Guide to Quepos & Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica - Quepolandia

Pretérito Imperfecto

A. Escriba el uso del Pretérito Imperfecto según corresponda:

Yo estaba viendo una película de historia de Latinoamérica ayer.
Mi tío Plutarco acababa de cerrar la puerta cuando recordó que había dejado sus llaves dentro del carro.
Nepomuceno y yo queríamos comprar una tabla de Surf a medias.
Mi hermana iba a traer a sus amigas a la casa, pero no consiguieron transporte.
El estudiante cantaba en español mientras completaba la práctica.

Filed under: Academia D'Amore, Tico Talk on January 5th, 2012
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Cosmic Confetti’s Horoscopes – January 2012

These Horoscopes are meant to be fun and enjoyed. They should not be taken too seriously.

CAPRICORN - December 22-January 19

The truth is much harder to find than fiction. Don’t be afraid to spread damn dirty lies. This month, your seasonal destiny feels like the lowest berry on the mistletoe.

RULING GEMSTONE: GARNET

AQUARIUS - January 20-February 18

Half of what you think you are good at is actually a complete fluke. This month might see the end of your futile efforts to get good at something.

RULING GEMSTONE: AMETHYST

Filed under: Cosmic Confetti, Horoscopes on January 5th, 2012
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¿Qué Pasa en Quepos? – January 2012

Bienvenidos/Welcome to our beautiful Paradise of Quepos/Manuel Antonio…we hope you enjoy your visit & find our magazine helpful & entertaining. We wish you a HAPPY NEW YEAR – FELIZ AÑO NUEVO. You should find plenty to keep you busy, from great tours of all sorts & wonderful restaurants to try. We hope you will tell our advertisers that you found them in Quepolandia….be sure to take in the Manuel Antonio National Park & spend some time on our wonderful beaches. Quepos is World Famous for it’s sport fishing so give it a try – you will not be disappointed. All of our charter fleet practice catch & release of billfish so that our waters will continue to have plenty of fish for generations to come…check out our pages for sport fishing charters…our thanks to Marcos Porras of Quepos Tropical Waters Sport Fishing for our cover shot of the Sailfish…we would like to mention that the sushi bar is back at the “new” Barba Roja Restaurante so if you haven’t been by in a while, stop in & meet Mike & check out the menu changes…well that about takes care of us for this month…don’t forget to check back here regularly…Quepolandia would like to thank all of our wonderful advertisers of 2011 as we look forward to a PROSPEROUS 2012 for all…thanks for visiting & tell all your friends about us…ciao…P

Filed under: Qué Pasa en Quepos on January 3rd, 2012
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Do you often have cloudy pool water?

By Costa Rica Pools & Construction

Cloudy water can be caused by a number of factors. It can be a symptom of inadequate filtration, pH imbalance, or inadequate chlorine levels. The cure depends on the cause. Inadequate filtration from failure to run the filter long enough, insufficient or inconsistent backwashing, or a dirty/ worn filter are the first potential causes to consider. If filtration is not the problem, pH is the next likely cause. pH is the one of the most important aspect of pool maintenance. When pH rises above 7.6, calcium precipitates out of the water in the form of scale or suspended particles that can cloud the water. Although not the same as pH, proper total alkalinity does help stabilize pH. If your total alkalinity is too low, the pH level will be very sensitive and may suffer drastic swings. A high alkalinity level, in addition to contributing to cloudy water and scaling, can keep your pH rigidly fixed.

Filed under: Costa Rica Pools & Construction, Pool Care Basics on December 26th, 2011
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El Regreso Soundtrack

By Jim Parisi

Writing a soundtrack is tricky business. The music needs to compliment the action and images of the movie of the film without being pervasive. It needs to follow the storyline so in this way it is almost like an assignment. And all good musicians want to put their own personal stamp on their music, so it needs to fall into the category of artistic expression as well: no musician wants their work to become wallpaper. This article is a review of the soundtrack of the new Costa Rica movie “El Regreso”; it is not a review of the film, which is wildly popular right now.

Federico Miranda picked up his first guitar with serious intentions at the age of twelve and taught himself to play. In 1993, he formed the popular Costa Rican rock band Gandhi, one of the first of this genre in this country. They have since released four albums and in 2005, Miranda also teamed up with pianist Walter Flores to work on the Baula Project, a fusion quartet who dedicated this album to the preservation of the leatherback turtle.

Filed under: Jim Parisi, Music Review on December 26th, 2011
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Tropical Flowering Shrubs – A Color Extravaganza

By Donna Porter

With all of the boldly exotic-looking tropical beauties that we have to choose from to use in our gardens and landscapes, like Helcionias, Gingers, Aroids, Marantas and Crotons, we sometimes forget that we also have a fabulous selection of flowering tropical shrubs that add even more color, form, grace and pizzazz to our world and for our eyes to behold. Unlike their aforementioned garden companions, flowering shrubs perform nearly year round and add a rainbow of color and flower form to your garden or landscape. Below are just a handful of what I believe are some of the most noteworthy of the most commonly seen in our area and in a nice assortment of colors. Remember also that most flowering shrubs give their best performance when sited in a location where they receive at least 6 hours of full sun.