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Costa Rica - a Rock & Roll, Fire Spitting, Living Earth Paradise

Last night I was sitting in bed, winding down watching a little television, when everything started jumping sharply. 

Don't ask me what  T.V. show I was watching because I cannot honestly remember - not only was the program not important, but my priorities changed real quickly when things started bouncing.

• first thought; 'oh hell no'
• second thought; 'this is a big one!'

• first action; look up at the ceiling to see if it's coming down
• second action; look for my pants (don't want to run outside without pants - survival includes some dignity)

Then it was over ... everything stopped.  It was quick, hard and done [insert your own bedroom joke here]

This was not like other earthquakes I had experienced in Costa Rica.  Most last longer and have a wave or rolling feel to them where things sway like standing on the deck of a boat.  This earthquake was stronger, quicker and sharp - with things going up and down.

Quick conclusion: This earthquake was real close to home!

Location, Location, Location

I live just outside of Moravia, San José - with a great view overlooking the Central Valley from the Northeast.  As I write this entry the city looks sunny with high puffy clouds.  Last night the lights twinkled bright.

As it turns out, I was correct in my thinking the earthquake's epicenter was close.  In fact, it was too close to home:

According to the Costa Rica Volcanological and Seismological Observatory (OVSICORI) this 'sismo' was a 4.3 magnitude, at a depth of 7.5 kilometers (4.6 miles), originating only 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) from my home.

Admittedly a 4.3 magnitude shaker doesn't sound like much when compared with some of the recent major earthquakes around the globe:

• 6.5 magnitude: March 05, 2010 in Indonesia (Southwest of Sumatra, offshore at a depth of 22 km)
• 8.8 magnitude: February 27, 2010 in Chile (West of Maule, just offshore at a depth of 35 km)
• 7.0 magnitude: February 26, 2010 in Japan (Southeast of Ryukyu Islands, offshore at a depth of 22 km)
• 6.9 magnitude: February 18, 2010 China-Russia-North Korea border region (just offshore at a depth of 574 km)
• 7.0 magnitude: January 12, 2010 Haiti (Southwest of Port-Au-Prince, inland at a depth of 13km)

But when you combine this 'terremoto's' combination of strength, shallow depth and close proximity to my bed ... it made for quite a jolt!

By contrast, Costa Rica's January 8, 2009 deadly 6.1 magnitude Cinchona earthquake with an epicenter near the Poás Volcano (Volcán Poás), 30 kilometers (20 miles) Northwest of San José at a depth of 4.5 km felt like a long, rolling boat ride in my location [I rode that wave while standing on top of a ladder while my son looked at me with a nervous smile].

The Earth is Alive and Kicking in Costa Rica

The natural forces that make Costa Rica beautiful are still hard at work. 

Costa Rica has several mountain ranges that cover a large part of the country.  Nestled within the mountains and standing majestically elsewhere on their own are 50 known volcanoes, with several being active at all times. 

Whether it is the tectonic plates continuing their work at creating mountains or volcano's bringing up their molten lava to produce more surface area; many consider these otherwise natural constructive forces to be 'destructive' - especially if there are people or property in the right place at the wrong time.

As but one example, Costa Rica's long-dormant Turrialba Volcano (Volcán Turrialba) has been making locals nervous as of late.

History books have long listed Turrialba's last major eruption as being in 1866.  However, the volcano started coming back to life in 2001.  In 2007 new fractures and funaroles opened and molten sulfur was observed for the first time in 25 years.  Regular earthquakes starting mid-December 2009, increased in both frequency and amplitude until the Turrialba Volcano erupted on January 5, 2010 - spewing ash on nearby farms and even parked vehicles at the nearby Irazú Volcano National Park (Parque Nacional Volcán Irazú).  The villages of La Central and El Retiro of Cartago Province were evacuated during the eruption and remain on alert as the volcano's new activity is closely monitored by scientists.

Not allowing itself to be out-performed, the neighboring bigger and more popular Irazú Volcano decided to get some attention of its own by emitting at least 9 tremors within a 30 minute period on March 2, 2010. 

With its last eruption occurring in 1965, Volcán Irazú's explosive power is not such a distant memory.  However, an earlier Irazú eruption in 1963 is more remembered for its timing; coinciding with former U.S. President John F. Kennedy being in the nearby capital of San José, where volcanic ash covered the city during his official state visit.

Regardless of what causes the earthquakes, plate shifting or volcanic activity, the bottom line is Costa Rica gets shaken on a regular basis.

¡Pura Temblor!

In Costa Rica an earthquake can be a great opportunity to make some new friends, meet  the new family across the street and/or reacquaint yourself with neighbors you haven't talked to in a while do to busy work and life schedules.

It's easy and timely, because everybody is standing outside just like you and there is definitely something to talk about.

The one modern impediment to this long-standing social event is the cell phone.  Now that everybody in Costa Rica has a phone in their pocket, the crowd of people standing outside can all be talking at once without having to talk to each other. 

Adults thirty years and older are making or receiving phone calls while the younger kids are busy texting as fast as their thumbs can fly over the keypad.

Where to Get Good Information

Immediately after the initial earthquake passes and people feel as if their lives are no long in danger, they want information. 

It's hard-wired into our human anatomy to want to know; what happened, where did it come from, who else felt it, is there any damage, is anybody hurt, etc., etc., etc.

Recent worldwide natural disasters have demonstrated beyond a doubt that the single best source of up-to-date information is via the Internet.

Social networking resources such as twitter and facebook connect the world with people that are actually on the scene of the incident, reporting what is in front of them.  Re-tweets and forwarded posts bound around the globe at fiber-optic and satellite download speeds to computers, held held devices and Internet capable cell phones everywhere.

Even news outlets and government agencies monitor this data for their own initial information until such a time that responding representatives and officials can make their way to the areas affected and report back.

The trick in relying on such unmoderated resources is to separate fact from fiction and emotion from objective information.

For those wanting to monitor what others are reporting from a variety of sites, Big Brother is here to help (as always).  Google in monitoring everything everybody is doing on the Internet uses their powers for good in this instance by allowing users to search 'Latest Web Updates' for specific topics such as "earthquake costa rica" ("temblor costa rica"), etc.:

As for official data when it comes to; location, strength, affected areas, warnings, evacuation orders, etc. ... there are several resources:

The most comprehensive resource for worldwide seismic activity is the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) earthquake monitoring site where data from around the globe is collected and shared in real-time.

Costa Rica earthquake and volcano activity are studied and monitored by the government's Volcanological and Seismological Observatory (Observatorio Vulcanológico y Sismológico de Costa Rica or OVSICORI).  Their web site also shares the collected information real-time and this information may be more up-to-date and accurate than the USGS site in regards to Costa Rica activities because it is their local monitoring equipment taking the actual readings.

Both the USGS and OVSICORI web sites have direct links to Google Maps that give detailed location information;

Of course, if you are real close to one of these events ... the immediate need for a digital map confirming what you already know may not be a priority.  But the information can make for a good blog the next day!

My Dream is to Own a Costa Rica Bed and Breakfast

Wake up; wake up from that nightmare?. Yes, shake yourself; makesure you don?t eat real late at night again.  Owning a B&B soundsromantic and great.  It seems like a real money maker and it can be. It can also be a real nightmare. 

First of all you have to enjoysharing your space and time with people.  The concept of a real Bed and Breakfastis to be a friendly, homelike atmosphere, with comfortablesurroundings.  Unlike a hotel a B&B?s personality depends upon theowner.  If the owner is a very friendly and welcoming person, you willnotice that welcoming feature at first glance.  If the owner is adistant type and just wants the guest to remember that they are justpaying to visit, you will recognize that upon your first days? visit aswell. 

When deciding to own a B&B your success definitely depends onwhere you are located, and the type of guest you want attract.  It maysound like I?m giving an expert opinion, but keep in mind it is myopinion based on my personal experience. 

My husband and I did not plan on owning or operating a B&B, wejust happened to purchase a house that has a separate building with acouple of rooms and an apartment.  At first we thought to fix up therooms and have a nice place our children could come to visit and maybesome of our other family members and friends. 

I came up with theB&B idea thinking it would be a good way to earn a little income. For me it seemed that all you had to do was put some furniture in therooms and put a sign up saying ?vacancy?.  It takes so much more than that of course, but when you look at whatothers have done or are doing you think; "I can do that?.  

Of coursethat assumption is made without any real information on what itactually takes to be a Bed and Breakfast owner.   So, many things appear mucheasier than they are.  Running and operating a B&B seemed almosteffortless.  That was until one night while driving to Panama, westopped in a town by the name of Puerto Viejo in Limon and checked intoa small hotel.  That night at the hotel really opened my eyes.  If youput a sign up on the outside of you place of business it inviteseveryone in.  It is not that I don?t like everyone but there are somethings I refuse to expose myself to.  That night in the hotel opened myeyes to a reality that was unknown to me. 

These two old men had gotten a room next to our room. They came indrunk.  Evidently they had set up a plan for a prostitute to come visitthem in the room and she stood them up.  All night they talked aboutthings that cannot be repeated.  Finally the manager was called and hemade them quiet down.  After the incident I began to remember that alltourism is not the same and some people coming and rentingaccommodations have a variety of reasons for renting saidaccommodations.

What I realized after that night was that we had to decide how wewere going to build our client base and what kind of people we wantedto attract to our Bed and Breakfast.  There were so many things to learn! Thattakes time  and money.  In order to open a successful B&B, you need money tooperate and money to live on first.  It may take some time beforeanyone knows that you are really open.

The things we had to learn went far beyond just having a couple of beds and preparing breakfast. 

No matter how small your business is, you will have the sameexpenses and problems a large business has.  If you are thinking aboutopening a B&B so you can live off the income from it, do not quityour day job.  Your first five years are building block years towardssuccess.  If you are in an area that is very popular vacation spot thenyour competition is usually much more difficult.  It is impossible todiscount or to offer some things large businesses offer.  If yourB&B is in an area that is not a really popular tourist area thereare other difficulties to overcome.   You have to work harder to makeyourself known.

Many of my guests tell me that they dream of owning a Bed and Breakfast.  Theyhave no clue.  I often think that I?ve made owning and operating aB&B look too easy as well as a lot of fun.  They, of course, thinkabout money that goes into the till and not the money that is comingout of the till. 

At our B&B, which I call a guest house, we do not allow smokingon the grounds near the rooms.  I remember my first guest who smokedlike a chimney. When I told him we do not allow smoking, he pointed outthat my web page did not indicate that.  Being a business owner thefirst lesson you need to know is that you do not argue with yourcustomer.  I told him that he could stay but he would have to smoke inour garden area.  He agreed very cordially, but every time he and hiswife would come over to the house to talk to me I started coughing.  Itwas embarrassing for me but I?m allergic to smoke and he and his wifesmoked very heavily.  They would go out into the garden have acigarette and come back to talk to me on the terrace.  I did a lot ofself talking and worked very hard to make my guest feel welcomed andalso feel comfortable.  It worked because they had reservations for twodays and they stayed four nights.

You have to adjust; there are some things that are an absolute andsome things you have to just give in to.  The one thing that wasabsolute for me was the two guys who rented a room for two nights andon the first night they picked up some guest I didn?t know  and invitedtheir guest to spend the night.  The next morning one of them told methat they were having the guest over for breakfast.  I almost wentcrazy, but had to calm myself.  It was hard for me to muster up thatsweet disposition, but I managed.  The charge for their guest breakfastwas outrageous but I charged it.  After their guest left I nicely toldthem that the only people who could be in the rooms were registeredguests.  I think from the look on my face they got the picture.

Then recently I met the woman from hell. She had recently madereservations and I had told her the price of the accommodations.  Shegot here and decided she wanted to get a discount.  We had alreadysettled this by phone, but she had many more reasons why I shoulddiscount her stay.  Well, that argument just did it.   I allowed her tostay one night and escorted her off the premises and pointed out thelocation of cheaper accommodations. 

Sometimes you have to make decisions on the spot and you cannot beafraid to say ?no? and face the consequences.  You can?t be afraid tosay ?yes? and accept the results, either.  The grand majority of peopletraveling are wonderful people. There are just a few that seem to causeproblems.  In the seven years we have been open the three problems I?vementioned were my biggest challenges. 

Owning and operating a Bed and Breakfast can be a dream come true but DO makesure you like people. 

It is a people business and you cannot be afraidto share your life with others.  Making money is a small by-product ofthe business.  Getting to know people is the real bonus.

About the author:  Jeanetta Taylor Owens retired from the United States to Costa Rica and is the owner and inn keeper of La Terraza Bed and Breakfast in Grecia, Costa Rica.  Jeanetta also writes a very interesting, admirably honest first-person blog about life in Costa Rica at: http://blog.laterrazab-b.com

Costa Rica's San José to Caldera Pacific Highway now Open

The Costa Rica government officially opened the new Autopistas del Sol San José to Caldera Pacific highway on January 28th, 2010 ? 3 months ahead of schedule; but only after 30+ years of planning, stops, starts, controversy and perseverance.

Posted speed limits on the new autopista range from 80 kilometers per hour (50 miles per hour) to 100 kph (62 mph) ? speeds never before available on the previous twisting, turning, mountainous two-lane route known as the Aguacate pass - notorious for its frequent accidents, weekend traffic back-ups and seasonal landslides.

The new travel time from the center of San José to Caldera on the Pacific coast is quoted to be as little as one hour ? which would reduce overall travel times to many popular coastal destinations by as much as one-half when the old route?s regular traffic jams and accident delays are considered.

However, such swift predictions may be overly optimistic. Although the new highway expands out to eight lanes in several high traffic areas and does include passing lanes were steeper grades may reduce the ability of some trucks to maintain highway speeds ? most of the route still consists of only two lanes and many curves. Each trip may result in significantly different travel times depending on getting caught behind slower moving traffic.

Costs

The 77 kilometer (48 mile) highway, built at an estimated $238 million dollars (USD), was financed by Spain based consortium Autopistas Del Sol. The company agreed to complete, operate and maintain the road for a 25 year toll agreement that allows the company to collect motorist user fees.

The entire route, from La Sabana/San José to Caldera, will cost travelers 1,930 colons (about $3.50 USD) based on current passenger car pricing. Toll stations are located in Escazú, Alajuela, Atenas, Orotina and at several highway exits.

History

The original San José-Pacific route was drawn-up in 1979 during the presidential administration of Rodrigo Carazo Odio. Work on the project had its stops and starts, grinding to a complete halt about 10 years ago after it was discovered that the Costa Rica government had not yet expropriated all the land needed to build the road. About three years ago current President Óscar Arias Sánchez re-started the project with the goal of finishing the highway before the end of his administration.

The project?s main strategy was to connect Costa Rica?s main industrial/business area to one of its main ports. The corridor will assist in reducing transportation expenses by way of a reduction in travel times, the number of road accidents, fuel consumption, deterioration of vehicle parts and tires, and other costs associated heavy traffic conditions. By providing easier access to the port of Caldera, the investment will help; improve Costa Rica?s trade competitiveness, attract new in-country industry, and reduce the price of both imports and exports.

Controversies in the last couple years included; the piercing of the Barva Aquifer (a major water supply of the central valley) during construction that required repairs and redesign, last minute negotiations of toll booth lanes for police/fire/ambulance emergency vehicles, and the protests of communities and businesses that have been cut-off to traffic by the highways route and limited number of access points.

The first section to open was from San José to Ciudad Colón. When the first toll collection point opened in Escazú, large traffic jams quickly occurred. Now frequent drivers on the road are able to purchase an automated transponder called ?Quick Pass? that allows those vehicles to pass without having to stop; easing some of the congestion during peak traffic travel times.

Although more work still has yet to be completed, President Arias? appears to have wanted to officially open the highway prior to his term expiration; and perhaps, as a form of political assistance toward the efforts of his former vice-president Laura Chinchilla in her bid to be elected Costa Rica?s new president on February 7, 2010.

Success

Costa Rica?s new Autopistas del Sol or ?Highway of the Sun? was awarded the 2007 ?Latin America Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Deal of the Year? by Euromoney?s Project Finance Magazine for being able to successfully finance the new roadway in a deal between the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (BCIE, Banco Centroamericano de Integracion Economica) with approval and implementation by Caja Madrid in conjunction with the Costa Rica Ministry of Public Works and Transportation (MOPT, Ministerio de Obras Públicas y Transportes).

In addition to the new highways obvious trade and business benefits, Pacific real estate developers and tourism operators west of the San José capital are counting on the new highway to be a boon to their industries as commuters will have easier access to their locations. Existing Pacific coast residents are also happy to have quicker travel times to the Central Valley for shopping, central government access, major medical services and entertainment activities.

It took a few years, but success is sometimes most appreciated when served on ?Tico time?.

Autopistas del Sol; San José to Caldera Pacific highway map (click for full size map):

source:  The Costa Rica Frog | Costa Rica news, information, business, travel, resources, articles, pictures, videos, blogs and commentary

Fellow Costa Rica Blogger Awarded National Culture Award for Journalism

Alternative media is taking important steps in Costa Rica. The 2009 Pío Viquez National Award for Journalism (Premio Nacional de Periodismo Pío Víquez) was granted this year to Cristian Cambronero for his achievements in alternative journalism.

Cristian has been publishing his blog Fusil de Chispas since 2005 encouraging the participation of readers on topics from politics and social media, to culture and music among others. He also had actively participated and promoted activities such as the First International Encounter of Citizen Journalism (Primer Encuentro Internacional de Periodismo Ciudadano de Costa Rica) and similar initiatives ... with main objectives being the enhancement of technology with traditional broadcast.

blogger Cristian Cambronero: Costa Rica National Culture Award for Journalism recipient

The Costa Rica National Culture Awards (los premios nacionales de cultura) have been celebrated since 1961 by the Ministry of Culture (Ministerio de Cultura y Juventud de Costa Rica). They look to recognize the efforts and accomplishments that people, groups and organizations make in Art, Science, Popular Traditional Culture and Journalism. This is the first time that digital media has been taken into account as part of the nominations.

The good news was quickly spread through social networks and twitter.

Fellow bloggers were inspired by the announcement of a colleague receiving such an important honor:

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"Internet ha venido sacudiendo los cimientos de los medios de comunicación tradicionales desde su incepción, y a través del periodismo del Fusil podemos ver los signos de ese cambio inexorable: Un periodismo participativo, subjetivo." -Alberto González, Por Escrito

English translation: Internet has been shaking the foundations of traditional communication media and through Fusil's journalism we can observe this relentless change: a participative, subjective journalism.

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"Esto recalca la importancia que la web y los medios ciudadanos están alcanzando en nuestro país y en la formación de una opinión pública más democrática." -Luis Diego Molina, Habla Costa Rica

English translation: It makes an statement on the importance that the web and citizen media are having in our country and in the formation of a more democratic public opinion.

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"Su blog ha sido una de las más frescas contribuciones al ambiente de la comunicación en Costa Rica. Un trabajo, donde, como él mismo lo dice ?La Pasión va primero" -Julia Ardón, JuliaArdon.com

English translation: His blog has been one of the more refreshing contributions to the environment of communication that Costa Rica has had. A piece of work where, as he says, passion comes first.

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Cristian posted a thankful note in his own blog Fusil de Chispas:

"De momento lo realmente claro es que la naturaleza misma de un blog lo haría perder su esencia si fuera unidireccional. Es la participación lo que ha hecho que el Fusil funcione, y sirva para algo. El más honesto agradecimiento para todos los que pasan por aquí." -Cristian Cambronero, Costa Rica award winning journalist blogger

English translation: Right now, it is really clear that a blog's nature could lose its essence if it only works unidirectionally. Participation is what makes the Fusil valuable and functional. My honest gratitude to everyone that stops by here.

source: globalvoicesonline.org

Break Me Off A Piece Of Costa Rica

Nicholas Kristof has a happy-go-lucky column today in the New York Times about Costa Rica that reads as part tourism advertisement, part political common sense.

A HAPPY Canadian emigre in Costa Rica. (photo: Nathan Schneider/wagingnonviolence.org)

He goes on and on about how the country is consistently ranked high in ?happiness? surveys. This is true. How, then, did they get that way?

What sets Costa Rica apart is its remarkable decision in 1949 to dissolve its armed forces and invest instead in education. Increased schooling created a more stable society, less prone to the conflicts that have raged elsewhere in Central America. Education also boosted the economy, enabling the country to become a major exporter of computer chips and improving English-language skills so as to attract American eco-tourists.

I?m not antimilitary. But the evidence is strong that education is often a far better investment than artillery.

In Costa Rica, rising education levels also fostered impressive gender equality so that it ranks higher than the United States in the World Economic Forum gender gap index. This allows Costa Rica to use its female population more productively than is true in most of the region. Likewise, education nurtured improvements in health care, with life expectancy now about the same as in the United States ? a bit longer in some data sets, a bit shorter in others.

Wow, wait, there?s more. Not only do they bother to educate each other, but they make efforts not to destroy the environment?a turn that came only after decades of incredibly destructive government policies, often financed by American business interests.

This emphasis on the environment hasn?t sabotaged Costa Rica?s economy but has bolstered it. Indeed, Costa Rica is one of the few countries that is seeing migration from the United States: Yankees are moving here to enjoy a low-cost retirement. My hunch is that in 25 years, we?ll see large numbers of English-speaking retirement communities along the Costa Rican coast.

This is an understatement. Certain areas of Costa Rica are crawling with Americans. In addition to high happiness rankings, the country is also #1 in the world for lost or stolen US passports, an embassy official there told me.

A pressing question, then, is what effect this influx of Americans is having there.

When I spent a month last summer with the photographer Lucas Foglia traveling around Costa Rica meeting American expats, there were two main patterns we found: a leisure class intent on exploiting the locals as much as possible in search of a low-cost paradise, and an idealistic frenzy of folks Going Back to the Land in search of a better, more sustainable way of life?and it wasn?t always easy to separate the one from the other.

Often the ?English-speaking retirement communities along the Costa Rican coast? that Kristof looks forward to are the least sustainable things going, and they charge prices beyond what the locals can afford. (He also neglects to mention the flourishing sex trade, which is what brings so many aging American men down there in the first place.)

A poster in a Costa Rican beach town. Prostitution is legal there, just not with children.
Note that the sign is in English. (photo: Nathan Schneider/wagingnonviolence.org)

Costa Rica?s example is an incredibly instructive one, but we should be careful not to let it turn into another prime opportunity for careless exploitation.

Rather than migrating to Costa Rica en masse to benefit from that tiny country?s good decisions?and possibly ruining their effects in the process?Americans should work to follow its example ourselves, at home.

About the author:  Nathan Schneider writes about religion, reason, and violence for publications including The Boston Globe, Commonweal, Seed, Religion Dispatches, AlterNet, and others. He is also an editor at Killing the Buddha. Visit his website at TheRowBoat.com.

It was The Week Before Christmas and All Through Costa Rica....

Happy Holidays - Merry Christmas - Feliz Navidad - Happy Hanukkah - Happy Ramadan - Happy Kwanzaa - Happy Winter Solstice - Happy New Year - Feliz Nuevo Ano - and all those not mentioned!

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