Quepolandia

¿Qué Pasa en Quepos? – August 2019

Bienvenidos…Welcome to our piece of paradise. We are sure you are going to have a great time here. There are so many wonderful things Costa Rica has to offer and we have them right here for you to enjoy and explore. Amazing beaches to surf, stroll, or just tranquilo.

For an over the top view of Manuel Antonio National Park try parasailing with Aquas Azules. There is world class sport fishing and a fleet of boats waiting for you at Marina Pez Vela. We have tours from skydiving (Skydive Costa Rica) to snorkeling (Sunset Sails) and everything in between. Whether you want to relax and enjoy our nature in the mangroves or for a little more adrenaline try white water rafting with Tucanes Tours. Our mangroves and rivers are as magical as our coastline. To experience our jungle canopy there is nothing like zip lining (Titi Canopy Tours). Or check out the first of its kind Eco Tram at Hacienda Barú, tell Jack we sent you. August is also whale season so while you are enjoying a cocktail at our many fine restaurants with a view pay attention to the coastline. You never know when a pod of whales will go swimming past.

We want to thank Caesar J. Garcia for the mommy sloth cover. We would like to wish all you ladies a very Happy Mother’s Day (August 15th). We would not be here if not for you. So don’t make mom cook. Take advantage of our incredible selection of of fine restaurants Arbol, Mira Olas at the Best Western, Sunrice, or Victoria’s just to mention a few. She probably would not mind a massage either.

Need more reason to celebrate? August 3rd is International Beer Day check out Fuego in Dominical and their microbrewery. August 16th is International Rum Day…Cheers, Salud. August 24th is National Parks Day so don’t forget all the Parks Costa Rica has to enjoy.

We would also like to welcome our new advertisers this month, Alta Vista Vacation Rentals, Grafix del Mar, Marina Pez Vela Whale Watching, Ocean’s 5, and Tulemar Bungalow.

We hope you enjoy our magazine and it helps guide you through this enchanting paradise we call home. You can always follow and share us at Facebook/Quepolandia. We appreciate and welcome your comments.

Peace and Enjoy… D

Filed under: Dave Bolger, Qué Pasa en Quepos
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Kids Saving the Rainforest – July 2019

Greetings Quepolandia readers! This is Karma Casey. I’m the spokeskid for Kids Saving the Rainforest. If you’ve never heard of us, KSTR is a wildlife rescue, veterinary clinic, rehabilitation and sanctuary in Quepos, Costa Rica. We work hard saving animals, planting trees, and educating the public.

This month, I’m going to tell you about the rescue of a very special animal you may have never heard of. A Jaguarundi! Although quite common, these elusive animals like to stay hidden in their rainforest homes, and you may have never caught a glimpse of one.

The Jaguarundi is a wild cat about twice the size of a house cat. They come in two colors, either a blackish brown, or a reddish yellow. I think they look like small cougars. It’s not usual that we get in wild cats at Kids Saving the Rainforest, but this was an emergency and we are always there to help!

Jennifer Rice, the president of KSTR (Kids Saving the Rainforest) was driving down the highway when she saw something in the middle of the road. She stopped traffic, getting out of her car to see what the animal was. It was a Jaguarundi!

The Jaguarundi was in bad shape and needed help. As fate would have it, a vet named Diego Zuniga who helps KSTR also just happened to be driving by! Diego got out and examined the animal. It was still alive, only unconscious! Unable to find a box they put him on a large flat piece of cardboard as a stretcher. Diego sat in the back with him while they drove him to the nearest vet.

How to Create a Cohesive Colour Flow Throughout Your Home

Colour preferences vary as much as personalities, some folks are loving the bright and the bold, while others feel most secure surrounded by neutrals. The good news is that when it comes to colour, there really is no “correct” palette.

Design Wise logo
by Shelagh Duncan

That being said, we’ve all been inside homes where an explosion of colour created a chopped-up feel between rooms so you don’t know where to look first. Living in the tropics and seeing all the bright and beautiful colours around us can make us feel we need to bring it all indoors. However our indoor living spaces generally need a calmer feel—too much disjointed colour can create a restless atmosphere.

Here are some well chosen tips to help keep that Calm, but enjoy the Colour! So choose the ones that work best for you.

Spanish Sucks – July 2019

CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE

Filed under: Manuel Antonio Spanish School, Spanish Sucks
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Let’s Talk about the Golden-Hooded Tanager

By Paul Gerace

The Golden-Hooded tanager has a very wide range of distribution. It can be found as far north as southern Mexico, throughout Central America, and down through Colombia.

They are distinguished by their golden hoods and beautiful blue and black feathers.

Golden-Hooded tanagers like to eat fruit and insects and are often found in pairs. The males and females are very similar in appearance.

They are plentiful and are considered to be in the category of “least concern” by conservationists.

The Golden-Hooded tanagers are just another of the beautiful bird species found in our area.

Just another one of the colorful and amazing birds that can be found throughout Quepolandia. See more bird photos HERE

Filed under: Let's Talk About Birds, Paul Gerace
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All In The Family

Depression, feeling alone, constant fatigue, poor sleep, and heaviness within our heart and soul are human states that everyone goes through. The best counter to this type of malaise is pulling yourself up by the shoestrings and to get moving. Drinking alcohol and poor diet selections only further the descent into a black hole. Beyond the physical change the best remedy can be socializing. Although we are far removed from primates (or are we?) an alone primate is a sick or troubled one. Humans need to be among others, we have forever been tribal animals that flourish when we feel important and are part of a whole. In my younger years it never occurred to me that this aspect of day to day life was so important. Granted, I rarely lived in one location for more than a year or two, but only until I moved to Manuel Antonio was I able to feel the love of so many. Even before social media (which is a false family) the pure act of running into people in Quepos, at the gym, or on the beach was usually delightful. Holing up in an apartment or home benefits nobody. As we lose ourselves to Netflix, the comfort of over-eating, and then despair, it is important to remember help is always available. The simple act of calling a friend can heal. We must remind ourselves that when we are at our lowest, we must reach out and get involved with others to increase our energy.

Fiddlin’ Around – July 2019

Rainy season down here in the southern Pacific zone of Costa Rica is usually full of beautiful mornings, birds singing, spectacular plants blooming, clear streams babbling away, and unless it’s been relentlessly raining for weeks, it is a very pleasant time to be here. If you do find it a bit overwhelming this time of year, then find some goofy old movies or cartoons with a musical sound track and watch them on your TV or computer! Before talkies, the movie studios flagrantly stole from great classical and symphonic works for the sound tracks to their animated films. Wily E. Coyote freefalling off a cliff to the strains of Beethoven. Baby chimps settling down to bed in their jungle cradles, to the sound of a Brahms lullaby. The characters didn’t find their voices for a while, so the early cartoons were all about interpreting the music. The artists would painstakingly draw frame after frame to fit the musical selections as much as the story line. I remember seeing an ancient cartoon that had a bunch of barnyard animals playing Dixieland music, and many of us were permanently disturbed by Disney’s scary interpretation of Night on Bald Mountain by Mussorgsky, in his epic animated film Fantasia. Disney could be very funny—he could also be dark and frightening and his characters raw evil.

At the same time that movie soundtracks were getting popular, music theatre was evolving from burlesque, and attempting to kind of upgrade the slapstick style that they had been using. Much of it is kind of silly and certainly unrealistic—navy guys dancing and singing on the deck of their ship, pool-playing shysters leading a parade, aristocrats singing in the kitchen with the help. Often the lyrics to a song wouldn’t have anything to do with the story line, but would merely be clever or humorous rhymes.

That’s Fishin’ – July 2019

What a total blast we all had during the May 25-26th PELAGIC ‘PURA VIDA’ INSHORE CLASSIC FISHING TOURNAMENT here at the Marina Pez Vela. Guys, Girls and even a special tournament on the Sunday morning just for kids—what a fun packed weekend it was for everyone & memories for a lifetime created for the kids, most of them fishing their first ever fishing tournament!

The tournament weekend was put together by the guys from leading global fishing apparel brand PELAGIC who have proudly made Quepos their Central American outpost and have a SUPER COOL clothing store right here in the Marina Pez Vela, be sure to check it out! The Fishing fun got underway on the Saturday with the Adults ‘PURA VIDA CLASSIC’ Inshore tournament. This was an 8 hour shoot-out where teams battled it out in two main divisions, the ROOSTERFISH division where points were accumulated for the most Roosterfish releases & the ‘GRAND SLAM’ division awarded for the heaviest 3 fish combo. Team Z GASTRO BAR fishing aboard GOOD DAY were the winners of the Roosterfish division releasing 3 nice sized Roosterfish in the 36’-48’ category which earned them 900 points. Jeff Dechesneau fishing aboard the smallest boat in the fleet, the 19’ Boston Whaler Montauk, caught the longest Roosterfish of the day, a stunning fish of 55 inches in length which helped his team to 2nd place. All Roosterfish caught were quickly measured and released, a tournament format designed to promote conservation of such an important fish species. A shout out to Reymond Rodrigues who fished the tournament aboard an awesome Seadoo Fishing Jetski, certainly a first for a Quepos tournament but also one serious piece of kit! Huge congratulations to team DREAMS II for winning the Grand Slam division. The guys had a blast catching a ton of different species including a 26lb Cubera Snapper Roosterfish, Mullet Snappers, Jacks, Wahoo, Rainbow Runners and many other species. They comfortably took home the honours for the heaviest 3 fish combo, great stuff guys & well deserved!

How do you create a little bit of Morning Bliss for yourself each day?

A morning bliss practice or ritual will help you start your day from a place of inner peace and power.
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Morning rituals are used by some of the most successful people in the world to create an inner environment of strength and stamina, and studies have shown that certain morning routines and habits can set you up for a successful, productive day. ⁣
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Think of your routine as your sacred, personal time. it’s a powerful way to prime your mind, body and soul so you can master your day.
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Remember these three “M’s” when designing your morning bliss.
Read More…

Filed under: A Healthier You, Sisters that Stray
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Fish Cakes and Prawn Laksa

Chef's Corner logo This epic Malaysian curried noodle soup will sweep you far, far away…to the balmy streets of Singapore. The flavorful soup base can be made with chicken, seafood, or vegetarian. This one is made with seafood, my favorite.

Serves 6-8

For the fish cakes

½ kg white fish filet (snapper, mahi, sea bass)
1 tablespoon of cornstarch
1 egg
2 teaspoons of Nam Pla or fish sauce (you can use soy sauce too)
2 teaspoons of Thai red curry paste
1 scallion, thinly sliced
Oil for frying

Directions

Place fish pieces in food processor and pulse with the next 4 ingredients until smooth.
Add the sliced scallions and mix well. White strings can be removed.
Form into small flat patties and fry until golden, like in the photo.

For the stock

1 fish carcass and/or 1 chicken carcass
The shells from 1 kg of large shrimp, save the peeled shrimp for the laksa
8 garlic cloves
1 stalk of lemongrass, white part only
3 cm knobs of galangal and/or ginger
10 kaffir lime leaves (optional or can be substituted with 2 bay leaves)
3 tablespoons of Nam Pla or fish sauce to taste
Salt, pepper
400 ml can of coconut milk

Update on Dolly

Remember Dolly the two-fingered sloth? She was receiving experimental acupuncture treatment for an injury due to an electrocution from a power line. Her treatments were donated by Dr. Constant Boshoff, BSc D.C. of Rafiki Chiropractic Care. He hoped that several weeks of acupuncture could help Dolly regain mobility in her right arm. Treatments began in February and completed at the end of May.

What was the result?

Dolly’s experimental acupuncture treatment WORKED! Dolly is now able to use her arm and hand to climb. This accomplishment gives assurance of her ability to survive in the wild.

“I’ll take her swimming and see if we can continue to improve her mobility to get her arm to recover 100%,” said TSI Sloth Director Sam Trull.

The Sloth Institute is grateful to Dr. Constant Boshoff for his generous support. Dolly’s successful treatment with acupuncture means hope for other sloths in need.

Watch a video of Dolly after her successful acupuncture treatment! Check out “Sloth Diaries” on TheSlothInstitute.org or find us on Facebook and Instagram @TheSlothInstitute.

ABOUT THE SLOTH INSTITUTE

The Sloth Institute (TSI)’s mission is to enhance the welfare and conservation of sloths through research and education. TSI is located in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica. For more information please visit TheSlothInstitute.org or email us: info@theslothinstitute.org. If you see a sloth who needs help: CALL or WHATSAPP +506 87SLOTHS 7 5 6 8 4 7.

Filed under: The Sloth Institute
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What I Love About Surfing

Today I drove to the beach around noon. There was a storm on the horizon and the winds had already turned onshore, whipping the waves into a silvery soup. It didn’t look that appealing, but I paddled out anyways. I felt a need to wash away the dirt and sweat from a morning of hard work. My worries washed away as soon as my head ducked under the first wave.

Surfing is my place to meditate. Sensing the wind, scanning where the next wave is going to break, watching the pelicans skimming over the swells—my vision expands to encompass all the beauty around me. There are no phones ringing, no sounds of traffic or construction. My breath slows down when I sit and stare out at the horizon, emptying my mind of all thoughts except the movements of the ocean around me.

The ocean is my gym. Often I am up at dawn, driving to my favorite break to catch while the tide is right and the winds are still offshore. I keep my body flexible through yoga and stretching, with the goal to make each ride longer with more powerful turns and the ability to contort into barrel sections. I run on the beach to expand my lung capacity for long hold-downs or three-hour surf sessions when the waves just keep getting better. And I paddle for miles, month after month, which has kept me in the best shape of my life.

Filed under: Greg Gordon, Surf CR
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Fishing for the Next Generation

Having completed the 20th edition of the Offshore World Championship in May, and the 7th edition of this iconic event here at Marina Pez Vela, the opportunity to reflect on the impact of fishing on our local community and tourism in the area is upon us. While Manuel Antonio is firmly established as an eco-tourism destination, for so many of us, we forget that fishing has long been a way of life and subsistence for the local Quepos community and that early Sportfishing exploration was some of the first tourism to the area. The history and roots of the ocean and fishing are deeply rooted in this community and it would be easy to write a book, OR TWO, on the history of both artisanal fishing as well as the history of Sportfishing in the area along with its socio-economic impacts.

That being said, I wanted to take a minute to share some thoughts and perspective on the sustainability of fishing in the area and the generational component which is visible now, more than ever. At Marina Pez Vela, there is a tremendous commitment to sustainability in all forms of the word. Our commitment to our community, its growth and wellbeing from a cultural and economic standing is unwavering and very much a part of our DNA at the project. In regards to fishing Costa Rica in general, led by agencies like FECOP and members of the private sector, has been a global leader in sustainability in the fishing world. One of the first countries to implement mandatory use of the circle hook in its Sportfishing practices and today even the practice of taking the live billfish out of the water before releasing for photographs has been banned.

Filed under: Guest Writer
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Killer Monkeys

Monkeys in the zoo are fun to watch, but observing them in the wild is almost like watching an entirely different species in a similar body. My first wild monkey sighting was a very emotional experience, and each subsequent encounter with white-throated capuchin monkeys (Cebus capucinus) nudged my curiosity a bit farther. Even today, 47 years after that first glimpse of a black and white primate scampering up a tree, they still fascinate me. Capuchins are always coming up with surprises and exhibiting never before seen behavior. Later I was to learn that they are the most intelligent of Costa Rica’s four monkey species.

In the 1970s and 80s written information about wildlife was almost non-existent. There were no bird or mammal books to be found, no internet, and not even any laminated information sheets with photos. For the next 18 years, until the first field guide, Neotropical Rainforest Mammals, was published, personal observation, as well as listening to campesino friends, neighbors, and workers provided the knowledge I so sought after.

What’s Shaking at Marina Pez Vela – July 2019

July… SUMMER is here… or wait, WINTER is here… still can’t get used to this whole summer being winter, but unlike decades ago, when Quepos and Manuel Antonio truly went into a hibernation mode in the months after Semana Santa until Christmas, we now enjoy a robust mid-season here with travelers from around the world coming to Costa Rica. The increase in families, school summer trips, and other exploring the “green season” and all its magic have become something special, and here at Marina Pez Vela, while the fishing tournaments have ended, the ACTION IS JUST GETTING STARTED for another month full of reasons to come out to MPV!

COSTA RICA’S BIGGEST JULY 4TH PARTY IS ON AT MARINA PEZ VELA!

Sure we are in Costa Rica, sure Independence Day here is in September, but this IS our local English speaking paper, this is a melting pot of locals and expats, and when have we ever been one to not embrace any excuse for an amazing party! As in all of our activities, July 4th at Marina Pez Vela is an all-day event and one for ALL of the family. There will be games, inflatables, and a host of activities for all the kids to enjoy around the plaza starting at 3pm, just as the heat of the day starts to fade. At 6pm, the party kicks up a notch with the insane music of Kin Rivera Jr who will jam away through the sunset and until the epic fireworks display closes out the night at 8pm. All the restaurants here will have specials, some featuring traditional bbq and summer eats, along with their regular menus and options. Marina Pez Vela is a melting pot and this is a party for ALL to enjoy. So whether you are an expat who ran from the USA, a local looking to experience a bit of US culture, or just someone looking for some cold drinks, great food, good fun and amazing music…DO NOT MISS JULY 4th at MPV.