on July 19, 2004. The following year he married Ortega and his
wife, Rosario Murillo, before the Catholic
Church.
Many attribute Ortega’s presidential victory, in large part, to Obando’s apparent
support for his candidacy last year.
–Nica Times
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4 | CENTRAL AMERICA & CARIBBEAN NEWS | THE NICA TIMES – February 9, 2007
Central America
Caribbean Update
U.S., El Salvador Launch Anti-Gang Effort
SAN SALVADOR – U.S. Attorney General
Alberto Gonzales this week announced an
intensified joint effort between the United
States and El Salvador to combat brutal
street gangs that have roots in both countries
and strong international criminal connections.
Gonzales, on his first stop of a swing
through three Latin American nations, said
the offensive “targets the transnational gangs
responsible for the most barbaric violence.”
Two of the most powerful and far-reaching street gangs operating in major U.S.
cities, Mexico and Central America are the
Mara Salvatrucha (MS) and the Mara 18.
Both were formed around nuclei of
Salvadoran-born young immigrants in Los
Angeles, California, in the late 1980s and
early 1990s, and expanded rapidly both geographically and in terms of criminal activity.
Hundreds of members were arrested and
prosecuted in the United States for murder,
assault, extortion and trafficking in drugs,
humans and weapons.
They later were deported to El Salvador,
which despite being their birthplace was a
land little known to most of them, having
left as infants or toddlers with their emigrant
parents.
Once “back home,” they continued their
criminal activity, forming extremely violent
organizations including many Salvadoran
youths who had never emigrated.
The influence of the maras, as the gangs
are known in Central America, spread
throughout the isthmus and into Mexico,
with many members sneaking into the
United States to extend the power of the
Teaming Up:
U.S. Attorney
General Alberto
Gonzales (right)
and Salvadoran
President Tony
Saca announce
new joint efforts
to crack down
on gangs.
Roberto Escobar | EFE
growing transnational phenomenon.
Gonzales, after meeting Monday with
Salvadoran President Tony Saca, said the
new bilateral offensive will focus on more
efficient detention of gang suspects in both
nations, better exchange of information and
increased U.S. training programs for Salvadoran police officers.
Also among the initiatives is creation of
a fingerprint archive intended to help
authorities better track gang leaders and
members.
Gonzales announced formation of an elite
U.S.-funded anti-gang unit to be composed
of FBI agents and officers from El Salvador's
National Police.
Official Salvadoran data puts the number
of gang members in this small Central
American nation at about 10,000.
Nearly one-third of those people are currently in jail, swept up in anti-gang offensives known as “Hard Hand” and “Super
Hard Hand” that in recent years have sought
to get offenders off the streets.
So far this year, U.S. authorities have
deported 1,700 Salvadoran citizens, 341 of
whom have criminal records. The remainder
were undocumented immigrants.
“International cooperation and coordination is critical to combating these gangs that
know no borders,” said Gonzales, who is
Mexican-American.
Saca, for his part, said he requested
increased U.S. financial and technological
aid to augment the National Police’s investigative capacities and to re-enforce security
at the prisons with large gangster populations.
–EFE
‘Angel of the Dump’s’ Legacy Lives on in Guatemala
Tico Times Staff
Hanley Denning was only 36 when a car
crash outside Guatemala City ended her
extraordinary life last month.
According to those she left behind at her
innovative brainchild, Camino Seguro (Safe
Passage), a program that’s helping hundreds
of children who live at Guatemala City’s
largest garbage dump, the work she began
will far outlast her too-brief life.
“Before, the kids would say, ‘I want to be a
cardboard collector (when I grow up). I
want to work on the truck with my dad. I
want to be a policeman,’ because that’s all
they saw,” Lety Méndez, one of the program’s
leaders, told The Nica Times in a phone conversation this week. “Now, they say: ‘I want
to be a doctor.’”
Coming from children who, a short time
ago, were forced to drop out of school to
help their families sort garbage at the dump,
aspiring to become a doctor is no small
dream. But Denning, a teacher from the U.S.
state of Maine whose efforts earned her the
nickname “The Angel of the Dump,” helped
inspire hope in many kids and families in
just eight years of working in Guatemala.
This year, Safe Passage is serving 580 students, with approximately 500 more on the
waiting list. The program offers before- and
after-school support, vocational training,
and even a hotel service school. The organization relies on volunteers, earnings from its
Posada Lazos Fuertes hotel in Antigua, and
donors, including people or groups who
“adopt” a child or classroom.
Denning, who first went to Guatemala in
1999 to study Spanish for three months, visited the massive dump one week before she
was scheduled to return home. At the dump,
where approximately 4,000 people live in
shanty homes on its outskirts and work over
new garbage each day, Denning talked to
kids who wanted to go to school but couldn’t
afford the $20 fees. Determined to change
this, Denning immediately sold her car and
computer and used the funds to help get 40
students enrolled in school.
“She had so much faith,” Méndez said.
Denning’s commitment was much deeper
than providing some money.
Because the students often worked until
the wee hours of the morning sorting trash,
they weren’t used to getting up at 6 a.m. to
go to school. So Denning went to each home
to make sure they made it to the classroom
on time, sometimes with a backpack full of
bread and jam. She also had to convince
public school teachers that the children were
worth the effort.
“In many schools, she found an attitude
of, ‘We can’t do anything with these kids,’ but
she was so insistent,” Méndez said. “She convinced the teachers to accept them.”
Having students in school meant a loss of
income for their impoverished families, so
Safe Passage also began providing a monthly
basket of basic food items as a reward for
students who attended school and other programs, including homework sessions,
English classes, art courses and other activities.
Denning, who through the years accumulated staff support, a team of social workers,
and volunteers from overseas who came to
work with the kids, also worked to get highschool scholarships for students who successfully completed primary school. She also
began vocational training centers in baking,
carpentry, tourism and other fields. Participants in the vocational courses receive
practical training, then an apprenticeship,
with the goal of starting a small business.
At Posada Lazos Fuertes (www.posadala
zosfuertes.com), where 100% of the profits
go to Safe Passage, a team of 21 young people from the program is learning about hotel
management – and also getting a chance to
experience a touristy section of Guatemala
that is foreign to those who live in the dump.
Through it all, Denning’s work ethic
inspired – and sometimes worried – her
coworkers.
“She didn’t sleep,” Mendez said. “We’d get
really concerned, asking, when did she last
eat?”
On Jan. 18, a bus struck the car in which
Denning was traveling from Guatemala City
to Antigua, killing her and her driver and
injuring two program volunteers in the
backseat, according to a Portland Press
Herald article on Denning’s funeral in her
hometown of Yarmouth, Maine. Parents,
children and coworkers mourned her passing in Guatemala City on Jan. 20, followed
by a service Jan. 23 at Yarmouth High
School, where both Guatemalan and U.S.
flags were draped over Denning’s coffin. She
Read Us Online:
www.nicatimes.net
is survived by her parents and three brothers.
Méndez, 34, who traveled to Maine for the
service, said that she, like the rest of the Safe
Passage staff, is determined to carry on
Denning’s work. She’s a believer in the Safe
Passage mission, though she admits it wasn’t
always that way.
“I was working for (Denning) as a secretary in Antigua – I had never been to the
dump,” she said. Méndez said she made her
first trip to the dump with Denning in 2000
and was shocked by the children working,
the baby she saw in a cardboard box, the
story of another baby who’d died the week
before because a garbage truck threw trash
on top of her.
Méndez said, “My first impression with
Hanley was to tell her, this can’t be. People
aren’t going to change.”
But, she added, “not even a year went by
before I changed my way of thinking.
Normally, people in Guatemala, we try two
or three times, but she tried 1,000 times. She
showed it really could be done. And now,
more than ever, I believe it.”
For more information about how to help
Safe Passage by participating in volunteer
projects; donating to the Hanley Denning
Memorial Fund; sponsoring a child or classroom; staying at Posada Lazos Fuertes; and
other means of supporting the program,
visit www.safepassage.org.
THE NICA TIMES – February 9, 2007 | WEEKEND| 5
EXPLORING
NICARAGUA
Divers Find Natural Treasures off Corn Islands
By Eric Sabo
Nica Times Staff
Photo courtesy of Nautilus
Exploring the Reef: Divers check out the sights off the shore of Big Corn Island,
including a colorful trigger fish (at right).
Despite the wealthier clientele, Herzog has
kept her prices the same. A two-tank dive
with instructor and equipment still costs
only $75.
A range of spots can be enjoyed by divers
of all levels. But the must-see spot for more
experienced divers is “Blowing Rock,” a
jagged formation that sits a few kilometers
off Big Corn. The large, underwater cliff
climbs 150 feet from the ocean floor, making
it an attractive spot for all types of sea life.
Off Little Corn, there are a series of small,
underwater caves that have become dive
favorites there.
While the tourists who dive here go away
pleased, few seem as happy as the Nautilus
owners. Chema and Regine are both avid
musicians who, after a day of diving, open
their restaurant on weekends to local performers. They sometimes join in on the
music act themselves.
“It’s a great way of life out here,” says
Chema.
For more information, contact Nautilus
at 575-5077, www.divebigcorn.com. You
can contact Dive Little Corn by e-mail at:
[email protected].
Look for
The Nica Times
special edition
on Nicaragua’s
Caribbean coast
in next
week’s paper.
7855
And don’t miss the
upcoming special editions
throughout the year
on other topics of interest
such as Real Estate,
Trade and other
tourist destinations.
CARIBE NICA07
BIG CORN ISLAND – Hugging Nicaragua’s largely untouched Atlantic Coast, the
Corn Islands are more removed from the
mainland than the quick plane ride from
Managua would suggest.
Separated from the rest of the country by
history and geography, the two islands lack
the same Spanish influences that dominate
other popular tourist spots.
The result is a distinctly Caribbean feel
just 50 miles off the Nicaraguan coast. What
you hear on the islands is mostly Creole
English and reggae music. The waters are
turquoise blue and the beaches are tranquil.
It’s a hard-to-beat combination that feels
all the more remarkable once you realize
you’re still in Nicaragua.
Just a few kilometers off the Corn Islands
is an even greater treasure for underwater
enthusiasts: a coral reef that stretches down
from Belize and offers some of the best diving in Central America.
The islands remain relatively undiscovered by tourists, and the surrounding waters
are teaming with colorful marine life.
The two islands – Big Corn Island and
Little Corn Island – offer an impressive array
of diving options, each equipped with its
own professional dive shop. Two popular
dive companies are Nautilus on Big Corn,
and, across the 15-kilometer stretch of blue
ocean separating the two islands, Dive Little
Corn. As with anywhere, the two shops
require special dive certification before they
will take you down.
They both offer professional lessons that
can get you underwater and exploring relatively quickly. They also offer snorkeling
tours, which for a trip that can run as short
as two hours, puts you in close range to
spotted sea rays, nurse sharks and giant
turtles.
Regine Herzog, who runs the Nautilus
dive store with her husband, Chema,
explains that the relatively small number of
visitors has kept the natural habit of the dive
spots intact, whereas, divers complain, popular spots off the Virgin Islands and other
Caribbean destinations have become overrun with tourists. Hurricanes have chipped
away at some of the reef near the Corn
Islands, but there are a number of submerged shipwrecks that add to the marine
habitat.
Those who dive or snorkel here can expect
to see anything from small, bright trigger
fish to menacing-looking barracudas. A
recent snorkeling excursion by two tourists
reported spotting a ray and a variety of colorful tropical fish. The main attraction of
their snorkeling was seeing an olive ridley
sea turtle, which swooped by like an underwater cargo plane.
The main thing keeping the bigger crowds
away, Herzog says, is the price of the plane
ticket from Managua to Big Corn Island,
which has nearly doubled in recent years.
But the island’s growing reputation and
sprinkling of fancier, new hotels is starting to
draw higher-end tourists with more money
in their pockets.
“It’s a different group now,” Herzog says,
adding that no one goes away unhappy.
Photo courtesy of Nautilus
6 | WEEKEND | THE NICA TIMES
– February
9, 2007
COMMUNITY
CONNECTION
Those interested in contributing reports or photos to Community Connection are welcome to e-mail Eric Sabo at [email protected].
Granada Gossip
Casa Limón, the eclectically designed and
furnished home of Lemon Groves and Troy
Díaz in barrio La Otra Banda, was magically transformed into the Infusion Confusion
Lounge and Meeting Place, with a grand
opening the end of January. Thirty-two
rum infusions and happy-hour kabobs were
offered to the grand-opening celebrants,
along with down-tempo lounge music.
Some of those present were Ben Wheatley,
Sharon Danley, Tavid Dobson, Ruggiero
Salvadori, whose wife Galia was home with
baby Gisele, Sheryl Woodward, Nadene
Holmes, Camilo Calderon, Doris Lucero,
Tanya Ortega, Thalia Drori, Tom and Kelli
Bardner, Frank and Vanita Gallo. Infusion
Confusion is open Friday and Saturday
evenings, other nights by reservation.
Jackson Pollack-style paintings adorn the
walls of Casa Limón, artfully composed by
Troy himself.
A dinner for American Legion Nicaragua
Post 1 members was held at Casa Gallo,
catered by Pasta Pasta. On hand for this
social get-together were Post Commander
Leonel Poveda and his wife Maria
Auxiladora, Vice-Commander Fred Belland
and wife, Jaime and Nena Valle, Richard
and Celeste Johnson and Celeste’s sister
Marina, Carl and Karolina Currier, Sandy
and Kathy Perkoff, Joe Brown and Gillian
Lythgoe, and hosts the Gallos.
Maverick Coffee Shop and Reading
Lounge celebrated its third anniversary Feb.
2, with a dinner of a variety of sausages,
chicken filets and pasta salad. A packed
house helped Nadene, Camilo and kids celebrate.
We received an e-mail from occasional
visitor to Granada, Noel Montagno, who
has lived in Alajuela, Costa Rica, for a number of years. Noel has finally made the
move and can be found at Casa Miramar at
Playa La Boquita.
Madeline Alpert is working on a
Granada calendar to be updated frequently
and e-mailed. If you have an item or want
to be on the e-mail list, you can call her at
682-9444.
by young local artist Clara Grun at the Casa
de Los Mejía Godoy.
Another important nightlife event is the
inauguration of The Reef, the anticipated
surfer bar in Zona Viva, with music spun by
DJ Revuelta Sonora.
Wrapping up the week of partying, the
best Saturday night options are Hipa Hipa,
with their JIPA Hour from 8-12 p.m., with
10 córdoba ($0.55) vodkas and 5 córdoba
rum and national beer. Cover for Hora
JIPA is 100 córdobas ($5.50) for the guys,
and 50 ($2.70) for girls. And don’t forget
that if you were at Arribas last Saturday
night, you can present your bar receipt
this Saturday and drink the same amount
for free.
Bueno muchachos, have a good time partying. And remember, if any of the bars
close too early for you, you can always head
to Karaoke Star City and its dico Matrix,
located across from the Hotel Princess, to
party until the sun comes up.
–Xochitl Ruiz
[email protected]
Celebrating Another Year: Nadene Holmes, owner of Granada’s popular
Maverick Reading Lounge, celebrated the business’ third anniversary with a
cookout and party Feb. 2.
Been to Lacayo Super or Lugo Ferretería
lately? Both are well stocked, and we hear
the 92-year-old Lugo Ferretería is having its
best business in years. We also hear that
Henry, the cat who owns John and Linda
Sauter, may not be the biggest house cat in
the world, but he weighs in at 23 pounds,
and somehow fits under the seat on the
American Airlines flights.
–Frank Gallo
[email protected]
Managua Nights
The week is full of nightlife in
Managua. Starting Wednesday with Ladies’
Night at Hipa Hipa, in Plaza Familiar,
ladies pay only a 5 córdoba cover with
open bar for vodka, rum and national
beers. Guys pay 150 córdoba cover ($8.30)
for Ladies’ Night.
If we don’t go to Hipa Hipa, we can be
found at Moods, the new disco in Zona
Viva, at the Mall Galeria Santo Domingo.
The recently opened disco has a slightly
more formal environment, and on
Wednesdays there is no cover for men or
women.
Thursday nights the crowd is at Arribas,
with 2x1 deals on national beers. If you’re
looking for a little more movement and
dancing, nearby Broder has Ladies’ Night
on Thursday, where girls get in for free and
guys pay 150 córdoba entrance.
This Friday, Feb. 9, don’t miss the concert
Masaya Moments
A good way to get connected with the
community of Masaya is by visiting the
Web page vivamasaya.com, which will
keep you up to date on what is going on in
the city, both with nightlife and special
cultural events. The page is continuously
updated.
The Web page has a large database of
photos from Masaya, including natural
attractions, horse parades, cultural festivals
and events, and nightlife pictures from
bars Aha Bar, Ático, Chapo´s, and Rock
Arena.
The page is a fun way for tourists to
learn about what is going on here, as well as
for native Masayas who now live in other
cities or countries to stay connected with
their hometown. There are also photographs from other neighboring cities, such
as Granada, San Juan del Sur and Managua,
among others.
–Cecilia Espinoza
[email protected]
CALENDAR
*First time in Calendar. Listings are in chronological order. E-mail Calendar submissions to [email protected] by 11 a.m. Monday, five days prior to date of publication.
Managua
*Anniversary Party: DJ Linux plays at second anniversary celebration for popular
night spot, Feb. 9, 8 p.m., Fresh Hill Bar,
next to Hospital Militar.
*Live Music: Performance by local artist
Clara Gun at the family restaurant/bar of
Carlos Mejía Godoy, Feb. 9, 8 p.m., Casa de
Los Mejía Godoy, in front of Hotel Crowne
Plaza, 362-6110.
*Valentine’s Day Drinks: A “love party,”
Feb. 14, at Disco Chaman, Carretera Masaya
one block past Sandy’s, 278-6111.
*Love and Peace: Norma Helena Gadea and
other musicians play tribute to the spirit of
Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14, 8 p.m., Ruta Maya.
*Movie: The film, Tinta Roja, Feb. 14, 8
p.m., Justo Rufino Garay Theater, near Las
Palmas Park, 266-3714.
*Magic Show: Fernando Keops, the “angel
of magic,” Feb. 11, 5 p.m., Rubén Darío
Theater, 222-7426.
*Night of Boleros: Various artists play percussion and strings, Feb. 13, 7:30 p.m.,
Rubén Darío Theater.
Lady’s Night: Drink specials every
Wednesday for women at trendy bar HipaHipa, Km. 7.5 on the highway to Masaya,
278-8504.
Live Music: Songs from the 1960s and
1970s, Feb. 9, 8 p.m., Ruta Maya, near
National Stadium, 268-0698.
Latin American Music: Live music weekends, restaurant Intermezzo del Bosque,
outside of Managua, 883-0071.
Granada
*Anti-poetry: As part of the III International
Poetry Festival, a group of “anti-poets” offer
their own recital, Feb. 9, 7 p.m., the Bar Casa
Bohemia, calle Corrales, next to fire station.
*Film Screening: Premier of local production, ‘The Condom Squad,’ Feb. 10, 5:30
p.m., Casa de la Mujer, Calle Calzada.
*Concert: Carlos Mejía Godoy closes last
night of poetry festival, Feb. 10, 6:30 p.m.,
at Independence Plaza, in front of
Cathedral.
Live Music: The group Clave de Sol, weekends at Café Nuit, Calle Libertad, 612-6721.
Live Music: Saturday, 7:30 p.m. Hotel Casa
San Francisco, next to Convento, 552-8235.
The Big Screen: Local film “The
Condom Squad,” written, directed and
acted by local teens, will premier 5:30
p.m. Feb. 10 at Granada’s Casa de la
Mujer.
THE NICA TIMES – February 9, 2007 | OPINION | 7
Send your Letters by e-mail ([email protected]), regular mail or fax (see Page 2). Please don’t
forget to sign your name and include your return address and phone number.Thank you.
Letters
Thank You for Article
On ‘The Condom Squad’
Dear Nica Times:
Thank you for “The Condom Squad”
article (NT, Feb. 2). It takes courage and a
bit of diplomacy to get such an important
and controversial story out to the masses.
It is a crime of a generation that the
information is readily available yet
sequestered so often. Programs like The
Condom Squad are essential because it is
apparent parents don’t always provide this
information. The angle of shaking one’s
reality through art is self-evident, if one
chooses to pay attention.
Faith can be a healthy addition to one’s
reality, but to lay the religion thing on an
adolescent, without any other information
about healthy sexuality, is really abuse when
one ponders it.
How dare any society throw sex and violence at teens (at all of us) and then pull the
plug on people asking thoughtful questions
and getting honest answers!
Thank you for real journalism. May you
continue to expand the frame of the conversation on many issues.
Scott Douglas Toronja
Marina, California, USA
***
Dear Nica Times:
I just wanted to tell you, as a journalist,
what a great job you did with the story
about Thalia Drori and her crew, Cineastas
de Granada (NT, Feb. 2). It was clear, comprehensive and fun to read.
It helps that Thalia is my lifelong friend
and I am enormously proud of her, but that
also allows me to say that I think you did a
fantastic job capturing the true spirit in
which she works and lives.
She is one of the few people I know who
really “walks the talk.” And you conveyed
that well in the story about “The Condom
Squad.”
Thanks for writing it!
Susan Gaines
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Cockfighting is a
Sign of Psychosis
Dear Nica Times:
Cockfighting is not sport, it is psychosis.
See the faces of the spectators, grim,
detached, guilty (NT, Jan. 26).
I place it in the same class as bear baiting.
A caged or securely tethered bear is pricked
with needles on the end of long canes mercilessly until he is driven mad with pain and
frustration while cowardly imbeciles enjoy
his misery.
A sane person cannot relate to this
behavior. The social or professional position
of the participant does not validate the
activity but degrades the individual.
Sucking blood from the neck of a rooster
does not prove a man’s virility. At one time
carnivals had a performer called a geek who
bit off the head of a live chicken and ate the
chicken raw for the edification of the audience. He was usually a starving retarded
person.
In old Mexico, men had a way of proving
their mettle and settling disputes: each man
took the end of a bandana in his teeth and
they fought with knives, the one to let go
the bandana lost. That, to me, is true
machismo.
If the devotees of cockfighting want to
prove themselves they might strip naked,
arm themselves with razor blades and have
at it – no question of guts there and we
would have the satisfaction of seeing as least
one imbecile removed from the gene pool.
George Prosser
Golfito, Costa Rica
***
Dear Nica Times:
I generally enjoy Tim Rogers’ articles. The
article about cockfighting (NT, Jan. 26),
however, really threw me off.
To give enough attention to make it front
page and such a long article I find unnecessary. To even refer to this barbaric way of
treating animals as a sport is, to me,
deplorable.
When I see the majority of a society
accept such cruelty to animals, it tends to
reflect the views of the society in general.
It is just one of many components to why
Nicaragua has had such a bloody past,
with dictators and fighting amongst themselves.
For someone to think it is OK to suck the
blood from the throat of an animal just to
keep it alive to continue to fight, is
appalling.
I could say much more but will leave it at
that.
Henry Kantrowitz
Quebrada Ganado, Costa Rica
Cockfighting Tournament
Provided Fun Night Out
Dear Nica Times:
Rarely am I inspired to venture out of my
small world and give myself a chance to
experience something totally new. However,
Georgia.
Denning made the “no child left behind”
concept a reality rather than a platitude. At
the memorial service for her held in Maine,
her casket was draped with the flags of
Guatemala and the United States.
Given her service to Guatemala and the
way she represented the United States
abroad, this was a well-deserved tribute to
an extraordinary individual.
the article that Tim Rogers wrote on cockfighting (NT, Jan. 26) did just that.
As I was reading the article, another
tourist and I started discussing this sport
and decided that we should both go.
We had an experience we wouldn’t have
had otherwise, and I plan to go again. This
is coming from someone who hasn’t eaten
chicken or red meat in 20 years!
More importantly, we were very
impressed that Tim Rogers had the courage
to write about a subject that is taboo to so
many Gringos.
David Stanley
Paris, Maine, USA
Tanya Ortega de Chamberlin
Granada
History will Prove
Value of Free Trade
U.S. Activist Was
Powerful Role Model
Dear Nica Times:
As of Jan. 31, I concluded my mission as
Ambassador of Nicaragua to the United
States and Canada, after more than three
years of having the honor and satisfaction
of serving my country in this capacity.
Our Nicaraguan communities and their
members in the United States and Canada
fill me with pride. These are healthy, hardworking communities that never forget
their homeland.
I arrived to my post in Washington, D.C.
in November 2003 with a mission: to contribute our share of work on the part of
Nicaragua so that the Central American
Free-Trade Agreement with the United Staes
(CAFTA) would become a reality. In our
own way, we had the honor to share in
some of the great efforts of so many people
from the seven participating nations.
This agreement became a reality due to a
fortunate coming together of the wills of
the Presidents and citizens of our countries.
Thank you to the Ambassadors of Central
America and the Dominican Republic for
your sense of brotherhood. Thank you to
each and every one of the participants in the
small and great battles for the CAFTA
accord, including the dedicated officials of
the U.S. government and members of U.S.
private enterprise. The legacy of this fight
will be ratified by history.
My most profound desire is that the relations between the United States and
Nicaragua continue to be strengthened for
the mutual benefit of both our peoples. I
wish the same for our cordial relations with
Canada.
Dear Nica Times:
The untimely death of Hanley Denning
in a traffic accident in Guatemala Jan. 18
gives us pause to reflect on the extraordinary accomplishments of this young
woman.
Her life served as a role model for those
working in Nicaragua and other Central
American countries regarding how to
implement the United Nations Millennium
Development Goals.
Her enormous success in helping hundreds of children at the dump in Guatemala
City provides tangible proof of what one
person can accomplish if she is willing to
act.
Safe Passage (www.safepassage.org), the
organization that Denning founded and of
which she was the guiding light, has successfully focused on addressing the goals of
eliminating extreme poverty and achieving
universal primary education.
The support provided to approximately
500 children includes a pre-school program,
as well as moving school-age children from
scavenging in the dump to the classroom by
funding their school fees. The program also
obtains parental support for keeping the
children in school by giving food as an
attendance bonus.
In doing all this, Safe Passage has given
hope to the whole community. In addition,
many volunteers providing hands-on support have realized that their individual
efforts make a big difference to those in
great need.
I submit that Denning did more to help
the people of Central America than the
hundreds of millions of dollars in weapons
sent to the region by the United States.
The educational experience provided to
the children in the dump stands in stark
contrast to the devastating effect on the
poor resulting from the training given to
the officer corps of armies in Latin
America at the School of the Americas in
Salvador Stadthagen
Washington, D.C., USA
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Readers are encouraged to send letters to the editor, “Perspective” articles
and calendar events to: [email protected], or [email protected]
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Visit us online www.ticotimes.net and fill out the classified order form or send an e-mail to [email protected].
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BEACHFRONT –
Nicaragua, $129,000. Nice,
newly remodeled house.
Deeded property.
US (731) 986-9837
NIC (505) 612-9000
www.bestchoicenicaragua.
com
MAIL Boxes Etc. Franchise
opportunities in Managua
and Granada areas.
www.mbe.com
[email protected]
200+ ACRES with
approved plans 260 lots,
hotel, bar restaurant, lagoon
and 600 meters of pristine
beachfront property.
Nicaragua “Playa Diamante”
10 year tax exemption. 5.5
million. Contact
Bill@ 505-806-0556 or
[email protected]
BEACH HOUSE for rent.
Pochomil, one hour from
Managua $595 per week. air
conditioned bdrms., huge
porch with hammocks and
great view. Contact Reid at
[email protected]
http://www.cyberrentals.com
/Central-America/
Nicaragua/vacation-HOUSEPochomil/p140485htm
HORSES HORSES
HORSES 18 Excel Pinto Bay
white, Parade, pleasure stallions, mares, foals.
860-7918.
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853 San Juan del Sur
BAR-RESTAURANT – for
sale in Granada Center, fully
equipped, excellent monthly
income. For sale due to personal reasons.
Call: 505-552-2039,
Cel: 505-843-8335
APARTMENTS, 20 min.
from Granada, cool climate,
Laguna view. $275 mo.
[email protected]
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LISTA DE PUESTOS NICA
851 Managua
MANAGUA
• La Colonia Supermercado Hiper
Santo Domingo
• La Colonia Supermercado Plaza
España
• Hotel Las Mercedes
• Hotel Camino Real
• Hotel Crowne Plaza
• Hotel Inter-Metrocentro
• Hotel Hilton Princess
• Hotel Holiday Inn
• INTUR
• Casa del Café Airport, Altamira,
Metrocentro & Santo Domingo
• Ola Verde
• Stop & Go Santo Domingo &
Carretera Sur
• Hospital Metropolitano
• Casa de Las Revistas Airport
GRANADA
• Maverick Reading Room
• Lacayo Supermercado
• El Club
• Kathy’s Waffles
• Hotel Alhambra
• Casa San Francisco
LEON
• Hotel El Convento
SAN JUAN DEL SUR
• Distribuidora Calderón
• Bar Y Restaurant El Timón
• El Gato Negro
• Elixir Center
• Restaurant El Velero
• Big Wave Dave’s Bar
& Restaurant
For more information about distribution contact
Ivette Sánchez in Managua at 250-1100 or by
e-mail: [email protected]
The Perfect Palm Combo: Pejibaye and Palmito
F
ew plant species
can be considered
a marvelous discovery that has transformed human culture. Bactris gasipaes is
definitely one of those
rare cases in which a
plant provides a wide
variety of products for
different uses. The
peach palm supplies
Marco González
two of the most delicate and exquisite vegetable products Costa Rica exports to the
world: peach palm (pejibaye) and heart of
palm (palmito).
It is thought that plantations already existed by the time Columbus arrived on Costa
Rica’s Caribbean island of Uvita in 1502,
which was appropriately named La Huerta
(The Vegetable Garden). It wasn’t until 1541
to 1546 that the first reference to the peach
palm appeared in official colonial records,
when Spanish settlers entered the southern
hills of the Coaza Cacique territory in
today’s Talamancas, an area in which a tree
locals called “pijibay” (pronounced pe-heeBYE) was more than prominent and utilized
by the locals in many ways.
Conquerors discovered how not only the
fruit but also the core of the palm was consumed, and that the palm fronds were used
for thatch and the tree trunks for timber. At
that time, the peach palm was cultivated
throughout southern Mexico and Central
America to the Peruvian and Brazilian
Amazon regions. Although today the peach
palm grows in most tropical areas of the
globe, its potential production scale is still in
its infancy.
Costa Rica and Brazil are the leading
exporters of peach palm products. Pejibaye
and palmito are considered delicacies sent
abroad to gourmet markets in the industrialized world. The pejibaye itself is so unique
in taste that it has been described as somewhere between a sweet potato and a water
chestnut, with a unique bright orange color
and nutty texture. It is a versatile ingredient
Pejibaye and Palmito in Mocha Mexicali
Sauce with Cumin Rice
TASTE OF
THE TROPICS
Marco González | Tico Times
Mixing Palm Products: Pejibaye and
palmito in Chef Marco’s “Mocha
Mexicali Sauce” with cumin rice.
that can be cooked in many ways, either
savory or sweet. Flour, starch and oil are
extracted from the flesh for both industrial
and domestic uses. Palmito is one of the
crispiest and delicious of the edible palms;
its rich aroma and consistency are comparable to those of tender bamboo shoots.
Chefs from around the globe continue to
be inspired by these two ingredients, creating
a melting pot of techniques, recipes and
ideas. Their versatility means they are adaptable to almost any kind of cuisine, style,
technique or flavors. Commonly found in
gourmet markets of New York, London and
Tokyo, their prices in these far-off locales
certainly categorize them as “elite” ingredients, deserving of regal treatment.
Many Costa Rican and Brazilian scientists
are dedicated to the collection, distribution
and expansion of knowledge of this “perfect
palm.” Costa Rica is the largest exporter of
Steamed Cumin Rice
Ingredients:
2 cups long-grain white rice
2 tbs cumin seeds
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbs vegetable oil
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups water
Directions:
In a medium-sized pot, cook garlic and cumin seeds
in oil over medium heat for two minutes. Add rice,
stirring constantly for one minute. Incorporate water
and salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer,
cover and cook for exactly 15 minutes. Remove from
heat, fluff with a fork and put aside.
and palmito, and are quite discerning when
it comes to quality. Surprisingly, however,
the use of pejibaye in local gastronomy is
rather shy, and it is usually served simply as
boiled peach palm with mayonnaise or in
soup or bread. The same goes for heart of
palm, usually appearing in salads and in the
quintessential Tico pie, pastel de arroz con
palmito, a creamy, buttery, cheesy baked dish
with simple flavor but lots of character.
For this recipe, I chose to combine the two
amazing products from this versatile tree
into one recipe, fusing their flavor and providing a Caribbean twist. ¡Buen provecho!
CHINESE CUISINE
Give a fish to a person and you feed
him for a day;
teach him to fish and he feeds
himself ever after. (Chinese proverb)
HOME DELIVERY
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Tel: 228-8105, 228-8091
Free Breakfast
Address: From Centro Comercial Paco,
90 mts. Northwest, Escazú
Valid for 1 person
6072
7221
Fax (506) 223-9917
P.O. Box 751-2150 Moravia, San José, Costa Rica
http://www.universal-edu.com
www.ingles.co.cr “English Department’’
Just three blocks east from the National Theater,
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Special weekly
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•Peking Duck
•Neptune’s Harvest
•Abalone with Chinese Vegetables
Ph. (506) 257-0441
5734
peach palms in the world, and one of the top
exporters of heart of palm, thanks largely to
the effort of Jorge Mora and his colleagues at
the University of Costa Rica, whose dedication and hard work are the backbone of the
Pejibaye Research and Technology Transfer
Program. Gathering all information available, they have created a database of all things
peach palm. From seed banking to general
information, their efforts to utilize the palm
in different ways is finally paying off as peach
palm is put to use in new ways, such as animal fodder and industrial raw materials.
Costa Ricans have a keen taste for pejibaye
Directions:
In a large pan over medium heat, sauté onions in the
olive oil for five minutes. Add meat, ginger and garlic, and brown for two minutes. Incorporate all
remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Lower
heat to a minimum and simmer for a few minutes
until most of the liquid has evaporated and the vegetables are soft. Adjust flavors and serve accompanied with steamed cumin rice. (Makes five servings.)
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Ingredients:
12 pejibayes, cooked, peeled and sliced
1 lb mixed peeled and chopped tubers (cassava or
manioc, taro, sweet potato, etc.)
200 g chopped chicken, pork, beef or soy substitute
1 onion, finely chopped
1 cup sliced palmito
3 tbs olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp grated ginger
1 tsp tomato paste
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
1 tsp chipotle pepper sauce
2 tbs lemon juice
2/3 cup strong coffee
1/2 cup stock or water
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tbs Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground allspice
2 tsp cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
Pepper to taste
RESTRICTIONS APPLY
Sabana Norte, San José
Burger King, 50 m. west,
150 m. north
7848
Do Kids Today Have More Fun? In Brief…
T
oday’s children
have an unlimited range of
toys and games. Not
only that, but new
s s
s s
toys are capable of
doing much more
than those of years
past. Dolls talk, sing,
Mitzi Stark
eat, burp and creep.
Barbie has careers, drives cars, swims, owns
her own real estate and gets pregnant.
Cars that operate on remote control spin,
speed, hurl ramps and crash at the push of a
thumb. Computer games allow kids to pitch
major-league baseball, score goals in the
World Cup, win the Indy 500 or mow down
terrorists. We of yesterday’s generation had to
imagine, invent and rely
on the games passed
down from older siblings.
Does having more
toys mean more fun? Or
did we kids of long ago
have good times too,
deprived as we were of
television and videos
and tons of toys?
A totally unscientific
but revealing survey of
the over-50 crowd, which
included North Americans and Costa Ricans,
showed that everyone played hide-and-seek.
Called escondido in Spanish, the game is the
same. The goal was whatever tree, light post
or part of the house was convenient, and in
the great outdoors there were plenty of
places to hide: behind trees, sheds and corners of the house, lying flat on the ground or
inside drainage canals.
“Summer was one long game of hide-andseek,” said one respondent.
Second in importance was playing with
mud. Whether it was making mud pies or
throwing mud balls, there was something
wonderful about squishy, wet mud. Both
men and women made mud pies, but
women were more inclined to add berries
and flower petals.
“We played restaurant and used leaves for
money and served mud pies,” said a Tica.
Others mentioned mud fights and dirt-clod
battles.
The game of statues was remembered by
North Americans, with a Tico version called
congelado, or “frozen.” In variations of this
game, you “froze” in position when the designated “it” tagged you or yelled, “Freeze!”
The game most mentioned by men was
marbles, or canicas or bolinchas. Marbles are
cheap, and the game requires only a circle in
the dust. The rules of the game varied
depending on where you lived or how rich
you were in marbles, and, according to one
respondent, could be so complicated it was
es, and fútbol or soccer among Costa Ricans.
Field hockey was also mentioned by a few
North Americans. Historian Guillermo
Villegas said a game called “sticks” was
played here, a version of baseball using big
sticks for bats and small sticks for balls. Tops,
or trompas, for boys, and jacks, or jackses, for
girls were mentioned by all Costa Ricans.
Cromos is still a popular pastime for young
Ticas; colorful pictures on thin paper are
spread on the ground or table and picked up
by slapping a flat hand on them. Some girls
collected them and bookstores still sell them.
Sports and table games, yo-yos, sliding
down hills on cardboard cartons stretched
flat, making forts, making stilts out of tin
cans tied to feet, having treasure hunts, riding bikes and stealing
apples were more ways
of having fun.
Sometimes
games
were invented. In the
coffee town of Grecia,
west of San José, they
played a game called
cuartel between two light
posts with five boys on
each team, who could
tag their opponents and
jail them at their team’s
light post. They could
also help team members
escape from their opponents’ jail.
“London Bridge is Falling Down” has its
counterpart in “Jirón, Jirón, Jirón, Donde
Vive Tanta Gente,” in which two kids form
an arch to capture those passing under and
have them choose a side. Both games end
with a big tug-of-war.
Several people mentioned the lack of
supervision.
“We just went out and played,” explained
one woman. She added that mothers were
usually around somewhere.
Today’s children may have more toys and
games and organized activities, but one little
Tica discovered the joy of inventing games
when she visited relatives on a farm.
“It’s fun to throw tomatoes,” she reported.
A totally unscientific but revealing survey of
the over-50 crowd, which included Canadians,
Unitedstatesians and Costa Ricans, showed that
everyone played hide-and-seek. Called escondido
in Spanish, the game is the same. The goal was
whatever tree, light post or part of the house
was convenient, and in the great outdoors there
were plenty of places to hide…
a math test figuring out the scores. Big, colorful marbles were treasured and were
worth more than dinky glass ones. In Costa
Rica, if you didn’t have marbles you could
use round chumico seeds. Though none of
the women mentioned playing marbles,
some collected them.
Among women, playing house, or casita,
ranked high, but only two women mentioned playing with dolls. Dressing up was
part of the game, and one Tica said they
stuck flower petals on their nails for nail polish. Another who came from a large family
in the Southern Zone said they had dolls
made of corncobs.
Baseball was popular among U.S. respons-
Beachwear and Gifts
• Info Center
• Souvenirs
• New and Used Books
• International Newspapers
and Magazines
• Vacation Rentals
Manuel Antonio between
Karahé & Piscis
8186
18979
8036
Tel. 777-1002, Fax: 777-1946
Volunteer Association
Recruiting for Park Work
The Protected Area Volunteer Association (ASVO) will be recruiting volunteers Feb. 13, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.,
at the Costa Rican-North American
Cultural Center in the eastern San José
neighborhood of Barrio Dent.
The nonprofit group, founded in
1989, states its mission is to provide
Costa Rica’s national parks with volunteers – Ticos and foreigners alike – to
help preserve the country’s wild places.
The popular program boasts more than
1,500 participants per year.
Opportunities include working with
sea turtles, ecotourism projects, trail
work, environmental patrols and all
manner of maintenance programs in
national parks and wildlife refuges.
Activities most often take place on
weekends, allowing those with busy
weekday schedules to participate.
Volunteers elect to serve in one of
three different categories – occasional,
international or permanent – each of
which is designed to accommodate
work or vacation schedules.
Thus far, the group has donated the
equivalent of ¢102 million (almost
$200,000) in man hours to the Ministry
of Environment and Energy (MINAE),
according to the association’s Web site,
www.asvocr.org.
For more information, attend the
meeting Feb. 13 or contact ASVO
directly at 258-4430 or reclutamiento@
asvocr.org.
–Tico Times
Tico Director to Film
Movie on Isla San Lucas
Isla San Lucas, a natural reserve and
former prison island in the Gulf of
Nicoya on the Pacific coast, will soon be
the site of a movie by Costa Rican
director Douglas Martin.
Martin recently told the daily Al Día
he plans to film a movie based on the
book “La Isla de los Hombres Solos”
(“The Island of Lonely Men”) by Costa
Rican author José León Sánchez, which
tells his story as a prisoner on the island
who was later declared innocent (TT,
Aug. 26, 2005). Filming is set to begin in
December, Al Día reported.
“We’re not basing the movie just on
the literary work, but also on the life of
José León Sánchez, who remained in
San Lucas until his innocence was
proven,” said Martin, a five-time winner
of the National Prize for Literature.
Sánchez returned recently to the
island where he was incarcerated and
called the experience “painful” but said
he had to confront his experiences “so
that new generations don’t experience
the horrors that were experienced
there,” including torture.
Sánchez was sentenced to jail in 1950
for committing murder while robbing
jewels from the Los Angeles Basilica in
Cartago, east of San José. He got out of
prison in 1969 but was not declared
innocent by the Penal Branch of the
Supreme Court (Sala III) until 1999.
–Tico Times
CONTACT LENSES
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Simple. . .
WE ARE
SPINE
EXPERTS
Before
with free jumpers and surface swimmers
everywhere.
Most of the fish are from 14 to 30 miles
out. Fortney said Rhode Island angler and
skipper Lynn Smith released a large sail after
a number of raises, and Lou Remado from
New York also scored.
“This week so far we have raised six to
eight every day and released five … and
while dorado fishing is good, the people
want the sails,” he added.
Capt. Mark Corn of Southern Costa Rica
Sportfishing writes via e-mail that on Jan. 24
he and Keith Kelly had an experience that he
had never seen in 13 years chartering off the
southern Pacific coast.
“We were three miles off the rock of
Matapalo and had four big marlin in the
spread at once,” he said. “We managed to
hook three, and in one hour released one that
would have run 400 pounds, another 300
pounds, and broke the leader on the third.”
He added that they also released three sails
and were back at the docks by 1 p.m. For
more information, contact Corn at 735-5292
or [email protected], or go to his Web
site at www.costaricasportsman.com.
I had an e-mail from a gentleman who
wants to know if anyone here in Costa Rica
offers kayak fishing. I am not aware of any,
but if anyone does, please let me know and
also contact [email protected].
For information on fishing or assistance planning a trip to Costa Rica, call Jerry at 2826743 or e-mail [email protected]. Skippers, lodge operators and anglers are invited to
contact Jerry with fishing reports by noon
Monday of each week.
ADVANCED
DENTISTRY
COSTA RICA
After
or complex. . .
Dr. Eloy Mora Agüero
CENTRO
NEUROLOGICO
Before
D.D.S.
After
Dr. Carlos Suarez Mastache
2nd Floor, First Medical Tower
CIMA San José Hospital
Escazú, Costa Rica
•Specialist in Prosthodontics
and Cosmetic Dentistry
Cosmetic, Restorative and General dentistry
Universidad de Costa Rica
Rosenthal Institute for Aesthetic Dentistry,
New York University
Tel: (506) 241-5652 / (506) 240-9733
American Dental Association
International Affiliate Member
8021
Call us if you have
experienced neck,
back or sciatic pain
Karl Angersbach and his gang of six from
New Jersey were back in Costa Rica on their
annual visit last week, fishing again with my
son Rick Ruhlow on the Kingfisher, the
Flamingo II and Permit III out of Playa
Carrillo, and their timing couldn’t have been
better. Angersbach fished on the Kingfisher,
taking top honors with five marlin, a bunch of
sails and, of course, the ever-plentiful dorado.
“I have landed a number of striped marlin
in the past few years, but on day one of this
trip, I finally caught my first blue marlin and
added another on the last day, with both
taken on the Kingfisher,” he said.
They even asked my granddaughter Kerry
along on the last day in an effort to get her
her first marlin. The two anglers nailed a
striped and a blue, with Kerry up next, but
unfortunately the bite died in the afternoon
and they didn’t see another fish. Sounds like
Kerry doesn’t have any better luck than her
grandpa. Must run in the family.
Reports indicate the fishing continues at a
torrid pace all along the Pacific coast.
Kent Maliowski reports that about a
week ago his Los Sueños-based skipper and
boat in the middle of the night rescued a
sinking U.S.-owned boat 30 miles offshore
out of Los Sueños Marina on the central
Pacific coast. I tried to contact him for
more details, but was unable to reach him
by press time.
I never did get the final results of the
Harry Grey Fly Fishing Tournament out of
Quepos or the other tournament scheduled
last week out of Los Sueños Marina.
From Dominical, on the southern coast,
Nick Fortney of Costa Rica Hooksetters
said they are raising four to eight sails a day,
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Located in Plaza Itskatzu, below Hooters
Phone 289-9860 * San Rafael, Escazu
Locales 129, 130
here are plenty
of tarpon on
the northern
Caribbean coast, and
judging from reports
the Pacific is seeing
all the action you can
handle most any
place you can get a
Jerry Ruhlow
line in the water.
On the Caribbean, Dan Wise reports from
Río Colorado Lodge that Carrie Minnick
and Rob Gollahon, from Virginia, in two
days of fishing jumped four tarpon, and the
largest to the boat exceeded 100 pounds.
Texas anglers Edward and Bo Badouh had
three in the air but none to the boat on a oneday trip, while Walley Lebrun and wife Aurora
boated nine snook, the largest 22 pounds, in
three days at the lodge, along with a cubera
snapper and a bunch of big jack crevalle.
Wise said Jeanine and Michael Freitz,
from New Jersey, in two three-hour afternoon sessions jumped 10 tarpon and boated
three, while a Mississippi angler in one day
jumped three tarpon and boated two.
And the action on the Pacific seems to be
improving every day.
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EDUARDO HUERTAS, M.D.
On-line Quotes
*Individuals *Groups
THIS WEEK’S MOVIES
*New this week. In general, movies in English have Spanish subtitles; children’s movies are dubbed in Spanish with no subtitles and foreign-language films have Spanish
subtitles. Because movie times change frequently, we publish only movie names, descriptions and theaters. Please call theaters (see box at right) for schedule information.
Note: Theaters that fail to send us their schedules by deadline may not be listed; we apologize for any inconvenience.
*11:14 (Hora de Morir): Five different but connected storylines converge one tragic evening at 11:14
p.m. Starring Hilary Swank, Henry Thomas, Patrick
Swayze. Directed by Greg Marcks. Cinemark del Este,
Cinemark Escazú, Cinépolis, Internacional, San Pedro.
es its currency to euros. Starring Alex Etel, Lewis
McGibbon, James Nesbitt. Directed by Danny Boyle.
Internacional, Liberia, San Pedro.
Night at the Museum (Una Noche en el
Museo): A bumbling security guard at the American
Museum of Natural History accidentally lets loose an
ancient curse that brings the animals and exhibits on
display to life and mayhem. Starring Ben Stiller, Robin
Williams, Dick Van Dyke. Directed by Shawn Levy.
Cariari, Cinemark del Este, Cinemark Escazú, Cinépolis, Liberia, Pérez Zeledón, San Carlos, San Pedro.
An Inconvenient Truth (Una Verdad Incómoda):
A documentary on former U.S. Vice-President Al
Gore’s campaign to make the issue of global warming
a recognized problem worldwide. Directed by Davis
Guggenheim. Outlet Mall.
Babel (Babel): Based on the theme of communication breakdowns, four interlocking, tragic storylines
take place in Morocco, Mexico and Japan. Winner of
the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture –
Drama, and nominated for seven Academy Awards.
Starring Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Gael García Bernal.
Directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu. Cariari, Cinemark del Este, Cinemark Escazú, Cinépolis, Flores,
Magaly, Plaza Mayor, San Pedro.
*Blood Diamond (Diamante de Sangre): The
fates of a South African mercenary and a Mende fisherman become entwined in a quest to recover a priceless diamond that could transform their lives. Starring
Leonardo DiCaprio, Djimon Hounsou, Jennifer Connelly. Directed by Edward Zwick. Cariari, Cinemark del
Este, Cinemark Escazú, Cinépolis, Flores, Internacional, Liberia, Pérez Zeledón, San Pedro, San Ramón.
Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make
Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (Borat):
A mockumentary comedy about the outrageous adventures of a Kazakh TV journalist who journeys to the
United States to make a documentary about the greatest country in the world. Starring Sacha Baron Cohen,
Ken Davitian. Directed by Larry Charles. Cinemark del
Este, Cinemark Escazú, Cinépolis, Flores, Internacional, San Pedro.
Charlotte’s Web (La Telaraña de Charlotte):
Based on the classic children’s book by E.B. White.
Charlotte the spider and Wilbur the pig hatch a plan to
keep Wilbur from ending up on Farmer Arable’s dinner
table. Starring Dakota Fanning. Directed by Gary Winick. Cinemark del Este, Cinemark Escazú, Cinépolis,
San Pedro.
Children of Men (Niños del Hombre): In the year
2027, with humans suffering a massive infertility crisis
and the world’s youngest citizen dead at 18, a disillusioned former activist must deliver a miraculously
pregnant woman to safety and protect humankind’s last
hope. Starring Clive Owen, Julianne Moore, Michael
Courtesy Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc., Virtual Studios
Set in Africa: Leonardo DiCaprio
and Djimon Hounsou star in “Blood
Diamond,” now in theaters.
Caine. Directed by Alfonso Cuarón. Cinemark del Este,
Cinemark Escazú, Colonial, Flores, Outlet Mall, Pérez
Zeledón, San Carlos, San Pedro.
Déjà Vu (Déjà Vu): A law enforcement officer travels
back in time to prevent a bombing and the murder of a
woman with whom he has fallen in love. Starring
Denzel Washington, Paula Patton, Val Kilmer. Directed
by Tony Scott. Cariari, Cinemark del Este, Cinemark
Escazú, Cinépolis, Liberia.
*French Film Festival: Sueños de Orquesta, Feb.
9, 19, 22; Peligro Hombres Trabajando, Feb. 10, 14,
18; Kirikou y Las Bestias Salvajes, Feb. 11, 17; La
Comedia del Poder, Feb. 12, 16; Hacia el Sur, Feb. 13,
21; La Ex Mujer de mi Vida, Feb. 15, 20, all in French
with subtitles in Spanish, Outlet Mall.
Hoodwinked! (Buza Caperuza): An animated,
modern version of Little Red Riding Hood. Directed by
Cory Edwards and Todd Edwards. Cariari, Cinemark
del Este, Cinépolis, Flores, Grecia, Internacional, San
Pedro, San Ramón.
Little Miss Sunshine (Pequeña Miss Sunshine): Dysfunction takes a road trip when the Hoover
family piles into its VW bus to escort young Olive to a
beauty pageant in far-off California. Starring Greg Kinnear, Alan Arkin, Toni Collette, Steve Carell. Directed
by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris. Cariari, Cinemark del Este, Cinemark Escazú, Cinépolis, Plaza
Mayor, San Carlos, San Pedro.
Millions (Millonarios): A 5-year-old boy finds a
bag of pounds only a few days before England switch-
Reconstruction (Reconstrucción de un Amor):
In Danish with Spanish subtitles. A young man abandons his girlfriend one evening to follow a beautiful
stranger, and finds he cannot turn back. Starring Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Maria Bonnevie. Directed by Christoffer
Boe. Sala Garbo.
The Illusionist (El Ilusionista): Set in Vienna
in the early 1900s. A magician in love with an unattainable woman uses his powers to get what he
wants. Starring Edward Norton, Paul Giamatti, Jessica Biel. Directed by Neil Burger. Cinépolis, Colonial, Internacional, Liberia, Outlet Mall, Pérez Zeledón,
San Ramón.
The White Masai (La Princesa Masai): In English and German with Spanish subtitles. A European
woman falls in love with a man of the Masai in Kenya
and must adapt to the tribe’s way of life. Based on the
autobiographical novel by Swiss author Corinne Hofmann. Starring Nina Hoss, Jacky Ido. Directed by Hermine Huntgeburth. Outlet Mall.
*They (Habitantes de la Oscuridad): After witnessing a traumatic, horrifying event, a woman gradually comes to the realization that the nightmares she
had as a child could be real. Starring Laura Regan,
Marc Blucas, Ethan Embry. Directed by Robert Harmon
and Rick Bota. Cariari, Cinépolis, Flores, San Pedro,
San Ramón.
Toolbox Murders (Hotel del Terror): A young
couple moves into an historic Hollywood apartment
block and starts renovating the building, only to
unleash a supernatural evil. Starring Angela Bettis,
Brent Roam. Directed by Tobe Hooper. Cariari, Cinépolis, Internacional, San Pedro.
Una Película de Huevos: In Spanish. A little egg
named Toto embarks on an adventure to save himself
from the frying pan and live to become a chicken.
Directed by Gabriel and Rodolfo Riva Palacio Alatriste.
Liberia, San Pedro.
Cinemas
ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE | Barrio Amón,
Av. 7, Ca. 5, 222-2283
CARIARI 1-6 | Plaza Real Cariari,
Barreal de Heredia, 293-3300
CENTRO DE CINE | Barrio Otoya, Av. 9,
Ca. 11, 223-2127, 223-0610
CINEMARK DEL ESTE | Multiplaza del
Este, Curridabat, 280-0490
CINEMARK ESCAZÚ | Multiplaza, Escazú,
201-5050, www.cinemarkca.com
CINÉPOLIS 1-15 | Terramall, Tres Ríos,
278-3631, 518-0002 (reservations
available)
COLONIAL 1-2 | Plaza Colonial,
Escazú, 289-9000
FLORES 1-5 | Paseo de las Flores
Mall, Heredia, 237-6263
GRECIA | Fábrica Entertainment
Center, 800 m west of Shell station,
Grecia, 495-6000
INTERNACIONAL 1-4 | Mall Internacional,
Alajuela, 442-6100
LIBERIA 1-4 | Centro Plaza Liberia,
1 km before Liberia, 665-2335
MAGALY | Ca. 23, Av. Ctrl./1,
905-246-3722 (for schedules in
CCM), 223-0085, 221-6272
OUTLET MALL | San Pedro, 234-8868,
283-2146
PARAÍSO 1-3 | Mall Paraíso, Paraíso,
Cartago, 592-3133
PÉREZ ZELEDÓN | Monte General
Shopping Center, 772-6780
PLAZA MAYOR 1-2 | Rohrmoser,
232-0621 (reservations available)
SALA GARBO | Av. 2, Ca. 28, 222-1034,
223-1960
SAN CARLOS 1-3 | Ciudad Quesada,
460-6202
SAN PEDRO 1-10 | Mall San Pedro,
283-5716, 280-9585
SAN RAMÓN 1-3 | Alajuela, 447-7120
VARIEDADES | Ca. 5, Av. Ctrl./1,
222-6108
‘Borat’ Worth Seeing, but No More than Once
hen you
w a t c h
c o m e d y,
you’re really not expecting much. After
REEL
all, any fool can make
TALK
you laugh. How else
could Hollywood get
Hugo Marenco
away with crappy
comedies such as the recent “The Cleaner”
(which hasn’t hit theaters here, and let’s hope
it doesn’t) or Rob Schneider flicks such as
“Animal” and “Hot Chick”? We could also
talk about Will Ferrel and his collaborations.
Entertaining? Maybe. Worth a second look?
Not likely. Movies like these just need to survive for a couple of weeks at the box office
and then, after they’ve made their profit,
they’re gone.
Does “Borat” fall within this category? No.
Let’s see why.
It’s impossible to talk about “Borat” without explaining a little about Sacha Baron
Cohen. The Jewish Englishman and Cam-
W
bridge graduate is considered a comedic
genius in many respects. Those of us who
have seen skits from his TV program “Da Ali
G Show” know the man has talent. Not only
does he have a chameleonic approach to acting (only approach, in my humble opinion),
but also his show’s subject matter is controversial and relevant on a social level. He
wants to make you think and laugh at the
same time. A key ingredient to this is how he
invites real-life professionals, social workers
and drug experts onto the show, interviews
them and asks them what would seem to be
ridiculous questions but in fact touch upon
issues that merit reflection and thought.
Upon realizing they really don’t have an
answer, the guests are ridiculed live onstage,
while Cohen brilliantly plays his Ali G part.
In “Borat,” Cohen plays, well, Borat, a
Kazakh reporter on a mission: to gather “cultural learnings of America for make benefit
glorious nation of Kazakhstan.” The “guest”
in the show this time around is the United
States. Explaining more on this point would
Reel Talk Movie Rating
“Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for
Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan”
be either giving away the movie or criticizing
the United States, both of which I’m sure
you could probably do without. I guess I
could tell you that he falls in love with a magazine photo of Pamela Anderson.
This is a movie you should see, at most,
once, if only for the renowned naked fight
scene – and that’s all I’m going to say about
that. There are dull moments that really disconnect you from the experience, and it’s
filmed documentary style so it’s got a documentary lag to it. But in the end, it’s worth
seeing at the theater or as a rental for the sheer
enjoyment of watching people ridicule themselves. And it’s definitely not your usual slapstick comedy – there’s some substance to it.
Photo courtesy of DISCINE S.A.
Quite the Character: British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen is Borat.
CALENDAR
*First time in Calendar. Listings are in chronological order. E-mail Calendar submissions to [email protected] by 11 a.m. Monday, five days prior to date of publication.
What to Do This Weekend
TODAY
Orange Fair: Dance, theater, marimba music,
Feb. 9-11, 16-18, Ciudad Colón, 249-1050.
Kabbalah Seminar: Led by by Soizic Aureli,
Feb. 9-11, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., at a private residence in Pozos de Santa Ana, reserve at 2491856, [email protected].
*International Suzuki Festival: Feb. 9, 6 p.m.,
Parque Sendas, Guadalupe, 232-3999.
Kantera in Concert: Feb. 9, 7:30 p.m., Café de
Playa, Playas del Coco, Guanacaste, 900 m
east of Calle Chorrera, 670-1471.
“Oleanna”: Written by David Mamet, play
about sexual harrassment, Feb. 9-10, 8 p.m.,
Eugene O’Neill Theater, Costa Rica-North
American Cultural Center, 205-4104.
Johnny Dread and Bamaselo in Concert: Feb.
9, 9 p.m., Salón Monrio, Turrialba, 863-0395.
Playas del Coco Blues Fest: John Swan, Feb.
9; with Blues Devils, Feb. 11, both at 9 p.m.,
Bar La Vida Loca, Playas del Coco, Guanacaste, 670-0181.
*Mario Ulloa in Concert: Classical and Latin
music, Feb. 9, 10 p.m., Jazz Café.
SATURDAY
*Exchange Day: Feb. 10, including a mask
workshop for Children, 11 a.m.; carnival, 2
p.m.; popular dance show, 3 p.m.; book
exchange all day, Spanish Cultural Center.
Specials
Summer Tango Class: Including meals, lodging, guide, T-shirt, transportation, entrance
fees, through March 13, Tuesdays, 6-7:30
p.m., Fantasía Tango, San Pedro de Montes de
Oca, 50 m north of Il Pomodoro, 285-4143.
*Cultural Shows: Storytelling, poetry, theater,
dance, music, Feb. 12, 6 p.m., Teatro Alterarte,
Liberia; Feb. 19, 7 p.m., Casa de la Cultura,
Nicoya, Guanacaste.
Conferences for Health Professionals: Human
Relationships in the Medical Field, by Dr. Kristen Swanson, Feb. 12, 7 p.m.; Ethics and
Health, by Dr. Sarah Shannon, Feb. 19, 7 p.m.,
both at the Clínica Bíblica auditorium, 4th floor,
685-0843.
Film Festival: Feb. 13; “Acción Mutante”
(Spain, 1993), Feb. 20; “Wild at Heart” (U.S.,
1990), Feb. 27, all at 6:30 p.m., Contemporary
Art and Design Museum.
7th Annual “Have a Heart” Charity Golf Tournament: All proceeds benefit area education,
Feb. 14, Hacienda Pinilla Golf Course, Guanacaste, 653-0270.
www.puntarenas.com/carnavales/programa.html.
*Piano Concert: By Jorge Erick Alfaro, Feb.
10, 5 p.m., José Figueres Ferrer Cultural
Center.
*Green Community Forum: Art, meditation,
live music, circus acts, drinks, appetizers, Feb.
10, 5:30 p.m., Barracuda Art Gallery, Tamarindo, Guanacaste, [email protected].
*Son de Tiquizia in Concert: Salsa, Feb. 10,
10 p.m., Jazz Café.
Photo courtesy of La Vida Loca
Blues guitarist John Swan gets down
in Guanacaste tonight and Sunday at
Bar La Vida Loca in Playas del Coco.
Directing Workshop: In English, directed by
David King, Feb. 10, 1-5 p.m., Blanche Brown
Theatre, Bello Horizonte, Escazú, 355-1623.
Música en las Gradas: Liverpool, Feb. 10, 3
p.m., Gold Museum amphitheater, underneath
Plaza de la Cultura.
*Cultural Encounter: Folkloric dances by
Nandayure Dance Group, food sales, Feb. 10,
4 p.m.; Feb. 11, 10 a.m., Carmona de
Nandayure, Guanacaste, 665-2996.
*Puntarenas Carnival: Food sales, rides,
dances, sports, parades, through Feb. 18;
horse parade, Feb. 10, 4 p.m.; carnival, Feb.
17, 5 p.m., Paseo de los Turistas, Puntarenas,
Women’s Club of Costa Rica Tea: Feb. 14, 2
p.m., Barrio 7 (Rohrmoser, Pavas, Sabana, La
Uruca). Call 268-6130, 268-7367 or 244-3669
for directions.
*Film Festival: “Yerma,” Feb. 14; “Planta,”
Feb. 28, 7 p.m., Spanish Cultural Center.
Workshop on How to Give a Speech: Feb. 1516, 5-9 p.m., Costa Rican Chamber of Commerce, 221-0005.
Hike to Maderas Volcano on Ometepe Island,
Nicaragua: Organized by Aventuras Rurales,
Feb. 16-18, 223-8509, 248-9470.
*La Fortuna Fair: Cattle shows, food, horse
parade, Feb. 16-18, 479-9185.
Tango Show: Feb. 16-17, 8 p.m., Melico Salazar Theater, tickets at www.mundoticket.com.
*Expoferia Orosi Colonial: Contests, crafts,
food, Feb. 17-18, in front of the Colonial
Church, Orosi.
*Legalize It Surf Tournament: Feb. 17-18,
Puerto Viejo, Limón, 885-9688, betolocks@
hotmail.com.
*World Family Yoga Annual Retreat: With
Peggy Profant, Christine McArdle-Oquendo,
Feb. 17-24, Feb. 25-March 4, Guaria de Osa,
Osa Peninsula, www.guariadeosa.com.
Venue Information
Alliance Française, Barrio Amón, Av. 7, Ca. 5, 2222283.
Calderón Guardia Museum, Barrio Escalante, 2226392.
CENAC (FANAL), Av. 3/5, Ca. 11/15, 221-2154.
Centro de Cine, Barrio Amón, 223-2127, 223-0610.
Centro Cultural del Este, Guadalupe, 234-2926.
Children’s Museum, end Ca. 4, 258-4929.
Contemporary Art and Design Museum, Av. 3,
Ca. 15/17, 257-9370.
Costa Rican Art Museum, east side of La Sabana
Park, 222-7932.
Costa Rican-North American Cultural Center, Barrio
Dent, 207-7554.
Jazz Café, San Pedro, 253-8933.
José Figueres Ferrer Cultural Center, San Ramón,
Alajuela, 447-2178.
José Figueres Ferrer Cultural House, Barrio Escalante, 224-0010.
Juan Santamaría Museum, Alajuela, 447-2178.
Melico Salazar Theater, Av. 2, Ca. Ctrl./2, 257-6005.
Mexico Institute, Ca. 41, Av. 10, 283-2333.
Museum of Forms, Spaces and Sounds, Av. 3,
Ca. 21, 256-1281.
National Museum, Ca. 17, Av. Ctrl./2, 257-1433.
National Theater, Av. 2, Ca. 3/5, 221-9417.
Parque de Diversiones, La Uruca, 2 km west of
Hospital México, parallel road to highway, 290-3035.
Spanish Cultural Center, Barrio Escalante, Av. 13,
Ca. 31, 257-2919.
SUNDAY
*Singles in the Saddle: Feb. 11, 1-5 p.m.,
Finca Caballo Loco, El Rodeo, Ciudad Colón,
386-4586, 386-4586.
*Casting for Spring Show: Auditions for
singers, musicians and dancers, Feb.11-13, 3
p.m.; performance dates April 13-15, 20-22,
Villas Río Mar Conference Center, Dominical,
787-8007, 850-7477.
Camerata Académica Bach Summer Concert:
Albinoni, Mozart, Handel, Feb. 11, 6 p.m.,
INBioparque, Santo Domingo, Heredia, 5078132, 507-8107.
“The Diary of Anne Frank”: Performed by a
local theater group, Feb. 11, 8 p.m., Melico
Salazar Theater.
*Allan Guzmán in Concert: Trova, Feb. 11,
9:30 p.m., Jazz Café.
Initiation in Shaolin Qi Gong: Nine-hour training with Pragata, Feb. 17, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Feb.
18, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., Janine Yoga Studio, San
Rafael de Escazú, 289-7524,
[email protected].
*Mardi Gras Celebration: Feb. 18, 10 a.m.,
Las Candelillas, Higuito, San Mateo, road to
Esparza, 428-9157, 428-8434.
*Da Vinci Code and the Divine Feminine:
Session 1, Feb.18, 1-2 pm; session 2, Feb. 25,
2-3 p.m., presented by international guest lecturer Garrett Riegg, Unity, Piedades, Santa
Ana, 203-4411.
*Tennis Friendship Tournament: Feb. 19-24,
Costa Rica Country Club, Escazú, 892-9097.
National Surf Circuit Competitions: Trofeo
Freestyle (Open, Juniors), Feb. 24-25, Nosara,
Guanacaste; Trofeo Playa del Carmen (Open,
Juniors), March 17-18, Playa Santa Teresa,
Puntarenas; Grand Final, April (date TBA), Playa
Hermosa, Puntarenas, www.surfingcr.net.
*Sun Fair: Exhibit, food made in “sun ovens,”
Feb. 24, 7 a.m., Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz,
Guanacaste, 681-1015.
Organic Fair: Including workshops on planting
and fertilization, Feb. 24, 10 a.m., El Brujo, Río
Nuevo, Pérez Zeledón, 884-6560.
*Brazilian Carnival: Feb. 24, 8 p.m., San José
Palacio Hotel, La Uruca, 222-5753.
*Zarcero Fair: Exhibits, rodeo, bullfights, cultural events, March 2-12, fairground in Zarcero, Alajuela, 854-3480.
*Healing Sleep Retreat: Led by Michael
Krugman, March 3-10, Guaria de Osa,
Peninsula de Osa, www.guariadeosa.com.
*Newcomers Monthly Meeting: With guest
speaker Dr. Maida Farnell Wimberly, discussing
“what you do or don’t want to know about
dengue and parasites of Costa Rica,” March 6,
9:30 a.m., Cuidad Colón, 416-6165, [email protected].
*Construction Fair: Talks, exhibits of construction and decoration items, March 7-11, Herradura Hotel, Ciudad Cariari, 253-5757.
*Madre Tierra, Terra Nostra Film Festival:
March 7-11, Cine Variedades, Ca. 5, Av. Ctrl./1,
222-6108.
*Expoempleo Job Fair: March 9-11, Hotel San
José Palacio, La Uruca, www.expoempleo.net.
*Craft Fair: Including cultural events, March
10-11, 9 a.m.-8 p.m., Parque España, Parque
Morazán and Jardín de Paz (in front of Escuela
Metálica), Ca.9/11, Av. 3/7, 295-6275.
*Coast to Coast Challenge: Competitors cross
towns, mountains, rivers, on foot, riding bikes,
paddling, 450 km, March 11-17, 280-8054,
ext. 20.
*Women’s Club of Costa Rica Luncheon:
March 14, 11:30 a.m., Ramada Plaza
Herradura, Ciudad Cariari, 282-6801, 4305322.
*National Orchid Show: 1,500 local, foreign
species, hybrids on display March 16-18, 8
a.m.-6 p.m., Cariari Country Club, Ciudad
Cariari, Heredia, 240-4269.
*Health Fair: March 21-22, University of Costa
Rica, San Pedro campus, 207-4025.
Art
Guillermo Trejos Cob: Watercolors, Galería
Woods, Monteverde center, next to Supermercado La Esperanza.
Judith Fernández Vílchez: Sculptures, through
Feb. 15, Fine Art Gallery of the University of
Costa Rica, San Pedro campus.
*Marta Eugenia Yglesias Piza: Painting,
through Feb. 15, Mexico Institute.
Verónica Navarro: “Contorsiones,” through
Feb. 15, Dau al Set Gallery, 75 m west of Más
x Menos, Cuesta de Moras, downtown San
José, 221-2484.
*Collective Art Exhibits: “Límites, Rutas
Intangibles and Noticias del Filibustero,” sculptures, painting, installations, through Feb. 17,
Contemporary Art and Design Museum, 2577202, 257-9370.
“Estrecho Dudoso – Doubtful Strait”: Visual
arts event organized by TEOR/éTica, featuring
70 artists from 28 countries, sculpture, installations, paintings, through Feb. 18, Contemporary Art Museum (CENAC), Costa Rican Art
Museum, National Museum, Juan Santamaría
Museum, Gold Museum (underneath Plaza de
la Cultura), 233-4881.
Lucinda Tosi: Watercolors, through Feb. 18, El
Señor de Sipán, old road to Tres Ríos, 300 m
west of the cemetery, 278-2978.
Tamara Ávalos: Ceramics, through Feb. 23,
Sophia Wanamaker Galería, Costa Rican-North
American Cultural Center, Barrio Dent.
“Hanging Music”: Interactive sculptures by
Erika Stanley, through Feb. 26, Galería Valanti,
Marina Village, Los Sueños, Playa Herradura,
Puntarenas, 637-8412, 637-8421.
“Casa de Cuatro Pisos” Collective Art Show:
Installations and engravings, through Feb. 28,
Taller del Artista, old road to Tres Ríos, 2783594.
Franco Mungía: Cartoons, through Feb. 28,
José Figueres Ferrer Cultural Center.
Grace Herrera Amighetti: Handmade paper,
through Feb. 28, Sophia Wanamaker Galería,
La Sabana.
*John Dessarzin: Nature photography,
through Feb. 28, National Gallery, Children’s
Museum.
Ricardo Rodríguez: Watercolors, through Feb.
28, José Figueres Ferrer Cultural Center.
Gilmar Maccagnan: Brazilian photographer,
through March 1, Multiplaza Escazú, 8929097, 377-9097.
“El Urbanismo en el Nuevo Mundo”: Exhibit
of Spanish colonial maps, plans and drawings,
through April 28, León Fernández exhibit hall,
National Archives, Zapote, 234-7689, 283-1400.
CALENDAR
B.M. McMullen: Acid on stainless steel,
through May 15, Galería Klaus Steinmetz, 25
m east of Plaza Rolex, Escazú, 289-5403;
romantic bronze and marble sculptures,
through May 31, Kandinsky Galería, Centro
Comercial de la Calle Real, #20, San Pedro,
234-0478.
Dinorah Bolandi: Drawings, textiles, oils,
through June 15, Gold Museum, beneath Plaza
de la Cultura, 243-4219.
Kids
Activities at Santa Ana Conservation Center:
Frogs and Toads, kids 3-12, Feb. 9, 9 a.m.,
registration at 256-0012, 233-6701.
“Tío Conejo”: Children’s play, Sat.-Sun., 11
a.m., 3 p.m., Teatro Tío Conejo, Pueblo
Antigüo, Parque de Diversiones, La Uruca,
253-5518.
Music
*Jean Pierre Allaire in Concert: Greatest hits
of the ’60s and ’70s, Feb. 11, 13, 16, 18, 20,
23, 25, 27, Villa del Sueño hotel and restaurant, Playa Hermosa, Guanacaste.
Concerts at Café de Playa: Feb. 14, Ray Tico,
with Fidel Gamboa and Manuel Obregón; Feb.
16, Sasha Campbell; Feb. 23, Calypso Limón
Legends, March 2, Editus and Marta Fonseca;
all at 7:30 p.m., Café de Playa, Playas del
Coco, Guanacaste, 900 m east of Calle
Chorrera, 670-1471.
*Francisco Céspedes in Concert: Ballads celebrating Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14, 8 p.m.,
Herradura Hotel, Ciudad Cariari, 223-2321.
Johnny Dread and Bamaselo in Concert: Feb.
15, Babylon, Tamarindo; Feb. 17, Lizard
Lounge, Playas del Coco; Feb. 18, Monteverde
Amphitheater, Monteverde; Feb. 20, El Observatorio, Barrio La California; Feb. 24, Rippers,
Playa Hermosa, Puntarenas; Feb. 25, afternoon
show, Roca Verde, Dominical, 863-0395.
*Andrés Saborío in Concert: Trova, Feb. 16, 7
p.m., Spanish Cultural Center.
*Valentine’s Concert: By Rabito and George
Hernández, Feb. 17, 6 p.m., Villa Olímpica
gymnasium, Desamparados, 221-6520, 2232913.
*Swing en 4 in Concert: Ballads, Feb. 17, 8
p.m., INBioparque, Santo Domingo, Heredia,
278-4004.
Ricky Martin in Concert: Feb. 19, 8 p.m.,
Ricardo Saprissa Stadium, Tibás, tickets on
sale at Megasuper, www.specialticket.net,
206-7770.
Música en las Gradas: Sasha Campbell, Feb.
24, 3 p.m.; Escats, March 3, 11 a.m.; Chocolate, March 17, 11 a.m., all at Gold Museum
amphitheater, underneath Plaza de la Cultura.
Camerata Académica Bach Summer Concerts: Feb. 25, Handel, Haydn, Bach,
Andriessen; March 11, Sammartini, Mozart,
Vivaldi; March 25, Pachelbel, Handel, Neruda,
Barber, all at 6 p.m., INBioparque, Santo
Domingo, Heredia, 507-8132, 507-8107.
Religious Services
(Call for days, times, directions.)
Anglican Episcopal Church, 222-1560, English
mass, Sun., 8:30 a.m., north of Colegio de
Señoritas, San José.
Bahá’i Faith Firesides, 249-1231 (McKinney
family, English or Spanish), Central Valley.
Beach Community Church, 654-4446, Country
Day School, Brasilito, Guanacaste.
Beit Tikvah Egalitarian Minyan, 301-3867,
Cañafístula, Guanacaste.
B’nai Israel, 231-5243, La Sabana.
Chabad Lubavitch, 296-6565, Rohrmoser.
Christian Center, 494-0970, Grecia.
Church of Christ, English 834-8825, Spanish
839-4331, Cartago.
El Shaddai Christian Church, 846-7208, Santa
Ana.
English Roman Catholic Mass, 221-3820,
Sat., 4 p.m., cathedral, Ca. Ctrl./1, Av. 2/4, San
José.
Episcopal Church, 225-0209, Zapote.
Escazú Christian Fellowship (interdenominational), 395-9653, Escazú.
Guadalupe Missionary Baptist Temple, 2244258, Guadalupe.
Hare Krishna Center Gaudiya Math, 2568650, Cuesta de Núñez, #1331.
Iglesia Sion de Costa Rica (Korean spoken),
236-9959, Santo Domingo, Heredia.
International Baptist Church, 365-1005,
Escazú.
International Christian Youth Group, 2796781, San Francisco de Dos Ríos.
International Church El Gran Rebaño, 2899920, Escazú.
Jehovah’s Witnesses English Group, 3983657.
Liberia Community Church, 654-4446, Ciudad
Blanca Christian School, Liberia.
Ministries to the English-Speaking, 2261314, San Francisco de Dos Ríos.
Our Father’s House, 377-6123.
Quaker Meeting at Friends Peace Center,
222-1400, Ca. 15, Av. 6/8.
Reformed Baptist Church of Los Lagos, 4822335, English service, Sun., 4 p.m., Heredia.
San Pedro Christian Fellowship, 267-6038,
235-6052.
St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Chapel, 2390033, mass, Sun., 4 p.m., Herradura Hotel,
Ciudad Cariari, Heredia.
The Well Worship Service Tamarindo, 6531864, 868-0871, www.tamarindochurch.com.
Union Church, 235-6709, Moravia.
Unity Center, 203-4411, Piedades, Santa Ana.
Vineyard Christian Fellowship, 289-6782,
291-4383, La Sabana.
Theater
(All plays in Spanish unless otherwise noted.)
“Cabaret”: Musical, Thurs.-Sun., 8 p.m.,
Lucho Barahona Theater, Ca. 11, Av. 6/8, 2235972.
“Chingos o Nada”: Comedy, Thurs.-Sun., 8
p.m., Molière Theater, Av. 2, Ca. 13, 255-2694.
“Dos Arriba y Una Abajo”: Comedy, Thurs.Sun., 8 p.m., Arlequín, Ca. 15, Av. 2, 2215485.
“Orgasmos”: Comedy, Thurs.-Sun., 8 p.m.,
Teatro Torres, Av. 8, Ca. 11/13, 258-6078.
“Apartamento de Soltero”: Comedy, Fri.-Sun.,
8 p.m., La Máscara Theater, Av. 2/4, Ca. 13,
222-4574, 365-5368.
“Chico Loco”: Comedy, Fri.-Sun., 8 p.m., Calle
15 Theater, Av. 2, Ca. 15, in front of Plaza de la
Democracia, 390-1780.
“El Efímero Secreto de las Estrellas”: Drama,
Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m., Teatro San José, Av. 8, Ca.
13, 256-5752.
“La Tertulia de los Espantos”: Based on traditional Costa Rican tales, Fri.-Sun., 8 p.m.,
through Feb. 18, Alajuela Municipal Theater,
northwest side of Juan Santamaría Park, 4362362.
“Sexolorrisas”: Comedy, Fri.-Sun., 8 p.m.,
Teatro Chaplin, 100 m south, 125 m east of
AyA, Paseo de los Estudiantes, 221-0812, 8322516.
“Suegras Bárbaras”: Comedy, Fri.-Sun., 8
p.m., La Comedia Theater, Av. Ctrl., Ca. 13/15,
233-2170.
“Teta que Mano No Cubre No Es Teta, Es
Ubre”: Comedy, Fri.-Sun., 8 p.m., La Esquina
Theater, Av. 1, Ca., 21, 257-0223.
“VIP Zona Roja”: Drama about life in marginal
areas, Fri.-Sun., 8 p.m., Teatro de San José,
Ca. 15, Av. 8/10, 256-5752.
“DUDA”: Drama by J.P. Shanley, through April
1, Sat., 8 p.m., Sun., 5 p.m., Teatro Dionisio,
Café Britt, Heredia, 500 m north, 400 m west
of AutoMercado, road to Barva, 385-0955.
Directing Workshop: In English, directed by
David King, Feb. 10, 1-5 p.m., Blanche Brown
Theatre, Bello Horizonte, Escazú, 355-1623.
*“Strawberries in January”: A romantic comedy in English, with guest director David King
from Canada, Feb. 23-March 11, Fri.-Sat. 7:30
p.m., Sun. 2:30 p.m., Blanche Brown Theatre,
Bello Horizonte, Escazú, 355-1623, www.little
theatregroup.org. Fundraiser to benefit the
Canadian Club, Feb. 25, 2 p.m., 888-7089,
289-9831.
Photo courtesy of Central Bank Museums
A variety of works including drawings, textiles and oils by renowned
Costa Rican artist Dinorah Bolandi go
on exhibit today in the temporary
exhibit hall of Central Bank Museums
in downtown San José. The exhibit
will be in place through June 15.
CLUBS AND ORGANIZATIONS
The following groups meet regularly and welcome visitors:
Alcoholics Anonymous, groups meet daily throughout the country; times and places change frequently,
call for up-to-date information. In San José, 2221880 (Anchor Club, also serves Narcotics Anonymous), Av. 6, Ca. 1, 2nd floor, Maryland Building;
Heredia, Laura, 267-7466; Atenas, Tom, 373-3629,
446-3383; Puerto Viejo, Limón, 750-0080; Zancudo,
776-0012; Tamarindo, 653-0897; Flamingo, Don,
654-4902; Playa Hermosa, Gte., John, 672-1163, or
Leslie, 672-1157; Manuel Antonio, Jennifer, 7771548; Jacó, Nancy, 637-8824; Zoo Group, Escazú,
293-4322, Victor, 840-9312, info, 249-2886, Monika,
831-7305.
Al-Anon Meetings, Sabana Vigilance Club, Sandy,
288-4836, or Martha, 483-1275, 840-4658 (Spanish).
American Legion Post 10, Escazú, 228-6014.
American Legion Post 16, Heredia, 889-0545, 5911695, 259-8928.
Association for Animal Protection, 255-3757, Diana,
228-2397, 267-7158.
Association of Residents of Costa Rica, 233-8068,
[email protected].
Badminton Association, 381-8284, 250-6537.
Birding Club, [email protected].
Bridge, John Goold, 229-1839,
[email protected], www.arnbcr.org.
Bridge Clubs: La Amistad, Sun., 3 p.m., Ian McLennan, 835-0575; Club Los Fiebres, Tue. evenings,
Sidney Ferencz, 288-0698; Quepos Bridge Club, Don
Hanks, 777-5002; San José Bridge Club, Mon., 1:30
p.m., Amalia Melter, 296-7569; Tres sin Triunfo, Wed.,
7:30 p.m., Fri., 1:30 p.m., Sat., 2 p.m. (teams), John
MacGregor, 231-1097.
Canadian Club, 282-1146, www.canadianclubcr.com.
Center of the Enlighted Mind Circle of Meditation
and Movement, Alajuela, 443-6460.
Central Valley Golf Association, plays every Tuesday,
David, 254-0140, 392-8595, www.TheCVGA.com.
Coffee-Pickin’ Squares Dance Club, 249-1208.
Computer Club, Bill Lawrence, 228-0190.
Costa Rica Gardening Club, Mariel, 203-4964.
Democrats Abroad, meets the last Saturday of every
month, Ruth Dixon, 494-6260.
Emergency Help for People Robbed in Costa Rica,
289-7486 (24 hours).
Feed Single Mothers Mission, 374-8849,
www.feedsinglemothers.org.
Flag Football, Thursdays, 10 a.m., La Sabana Park,
373-8720, www.flagmag.com.
Friends of Ansche Chesed (NY) and Beyt Tikkun
(CA), Atenas, 446-5768.
Full Gospel Businessmen’s Fellowship International, 245-4592.
Hash House Harriers, Millard Farmer, 282-6010.
Health Club, Dianne Rowley, 266-0123, d@dear
betty.com, Escazú.
Herbalife and Weight Control Support Group,
[email protected].
The International Gay and Lesbian Assocation, Rick,
280-3548.
La Leche League (for nursing moms), Nancy, 2280941.
Language Exchange: Universal de Idiomas, Av. 2, Ca.
9, 257-0441.
Little Theatre Group, 355-1623, www.littletheatregroup.org.
Michigan State University Alumni International
Costa Rica Chapter, Michael Forbes, 289-6087,
[email protected].
Narcotics Anonymous, 256-8140, 248-0545.
Network of Spiritual Progressives, 446-5768
(Atenas).
Newcomers Club (for women), 416-6165, 302-5620,
[email protected].
Overeaters Anonymous, Roger, 232-0001, ext. 3001,
Cinthia 254-9001, [email protected].
*Peace Army of Costa Rica, 282-6576 (bilingual).
Quilt Guild of Costa Rica, meets first Tuesday of
month, 6:30 p.m., Catholic Church, San Pedro,
Montes de Oca, 225-9534.
Readers Theater Club, 207-7578.
Readers Theater (script reading), Wednesday afternoons, [email protected].
Republicans Abroad Costa Rica, Frances Radics,
203-6131, 820-1231.
Rotary Clubs, 255-1001 (English).
Tambor Gringos and Important Friends, Ann Leonard Coyle, [email protected], 683-0686.
Tibetan-Costa Rican Cultural Association, 258-0254,
fax 255-2783.
Truth Behind the News Discussion Club, Mondays,
10 a.m., Lofa Plaza, 2nd floor, Don Getzman, 2413493.
Ultimate Frisbee, 337-5249, 391-6980, 825-8967.
Union Church Women’s Fellowship, 235-6709.
Unity Center, 203-4411, Piedades, Santa Ana.
University of Tennessee Association, 446-5403.
V.F.W. Post 11207, San José, 255-2806, 231-2948.
Wine Club, meets for lunch the last Sunday of every
month, 1 p.m., 279-8927.
Women’s Aglow Fellowship, 231-2350.
Women’s Auxiliary of the Salvation Army, 221-8266.
Women’s Club of Costa Rica, 268-6130, 282-6801,
www.wccr.org.
Women’s International League for Peace and
Freedom, English/Spanish, Heredia, 433-7078.
Young Life Youth Club, 232-2350.
Young Expats of Costa Rica (for expatriates under
40), www.youngexpatsofcostarica.org.
SPOTLIGHT
ON THE
ARTS
Crazy Little Thing Called Love:
LTG Celebrates Valentine’s with ‘Strawberries in January’
By David King
fter acting as guest director on the
Little Theatre Group’s (LTG) “The
Good Body” in 2005, I couldn’t help
but return to work with this little theater
group in the western San José suburb of Bello
Horizonte de Escazú. As a minority Anglophone in Canada’s francophone province of
Quebec, this intercultural experience is particularly enriching, considering that LTG is
Central America’s oldest English-language
theater company, with a vibrant group of
passionate members from all walks of life.
With support from LTG and the Quebec
City-based Office Québec-Amériques pour la
jeunesse, which provides entrepreneurial and
cultural exchanges for Quebecois youth
throughout the Americas, my visit provides
the opportunity to present a Quebec play,
teach workshops and discuss contemporary
“Canuck” theater with Costa Ricans.
Evelyne de la Chenelière’s “Strawberries in
January” (“Des fraises en janvier”) is a great
example of Canadian theater’s blend of
North American realism and Quebec’s more
European, physical and imagistic styles. With
A
a topnotch English
translation by Toronto-based Morwyn
Brebner, this romantic
comedy is not your
usual “rom-com” fare.
Featuring four Montreal singletons in
pursuit of love, happiness and fulfillment,
the play tosses around
all the crazy, mixedup lies we tell for love,
David King
even when it’s right
under our noses.
Montreal café owner and budding screenwriter François (played by Theodore Hope)
imagines, much like the playwright herself,
what life would be like if we were all living in
a movie, where we can all call “Cut!” and
start over again if things aren’t working out.
Hope, a computer scientist, co-founder of
San José’s InterNexo and a teacher at the
Technology Institute of Costa Rica in
Cartago, east of the capital, says he is having
fun in his challenging and goofy role as the
daydreamer François.
“Like François,” Hope muses, “I imagine
my own movie-like, fantasy scenarios that
involve people who surround me, but never
going to François’ extremes of lying.”
Hope’s character, in love with his obsessive-compulsive ex-girlfriend and roommate
Sophie (who’s always dreaming of finding
the right Valentino-esque “package”),
decides to test out Hollywood romance by
setting up Sophie with French literature professor Robert (played by Ron Boston), a regular at his café. As Sophie, Chiquita Brands
executive Sheila Morrison admits to her own
idiosyncrasies.
“I actually thought I was pretty neurotic
until I met my character Sophie,” Morrison
laughs, “so I’m feeling pretty good about
myself these days. Sophie’s desperate pursuit
of the perfect man is actually hard for me to
understand, as I was one of those lucky ones,
who, at 28, really wasn’t looking for love,
when my future husband walked in the door
and I just knew.”
Throw in the zany innkeeper and Sophie’s
childhood friend Léa (played by the delightful Sally O’Boyle), and the fine line is quickly drawn between truth and lies, fantasy and
fact, and reality and fiction. As the professor
with secrets of his own, former Radio Dos
morning disc jockey “Dr. Ron” Boston is
beginning to savor his role.
“I play a pretentious college professor – I
wonder if I was typecast?” Boston jokes.
“Actually, this is a challenging role for me.
In real life, my character and I probably
wouldn’t get along well.”
Ah, the things we do for love.
Writer and director David King holds an honors
BFA in performance from Montreal’s Concordia
University, where he co-founded the bilingual,
project-based company OUT Productions in
1997. Recent credits include “The Graduate”
(assistant to Miles Potter, Grand Theatre, London, Ontario), “Story of My Life” (assistant to
Michael Bush, Canadian Stage Co., Toronto),
“Hysteria,” “Crave,” “Pterodactyls” and “Jocasta” (University of Alberta, Edmonton), and
“Regeneration” (Theatre Network, Edmonton).
More Info
“Strawberries in January” is set to run Feb. 23
through March 11 at the Blanche Brown Theatre in
Bello Horizonte de Escazú. For tickets, information or
directions to the theater, call 355-1623 or visit
www.littletheatregroup.org.
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THE TICO TIMES
Caribbean Telecom Giant
Wants in on Tico Market
Museums, beaches, coffee plantations
and volcanoes are among attractions a
group of seven representatives from the
German government’s Tourism
Commission visited during a whirlwind
tour of Costa Rica this week.
The delegation was invited here by
Legislative Assembly president Francisco
Antonio Pacheco and Tourism Minister
Carlos Benavides in order for the two countries to share information about their
tourism industries and “further extend the
ties of friendship.”
The tour included a meeting Monday
with Foreign Minister Bruno Stagno,
Pacheco and representatives from the Costa
Rican Tourism Institute (ICT) and Science
and Technology Ministry (MICIT).
Wednesday, they met with President
Oscar Arias, and yesterday with Benavides
and William Rodríguez, vice-president of the
National Chamber of Tourism (CANATUR),
completing a tour of the country’s most important officials and destinations.
According to a statement from Casa
Presidencial, the tour was a resounding success, ending with a commitment from the
delegation to seek an increase in the number of flights arriving in Costa Rica from
Germany.
Annette Frasse of the delegation affirmed
there are now only two flights per week from
Germany – even during their bitter cold winter months – a number she feels is far too low
to really encourage tourism.
“About 40,000 Germans visit Costa Rica
annually on vacation, but the potential is
there for many more, if better opportunities
existed,” she said.
–Tico Times
The head of the Caribbean telecom
giant Digicel told the daily La República it
is interested in entering the Costa Rican
telecom market if the market is opened to
private competition.
The company, which operates in 22
countries, has lately set its sights on Central
America, where it has entered the
Salvadoran and Guatemalan markets, and
put its foot in the door in Panama and
Nicaragua. The company is the fastestgrowing mobile telecom operator in the
Caribbean, already claiming 62% of that
market after just six years. It has invested
some $1.5 billion in that region, and
employs more than 3,000 workers, according to Digicel’s Web site.
The Spanish company Telefónica and
the Mexican giant Telmex, owned by magnate Carlos Slim (the richest man in Latin
America and third richest in the world,
according to Forbes), have already registered their brands with Costa Rica’s
National Registry in anticipation of a possible market opening (TT, Feb. 3, 2006)
Under the Central American Free-Trade
Agreement with the United States (CAFTA),
Costa Rica is required to open its state-run
telecom monopoly to private competition.
Digicel group is based in Bermuda but
Irish magnate Denis O’Brien, one of the richest men in Ireland, is the company’s majority
shareholder. In September 2006, O’Brien
took up an address in Malta, a Mediterranean
island that charges no tax on assets or income
brought into the jurisdiction. The Irish Times
reported that O’Brien made the move as
Digicel planned to float his company on the
New York Stock Exchange.
–Blake Schmidt
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–
February 9, 2007
Indigenous Leaders Seek Voice in CAFTA
Page 12
Meeting the
Opposition:
Indigenous
leader Timoteo
Jackson, left,
shakes hands
with the
president of
the Legislative
Assembly,
Francisco
Pachecho.
The minister called CAFTA a “more
solid” agreement.
Indigenous Appeal
A group of about 40 indigenous Costa
Ricans this week demanded that the nation’s
24 indigenous territories be included in the
CAFTA debate.
“I feel abused. Stop mistreating indigenous people. Stop robbing them,” said
Timoteo Jackson, leader of a group of organic banana producers in the southern Caribbean zone of Bribrí, at a press conference
at the Legislative Assembly Tuesday.
Jackson and others, who traveled from the
far southeast corner of Costa Rica to appear at
the assembly, asked why the indigenous communities of Costa Rica haven’t been consulted in what they say is a mandatory consultation under Costa Rican law.
Benjamín Mayorga, of the Friends of
Talamanca Association, said CAFTA could
threaten the nation’s food security and
small farmers, many whom are indigenous; could threaten access to medicine
for indigenous communities; and could
mean national resources that these communities use such as water, forest and
minerals could fall into hands of multinational companies who will be given more
incentives to exploit those resources under
the agreement.
The consultation tours are required for
legislation that would affect indigenous
communities. Though there are differences
of opinion in the assembly about whether
Gilberto Jérez, a Guanacaste native who
founded and owns the electricity business
Monting, declared his conflict.
“Because of the activities of my business,
there could be a conflict of interest in my
participation in the commission,” he said in
a Jan. 25 letter announcing his departure
from the commission.
Libertarian Movement party leader
Evita Arguedas is a partner in the telecom
law consulting group Comunica M y T, and
her husband is a company chairman. She
didn’t step down from the commission,
however, drawing fire from opponents.
“There is a clear conflict between her
duty as a representative and her particular
interest,” PAC legislator Alberto Salom said
in a statement.
Arguedas told the daily La Nación there
is no conflict and that she wants to contribute her experience in telecom to the
debate. Salom is trying to “shut her up,” the
pro-CAFTA legislator alleged.
She also pointed to the fact that PAC
legislator Leda Zamora is an ICE official and
is on the special commission dedicated to
modernizing that agency.
“I don’t see it as a conflict of interest …
I haven’t benefited from anything up to
now,” Zamora, an ICE administrator of 14
years, told The Tico Times. She is currently on leave without pay. Zamora said she
plans to vote on the telecom and ICE
reforms.
Costa Rican corruption law calls for one
to eight years of prison for public officials
who vote favorably on legislation that benefits them personally.
the consultation law should apply to CAFTA
(TT, Sept. 1, 2006), the assembly’s technical
services department recommended the consultation tour in June of last year.
“We want you to take into account what
we’ve brought to light,” Mayorga said before
requesting that the Constitutional Chamber
of the Supreme Court (Sala IV) side with
indigenous communities.
Broad Front legislator José Merino said
there are more than enough votes in the
anti-CAFTA bloc to request the Sala IV
review the constitutionality of not conducting nationwide indigenous consultation for CAFTA.
Assembly president Francisco Pacheco
then briefly shook hands with Jackson,
saying “I’m happy to see indigenous com-
munities express themselves.” He made it
clear that he is in favor of the trade pact,
however.
He promised to review the group’s documented anti-CAFTA positions before he
scurried off to the assembly.
“We’re in session and I have to do my
job,” he said.
Clash over Telecom Interests
Though two legislators named on the
special commission to discuss reforms to the
telecom sector and the state-run Costa Rican
Electricity Institute (ICE) have possible conflicts of interests, only one has stepped down
from the commission.
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16 | OPINION | THE TICO TIMES
–
February 9, 2007
Editorial
Drowning in Waste – Same Old Story
ith steaming stacks of refuse on street corners around the country
A special trash commission is looking into the municipal waste problem.
and overflowing landfills leaking nasty chemical soup into under- A special inter-institutional team has begun looking into the chemical waste
ground aquifers, it is safe to say Costa Rica has a problem with its and safety issue.
waste.
But we’ve heard this before. With each administration come new plans,
You could even call it a state of emergency. But wait, someone already did, commissions and task forces to come up with new Band-Aid solutions.
more than 20 years ago: the Costa Rican government.
It’s time to try something new. The government needs to unite these
Two decades have come and gone, and the situation has gotten only worse. motley efforts and raise the profile of the trash problem once and for all by
The waste problem isn’t limited to garbage produced by households and putting one person, with one team, in charge. In a government that
left to rot on their doorstep because the
funds both a Planning Ministry and an Intermunicipalities don’t send trucks to pick it up;
Institutional Coordination Minister, there is
or the garbage tossed out car windows, littered
obviously space for a high-level team to tackalong hiking trails, dumped over hillsides or
le a problem of this magnitude, ending
Two decades have come and gone,
thrown into lakes, rivers and oceans. Costa
decades of having the responsibility scattered
and the situation has gotten only worse.
Rica must take a hard look at how it is dealing
throughout the middle reaches of the Health
with its industrial, chemical, medical and other
and Environment ministries and the counhazardous waste.
try’s 81 underfunded municipalities.
The government has always left the disposWe’re not advocating a new Trash
al of chemical and industrial waste up to the companies that produce it – Ministry, and the red tape and bureaucracy it would likely generate.
which makes sense. You make it, you deal with it. These companies, though,
Still, a high-level task force dedicated to the problem could work with
can’t just be taken at their word that they are disposing of their hazardous municipalities, employ specialists to examine public and private waste-manwaste in a proper way. Unfortunately, this is exactly what Costa Rica’s lax agement proposals, especially for chemical and medical waste, find funds to
monitoring of the industry has meant.
attack the problem and watch for and investigate corruption.
Then there’s medical waste, which, save some very few exceptions, gets disThis dedicated team could also spearhead nationwide efforts to educate
posed of along with the regular trash. Just ask the buzos who make their liv- and inspire inhabitants to reduce, reuse and recycle their waste. In the recipe
ing picking through landfills how often they come across syringes and bags of to improve Costa Rica’s waste problem, a vigilant and concerned populace
who-knows-what marked with hospital logos.
must complement government efforts.
W
Letters
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The Tico Times (USPS 002-579) is published every Friday
for $61 per year by The Tico Times S.A.,
Avenida 8, Calle 15, Apartado 4632-1000, San José, Costa Rica.
Periodicals postage paid at St. Louis Offset,
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Copyright Convention: unauthorized reproduction in whole or in part is strictly prohibited.
Herbal Supplements May Be
Regulated Under CAFTA
Dear Tico Times:
Several months ago I wrote of my
experiment to reduce my cholesterol numbers by using a Chinese medicinal herb, red
yeast rice extract (Monascus purpureus),
instead of the prescribed Crestor. At that
time I reported on how one trial had produced a drop of 104 (total) and 94 (LDL)
points. (TT, Oct. 13, 2006).
Being of an open-minded but skeptical
nature I thought that this, while very promising, was not conclusive: so I followed on
with a second trial. After not taking the
herb for a further three months, I had a
lipid profile test done Nov. 13 which
showed that my total had increased by 71
points and my LDL by 67 points. OK then,
so this is the state of my cholesterol without
any interference – not good!
So, back on the red yeast rice extract
for another couple of months and then
another test Jan. 15. This time my total was
down by 81 points to 197 and my LDL was
down 74 points to 132 – I should also add
that my triglycerides were also down 58
points to 103 and my HDL was up 4.5
points to 44.5.
‘Nuff said. Even if these numbers aren’t
as good as what Crestor could do (and I’ll
never know that), they are good enough
for me. For those who’d like to check my
research, they can see what the Mayo
Clinic says about red yeast rice extract and
what www.worstpills.org has to say about
Crestor.
A couple of years ago, the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration (FDA) attempted to
have the product Cholestin, which contains
red rice yeast extract, declared an unapproved drug and removed from the market.
Their reasoning? That it too closely resembles the pharmaceutical drug Lovastatin.
Send your Letters by e-mail ([email protected]), regular mail or fax (see Page 2). Please don’t
forget to sign your name and include your return address and phone number. Thank you.
You see, the drug companies have the
patents on all statin drugs – even the naturally occurring ones! Fortunately, the
Cholestin manufacturer appealed and the
FDA lost.
Even so, my (and your) freedom of
choice in this matter apparently is going to
be taken out of our hands by “big pharma.”
In a two-pronged attack to annihilate the
competition, they are the force behind the
international Codex Alimentarius, and they
are buying up all the formulae for producing generic versions of pharmaceutical
drugs. This latter issue is currently before
the U.S. Congress.
The most important item I have seen on
this topic in many years is to be found at
this Web site: www.herballure.com/Special/
WeBecomeSilent.
It is a 29-minute video narrated by Judy
Dench about the well-advanced plot by “big
pharma” to eradicate our free choice to buy
herbs, vitamins and minerals. In the guise
of protecting us against ourselves (nitwits
that we are) the Codex Alimentarius is
preparing to declare the competition illegal.
Lest readers think that Codex, a United
Nations program created to develop international food standards, will not affect
them, please note that the Adverse Event
Reporting (S. 3546) was passed Dec. 17,
2006, and will categorize dietary supplements as drugs. In addition, Costa Rica has
a representative and a committee on Codex
overseen by the Ministry of Economy,
Industry and Commerce.
The Central American Free-Trade
Agreement with the United States (CAFTA),
as is well known, can overrule national laws
(in this case, to enforce the Codex regulations), and will tremendously affect the ability of Costa Rica’s Social Security System
(Caja) to provide medications at a price within its budget. Please, please, watch this video!
Steve Friedman
Rio Oro de Santa Ana
Petty Crime Rising along
With Poverty, Homelessness
Dear Tico Times:
While I agree with Michael Cook that
tourists usually contribute to their crime
problems (TT, Jan. 19), that doesn’t mean
that petty crime has not become a serious
problem.
I have been visiting Costa Rica since
1972. That has included at least one trip
(sometimes two) a year since 1993. In 2006,
I made three trips to Pacific beaches to do
some surfing. (I haven’t visited Guanacaste
since 1989, though, because the development there depresses me.)
The one significant crime problem I’ve
experienced was definitely a result of foolishness. A couple years ago I let a friend talk me
into accompanying him to Costa Rica to visit
a family in Turrialba that was going to host
his daughter as an exchange student. When
we arrived there I noticed a pay phone near a
bakery and found a parking spot a little way
down the street. As I walked back to the pay
phone to call for directions I asked my friend
to watch the car. I then went to the phone
and called the family.
When I arrived back at the car, my
friend informed me that some guy opened
the car door, but he didn’t think he took
anything. Apparently my friend had gotten
out of the car and was standing on the sidewalk during this incident. I was shocked by
this. I thought it was obvious that when
watching the car you would prevent
strangers from entering or at least sound
the alarm if any attempted to do so.
Naturally the thief did take some things.
Despite my experiences, I definitely feel
less safe in Costa Rica than I did back in the
70s, because of the obvious increase in
poverty and homelessness. Some may blame
drugs. I think substance abuse is a symptom
THE TICO TIMES
of poverty and hopelessness. No doubt it
contributes to the continuation of those
when it is handled as a criminal rather than
a public health issue.
These issues are certainly not unique to
Costa Rica. Just visit any city in the United
States to see similar problems. On the other
hand, if you visit Amsterdam, you will see
plenty of drug use but you do not see obvious signs of poverty (at least not in the touristy central district). The Dutch provide
plenty of police patrols in that district too.
Consequently I have felt secure during my
visits there.
Ken Hayes
Austin, Texas, USA
Work Study Camps
Can End Poverty
Dear Tico Times:
Costa Rica will not solve poverty by following the old bureaucratic ways.
First of all, unless we significantly
reduce the number of children born
to unwed mothers in poverty – and unless
the government stops rewarding such
mothers for having six or more children by
giving them free houses and allowances –
the vicious cycle of poverty can never be
broken. The mindset of those in poverty –
and those in anti-poverty programs – seems
to be that the worse their plight, the more
government services they should receive.
Costa Rica is facing a time bomb from
the number of school dropouts, a prelude
to more poverty. With no education and no
beginner’s job opportunities, a young man
has few choices – that is, if he wants to eat.
He can not join the army to learn a skill. He
might be fortunate to find temporary
employment in farming or construction, or
as a vendor of fruit at intersections. Or he
can become a beggar, a thief, a kidnapperextortionist or a drug dealer. Or, he might
forget his misery by becoming a drug addict
with an expensive habit and probably kill
himself from an overdose and some innocents who get in his way.
Social programs can give limited support but lack the means to supply the discipline, knowledge and self-esteem lacking
among the poor. Victims must learn to help
themselves. How? Most countries provide
an opportunity for those trying to escape
poverty and willing to accept discipline by
joining the military. OK, we do not want
that here. During the Great Depression in
the United States the federal government
conscripted the unemployed into the
Civilian Conservation Corps and Works
Projects Administration camps where they
were housed, fed, clothed and given medical
attention. They worked on conservation,
infrastructure and public works projects. In
the process, many learned discipline, self
esteem, social interaction, team work,
and respect for authority – some even
learned a trade that they pursued all
through life with dignity.
We can certainly use that kind of work
in Costa Rica. Putting young people who
should be in school to work on constructive
projects will get them off the streets and
teach them how to survive by doing an
honest day’s work while they learn a trade.
Such a program will not be costly. To the
contrary, the country will save in many
ways. The specifics of a program “a lo Tico”
can be worked out.
If all abandoned youngsters over 10 or
12 who are not in school are sent to camps
to work and study, many will find a way to
stay in school. Those in camps will learn
much more than those in public schools
where they are exposed to overworked and
indifferent teachers and where they lack
parental support and suitable places to
study. In camps, supervised study with
tutoring can provide effective total immersion learning.
If the development of this program is
left to cooperation between the Ministry
of Public Education (MEP), the National
Training Institute (INA) and the Public
–
February 9, 2007 | OPINION | 17
ARCADIO
Security Ministry, nothing will happen. It
will be talked to death. That is why there
should be a Youth Ministry reporting
directly to the President. Otherwise, more
public funds will be wasted and no meaningful decrease in poverty will occur.
Henry Markant
San Antonio de Belén
Editor’s note: Thanks for sharing your ideas.
Costa Rica does have a Ministry of Culture,
Youth and Sports, but it focuses mainly on culture and sports events. The Child Welfare Office
(PANI) deals with youth issues, but does not
have ministry ranking. Also, the country’s laws
prohibit work by those under age 15.
Plans to Improve San José
Should Include Cleaner Air
Dear Tico Times:
I first went to Costa Rica in 1984.
Between then and 1991 I went each summer
to study Spanish and do research.
I love Costa Rica and would like to go
back but I have been hesitant to return. The
reason is because of how much the air pollution increased in San José during those years.
Since then, so far as I can tell from reading developments in The Tico Times, the
pollution has only gotten worse.
I hope those working to revitalize San
José (TT, Jan. 19) are including improved air
quality in their plans. I would love to visit a
San José with cleaner air once again.
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I would like to get information about
sending items such as clothing, etc. to
Costa Rica from California, hopefully the
best, least expensive way.
Gretel Gonzales
Whittier, California, USA
All packages sent here must include a
list of items and their value. In addition, all
goods brought into Costa Rica are subject
to import taxes and Customs handling
charges, which can make shipping to Costa
Rica somewhat complicated.
However, every person in Costa Rica
(whether tourist, citizen or foreign resident) is entitled to a tax-free shipment of
up to $500 (including shipping, insurance
and handling fees) every six months.
When sending items from the United
States to Costa Rica, it should be noted that
some things, such as fertilizers, food and
medicine, are among a list of restricted
items. The above items, for example, must
be approved by Costa Rica’s Public Health
Ministry (www.ministerio desalud.go.cr,
223-0333) before they will be allowed to
enter the country. Some shipping companies will obtain the permits for you.
K. Ann Stebbins
Richmond, Kentucky, USA
For a more detailed list of shipping
requirements for Costa Rica, you might
check with a shipping company representative, the U.S. Postal Service or Costa Rica’s
Customs Administration (www.hacienda.
go.cr, click on Dirección General de Aduanas, 233, 6797, 440-0275).
Roberto Carvajal, a representative of
courier company Aerocasillas, told The
Tico Times that to import used clothing
into Costa Rica, the clothing must be fumigated in the United States and a certificate
of the fumigation must be included in the
package. The package will be inspected by
Customs here and possibly re-fumigated if
agents decide to do so, he explained.
(Clothing brought in luggage on commercial flights, however, does not face any of
these requirements.)
The Tico Times asked around with several shipping companies to compare the
cost of sending a package weighing 25
pounds and measuring 40 inches long by
20 inches wide by 10 inches tall.
Shipping this hypothetical package
from the United States to Costa Rica with
the U.S. Postal Service, for example, runs
from $55 (Economy Parcel Post, 4-6 weeks)
to $507 (Global Express Guaranteed NonDocument Service, 1-3 days). For more
information, see the U.S. Postal Service’s
Web site, www.usps.com.
To ship it with FedEx (www.fedex. com),
the least expensive option available is $395.
Aerocasillas (208-4848, www.aeropost.
com) is one of several shipping companies
that bring items to Costa Rica from its mail
center in Miami, Florida (so the package
would have to be sent there first). Carvajal
quoted $104 for the 25-pound package.
Jet Box (281-3208, www.jetbox.com),
which also ships packages from Miami,
has two types of shipping contracts: one
where you pay a monthly fee (minimum
of $15) for discounted shipping, or where
you pay per shipment. To send without
the monthly contract, the price would be
$129, and with the monthly payments, it
would be $103.
Aeromarine (442-7200, www.aeroma
rine.net) quoted the cheapest price, with
a special rate of $32.32, plus taxes.
According to spokesman Marlin Brenes, if
the package doesn’t qualify for the tax
exoneration, clothing is taxed at 30% of
its value – declared by the sender before
shipping and included with the list of
items.
As a service to Tico Times readers, “Get
Action” will answer questions, solve problems, bridge language gaps and just generally help wherever it can. Please send your
queries to “Get Action” at The Tico Times
by mail, fax or e-mail. We can’t promise
miracles, but we’ll do the best we can.
Lousy Service, Food at
Restaurant Near Poás
Dear Tico Times:
This letter is meant to be helpful for anyone
who travels on the camino to Poás Volcano.
A restaurant to avoid, unless you like
waiting an hour plus to receive inedible
food at more than double the cost, is Casa
Bavaria, just north of Carrizal de Alajuela.
This large, beautiful facility has lousy
service, inedible food and is overpriced. If
this letter prevents one person from making
the mistake I made when I went there with
my family, it will have been worth writing.
Bill Comer
San Isidro de Heredia
Editor’s note: The Tico Times contacted Casa
Bavaria owner Barbara Schwagereit, who said
she doesn’t recall anyone making such complaints at the restaurant. She said Casa
Bavaria serves more than 30,000 guests annually and to her knowledge, no one has ever
complained of food being inedible. As far as
wait times, she said the restaurant strives to
ensure hors d’oeuvres are served in 20 minutes
maximum and entrees in 30 minutes max. She
added that if complaints are made in the
restaurant, she and the rest of the staff try to
resolve them immediately.
18 | CLASSIFIEDS | THE TICO TIMES
–
February 9, 2007
CLASSIFIEDS
Buying and selling is easy and effective with a classified ad in The Tico Times. Fax it (country code 506) 233-6378, by mail to The Tico Times, Apdo. 4632-1000, San José,
Costa Rica (U.S. residents send orders to SJO 717, P.O. Box 025331, Miami, FL 33102-5331) or by phone to (country code 506) 258-1558. Visit us online
www.ticotimes.net and fill out the classified order form or send an e-mail to [email protected].
Rates for the print-edition classifieds are as follows: Minimum 3 lines, Minimum 2 weeks. US $2.63 per line including letters, punctuation and spaces.
For symbols (star, arrow, check mark) or graphics, contact the Classified Department. For yellow shading add an additional 40% charge.
Finally, add 13% advertising tax to the total of the ad.
100 ANIMALS
101 Animals
AHPPA’s animal shelter has
love on 4 legs waiting for
you. For any donation they
can be yours adult/puppy,
cat/kittens. If you already
have your pet, than help us
with our sterilization programs, send your donation to
AHPPA, Apartado 73-3000
Heredia, Costa Rica or
deposit in Banco Nacional de
C.R. acc. AHPPA, No. 040431-9. Tel. 267-7158, San
Rafael de Heredia. You can
help us save lives! www.
animalsheltercostarica.com
MASTIFF ENG. pups &
adults. Burmese, Bengal cats,
Andalusian/ Peruvian Paso
Horses 416-3333
DOGGI DIVINO
Grooming Salon has
the FURMINATOR to
deshed your dog!
Call 289-2162 WOOF!
Nato sez:
adopt an orphan
dog or cat
Sundays in
la Sabana Parque
info. 267-6011
spayed/neutered &
dewormed &
vaccinated & loved
Amigos de los
Animales Asís
a “no kill” Costa Rica
pubic benefit animal
charity
donations save lives!
Sun Sat TV
HD Satellite TV
Costa Rica/Panama
Major US Channels
120 + CBS, ABC,
NBC, FOX
Signal Provided by
our
Superior laser built
2.4 m Dish
Reiny 506-249-0506
Cathy 506-282-9097
[email protected]
“We service what
we sell’’
www.sunsattv.com
LABRADOR, female, yellow,
2 yrs old, w/pedigree,
spayed, neutered &
dewormed. 845-6704.
MALE, mix, short hair. 2yr
neutered, vacc., dewormed.
225-3379/ 253-1529.
MIX male puppy 2mo. Black
& white. Neutered, vacc. &
deworm. 361-2488.
NEED HOME Mutt, female
dog, 1 yr spayed/dewormed.
294-3734 / 292-5754.
POODLE female, 1.5 yr.
Very sweet. Spayed, vacc. &
dewormed. 225-3379.
TOGETHER
We can save animal lives
102 Free
ADOPTION, Eng. Mastiff
female, 4 yrs, for housepet,
need to spayed, fenced yard.
416-3333.
BEAUTIFUL kitty, white,
5mo, spayed, free for loving
home. 817-3118.
DOBERMAN, male, black, 2
yrs. Need a good home.
Tel: 359-9040.
FREE
CLASSIFIEDS
FOUND a wallet?
Need a home for
your kittens? Lost &
Found items and
giveaways can be
advertised FREE in
Tico Times Classifieds.
Just call us with your
message
be-fore
Tuesday noon.
Another community
service from
THE TICO TIMES
ANPA asks for help: Each
¢5,000 you donate will
spay/neuter and deworm a
stray dog/cat, companion
animal from a poor family.
233-0779
[email protected] or
deposit your donation
#904095700
Banco de San José.
Please give us the chance
to work for the welfare of
animals.
103 For Sale
AMERICAN Pitbulls, champion bloodline, 2 males,
intelligent. 9mo. All shots.
$150ea. Good home w/yard.
No dogs similar in CR. MonFri 290-1481.
HORSES 1/2 Spanish, 1/2
Arabians for work, pleasure
& riding, and Trail riding.
(506) 234-1253/361-6666.
Fax: 224-6962.
[email protected]
For a few $ more, you
can reach thousands
of internet readers
GOLDEN Retriver puppies 6
wks. Pedigree, spayed &
dewormed. $300/ $250. 2410574/ 385-8804/ 888-9411/
379-0609.
RHODESIAN RIDGEBACK &
Basenji puppies, champion.
Parents ped/shot. 355-5160
eves. www.zulucariari.com
200 EMPLOYMENT
201 Jobs Offered
$1,000 Sign-on Bonus for
experienced phone closers.
Perfect English required.
Only the best need apply.
Call 296-8306
ADMIN ASST. to provide
full admin support for the
Costa Rican subsidiary of a
US software solutions co.
Exc. English skills required,
Span. is a+ Min of 2 yrs
Excel, Word & outlook in a
similar environment. Send
resume to: jobs@
searchtechnologies.com
ART DIRECTOR. CR’s most
prestigious tourism may seek
graphic designer. In designing, photoshop, Ilustrator,
bilingual a must. CV to:
[email protected]
BETTOR WAY- Are you a
sportsbook owner having
problems with cash flow? Do
you want to merge with a
bigger entity with comprehensive payment solutions?
Join our team and let us put
you in the big league. Email
in confidence
[email protected]
ANTED:
W
TOP GUN ASSISTANT
SALES MANAGER
To break the team sales production records at our luxury
travel agency.
Requirements:
• Some formal business
education.
• Previous experience in
management.
• Prior work in tourism
sector.
• Goal oriented and self
motivated.
• Excellent organization skills.
• Leadership & motivational
skills.
We offer:
• High energy, fun work
environment.
• Opportunities to earn great
pay.
• Incentives, bonuses and
benefits.
• Travel perks to top hotels in
Costa Rica.
Visit:
www.vacationscostarica.com
For more info:
E-mail: carolinaumana@
goduesouth.com
Send resume and
cover letter to apply
10 year old
US company.
Opening
office in
Costa Rica.
8 positions
available.
Earn
$100,000$200,000
plus USD
per year
$5000.00
bonus.
Perfect
English
only!!!
Only the best
need to apply
e-mail your
contact
info to
transcontinental
holdings@gmail.
com
BILINGUAL hotel manager,
experience & reference. Livein. Tel. 446-5785
[email protected]
BILINGUAL Tour guide
needed for jet ski tours in
Quepos. Call, fax a resume
to: 777-1706
BILINGUALS needed, full/
part time availability.
Immediate Openings.
Tel. 357-2153
BILLS PILLING up? Get out
from under quickly. We need
your skills in telemarketing.
Great work environment.
Competitive pay. Flexible
schedule. 335-2390
BIODIESEL, I’ve a working
factory in Nicaragua will
duplicate in C.R greater than
100% return on investment
per year.
[email protected]
CERTIFIED Native English
speaking Teachers needed.
(506) 232-9710
[email protected]
AMERICAN SCHOOL
100 Animals
200 Employment
201 Jobs Offered
202 Jobs Wanted
300 Health Services
400 Investments
401 Business For Sale
402 Financing
403 Miscellaneous
404 Business Opport.
405 Business Services
600 Lost and Found
700 Miscellaneous
701 Collectors
702 Furniture/Housewares
703 Miscellaneous
704 Memberships
800 Music
801 Music
900 Personal
901 Men Seeking Women
902 Women Seeking Men
903 Personal
1000 Real Estate
For Rent
1001 Apartments
1002 Comm. Property
1003 Condominiums
1004 Exchange
1005 Houses
1006 Rooms
1007 Timeshares
1100 Real Estate
For Sale
1101 Apartments
1102 Beach Property
1103 Comm. Property
1104 Condominiums
1105 Exchange
1106 Farms
1107 Houses
1108 Lots-Property
1109 Timeshare
1110 Rent For Sale
1111 Quintas
1200 Services
1201 Accounting
1202 Autos-Mechanic
1203 Construction
1204 Computers
1205 Languages
1206 Miscellaneous
1207 Public Notice
1208 Religious
1209 Repair
1210 Storage
1211 Legal Services
1212 Telecommunications
1300 Tourism
1301 Accommodations
1302 Airfare
1303 Camping
1304 Cruises
1305 Fishing
1306 Guides
1307 Tourism Info
1308 Tours
1400 Transportation
1401 Airplane
1402 Boats
1500 Vehicles
1501 Autos
1502 4x4’s
1503 Miscellaneous
1504 Motorcycles
1505 Rentals
1600 Wanted
1601 Wanted
1602 Help Wanted
PROFESSIONAL TELEMARKETING EXPERIENCE
We accept VISA, MASTERCARD and AMEX or make checks payable to The Tico Times. Payment must be made in U.S. dollars. Do not send cash.
in Rohrmoser is
looking to hire an
elementary teacher with experience and proper
English for elementary grades.
For more info.
please call Chana
at
290-4347 or
fax 296-1225
e-mail
[email protected]
CHEF WANTED for
established beach lodge.
Peninsula de Osa, Matapalo.
encantalavida.com 376-3209.
NEW GLOBAL
FINANCIAL
C O M PA N Y
CONTROLLER: Are you a
CPA from the U.S. accustomed to GAAP principles
and prepared to live the good
life in Costa Rica? Excellent
opportunity for Controller to
work in major gaming company. Beautiful work environment, attractive remuneration
package for right candidate.
Send resume in confidence
to [email protected] or
call Art in Costa Rica during
the day at + (506) 379-6862
Requires 10 motivated and energetic
telesales people
with well spoken
native English
for immediate
employment in our
Costa Rican division.
ESCAZU steal 3 bdr, 3.5
baths, 2906 sqft exquisite
views, nice area. Priced to
sell $214,000. Call 267-6360
or 816-9898
SALES PROS
WANTED!
BIG EARNING
POTENTIAL
We offer a base
salary, above average
commissions and
excellent bonuses.
Only Top Closers
and want-to-be
Top Closers need
Apply.
The best will be
trained for available
positions.
Contact: Mr. Silvers
at 362-5300
CR’s top online travel
agency seeks energetic,
hard-working individuals
who know and love Costa
Rica to design and sell custom, luxury vacation packages. Sales experience
required.
We offer great commissions, incentives and
chances to earn free stays at
the top hotels in Costa Rica
and Panama. You will be
selling a fun product that
makes people HAPPY! Send
resumes with cover letter to:
carolinaumana@
goduesouth.com
Visit us @
www.vacations
costarica.com
ESL-certified native English
speaking teachers w/2 yrs.
experience preferred. Classes
start ASAP! Whittemore de
Costa Rica, S.A. 296-1248.
Even on weekends
[email protected]
ESTABLISHED Tamarindo
Real Estate agency seeks
bilingual experienced sales
agent & administrator.
eddie@hiddencoastrealty.
com
EXPERIENCED freelance
graphic artist position for
t-shirt co. Located in Los
Angeles, CA. Candidate
works from Costa Rica producing art concepts from
our direction. Candidate
must work in Adobe
Ilustrator. Please respond to
[email protected]
JET SKY mechanic needed
for pt/ft. serv. in Jaco Beach.
506-643-1576. (C.R)
973-465-5227 (USA)
NEED women for tour
guides. Excellent pay,
travel, paid vacations.
American comp. Some Eng
helpful. E-mail:
paradisefantasytourscr@yahoo.
com. Leave Pnone number
for interviews. Feb 11-21
SALES REPS. needed,
good English a must. Fresh
leads good base + comm.
[email protected]
SE NECESITAN mujeres
para guia turista, excelente
salario, viaje, vacaciones
pagadas. Comp. Americana.
Ingles preferible. E-mail:
paradisefantasytours@yahoo.
com. Envie su numero para
entrevista. Feb 11-21
SMALL 14 room hotel in
Quepos seeks qualified candidate. Exc. opportunity,
salary plus commission.
[email protected]
VOLUNTEER Coordinator
work in Global Vision
International’s new
Costa Rica office helping to
coordinate volunteers for our
projects world wide. Requires
good comm. &
administration skills.
Experience in volunteering or
Travel helpful. E-mail:
[email protected] with resume
and cover letter.
NATIVE SPEAKING
ENGLISH
TEACHERS
O NLY
San José and
surrounding area.
•
•
•
•
Top Pay – Dollarized
Part/Full schedules
Training + Perks
Free Spanish
Classes
• Teacher Support
• Voted best place
to teach
Call: 234-1001
www.
ingles-empresarial.
com
WANTED Northamerican
teacher to work fridays & Sat.
in Guanacaste 686-8200
301-8251
202 Jobs Wanted
55 YR OLD Canadian now
living in Costa Rica looking
for an interesting construction project. I have 30+ yrs.
experience as a Carpenter,
Superintendent, General
Manager and owner of construction companies. I have
worked on residential, commercial & industrial projects
in Canada and Russia. I
speak and understand a little
Spanish and am studying to
improve this. If interested
contact me at
[email protected]
or phone (506) 294-0259
CERTIFIED Nurse offering
her service, experience in
critical care. Tel. 297-6037
HELICOPTER Pilot 4000+
hrs in CR. FAA+CR lic. [email protected]
MERCEDES 4X4 w/ Eng.
speaking driver available to
take you anywhere in C.R.
Fully lic. armed driver available upon request.
878-0202.
[email protected]
300 HEALTH
SERVICES
301 Health
Services
A PHYSICAL THERAPIST,
Home service. Profes. services in neuromuscular & bone
rehabilitation. Therapeutic
massages.
J. Huete 296-0552
Need some cash?
Sell it fast; with
the TT Classifieds
THE TICO TIMES – February 9, 2007 | CLASSIFIEDS | 19
Tel.
372-1962
ACUPUNTURE
Auriculotherapy No needles.
Immediate results for stress,
anxiety, depression, all pain,
injury, migraine. 17 yrs.
US Lic. Escazu 352-0661
Cal-Lic’d Psychotherapy
Individual Couple Family
35 yrs Exp. Flexible Fees.
281-0421 Ext 107 aft 11am
DR. SHAHIN RAVERY
Chiropractor, full spine,
knees, shoulder & ankle,
adjustment & rehabilitation.
Tel 222-3152, 376-3779
HAIR
PIECES
REPAIRS, tapes, maintenance, natural or synthetic
hair. Call Maria 256-4347
MASSAGE Therapist. Hotel
& house calls. Non-sexual.
Elizabeth 290-2063,
383-1033
NUTRITIONAL Spa in
Escazu wellness eval, fruit
smoothie more... 341-5619.
SALA VILMA, Therapeutic
Massage, Non sexual.
C 30-32, Ave 6. 221-6192
SECRET GARDEN
Massage Certified
Therapeutic Masseuse. Bello
Horizonte de Escazu. Call for
appointment 228-1049
Dr-Dish Satellite TV or Internet
Opening Soon
Cariari, Belen
between AM/PM
and Drugstore
837-3474 www.perfectodish.com
CARIARI
MEDICAL
CENTER
DREAM opportunity in
Manuel Antonio, Bar/Rest. on
the Beach, 100m from the
entrance to National Park.
777-2382. Michael.
[email protected]
PROSPEROUS tourist
product distribution company
for sale. 818-2876
400 INVESTMENTS
401 Business For
Sale
THE LAST opportunity leaving the country for sale
Salon-Spa, exc. location in
San Jose. Good price.
348-6524, 870-6643.
BAR, Grill & Disco. 2,707
M2. Liquor & other licenses,
fully equip., etc. Belen-Santa
Ana area. $700K OBO. Ph.
228-0672, 351-3250, 3817513
402 Financing
BAR/RESTAURANT
Heredia, fully equipped,
secure parking, International
liquor license, telephone,
great location. $28K. 2442545
BAR/RESTAURANT Inn for
sale in Quepos Center,
turnkey business. 864-8927
DIVORCE FORCES SALE.
ATV Tour Business for sale.
Turn Key Cash Cow
Adrenaline Tours a discount
tour center specializing in
their ATV tour Business can
easily generate 10-15K per
month. Office is located on
the 1st corner in Quepos with
great signage there and
around town. There are
seven ATV’s all Registered
(top condition) 2004-2005.
Live-in Mechanic available
with rancho restaurant for
clients. Priced to sell at
$39,900. Dave at 310-0158
LOOKING for mortgage?
money over properties
392-9315 or [email protected]
MAIL BOXES ETC. #1
Postal Franchise, seeking
New Franchisee for area of
Liberia. Also available for
sale-MBE store located in
Pavas, San Jose. contact:
Christopher Thompson.
[email protected]
www.mbe.com
REAL ESTATE financing
purchase, pre-development,
const. $50,000 to $10
million. Fast funding CRI
managment. 365-1758
[email protected]
403 Miscellaneous
CR small investor seeks
couple as active partner to
start new tourism project.
[email protected]
Your best shot is
with an ad in the
TT Classifieds
404 Business
Opportunity
BEACHFRONT-Hotel
9bdrs.
5km west of Samara, Playa
Buena Vista. 824-2822.
BUILDER seeking investment partner for const. projects. 813-0942/269-8842
GAMING CO is converting
to mobile and Internet entertainment. New sites, the first
of their kind are finished and
ready for marketing. Partner
needed. TunesNetworks.com
Ph. 282-4142 ext.106
JACO BEACH Dicoteca/
Rest/bar on sale by owner.
Located at Main Strip, all
furn & equipment incl. Ready
for new managment.
USA 973-465-5227.
LIQUOR Licenses for Buy,
Sale and Rent. 226-5889
www.patentesdelicores.com
VENTURE CAPITAL needed for CR dating/sailing
adventures. $25K.
Tel. 305-9651.
costaricagringotours@
hotmail.com
WELLNESS Franchise for
the New Millenium, Huge
opp. across CR, Latin Am &
US. Call Randy 341-5619 in
CR, www.nutritionclubs.net
405 Business Services
FINACIAL Advisors. Invest
your money in mortgages &
other options. 392-9315
[email protected]
701 Collectors
Antiques
ANTIQUE & antique
reproduction furn. from India.
Clothes, bedspreads,
tapestries etc. Deliver
through out country. Call
Chris: 291-1652/867-4549
702 Furniture
Housewares
OVERSEA moving, must
sell everything. Furn. new
Honda moto scooter, new
elect. house hold appliances,
all together: $4,500.
Separate: Negotiable.
288-2696. 348-4332
703 Miscellaneous
GARAGE sale. Queen beds,
bicycles, office desks.
826-3778.
REFRI 18 cu/ft. U$ 570,
LCD 32 high def U$1,230,
TV 20’ $140, TV 29 flat tube
$300 Washer $360, Stove
(smoothtop) $570. All new in
box with warranty.
Cel 361-0408 / 228-6889
SOLAR POWER security
lighting, remote solar wireless cameras, dock & landscape lighting, solar water
*RENEWABLE ENERGY*
Wind generators, microhydro, batteries, charge controllers, inverters, 12 & 24
VDC lighting and appliances,
LED Lights and all other necessary supplies. Located in
Florida. Contact for more
info. (Office) 321-783-0726.
(fax) 321-783-0749 or
www.nrgmanager.com
GOODLIGHT
BOOKS
More than mysteries. Best
selection of non-fiction,
cookbooks, children’s, etc. A
clean, orderly, well-lit-place
for books. Open 7 days a
week. 10 mins. from SJO
Airport in Alajuela Centro.
100 N. & 300 W. of La
Agonia Church.
Tel. 430-4083
850 NICARAGUA
851 Nicaragua
44 YEAR male. 1.85cm tall
goodlooking from US seeks
atractive female from 24-36
for friendship & relationship
Some English and US visa is
a +. I’ll be soon visiting
Send e-mail w/photo to:
[email protected]
900 PERSONAL
901 Men Seeking
Women
40 YEAR OLD Male from
California visits C.R often,
seeks Tica 23-35 for friendship, romance and long term
relationship a little Eng.
helpful send photo to
[email protected]
or write letter to Robert
Richardson PO BOX 443
fawnskin CA 92333
44 YEAR male. 1.85cm tall
goodlooking from US seeks
attractive female from 24-36
for friendship & relationship
Some English and US visa is
a +. I’ll be soon visiting
Send e-mail w/photo to:
[email protected]
AMERICANO pensionado
56 años, viviendo ahora en
CR, en Pozos de Santa Ana;
busca señorita, delgada para
salir, cenar y viajar. Si tiene
niños esta bien, debe hablar
algo de inglés. Envie nota
con foto Apdo 128-6155
Forum, Costa Rica o al
correo elect:
[email protected]
ATTRACTIVE Amer/Italian,
descent, looking for cute,
petite, honest, lady. Marriage
minded. Some Eng
Send Photo to:
[email protected] I’ll be in
C.R in March.
ITALIAN Man 44
affectionate, charming, athletic, educated looking for
woman 35-55 serioos relation. 863-0119
[email protected]
USA CITIZEN, young,
handsome man & financially
secure seeks attractive Costa
Rican lady, no kids, age 23 to
32 for serious relationship.
Letter & photo to:
[email protected]
902 Women Seeking
Men
1 ON 1
MEET quality CR women.
Since 1992 oldest & most
successful service.
Ed: 506-391-1617
[email protected]
A Foreign
Affair
Come join us and meet
beautiful & sincere women
Feb 2nd & 3rd socials. Tour
Feb 1st to 7th. Peresonal
introductions. Free catalog &
video costa-rica-women.com
Call: 256-2715 CR /
602-553-8178 USA
costa-rica-women.com
CUPIDO
HUNDREDS of Colombian
women, who would like to
meet you,
www.colombiacupido.com
I’M THE PERFECT girl for
you. Call me for serious
relationship. Tel. 871-9928
SEEKING man 50/70 very
good manners f/ serious
relationship. 350-4747.
SINGLE GIRL looking for a
perfect guy for serious relationship. Tel. 871-9928
YOUNG LADY seeks a good
professional gentleman, single, Catholic, between 30-38
yrs. Must speak Spanish.
Good manners. Send recent
photo.
[email protected]
903 Personal
ASSISTANCE w/ anything.
Apartments, transportation,
translations, even finding a
nice girlfriend, photos avail.
Call Britney 506-362-4501
personalassistance1@yahoo.
com
ATTRACTIVE Tica Billing.
selfemployed is looking for
friendship w/cultured North
american gentleman. 45-60
[email protected]
COMPLETE HAIRCARE
Expert Massage. Across US
Embassy. 291-3126
EUROPEAN-American
lady, retired multilingual, former Peace Corps Volunteer
in CR now living on the
Nicoyan Peninsula wishes
contact w/educated wordly
gentleman 60+ who shares
passion for local culture,
flora and fauna, the sea. [email protected] or Apto.
152- 5200. Nicoya,
Guanacaste.
HAIR CUT, home service,
and exchange Spanish to
English. Karen 223-8748
TAKING care of elderly person by hour also offer B&B
service. Tel. 223-8748
1000 REAL ESTATE
FOR RENT
1001 Apartments
APARTAMENTOS FERSO:
Furn. apartments downtown
from $10. St. 2, Ave. 6-8.
398-1264, 221-7404,
221-4167
BEACHFRONT. 5km W. of
Samara. Magical location.
From $200 on. 824-2822
BELEN LOS Arcos, furn, 4
bdrm, 2.5 bath, cable, ph, 24
hr. security, wk, mo, yearly.
Tel. 375-0518
BO DENT 8 commercial or
doctor’s offices. $1600 mo.
Tel. 460-7682, 283-1183
Bo. LUJAN, near San Jose
ctr. Studio, full furn & amenities, parking not include but
available. ADSL,
$600+deposit. 372-5844.
CARIARI on Golf course, 1
bdr and 2 bdr furnished,
maid service. 239-1003
CIUDAD COLON Furnished
studio apts. Utilities incl.
249-4736, 896-5510
www.costaricanapts.com
NEW
A PA RTMENTS
FOR RENT, SECURE
HEREDIA week or month, 12 bdr. Internet, cable, tel,
fully furn, hot water, gar.
avail. 263-5298, 386-1994
NEIGHBORHOOD
8 blocks from
downtown, fully
equipped apts. &
kitchen, 1 or 2
bedrms, cable TV,
phone, ADSL internet, from US$150
to $1,250.
Ph (506) 372-4157
[email protected]
ESCAZU Country Club,
deluxe 3 bdrm, 2.5 bath,
spacious liv-din, maid’s serv,
2 car gar, splendid panor.
view. $2100mo. Furn
/unfurn. 487-8098/378-8377
ESCAZU fully furn, 3 bdr, 2
bath, gar, $600. 232-9585
ESCAZU Great condo, furnished, big yard.
Tel: 832-5068 / 290-0236.
ESCAZU RED HOT apt. 2
bdrm, tower furnished, pool,
view, Tel. 885-3287
ESCAZU, 1bdr. parking
under roof, w/ or w/o furn.
sec.. $450. 506-289-5482.
www.balconesdeescazu.com
LUXURY APARTMENTS
FROM $250 WK, $650 MONTH.
One bedroom. Completely & attractively furnished with full kitchen,
microwave, cable TV, Tel, Internet
access, 24-hr. security.
GUEST WELCOME
CENTRALLY LOCATED
COMPLETELY PRIVATE
www.hotels.co.cr/scotland.html
Tel.(506) 223-0033, 223-0833
[email protected]
APARTMENTS
SCOTLAND
Ave 1 & Calle 27
Behind Cine Magaly
100 mts. east B. Escalante
ESCAZU, Split-level
Penthouse, 2 bdr, 2 bath,
balcony, sun room, spectacular panoramic views of
entire San Jose Valley.
Professionally decorated. Ph,
cable TV, Internet. All amenities, total furnished, secure,
quiet, gated. $995. Also large
1 bdr $650. 289-4579.
ESCAZU. condos, apts,
homes furn./unfurn. no fee
220-0361/825-2604
ESCAZU. Furn. apart,
monthly, weekly from $155.
Tel. 289-7655
GUANACASTE New 2 bdr,
a/c Brasilito/ Flamingo. wkly
or mo. Villa Ferlito with new
large pool. 386-7922
HEREDIA newly remodeled
apart, 2 bdrm, 2 full bath.
$250. 865-3993, 294-3012
★★★
APARTMENTS
SUDAMER
Downtown completely furnished apartments, safe, secure,
telephone, cable TV,
Wi-Fi Internet.
Calle 7, Ave. 14
Weekly from $160
Monthly from
$480 to $650
Phone: 221-0247
381-3183
Fax: 222-2195
carlosedmena@
yahoo.com
HOTEL-STUDIO apts
Escazu $10-$20-$30/night.
$200/300/ 400mo. h/w,
cable. 289-7486, 307-0164
LLORENTE RES. rent apart
only 3 km from San Jose
center. 1,2,&3 bdr, 24 hrs
sec, pool, gym, ranch for
parties. Furn or Unfurn. From
$500 to $700.
Inf: 235-0471 / 384-7493
LOURDES M. de Oca, fully
furn, nice, good area, safe,
$500 mo. 224-7334
MORAVIA, priv, secure, gardens, fully furn. $400, $350,
cableTV, 349-1615
BIRDS! TREES!
An oasis of green in
Sabanilla, only 10 min.
from UCR. Completely
furnished one-bedroom
apartments in an enclosed, safe compound.
Direct phone, laundry,
parking, gardens. Excellent bus service. Cable
TV available. US owned
& operated.
$325/$425/$450/mo.
273-3173
273-3837
381-8971
PALACIO Condo. San Jose
New & luxurious. 2 bdr, 2
bath, fully furn, beautiful, full
ultra electronics incl, reserve
parking, rancho & pool.
www.totalcostarica.net or
[email protected] or
in CR (506) 389-3945/
866-1088/ 290-5264.
USA (407) 804-0644
PASEO COLON studio,
semi-furn, indep., garden,
only person with passport.
$200. 222-3024/817-9371
ROHMOSER. 2bdr. elegant.
furn. tel, cable, garage, sec.
487-8098 / 378-8377
ROHRMOSER 2 bdr, 1 bath,
24-hr sec, parking, stainless
applia, washer/ dryer. No
pets. Tel: 886-8867 $500/mo
+ dep.
ROHRMOSER modern, 160
M2, 1 floor, 2 bdr+, 2 bath,
view, light, secure, $695.
231-2261, 843-9094
ROHRMOSER, furn 1bdr
apt. secure, h/w, ph, cable,
$400- $450/mo. 296-7396
ROHRMOSER. $550, $650$700. 237-4051, 271-3941,
394-1768, 238-2044.
SAN PEDRO Area. 2 bdr, 1
bath, furnished, tel. gar.
.$425. 391-5428/ 283-0158
SAN PEDRO near Mas X
Menos, new, furn, 1 bdr, tel.
washer, cable, Internet. $300,
$350. Ph: 228-2049
SAN PEDRO, country furnished 2 bdr, elect. gate.
$250/mo. Tel. 224-0985
SAN PEDRO, UCR/malls,
1bdr, quiet, furn, Internet,
$375 302-1499
www.villalakshmi.com
SANTA ANA, furn apart 1
bdr, ecological area, special
for retirees. $300. 203-3814
ESCAZU
APARTHOTEL
CASA REFLEJOS
Completely furnished
1, 2 & 3 bedroom apts
Gym, Sauna & Jacuzzi
Heated pool
BBQ Area
Fast Internet
Tropical gardens
Great city view
Close proximity to all
shopping & services
Ph. 288-3630 ext. 400
Cel. 388-2873
www.casareflejoscr.com
SANTA ANA, Parque
Montaña del Sol. Furnished,
unfurnished, 24 hr. security,
total privacy, telephone,
cable, Internet, washer/dryer.
All included. $975/mo. Cel.
827-6787, tel. 282-9489
SANTA BARBARA 1/2 bdr
apts. phone, furn. cbl. ready
to move in, $300 mo dep.
813-0942/269-8842
STA ANA, Urb. Rio Oro, 2
bdr, furn, pool, 2 pers.
German owner. 282-4126.
TEXAS BBQ, Baby back
ribs, BBQ chicken, Much
more? BBQ sauce in spicy or
regular. Take out or we deliver. Try it once and taste the
difference. Dinners or
Parties. Questions:
Call Jim 355-5243
YOSES Apts fully furn near
Mall, Internet, from $600.
San Pedro main road fm
$350. 381-1336, 827-5451
1002 Commercial
Property
Bo. DENT, S.J. for Call
Center 11 comp.net, AC,
security 24/7, $1,500/m.
833-4920.
[email protected]
1003 Condominiums
BELEN new lux. condo,
central air, 3bdr. 3bath.
walk-in closet, maid’s room,
patio, 2 car gar. pool &
clubhouse, 24hr sec. great
location near Intel & Global
Park. $1500. 516-768-1755
or 506-380-6445
ESCAZU Bello Horizonte,
excl., 2 story, 3 bdr, 3 bth,
furn, finest decorations, 24hr. sec. tel, $950 mo.
381-1336, 827-5451
ESCAZU condos, homes,
apts furn/unfn, views, pools,
sec, all prices. 288-1326.
ESCAZU rent or sale furn/
unfurn, view, garden.
376-4740, 289-3303.
ESCAZU, Furn, Tennis
court, pool, beautiful, 24 hrs
sec. Tel: 885-3287
ESCAZU, Guachipelin furn.
apt. 3bdr. 2.5bath, fully
equipped, safe. Near Forum
& Santa Ana. $560 wk.
$1300 mo. 382-2109
ESCAZU, Jaboncillo.
Townhouse, 24 hrs sec.
Semi-furn. $1,000.
228-3310.
HEREDIA, San Francisco
close to Hipermas 190m2
lot, 175m2 const, 2bdr. TV.
study, terrace, $690.
380-4326.
JACO
Condos 1 & 2 bdr town
house. Furn, behind Beatle
Bar, a/c, hot showers, pool,
24 hr sec, 1 block to beach.
(506) 643-2098 or
342-0153
SFO. HEREDIA. 2bdr.
2.5bath. TV. room, brand
new. $600. sec. & maint.
included. 837-3778.
STA. ANA Brand new lux.
furn. view, 2 bath. 2bdr. 24
hrs. sec. must see!!! $1,300.
866-6969/203-4759
1005 Houses
4 BDRM, 2 baths house, 3.5
kms from Puriscal. Beautiful
grounds, privacy, views,
house is bright & attractive.
$425 rent, $135K sale.Ph.
US 518-686-3209 or
[email protected]
ALAJUELA, Sabanilla. By
the Poas Volcano. 2 bdr, 2
bath, garage, front & back
patios. Fully furn.
875-2144, 812-5242
(English) 433-8120,
842-1451 (Spanish)
Look at: http://
casasabanilla.atspace.com
ALAJUELA- furn 1bdr cottages, 487-7566.
villaritacountrycottages.com
ALAJUELA/La Garita. 2bdr.
2.5bath. front & back patios
hot wtr. phone, cbl. &
Internet lines. Secure &
private. English: 487-5934.
Spanish: 433-6641. $300
AMERICAN house 3/2/2,
furn., cable, tel,, h/w, near
universities & malls in
Heredia, $500mo & short
terms. Call Carlos 237-3154
or 954-452-3369 or
[email protected]
APTS/CONDOS & homes
very nice, for rent or sale in
exclusive neighborhoods
such as Rohrmoser, Escazu,
Cariari. Bob 236-1028,
390-2988
ARENA de Grecia, quinta
4,969 m2, furnished house
260 m2, panoramic view.
$600 negotiable. 378-5772,
440-3002 Eng, 380-4538,
Spanish.
ATENAS large 1 bdr on 9
acres, view, tel, gated, furn,
Direct TV $285mo. 4466584
BEAUTIFUL
2 BED, 2 BATH
T
ownhouse on corner lot in gated
community. Lots of
light. Small courtyard
garden with fountain.
100 M2. Washer and
Dryer. Phone, Good
storage space. Residencial Privacia, Lagunilla
de Heredia (Between
Cariari Mall and Jardines del Recuerdo).
$550 month. Yearly
lease. Available Feb. 1.
Call Jim at
365-3908
–
February 9, 2007
Mountain
Top Vacation
MansionHotel-Resort
LA GARITA 2 bdr, furn,
pool, 24-hr sec, 1-yr lease,
$650 mo. 487-8282,
487-8098
Daily
Room/Suite
rates $195-$395
PLAYA HERMOSA (Jaco).
1 bdrm, w/loft, bath, full furn,
h/w, 24-hr security.
$110,000. 373-1437
(near San José)
www.costaricadream
properties.com
Costa Rica
(506) 868-5772
United States
(561) 386-5153
PLAYA HERMOSA,
*Precious beach front 2
bdrm, bath, fully equip. kit,
living with TV, Internet &
cable. *Cabina, fully equip.,
2 bdr, kitchen. 643-5016
ATENAS, Rio Grande. 2 bdr,
2 baths, fully furn, balcony,
exc. view, tel, DirectTV, very
quiet & secure, 2 car gar,
150 M2 house, 700 M2 lot.
45 min. from beach, $400.
Tel. 813-0915, 259-2008
BEACHFRONT single cabin
Montezuma area. [email protected]
CARIBBEAN $600 march
only beautifully furn.
American style home near
Black Beach. 3 double bdrs.
1.5 bath. large dining room,
living room, mod.
fully equipped kitchen, h/w
screens, ceiling fans, short
walk to Puerto Viejo near
busline, also small new 2
bdr. unfurn. house. $300mo
ESCAZU Condo walking
distance to shopping, view, 3
bdrm. Tel. 885-3287
ESCAZU downtown, 2
floors, 3bdr. gar. w/elect.
door. equipped kitchen, 2.5
bath. water heater, $500 mo
plus deposit. 345-6304
ESCAZU fully furn, 3bdr
townhouse, 2 bath, garden,
sec. complex, adults only, no
pets, phone, cable. $1,300
mo. 228-0915
ESCAZU spacious 4 bdr,
terrace, 4 car garage, $1600.
Call 228-9131
ESCAZU, 1 storey, 4bdr.
4.5bath. office, garden, BBQ
$2,500 also for all at $28k
829-9812
ESCAZU, view, 3bdr. 2
living, office, garden, alarm.
$1,500 mo. 506-289-5482.
www.balconesdeescazu.com
FREE HOUSE-room in
return for morning help in
B&B/fruit farm, commission
poss. Dog friendly. 2683084
[email protected]
GREAT accommodations
close to beautiful Conchal
beach. Tel. 367-0855.
GRECIA PROPERTIES.
Web site
www.greciarealestate.com
356-1616 Spanish 834-2118
GUACHIPELIN Escazu, 250
M2, only 7 houses in condo,
24 hr sec, 2 park areas, 4
bdr, 4 bath, walk-in closet,
TV rm, patio, maid’s rm, attic,
2 warehouses, lux. finishings, nice view & quiet.
$1150. Tel. 827-2808
GUANACASTE, near Coco
Beach, 5 acres, compound, 3
houses, pool, $8500, see
pictures. Tel. 383-3233, USA
949-584-9680
www.haciendasardinal.com
HEREDIA San Rafael, big,
furn. house, green areas,
very sec. domestic service,
Internet & cbl. TV $1,350
814-6220/267-6991
PLAZA DEL Sol. 400M2.
const. 5 bdr, 4.5 bath,
secure. $1,100. 383-0872/
381-1336.
RENT HOUSES- from
$1300 usd, 2/3 rooms and
bath, all serv. incl.: water,
elect, pool, cable, maint., 24
hr. security. Piedades
203-4780, 847-0316
http://lindavista.altervista.org
ROHMOSER 3bdr/ 2bath
den, all furn. $137,000.
OBO 220-0361/825-2604
SABANA, 3 bdrm, furnished, great view, $1300.
Call 228-9131.
SANTA ANA townhouses
with community pool, 2/3
bdr, furnished, $1500.
Tel. 588-1717
SANTA ANA beautiful sublet 18 Feb-30 June. $750.
282-6959, 393-0995
SANTA ANA upscale prop,
gated comm, private pool &
area, sunset views, kitchen
appliances included, 3 bdr, 3
bath, maid’s quarter.
$3500mo. 588-1717
SANTA Barbara Three 2
story houses on large lots in
an enclosed, guarded dvlpmnt. 3 or 4 bdr, 2.5 bths, 2 car
gar, balconies, cable, tel, full
kitchen & laundry. $800
269-5180 or 357-4647
STA. BARBARA, Heredia.
Coffee plantation. New, 3 bdr,
2 bath, h/w, fully furn, living/
dining, office. Spectacular
360 views. Safe, maid, tel/
ADSL Internet. All appliances. $800 269-9225
[email protected]
TAMARINDO, 10Km East
from beach, 2bdr, furn, a/c,
h/w, fruit trees monkeys.
$250/wk. 301-3867.
UNREAL opportunity in
Escazu 1 mo. 3 mo. 6 mo
Lease available. 4bdr. 4bath.
Beuatifully furn. 2 car gar.
24hr sec. Eng. 361-2135
Span: 857-0310. $3,100
WANTED FURN. house
near Grecia/Atenas, on or
near bus, must have outbuilding for woodworking
shop about 400 sqft. in CR
now. [email protected]
WOMAN to share house.
San Antonio de Coronado.
Quiet, safe, gardens. Ana
Zamora. 294-5907/350-0215
1006 Rooms
HEREDIA, lovely balcony,
views on charming B&B. 10
min. to Hdia, quiet person
$200 mo, bus nearby our
rustic 3-bdr house. $300 mo.
Tel. 268-3084
Your ad will be
seen ‘round
the world!
1100 REAL ESTATE
FOR SALE
1101 Apartments
BRAND NEW Townhome
apts. for sale, rent or rent
w/option to buy: seller will
finance w/30% down, beautiful 3/2 1/2 near all
embassies, indoor country
club and 5min. from S.J
Int Airport! Sale: $175k.
Rent: $1250 per month
786-506-6706 (Barby)
011-506-258-1462(Nano)
1102 Beach Property
BAHIA DE LAS Piratas,
Punta Playa Vistas, luxury
development, panoramic
ocean views, upscale amenities, excellent infrastructure
and roads. Developer presale pricing. Lots from
$159,000, furnished condos
from $259,000. Duplex
ocean view villas from
$439,000. Call 653-1241
www.
desmondcoastalproperties.
com
BEACH area lots and house
Playa Grande and Surfside.
235-3479
www.junglejimscr.com
BEACHFRONT. 635ft. 4.6ac
save now before concession
is issued. 18993m2 at $20
m2. [email protected]
BEACHFRONT 9 ac. private
House+Large Bodega, all
services. $430,000.
288-2500 [email protected]
www.ycrre.com
BEACH
AREA CONDOS
GREAT BUYS!
• Magnificent Ocean
View
Only 10% down!
• Quiet undeveloped
rural area
• Incredible view of
Papagayo Bay
• 100 M2, 2
bedrooms, 2 baths
• 100 m from beach
• $130,000 preconstruction
• Beautiful Coco
Beach
• Short walk to Coco
Beach
• 1 bedroom, 1 bath,
60 M2
• New development
in Coco
• Gated community
• Includes all
appliances
• $99,750
preconstruction
• Owner must sell
Great Condo
Only 10% down!
• Close to Ocotal
Beach
• 2 bedrooms,2 baths,
80 M2
• Asking $75,000
• Near restaurants
and shopping.
• Cozy Studio in
Ocotal
• $37,100 – owner
must sell
• Walk to Ocotal
Beach!
• 30 M2 completed
condo
• Swimming pool,
beautiful
landscape.
Call now! 670-1401
CR Properties
Realty, Coco
DEVELOPMENT
PARCELS
25, 18 & 36 hecs.
Ocean views
Internal roads, legal
water & electricity.
$5.75 to $7.25/sqm.
10 minutes to Tamarindo
www.tamarindovistas.com
or office
653-1102
BEACHFRONT property in
Samara. Spectacular beachfront property in Samara
titled to 50 meters one of the
highest profit potential development properties in Costa
Rica. Approx 40 acre already
approved for development of
300 units has its own water
system ready to supply all
units. Comes with an additional 23 acre oceanview
property complete with water
system. Also has 5000 M2,
concession lot that is incl.
Price $9,000,000. Century
21 Best Value Realty Samara.
8506) 656-0049
BEAUTIFUL new 4,000 sqft
mansion overlooking Samara
Beach. 5,000 M2 ocean view
lot in a secure gated community. 3 bdrm, 3.5 bath. 24 ft.
high living room with 24ft.
high monitor. All laminated
mature teak beams wtih 1”
t&g teack ceilings. Jacuzzi,
granite counters, custom
cabinets, hand made teak
doors and windows.
Canadian builder. Finished,
furnished, landscaped, pool
and garage. If you buying in
Costa Rica you need to see
this home. $850,000.
Contact 232-1657, 381-4896
[email protected]
[email protected]
FREE OCEANview lot. Lend
me $750K for one year and
immediately. I will give you a
spectacular 5,011 M2, ocean
view, lot worth $400K overlooking Samara Beach for
interest. Will secure the loan
with another $2,000,000 in
lots. All lots are ready to
build with clear title, power,
water, access, and all INVU,
Setena, and Municipal
stamps. Lots are in a securegated community. Contact
232-1657, 381-4896.
[email protected]
[email protected]
houses, pool, $950K, see
pictures. Tel. 383-3233, USA
949-584-9680
JUNQUILLAL 4 acres $63
m2. 833-3297, beachfront
[email protected] NEG
LOOKING Guanacaste lots
from 25 to 30 has. Beach
front, directly with owner.
Tel. 203-5237
[email protected]
MANUEL ANTONIO
2 homes for sale. New ocean
view, 4 bdr, 4 bath, 4200
sqft. $699K and a jungle
home. 8 bed/5 bath, 3
kitchens, 8000 sqft. $479K.
303-668-8685
MATAPALO (Aguirre) 1832
M2, beach lot for sale.
787-5207.
[email protected]
Car broke down?
Lose that frown;
find help in the
TT Classifieds
NEED TO borrow $750K for
one year. Will give you a
spectacular 5,011 M2, ocean
view lot worth $400K overlooking Samara Beach for
Interest. Will secure the loan
with another $2,000,000 in
lots. All lots are ready to
build with clear title, power,
water, access, and all INVU,
Setena and Municipal
stamps. Lots are in a secure
gated community. Contact
232-1657. 381-4896
[email protected]
[email protected]
NOSARA
*Beachside lots from $75K
*”Casa Bella Nuevo” $489K,
*”Vista Paraiso”-125 acres
$4,400,000 - Awesome
ocean and jungle views Nosara is Pura Vida!
*Casa Paul $449,000 beach
side homes.
*Lunquillal- “Casa Wilkie”
on the Beach. $650,000
Beach lots/ homes/ large fincas in Nosara, Tambor and
Golfito. View properties
at www.mikepuhek.com
Contact Mike at [email protected] or
(USA) 805-473-2777,
805-459-1627
BEACHFRONT
PROPERTY
With over 1000 feet of
beachfront by 1000 feet
back. A real find, 37 acres
next to Jaco right on
Playa Hermosa, in front of
the Almendro Tree Great
Value at just $250/M2.
We are interested in Brokers with U.S. connections to large developers.
Call us now at
891-1287 or 892-7000
costaricahermosa.com
NOSARA Playa Pelada,
house, ov. 3bdr. 3bath. pool
2000m2 lot. $380k
[email protected] 827-4119
OPPORTUNITY, 1 hect.
Jaco Guacalillo, in front of
the beach, trade. $190,000
812-6140
PLAYA HERMOSA beach
front, equipped, cabinas w/
restaurant. Tel. 643-7022
PLAYA SAMARA, 12 room
hotel with bar, restaurant +
pool. Only $595,000.
835-3174
[email protected]
SAN JUANILLO! Beautiful
ocean view lots & dvlpmnt
properties, 15 min. from
shopping, serv & Nosara airport. Elect, wtr & private
reserve. Forever unobstructed Sunset views.
Gated nature comm, direct
from owner. Visit: www.
ecolandia.com/sale/
index.html
Tel: Mr. Brenes 812-7416
or 382-8280
TAMBOR-10.760 sqft.
Titled, beachfront $250,000
Tambor-2/3 ac. 2 homes,
only $85,000. 288-2500
[email protected]
www.ycrre.com
1103 Commercial
Property
FOR INVESTORS. Buy
opportunity for sale, 7 commercial locales, in San Jose
Center. All are rented.
Excellent income.
Tel. 231-1896, 232-7650
SANTA ANA. Multiple
offices new commercial ctr
nicest in all Costa Rica.
$225,000. Tel: 203-5606
OPPORTUNITY
KNOCKS!
Coco Beach’s
First Mall
C
hoose a prime location in
Coco Beach’s first major
shopping mall. Located in
the heart of the business district, just blocks from the
beach. Mall will feature a
major hotel, double screen
movie theater, major restaurant, luxury casino, and health
club. Ample parking.
Perfect for luxury and
boutique jewelry stores, high
quality artisans, apparel
stores, professional offices
and services.
High quality retail spaces
available from 48 to 77 sq.
meters on three levels for
lease or purchase. Prime
spots still available. Pre-construction prices. Groundbreaking in early 2007.
For more information:
670-1401
CHOICE LAND
next to
SARDINAL RIVER
T
his exceptional land is a
single lot divided equally
into farm and wooded
portions 14,000 sq. meters or
3.5 acres. Water and electricity. Located next to Sardinal
River. Includes a stand of
exceptional 100-year-old
hardwood trees. Cultivated
portion ready for farming
horses, or homesite. Only
minutes from Coco Beach,
but tucked away in a serene
countryside setting. $125,000
Call 670-1401
OCEANVIEW LOT
ceanview lots are in
great demand and
command top prices.
Why? Because they are in
limited supply. Here’s a
chance to buy an exceptional
ocean view lot at a low price
for your luxury home.
Located in the exclusive community of Ocotal Beach, near
several luxury resorts and
luxury view homes. About
one acre with a grand view
of Ocotal Bay and the Pacific
Ocean. Only $360,000
Call 670-1401
O
CR Properties Realty, Coco
670-1401 US
Canada 301-760-7189
www.crpropertiesrealty.com
1104 Condominiums
CARIARI Country Club new
townhouses, $150,000. Full
Financing. 387-6685
DESAMPARADOS new, 2
floor, 3 bdr, 2.5 bath, gar.
Quiet, safe neighborhood.
High quality const. $52,000.
Leila Retana 896-7912
[email protected]
ESCAZU condo 236 M2
condo, nice patio, 3 bdr, 2.5
bath & large living area.
Gated complex of 16 units
w/pool & 24-hr sec.
$220,000. Contact 302-6099
[email protected]
ESCAZU condo, 132 M2, 3
bdr, 2.5 bath. Spacious living
area. Gated and 24 hr. sec. 2
car garage. $150,000.
Tel. 892-1089. [email protected]
ESCAZU condos, homes,
security, views, pools, all
prices. 288-1326.
ESCAZU new condo
unmatched luxury by owner.
If you are looking for the ultimate in comfort, view and
amenities. 834-8247.
HEREDIA, Santo Domingo,
2 ample bdr, 2.5 baths.
1 gar. a/c. security. $75K
895-0101/ 843-7103.
[email protected]
HERRADURA/Jaco, 5 min.
from Los Sueños, 2 bdr, fur.
cbl. TV, A/C, pool.
$89,000. 506-637-8994.
Also, pre-const. Herradura
2 & 3 bdr. 2.5 bath. pool &
more, starting at:
198,000. Call:506-637-8994.
PENTHOUSE Barrio Amon,
San Jose, elegantly furnished, great view, 24-hr
security, air cond. $350,000
Tel. 392-6746 or 829-3198
Financing Available
TRY www.costaricatropical
paradiseproperties.com for
service, integrity & reliability
1106 Farms
2.5 ACRES
HECTARES prime commercial property near
Tamarindo. 200m paved road
frontage. This property
is well suited for comm.
retail or mixed use. Owner
can build to suit or assist
with the development &
const. process. Recent
appraisal available. For additional info. contact Freddy
Esquivel in C.R at:
447-4162/820-3501. For
info in U.S. call Dennis
Merrit at 407-948-4190 or
visit www.cadg.cc
NOSARA-Playa Guiones.
1.8 hec. (4+acre) lot very
close to beach in the heart of
the development, waterview.
$2.5 million. Call
(506) 682-0012 or
954-467-1739
REST/PATIO Bar. 100m to
beach Hotels+high rises on
gold coast. Remodeled $44k
Turnkey. 916-974-8555.
[email protected]
SAN JOSE, ideal for offices,
or home. $45.000
Tel: 268-3942/386-6745
Nicoya Peninsula, water, pwr
avail. $12,900. 870-4290
2900 AC near Flamingo
w/540 ac of mature teak,
great views, at low price:
$34 m2. Info: 288-2500
www.ycrre.com
EMERALD Forest Properties
is now taking listings in
Atenas, Grecia & La Garita.
If you wish to sell your
property QUICK! give us a
call at: 267-6360/816-9898
Integrity & experience you
can count on!
ESPARZA, Baron. Beautiful
recreational 13 acres, all
serv, fruit trees, mountain,
river. Only 15 min. from
Caldera. $125,000. (506)
817-7474 Fax 445-7334.
[email protected]
FARM w/ Tilapia project,
ranch and pool.
Cell: 829-7506, 394-6292
FARMS, Homes, condominiums, business opportunities,
undeveloped land in the
mountain & at the beach. All
sizes & prices. See:
www.angiesanchezhomes.com
or call 843-7053 CR
THE TICO TIMES – February 9, 2007 | CLASSIFIEDS | 21
GOLFITO 136 hect. North of
Airport, La Finca La Gamba.
Call Troy 872-2622
GUANACASTE/ $40usxm2
5000m2, 5min. from
Tamarindo, wtr. and elect.
835-1625
JACO, Playa Hermosa. 800
Ha. Ocean view, all services,
water falls, easy access.
US$5.5millions 385-3164
Spanish.
LA GRANJA. 4bdr. 3.5bath
lg. living room w/cathedral
ceilings, office, gar, alarm.
$150,000. $800 288-3878/
373-4971.
[email protected]
OUTSTANDING sea and
mountain views plus 10
acres of land for gardening
or horses. This farm is located on a quiet road. Road in
Panica 10 min to Tambor.
$295,000. 1 hect. (2.4 acres)
located in Panica. $85,000.
867-8978
[email protected]
SAN JUANILLO
Development Opportunity.
sold by owner, 92, 46, 23
hectares. 180-degree views
of coastline and rolling hills
of the jungle. 10 minutes
from beaches of San Juanillo
and Ostional. The San
Juanillo River snakes
through the land with water
running all year round.
Including three springs. Two
water tanks of 70,000 litres.,
two wells, internal roads,
electricity mains. Perfect
topography and space to
build a landing strip or golf
course.... More than 15,000
fruit and hardwood trees. T
(506) 339-2042/ 458-5154
breathing@
ranganaoliveira .com
1107 Houses
$90,000, 2 bdr. 2.5 bath new
house, concrete & steel
const, gated comm., pool,
financing available.
506-788-1150/ 870-4998.
A PIECE of paradise a new
1900sqft, 3bdr. 2bath,
pool rancho, fully furn. on
1.5 ac. $299,000 for more
info call Dave: 867-9426
email: [email protected]
APTS/CONDOS & homes
very nice, for rent or sale in
exclusive neighborhoods
such as Rohrmoser, Escazu,
Cariari. Bob 236-1028,
390-2988
Thecostarica
realty.com
Rentals & Sales
228-6863
ARE YOU looking for a
property in Escazu? We have
everything. 289-5059
www.realtyincostarica.com
Atenas Realty
www.atenasrealty.com
ATENAS, Properties in the
best climate. 506-446-6619
www.atenas.co.cr
BRAND NEW in exclusive
Santa Ana comm. 3230 sqtf.
pool, tennis, views. $350K
288-2500 www.ycrre.com
BEAUTIFUL new 3bdr. 3.5
bath fully furn condominium
located on the 5th floor of
La Alhambra in Escazu for
$275,000. 290-8830. Rosa
BIG OCEAN view from the
mtns. 16 miles west of
Puriscal. 2.5 acres. 2/1 totally remodeled with new tile,
carpet, bath and porch.
Beautiful wood throughout.
$142,000. http://www.ben.
floridakeysweb .com
011-506-416-3023
[email protected]
BRANDNEW unique
American Victorian/Country
style house w/ oldfashioned
interior, 3 bdr. 3.5 bath.
2 car gar. marble bath. big
deck, Rancho, dream of
a kitchen, 60% furn.
(European import), diesel
generator, great view. Even
the 06 Kia Spotage Diesel
auto is incl. $680.000.
444-6075/876-0631
BUILDER-We do Home
Repair. Work residency & references New const. or
remodeling we do. Buying a
home here, let me inspect it
before you buy, nobody likes
surprises. If some things
aren’t right, just call me for
some free advice. Ethics you
deserve & honesty you
expect. Looking after owner
is what we do.
Jim 355-5243|
CAHUITA 1.200m2, house
250m2, with 5 cabin, 2
apartm. $250K. 361-7883.
CARIARI Charming, 1 level,
4 bdrm, 2.5 bath, maid’s
room w/bath & wheelchair
accessible. $250,000. Full
Financing. 387-6685
ATENAS
Picaflora
Bali Estates
Beauty By Nature/
Elegance
By Design
www.costa-ricareal-estate.org
Cel. 832-3231
ESTERILLOS Oeste, new &
very elegant 3800 sqft home
w/partial ocean view in gated
comm. within 2-3 minutes of
great surfing beach.
$395,000. Contact
Jim 778-7140 or 301-7366
[email protected]
GRECIA PROPERTIES.
Web site www.greciarealestate.com 356-1616
Spanish 834-2118
GRECIA, a brand new
UNIQUE in American style
built country house on
3400mts. land. This house
will be sold completely furn.
w/imported European furn.
lots of precious antiques, a
computer and even a 06’ KIA
Sportage Auto. All facilities
like highspeed Internet, tel &
satelite TV. This chance will
only come once in your life.
This is really a suitcase deal.
Email:
[email protected]
CARIARI, area 804M2 land
300M2. const. 4 bdr, 3.5
bath 2 car gar, $298K.
Tel: 822-6383.
GUANACASTE, beatiful, w/
or w/o furn. 200m2 const.
& 1400m2 lot, 15 min. from
Liberia. 506-234-1762.
www.actionrealtycr.com
COCO BEACH Gte. 400 mts
from beach. Lot 1,750 M2
house 220 M2. 3 bdr, 2
baths, 670-3818. 290, 8212072. Moving sale
HEREDIA, Belen. New, 2
story, 3 bdr, 2.5 bath, 2 car
gar, 170M2, furn or unfurn,
tel, jacuzzi. US$1million.
Tel: 374-7823.
CONFUSED about real
estate? www.costaricatropical
paradiseproperties.com
HEREDIA, close to Barva,
in residential, 234m2 lot &
200m2 const. 506-234-1762
www.actionrealty.com
EMERALD Forest Properties
is now taking listings in
Atenas, Grecia & La Garita.
If you wish to sell your
property QUICK! give us a
call at: 267-6360/816-9898
Integrity & experience you
can count on!
ESCAZU
PARADISE
SECLUDED 1 story, garden
4bdr. 4.5bath. guest cottage,
what a dream hideout+++so
much to see $450 Neg.
228-9197/334-5156
ESCAZU gated community,
3 bdrm, 2.5 bath, maid’s
quarters, 350 M2 const.
Priced $239,000. 296-3709
ESCAZU great 5 bdr. 5
baths. big garden, 4 parking.
832-5068/290-0236
ESCAZU new 4 bdr. 3 bath.
great view. $269,000
furnished 289-4758.
ESCAZU Penthouse fab.
view, deluxe finishes, pool,
sec. 832-5068, 290-0236
HIGUITO SAN Mateo,
Alajuela, 1,925 m2 lot, 4 bdr,
2 bath, jac, fruit trees.
English 222-4448 Victor
Mata from 10 am to 4 pm
HILLS of Coronado. small,
quality, gated development,
your choice, new homes or
lots. 393-2567.
CA (250)715-6115
LA FORTUNA -fabulous
volcano view. Tico-style
house, 3 bdrs, 1 bath.
560m2 property, bordered by
protected land on two sides,
fruit trees, birds private,
quite, private, rural, 3 miles
from La Fortuna center
$58,000. John 365-9568.
[email protected]
LIBERIA, Gte. 250m2 lot &
180m2 const. 15 min from
airp. 506-234-1762.
www.actionrealty.com
LLANO GRANDE, Cartago,
brand new 290M2 const,
amazing view. 3530 M2 land
$250K. Accept property near
beach as part of payment.
353-8870 9-3 pm
ESCAZU Super Contempo
house, 5 bdr, views, pool.
Guest house, play room, hot
tub, view. 885-3287
ESCAZU- opportunity, 3
bdrm, ample gardens &
social areas, 2 car gar.
380-5724, 228-4519
822-5976, 340-0384
TicoRealty
.com
SANTA ANA house, new
gated community, 3 bdrm,
670 M2 land, 320 M2 const.
$320K negotiable.
Tel. 823-1136
VIEW PHOTO TOURS
OF 690 PROPERTIES
FOR SALE OR RENT
www.ticorealty.com
588-1717, 290-7667
SANTA ANA Puerta Hierro
5bdr. 4.5 bath. 3229.2sqft
$355,000. 871-7373
MANUEL Antonio/ Quepos
area 8 miles from the Manuel
Antonio beach. New, all Teak
wood home with 3 bdr, 2
bath, a/c, 2 car gar, completely furnished. $255K For
more information go to
www.sellingincostarica.com
Tel: (506)779-1703.
SANTA ANA, Piedades 275
m2 3 bdr. 3.5 bath, large
covered patio, garden, gourmet kitchen, dining room w/
2 car garage on 460m2 lot in
guarded/gated comm, 5 min.
from Forum Pre-construction
priced at $260,000, house
finished in May. 394-4742
MORAVIA, residential area,
2 story, 300m const. &
220m2 lot. 506-234-1762
SANTA ANA, Villa Real,
great view, 3bdr. 2.5bath.
office, garden $550k. It won’t
last for rent. $3,000
392-5661
NARANJO, dist. Franquil,
2story, renovated, 3bdr.
2bath. gar. elect door, garden, furn. kitchen. terrace
roof , near school, market,
bustop. $87k or $92k door
closed furn.
fax: (506) 450-3894 or
e-mail:
[email protected]
NEW NATURE Reserve
Home in sec. planned community in SantaAna, 3bdr.
2bath. 300m2. $325k
Call: 289-8638
OPPORTUNITY 4 apt. & 2
houses in Quepos Naranjito
$190,000. 812-6140
PARAISO, Cartago. 7
bdrms, 5 baths, ample livings, terrace, nice view to
Central Valley and Cachi
lake, 13720 M2, beautiful
green areas, many fruit trees,
tilapia ponds, party ranch,
warehouse, guard house.
Own weel, electric pomps.
Ideal for clinic, university,
hotel, behind of Costa Rica
University house. Facilities.
(506) 551-1342,
fax: (506) 551-2076
[email protected]
PEREZ Zeledon, Beatiful 3
bdr, 2 bath, 1 car gar. garden
$125,000. 770-9109.
PUNTA LEONA house
$340,000. Escazu rent $1300
or sale $135,000.
Tel. 829-3771, 228-1942
SAN ANTONIO Escazu,
1300 M2 land, 200 M2
const, great views, 4 bdrm, 3
bath, $290K. 823-1136
SAN JOSE, near seminario
Mayor, Paso Ancho. All
services. Corner house. 2
car gar. 3bdr. exc. sec.
Furn. $70,000 Unfurn
$67,500. 861-8276
SAN RAMON, Alajuela.
1500m2, fenced w/2 houses
fruit trees, green areas.
899-3167/878-8557
440-7179
SAN VITO Coto Brus, 6 ha,
4000 ft elev. House, bodega,
corral, all utilities, on paved
road. 3 km town, hospital,
airstrip. $114,000.
[email protected]
SANTA ANA gated comm.
security system, fenced, min.
from US ambassador’s
residence. Natural setting,
extended views, creek rancho, 1400m land, 500m
house, 3bdr. 4 bath. maid’s
qtrs, laundry, office with
separate entrance & ball
deck, rancho, well designed
for easy living & entertaining
$275,000. 244-0316
844-6154
SANTA ANA-Gated with
garden on both sides, 2bdr.
office, 2bath, 1 level, 190m2.
$149,000. 382-7399
SANTA ANA/ residential
resort community. Secure/
gated, 2 pools, waterfalls,
High speed Internet, extensive gardens, cable, satellite
TV, phone. For Lease: New, 2
bdr, 2 bath, $1600 & studio
$700, fully furnished to executive standards. For sale: 2
bdr, 2.5 bath, 2 flr, 158 M2,
$270K. 2 bdr, 2 bath, 1 fl,
120 M2 $190K, fully furnished. 305-3965,
www.residenciaslosjardines.
com
TAMARINDO Area. 2000sq
ft. home nicely furn. on
1.25 ac lot. 3bdr. 2.5bath.
full kitchen, large pool in
Landsc. garden. 357-5534
No agents please.
TAMBOR Ocean view home
$150,000 finish it yourself
and save a bundle. [email protected] or
843-290-5272
VISIT www.costaricatropical
paradiseproperties.com for
all your real estate needs.
1108 Lots/Property
2.5 ACRES, in the hills of
Playa Hermosa, views from
Jaco to Esterillos, 90%
buildable, perfect for condos
or multy homes, power 6
water. $9 sqft.
831-1621
ARENAL-Turtle Cove Lake
Club, lakefront gated community: Marina, restaurant,
spa, boat storage. Financing
available. Broker commissions, Owner/ developer. US
(404) 543-8640,
CR (506) 353-0716
turtlecovelakeclub.com
BEACHFRONT lot 500mt.
great view of mountains,
corporation & consseson
ready to build between
Quepos & Jaco, water pw,
phone avail. No rd. in front
of property. Direct beach
acess. $200,000. Call U.S
802-257-0861. Evenings or
[email protected]
BEAUTIFUL 1,500M2 lot
5Km up the hill between
Playa Bejuco & Bandera.
Nice tranquil area. $45,000 /
349-8001.
BUENA VISTA village road
to San Ramon-Alajuela. Farm
with tremendous views, overlooking Gulf & Nicoya
Peninsula, incl. Cerro Berlin
& Puntarenas. 1.5 ha, (3.71
acres), Good access & all
services. $95,000 German
owner. 447-8269, 445-9530
REAL ESTATE
Country Views
Lovely 4 acre home site
in a small, peaceful &
picturesque village near
Puriscal; just 1 hr. to
San Jose; mature trees;
creek; birds; great
VIEWS; privacy; utilities; nice climate; home
package available.
$75,000.
Nature & Views
Secluded 4-acre parcel;
eco-compound behind
La Paz Waterfall Gardens; great VIEWS; lush
rain forest: pristine
river; plenty of birds &
wildlife; privacy &
peace; all utilities; 1 hr
to San José; home package available.
$85,000.
Rain Forest
Heaven
100 acres of lush rain
forest; behind La Paz
Waterfall Gardens, next
to Poas Volcano Park;
pristine river, waterfalls,
superior wildlife; VIEWS;
good road & utilities;
ideal for Nature Retreat.
1 hr. to San José.
$279,000
Ranch with
Views
Gorgeous 35 acre
ranch in a picturesque
village of Puriscal; nice
rolling hills with large
terraces; good VIEWS;
excellent climate; good
soil; forest; wildlife;
paved road; all utilities;
cozy owner's house; 1
hr to San José.
$375,000.
Mansion with
Views
Exclusive
Mediterranean style 10,000sqft
home; in Escazú gated
hilltop; 3+ acres of tropical gardens; breathtaking VIEWS; covered
terrace for 100+ people; Helipad; 15 min. to
San José. Privacy &
Security, $1,600,000.
Info on these & others
288-1414
822-1414
[email protected]
BY OWNER Spectacular
100 ft waterfall ($229,000)
Falling into a large natural
pool on 8.75 acres of private
primary Jungle Land with a
tremendous variety of rare
tropical trees full of whitefaced and congo monkeys,
toucans and other exotic
birds and animals. Includes
caretakers couple and house
on main road w/ electricity,
phone, public water, 5 min.
to Libano. Tel:
Danny (954) 868-1264 FL,
USA. [email protected]
CHARMING Country home
priced to sell near Venecia in
Marcella. A bargain $85,000.
[email protected]
www.feslick.com/coxhome/
htm
CUIDAD Colon. Large 7536
m2 lot, in a gated community, has incredible views and
sunsets. Existing 100 m2
small house and permits to
build new const. Priced for
quick sale $340,000
302-6099
[email protected]
ESCAZU, 13 hectares overlooking the valley. This
is a must-see property. $27
sqmt. 296-2300 856-4569.
eco-pages-costarica.com
\ESCAZU, 624 M2. great
views, exc. loc. finan. avail.
$105K. OBO. 380-4447.
PIEDADES Santa Ana, 3
hectares, nice views, $14 per
M2. Tel. 823-1136
GARITA de Alajuela.
Residencial el Bosque.
914.72m2, $100m2.
(506)301-5979. Carlos.
PRIVATE PARADISE: estate
property located Dominical/
Platinillo very easy access to
property & beach. A maintainable 3 ac/12,110 M2,
lovely trees/plantings, perfect elevation for temp./
breeze, no fog, gorgeous
ocean sunsets & valley
views. Public H2O, elect. just
12m away. $185K.
US 610-473-8860. Details:
[email protected]
GRECIA PROPERTIES.
Web site
www.greciarealestate.com
356-1616 Spanish 834-2118
GUANACASTE, Playa Garza
ocean view, close to beach.
62 Ha., $15M2.
carlos_devandas@hotmail.
com
HEREDIA beaut. 5645 M2.
flat, own well, walls, all serv,
20 min. from S.J. $30M2.
Facilities. 359-5262
[email protected]
HEREDIA San Isidro, ready
to build, exc. views, waterfall,
elect. gate. All utilities,
including Internet, cable,
concrete driveway.
14,000M2, $100,000.
268-3672, 268-8050
HEREDIA, Concepcion, San
Rafael lot 7000m2, private,
15 minutes from San Jose,
elect/water/ telephone, security. $29M2. 878-5875
[email protected]
HOJANCHA, Guanacaste,
10 hect. planted TECA, 4
years plantation. $200.000
Tel: 386-2413
LA PALMA de Coronado,
142,181 M2, 1600 mts altitude, 150 M2 const, 18 Km
from San Jose, springwater,
4.5 hect of mountain, all
services. $7 M2. 529-0067,
868-9082
PROPERTY for sale 5033
M2 with gorgeous ocean
views North to Papagayo,
south to Potrero Bay (site of
Flamingo Marina), Flamingo
and to Conchal Bay. Level
building site with water and
electric. CR corporation
included. Bella Vista #9 in
area of exclusive homes.
$298,000. Tel. 653-8953, or
cell 301-4984
PUNTA ISLITA, Corozalito
95 acres, w/ magnificent
ocean views $4.8 million.
Tel: 880-9238.
[email protected]
PUNTARENAS, Parrita.
5000m2 lot, Bejuco Beach
property 300mts away from
beach, $325k. 349-5618
USA: 702-610-7381
[email protected]
PUNTARENAS, San Miguel
Barranca. 8ha. and 10ha, $10
M2, Golfo de Nicoya view.
Sea breeze, exc. for tourist
development
or Villas. Accept offers.
392-6613/225-8386
SAN ANTONIO Escazu,
4300 M2, perfect for condos
or houses, good road, great
view. $65M2. Tel. 823-1136
LIMON Only for
Conservationists. 8 acres of
mountain. $1,000 each acre
Titled. 30 min. to Caribbean
Beach. 347-3634, 710-1823
SAN ANTONIO Escazu, 1
hectare, views, good access,
$40 M2.Tel. 823-1136
LIMON reforested parcel,
11,000 M2, $6000.
Tel. 365-4052, 342-6108
SAN RAMON $11M2,
ocean/mountain view.
5,300m2. Utilities. 249-0046
MANUEL Antonio, secluded
1200 M2 part. Ocean view
w/rainforest. Tel. 882-7717,
787-8378
SANTA ANA few minutes
from Forum 1836,51 M2,
flat. Telfax 506-228-7673
[email protected]
1109 Timeshares
OCEAN VIEW 10
Acres $189,000
Near Tamarindo one hour
from Liberia Airport, gently
slopes towards ocean, topographer says can get 12 lots
90% with view, quiet pretty
area. Subdivision included.
Pics at marrbucks. com Don’t
miss this opportunity to
triple your money! Adjacent
acreage also available and
seller says all cash offers
considered. 506-397-7548
CR, 800-931-6329 from US
PANAMA Real Estate.
Large lots for investment or
development. Beach, ocean
& mountain view.
507-265-REAL.
panamarealestatepros.com
PEREZ ZELEDON, 73hect.
road to Interamerican Hghy.
All services. 506-234-1762.
www.actionrealtycr.com
PIEDADES
CONDOVAC, Holy wk,
$1,000. Share $11,000.
Tel: 225-5020/ 387-1002.
CONDOVAC. Full equipp.
cabin, 6 persons, children
free. $800. 16-23 Feb. And
for sale Timeshare $10,000.
Emily. 370-2735/ 225-0072.
THE BCHCLUB, St. Aug. Fl.
1 bdr $1000.
[email protected].
1110 Rent or Sale
SAN ANTONIO, Escazu.
Rent $1,200. Sale $380,000
or Trade. 4 bdr. 3 bath, 2
story, 3 car gar, amenities.
Tel: 307-5680/ 372-8925.
SANTA ANA APARTMENTS
For rent/sale 2, 3 bdr Furn
or unfurn, pool, gym 24 hr.
sec, wireless Internet cable, 3
min to Forum, 15 min to Intl.
Aiport, Call (506) 282-1010.
1111 Quintas
SPECTACULAR
views of the Central Valley,
fruit trees, coffee. Perfect for
large estate lots or condo
development. $439,000.
835-3174
[email protected]
15 MIN. from Alajuela,
4bdr. 2bath. fruit trees, in
front of main road. 1km north
from Casa Bavaria.
$125,000. OBO. 483-1832
1200 SERVICES
1203 Construction
3 PASLODE Neumatic Nail
Guns (New). 7 boxes Nails
inox & regular. Price $3,000
OBO. Tel: 215-3814
A1 MASTER builder, electric, plumbing, cement- block
stucco , Am. owned. 2897486 /3070164
PURCHASING A NEW
HOME?
Protect your investment with
a professional, affordable
home inspection by U.S. Co
Contact Costa Rica Insp.
Service. At (506) 524-2155
(330) 3131219 or email: to
paula.moncayo@starktruss.
com
1204 Computers
AAA
COMPUTER
All Work Guaranteed or your
Money Back! Mike 302-5558
ONSITE Computer Service /
Repair. Happy Gringo
Computer for all your hardware/software needs. Kevin
Huey. 879-1188
YOUR WEBSITE for $149
Incl. 5 pages (index, 3 links
+ contact form), domain
name & hosting for 1yr. 3594488/ 225-0539.
(6:00-10:00pm)
[email protected]
1205 Languages
LEARN SPANISH in Escazu.
Tel: 384-2465, 289-4396,
www.ilerispanishschool.com
1211 Legal Services
ASSET PROTECTION
& Corporate Structures.
Residency specialists, background investigations, Real
Estate & accounts
call: 834-4196
GRUPO COSTA Ipanema
Residency Specialist.
8750447/[email protected]
PERMANENT Residency/
pensionado/ rentista,
renewals. Highly referred.
Flora 253-1686
VILLALOBOS Investors
Call (506) 296-1936
1300 TOURISM
1301 Accommodations
BIBI’S B and B: New home,
quiet, fabulous garden with
jacuzzi, cable TV, Internet,
SKYPE, kitchen, laundry,
near San Jose, $45dbl,
$37sngl, wkly, mnth rates.
(506) 244-7324
[email protected]
HOTEL MANGO Suites in
Escazu. Beautiful, spacious
suites, cable TV, maid serv.,
jacuzzi, fireplace, pool table,
spectacular view, only 2 min
from Multiplaza. Massage &
facials available. Rooms start
at $39/day. Contact:
228-8162 / 360-1000.
PELICAN Beachfront Hotel,
midway Jaco/Quepos/
Manuel Antonio.
(506) 778-8105
www.pelicanhotelcr.com
PUERTO COYOTE elegant
mainhouse, big pool,
charming guest house, fantastic ocean view. 17.500
m2. www.geocities.com/
prospero_pacific_paradise
SPANISH COURSE, 5hrs/
wk $60/mo. Registration fee
$20, start day: Feb 26th.
San Jose, Tel: 258-0491/
258-8609, or e-mail:
[email protected]
SAN JUANILLO, Gte. El
Sueño beach hotel, rest,
Buddha bar music lounge!
200mts to beautiful beaches,
near Nosara & Ostional turtle
reserve. $40 dbl. (incl.
breakfast & tax). Visit
www.sanjuanillo.com
Tel: 682-8074 or 812-7416
for reservations.
SPANISH Save by learning
more in less time!
Tel. 394-6348, 288-1691
VACATION Rental, dly/wk/
mo, new 1bd (506)291-4575
[email protected]
1206 Miscellaneous
BILINGUAL HOUSE
Watchers. Have confidence
your home is secure maintained and clean while you
are absent. Professional
service & staff.
Tel: 282-3300 / 870-0742.
WW2 BUFFS!
“English Girl, German Boy”
World War II from Both
Sides”. Personal war experiences in England & Germany.
www.mimosa.co.cr
www.amazon.com
Telfax 506-494-5868
1209 Repair
COMPUTER troubles?
Call the P.C. Guy. Your place
or ours. Call Pat at 289-8638
or 384-5636
LIC. ELECTRICIAN &
handyman. Paints and
remodels small projects. Free
estimate. English: 506874-7669 Span. 375-3104
February 9, 2007
VACATION RENTAL,
Puntaleona, w/pool and a
rancho, cbl. TV. 249-2017
1307 Guides
ANYWHERE, in Costa Rica
transportation guide and
driver. 15 pass diesel van fluent eng. Call for price...
394-3934/ 588-1475.
CAR DRIVER. Tour guide.
343-0148
[email protected]
MORAL
Honest, fully bilingual lady
offers her services for
errands, guide, companion
for elderly people, etc. Fax
297-1352, tel. 381-4160
[email protected]
PANAMANIAN Male living
in C.R offers his services to
foreigners as tour guides &
Span. teacher. Latin music
dance classes incl. for ladies.
Call. 349-3784
email: [email protected]
PRIVATE
TOUR
NEW 12-PASSENGER VAN
Experienced English-speaking Guide. Anywhere,
Anytime $25.
Call Jim 249-2701,
cell 395-2407
[email protected]
1309 Tours
TRANSFERS/ 1 day tours,
Real Estates Showing, 4X4
car. Tel 832-5656 [email protected]
HOTEL
EL CAFETAL
Offers weddings
at our bar-rest.
Rincón Llanero
Max. 75 pers.
St. Eulalia of Atenas
446-5785
www.cafetal.com
1400
TRANSPORTATION
1402 Boats
16’ DUROBOAT, welded
alum. Cnt console w/canvas
top 60 hp Tohatsu T&T
$5,500/ Tel: 349-8001.
2005, 9 meter CC Boat, Twin
115 HP Johnson, 4 stroke
center consol. 849-2323,
661-0220 636-8980
38’ BOAT all fiber glasses
live aboard, very good cond.
Tel: 637-0015
WWW.ACINAUTICO.COM
Boats new - used. Boston
Whaler and Costa Boat repair. Phone 438-3629
WWW.RICABOATS.COM
Boats for Sale over 40 sail
& powerboats, view photos
of the boats online.
Tel 827-2362, 654-4063
1500 VEHICLES
1501 Autos
‘96 LINCOLN Town Car.
Limousine 10 pass. $21,500
OBO 855-9173 or 391-2844
2001 LUHRS 36’ convert.
Cats 3216, 1350 hrs. 8kw
gen. Tel: (506) 257-4242
ext. 410. (506) 272-4543
94 MAZDA Navajo SUV,
auto. a/c. 2wd. full extras.
$4,250. 219-0194
98’ RANGE Rover, full ext.
$17k. 878-0202 or Email:
[email protected]
AUDI 03 A4 all wheel dr.
(Quatro) v6 3000cc, 220hp.
45km. one owner. $40k.
[email protected]
CHEVY BLAZER 4X4, perfect, leather, auto, only 45K
miles, best looking in CR. 86
Range Rover, lifted, CD, 4X4,
awesome truck. 92
Landcruiser SUV, only 42K
miles, auto, 4X4, leather. Call
239-5970 we buy cars!
caesarwilliam123@yahoo.
com (stock changes daily call
now!)
HONDA Civic 95, XL, 4 drs,
RTV, automatic, loaded,
beautiful, red, $5,500 Tel.
260-4856, 862-5547
95 FORD Explorer, new tires
6cd player very nice great
suv. Tel: 260-4578.
$7,800 English only.
YOUR BEST USED CAR
in ehlerscars.com 384-9978
with Andy.
96’ TOYOTA 4runner, gasoline, 63k miles, garaged
little use, great cond. fully
loaded $9900. 385-7848
1504 Motorcycles
HARLEY DAVIDSON
1951 FL 1200 cc.
1955 FL 1200 cc
1958 FLH 1200 cc.
1983 FXR 1540 cc.
221-4136/306-3225
BILL’S Rent-a-Car
$20 day, $120 a week, $500
mo. $300 deposit.
362-5403
BULLET Proof Rentals.
Mercedes turbo diesel $25
up. T. 822-0706/ 282-3564
1502 4X4’S
97 TOYOTA Four Runner 4
door, 4X4, automatic, full xts.
Mint cond. $13,900.
Tel. 244-0484
01 DODGE Ram Ex. Cab
4x4 Bcyl. Auto air PS PB
80,000. Orig. miles linex
bedliner, Cargo box & +
Taxes paid, tico plates.
813-0169/$25,000
Eng/Span.
99 LAND Rover Freelander
Good cond, low mileage,
sunroof, new tires, $11,500.
289-4579.
01 GALLAPER II, 75,000
km. 5SP Diesel, ext. clean,
won’t waste your time!!
$15,500- 203-2582
99’ TROOPER. Good cond
all extras. $8,500 US.
Tel: 654-5209
01 TOYOTA Rav4-must sell.
Exc. cond. a/c. PS PB
4door, CD, new wheels, tires,
battery brilliant silver.
US 404-966-5863.
MITSUBISHI Nativa 2003
Turbo Diesel Intercooler.
39km. exc. cond. 866-6969.
RANGE ROVER
91, Retired sell, low miles,
full extras, $8,000.
Tel: 253-0992.
05 X-Trail
4x4 Nissan
automatic, low mileage 4dr.
multilock looks great.
$23,900 By owner. Call
Robert: 369-7797
TOYOTA, 4 RUNNER 95, V6,
full extras, Leather, new tires,
4” Lift kit for extreme conditions. Price $14,000. OBO
Tel: 215-3814.
RIDE THE best Kawasaki
KLR Crossing & Enduro bike
650cc. Perfect cond, alarm
system, aluminum carriers,
Corbin seats, windshield.
Book value $6,000 inmediate
sale $4,500. Low miles, very
dependable.
Randall (506) 842-0181.
1505 Rentals
*CARS
$125-$195 a week
Call Andy 282-7013
CAR
5sp. and automatic
$125 to $175 week.
ALSO
15 pass. Van $250 a week.
228-5827, 825-2694
[email protected]
EXPEDITION Get the best
quality 4X4 cars for rent with
full extras, free mileage
mileage. (506) 379-7000
4x4 TROOPER for Rent, all
with a/c & exc cond.
Luis / Tony 832-5656
[email protected]
RENT A CAR 4X4, new
models, from $30/day.
Special p/week. 811-9620
AUTOS, 4X4, vans, trucks,
special raise. Daily, wkly. mo.
Free mileage. Insurance
incl. 506-443-3333.
380-3432.
www.crtopicalrenta
car.com
SMART CAR RENTAL
4x4 quality cars with all
inclusive rates. Special weekly & monthly discounts.
506-834-8686. or
[email protected]
4X4 CAR RENTAL has quality
autos with air, CD players,
starting at $35 per day,
including full coverage
insur. & unlimited mileage.
358-7676
www.4x4rentacar.com
TUCAN RENT A CAR
Trooper, Mitsubishi Montero,
low rate, rental Insurance,
low deposit.
tucanrentacar.com
441-0859/441-7744/
840-8501
1600 WANTED
1601 Wanted
WANTED: YOUR COMMENTS
www.VoiceExpatCR.org
SPEAK UP- BE HEARD!
Need a car?
Don’t look far;
find it in
the TT
Classifieds
1980 TOYOTA FJ-40
Landcruiser Jeep, great paint,
6 disc. CD, air cond, power
steering, rack, grill guard.
$13,500. 244-0484
2 TOYOTA. Landcruiser (toyotona) 1998. 4 dr, auto, full,
V8 gas.
2002 TDiesel auto. Exc. condition. Tel: 384-1211.
Last Chance!
2000 CHEVY S-10, pick up,
4 door, 4X4, turbo diesel, full
xts, great cond, $15,900.
Tel. 244-0484
Today is the last day to reserve your advertising space in the 28-page full-color special Real
Estate and Construction Supplement to be published on February 23.
Don’t miss the best time of year to reach potential buyers coming to Costa Rica for some sun
and fun!
2000 TOYOTA diesel, HiLux, 4X4, pick-up, X-cab, full
xts, impeccable, low miles.
$21,900. 244-0484
2000 TOYOTA Tacoma X-cab
SR5, 4X4, pick-up, automatic, full xts, like new. $19,900.
Tel. 244-0484
LAST R.E. 2007
houses, pool, $950K, see
pictures. Tel. CR 383-3233,
USA 949-584-9680
–
2002 BMX X5, turbo diesel,
4 doors, 4X4, automatic!
$39,900 Warranty.
Tel. 244-0484
2002 FORD Ranger Pickup, 4 door, 4X4, turbo diesel,
full xts, real nice. $22,900.
Tel. 244-0484
You’ll be glad you did.
Two great guides published by The Tico Times,
Central America’s Leading English-Language Newspaper
mplete
The most costa
o
C
guide to
Rica.
y the
Compiled b
d
writers an hers of
photograp es.
The Tico Tim22
Features 1
photos and 30
more than maps.
up-to-date lor
432 full-co
pages
3.95.
for just $1
2003 TURBO diesel Toyota,
4-Runner, 4X4, seats 7, full
xts, low miles. $28,500.
Tel. 244-0484
2006 MAHINDRA Bolero.
Only 7,000 km Emer. Green
reloc. perf. cond. Manual
turbo diesel, full effiec. Dual
cab w/bed. Perfect for C.R.
terrain. Contact. Kim
(540)463-4652 US l
[email protected]
91 MONTERO 4X4, auto
loaded, new tires, CD, 4
door, alarm, CR tags, AC,
well maint. $4800.
[email protected]
91 TOYOTA LandCruiser
turbo 4x4, full factory
options, clean inside & out,
plus CD stereo: custu, steel
bumpers, extra large roof
rack with ladder, snorkel duel
batteries removable carrier
for large ice chest; heat
reflectives tint tow htches
front & rear 26mpg
670-1538/371-1632.
Contact your TT Ad Rep today at 258-1558 or by e-mail at [email protected] to reserve
your space.
Exploring Costa Rica 2007 &
the Restaurant Guide to Costa Rica
TRAVEL PUBLISHERS PERIODICO 07
To purchase either of these guides:
Phone Orders: 011 506 258 1558
Available on www.amazon.com, www.bn.com
and www.ticotimes.net
first
Costa Rica’s staurant
re
ly
n
o
d
n
a
gual
guide. Bilinnd
a
h
is
n
(Spa
ide
English) gu Eliot
written by , the
Greenspan e
author of thGuide to
Frommer’s Includes
Costa Rica. 450
more than
restaurants ps from
and 15 ma
around the
country. A t to any
complemenosta Rica
Guide to C .95.
for just $9
THE TICO TIMES
–
February 9, 2007 | CROSSWORD & WEATHER REPORT | 23
CROSSWORD #384
ACROSS
1 Swagger
6 Blemish
10 “A Farewell to __”
14 “Missing You” singer
John
15 Cowardly Lion actor
16 Betty of cartoons
17 Relevant, to lawyers
18 Gun shop purchase
19 Avis precursor
20 Ring holder
22 Marred
24 Watch word
26 Small pool
27 Provide
30 Surrounded by
32 Filled pastry
33 Poetic Pound
35 Basket for jai alai
39 __ Lingus
40 Adore
42 Sounds of surprise
43 Japanese noodle dish
45 It’s in vein
46 Cape of Good Hope
explorer
47 Shade of purple
49 “God Bless America”
songwriter
51 Claim
54 Irish county
56 Embargo
58 Latin rhythm instruments
62 Polly, to Tom
63 Cleansing agent
65 Espouse
66 Faction
67 Billy or Nanny
68 Succinct
69 Top
70 Endorse
71 Out of line
40 English architect Jones
41 Striped quadruped
44 Voted in
46 Wood nymphs
48 “What are we waiting
for?”
50 Correction section
51 Discountenance
52 Danny DeVito’s “Taxi”
role
53 “Wonder Woman” star
Carter
55 Unoccupied
57 Captured
59 Bottle stopper
60 Church recess
61 Fret
64 Highly rated
–Michael Curl
DOWN
1 Med lab specimen
2 Go in up to the ankles
3 Affectation
4 Westerner’s hat
5 Sewing machine attachment
6 Draw a __
7 Hit
8 Some resistance
9 Too much, musically
10 Shorten
11 Author Dahl
12 Type of mushroom
SOLUTION
13 Gardener’s implement
21 Helped
23 Measure of prevention
25 Gunwale attachment
27 Way, way off
28 Tiny bloodsucker
29 Raise crops
31 Female servant
34 “Germinal” author
36 Growing medium
37 Bangkok resident
38 Org.
#383
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February 9, 2007

Tico Times Feb. 9, 2007 - appraisal-educ

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