ExPat

News that would be funny if it weren't depressing

2009-09-04T13:30:00.000-07:00

Obama Press Secretary dismissed this as "silly season," but for me it's more of a sad statement on today's state of affairs.

Next week, President Obama will give a back-to school speech directed at elementary and high school students across the nation. This couldn't possibly controversial, right? Not in today's America, I'm afraid.

Per MSNBC, the planned speech "has provoked a backlash from some within the Republican Party, with the chairman of the GOP in Florida saying the real motive is to indoctrinate students with Obama's "socialist ideology.""

I wish I were making this up. But it gets better. Read on:

Explains the article, "Obama plans to address students across the country on Tuesday with a message about staying in school, working hard and achieving educational goals."

Work hard and stay and school. If that's socialism then color me red.

But let's be fair here and see what the Florida GOP chair, Jim Greer, actually said:

According to the article, he said the event "obligates the youngest children in our public school system to agree with our president's initiatives or be ostracized by their teachers and classmates."

"While I support educating our children to respect both the office of the American president and the value of community service, I do not support using our children as tools to spread liberal propaganda," Greer added.

Liberal propaganda? Someone should inform Greer that Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush also gave similar addresses to students.

But let's hear from some of the other "critics":

"I'll be keeping my kids at home that day," a person identified as "Nascar Dad" wrote on the Tampa Bay Times Web site. "Our school is offering an 'alternative' activity, but if millions of parents across the country keep their kids out of school; Ouch!"

So you're keeping your kids at home, hoping that millions of others do so as well, to make a political point? It's pretty clear who the real tools are here.

What I look forward to the most about being back home in the good ol US of A

2009-04-27T16:36:00.000-07:00

There's been plenty to like about Costa Rica over the last four months, and I'll be posting soon on what I'll be missing the most. But it's also time to look forward. In just over a week, I'll be touching down in San Francisco and on North American soil for the first sime since the early hours of 2009. Here's a small sample of what I've missed and am looking forward to the most:

1. Baseball

Reading the box scores and catching the occasional highlight on TV hasn't done much to whet my appetite for sports. And now that the Kings' season is over, it's time to move on to baseball. Since I'll likely be in Sacramento for a little while after I get back, I'm especially looking forward to River Cats Games. Biking along the river, catching the cool Delta breeze, hot dogs, burgers and beer at Raley Field... it doesn't get any better than that, does it?

2. Barbeques

Speaking of food, I think the single cooking item I've missed most is a barbecue. With the warm weather down here, it's been torture having to cook meat on the stove or with the oven. If I had it my way, I'd be grilling meat and vegetables every day.

3. HDTV

I try not to make a hobby of watching too much TV. Down here, that hasn't been hard. But I'm really looking forward to plopping down on the couch and catching up on some of my favorite shows like Lost, The Office and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Even better, I'll be able to catch the later rounds of the NBA playoffs, on HD to beat. Awesome.

4. Mexican food

There's a soda down the street from my office called Tacos Tumbres where I lunch frequently. It's ostensibly Mexican but basically serves up the same casados, albeit tasty ones, as anywhere else. For my first meal in California, I'm going for some real good, down home Mexican food. Los Jarritos, Oscar's, Caballo Blanco and (only after midnight) Carolina's. I get hungry just thinking about it.

Hmmm, everything seems to be revolving around food and sports. There's got to be more than that, right?

5. Seeing friends and family

Ah, ok. Much better now. Sorry for getting sentimental. But there should be some fun times ahead, ranging from visits to friends at Stanford and my sister at Santa Clara, Avalon and my cousin Jon's graduations, and hopefully a trip to Vegas and climb of Mt. Shasta. All in a couple month's work.

And now, a brief foray into what I'm not looking forward to: using a cell phone again, driving (although it was fun driving again for a while when we rented a car for Arenal and Monteverde, but that was mostly because the roads were deserted on Good Friday), lunching for more than $3, listening to Laker and Dodger fans gloat about their teams' success, inane politics, and, finally, not having amazing flora and fauna right next door...

Oh wait, I'll be in Northern California. I still will.

What I'm reading: Obamanomics

2009-04-25T16:19:00.001-07:00

If you're got some time to kill, check out this captivating piece from The New Republic on Obama's economic policies. The authors, TNR editors Franklin Foer and Noam Scheiber, find many similarities between Obama's philosophies and the central tenants of the behavior economics book Nudge, which I've been meaning to read but haven't gotten to yet.

The key point is that, despite all the histeria of Obama's alleged "socialism," his economics are in fact decidedly market based; instead, Obama and his team aim to tweak incentives so that while people still have freedom to choose, the most favorable decision is what fits the public, as well as individual interest. Here, Obama neither fits the traditional definition of big-government liberal nor the mold Clintonion New Democrat centrist. Foer and Scheiber summarize:

As a theory of government, this approach has much to recommend it. It's resolutely liberal in its ends, ambitious in its means, but also respectful of individual freedom. It is, in other words, a government that is activist but distinctly not socialist.

I stumbled upon this article via the New York Times' new "Idea of the Day" blog, which also includes a number of "must-reads" (the TNR piece was one of these). I'm not sure who has time to read all of them, though!

SMF airport 2nd in US in animal collisions

2009-04-24T15:16:00.000-07:00

Maybe it's a good thing I'm flying back to SFO next month. The AP reports:

Airplane collisions with birds or other animals have destroyed 28 aircraft since
2000, with New York's Kennedy airport and Sacramento International reporting the
most incidents with serious damage, according to Federal Aviation Administration
data posted for the first time Friday. And the problem appears to be growing.

The reason? The article explains that Sacramento International "lies beneath the Pacific Flyway used by millions of geese, swans, ducks, cranes, raptors and other birds that migrate with the seasons and stop to feed on crops in the farms that abut the airport." Maybe putting the airport in the middle of nowhere, far from downtown, wasn't the best idea after all.

On second thought, I'll take the minuscule risk of hitting a bird any day over having commercial jets fly over Land Park. Although perhaps they should consider extending hunting season around the airport.

The Final Countdown

2009-04-23T11:09:00.000-07:00

Time flies. My internship at The Tico Times ends in a week, after which I'll join Avalon in Panama for a few days before flying back to California May 6. Over the next week. I'll be posting some reflections on my four months in Costa Rica, as well as lists of what I'm looking forward to the most about being home. Once I head to Panama next Friday, however, posting will be few in far between.

It's also one month until the NBA draft lottery, so expect more basketball posts in the near future.

Finally, if you don't understand why I posted the picture at the top of this post, do yourself a favor: go to Hulu and watch "Arrested Development" immediately. Do it. Now.

Blago Blog

2009-04-23T10:52:00.000-07:00

While the possibility of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich participating in an NBC reality show "I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Outta Here!" setin Costa Rica created a lot of buzz, it was not to be. according to the AP, Blago needed a judge's approval to leave the country, and Tuesday, he didn't get it. Here's what I whipped up for The Tico Times Web site:

Rod Blagojevich, the indicted governor of the U.S. state of Illinois, isn't coming to Costa Rica any time soon.
According to news reports, a U.S. district judge on Tuesday denied the
former Democratic governor's bid to travel outside the country in order to appear on NBC's “I'm a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!” reality TV show that will begin production in Costa Rica next month. The judge said Blagojevich, who pled not guilty to federal corruption charges last week, must remain in the United States to assist his attorneys in assembling a defense strategy.

The show, however, will go on. Other rumored contestants include Geraldo Rivera (now doing his thing on Fox News), Duane "Dog the Bounty Hunter" Chapman, and some other lame quasi-celebs from reality shows like The Hill and American Idol whom I've never heard of before. If the rumors are true, my money's on Dog to win (how could you not pick a bounty hunter to survive best in the jungle? Bounty hunters are definitely more qualified to survive the jungle than a mayoral campaign)

NBC will confirm the cast next week, and I should be interviewing an executive producer for more about the show. Tune in next week for updates.

If you must go to Jaco...

2009-04-22T10:59:00.000-07:00

While we only spent a couple hours there Sunday, Jaco was pretty much what I expected--hot, dusty, and not the least bit charming. To be fair, we didn't go to the beach at all, and I would have liked to take some surf lessons there, but we ran out of time. I understand its appeal in having a built-up surf and tourist infrastructure (if you're into hotel towers and condos instead of small boutique inns) and being only a couple hours away, but I wouldn't recommend it for the top your itinerary.

If you're in Jaco for whatever reason or another, however, be sure to check out Taco Bar. On Sunday, we were stuck deciding between a soda and a Subway, but wandering down the streets, past the myriad surf shops and blatantly overpriced eateries, we found the open-air Taco Bar around a corner. Its prices were reasonable (4,400 colones, or a little less than $8) for either a heaping burrito or two tacos, along with free reign at the salad bar. Filling options include chicken, fish and seafood--both Avalon and I went with the mahi and were not disappointed. Niether was my appetite, as I was almost full already from the burrito before I even attempted to tackle the salad bar. Definitely worth checking out if you're in the area.

Did I mistime my European vacation?

2009-04-22T10:27:00.000-07:00

Via NYTimes's Frugal Traveler, who took a 3-month European "Grand Tour" last year:

One year ago, the dollar was in the dumps. ... Today, however, a long European vacation is, in relative terms, far more affordable. The exchange rate is hovering around $1.35 to the euro, not necessarily because the United States economy has gained strength but because the global financial crisis has weakened the Continent’s currencies. Were I planning the trip today, I’d be in much better shape.

So, was my timing bad? Nah. My trip was "only" a month, and I got to visit my sister when she was studying abroad in Copenhagen. I wouldn't have missed that for the world.

It also helps when the parents are coming, too, and helping foot the bill. Thanks again, Mom and Dad!

More on Friedman (pun intended)

2009-04-22T10:13:00.000-07:00

Thomas Friedman's column on Costa Rica, which I blogged about last week, elicited a lot of comments from friends and colleagues here, many of whom were more angry about his positive slant on Costa Rica's environmental record. I thought I'd share some of the responses here.

This blogger (who I don't know) offers a more in-depth smackdown for Friedman than my modest rebuttal. Here are some highlights:

Tom Friedman has to be a better fiction writer than he is a journalist. I prefer to believe that Friedman was just sloppy and not totally dishonest, but honestly for starters, Costa Rica has no municipal sewage treatment plants. The capital of San Jose, two million people, pumps everything into the rivers.

And, from the comments:

Mr. Friedman, if you are still in Costa Rica, please use your real journalistic talents and ask some people about what is happening in places like Crucitas (the gold mine), Sardinal (where the local water supply is under threat to serve coastal hotels), and the fila Costena in southern region of the country where luxury homes have caused serious deforestation threatening downslope mangrove swamps. With all due respect (and regard) Costa Rica needs Tom Friedman the journalist, not Tom Friedman the well-connected columnist on vacation.

The best of both worlds

2009-04-19T20:20:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lax posting of late. Work has been busy, but we've been lucky to have lots of visitors, so I really can't complain! I'll try to get a Semana Santa summary up soon. But first, a little blurb about this weekend while it's fresh in my mind:

The Los Suenos Marriott in Herradura, on the Pacific Coast, lives up to its "dreamy" name. It's by far one of the nicest hotels I've stayed in, and one of the top luxury spots in Costa Rica. Thanks to generosity and connections from my friend Chris who's visiting us this week, we were able to stay there this weekend. And, I'm not going to lie, it was nice.

The pool is a giant maze, the beds are huge and comfy, and there's a swim up bar. The service is great; my only only quibble would be the quality of the food at the hotel, considering the price(We walked over to the Marina area, however, and had two great meals). I wanted to jet down to Jaco Saturday to take some surf lessons, but, sadly, it was too tough to leave the pool.

Which gets me to my next point: it was amazing having two days off at a luxurious resort, but I worry that many of the people staying there don't go see the real Costa Rica. Yes, it's great chilling at the resort, playing golf, perusing the marina and nearby gift shops--but you can do that in Mexico and Hawaii.

Just a quick drive up from Herradura, however, is the Carara National Park. Unassuming, the park is not one of Costa Rica's big names and is easy to miss driving past on the highway. But, paying close atttention, you can spot the macaws soaring over your head on the freeway and get a little glimpse of what lies ahead.

I thought nothing would beat the macaws I saw at Osa. But seeing flocks of them flying over from a nearby lagoon, with giant lizards and crocodiles also within view, is tough to beat. And Carara is easy access--we hadn't planned on going there, so we only wore flip flops and didn't hire a guide. I wouldn't recommend it, but you can handle it in your beach wear (while getting odd looks from the head-to-toe-in-REI-gear "aventure vacationers"), and if you're lucky, see what we saw, all in only a couple hours.

Then, feel better heading back to luxuries of Los Suenos having "roughed it" a little bit. Our friends, however, are heading to Monteverde, which I'll blog about soon.

Friedman on Costa Rica

2009-04-11T21:07:00.000-07:00

First it was Rick Steves. Now, it's Tom Friedman's turn. Two of my favorite columnists come to Costa Rica and neither gives me a holler? Rude.

That aside, here's Friedman on Costa Rica in his Sunday column in the New York Times:

More than any nation I’ve ever visited, Costa Rica is insisting that economic growth and environmentalism work together. It has created a holistic strategy to think about growth, one that demands that everything gets counted. So if a chemical factory sells tons of fertilizer but pollutes a river — or a farm sells bananas but destroys a carbon-absorbing and species-preserving forest — this is not honest growth. You have to pay for using nature. It is called “payment for environmental services” — nobody gets to treat climate, water, coral, fish and forests as free anymore.

Friedman paints a pretty positive picture of Costa Rica's environmental progress, which, while essentially true, definitely glosses over some of the less glamorous goings on of recent years--has he not been reading the Tico Times? He lauds the fact that Costa Rica has a minister in charge of energy and the environment, but doesn't mention that the most recent minister resigned under fire, and his ministry has neglected the country's second-most popular national park.

Yes, despite its problems, there is still much the United States can learn from Costa Rica, especially in the realm of environment and energy. But I'll leave you with this line from the introduction to the "Working Paradise" chapter on the environment from Steven Palmer and Ivan Molina's 2004 Costa Rica Reader:

"No program of ecological protection or conservation alone can solve this extreme and dreadfully ironic coexistence of dense natural diversity with postmodern humanity's limitless capacity to despoil its environment. The indicators point to political struggle and some very tough sacrifices for all contenders if Costa Rica is to remain an ecological jewel in an increasingly degraded and deplted global treasure chest."

Semana Santa Claus may not come to town

2009-04-02T16:12:00.000-07:00

Semana Santa, or Holy Week, is huge in Costa Rica. From what I understand, the country completely shuts down, and everyone heads to the beach. As such, it's a critical week for the country's tourism industry, which is having a tough year with the economic slowdown. As I wrote earlier this week for The Tico Times, Semana Santa may be a disappointment for many tourism outlets this season (sorry for the brutal pun in the headline, but I couldn't resist):

For many tourism outlets throughout the country, Semana Santa, or Easter
Week, is traditionally a final shot at full hotel rooms and busy restaurants,
before the heavy rains of the green season wash away the crowds.

This year, however, the economic slump has hit the tourism industry
hard. With an eye on their wallets, many travelers have elected to stay home in
order to save a couple bucks, and Easter Week is shaping up to be no
exception.

According to the National Tourism Chamber (CANATUR), 71.2 percent of
tourism-related businesses report that reservations are down compared to last
year's Semana Santa.

The chamber, which surveyed 52 tourism outlets, said that 19.2 percent
of businesses reported similar numbers as last year, while 3.8 have seen
reservations rise.

Those that reported a decrease saw reservations decline by an average
of 38.1 percent compared with last year. Hardest hit were tour guides, car
rental agencies and hotels, the chamber said.

Sue Kalmbach, owner of La Paloma Lodge in Drake Bay, on the Southern
Zone's Osa Peninsula, says reservations are down 50 percent compared to last
year's Easter Week. More and more tourists are waiting later to make
reservations, however, so she hopes that things will pick up over the next
week.

“We are exceptionally slow this year,” Kalmbach said. “I think people
are waiting, and I hope that, little by little, they keep coming.”

A business perspective on newspapers

2009-04-02T15:53:00.000-07:00

While the tide of doom-and-gloom, self-loathing articles about the demise of newspapers has slowed down, I thought this article by Daniel Gross in Slate, examining the industry from a business perspective, was a unique take. Here's the money line:

While newspapers have serious problems, the recent failures of several newspaper
companies shouldn't necessarily lead to visions of the apocalypse... the
failures may say more about a style of capitalism than an industry. Each company
was undone in large measure by really stupid (and in one case criminal)
activities by managers.

I think it's a bit oversimplistic to simply blame "a bunch of private equity types," although clearly capitalism and newspapers aren't a good mix right now. But while Gross thinks its a certain type of capitalism that caused the demise of newspapers, I'm inclined to believe it's more of a general, growing perception that information should be free. And I'm willing and able to admit my generation is guilty as charged.

Hey Joe

2009-04-01T20:05:00.000-07:00

In case you missed this, Joe Biden made a stop in Costa Rica Sunday and Monday, meeting with Costa Rican President Oscar Arias and various other Central American leaders. Since the paper's political reporter left a couple weeks ago, and the replacement just started this week, I, the lowly intern, got to join one of the staff reporters and cover the event.

I'd actually covered a Biden event before when I was at The Hill two summers ago. Biden was chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committe and I covered one of his hearings on Iraq. He was just as charamatic now as he was then, although it looked like the campaign and responsibilities of the new office had aged him a bit more.

While Biden's often criticized for longwindedness, I'm somewhat fond of his speaking style. He may say a lot, but he'll eventually get back to answering your question by the end. He says what he thinks, sometimes getting himself into trouble, and his candor is refreshing for a politician. For example, on Monday he told the Central American leaders that his primary concern was getting the U.S. economy back on track (which in itself would be a big help to the small countries of the region which do depend on the economic fortunes of the big brother up north) and said concerns such as immigration reform would have to wait. I may not agree with him 100 percent, but that he was willing to be frank and honest was impressive, and hopefully bodes well for U.S.-Latin American relations.

Speaking of answering questions, no, I didn't get to ask one. Only five questions were permitted by the Costa Rican government press officers, and the themes and questioners were decided beforehand. Two went to local press (taken by the daily paper La Nacion and business daily La Republica), two went to wires (AP and AFP) and one to an international paper (we thought we might have a shot at this, but it went to a reporter from Guatemala instead--and yes, there were other countries there than Costa Rica and the U.S., although all the questions were addressed to Biden).

All in all, it was still a very exciting day. Since Leland, the staff reporter, was also covering the event for The Miami Herald, I got to write the story for the daily page (read it here). We also collaborated later this week for the print edition story, and editorial, which I'll post tomorrow when they are published.

Montezuma's Revenge

2009-03-30T19:33:00.000-07:00

Now that I've got your attention, I'll let you in on a secret: There is no revenge in Montezuma. (Unless you count when the direct bus to Montezuma from San Jose suddenly turned into a Mal Pais bus when we were in Cobano, forcing us to take a cab, but that was no biggie). While it's growing in popularity among budget travelers, Montezuma retains its surf charm, something of a Puerto Viejo on the Pacific Coast. There are deals, too. We stayed at Pension Arenas, which had simple private rooms with a shared (and dirty) bathroom for $10 apiece. That's Nicaragua prices.

Montezuma is located on the southern tip of Nicoya, and you have to take a ferry from Puntarenas to get there. Which, it turns out, is part of the fun--watching the sun set on a Friday afternoon, as gulls and pelicans swoop overhead. While the ferry takes longer than the hour you are told it will, it is nonetheless enjoyable and the time passes quickly.

Montezuma's highlight is its 50-odd-foot tall waterfall a short walk south of town. There's a brief walk through a creek and some smaller waterfalls to get there, then you suddenly turn a corner and realize you're in a magical spot. Beneath the waterfall is a deep pool for swimming, and, for the brave, jumping from the boulders and cliffs nearby.

The scene first reminded me of some swimming holes up along the American River. That is, until some capuchin monkeys showed up, scurrying through the trees high in the canopy above. Then, when we were heading out, we saw some up close as they came down to the creek for a drink. Such is the wonder of Costa Rica: Just when you think you've seen it all, there's another surprise around the corner.

Un remanso de paz (a peaceful haven)

2009-03-19T21:27:00.000-07:00

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and first impressions are important. So, to sum up my fantastic weekend down on the Osa Peninsula with the parents, I'll share an anecdote from our arrival and post some pictures, hopefully elaborating more when I have some time.

Things got off to a rocky start. There was a miscommunication, and I arrived at the airport minutes after our plane took off. Luckily, there were two seats free on a flight a couple hours later, so my mom and I cooled our heels in San Jose while my dad got the head start to Osa (he seemed to be embracing "Pura Vida" well, and met us at the Puerto Jimenez airport with a smile after having a couple beers and getting a tour of the city while he was waiting).

Are you kidding me?

The ride itself was rocky, too, to say the least. We walked out onto the tarmac (there's no jetway when you're fliyng to Osa) to find a small 12-seat plane awaiting us. This is not what I signed up for, I thought. Needless to say, it was a bit bumpy, but the flight went quick and soon we were landing in Puerto Jimenez. Where, of course, there is a cemetary right next to the airport. Not a good sign for those harrowing landings.

A short but bumpy car ride later, we arrived at El Remanso lodge, which, we soon found out, lived up to its name (see title). Within an hour, we were greeted by two scarlet macaws, which swooped in out of the jungle. You can hear them miles away (we later learned that most birds either look good or sound good, compensating one for the other to attract a mate, and macaws clearly fall in to the former category). There were also true toucans (yes, the "toucans" from Arenal were actually aracari) in the tree right outside our room. We walked down to the beach, and, after watching the sky fill with majestic, heavenly color, we encountered monkeys and a huge, two-meter long (allegedly) bird-eating snake (Kathy was less excited about this). Not bad for a first impression.

We split most of our time between exploring the jungles around El Remanso and relaxing by the pool or enjoying the lodge's excellent meals and cold beers. El Remanso's guide, Gerardo, was top-notch. Saturday morning, we went on a three-hour hike along the "ridge trail," where we saw more monkeys, collared peckaries (like a wild boar) numerous birds and butterflies, and learned about the amazing "walking trees." Gerardo was eagle-eyed and extremely knowledgable but made it easy to follow along. He got so excited whenever we encountered something new ("OHMYGOD!" he'd say, "This is going to be very good for us!") that it was hard not to as well.

the crew

We liked Gerardo so much we decided to take the birdwatching tour the next day. I never thought I'd get in to birdwatching (I am very impatient) but it was actually a great time.

Finally, we woke up at 6 our last morning (most days we woke up that early anyway, as the sounds of the jungle don't let you sleep in) to have a canopy breakfast, where you zip-line to a platform up on a tree to have your meal. I must admit, gallo pinto and eggs are especially delecious when you are over 100 feet in the air, in the middle of rain forest canopy.

Biden my time until the next quake

2009-03-13T07:59:00.000-07:00

For anyone keeping up on the news, yes, there have been a couple earthquakes in the last two days in Costa Rica. But they were centered down off the southern Pacific coast, and while I felt some rumbling, there was no damage. I hope, however, since I'm heading that way this weekend, that things calm down for a few days!

Posting will be light here since I'm heading down to the Osa Peninsula with the parents. In the meantime, here's part of my story about U.S. Vice President Joe Biden's visit to Costa Rica later this month:

U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden will be visiting Costa Rica later this month, the Casa Presidencial announced Thursday.

Biden, the first member of the Barack Obama administration to visit Latin America, will stop by Costa Rica March 29 and 30, after participating in The Progressive Leaders Forum in Viña del Mar, Chile, on March 27 and 28.

Chile and Costa Rica are the only two Latin American countries currently on Biden's itinerary, according to news reports.

In a statement released Thursday, Costa Rican President Oscar Arias hailed the visit as a mark of increased engagement with Latin America on the part of the White House.

“The visit of Vice President Biden is a clear sign of renewed interest of the U.S. government with its closest partners and neighbors,” Arias said.

Biden, 66, is a seasoned hand in U.S. foreign policy, having previously served in the Senate, where he was chair of the Foreign Relations Committee. As a senator, Biden voted against the Central American Free Trade Agreement, which Arias had lobbied hard to pass in Costa Rica, citing a lack of labor or environmental standards.

Biden will be accompanied by his wife, Jill, and is the highest-level visitor from the United States since then-President Bill Clinton came to Costa Rica in May 1997.

Note: the Casa Presidencial is basically the Tico equivalent of the White House.

Sun, fun and funk in Samara

2009-03-11T21:59:00.000-07:00

It's important when you're down here to remind yourself that this is Costa Rica. It's not Hawaii. And it's not Mexico. There is a substantial tourist infrastructure here, but it's not a completely developed country. And that's fine. As one tourism consultant told me, Costa Rica's competitive advantage is its amazing natural resources and eco-tourism opportunities. If it tries to turn into Cancun, it will lose.

Which is a long way of introducing this post on Samara, which is somewhat of a funky beach town on the Nicoya Peninsula, on the Pacific Ocean. In many ways, Samara reminds me of a smaller Manuel Antonio, except without the National Park. The upside of no national park, however, is no tourist hordes. I was only able to stay in town for 24 hours with the parents before coming back to San Jose, but the whole time I couldn't help thinking that we nearly had the place to ourselves.

What really brought the funk, however, was our hotel, Brisas del Pacifico. Clearly, with its faded paint and tacky architecture, its better days are behind it. And it was somewhat disconserting that the worker behind the counter first tried to take us to the worst room in the place before we corrected him. But once we were there for a little while, the funk soaked in and eventually felt even a little bit charming. The cabanas on the beach, with a bar just a few feet away, were definitely a nice touch. And we had the top section of the hotel, which compenstated for the steep, long stairway up the hill with amazing views of the Pacific, almost completely to ourselves.

All in all, Samara is just a little too far from San Jose to make it a cinch for a weekend beach trip, but was a nice way to check out Nicoya. There didn't seem to be any cheap hostels, but there looked to be some low-priced hotels. Unless you want to eat at a soda, the food isn't cheap either (We ate dinner at Las Brasas, a Spanish restaurant in town that served up a mean paella and refreshing gazpacho, although the service left a lot to be desired. We ate lunch the next day on the beach at a place whose name escapes me, but offered some delicious, although pricey, chicken and mushroom quesadillas). It's definitely worth returning to, although I hope that my bus doesn't have mechanical difficulties on the way back to San Jose next time. It wouldn't be Costa Rica, however, if there wasn't bus drama.

Time and NY Times weigh in on newspapers

2009-03-09T21:48:00.000-07:00

A couple more interesting reads out there on the future of newspapers. Both advocate for some sort of pay-per-view model for online news, arguing that advertising is not enough to generate the quality or quantity of news content we need.

The firrst, from Time Magazine, says there's some hope in a future "micropayment" system where, like we've become accustomed to paying $0.99 for a song on iTunes, we'll someday pay a couple pennies for each news story we read on iNews (or, more likely, each news source's Web platform):

Under a micropayment system, a newspaper might decide to charge a nickel for an article or a dime for that day's full edition or $2 for a month's worth of Web access. Some surfers would balk, but I suspect most would merrily click through if it were cheap and easy enough.

In the NY Times, David Carr advocates for something similar. He also points out that the traditional regulations that have prevented newspaper mergers in a single market are outdated and have prevented some necessary consolidation. I'd like to add that antitrust laws keeping newspapers and TV stations from merging are also too old-fashioned, at some point they're both going to be doing the same thing on the Web, so we might as well get them working together now. The traditional barriers are meaningless, and meanwhile the old stalwarts are crumbling. Here's the money quote from newspaper analyst John Morton:

“Only newspapers are economically organized to cover a broad swath of events,” he said. “A lot of aggregators have been taking advantage of that, and pretty soon, there will be nothing to aggregate. But that can’t really be discussed among newspaper owners because of antitrust problems.”

Clearly, newspapers have done a lot to get themselves in this hole. But outdated regulations shouldn't be making the problem worse.

The top 5 most annoying things about Costa Rica

2009-03-05T20:23:00.000-08:00

Since I'm now just over the half-way mark of my time down here, I figured it would be good to sit back and reflect on the first two months. Lest you think I'm lounging away in paradise, Costa Rica is far from perfection, and has many frustrating aspects that I didn't foresee beforehand. And since, starting this weekend with my parents, we're soon to have a lot of visitors, I figured I'd give everyone a heads up on what to expect. Thus, I present to you, the top 5 most annoying things about Costa Rica.

1. Traffic/Tico drivers: Someone told me that "Costa Rica is fun... once you learn to drive like a Tico." But I don't think such skills could be taught. This isn't India, mind you, but it's not far off, and a far cry from what I found in Chile.

The biggest problem, though, isn't the drivers. It's the roads. San Jose's infrastructre was built long before the population skyrocketed to the 1 million-plus currently residing in the metro area. The same rings true for the country in general--it has largely overgrown its initial infrastructure development, and the roads and highways haven't caught up. If you're a Sacramentan, think of the stretch of I-80 right before Cal Expo (where, for some reason, they think an arena should go) where there is traffic at all hours of the day. Now, extrapolate that across an entire city, only the people drive like maniacs. That's San Jose.

I used to hate the honking, but when you're in a cab and some idiot is blocking the only lane in the street so he can run into the local convenience store to buy ciagarettes (there is no parallel parking here), by all means, I say, lay on the horn. Speaking of cabs...

2. Sketchy cab drivers: Taxi drivers in Costa Rica recently went on strike because they felt the government wasn't doing enough to crack down on the piratas, or unoffical, non-sanctioned taxi drivers. But, as far as I can tell, even offically liscenced taxis (you can tell because they're all painted red with a yellow seal on the side) aren't the most scrupulous bunch. Especially at night, they'll come up with some reason that they can't use their maria, or meter, and will charge you some arbitrary, absurd amount to rip you off. The worst are the vultures that cluster outside bus stops, hawking their services to the desperate, unwary tourist. Now, I've made it a habit to walk a few blocks away from the bus station and just hail a cab from the street. So far, that's worked.

3. Unreliability, or Tico time: No, not The Tico Times. But "Tico time" -- the fact that most Ticos run 15 minutes to a half hour late. I've had interviewees make me wait over an hour in their office, then tell me they're busy and would call me later. I've seen government press conferences start 40 minutes late, and arrived at the airport at noon only to learn that the press conference I was told was at 12:30 was, in fact, at 2:30. For a country that seems to eschew all things "complicated" they could do a little more to help themselves out.

4. Arbitrary adherence to random rules and regulations: This one is also somewhat transit related, as I can't count the number of times I'm on the bus, and it pulls into the stop behind another bus or taxy, but the driver won't open the doors. Instead, he'll wait the several minutes it takes for the previous bus to fully unload and load. Then he will pull up only a couple feet and open the doors, as if the small space made all the difference in the world. And yet the same driver will stop traffic if he pulls up to another bus at a red light and will chat away with the adjacent bus driver long after the light turns green.

But it's not just buses. Press secretaries will make me formally arrange an interview with a government minister or submit emails, giving me the bureaucratic run-around to ensure that whatever quotes I get are unoffensive, proper, and completely useless, only to have the minister give me his cell phone number and spout off, completely breaking the party line.

5. Prices: To be fair, this is more of a misconception than anything. But Costa Rica is not a bargain. If you're looking for dirt cheap travel, go to Nicragua. Costa Rica is wealthier and more stable than its neighbors, and such is the price of development, apparently, that things simply cost more. While you can get a solid lunch for 1,700 colones (about $3) its almost always going to be chicken, rice, and beans, and something more spectacular will set you back more. While it's still way cheaper than the U.S., I guess it's just more expensive than I thought it would be. Or maybe it's my pittance of an intern salary is going faster than I thought it would...

Guitar Hero

2009-03-04T17:41:00.000-08:00

When I first came to Costa Rica over two months ago, I made a to-do list that went roughly as follows: 1) see a sloth, 2) learn to surf, and 3) buy a guitar. The first, as readers of this blog know, I crossed off the list a month ago in Puerto Viejo. Number two is still to come, hopefully. And three, I'm happy to report, is finally in the bank.

I had first hoped to buy a classical, Spanish-style guitar in Spain last fall. But due to the luggage constraints of solo backpacking, as well as difficulties navigating around the Spanish siesta, this was a no-go.

Thus, I resolved to buy a guitar to satisfy my musical cravings in Costa Rica. Two months later, I finally have one. Since we rarely stay in San Jose on the weekends, and I'm usually busy with work on the weekdays, it has been difficult to find time. But this past weekend, I made it my top priority.

Buying guitar is a surprisingly dangerous venture here, unless you're willing to settle for a pawn shop or cheap model. But I wanted to buy mine from the legendary Hermanos Guzman, brothers who have been crafting hand-made guitars in Costa Rica for years. The only problem is that the Hermanos Guzman live in Tibas, a notorious San Jose suburb whose murder rate ranks up there with Detroit, Baltimore and Newark.

It was a Saturday afternoon, however, and we took a cab and were fine. I did, unfortunately, lose my glasses on the way--they were in my pocket in a case and must have fallen out when I was in the cab. I was so pleased with my new purchase, however, that I didn't care. Glasses are replaceable, but this guitar is pricess. OK--it was more more money than I planned to spend, but it sounds awesome and is without a doubt one-of-a-kind.

More on Manuel Antonio

2009-03-02T17:42:00.001-08:00

I realize that my post the other day on the Manuel Antonio trip is somewhat discombobulated. I think in trying to recap the travel as well as the issues at the park, I may have tried to bite off more than I can chew in one post. So here, if you're interested, is my story recapping the current situation at the park:

Manuel Antonio National Park will stay open, for now.

Local businesses and tourism outlets breathed a sigh of relief Friday after Health Minister María Luisa Avila gave the Environment, Energy and Telecommunications Ministry (MINAET) a four-month extension to resolve the park's longtime sewage contamination problems.

Avila announced the decision after touring Manuel Antonio Friday with officials from MINAET and the Costa Rican Water and Sewer Institute (AyA). The Health Ministry had given MINAET until Thursday to correct the problems at the park, which included mosquito-breeding standing water, a garbage dump on site and sewage leaks from the bathrooms near the park's most popular beach.

While park administrators had resolved the first two issues last week, MINAET and local business leaders sought an extension to resolve the sanitation problems, which they said could not be solved before the Health Ministry's 10-day deadline. According to a statement by MINAET, portable bathrooms will be installed for tourists while construction begins on new, permanent bathrooms and a sewage treatment facility for the park.

Greasing the wheels will be ¢120 million (about $214,000) from the Costa Rica Tourism Institute (ICT), half of which will fund the sewage treatment plant, while the rest will be earmarked for infrastructure improvements, including new buildings to house park rangers.

Between 1,000 and 2,000 tourists attend the park every day, generating over ¢1 billion (nearly $1.8 million) last year in revenue. That money is put into a general fund and split among the country's national parks, however, leaving meager resources for the country's second-most visited park, park administrators said.

Richard Lemire, president of the Aguirre Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, expressed gratitude for ICT's assistance and the Health Ministry's understanding, but warned that park operations must not return to business as usual.

“Obviously, that won't be enough,” Lemire said of the ICT funding. “We're still very concerned with the basic administration of MINAET.”

For its part, MINAET said it is conducting an internal investigation to determine how conditions have deteriorated so badly at Manuel Antonio, and how funds appropriated for the park are being used.

While a happy ending, especially for those hoping to visit the park in the coming weeks, it's far from the end of the story. Needless to say I'll be keeping an eye on whether the government actually follows through and cleans up its act.

More on newspapers

2009-03-01T08:08:00.000-08:00

I happened upon this essay, originally from The New Republic, this morning when I was reading the recap of last night's Kings game on The Sacramento Bee's Web site. The author, Princeton Professor Paul Starr, does a good job summarizing the current state of newspapers and analyzing their importance to the public. I thought it was interesting he referred to news as a "public good" here:

Public goods are notoriously underproduced in the marketplace, and news is a public good – and yet, since the mid-19th century, newspapers have produced news in abundance at a cheap price to readers and without need of direct subsidy.

Public goods usually are something you want the government to subsidize, since the market is not producing the optimal amount on its own. I expected Starr to follow with some proposal for the government to subsidize newspapers, which, thankfully, he didn't. Not every paper can be BBC or NPR, and the idea of the watchdog having a tie to the government makes me nervous.

Taking a step back, the fact that I even stumbled upon this story shows that reading news on the Web isn't all bad. Many have cited the "serendipity" that print newspapers allow--the stories that you wouldn't go out of your way to read, but are happy you found--and lamented that there is no such parallel online. But that's not necessarily true, as I found out this morning.

Going going, back back to Manuel Antonio

2009-02-28T15:53:00.000-08:00

One of the best things about being here for a few months is the ability to return to places I've already been in order to catch something I may have missed the first time. In the case of Manuel Antonio, that something was only the main reason most people go there: Manuel Antonio National Park, the 2nd most visited national park in the whole country, and the home of some of Costa Rica's most beautiful beaches.

Those beaches, however, just lost their Blue Flag status, which is nationwide recognition for eco-friendliness, because of the risk of sewage contamination (for more, see my article in The Tico Times earlier this week here).

You see, my weekend at the beach wasn't all fun in the sun (although there was plenty of that). I had four stories to write--a hotel review, feature on a local gift shop that opened a bar & grill, and a piece on a new clinic to rehab injured jungle animals, and, last but not least, a report on the sanitary issues at the national park. That may sound like a lot to handle in two and a half days, but things surprisingly worked out well.

I knew we were set for a good weekend when Avalon and I got out of the house late on Friday, had the slowest taxi driver known to man, and showed up 5 minutes late for our noon bus to Manuel Antonio. Running to the bus station from the curb (Avalon, you may be surprised to hear, is actually quite fast when need be) we managed to get on just in time. Sometimes, Tico Time (or the fact that most things here run late) is just what you need.

Yesterday, the country's health minister visited Manuel Antonio to check on the progress the park had made in cleaning up its act. There was a reasonable chance she would order the park closed--meaning I would have been there the last weekend possible--because of the sewage leaks from the bathrooms, a problem that is endemic to the entire park system and has existed for years.

Luckily, she agreed to give the park a few more months to come up with a long-term solution Hopefully, the specter of a closed-down Manuel Antonio will scare the environmental industry, as well as local businesses, into action. Closing the park would have been a huge blow to the local economy, but the country can't afford to neglect its environmental gems anymore.

And, on that somber note, I'll leave you with some more pictures of the beach and the park. Including monkeys, which lost a little bit of their luster when I realized how tame they had become in order to try to steal food from people. When some French tourists started feeding them, ignoring the orders of the park ranger, I had to get out of there.

Unfortunately, this sign was ignored:

Where is CJ Craig when you need her?

2009-02-26T21:17:00.000-08:00

Today, I went to my first politics-related press conference. I've been to press conferences before here, but this was at the Casa Presidencial, or the Costa Rican equivalent of the White House. The president wasn't there, but the Presidency Minister (still not sure what that means, exactly) as well as a few other ministers were on hand to talk about the economy. At least, I think that's what they were talking about...

In many ways, the press room at the Casa Pres reminds me of Kresge Auditorium, a lecture hall back at Stanford, but on a smaller scale. The set up is almost exactly the same--podium up front, stadium seats ascending away from the stage, and the huge windows on the side walls that allow you to daydream and gaze at the palm trees outside. Also, exactly like a group of college students (and unlike the White House) the press corps fill all the back rows first, only very reluctantly taking the risk of sitting up front. Fake plants adorn the stage, highlighted by green and orange accent lights--something Kresge could probably use back at Stanford to liven up those econ lectures.

As the press conference begins, I struggle to keep up. The ministers refer to several events that took place in the country before I arrived, and, without the context, following along is difficult. The rapid-fire Spanish compounds the problem. To top it off, however, several cell phones go off during the conference--and the reporters have the gall to answer them and carry on a conversation! This would never happen in a Stanford class, much less in the White House!

I hear that such occurances are actually common. In fact, a co-worker told me a story involving a doctor who answered his phone while performing surgery. So, those of you who were contemplating it, it may be time to reconsider the whole medical tourism idea.

Keeping up on the news: the good, the bad, and the ugly

2009-02-26T18:42:00.000-08:00

OK, I swear I'll get back to writing about Costa Rica soon. But there were three articles today that caught my eye, and I couldn't help commenting on them. Let's call them the good, the bad, and the ugly.

First, the good. Obama's new plan for the federal budget may be massive, but it's a step in the right direction. I was particularly encouraged by his plan to cut farm subsidies, which have been a pet peeve of mine since I researched the Farm Bill (for more, check out Michael Pollan's seminal 2007 piece in the New York Times magazine). While farm state members of Congress always fight subsidy cuts tooth and nail, screaming that to do so would destroy the American farmer, the reality is the American taxpayer is funding large corporate farms. Luckily, the Obama Administration is coming out early and arguing that the large farms are being targeted specifically, which may take some ammo out of his opponents' arsenal in the looming Congressional battle.

Now, for the bad. This story is slightly problematic for me since it relies on a single source and seems like Reuters may be stretching for an "exclusive." But the premise is troubling enough: abuses in Guantanamo have actually worsened since Obama took office.

Finally, the ugly. I don't normally read the entertainment section of Google News, but the word "Sacramento" always will catch my eye. From MSNBC, of all places: Sacramento radio station bans Chris Brown.

More malas noticias (bad news) for the news industry

2009-02-24T19:14:00.000-08:00

I used to love our family vacations to San Francisco. The sights and sounds, Chinatown, the thrill of Giants games, the glorious Golden Gate... and the Sunday Chronicle. Now, as the news industry continues its spiral to oblivion, reports are that the Chronicle is teetering on the brink:

"The Hearst Corp. today announced an effort to reverse the deepening operating losses of its San Francisco Chronicle by seeking near-term cost savings that would include "significant" cuts to both union and non-union staff.

In a posted statement, Hearst said if the savings cannot be accomplished "quickly" the company will seek a buyer, and if none comes forward, it will close the Chronicle. The Chronicle lost more than $50 million in 2008 and is on a pace to lose more than that this year, Hearst said."

Clearly, operating print newspapers on a for-profit basis is no longer viable. But what is the answer? No one knows. In my history and future of journalism class last spring, we discussed some of the possibilities, including non-profits and the Web. There is no perfect solution.

As the article suggests, the organization's Web site "depends on the Chronicle's print news staff for much its content." Cutting down somewhat and re-launching as a Web-only news outlet would be better than closing altogether, but how much journalism would that organization be able to produce? And would that even be viable?

One article I read said that San Francisco is a tough market, since the Bay Area is saturated with daily newspapers. But wouldn't you think that The Chronicle would be the last one standing? Why would anyone like me want to be starting a career in journalism again?

UPDATE: The Rocky Mountain News, which has operated in the Denver community for 150-odd years, is folding. The days of two majors newspapers in most metro areas are long gone, but troubling news for the industry nonetheless.

Keeping up on the news: Political musings of the week

2009-02-23T16:42:00.000-08:00

Living abroad means I cant be the news junkie I am when back home. I only glance at The New York Times Web site a couple times per day, depending on how busy I am at work and how tired I am when I get home. A sad state for any would-be journalist and blogger, I really only get to skim the headlines on Google News. For those lamenting the demise of the news industry, I am part of the problem.

That said, I do get to check out The Sacramento Bee as well (mostly for updates on the sad state of affairs regarding your Sacramento Kings) and was happy to see that the budget finally was passed. I was less happy to see that the state Republicans ousted their leader for his willingness to compromise and openly mocked their own members who were willing to strike a deal (speaking of "being of part of the problem and not the solution"...). This mirrors some of the news I saw this weekend, regarding Republican governors and their political grandstanding on the stimulus package. Thankfully, Arnold was not one of them.

While I voted for his opponent both times, I’m happy to see Arnold assume the mantle of moderation within the Republican Party. It’s somewhat of a shame that he can’t seek the presidency (thanks to the constitution) because I’d much rather see him setting the national Republican agenda than conservatives like Palin or Jindal, both clearly pandering to the conservative base with their eyes on 2012. Of course, political grandstanding is nothing new, but playing politics with the economy in a time of crisis is something I can’t really stand for. I applaud Arnold’s pragmatism, recognizing that tax cuts aren’t the solution all the time. (And really, if you think tax cuts are the solution when the economy is good, and you think tax cuts are the solution when the economy is bad, isn’t that just a sign of the kind ideological indoctrination and blockheaded stubbornness that got us into this mess in the first place? Show some common sense and willingness to adapt to the situation, why don’t you?)

It’s not like the Democrats are blameless either. I just read in today’s Times that Obama’s first forays into Social Security reform are being met with opposition from liberal Democrats and Congressional Leaders. I’ve long said Obama may have more trouble with Democrats than Republicans in Congress. Hopefully, he’ll be able to continue his pledge of bipartisanship and putting national interest above party or ideology. The article notes, I must point out, that analysts agree that both taxes and cuts in spending are needed to solve the problem. Sounds a lot like the California budget crisis doesn’t it? Hopefully, Obama will fare better than Arnold in convincing legislators to do the right thing. What’s clear, however, is that we need more Obamas, and dare I say more Arnolds, to continue to press for a consensus of cooperation, moderation and practicality. A little compromise could go a long way right now.

Now, back to Costa Rica…

In case you're still on the fence about visiting

2009-02-17T21:19:00.001-08:00

Good economic news--for once:

"The exchange rate between the US dollar the Costa Rican colon reached an all time high yesterday, the Banco Central de Costa Rica (BCCR) setting the sell at ¢567.94 and the buy at ¢558.18. The exchange rate a little over two weeks ago, on January 31, was ¢558.18 for the buy and ¢555.51 for the sell.

...

One economist, Roxana Morales, of the Universidad Nacional (UNA) says that the trend will continue, due to a decrease in exports and a decrease of tourists visiting Costa Rica."

Bordering on insanity

2009-02-15T21:24:00.001-08:00

You know something isn't quite right when a two hour border crossing makes the rest of a 9 hour bus ride feel like a breeze. But such was the case crossing the border from Costa Rica to Nicaragua, on our way from San Jose to Granada.

It sounded like it would be a piece of cake when one of my coworkers told me about the experience. "They collect your passports on the bus and take care of everything for you," I thought I heard. "You don't have to wait in line." That memory must have been my imagination.

The bus operator did, in fact, collect our passports. Twice, actually. First, they take everyone's passports to get stamped departing Costa Rica. Then, as you pass through Costa Rica's border post into Nicaragua (where it seemingly got hotter by about 10 degrees) they handed passports back, calling names out one by one on the bus. Next, you pay the $8 entry fee for Nicaragua (which they say is only for Nicaragua, but in fact there's one on the flip side for Costa Rica, albeit somewhat less) and they collect passports once more to get the entry stamp for Nicaragua.

At that point, we filed out of the bus. People milled about gathering their luggage out of the bus's baggage compartment, while Avalon and I were able to get a head start at the customs line since we only had carry on luggage. Convenient, but we had to wait for everyone to process, anyway. Customs itself was uneventful. You present your customs card and then press a big yellow button and try your hand at customs roulette, as a stop light will light up either green or red. Green means you're home free (relatively speaking, as you're free to go stand by the bus and wait for everyone else) but red means you go get your bags searched. Avalon and I both passed with green. But behind us, an old nun in a white habit pushed the button and was greeted with a red light. I assume she'll get her reward in Heaven.

Finally, after fending off locals trying to sell us gum, spirographs, and passport wallets, and waiting for the rest of our co-passengers to pass customs, a border agent passed out passports and we boarded the bus and ambled on to Granada. As we left, I noticed a mass of people lined up to get their passports stamped on the other side of the building where we had been. As bad as the border wait was, I imagine if you didn't have a bus company coordinating your crossing, it could be much worse.

Now, the border crossing on the return trip included a much quicker trip through the Nicraguan side, but logically, Costa Rica then wanted to make sure we weren't bringing anything nasty back. We also had to get out of the bus to get our passports stamped, which I didn't mind at all, except the guards were very anal about which way the line went. Costa Ricans tend to be arbitrarily anal about rules that don't matter at all, while simiulanously ignoring general principles and otherwise helpful rules. (Expect a blog post on this soon.)

We got our stamps (and yes, the 3 days out of the country does get you another three months on a tourist visa, or so it seems) and went to customs. Which, strangely enough, was much less organized than the Nicraguan side.

At Penas Blancas on the Nicaraguan border, Costa Rica customs consists essentially of a man in a dirty button down shirt and dress pants ordering everyone line up to put their luggage on a bench outside the office. Then, he first inspects not the luggage or its contents, but the manner in which the luggage is lined up. If it's on its side a certain way, or not maximizing the space of the bench, he will rearrange it. After several minutes of this aimless activity, the man dissapears. After 10 minutes doing God knows what, he returns, and he and his cronies rifle through the luggage briefly to inspect for whatever they inspect for at customs. Except, if you're like Avalon and I, standing in between the benches because no one told you to move or put your luggage down, then you apparently don't get checked, as we slid away surreptitiously without being searched. (Lord knows what we could have smuggled into the country and could be selling now for triple my Tico Times salary). All this time I was sweating profusely and trying to do the math in my head of how much the country pays the customs man and his cronies to do what a simple x-ray machine could do at a much faster rate, and how much said machine would cost or save in the long run. But, by the time I could finish my math, we were back boarding the bus and on our way to San Jose. This actually took a while. I am bad at math.

Border issues aside, we had a fantastic three days in Nicraragua. The country--well Granada at least--is cheap and charming. Expect further posts on our stay in the next day or so.

Rocking times over, tourism slump has Costa Rica singing the blues

2009-02-06T17:24:00.000-08:00

You won't believe me, but the music metaphor wasn't my idea but my editor's. But anyways, here's my story (as promised) about how the economic slowdown is taking its toll on the tourism industry in Costa Rica. I've posted the first few paragraphs, click on the link for the whole story:

On a Saturday night in Puerto Viejo in late January, Rocking J's is packed. The hostel, a popular destination for backpackers and budget travelers on the Caribbean, teems with twenty-somethings shouting and laughing, kicking back with a beer after a long day of surfing and tanning on the beach.
Unfortunately, nights like this are increasingly rare in Costa Rica these days. In interviews with nearly a dozen hotel owners, tour operators and tourism officials, almost all expressed the same concern: The global economic downturn is beginning to take its toll on tourism in Costa Rica. And many are worried, unsure when the crisis is going to end and just what can be done to weather the storm.

“We were dead in the water,” Rocking J's owner Joseph John Korchmaros said of the slowdown that hit his hostel beginning in October, considered to be the high season in the Caribbean. “We could barely stay afloat. We didn't have a high season.”

For the tourism industry in much of the country, the high season is just beginning. But according to a poll of 66 businesses conducted by the National Tourism Chamber (CANATUR) last month, more than 60 percent of respondents said reservations for the first quarter of 2009 were down compared to 2008. Those that reported a slowdown said reservations had declined an average of 29 percent. And the number of passengers at Juan Santamaría International Airport was down 8.25 percent for the first 15 days of the month, CANATUR reported.

“Definitely, there is a slowdown,” said Alexi Huntley, commercial director at Nature Air. “We've seen about a 10 percent reduction in passengers flown. People are really shopping around; they are more price-sensitive and are comparing different providers. People are holding on to their money more, and that hurts everybody. Everyone's a little freaked out.”

Don't stop the Rock

2009-02-03T20:33:00.000-08:00

Rocking J's, the hostel we stayed at in Puerto Viejo, is something like a Hawaiian Hofbrauhaus set on the Caribbean Coast of Costa Rica. In the morning, Jack Johnson songs meander their way up to our private room (while advertised as "Costa Rica's one and only hammock hostel" we decided to fork out the few extra dollars for a bit of privacy). The walls and floors are covered in either colorful tiles or murals, both seemingly the creation of backpackers come before. Indeed, on Saturday, J himself invited us to create our own tile art on the other side of the hammock room, but we elected to bike down to Punta Uva instead (a fateful decision).

Biking is the best way to get around Puerto Viejo. There's not a whole lot in the "town" per se, with many bars, restaurants, hotels and shops straddling the beach and the road south toward Manzanillo. Thankfully, there's not a lot of development, and where there is, it doesn't block the view of the beach from the road in most cases. That just doesn't seem to be the Caribbean style.

I wrote this initially under a thatched roof with hammocks, rocking chairs, and a large hollowed out log (where I chose to sit). My bag sits on a bench plastered with old music CDs--an interesting mosaic of styles and colors. By day, J's is mostly quiet, but at night it livens up quite a bit, somewhat too much. As Avalon said, "We're on a hostel budget but over the hostel scene." Some hostel scenes aren't so bad, quite fun, in fact. But J's Saturday night was a bit much, with a group of kids ("retards," Avalon says) who one would think had never touched alcohol before or spent much time with members of the opposite sex. But back to the story... I'm working on an article for The Tico Times about the economic slowdown and its effects on tourism in Costa Rica. While many hotels in the country are struggling, J's seemed to be immune. Or so I thought.

I talked to J himself today, and it sounds like things are pretty rough there too. This weekend was packed but it's been slow otherwise, he said. Actually, what he said was "October through December f***ing killed us, man." That part probably won't make it in The Tico Times. When the article comes out, I'll post more here.

Stay tuned tomorrow, as there apparently may be a taxi strike that shuts down roads throughout San Jose. As if commuting wasn't fun enough!

Sloth Sighting!

2009-02-01T20:49:00.000-08:00

It was a slightly overcast Saturday on the road from Puerto Viejo to Punta Uva. The road, filled with potholes, meandered south between the beach and the jungle. Unlike Costa Rica's Pacific coast, the Caribbean side is far less developed, meaning instead of high rise hotels and massive marinas, each turn brought a small lodge or perhaps simply a local soda. Most turns brought more jungle.

There were nearly a dozen of us biking, and Avalon and I were at the end of the pack. We turned one corner and saw a group of bikers congregated a couple hundred meters ahead on the right side of the road. "Oh man," I thought, "I wonder whose bike went out?" (Several had already experienced issues with their tires and chains).

As we got closer I realized that there must have been an animal by the road, as several people had their cameras out and were carefully making their way off the shoulder. I assumed it was a monkey, but was pedaled faster to see because we had seen a lot more flora than fauna so far on the trip. I was pleasantly surprised, however, to find it wasn't a monkey, but a large sloth sitting in a tree by the road!

Avalon thought it was disgusting (apparently sloths house some sort of fungus on their fur) but I was excited, hoping to see a sloth for some time now. OK, excited may be an understatement. The lighting was pretty dark but I took some photos (since brightened by my completely uneducated hand in iPhoto--any photoshoppers out there want to take a stab at them, let me know) as well as a video, which I'll post at the end of this entry.

The skies opened up and we receieved an unwanted shower when we reached Punta Uva. It was fun for a while swimming in the Carribean in the rain, but soon we got pretty wet and miserable. Luckily, the rain stopped during the ride back, and we went from being cold and soaked to refreshed and damp. And, in the end, it was completely worth it to see the sloth. Now, if only we can see some monkeys...

More on Puerto Viejo to come soon

Observation of the day, 1/28

2009-01-28T17:44:00.000-08:00

The radio on the bus was blaring "Billie Jean" on the ride home this evening.

Who says globalization isn't great?

Are you feeling lucky?

2009-01-25T14:52:00.000-08:00

This weekend, Avalon and I decided to stay in San Jose. It's been pretty low-key, which allows me to finally catch up on blogging about what we did last weekend.

Last weekend, we were able to enjoy the biggest perk of interning at The Tico Times: hotel reviews. That's right, we get to go stay at a sweet hotel somewhere outside San Jose, eat the food, meet the people, then come back and write about it--all on the Tico Times' dime. Our first destination? Lucky Bug B&B in Nuevo Arenal, a few hours northwest of San Jose, by Lake Arenal and the Arenal volcano.

I had my choice between Lucky Bug and a hippie-ish hotel down in Puerto Viejo. While we are jonesin to get down to PV (probably will next weekend) hippie-ish turned out to be some full-fleged "spiritual experience" retreat. Then, when I saw that the owners of Lucky Bug had moved to Costa Rica from Mt. Shasta it was no contest. We were feeling lucky.

"Why would anyone leave Mt. Shasta?" I wondered aloud. Costa Rica is amazing, yes, but Mt. Shasta's pretty amazing in its own right. Then, Avalon responded: "Why don't you ask your parents?" She had a point.

But I digress... Getting to Nuevo Arenal proved to be an experience in itself. Once again, we (I) dropped the ball by not getting bus tickets in advance, and we had to stand or sit uncomfortably on the floor of the bus for most of the four-hour journey. And that only got us to Tilaran, where we had to wait and take another bus to Nuevo Arenal. We decided when we come back to this area, we're renting a car.

But once we finally got to Lucky Bug, our discomfort and anxiety from the by then five hour journey went away fairly quickly. We were treated to a lunch by the incredibly kind and generous owner, Monika, who chatted with us about Costa Rica, Mt. Shasta and life between helping customers at Lucky Bug's art gallery and cafe. There's an incredible amount of art there, both on sale at the gallery and in the rooms themselves. Much of it is animal-themed iron and tilework done by one of Monika's triplet daughters. It lends a warm, creative ambience to the place that vibes well with the jungle around it.

We were, however, disappointed a bit that the weather was off-and-on cloudy. That, combined with the difficulty of traveling the area without a car, meant that we never got a chance to check out the volcano. We also went 0-3 in our hopes to see the turtle in Lucky Bug's private lake, or the monkeys and sloth supposedly inhabiting the adjacent rain forest. (The icing on the cake was when a downpour began the minute I left the dock while taking the kayak for a spin in the lake, see picture above).

But shortly before we left on Sunday, our luck took a turn for the better: one, then two, then three toucans showed up outside the cafe. First, they were perched in a nearby tree. Then, one by one, they flew over to a feeding post that had some banana peels and other fruit scraps. Avalon and I, just a few feet away, were speechless. I'll let the photo say the rest:

Picture of the Day

2009-01-23T16:23:00.000-08:00

Protectionism? Or unjustified putdown of 90s r&b superstars?

Shoutout from Rick Steves

2009-01-21T20:01:00.000-08:00

Anyone who has traveled with the Fitzgeralds knows our affinity for Rick Steves (or, as he was known during one European vacation, Rick James). While Steves is excellent an excellent source for advice, he almost exclusively sticks to Europe when it comes to travel guides. Thus, I was intrigued to see that his column in the Seattle Times recently mentioned a trip to Costa Rica:

When I want to take a vacation, I don't go to Europe. I work in Europe — so I try to take vacations elsewhere. This year's Christmas gift to my family was a week in Costa Rica. I'd never been to Central America to simply relax, and I was clueless about Costa Rica. I just signed up for the best eight days that my friend's tour company could offer.

Click the link for the whole thing. He also has a second column here, that, while chronicling his entire trip, lacks much in the way of substantive details or suggestions. While it was interesting to get Rick's impressions of Costa Rica, I was a little disappointed. It's clear Costa Rica isn't his main gig, and when traveling here he is a mere mortal like the rest of us.

Where were you during Obama's inauguration?

2009-01-20T22:06:00.001-08:00

I was at La Luz restaurant, in a hotel outside San Jose, reporting a story for the Tico Times. An American owns the place, and put on an event for expats and interested locals wanting to watch the festivities on a big screen. An interesting group, including the American ambassador to Costa Rica, who, despite being a Bush appointee, seemed genuinely moved and excited about the day's events.

It's not the complete version (won't be out until Friday) but here's an excerpt:

A couple minutes past noon Eastern Standard Time yesterday in Washington, D.C., Barack Obama placed his hand on the Bible and was sworn in as the 44th president of the United States of America.

Cheers erupted from the approximately 75 Ticos and U.S. citizens gathered in La Luz Restaurant outside Escazú, where the inauguration was projected on a giant screen.

“Personally, I just felt it was a very terrific moment in our history,” said Timothy Lattimer, regional environmental officer at the U.S. Embassy in San José. “It marks a new beginning, and I think that it sets a great example of how our democracy can renew itself.”

Some grew emotional at the sight of Obama, the nation's first African-American president, assuming its highest office. Obama acknowledged this feat briefly in his inaugural address, noting that a “man whose father less than 60 years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.”

“For me, as an African-American, seeing this opens a world of possibility,” said Gregory Toussaint, from Miami, Florida. “It shatters the highest glass ceiling.”

For many throughout the world, the inauguration also highlighted anticipation for a new era of relations with the United States.

President Oscar Arias told the daily La Nación Monday that the new president must close the prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and step up its efforts to bring peace to the Middle East.

For many Ticos, though, yesterday was largely business as usual. While millions around the world sat glued to their television screens to watch the ceremony, San José was much more subdued, with patrons casually glancing at newscasts in sodas over lunch.

“We just have to wait and see if there will be any change,” said Jaqueline Malegro, a waitress at one corner restaurant. “We don't know anything yet."

Pura vida, without complications

2009-01-19T17:43:00.000-08:00

Avril would do well here. While Costa Rica's semi-official national slogan is pura vida, or "pure life," it could very well be simple vida, or perhaps keep it simple, stupid, were Ticos to be so rude (and other than some cab drivers, they aren't). For, a lack of street signs aside, Ticos eschew all things "complicated." Indeed, as far as I can tell, complicated is synonymous with bad.

Take our hostel owner, for example. When we asked about an area of town in which we were looking at an apartment, his description was, "Well... it's a bit complicated." I expected further elaboration. None came.

Similarly, when trying to figure out a time to meet with our landlord, he told us Monday would be complicated. I guess he could have easily been busy, but it's something more than that. And it's not like Ticos don't work hard, or that difficult is bad. It's more that, well, simple is best.

Unless, of course, you're trying to take the bus out of town. (More on that, later).

Cuatro mil palabras (Four thousand words)

2009-01-15T17:15:00.000-08:00

Due, to popular demand, I've decided to post about our trip last weekend. Since it was our first weekend outside of San Jose, we decided to make a simple 2.5-hour trip to the beach down by Manuel Antonio on the Pacific Coast. As we pretty much just hung out by the ocean all day, I figured some pictures would tell the story better than words. You know how the saying goes... enjoy.

This was the view from our spot on the sand

This was our hostel, Hostal Buena Vista, meaning "good view." An apt name, considering the following picture, taken from this balcony...

For more on our trip, check out Avalon's post on it here. She's got a good one (with pitures) on our apartment/house/villa here. Hasta luego!

Another Bus Experience (or two, or three)

2009-01-14T17:24:00.000-08:00

I went out to Escazu the other day to do some reporting at the MultiPlaza Escazu, a giant mall which apparently expreiced some chaos during the quake last week (they did). To get there, since its a pretty nice suburb outside of San Jose (Avalon's going to be working out there, so I expect she'll blog about it) I had to take a bus. While I've seen some guys bring guitars on buses and perform, there was an old man on the Escazu bus who took mass transportation entreprenurship to a whole new level.

He got on with a variety of stuff, ranging from Dora the Exporer stickers, to sewing needles, to children's pencils with the big, fancy erasers, to some sort of toolkit. Then, he gave some long schpiel which I couldn't really understand. But, surprisingly enough, the Costa Ricans loved it. Or at least liked it enough to purchase some of his wares. I guess he had something for the whole family.

It may be a cultural thing. I remember in Chile, whether it would be kids who came and performed some odd tricks in the middle of traffic, or simply an old woman begging for spare change, my host mother would always give some monedas. It could be the strong religious affinity for helping the poor, or simply the realization that their governments don't provide much in the way of social welfare--or maybe they're just entertained and figure these people provide some sort of service. Either way, I've yet to hear a Costa Rican yell, "Get a job you lazy bums!"

Speaking of bus experiences, yesterday, I went out to the airport for an interview (and I won't get into the fact that once I got there they told me I needed my passport to get in, and once I finally came back with my passport, they didn't even check for it...).

Also, I took the wrong bus home on Monday, and, while we passed by my neighborhood, I couldn't tell because, well, I'm still new here and the bus was filled with people so I couldn't really see out. Long story short, the bus simply stopped in some random place and everyone got out. I had no idea where I was, but luckily a nice family approached me in English, told me I wasn't far from my destination, and pointed out a nicely-lit corner to wait for the next bus or cab. See, not all bus experiences are bad!

Rumble in the Jungle

2009-01-12T19:45:00.000-08:00

A flag flies half mast in front of Costa Rica's Supreme Court. Just like it took me a few days to blog about the quake, it took Costa Rica's president a couple days to finally declare a state of emergency and begin an official national mourning period.

By now, many of you have heard about the earthquake that hit Costa Rica last week. I'm fine, thanks to those who have asked. I would have written more about it sooner, but, of course, working at a newspaper means that when there's a crisis, there's a lot of work. And then it was my first weekend in Costa Rica, so Avalon and I obviously went to the beach.

But I digress. Simply put, the earthquake was a surreal experience. At first it felt just like a large truck driving by, then things kept shaking... and shaking... and shaking. For some reason, the earthquake lesson that flashed into my head was to get under a sturdy door frame. Apparently the head editor at the Tico Times scrambled under his desk (which is the right thing to do) in about half a second. That must have been a sight...

While we were shaken up a bit, the office was entirely unscathed. Some parts of San Jose had small bits of damage, but I haven't seen much first hand. We did see scores of Ticos out in the streets for hours afterward, using the quake as a good excuse to take the rest of the day off. I would have, too, except when you're in the newspaper business, an earthquake means more work.

For the first day, I mostly helped out two of the staff reporters get updates online. The paper only comes out once a week, but we knew that with an event such as this that makes world news people were going to be interested. Then on Friday I worked on a short story about how the internet has completely transformed the way news of the quake broke. I know these stories are a bit cliche, but it was fascinating watching the dynamics on Web sites such as Twitter and Facebook, as people turned to the Web to share news and get info when traditional means, such as phone lines, were down after the quake. For now, part of my story is online here. The rest should be up Friday.

Today, I went up to a mall in Escazu, a slightly more well-off suburb of San Jose, to report on the earthquake's affects there. We had heard rumors that the place had been a mad house, with people panicking like crazy. Turns out that the rumors were mostly true. Several shopkeepers I talked to had stories about people dashing out of the Food Court, leaving their meals steaming at the table, taking no heed to the "don't panic" rule, and ignoring broken glass from windows and skylights. A man who worked in the movie theater even told me about some parents abandoning their kids in the frezy; he said he had to help the kids find their parents afterward.

That story's not out yet, and may not even be a story--some quotes may be fed into the larger earthquake piece, and some quotes may simply be part of a sidebar. This is my first real professional experience doing team coverage and it's been fun. Even if the couple hours I spent reporting at the mall turns into a paragraph or two that simply add color to the main story, then it's still worth it. I'll post more stories of mine when they come out, and keep checking The Tico Times for general updates.

El Autobus de Moravia a San Jose (The Bus from Moravia to San Jose)

2009-01-07T17:18:00.000-08:00

While living in the suburbs is nice in terms of comfort and safety, it's not much for convenience. Today, I made my first commute by bus downtown to work. The following is a summary:

1. I walk the few blocks from our casa to the bus station. There are several bus stands in a row, and there's a congregation of several people standing by one of them. That's probably the one to San Jose, I assume, since most everyone's commuting downtown, right? Wrong. A bus putters around the corner and pauses at a stand further down the street. Este bus va a San Jose? "Does this bus go to San Jose?" I ask a man next to me. Si! I scurry down the street and climb aboard.

2. I ask the bus driver if he's going to San Jose and how much the fare is. He nods and mutters something that sounds suspciously like "as much as you have." I hand him a 1,000 note to be safe... and get a ton of coins back in change. Well, at least it's going to be a cheap commute.

3. Six blocks in, and we've made about a dozen stops. This may take a while.

4. The man in front of me, probably in his late 20s or early 30s, sporting a black T-shirt and dark sunglasses, begins crossing himself. I wondier if we're passing through an exceptionally dangerous neighborhood. Or perhaps by a church. You never know.

5. A larger, cleaner-looking bus cuts us off and motors past. Why couldn't I have gotten on that one. (Note: Costa Rica has a number of private bus lines, but no primary public ones. So you never really know what you're going to get)

6. The little old lady sitting next to me gets off, and a much larger man takes her seat. Are there trade backs?

7. Looking around, I notice we've entered San Jose proper, and I'm actually close to my stop. This wasn't so bad after all. The rest of my commute is simply a 5-10 minute or so walk from a park, down a nice pedestrian walkway (see picture), past the main judicial buildings, to my office, which looks something like a house (see below).

As for my first commute back from work, it was relatively uneventful, except for the fact that I was not exactly sure if I was on the right bus (it said Moravia, but you never know) and there was traffic, so it took longer. But I saw several interesting places between San Jose and Moravia (our suburb) that I'd like to check out, including a dance theatre that apparently offers breakdancing lessons, a boutique that looked like it only sold man-thongs, and a Taco Bell (I'm just happy to know it's there, if/when I need it).

That's all for now. Expect a post on our casa to come soon...

Guide to visiting: Bargain hunting

2009-01-05T18:34:00.000-08:00

I plan to post often with tips/suggestions for visiting us because, we'll, we're encouraging visitors! For starters, here's a brief story I came across on when looking up "Costa Rica" on Google News:

From the Dallas Morning News (click link for more):

I believe we'll see bargain fares for at least the first few months of the year, except during spring break. Don't expect deals to all destinations, and flexible fliers will save the most. If Costa Rica is No. 50 on your travel list and you see a round-trip fare of $149, it should move up to No. 1.

Costa Rica should obviously be #1 on your list already, but if you need any more encouragement, this article's promises of bargains should be plenty!

Where the streets have no name

2009-01-05T18:08:00.000-08:00

Oh, Bono. You do all your wonderful work in Africa, but your legacy truly lives on in Costa Rica.

It's almost been four whole, official days here, and I'm starting to get my lay of the land in San Jose... well, starting to at least. The city has a very complex way of navigating things. All north-south roads are "calles" while "avenidas" run east-west. All are numbered, except that north of the "avenida central" the avenidas are odd numbers, south of center they are even. Similarly, the calles west of "calle central" are even, while those east are odd. Eventually, you can figure this out. Then everything's bien, no?

Well, to make things worse, street signs are few and far between, and few cab drivers know streets by their number. Instead, directions are often given by distance from a certain landmark (our hostel, for example, is 225 m north of Parque Morazan). So, once you finally figure out the grid, the moment you get into a cab you must unlearn what you have learned. For a country that eschews all things "complex" (more on that later), I found this system puzzling to say the least.

45 hours in...

2009-01-03T18:02:00.001-08:00

7: 02 PM: Avalon: I miss Woody

(Editor's note: This is the first thing Avalon has said she's missed.)

No army does not = no guns

2009-01-03T08:34:00.000-08:00

(Disclaimer: I hope this post doesn't scare anyone. I feel completely safe, and it's just a funny thing I've noticed. Mom, I'm fine, don't worry.)

Other than its beautiful beaches and pristine rain forests, one of Costa Rica's unique traits is that it has no standing army. Apparently fed up with the violence of its civil war in 1948, the government disbanded the military, and declared itself officially neutral. Apparently this has worked, as, unlike its neighbors, Costa Rica has not suffered a civil war since.

One thing I've noticed during my first day and a half here, however, is that no military does not equal no guns. We've seen plenty of police on the streets (and that's not a bad thing, they're helpful enough and not entirely intimidating, actually seeming to make people feel safer), but there are a lot of private gun owners, too. More interestingly, a lot of shops have private, often undercover security guards. "That guy was definitely strapped," Avalon observed after we walked past one cafe with a burly man standing guard outside.

The most extreme example so far, however, would have to be the guy standing outside a gas station as we were hailing a cab back to our hotel last night. He spotted one for us, and asked if we wanted it. Completely helpful, friendly, and nice--if you can get over the large rifle he had slung over his shoulder.

For more background, check out this article from one of my co-workers (well, I technically start Monday) at the Tico Times. And again, Mom, if you're reading this, don't worry about me. While I've heard some horror stories about crime in San Jose, I've felt really safe so far.

Para comenzar (to begin)

2009-01-02T15:22:00.000-08:00

Dear readers, I'm now settled in a hostel in charming downtown San Jose, and of course my primary concern is getting the blog up and running. While I was tempted to continue my old travel blog (fitzinchile.blogspot.com) I thought it may be confusing to have Chile in the address while I'm in Costa Rica. Thus, I now present, patfitz.blogspot.com. Easy to remember, and a blog I can now keep my whole life (while I reclaim my name from this fellow). I'll do my best to update constantly with pictures, anecdotes, and observations from my Costa Rican adventures. In the meantime, feel free to comment and add suggestions, whether about Costa Rica (there's a lot of you who've been here already) or blogging. I look forward to writing, and hopefully you look forward to reading. Hasta luego!