When it comes to parties, no one does it better than people of the Latin culture. Spirits are high and conversations are animated, but best of all, the food is always delectable and the music upbeat and very danceable. None of these factors has was lost on Putumayo Music when they released their new album, appropriately titled “Latin Party”, a compilation of twelve modern, up-tempo songs from a varied reach of Latin regions and influences. Latin people are very proud of their heritage and I think this CD demonstrates how new musicians pay homage to their musical Latino roots, while putting their own spin on it.

The album kicks off with “Big Apple Boogaloo” by Brooklyn Funk Essentials, a band that got its start in the early Nineties as a studio jam band that evolved into a group doing world tours, with the likes of Dizzy Gillespie sitting in, which adds a lot to your credibility. Another artist from Spanish Harlem, Luis Mangual offers his song “Son de Nueva York” for this album. Luis is a legendary sideman from the Sixties, backing such names as Johnny Pacheco and Celia Cruz. He retired from performing in the late Eighties but returned to the studio in 2007 with his brother, Jose, to record the album “Abril en Paris”, which is where this song first appeared.  And the group Yerba Buena, also from NYC, perform “Electric Boogaloo”, from their 2005 album “President Alien”, recorded with Venezuelan producer Andre Lorin, who has also worked with David Byrne, Tina Turner and Marisa Tome, so you know he can put the funk right in your face.

Cuban son is well represented here, with Raul Paz playing “Buena Suerte”. Paz, who has been living in Paris for the last decade and has played alongside Ruben Blades, really rips it up on this song.  Another Cubano band with a French connection is Mas Bajo. Also residing in France, the band is a cool mix of French, Cuban, Chilean and Mexican musicians who reflect their Afro-Latin ties. The band began playing cover tunes but has graduated to writing and performing their own material, including “Rico Montuno”, the song on this disc. Anything but conventional, Ska Cubano is obviously having a good time playing “Yri Yri Bon”. The band came into existence when London ska artist Natty Bo went to Havana to record. He inadvertently met Beny Billy, a former boxer, who quickly became the frontman for the new band Ska Cubano. The music is infectious and I see it as a standout on this album.

No Latin party disc would be complete without Colombian cumbia showing up and it does so in spades on this album. Fruka y Orquesta has been at it since the early Seventies. On this compilation, he offers an updated version of “Cumbia Del Caribe” by fellow Colombiano Edmundo Arias. And the Quantic Soul Orchestra presents “Regi Bugaloo” an instrumental from their 2007 album Tropidelico, which was actually recorded in Panama City. From Bogotá, the thirteen-member band Orquesta Lo Nuestro does their number “Ni Tilingo Ni Titingo”, a moving cumbia number with a salsa twist. Also from Colombia, Coffee Makers, who have generated a reggae underground uprising in that country, play an instrumental ska reggae original, “Las Calles de Medellin”, from their 2005 debut, “El Camino”.

Rounding out the Party are a song from Peruvian singer Cecilia Noël and The Wild Clams, doing what she calls, “hard core salsa” with the song “Asi Se Compone Un Son” and the Corpus Christi band Kombia Kings, with bassist A.B. Quintanilla, the sister of Selena, with their composition “Mi Gente”.

Did I say a Latin Party wasn’t complete without good food? Well, at the end of the liner notes (in English, Spanish and French), there are recipes for scallop ceviche and Cleriquot, a white sangria. If I have a knock on the project, it would be that I’d like to hear more South American and, of course, more Central American contributions. Is this a set-up for Latin Party Dos?

Latin Party is available at the Jaime Peligro bookstores in Tamarindo, Quepos and Tilaran, where they will gladly sample the music for their customers.

For first time readers to Making a Difference, here are the 4 principal and governing factors which allow our multi cultural community to become engaged.

1. Inspire Change.

2. Build Community.

3. Facilitate action.

4. Strengthen Engagement.

Here below ANGEL shares with us his current participation in community affairs.

As part of the social and environmental responsibility my employer started in May of last year, a number of initiatives to support and sustain organized groups and environmental projects in the community of Matapalo have been spearheaded. We began our involvement by supporting a series of community projects: the Matapalo beach sea turtle nursery, the ASVO Volunteer Program, the Professional Technical High School of Matapalo, the Matapalo Beach Lifeguard program which is composed of specially trained Matapalo youth, a beach reforestation program done collectively with ASANA and Hacienda Matapalo and finally involvement in the Ecological Blue Flag Committee of Playa Matapalo.

With the sea turtle nursery, according to the report ASVO, 140 nests were implanted for a total of 13,498 eggs planted and a release of 11,379 turtles (84.3%).

With Lifeguard Committee we are working on improving their organizational capacities and resources in seeking and incorporating more youngmen and women to assist in the implementation of preventive and safety measures for visitors to the beach.

We are also involved in a reforestation program that aims to increase forest cover on Biological Corridor Path of the Tapir and improve connectivity between forest patches to facilitate movement of wildlife. Last year they planted trees on the banks of the river and river Portalón Hatillo with school children and Santa Marta de Hatillo Portalón School. For this year are expected to plant about 16,000 trees and began activities with children at the school gate and planted 600 trees of 22 species on the banks of the creek Barbudal. The species are native to the ecosystem and provide food, shelter and protection against erosion. The trees are produced in the Hacienda Matapalo nursery.

With the Blue Flag committee of Playa Matapalo, we have been working on the values of protecting the environment, improve health conditions through improved sanitary conditions, water quality, safety and information for tourists and the community in general. This year we were awarded one star, but the goal for this year is to get the three stars, which effort requires a substantial amount of work.

The successful achievement in a short time frame in each of these projects have been due to the efforts of many people engaged in the development of the community. These examples to other community youth have provided encouragement to potential leaders who up until now have kept a low profile. Their sense of support from the private sector has inspired these otherwise quiet spirits to community activeness, realizing that they each have a talent to contribute in the overall effort to develop their community.

Our heartfelt appreciation goes out to Angel for his example of hard work and leadership. His organizational skills and hands on philosophy to get the job done has left its mark on the community infrastructure. In addition to and of equal importance he has influenced others to community action and helped us all to realize we each have a little something we can give of ourselves.

The origins of the names of places are sometimes obvious and sometimes obscure. The stories of how the places in the south central coastal region got their names are often interesting and tell us something about the area where we live.

Many places in Costa Rica were named by the church and our region is no exception. Examples of these are San Isidro, San Juan de Dios and San Josecito. A few villages already had local names when the church decided to give them the name of a saint. In these cases the inhabitants didn’t always embrace the new name.

Tinamastes is an example of a place where both the chruch name and the traditional name are used. The early settlers to the region cooked over an open fire, or in a fire box called a “fogón.” Much of the cooking was done either in a large pot or in a rounded cast iron platter called a “comal.” Rather that setting the pot or comal directly in the fire, three stones were placed in a triangular arrangement and the utensil was placed over the fire with the edges resting on the stones. These stones were called “tinamastes.” On a hill top near the present day village of Tinamastes, were three enormous boulders placed by nature in the same pattern as three tinamastes in a cooking fire. People began referring to the place as “Los Tinamastes,” and the name has remained to the present day. At a later date the church decided to change the name of the village to San Cristobal with limited success. Today both names are used by the residents of the town. Tinamastes is the seat of the District of Barú in the Cantón of Pérez Zeledón.

On the other hand the town of Matapalo, which was named after a parasitic vine is an example of a place where the church name never took hold. In tropical climates parasitic plants abound. One such plant is a vine with thick round leaves which completely covers the crowns of trees, eventually captures most of the sunlight and kills the tree. The vine is referred to locally as the “matapalo,” meaning “kill tree.” The first settler to the area, Juan Bautista Santa María Concepción, arrived by way of the beach, having walked northwest from the mouth of the Hatillo Nuevo River. Upon discovering a flat fertil area that appeared to be a promising site for agriculture, he decided to carve out a section of jungle and make his farm there. The most prominent feature seen from the beach was an enormous strangler fig tree with its crown completely covered with a “matapalo” vine, its tendrils drooping all the way to the ground. In describing how to get to his farm, Juan Bautista would tell people: “Walk down the beach until you get to the “matapalo.” Although the tree with the vine eventually perished, dried up and fell to the ground, the name was there to stay. At a later date the church tried to change the name of the community to “San Pablo,” but the members of the community kept calling the town Matapalo and, refused to use the new name. Matapalo is the seat of the District of Savegre in the Cantón of Aguirre.

I used to assume that a military general of the had once ruled San Isidro and the Valley of the General. If we delve into the history of the city we find that there never was a general or military presence of any kind, and the name probably came from the General River which had already been named when the town of San Isidro was founded. The source of the name of the river is not entirely clear, but some historians believe that since the river is the central waterway in the valley, and all other rivers and streams flow into it, the first adventurers to explore the region began calling it the General River, and hence, the Valley of the General. There are many places in Costa Rica called San Isidro, so the words “of the General” were added to the name to distinguish it. San Isidro is the seat of the Cantón of Pérez Zeledón.

Quepos, the seat of the Cantón of Aguirre, was named after the indigenous tribe that once inhabited the area. Puerto Cortés, originally called “El Pozo,” is the seat of the Cantón of Osa. The present name was given to it in the 1920s in honor of former President of Costa Rica, Leon Cortes.

Many places are named after plants. Though plants are not permanant fixtures, they often last long enough to become landmarks and end up lending their names to the place where they once stood. We have already mentioned Matapalo, but the Valley of the Guabo, Platanillo, Playa Guapil, Uvita and Dominical are others. Some of these have interesting stories behind them.

In Spanish a double-barreled shotgun is called a “guapil.” The word can apply to anything that has two cylinders side by side. At the entrance to what is today called Playa Guapil there once stood a coconut palm that was really two trees with the trunks stuck together like siamese twins or like a double-barreled shotgun. People started calling it “palma guapil” and later Playa Guapil. I once had a nursery of coconut palms. Out of about 1000 palm trees, three turned out with double trunks. Since the original double-trunked palm haa long since perished, I planted one of them on Playa Guapil, but within a week, someone dug it up and stole the tree. The same fate befell the other two as well.

The “viscoyol” is a sturdy cane-like plant with leaves similar those of a palm and a tough, straight stem lined with long, sharp spines. It is commonly found in humid soil throughout the coastal region. This plant produces bunches of small, round, purple fruits reminiscent of bunches of grapes. Grape in Spanish is “uva.” The word “uvita” is the diminutive form and means “little grape.” When people first began exploring the area around present day Uvita, the humid lowlands were covered with thick stands of viscoyol, and the people began to refer to the location as La Uvita. Hipolito Villegas, who was born in Uvita in 1909 says that it was called that when his father was born there in 1890. La Uvita is the seat of the District of Bahía-Ballena in the Canón of Osa.

There is a well known local story of how Dominical got its name. In Costa Rica we have many different types of bananas including plantains, cuadrados, guineos and dominícos. In Spanish a field of bananas is called a “bananal;” of plantains, a “platanal;” of cudrados, a “cuadradal;” of guineos, a “guineal;” and of dominicos, a “dominical.” Before the appearance of roads, everyone walked down the beach to get from one place to another. In the lowlands near the beach of present day Dominicalito, one of the original pioneers of the area, Victor Sibaja — usually known by his nickname, “Chucuyo” — had a plantation of dominicos. When people walked down the beach and arrived at that point, they would say: “There is Chucuyo’s dominical.” For many years I believed this story, and it is certainly possible that Chucuyo did have a plantation of dominicos in present day Dominicalito. However I recently came across an 1868 map of Costa Rica that shows the stream that is today known as “Pozo Azul,” as the Dominical River. Also Punta Dominical is labled as “P. Dominical.” The name probably did come from the Dominico, but it existed long before Chucuyo was born. The place we know as Dominical today was formerly known as Barú or Boca Barú. Up until as late as 1958 the place known today as Dominicalito, was called Dominical. It is shown as such by a 1958 map of Costa Rica published by the Costa Rican Tourist Bureau (ICT.)

Another story about a place name that was put to rest by the appearance of the 1868 map is that of Portalón. According to old time residents of Poratlón, the first settler to establish a large farm along the river was Leitano Céspedes, who had the custom of building beautiful decorated archways and gates at the entrances to his properties. This type of gateway is called a “portal” in Spanish, and a very large one would be called a “portalón.” As more settlers moved into the area they referred to his farm by this most outstanding feature. However, Leitano Céspedes didn’t come to Portalón until the early 1900s, and there is a place called Portalón on the 1868 map. It is located near the estuary of the present day Savegre River. The Portalón River isn’t shown on the map. We may never know the real story behind the name.

Present day Barú is located about three kilometers upstream from the mouth of the Barú River, at the point where the Guabo River joins it. All of the other place names within the region have a local explanation, but Barú appears to be an imported name of indigenous origin. For over 2000 years people have migrated to this region from the south, especially from the area which is known today as the Chiriqui province of Panama, the home of a volcano named “Barú.” These people probably brought the name when they came to settle in this region. According to the linguistics department of the University of Costa Rica, the word “barú” comes from the indigenous language Guaymi. I once spoke with two native Guaymi speakers, neither of whom spoke more than a rudimentary market Spanish. I asked them about the meaning of the word “Barú.” Although the exact translation of the word is not clear, the meaning appears to be similar to that of the English words meaning “river basin” or “watershed.”

The village of Hatillo is situated between two rivers, the Hatillo Nuevo and the Hatillo Viejo. The derivation comes from the Spanish word “hato” meaning herd. Some of the pioneers of the area around present day Hatillo believe that a rancher from the Valle del Guabo, looking for new land on which to expand his herd, cleared an area between the two rivers where today we find the small town of Hatillo. Once the jungle was cut away, sunlight flooded into the area, and several species of grass began to grow. Once the natural pasture was well established, the cattleman drove a small herd of cattle from his main ranch about 20 kilometers away, and left them in the new pasture. He and his cowboys visited the site periodically to check on the small herd. In Spanish the diminutive of most nouns is produced by adding the letters “ito” or “illo” to the end of the noun. Therefore, if a regular herd is an “hato,” a small herd is an “hatillo.” The rancher and his workers referred to the small herd as “el hatillo.” Later when the coastal region became inhabited by settlers, the community that developed between the two rivers retained the name. If this story about the origin of the name is true, it had to have taken place prior to 1868, because both rivers are shown on the old map. The one which is today called the Hatillo Nuevo, was labled as the “Hatillo V.,” and the river we now call the Hatillo Viejo, was labled as the “Hatillon.”

The coastal village of Bahía was named after a large ranch called “Hacienda Bahía” that once existed near Uvita. In the 1950s the ranch was sold to the Alcoa Aluminum Company, which had the idea of mining bauxite. The mining venture never came to be, and the land was abandoned. In the mid 1960s, ITCO, the land and colonization institute, took title to the land, subdivided the ranch and distributed the parcels to landless peasants. The new settlement was called Bahía, after the ranch. It is located on the coast in front of the bay where Ballena Island is located, just to the southeast of Punta Uvita.

The name “Lagunas,” meaning “lakes” or “lagoons,” is ironic because the area has never had an abundance of water. Over the years the name has given rise to many humorous comments about a dry place called Lagunas. Nevertheless, about two kilometers above present day Barú, on the left side of the road is a small lake. Prior to the deforestation of the area, there were several lakes. Lakes are a rarity in Central America, and these small bodies of water were a notable landmark. The first pioneers to work the land in this area were Don Miguel Gómez and his sons. His oldest, Evangelista Gómez felled the rainforest and made his ranch in the area around the lakes. He and other settlers began referring to the area as “las lagunas,” which was later shortened to “Lagunas.”

I have always found the ways in which places acquire their names to be fascinating. As new information, such as old maps, come to be known, old ideas are often modified of discarded. Much of what is written here was told to me by pioneers to this area. The information comes from people’s memories and has never been written down. Therefore, it may not be entirely accurate. If any of you readers have information about the names of the places in this región, even ones not mentioned in this article, please let me know.

The one that stands out the most in my mind is Rene’s Banana-Chocolate Chip Cake. Rich & moist, with the perfect combination of chocolate, banana, and spices, it’s always a pleaser.

RENE’S BANANA – CHOCOLATE CHIP CAKE

1 cup unsalted butter

2 cups granulated sugar

2 eggs

4 ripe bananas, mashed (about 1½ cups)

1 cup sour cream

2 tsp baking soda

3 cups all-purpose flour

¼ tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp vanilla extract

12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

½ cup dark brown sugar

1½ tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Grease a 9”x13” baking pan with butter or shortening.

Melt the butter and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add the granulated sugar, eggs, bananas and vanilla, and mix until well-blended.

In a 4-cup measuring cup or similar container, combine sour cream and baking soda (the volume will expand).

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt.

Add flour mixture alternately with sour cream mixture in 3 or 4 steps. Blend each addition well.

In a small bowl, stir chocolate chips, brown sugar, cinnamon and ginger. Stir half of this mixture into the batter.

Pour the batter into the greased pan. Sprinkle the top of the batter with the remaining chocolate chip mixture.

Bake 50 – 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Cool on a rack at least 30 minutes.

Desde el momento en que puso  el pie en el barco de pesca deportiva de su amigo, Jeannette Pérez se enamoró.  Estamos en su oficina en  el segundo piso de un edificio modesto de Quepos y señala con el brazo hacia la ventana principal con vista al malecón del Pacifico que esta exactamente al otro lado de la calle. ”Eso es lo que más me gustó Pérez”, sonríe. “Nunca olvidaré mi primer pez vela. Fue la cosa más hermosa! ”

Jeannette Peréz de cincuenta años de edad también recuerda su primera impresión  de Quepos en 1989. Había estado viviendo en los Estados Unidos y volvió para  visitar a su madre en San José con sus dos hijos gemelos de diez años de edad, Manuel y Carlos.  Cuando  le ofrecieron el trabajo como gerente de “Sports Fishing Costa Rica “decidió echar un vistazo.

” Fue todo un viaje por una carretera muy mala.  Llegué en carro al pueblo, vestida de ejecutiva y con zapatos de tacón de 7 pulgadas. Cuando vi el lugar casi me doy la vuelta y me voy pero la gente era tan agradable, sonriente y tan amable, que decidí quedarme.”

Se ríe y me dice que poco a poco aprendió a vivir aquí en Quepos, y que poco a poco, se “desnudó”. “Literalmente me quité capas de ropa propias de la ciudad y sustituí los tacones por las sandalias.” Mirándola ahora, descalza y bronceada, con camiseta y  falda corta de algodón  parece una verdadera  ”Quepeña”.

Pero la vida no iba a estar libre de dificultades. Jeannette tomó la difícil decisión de dejar a sus hijos en San José que nacidos en Costa Rica y criados en los Estados Unidos sólo hablaban inglés pero tal como quería Jeannette logró meterlos en una escuela privada que le supuso ir y venir de San José  una o dos veces a la semana tardando un mínimo de cuatro  horas en cada dirección.

Como  mujer joven y  en la industria de la pesca deportiva, Pérez se enfrentó al reto de hacer valer su autoridad pero al mismo tiempo, reconocía que tenía que aprender todo acerca del negocio. “Ganar el respeto y la confianza fue un reto,” dice ella. “Desde los mayoristas en los EE.UU. y Europa  hasta  mis clientes extranjeros y empleados  Ticos. “¿Cómo puede una mujer hacer negocios de pesca deportiva en Costa Rica?” se preguntaban  “¿Qué sabe ella de carretes, señuelos y todo lo demás?  “Tuve que aprender. ”

Ella aprendió mirando y haciendo muchas preguntas, explica, siempre siguiendo al capitán y a  la tripulación para preguntarles lo que estaban haciendo y el por qué. “A veces me decían: ‘Señora, usted me está poniendo nervioso. ¿Podría bajarse de ahí? ’”

Cuando se sentía que estaba siendo cuestionada, afirmaba con firmeza su cierta “personalidad fuerte”.  Si un empleado se resistía a  una orden ella misma le mostraba como hacer el trabajo ”A menudo cogía una brocha, por ejemplo y comenzaba a pintar el barco para que supieran que me veía como igual,” dice ella.  En una ocasión  tuvo que despedir a un trabajador extranjero. Después de esto sus empleados se dieron cuenta de que hablaba en serio.

Jeannette trabajó con “Sportsfishing Costa Rica” desde 1989 hasta 1993 en  reserva y organización de viajes, formación, supervisión del personal y atención a clientes, incluyendo las expediciones de tres días a  Bahía Drake y estadías en camping.  Debido a que pocos clientes hablaban español, dice, tenía que llevarlos
a todas partes sirviendo de traductor  en los restaurantes y tiendas. Ella
incluso los llevaba a bailar a la discoteca de Quepos en la noche de
manera que tuvieran  algo que hacer por la noche.  “Era como un niñera  para ellos,” dice

J.P.se tomó muy en serio  el enseñar a los locales a cómo tratar a los extranjeros. Ella les enseñó a ser amables y a tener buena presencia, cómo servir una comida en el barco e incluso por la noche les enseñaba inglés en su casa.  Con la ayuda de los expertos pescadores deportivos les enseñó a ser marineros y capitanes. ”Los ticos aprenden rápidamente,” dice. “Ahora tengo muchos buenos amigos.”

¿Puedo preguntarle si tenía algún cliente Tico? Jeannette levanta una ceja y sacude la cabeza. Oh, no. La pesca deportiva no es una pelota de fútbol.”  De todos modos, añade, es un deporte muy caro.

En 1994, Pérez comienza su propia empresa, JP Pesca Deportiva con su primer barco, Sea Lady (Señora del Mar), y  una computadora. Poco a poco ella levanta su negocio, y en 1998, compra su segundo barco, Wild Lady (Señora Salvaje).  “Mis hijos fueron los que le pusieron el nombre al barco, dijeron  ‘Mamá, es el nombre perfecto para ti’.” Ahora  Manuel y Carlos son parte de la empresa, Manuel  se ocupa del mercadeo y la página de internet mientras que  Carlos maneja  las ventas, reservas y es asistente de operación de los barcos.

Jeannette dice que da gracias a Dios todos los días por la vida que ha tenido, por sus mentores extranjeros Jerry Ruhlow, Hustler Larry y Bill Gannon, sus amigos Ticos y su personal que le han dado “tantas vivencias y recuerdos”. Pero por lo que está más agradecida, dice, es por el apoyo que sus dos hijos le han dado  a lo largo del camino. Eran su aliento, ‘mamá, usted puede hacerlo,” afirma, lo cual ha sido una fuente constante de empuje. “Hemos hecho este negocio juntos”, dice ella, “y al mismo tiempo, seguimos siendo tan buenos amigos e incondicionales”.

A pesar de que su compañía  ha crecido sin embargo busca mantener  su toque personal.  Jeannette cocina ella misma las comidas calientes que se sirven en el barco y se han convertido en un distintivo de su oferta de servicios. Me dice que todo comenzó con un comentario por parte de uno de sus mejores  capitanes,
Roberto McGuinness, quien le dijo que todo el mundo estaba cansando de bocadillos. “¿Por qué no prepara una comida caliente? Usted cocina muy bien “le  dijo. Cuando Jeannette le contesta que no había lugar en la embarcación para un microondas para calentar la comida, Roberto le dice que podrían mantenerlo en la parte superior del motor. “Pensé que se le pegaría cierto olor,” dice ella, “pero Roberto dijo que no y tuvo  razón. Ahora los clientes son tan felices!  Algunos incluso reservan  sus comidas favoritas cuando hacen la reservación de viaje.”

Ahora, dice Jeannette, su empresa organiza excursiones y paquetes de pesca que incluyen reservas de hotel, boletos de avión, traslados locales y cualquier necesidad que tengan sus clientes.    Me cuenta que hace un año fue invitada a participar en “The Catch Costa Rica” un torneo de pesca deportiva llevado a cabo en Bahía Drake que fue patrocinado por Standoff Studio y el canal de televisión al aire  libre. “Me fui con ellos, pensando que me iba a encantar,” pero pronto se dio cuenta  de que el desgaste ya no le atraía. Las pequeñas embarcaciones que se necesitaban para llevarla a la orilla de la playa. La falta de electricidad en la noche y una comida aburrida de pescado y  chayote, por la mañana, tarde y noche le demostró a  Pérez que ya no era tan aventurera como solía ser.  “! Cómo te cambia la edad!” se ríe. “Ahora, después del trabajo prefiero un buen libro y una buena copa de vino.”

Pérez se enfrentó al momento más difícil de su carrera hace dos años, en mayo, cuando la tormenta tropical Alma asoló la costa del Pacífico Central. Junto a sus compañeros pescadores vio como los botes eran embestidos por las olas chocando entre ellos. Diez de ellos se perdieron en la tormenta convertidos en pedazos. Milagrosamente, el Sea Lady y el Wild Lady se salvaron. Fue una oportunidad para unirnos entre nosotros. “Realmente cambio  nuestra mentalidad. Si antes las  empresas de pesca deportiva estábamos en competencia ahora ya no lo estamos. Somos mejores amigos ahora. ”

Ecologista convencida Jeannette está muy involucrada en la conservación local y en actividades de desarrollo. Es la Presidenta de la Asociación de pesca deportiva de Quepos (ANOTAQ), y junto con la Cámara de Comercio, el ICT y la Municipalidad de Aguirre, estamos desarrollando un proyecto de desarrollo sostenible para el Cantón de Aguirre, uno de los cinco cantones seleccionados para una beca del gobierno. Los objetivos incluyen la promoción de la pesca y la política de liberación para el pez vela y marlín, promover la pesca responsable que cumpla con las disposiciones legales, incluyendo el límite de 40 millas marinas en la pesca con palangre y sobre la exportación de pez vela.

Su actual pasión y que está ocupando gran parte de su tiempo es cómo asegurar el acceso de los pescadores locales de Quepos a la nueva marina. Ella se apresura a subrayar que no está en contra de la marina y era muy favorable a la idea cuando primero se habló del tema. Ahora, Jeannette dice: “Nos  estamos reuniendo periódicamente con Harold Lovelady, propietario de la Marina Pez Vela. El Sr. Lovelady está tratando con la compañía en EE.UU. para asegurar mejores precios a
nuestros barcos.  Seguimos trabajando juntos  para encontrar la manera en la que todos podamos beneficiar.”

From the moment she set foot in her friend’s sports fishing boat, Jeannette Pérez fell in love. She sweeps an arm toward her front window, with a view of the Pacific waterfront, directly across the street from her second floor office in a modest Quepos building.  “That’s what I loved,” she smiles. “I will never forget my first sailfish. It was the most beautiful thing!”

Fifty year old Pérez also remembers her first taste of Quepos in1989. She had been living in the United States and returned to visit her mother in San José with her ten year old twin sons, Manuel and Carlos. When she was offered a job as manager of Sports Fishing Costa Rica she decided to take a look.

“It was quite a trip, on a very bad road. I drove into town in my little car and my seven inch heels, all dressed up like an executive.  When I saw the place I almost turned around. But people were so nice, smiling, so kind, that I decided to stay.”

She laughs and tells me that, little by little, she learned how to live here, and that little by little, she “undressed”.  “I literally peeled off layers of my city clothes and replaced my heels for sandals.” Looking at her now, barefoot and tanned in a light T shirt and short cotton skirt, she looks like a true “Quepeña”.

But life was not without its difficulties.  Jeannette made the tough decision to leave her sons in San José.  Born in Costa Rica and raised in the United States, they spoke only English, and she made arrangements for them to attend a private school. She drove back and forth to San José once or twice a week, a minimum of four hours each way.

As a young woman in the sports fishing industry, Pérez faced the challenge of asserting her authority, while at the same time, acknowledging that she needed to learn everything about the business. “Gaining respect and trust was a challenge,” she says. “From wholesalers in the U.S. and Europe to my foreign clients and Tico employees. ‘How can a woman do sportfishing business in Costa Rica?’ they would ask. ‘What does she know about reels, lures, whatever?’  I had to learn.”

She learned by watching and asking a lot of questions, she explains, always looking over the captain’s shoulder, asking the crew what they were doing and why. “Sometimes they would tell me, ‘Ma’am, you’re making me nervous.’  Would you please go down?”

Whenever she felt that she was being challenged, she firmly asserted her admittedly “strong personality”.  If an employee resisted an order, she would show them by doing the work herself. “I often picked up a paint brush, for example, and started painting the boat, so they would know I saw myself as equal,” she says. Once, she had to fire a foreign employee. After this, she says, her employees realized she meant business.

Jeannette worked with Sports Fishing Costa Rica from 1989 until 1993, booking and organizing tours, training and supervising staff, and looking after clients, including accompanying them on three day expeditions to Drake Bay and overnight camping arrangements. Because few clients spoke Spanish, she says, she had to take them everywhere, translating in restaurants and shops.  She even took them dancing at a Quepos disco at night, so that they would have something to do. “It was like babysitting kids,” she says.

Training local Quepeños to work with foreign clients was a task Perez took very seriously.  She taught them to be courteous and presentable, how to serve a meal on a boat and even taught them English in her home at night. With the help of seasoned sports fishermen, she taught them how to be mates and captains.  “Ticos learned quickly,” she says. “Now I have many good friends.”

I ask whether she had any Tico clients. Jeannette raises an eyebrow and shakes her head. “Oh no. Sports fishing is not a football.” Anyway, she adds, it’s a very expensive sport.

In 1994 Perez started her own company, J.P. Sportsfishing, with her first boat, Sea Lady, and one computer.  Steadily, she built up her business, and in 1998, purchased her second boat, Wild Lady. “My sons named it,” she smiles. “They said, ‘Mom, it’s the perfect name for you’.”  Now her Manuel and Carlos are part of the business, Manuel handling website and marketing with Carlos handling all sales, reservations and operation assistant for the boats.

Jeannette says she thanks God every day for the life she has had, for her foreign mentors Jerry Ruhlow, Hustler Larry and Bill Gannon, her Tico friends, her staff, who have given her “so many experiences and memories”.  But what she is most thankful for, she says, is having her two sons supporting her all along the way. It was  their encouragement, their saying, ‘Momma, you can do it,’ she claims, that has been a constant source of strength.  “We have grown this business together,” she says, “and at the same time, we remain such good, unconditional friends.”

Although it has grown, her company retains its personal touch. Jeannette does her own cooking, and hot meals on the boat have become part of her trademark.  She tells me it all began with a request from one of her all time great captains, Roberto Mcguinness, who told her that everyone was getting tired of sandwiches. “Why don’t you cook a hot meal? You cook so well,” he said. When Jeannette protested that there was no room on the boat for a microwave to heat it up, Roberto said they could keep it on top of the engine. “I thought it would smell,” she says, “but Roberto said no, and he was right. Now clients are so happy! Some even order their favourite meals when they book their tours.”

Now, Jeannette says, her company organizes day trips and fishing packages that include hotel reservations, local airfare and ground transfers along with any other tour needs ,  She tells me how, a year ago, she was asked to participate in “The Catch Costa Rica”, a reality sportfishing tournament held in Drake Bay that was sponsored by Standoff Studio and Outdoors TV channel. “I went with them, thinking I would love it,” she recalls, but she soon learned that roughing it no longer appealed to her.  The small boats that were needed to take her to shore, slicing the water and driving right into the beach, the lack of electricity at night time, and a tedious meal of fish and chayote, morning, noon and night reminded Pérez that she was not as adventurous as she used to be.  “How aging changes you,” she laughs. “Now, after work, I look forward to a good book, and a good glass of wine.”

Pérez faced her most difficult moment in her career two years ago in May when Tropical Storm Alma ravaged the Central Pacific coast. With her fellow fishermen, she watched the boats being pounded by the waves and one another. Ten of them were lost, battered to pieces by the storm.  Miraculously, she said, Sea Lady and Wild Lady were saved. It was a time of coming together, she says. “It really changed our mentality. If we [the sports fishing companies] were in competition before, we aren’t any longer. We are better friends now.”

A concerned environmentalist, Jeannette is heavily involved in local conservation and development activities. She is President of the Sportfishing Association of Quepos (ANOTAQ), and together with the Chamber of Commerce, ICT and the Municipality of Aguirre, we are developing a sustainable development project for Aguirre canton, one of five cantons selected for a government grant. The objectives include promoting the catch and release policy for sailfish and marlin, promoting responsible fishing that complies with the laws, including the 40 sea mile limit on long line fishing and on the exportation of sailfish.

Her current passion, and one that is taking up much of her time, is how to assure access of local Quepos fishermen to the new marina.  She is quick to emphasize that she is not against the marina and was very supportive of the idea when first approached about it. Now, Jeannette says, “we are now meeting regularly with Harold Lovelady, owner of the Marina Pez Vela. Mr. Lovelady is working with the US company to secure better pricing for our boats. As of this moment, we are working together to find ways where we can all benefit.”

Greetings from Sunny Costa Rica!

Fishing continues to be very good in our area. Sailfish and Mahi Mahi are being released daily, with Tuna still being boated. A few boats have reported Wahoo being boated, some in the 50lbs range. Rooster fish action is good, with 2 to 3 fish being released on our half day charters. Several have been 35# to 40#. Fishing in Quepos is always good year round. It’s always an adventure to spend the day enjoying the ocean and the many species of marine life in our area.

Don’t delay!!! For your fishing adventure contact Luna Tours Sport fishing. We own and operate 4 Sport fishing boats (28 ft to 33ft) and can also arrange others boats for charter up to 46ft for a half day or full day charters. Contact us at (506) 2777-0725 (office), (506) 8869-4808 (24 hour cell), visit our web site at www.lunatours.net

Hope to see you all this season! Good Luck fishing, Wherever You Are !

This is dedicated to Joaquin Jose Arroyo Chavez who passed away June 1 in Manuel Antonio. A beloved member of our community, most know him as Joaquin of Apartamento de Joaquin’s in Manuel Antonio. Joaquin dedicated his life and energy to that of service and helping others. His ENERGY and amazing smile was wonderful as he successfully housed and helped many many Gringos here. He will also be sadly missd by his family and many Tico friends and neighbors. A very special Costa Rican who touched our lives with much PURA VIDA(a pure life of love and laughter)…allowing us to know and experience why we all love Costa Rica…Joaquin will always be remembered and cherished in our hearts. Mucho Gracious Joaquin para todo… ~Katreena

Be suspicious when someone tells you that size doesn’t matter. On the contrary, when it comes to field guides, for example, the size of the book is a determining factor toward how well it will serve the customer. For example there are several beautiful coffee table books whose subject matter is the wildlife of Costa Rica. But I wouldn’t want to treat that book like a field guide, put it in my backpack and go into the jungle in search of its subject matter. Likewise, there are pocket guides that provide concise snapshots of the most common species of wildlife in Costa Rica, concise being the operative word. Pocket guides are handy but are limited and compact in their information as well.

Recently a field guide has appeared that fills this void in that it is compact, travels well and is a fountain of pertinent information. Simply titled “The Wildlife of Costa Rica”, this field guide is a collaboration of four experts in their respective fields. Fiona Reid is a biologist from Cambridge who has written more than a dozen books on mammals, including “A Field Guide to the Mammals of Central America and Southeast Mexico”; Jim Zook is an ornithologist who has lived and worked in Costa Rica for twenty-two years, coming here originally as a volunteer of the Peace Corps to teach environmental education; Twan Leenders is a biologist from The Netherlands, specializing in Animal Ecology, especially among amphibians and reptiles; Robert Dean has been studying and painting neotropical birds for a dozen years, including the artwork he did for the highly acclaimed “The Birds of Costa Rica: A Field Guide”, which is considered The Bird Bible among the serious bird watchers here.

This two hundred-fifty page book is presented in five main sections: mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and arthropods, each with a nice introduction. It also offers a very good glossary and an index of scientific and common names of each species. One very distinguishing attribute that I enjoy about this field guide is the presentation of twenty-four natural history vignettes interspersed throughout the book. Each vignette offers text that, accompanied by a photograph of the subject at hand, portray general points of interest, describing in greater detail the given species and the natural history and ecology of their habitats. With forty color photos and more than six hundred detailed color illustrations, this functional field guide exposes readers to the animals and other wildlife one is most likely to see in Costa Rica. I also appreciate the fact that all measurements in this book are being relayed in both metric as well as inch/foot terms. As a matter of fact, this book itself measures 14 cm by 21.5 cm (or 5 1/2 X 8 1/2 inches), a good daypack size.

I find the overall presentation of “The Wildlife of Costa Rica” – the layout, the language and the flow of information to be very user-friendly, especially for the inquisitive, non-scientist, such as myself. To be sure, there is a plethora of scientific information in this guide, which has adeptly been made digestible for the average reader. The guide is published and distributed by Zona Tropical, a Costa Rican company who, I believe, saw a need, filled it, and hit a home run in doing so. And a home run is a home run, no matter the size, and don’t let anyone tell you any differently.

“The Wildlife of Costa Rica” is available at the Jaime Peligro book stores in Playa Tamarindo, Quepos and Tilaran, where they will gladly let the customer browse through their open copy of the book.