By Donna Porter

A million or so years ago, when the earth was younger and the seas covered the land and freshwater seas were abundant, billions of algae -like organisms developed.   All of the waters of the earth where inhabited by microscopic one-celled, algae-type plants called diatoms (Melosira spp.).  These diatoms absorbed the minerals (mainly silica) from the water, creating protective shells or exoskeletons for themselves. They lived in quantities beyond the mind’s ability to conceive and provided nutrition and sustenance for other forms of sea life. As they died, their exoskeletons sunk to the bottom of the sea beds where vast deposits- thousands of feet thick – were laid down. When the waters receded, these huge deposits were eventually covered with land and the shells fossilized and compressed into a soft, chalk-like rock called diatomite or diatomaceous earth (DE).  Geological upheavals over the eons have exposed these abundantly-rich sedimentary deposits.

There are both freshwater and saltwater species of DE.  The most common freshwater species are Melosira granulata, Melosira preicelanica or Melosira islandica.  Freshwater species are superior to saltwater types, and are characterized by a highly-porous, filter-like, cylindrical shape of much greater strength.  Fresh water lake deposits of DE occur in Nevada, Oregon, Washington and California. Lake deposits of DE also occur in interglacial lakes in the eastern U.S., Canada, Germany, France, Denmark, the Czech Republic, Africa and Australia. In 1836, the first deposit of diatomaceous earth was discovered in Northern Germany (where it is called “kieselgur”). Through the history of man’s existence, uses have been found for these diatomite deposits, and today there are many ways for man to benefit from using this material.

When diatomaceous earth is quarried, milled, finely ground, screened and centrifuged, it becomes a fine talc-like powder. Proper milling is essential to crack apart the diatom skeleton and to expose the hard, microscopic silica spines.   This powder can be safely handled with bare hands, although it can cause drying of the skin with prolonged contact.   Diatomaceous earth is a non-toxic, inert material.  It is composed of 85% amorphous silica, and numerous other minerals including aluminum, iron, calcium and magnesium in higher percentages to potassium, phosphorus, manganese, titanium and other trace minerals.

DE is utilized industrially, agriculturally and for health purposes.  It has been used extensively as a pesticide for control of internal parasites in livestock and for insect control in grain storage in the U.S for nearly 50 years and for over 400 years in China, Egypt, Greece and Africa.  Unfortunately, its myriad of benefits have been largely forgotten (or perhaps intentionally concealed and unrevealed), and substituted by new, so-called “improved” technologies of the chemical pesticide industry in the last sixty years.  It all sounds too familiar of a story.

DE’s method of destroying insects is entirely mechanical /physical and unlike the action of chemical insecticides. The microscopic and razor-like construction of a diatomite fragment disrupts the life process of insects.  These razor-sharp spines are harmless to humans and other warm-blooded animals due to their size, as well as physical differences. The destructive effects of DE is solely to insects, whose frames (exoskeletons) are on the outside. Vital fluids of insects are held in and protected by an oily or waxy seal over a hard porous cover. If an object is small and sharp enough, it will scratch the insect’s waxy seal, allowing the insect to dehydrate and die. Minute sharp particles are also taken in internally by certain insects and interfere with their breathing, digestion and reproduction.

Among the list of pests that DE has been used successfully to control are:  ants, termites, slugs, snails, fleas, fly maggots, aphids, bed bugs, mites, ticks, cockroaches, earwigs, scorpions, cutworms, ear worms, lawn grubs and grasshoppers.  Complete insect control may take several days, and re-application may be necessary after a heavy rain.  Unlike chemical insecticides that act fast and have a short residual effect, DE works slower while remaining active and nontoxic as long as it remains in the environment.  DE is not harmful to earthworms, but unfortunately is detrimental to honeybees and other beneficial insects.  It is suggested to not apply to flowers.

The addition of Silica (the main mineral component of DE) has been proven to have beneficial effects to soils and to plant growth.  Over the years, through intense agricultural use of the land, silica has been depleted. This not only effects plant growth but the amount of silica found in our foods.  Studies suggest that only about 1/3 of the silica that we need is present in our fruits and vegetables.  Silica is a necessary component for the health of our tendons, cartilage, blood vessels, and bones. It is also needed for the health and strength of our skin, teeth and nails and contributes to the health of almost all of our vital organs, including the heart, liver and lungs. 

One of the oldest uses of diatomaceous earth has been cosmetically, as a toothpaste and facial scrub, due to its mild abrasive capacities, although its list of benefits for humans is extensive.  It has become most popular for its use in the elimination of internal parasites in humans and in animals, removing intestinal invaders and other harmful substances from the digestive tract, and stimulating digestion and the absorption of nutrients by sweeping foreign bodies out of the system.  It has gained even more popularity recently as a natural detox substance for humans.

Since 80% of DE’s volume is made up of interconnected pores and voids, its use as a filtering, filler and absorption material is well known.  Because of these qualities, DE is also used in baking mixes, shoe polish, cosmetics, body powders, cat litter, water filters, metal polishes, soaps, potting soil conditioners, hand cleaners, and beers and wines are filtered through it. Diatomaceous earth is FDA approved for internal and external use and has a rating of Food Chemical Codex Grade.  

The majority of swimming pool filtration systems now use “Pool Filter Grade” diatomaceous earth that has been heat and chemically treated and is toxic to animals or humans who ingests it.  It is always of utmost importance to only obtain “Food Grade” diatomaceous earth to use in and around your household or for animal or human use.  A local supplier of “Food Grade” DE here in the Quepos area is Johnny McDaniel at 2779-1103.  The only dangers that have been reported from the use of DE are through excessive inhalation or exposure to the eyes.

This incredible, natural, fossilized plant substance called Diatomaceous Earth has too many properties and benefits to list or to write about in one short article.  There is a wealth of information available on the web. For more in-depth scientific information and data, use “Melosira” in your google search.

Experimenting with natural substances like Diatomaceous Earth for use in the garden will be of major interest at the future botanical garden, so that these test results can be passed on to our visitors for their own benefit and for the benefit and safekeeping of our garden and natural environment as well.

Donna is a Horticulturist and has been living and working in Manuel Antonio for 8 years.  She consults, designs, installs and maintains gardens for private homes and hotels and also develops botanical trails. Donna is the founder and first Director of the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks and is pursuing the development of a botanical garden in, and for, the Quepos area.   dpdreamer@yahoo.com,  2777-5149

Los Verbos  —AR 

Invente una oración con cada uno de los infinitivos que se le dan a continuación. 

desear                   ______________________________________________________________

conversar              ______________________________________________________________

desayunar             ______________________________________________________________

caminar ______________________________________________________________

hablar                    ______________________________________________________________

escuchar               ______________________________________________________________

Escriba oraciones con los verbos que se le dan a continuación según el sujeto indicado. 

(yo) aceptar           ______________________________________________________________

(tu) besar                _________________________________________________________________

(ellos) cenar          _________________________________________________________________

(el) disfrutar           ______________________________________________________________

Los Verbos  —ER 

Escriba oraciones  con los verbos que se le dan a continuación usando la persona indicada. 

(yo) leer                  _____________________________________________________________________

(ellos) toser            ________________________________________________________________________

(tu) deber               _______________________________________________________________________

(nosotros) temer   __________________________________________________________________

Invente oraciones o preguntas originales con los siguientes elementos. 

Yo / correr___________________________________________________________________

Nosotros / aprender___________________________________________________________________

La Sra. Pérez / creer que___________________________________________________________________

los estudiantes / leer___________________________________________________________________

tú / comprender___________________________________________________________________

Susana / beber___________________________________________________________________

Yo / comer___________________________________________________________________

Los Verbos —IR 

Escriba sus propias oraciones con los elementos dados a continuación. 

(ellos) Cumplir      ______________________________________________________________

(el) Subir                _________________________________________________________________

(yo) Decidir            _________________________________________________________________

(nosotros) Sobrevivir           ____________________________________________________________

(tu) Discutir            ______________________________________________________________

Complete los trabalenguas

Pito (pitar) ________con cuatro pitos ¿con cuántos pitos (pitar) ________ Pito?

Comprar_______ pocas copas, pocas copas pagar______. Como comprar______ pocas copas pocas copas pagar________.

Poquito a poquito Paquito empacar________ poquitas copitas en poquitos paquetes.

Ayer domingo la (ver) ______en misa, el lunes le (sonreír) __________, el martes me(invitar)________, el miércoles  fui a su cosa, el jueves me (declarar)_________, le di el anillo. Y el sábado me (casar) __________

By Bill Dwyer 

This traditional Mexican dish is a favorite at our house. Tostadas can be made using meats other than chorizo, of course –or no meat at all. One tostada makes a good lunch, Two tostadas make dinner. 

Ingredients: 

• 4                      small corn tortillas
• 1                      small tin of refried beans
• 6-8 oz            chorizo con chili
• 1 cup             grated jack cheese, such as Monte Rico
• 4 tbsp           natilla
• 4-5                 lettuce leaves, washed, dried, and shredded
•                         vegetable oil 

For the salsa:

• ½                    medium-size tomato, finely diced
• ½                    medium-size onion, finely diced
• ½                    avocado, finely diced (optional)
• ½ cup           minced fresh cilantro
• ¼ tsp            ground cumin
• ¼ tsp            ground coriander seed (culantro)
•                         juice of ¼ lime
•                         salt, to taste
•                         hot sauce or minced chipotle peppers, to taste (may be omitted if your chorizo is spicy)

Directions: 

1. Mix all of the salsa ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. Refrigerate. The salsa can be made in advance. 
2. Remove the casing from the chorizo and fry it in its own fat until well-done, chopping it into smaller and smaller chunks with the edge of a spoon or spatula as it cooks. Cover and reserve 
3. Pour ¼ inch of vegetable oil into a small skillet over high heat. When the oil is hot enough, place a tortilla on the surface of the oil using tongs. Flip the tortilla over frequently with tongs, frying until crisp. (The oil will stop bubbling when the tortilla is crisp). Place on paper towels to drain. Repeat with each tortilla. 
4. In a small pot, heat 1 tbsp of vegetable oil. Add the refried beans and stir over low heat until the beans are heated through. 
5. Spread each tortilla with a thick coating of refried beans and put them on plates. Cover each tortilla with a layer of chorizo, then a layer of cheese. Add a generous layer of salsa, and top with a heaping tablespoonful of natilla. Sprinkle with shredded lettuce and serve.

Want to impress your family and friends with your next Quepos fishing trip? Throw these terms around when you get back home describing your adventure, and you will have everybody around you green with envy! Meet us here in Quepos for some Costa Rica fishing this high season! 

Action: Self Explanatory– “Lots of action today! Released four Sailfish and got a nice Dorado on board for dinner!” 

Bluewater: The clear cobalt water that billfish and other predatory fish prefer to hang out in offshore, the magical place where memories are made! 

Bring to color: Bringing a fish to visibility in the water during a fight, hence “I see color!”. 

Boiling the surface: Usually applies to Tuna in a feeding frenzy at the surface, their actions of chasing the baitfish make the water’s surface look like a pot of boiling water. Throw a baited line out into the boil and hang on! 

CPR: Catch, Photograph, Release. Learn it and live it for all billfish and Roosterfish! 

Crashing the spread: When a predator (or predators) arrives to check out the goods offered on all the lines out, often with a nice strike…the best is when a Sailfish or Marlin attacks a bait and a spray of water erupts from the strike! 

Drop back: Fishing method used for billfish to allow line to spool out after bait is taken so fish can swallow bait, gradually increasing reel drag to allow hookset of circle hook at corner of mouth. Widely practiced here in Quepos amongst mates and captains. 

Greyhounding: One of the most exciting aerial moves of a Marlin during a hookup fight…a succesion of horizontal jumps out of the water…it looks like a greyhound in a dog race as all four feet leave the ground! Note: Marlin can jump up to 30 yards in a single greyhound leap! 

Lit up: The iridescent colors of a billfish during fight. Billfish change coloration when excited, appearing electrically charged, especially during a hookup! 

Marlin, Marlin, Marlin!: Magic to any offshore anglers ears! Usually called out by the captain watching the spread, and the mates spring to action! 

Raise: Enticing a billfish to the surface to check out the bait in the spread. Frequently called out by captain. 

Release: Letting billfish go back to water to fight another day! 

Revive: Process of forcing water into billfishes gills to “revive” them from fight to let them swim away safely. Done by mates and experienced anglers over the gunwale of the boat while boat is trolling very slowly. 

Tailwalking: Common amongst Sailfish and Dorado, a vertical acrobatic leap out of the water during the fight…it appears as if they are walking the surface of the water with their tails…very exciting to see! 

Vela, Vela!: Vela is Spanish for “Sail”, sounds like “Bella, Bella!”, usually called out by captain, a Sailfish has “crashed the spread” and mates go looking for a hookup and some excitement! 

Wire/Wrap: Wiring or wrapping is done by mate on the leader line to bring fish boatside at end of fight to remove hook. Frequently the mate wraps the line in controlled manner around palm of hand to allow for quick release in case the fish decides it is not done fighting and takes off!

Quepos Sailfishing Charters

There is a lot of talk about saving money on your pool with the new high-efficiency variable speed pool pumps. One manufacture, Jandy says their new VS Flo Pro pump can “reduce energy use up to 90%”. Single speed pumps generally end up using more energy than variable speed pumps so the money conscious tend to choose the latter.  A good working pool pump not only can save you money but also can ensure the water you swim in is clean and clear.

 A “variable speed pool pump” like the Jandy VS Flo Pro works in a smart and energy-saving way. Depending upon the pool’s size and volume, the pump keeps varying its speeds on its own; a single speed pump, on the other hand constantly keeps running at a single speed level. Through the effective use of permanent magnetic motors, variable speed pumps run on less energy and can cut energy costs by as much as 90 percent!

Variable speed pumps work at the least-needed energy for each swimming pool task including cleaning, circulation and heating. In contrast, a pump with single speed will use the same energy for each task. When the speed of the pool pump is at its lowest required level for each task, the electricity costs will automatically be cut. Also, it is easier and cheaper to maintain a variable speed pump and it lasts longer.

Some Things You Can Do To Cut Costs

• Make sure your pump and filter are clean so they will operate efficiently.
• Decide what type of pump you want to use before installing the pool. This way, you will know the amount you are willing to spend beforehand. Stick to the plan and budget and also take into consideration costs that will come into play at a later stage.
• Use a pump timer and or try to keep the pump turned off for some hours during the night. It is not always necessary to keep the pump running 24/7. Variable speed pool pumps will work well even if they are not on all day long.
• Do not spend a fortune buying a pump that is too big for your pool.

Did you have any trouble during your X-mas shopping understanding some numbers-números?  Problems with the totals-totales?  Still struggling to understand how much the bill-la cuenta is?  You can’t even get a telephone number?  You can say uno-dos-tres and that’s it?…Let’s fix that…Now-Ahora!

Familia “Sésamo Street”:

1 uno – 2 dos – 3 tres – 4 cuatro – 5 cinco –

6 seis – 7 siete – 8 ocho – 9 nueve

Familia “weirdos”:

0 cero – 10 diez – 20 veinte – 30 treinta –

100 cien – 500 quinientos –

1.000 mil (don’t say “un” mil, just mil)

Familia “ce”:

11 once – 12 doce – 13 trece – 14 catorce –

15 quince  /kings say/

Familia “dieci”:

16 dieciseis – 17 diecisiete – 18 dieciocho –

19 diecinueve

Familia “veinti”:

21 veintiuno – 22 veintidós – 23 veintitrés –

24 veinticuatro – 25 veinticinco – 26 veintiseis -

27 veintisiete – veintiocho – 29 veintinueve

Familia “enta”:

30 treinta (weirdo one) – 40 cuarenta –

50 cincuenta – 60 sesenta – 70 setenta –

80 ochenta – 90 noventa

Familia “to” (all #’s between 101 and 199):

100 cien (weirdo one) – 101 ciento uno – 111 ciento once – 199 ciento noventa y (and) nueve

Familia “cientos”:

200 doscientos – 300 trescientos –

400 cuatrocientos – 500 quinientos (weirdo one), do NOT say cincocientos, ok? –

600 seiscientos – 700 setecientos –

800 ochocientos – 900 novecientos 

Now go and learn the members of each family and mingle them.  Just one rule:  #’s between 31 and 99 need the word “y”  /ee/ which means “and”:

111 ciento once

222 doscientos veintidós

333 trescientos treinta y tres

444 cuatrocientos cuarenta y cuatro

555 quinientos cincuenta y cinco

666 seiscientos sesenta y seis

777 setecientos setenta y siete

888 ochocientos ochenta y ocho

999 novecientos noventa y nueve

Now you can count between 0 and 1.000.  Not bad at all, is it?  Besides that, I suppose you can introduce yourself, you know your A-B-Cs en español and probably you already know the meaning of some of these words:

amigo, amor, español, inglés, loco, mamá, padre, plaza, pueblo, rancho, señor, señorita, fiesta, burrito, chile, enchilada, salsa, taco, latino, gringo, bueno, grande, mucho, más, adiós, gracias, pronto, sí, dinero, uno, dos, tres, bonita, cucaracha y pura vida.

Right on!  Are you content with that? Or are you hungry for more?

What about…:  Happy New Year * Happy New Life * Happy New Language * Happy New ME, with the resolve to learn Spanish.

What are your Spanish goals for this new year?:  to get to a certain level in Spanish? to be fluent? to be able to do your errands? to improve your level (whatever it is)? to have survival or basic language skills? to understand and be understood? to find a Latin lover?  Whatever it is…Well… go for it!

I’ve been living here almost 5 years and I don’t know how to surf.  The only reason for that is because I don’t have the determination to give it a real shot and try it.  My fault.-Mi culpa.

So what’s the reason you don’t speak Spanish?

Twice a week some people and I gather in Manuel Antonio to learn, study and practice español.  You are welcome to visit us and take a look, ALL levels are welcome.  Whether you prefer individual lessons or a group, we can have a little interview and then plan something that will help you. 

OS is a certified and experienced Spanish teacher.  He gives One on One, Group, and Immersion classes.  See his ad under Lost in Translation?  ESPAÑOL,  here in Quepolandia.

Clandestine Still

 By Jack Ewing

I haven’t had a drop to drink, of any alcoholic beverage, since May 17, 1977. I quit drinking because I figured that I had already drunk enough to last me a lifetime, and it wasn’t necessary to drink any more. Prior to that date, I was quite an expert on all things relating to alcoholic beverages including Costa Rican moonshine, known locally as guaro contrabando.

My first taste of guaro contrabando came about a week after my arrival in Costa Rica in the year 1970. With only a rudimentary knowledge of the Spanish language, I asked one of my fellow workers, a man named Luís, where I could get a bottle something to drink. The only kind of liquor I knew how to say in Spanish was ron meaning rum and pronounced like the word “roan” rather than the abbreviation for Ronald. Luís took me to a pulpería – a small, family-owned, neighborhood, general store, which has unfortunately faded from the Costa Rican tradition, only to be replaced by the mini super market. The pulpería sold everything from sewing machine needles and saddle parts to rubber boots, food stuffs and guaro, both the legal stuff and the contrabando. Luís and the owner of the pulpería highly recommended this latter. At the time, I didn’t quite understand that what I was buying was illegal, but I had a pretty good idea that “mas fuerte” meant that it was stronger. That’s what I bought. I remember that it was so cheap that I thought they must have made a mistake and undercharged me. I also remember that it packed quite a whalop, but was pretty tasteless.

As I built my Spanish vocabulary I rapidly learned those words common to all regular drinkers, enabling me to acquire exactly the kind of liquor that I wanted. I still bought a bottle of contrabando once in a while, but I always got it at a pulpería or a cantina where I was known. Most places wouldn’t sell it to a stranger.

Prior to 1940, before there were any roads into the Dominical area, homemade stills, known as sacas, were the only source of liquor, and there were lots of them. Nobody was secretive about them, because there really wasn’t a law that clearly established that a saca was illegal. Bringing liquor or beer into the area on pack horses was not practical and didn’t make sense when people could easily make hard liquor for themselves. Someone in every village had a saca for making moonshine, and supplied everybody in the neighborhood. There was competition between the different moonshiners over who had the best product.

By the time I arrived in Costa Rica in 1970, homemade stills were definitely against the law. There was a high tax on imported liquors making them too expensive for most drinkers. The products manufactured nationally were reasonably good quality and were priced considerably less than the imported brands. Nevertheless, the National Distillery had a monopoly, and they took advantage of the lack of  competition and priced their ron, ginebra and guaro high enough to leave them a substantial profit margin. It also priced them out of the market for many working class people. Those were the golden years for the contrabandistas, who found a ready market for their  guaro contrabando. Its manufacture and sale was a thriving business. As the years passed, import taxes were reduced on many products including liquors and wines, and this tended to drive down the prices of the products from the National Distillery making them affordable for blue-collar workers. At the same time the quality of the national products improved to the point that many of the Costa Rican liquors are today nearly indistinguishable from the imported competition. This of course was bad news for contrabandistas and most went out of business. There are still a few sacas operating in remote places, but the business today doesn’t leave much profit, at least not enough to make it worth the risk of getting caught.

Out in the country, stories of moonshiners outwitting the police abound. To listen to them you would think that nobody ever got caught, but I’m sure that was not the case. It is more fun to tell the story when the contrabandista comes out smiling and the policeman ends up looking like a fool. A moonshiner I once knew, named Memo, left a small tree with a big wasp nest in the middle of the trail that went to his still. Some branches from another tree blocked the view of nest, shrouding it from the eyes of the unwary. Memo, the saca owner, was always careful not to touch the tree when he went past, but uninvited visitors weren’t aware of the nest and usually bumped the flimsy trunk on their way down the path, shaking the nest and inciting the wrath of the angry wasps. Few uninvited visitors made it past that point. One day the local constable and a couple of deputies showed up at Memo’s house and started nosing around.

“Whadaya think yer doin’ Miguel,” asked Memo. “This is private property. I got rights. Ya can’t just come ta my place and start snooping around.”

“Whadaya think wer doin’ Memo,” came the reply. “Wer lookin’ fer yer saca. Everyone knows ya got one, an I’m gonna find it.”

“There ain’t no saca on this land Miguel. Why don’ you guys just leave. Go bother someone else.”

“Hey Miguel,” shouted one of the other policemen. “There’s a trail over here goin’ back into the jungle. Ya wanna see where it leads? I betcha its gonna take us ta the saca.”

“You kin follow it if ya want,” said Memo. “That’s just an old huntin’ trail. Don’t go nowhere. Jus ta the jungle.”

All three policeman started off on the trail, confident that they were going to find the clandestine distillery. It wasn’t long before they returned in a big hurry.

“I told ya there ain’t nothing on that trail,” called Memo. “But ya wouldn’t listen ta me.”

The three guards hurriedly got in the pickup and left.

Memo laughed like crazy when he told the story. According to him, Miguel had stopped to urinate almost directly under the wasp nest and leaned against the tree. I’m sure you can guess the first place he got stung.

Back in the early 1970s I worked on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica. I got to be pretty good friends with a campesino named Javier, who owned a small farm and a few cattle. We became big drinking buddies. He told me all about guaro contrabando, how it is made, and all the particulars. He even showed me a diagram of a saca done by a nephew for a science project at the local high school. Javier told me that the first guaro that flowed out of the still, called the cabeza or head, was the best. He claimed that the first drops of liquid to drip from the tube were so high powered that if you collected half a shot glass and threw it into the air, it would just go poof and disappear. Though pure contrabando was nothing more than alcohol and water, the moonshiners sometimes did certain things to embellish the product. Some would add nance fruit to the finished guaro giving it a slightly sweet taste that took away the bite. Another way to modify the guaro was to add an equal amount of coconut cream and a lesser amount of condensed milk. This product, called leche de burra or burro’s milk, was very sweet. I was still curious and asked Javier to explain exactly how the contrabando was made. Javier went one step farther and offered to take me to see his uncle’s saca out in the jungle near where he lived.

We rode to a pulpería in a rural settlement called La Alegría, and there we left our horses. Javier’s uncle Guido was a little distrustful at first, but Javier vouched for me and assured him that I was very tight lipped. Guido led the way into the jungle, where we walked for almost an hour until we came to a small, crystal clear stream, and there was the still. I remember thinking I could never find the place again if my life depended on it.

“There she is,” commented Guido. “Ain’t much to it.”

I surveyed the scene and tried to make sense of what I was looking at. There was a wooden trough that could have been used for watering livestock. It appeared to be fashioned from a dug-out log about two meters long and 40 cm. wide. It looked like it would hold around 30 gallons. The trough was covered with a piece of galvanized tin, and from it emanated a smell of fermentation. Guido explained that it contained a mixture of corn, water and crude cane sugar called tapa dulce. It had been fermenting for about three days and was ready to be cooked. He said that some contrabandistas would substitute sorghum or oats for the corn, but other than that, there wasn’t much difference. The fermented mixture inside the trough was called chicha and could be drunk in that state. I sampled the chicha and guessed that its alcohol content was about the same as a sweet wine. It tasted a little like home brew beer but stronger.

Right next to the trough was a hearth. On top of the hearth was a tank made from half of a galvanized, 55 gallon drum. The cover over the drum had a narrower cylindrical part sticking up in the middle. A bronze tube, was inserted into this narrow cylinder. The other end of the tube went over to and through a smaller trough that had a constant stream of cold water flowing through it.

Guido went and got a bucket from a hiding place within the buttress roots of a fig tree and began scooping the liquid out of the trough and pouring it into the drum. The last of the liquid that Guido scooped out of the trough was pretty cloudy. He left the thick soupy solids in the bottom, explaining that it would help get the fermentation started on the next batch.

While Guido was transferring the chicha from the trough to the drum, Javier began gathering fire wood and started a fire in the hearth. After about ten minutes a trace of vapor began to rise from the drum. The two men put the lid on top so that the only way for the vapor to escape was through the bronze tube. Guido placed a glass bottle at the end of the tube. Soon a clear liquid began to drip into the bottle. The drip gradually increased to a dribble and then a weak stream. Remembering my high school science classes, I figured out that the steam that came off of the boiling chicha escaped through the bronze tube. Alcohol boils at a lower temperature than water, so the first steam was almost pure, vaporized alcohol. In the cold water trough the steam cooled, condensed into a liquid with a high alcohol content and drained out the end of the tube. This was the principal of the homemade distillery. We sat down to wait.

While we were waiting, Guido told us a story about a new recruit to the local police. The chief sent him off on foot to deliver a summons to somebody who lived about a two hours from the police station. As he was walking along, the rookie policeman noticed a trail going off into the jungle. Curious and a little suspicious, he followed the trail which eventually led to a saca, and caught the moonshiner with a fire going under the still and guaro contrabando dripping out of the tube.

“ Well it looks like ya caught me red handed,” exclaimed the contrabandista. “I suppose yer gonna haf ta take me in. This batch is just about finished. Why doncha jus sit down and let me collect the last few drops and shut the whole thing down. I ain’t gonna put up a fight. I’ll go along with ya in a few minutes.”

The policeman remembers feeling a thump on his head, and everything went black. When he regained consciousness he was in the same place, but everything was gone, the tanks, the trough, the still and everything. His clothing was all wet and stank of chicha. Somebody had dumped the dregs from the trough all over him. When he returned to the station with a splitting headache and smelling like chicha, the chief didn’t believe his story and berated him for not completing the task he had been sent to do. The moonshiners laid low for a while and then set up the still in another location.

By the time Guido finished the story, the first bottle was full. Guido replaced it with another and put a cork in the end of the bottle of crystal clear liquid. “Pura cabeza,” he said, with a grin.  Javier and I went off to explore the jungle, while Guido tended the still. Several hours later, when we returned, he had five a gallon container almost full. Javier hefted the five gallon container to his shoulder, and we left. Guido stayed to finish the job. He figured there was another five gallons to go.

Javier told me that another uncle of his had almost been caught. The police stumbled onto his still, but couldn’t prove that it was his. They destroyed the still and confiscated five gallons of guaro contrabando that was stored there. I asked if anyone ever went to jail for operating a still. He said that he had never heard of anyone going to jail. He said that most people just bribed the police, who in addition to the payoff confiscated all the guaro. It was Javier’s opinion that the police never turned the moonshine in, but either drank or sold it.

I recently asked around about sacas and guaro contrabando in the area around Dominical. It appears that there are a few operating stills around the countryside, but these days they are few and far between. It is no longer the thriving business that it once was. Nevertheless, it will long be remembered as an integral part of the rural Costa Rican tradition.

 When he passed away unexpectedly on August 29, Fidel Gamboa shocked music fans all over the world and left a void that can never really be mended. The founder, songwriter, guitarist and lead singer of the highly popular Costa Rican band Malpais was honored on November 18 at the National Stadium in west San Jose with a concert by the remaining members of his band and guest musicians such as Bernardo Quesada, Adrian Goizueta, Humberto Vargas, Max Goldenberg, Walter Flores, Cantoamerica, Peregrino Gris, the Nicaraguan rock band Perrozompopo, and the Costa Rica Philharmonic Orchestra throughout the night, including an incredible version of “Historia de Nadie” with Maria Pretiz. The real surprise was the appearance of Ruben Blades, a three-time Grammy Award winning Panamanian musician who was loudly received by the sold-out audience in the stadium. The show continued well past the scheduled two and a half hours, with Fidel’s guitar standing upright in its stand onstage, alone, all night.

     Jaime Gamboa, Fidel’s brother and cofounder of Malpais, stressed the point that the concert was to thank all the band’s supporters throughout the years as well as to pay homage to his brother. “After November, we will continue to be a group of friends from a common past,” he noted, “with a future that has yet to be written”. His rendition of his brother’s composition “Comoun Pajaro” was one of the highlights of the night. Ivan Rodriguez, the band’s multitalented violinist/guitarist/mandolin player handled the vocals on “Es Tan Tarde Ya” and Adrian Goizueta also delivered a wonderful presentation of “Presagio” from the band’s second album. In addition, Bernardo Quesada appeared for the band’s namesake song, “Malpais” from their first album, “Uno”, while Humberto Vargas lent his skills for “Muchacha y Luna” and Pato Barraza sat in on “Otro Lugar”, another song from “Uno”. Arnoldo Castillo contributed to “Contramarea”  and the band did a stirring rendition of “Despertate Guila”, the final song from their last CD, “Hay Ninos Aqui”. Of course, it was a very emotional night for performers and audience alike, who sang along with each and every song. One of the stunning factors for me became the volume of work created by this man in such a short amount of time and the influence he has had on fellow musicians and fans alike.

     The band also took the opportunity to unveil its final album, at least under this incarnation, titled “Siempre” at the show, performing most of the tracks at the concert. They were able to do this because Fidel had recorded the vocal tacks for the songs in the studio and the band was able to complete the instrumental parts for his songs posthumously. A review of this CD will appear in next month’s edition of Quepolandia. I do believe we will see new versions of this band in the future: they had such a strong and positive impact on the Costa Rican music scene and the tight-knit musical relationship between all the members will, I think, make it inevitable for them to continue in some formation. I also believe that whatever the name or formation, this family of friends and musicians will always be under the watchful eye and influence of Fidel Gamboa.

Self Sufficient Living… HMMMMMM…What is that? I am a US citizen who lives in the City of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania and although I’ve heard of self-sufficient living, I have never learned what it actually meant until now. Self-sufficient living means self reliance in learning to grow your own, make your own, sell your own and bake your own, for homesteading, urban homesteading or mini farms. 

 I’ve been in Costa Rica volunteering for Kids Saving the Rainforest the last 3 months and I have slowly started to understand what it is all about and how important it is to change our way of living so we can all be on this earth for years to come. 

My first exposure to being self-sufficient was at Finca Braman. There priority is to grow their own fruits and vegetables for the animals living at the Kids Saving the Rainforest Sanctuary and for their guest staying at Mono Azul and the Blue Banyan Inn. They currently have growing on their property mango trees, nance trees, lime trees, orange trees, guava trees, sugar cane, corn, pineapples and many more things to come like a tilapia farm. They have also started a compost pile and that is where they store any leftover food waste. 

Did you know that much of our household waste can be food for the garden and very valuable if we compost it, sustaining a cycle of production with little waste, incorporating ideas of permaculture and organics which also benefit the soil, and the plants you grow? 

Now I’m not going to preach to you on how to live your life because I myself may not go back to the states living a self sufficient life and I don’t know what is available here in Costa Rica for you to make any changes but now I will be more aware of what I buy, throw out, and what I can do to protect our environment. Self-sufficient living reduces our Carbon Footprint by making small changes in every area of our everyday life. 

Here are some ideas to get you started on self-sufficient living:

1) Buy appliances with the energetic seals like FIDE or the Energy Star; this will tell you how much energy is consumed while in use. 

2) Buy furniture made from certified wood that comes from forest plantations managed under international sustainability standards. 

3) Use compact fluorescent light bulbs, they provide the same amount of light as incandescent but they consume less energy. 

4) In order to improve air quality, have plants inside and outside of your house. Within the house, plants are capable of absorbing up to 87% of hazardous toxins present in the air.

 5) Use natural cleaning products without chemicals that may damage the environment. 

6) Paint your house with light colors both on the inside and outside. On the roof this color reflects the light and on the inside these colors off light. 

7) Make your own compost. 

Start a worm farm to enrich your soil and have rich vermicompost freely and cheaply by feeding the worms your kitchen scraps. 

9) Grow your own vegetables. This is the first step to self-sufficiency and self-reliant living. 

10) Raise some backyard chickens. You can raise bantams if you have a very small space, or you can have full sized chickens. You don’t need too many for a steady egg supply. If you get a good chicken breed for eggs a good lying hen will lay about 5 eggs a week – self-reliant living at its best with fresh organic eggs every day. 

So, if we all do at least one thing from this list we will all be on the right track of making our world a better place to live in. 

References:

http://www.self-sufficiency-guide.com/index.html

http://www.countryfarm-lifestyles.com/self-reliant-living.html

Compania Nacional De Fuerza Y Luz, S.A.