(en Español)
By Carol Vlassoff
Dr. Alfonso Gaspar Martinez del Pino, born and educated in Cuba, says that he planned to stay in Costa Rica from the time he accepted an invitation to attend a conference here in 1995. Leaving his friends and family, with 63 pounds of luggage (59 pounds of it books) and $145 in his pocket, he set out to establish a new life here. He gave several lectures at the Escuela de Veterinaria de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma en el Barreal de Heredia, and then, he says, “I stayed.”
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Filed under: Carol Vlassoff, Personalities in Our Midst on April 19th, 2010
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By Carol Vlassoff
Constant Boshoff – chiropractor, conservationist, coffee farmer and owner of Rafiki - was born in German East Africa, Tanganika. His ancestors moved to South Africa when he was a child because of “political storms over Africa”, as he puts it. Boshoff ’s father was a big game hunting outfitter. Equipped with luxury tents and a portable kitchen, his father and his party would pitch their camp under the trees at night. He watched his business grow into a very popular tourist destination for high end clients. This is the background that shaped Constant Boshoff’s own trajectory in life.
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Filed under: Carol Vlassoff, Personalities in Our Midst on March 7th, 2010
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(in English)
By Carol Vlassoff
Don Gilberto Gómez Barquero, vestido con un sombrero de ala ancha, botas de cowboy y jeans azul, un cuchillo y un teléfono celular escondido en el cinturón de cuero, es toda una personalidad en Quepos. También se le puede ver a caballo por la playa en la Isla Damas al atardecer o en las colinas alrededor de Londres guiando a un grupo de turistas, quemados por el sol. Por lo general aparece animado cuando se refiere a aspectos a destacar en la zona pero cuando nos instalamos en su oficina en Iguana Tours me parece un hombre tímido, tal vez más cómodo con los grupos que en conversaciones de persona a persona. 
Es fácil ver que a Gilberto le gusta hacer varias tareas al mismo tiempo y no pierde ni un minuto, puede hablar por telefono mientras hojea el periodico y puede mantener la conversación mientras me pide que tenga paciencia con la entrevista.
Don Gilberto, nacido en Puriscal, completó su licenciatura en Educación de La Escuela Normal de Costa Rica en 1973. Dice que la escuela le dio una educación profunda “en el sentido de que todos los profesores eran muy estrictos desde enseñarnos a como vestirnos hasta la manera de cuidar de un hijo. Teníamos que llevar pantalón gris y una corbata gris que si no estaba anudada como tenia que ser a la segunda llamada de atención se le enviaba a uno a la casa . (more…)
Filed under: Carol Vlassoff, Personalidades en Medio Nuestro on February 20th, 2010
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(en Español)
By Carol Vlassoff
Don Gilberto Gomez Barquero, dressed in a wide brimmed hat, cowboy boots and blue jeans, a knife and cell phone tucked into his leather belt, is a familiar personality around Quepos. He can also be seen riding along the beach on Damas Island at sunset or in the hills around Londres guiding a group of sunburned tourists. He usually appears animated as he points out highlights of the area. But as we settle into his office at Iguana Tours he strikes me as a shy man, perhaps more comfortable with groups than in one to one conversations. 
It’s easy to see that Gilberto is a multi-tasker. He doesn’t waste a minute. He speaks on his cell phone while leafing through the newspaper, all the time keeping up a steady conversation and motioning to me to be patient.
Don Gilberto, born in Purescal, completed his Bachelor of Education degree from La Escuela Normal de Costa Rica in 1973. He says the school gave him a profound education “in the sense that all the professors there were very strict – from teaching us how to dress – to how to look after a child. We had to wear grey pants and a grey tie. If your tie wasn’t properly knotted you would be reminded about it. The second time you would be sent home.” (more…)
Filed under: Carol Vlassoff, Personalities in Our Midst on February 20th, 2010
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By Carol Vlassoff
Barry Biesanz pulls into my driveway, hops out of his car and wastes no time settling onto a patio chair for our interview. He does not need any prompting: he clearly has a message to share.
“People ask me,” he says, “I bet you’ve seen a lot of changes here over the last 40 years. They assume they have all been for the worse – but they haven’t. Sure, there are some ill-conceived projects, drugs, prostitution and corruption. But there are far more monkeys than there were in 1971, and much more prosperity.” Most of Manuel Antonio, he continues, was being converted to pasture and crops, even much of what is now the park, and all the mangroves near town were cut to make charcoal.
“The United Fruit Company was the only employer aside from two huge and many small cattle farms. With the switch to tourism, forest cover increased and species that were been gone for decades have returned. Living standards are very much better for Quepeños.”
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Filed under: Carol Vlassoff, Personalities in Our Midst on January 31st, 2010
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(in English)
Traducido por Rosa Arechederra
Carlos López Alvarado, quizas màs conocido, al menos entre los expatriados, como el hombre que posee una gran propiedad en un terreno excelente y en el área de Manuel Antonio. Sus propiedades en Manuel Antonio incluyen 70 hectáreas de tierra escarpada que tiene vista a las playas serenas, siete casas, la Escuela de español Cosi, un edificio cerca de la estación de autobús donde se encuentra su oficina y algunas más. Pero López no fue siempre un hombre rico y aun ahora, es humilde y sin pretensiones.
Nacido en Limon el 10 de julio de 1922, Don Carlos se trasladó a Quepos cuando tenía 18 años. Recuerda la fecha exacta: 19 de marzo de 1940. Me dice que su padre fue Capataz de la Compañía Bananera de Costa Rica, una filial de la United Fruit Company .A mediados de los años treinta la compañia, con sede en Limon, empezó a acumular grandes propiedades en el Pacífico central y para 1940, su producción superaba a la de la región Atlántica.
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Filed under: Carol Vlassoff, Personalidades en Medio Nuestro on December 28th, 2009
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(en Español)
Carlos López Alvarado is perhaps best known by expatriates as the man who owns a chunk of prime land in the Manuel Antonio area. His holdings include 70 hectares of hilly land overlooking serene beaches, seven houses in Manuel Antonio, the Costa Rica Spanish Institute, the building beside the bus station where he now has his office, and more. But López was not always a rich man and even now, is humble and unpretentious.
Born in Limon on July 10, 1922, Don Carlos moved to Quepos when he was 18. He remembers the date exactly – it was March 19, 1940. He says that his father was a foreman of the Compañía Bananera de Costa Rica, a subsidiary of the United Fruit Company. In the mid-1930’s the company, based in Limon, began amassing large landholdings in the Central Pacific and by 1940, its production exceeded that of the Atlantic region.
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Filed under: Carol Vlassoff, Personalities in Our Midst on December 28th, 2009
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Dr. Alfonso Gaspar Martinez del Pino, born and educated in Cuba, says that he planned to stay in Costa Rica from the time he accepted an invitation to attend a conference here in 1995. Leaving his friends and family, with 63 pounds of luggage (59 pounds of it books) and $145 in his pocket, he set out to establish a new life here. He gave several lectures at the Escuela de Veterinaria de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma en el Barreal de Heredia, and then, he says, “I stayed.”
