Pre-season Football starts in August and in honor of this, the Surf Club Sports Bar Playa Langosta will be open and serving food Sundays starting August 17th. Also we have the MLB package for the baseball fans, Go Blue Jays.

Dulce fine clothes boutique is for sale. Please contact 2-653-8855 or 2-653-0131 for details.

Skate for Oneida: August 3, there is a skateboard contest for kids to age 18 at the skateboard park behind Voodoo Lounge. Sign-up for the contest is at 8 a.m., and the contest starts at 11. There will be fun and music, to benefit the Children’s Park Oneida. If you wish to donate prizes, call Jesse at 2-653-0803.

The Tamarindo Summer Arts and Music Festival will be held Sunday August 10th, from noon till 4, in front of the Jaime Peligroso Bookstore in the Las Olas Center, (Olga’s Coffee House), featuring Artwork and Music from the Tamarindo Community. Hopefully the “little summer” will help with a rain-free day. The event will feature recent works of longtime resident artist Susan Adams, the abstract figurative paintings of Argentinean Juan Alfonsin, currently showing at the Galeria Atalaida, and Valery (Sage) Townley’s unique driftwood paintings and canvases, as well as raffles for artwork and gift certificates. Live music (so far) will be provided by Brazilian music ace Avelino, the aforementioned Suzanne Pryor and Jesse Bishop, as well as an ample supply of the not-so-live variety from Jaime’s well-stocked music shop. It should be said that anyone interested in displaying art or playing should get a hold of Jesse Bishop at 2-653-0742. So why not come on down to Jaime Peligroso’s on Sunday the 10th for an afternoon of local Art, Music, Coffee and fun Tamarindo Style!

Wild’s Restaurant has an awesome fish fry on Fridays. For just $10 you get all-you-can-eat battered fish, potato salad and other trimmings. Great food at a great price. Happy Wednesday offers specials on domestic beers and well drinks.

Planning your new house - what a job! I struggled with graph paper and rulers for months to lay out what I thought would be a perfect Guanacaste home for Esteban and me, on our 50 acre ranch.  Of course, when considering my limited budget, at the time, and available local materials, many revisions wound up in the waste basket until I had the plan.  Having built a new home, years before, in Michigan, I was aware of my basic needs for bedrooms, closet and storage space and an open living, dining, kitchen area. An open plan with lots of airflow and high ceilings were important in Guanacaste, because air conditioning was not readily available, noisy and very expensive.   Being an ecologist, I was also very concerned with the outdoor space – porches and gardens.  Yes, gardens, I wanted to surround my house with shady porches and gardens full of those wonderful tropical plants and flowers that I paid a fortune for at Frank’s Nursery.  I dreamed of a ranch house that was warm, comfortable and set in a tropical garden – a true tropical home.

But what if I were a Guanacaste woman planning her dream house say forty or more years ago.  What would it look like and what kind of requirements would she have in planning her dream house?  Family size would be the first consideration; however, families here would put several children in the same room or even in the same bed.  My in-law’s home in Cartagena is a good example of what a middle-class family in Guanacaste would design.  With 4 girls and 2 boys, four bedrooms were considered a large house.  The wooden frame house, built just meters from the road, faces the plaza and soccer field.  It has hard wood floors for the living room and bedrooms and a cement slab for the kitchen and dining area.  The front porch has the traditional rocking chairs for socializing and, outside of the kitchen, is the most used part of the house.

Before electricity, which came in the late ‘60s just a few years after running water, the cooking was done on the outside wood burning stove called a fógon and in the large clay oven, both elevated on raised beds. Coffee was made in a churriador and kept warm on the fire as the rice, beans and meat dishes cooked on the fire. With backyard cooking, the house would be kept cooler and was usually just a place to sleep.  The living room was the most formal area, however small, and seldom used before television.  It had cherished family portraits and stiff furniture.

The house plan was simple, a box house with a hallway dividing it in two with the  bedrooms and sala (small sitting room) off the hall, porch in the front, the kitchen and wash area in the rear.  The windows had shutters and the doors, with the exception of the bathroom, were curtains.  Later a front, bachelor’s bedroom was built on the front with a private entrance.  This could also be used for boarders or visitors. The older houses were actually two storeys high with one-storey room dividers to keep the air moving.  They were often adorned with lattice cut-outs along the upper story.  Two of Esteban’s grandmother’s old-style wooden houses are still on the plaza in Cartagena; one is his feed store, the other a restaurant/grocery store.

The back yard of the family house was a busy place with chickens and of course a pig or two.  Women in Guanacaste were very proud of the pigs they raised in the yard, which would most often be used for the Christmas holidays or special occasions.  Almost everything was organic and the pigs were the garbage men.  Little was wasted. 

In addition to the animals, the back yard of the Guanacaste housewife was a real “farmer’s market” of fruit, produce, and herbs.  Planted in what was called the patio garden were fruiting trees such as mango, juice oranges of several types, limes, guava, and marañon (cashew fruit).  In addition, there would be yucca, quadrados (a type of plantain), banana, herbs such as cilantro, coyote, oregano, mint, other medicinal plants, and, of course, red-hot chilies.  If the back yard was large enough a crop of sugarcane and white corn for tortillas were also tended.  The yard was always swept clean down to the dirt to (as I was told) keep snakes away.

Today, as you pass through the small towns of Guanacaste and see the wooden houses built before the use of concrete block, you can often still see the huge mango trees towering over the shady back yard with folks sitting around the back yard kitchen area socializing as they prepare the family food.  Even if the house now has an electric or gas stove, the food cooked on the fógon still tastes the best –especially, arroz con pollo, tamales, carne en salsa, and all of the other tasty traditional dishes.  And, with the ever-rising price of gas and electricity, we may see more cooking on readily available firewood.  If you wave and say, “Adios” (go with God); you will get a friendly reply.

Before we built our house on the ranch, we built a rancho, which now boasts a fógon and outdoor kitchen.  We have also added a splash pool and more porches.  Our next plan is for the outdoor wood-fired oven.  I used to say it was to continue some of Guanacaste’s traditions; now, I am beginning to believe we may just need them to cook one day.

Suddenly it’s already the fourteenth and I know tomorrow I must come up with a new “Surviving Costa Rica” or else face the wrath of “The Editor”, something I assure you is no fun at all! The problem is... I have absolutely no ideas. Once again Zilch, Nada, Vacio. The harassing e-mails start arriving, this month in French in celebration of Bastille Day, but even my tried and true method of drinking an early morning half a bottle of guaro and then tackling the keyboard gets me nowhere that day.

The next morning, D day plus 1, finds the remains of a burnt cross in my wife’s azalea patch, a subtle reminder from “The Editor”. I spend the entire day hunched in front of the computer hoping for some revelation which never comes.

The next morning, D day plus 2, finds the dog missing. In desperation I finally have the epiphany I’d been waiting for: I’ll get someone else to do it.

I grab both the laptop and a yellow legal pad and head downtown where I figured I’d have my best pickings.

I run into a nice American couple, Ed and Martha White from Cheesehead, Wisconsin, who seem delighted to have a chance at writing for a prestigious periodical.

SURVIVING COSTA RICA
A visit to a small country

The first thing we noticed after landing in Liberia was how skinny the landing ramp was. Fortunately my wife Martha was able to exit via the cargo hatch. The airport was very small, as were the natives, not a one over two hundred pounds. We found it necessary to hire three diminutive vans, one for each of us and one for the luggage...

Sadly at this point someone came up and grabbed the wife’s backpack-sized purse and took off at a slow crawl, causing Ed to put down the laptop and take off in hasty (relatively) pursuit, the ground quivering as he scampered away. Not deterred, I approached a beautiful young Argentinean couple who, though lacking in English language skills, seemed thrilled to write for what they called “La Biblia Gringa de Tamarindo”. Fortunately I had recently installed the Argentinean-English language software recently invented by “The Editor”; in his spare time between putting out this magazine and working with orphans.

SURVIVING COSTA RICA
Beautiful, Beautiful, Beautiful

We became aware of this beautiful country after a shared vision received after a near-fatal overdose of Mate, or “weird grass drink” as you Northerners call it. In it we saw ourselves selling beautiful hand-made ashtrays and toothpicks in an exquisite beachfront location making enough money to acquire some lovely tattoos after which we’d put on next-to-nothing that was nonetheless fine looking and then walk down the beach with our attractive pedigree Perros de la Pampa to a magnificent sunset after which we’d tango all night long in a fabulous disco with all the other good looking...

I didn’t like where this was going so I snatched the laptop out of their extremely attractive hands and decided to take another chance. Walking down the street was none other than the King of the Tamarindo Streets, a fellow known by all as “Burrito”. I didn’t want to give him the laptop for obvious reasons, so I handed him the legal pad (“The Editor”’s software also works on scanned documents).

SURVIVING COSTA RICA
It’s a Living

I like to think of myself as a helper. Need to locate a missing item? A backpack-sized purse, or maybe your dog? For a small fee I can facilitate just about anything. Would you like to purchase some pot? Coke? Fresca? Girls? Boys? Jewelry? Pre-Columbia Shards? Almost brand new digital camera ?...

As I was really hoping to find a guest columnist just a little less self-serving I terminated Burrito’s ode and went to find someone solely interested in the welfare of the community. I entered the offices of Totally Honest Ma and Pa Real Estate and Construction Emporium on the tenth floor of the latest mega edifice and handed the laptop over to the least bored-looking Property Sales Agent.

SURVIVING COSTA RICA
How Buying a Condo Could Save My Life

The name of the game is Survival. Upon arriving in Costa Rica the only way to avoid the complete and utter destruction of everything you hold dear is to immediately purchase a half acre lot with a beach view with a darn good chance of a water hook-up. The lot should come complete with an unfinished road and an ample supply of iguanas and scorpions. Just to be safe it is suggested you also purchase someone else’s albatross, er... condo, that we absolutely promise will be finished last year. It’s also a great market out there for purchasing a couple of store fronts, much cheaper than those found in Moscow and just perfect for a souvenir store or caviar outlet.

All I ask is you buy something. If not then I’ll hold you responsible for what happens next.

I exited the Real Estate office, eccentrically decorated with nooses, and realized that this just wasn’t going to work. No one was going to write a good, witty, erudite and entertaining column for me this month. I guess I’ll just have to hand this in and see if I get my dog back.

Suddenly, I am jolted awake from my dream. I look around and find myself, not at L.A. Fitness in Boca Raton, Florida, but in the sweltering, muggy, second bedroom of my parents’ house located in Tamarindo.

I have a routine at home, like most people who exercise on a daily basis. I know my limits on the elliptical and treadmill machines, exactly how many songs will play before I complete one mile, and even which personal trainer will wink at me first. However, I have grown bored with this robotic regime, and have lately been longing for a little spice in my daily workout. But as that old expression goes, “Be careful what you wish for!”

In Tamarindo, my oddly unpredictable day begins in a predictable fashion: my father wakes me up at 7:00 a.m., I slug around the house for twenty minutes, scratch mosquito welts around my ankles, put aloe on my sunburned shoulders, and head towards Grinds for my morning energy source (pancakes and cinnamon-flavored coffee). As I finish my last sips and bites, I begin to plot my exercise plan of attack. Hmmm...a few days ago the power was out, so the one and only treadmill at the local gym was not an option. I shift to Plan B: I decide to run from Pachanga’s to Barcelo and back. Luckily, I only fell into six unexpected booby-traps (I mean potholes), and outran the one skeletal dog that chased me (well, I was pretty sure he was trying to chase me). Overall, the run was rewarding in that, with two solid inclines at Capitan Suizo and Cala Luna, my quads were feeling the burn.

Unfortunately, the aforementioned obstacles along the road made for an unappealing repeat run. On previous occasions, I have found myself having to hurdle over large rocks (I am only five feet, one inch tall), sliding on mud slicks while alternately sucking in copious amounts of dust, diving out of the path of Nascar drivers, and steadily picking up my pace to an all-out sprint around those construction sites (for obvious reasons).

Last week was the treacherous BEACH RUN. I learned a valuable lesson by the second day of my Tamarindo cross-country work-out: wait at least 3 hours after consuming one of Gil’s burritos before attempting ANY sort of physical activity. The beach run took me from Langosta rivermouth to the far point just south. I’m not sure of the exact distance, but at two o’clock in the afternoon, with the sun at its peak, I swear it’s 30 miles round trip! At the end of the run, I felt as if every bug in Guanacaste could be found somewhere between my forehead and my chin.

In spite of these experiences, I decided that this week’s exercise schedule will be something to look forward to. I have been working, mentally, on adapting to these “adventure workouts”, and I’ve already made important and positive improvements to my work-out regime while in Tamarindo. In fact, just yesterday I pushed myself to do that exhilarating beach run again, and with the wailing of “Social Distortion” in my headphones, I embraced the sun and the bugs, inviting them to land on my lips. I galloped on past the Guaro twins as they gracefully staggered their way towards Tamarindo beach, and at the sight of 6-inch lobsters and snappers in their hands, I smiled and delivered a universal thumbs-up.

As for today... I’m hopeful in continuing my workout rebirth. Upon finishing my cup of coffee at Grinds, I plan on returning home, tying on my ten-pound sneakers, (weighed down and severely discolored by Tamarindo’s natural mud supply), and runnin’ my buns off. And as I round the corner near Pasatiempo, I will wave and whistle back at all of the conscientious workers, for they are surely congratulating me for reaching my finish line.

There are native bamboos, but most commonly seen is the yellow-variegated variety brought to Costa Rica for use in the banana plantations. It is fast-growing, easily propagated, needs minimal care and has numerous uses. You just can’t beat it with a stick.

Before continuing to extol the virtues of bamboo, let me introduce a word of caution. In the world of bamboo, there are “runners” and “clumpers”. The yellow variety grows like a banana; every so often it sends up a new ‘pup’—or hijo—next to the main stem. Other types, notably the miniature varieties, send out underground rhizomes which then send up new stems up to 10 meters from the original plant. Runner bamboos can have catastrophic consequences in your landscape, your sewage system and your overall mental health. If you don’t want a surprise popping up in your toilet or your shower, stick with clumpers.

My first experience with bamboo in Guanacaste involved an effort to control stream-bank collapse at Hotel Playa Negra. We trenched in several lines of mature stems along the bank, covered the area with palm fronds and wire mesh and stapled the whole thing to the soil with bits of rebar. Within a few years there was a massive grove of bamboo and complete protection of the stream bank

Many landowners look to bamboo as a windbreak/privacy screen along fence lines. Establishment is easy. Prepare a trench 8-10 inches deep. Lay mature stems in and cover with soil. Occasional drip irrigation during the first dry season helps ensure that the plantings establish uniformly. As the plants mature you will discover that there are not that many low, leafy branches to create the desired effect. In this case it is either recommended to plant multiple rows—so you get a forest of stems--or to install a parallel row of something that can be maintained lower and bushy; hibiscus would be a good choice.

Bamboo is considered a ‘messy’ plant. For anyone concerned with soil improvement, this should not be a problem. The abundant leaf litter makes an excellent contribution to compost. Lazy gardeners can plant bamboo upwind from a pit where the leaves accumulate and decompose to a nutrient rich ‘leaf mold’ that can be used throughout the garden.

Depending on water and site characteristics, within a few years of establishment you will have a continual source of strong, lightweight poles for multiple uses. Trellises and shade structures are easier and faster with bamboo. Furniture and house construction techniques are available both on-line and in books.

Anyone who has seen the 40-storey high bamboo scaffolding on skyscrapers in Hong Kong can attest to its strength and flexibility. However, building with bamboo is a science on its own. The joints, techniques of load distribution and connectors are a far cry from methods used in typical wood framing. There are experts in construction techniques in Costa Rica and workshops are held regularly. The main species for building is Guadua, a timber bamboo which seems to grow in Guanacaste in the moister niches in the landscape. For those who want to try building with bamboo, the most common varieties are highly susceptible to a powder beetle and rotting. Guadua is much more rot- and insect-resistant. It is definitely worth considering if you own a larger property and have seen the articles predicting wood shortages in Costa Rica.

Planting bamboo is one way to ease your conscience if you are concerned a bit about global warming. Since it is fast growing, bamboo sucks up atmospheric carbon like a sponge—up to 12 tons per hectare per year. The increase in biomass, an important measure of carbon uptake, is 10-30% per year versus 3-5 % for trees. An important fact to remember, harvest is ongoing. You keep pulling poles out of an area and the new “hijos” keep coming up. One bamboo project in Costa Rica constructs 1,000 homes annually with the production from a 60-hectare plantation. Try to bear in mind that the carbon pulled out of the atmosphere, transformed into building materials and then incorporated into a structure is a step towards the type of “low-carbon” economy that the world so desperately needs.

Back in my small corner of the Guanacaste universe we continue to use bamboo for erosion control. On a nearby project a landslide was inching its way towards the living room and master bedroom of a newly finished house. We fashioned the dense branches and core stem into “sausages” which were then staked into trenches across the slope. The whole area was planted with mani grass. A year later, there are no signs of soil movement and the area is turning into a dense grove of yellow-stemmed bamboo.

More ambitious is a recent project in the hills above Pinilla. A poorly planned road system suffered massive landslides in the heavy rains of last year. Six-foot deep gullies were threatening to cut the principal access. We planted the whole area with live bamboo poles in a series of lines across the slope. As the refill went in it was held in place by the “sausages” mentioned above. The trick to all this is that the buried bamboo sprouts and creates, over time, a dense root mat to hold in place the unstable fill. These techniques of “bio-engineering” were once widespread in Europe, long before the epoch of steel and concrete. The trick for Costa Rica is replacing the willows and alders with species that thrive in the tropics. Our use of bamboo is really just the beginning of a wider effort to employ vegetative materials to protect investments in infrastructure.

As mentioned above, the fast growth rate of bamboo helps with global warming. Given current concerns over future supplies of petroleum, “close to home” takes on ever greater meaning as transport costs mount inexorably. I recently saw bamboo poles being used as formwork supports and scaffolding in a typical concrete construction project. The more we can count on locally produced materials the more resilient we become. Bamboo is not a miracle or a cure-all for the problems faced by our world and our region; nonetheless it is a beautiful addition to the landscape and its multiple uses make it worthy of incorporation into projects both large and small.