Wot No Army?

A guest wrote us today: " For us - Mediterraneans, a country without enemies and no army, no guns is too strange..."  For Costa Ricans the alternative may be also "too strange".

But let's start with a digression from a famous non-Costa Rican - Alexander Skutch.  There are ongoing debates on the subject locally primarily from gringos who have only been here a short time or are thinking of moving here (by "gringo" I usually mean anyone who is not a Costa Rican, this is not technically correct but who cares eh?).  My guest reminded me of a beautiful book any traveler should pick up before coming here.  Perhaps they will discover some insight as to why we do not need an army - A Naturalist in Costa Rica.

"But I wished to do more than learn facts about living things that surrounded me here; I wished to dwell in harmony with them. The concord that I desired intensely to achieve was more than ecological balance with my environment, which some people mistake for harmony. This ecological balance or stability, wonderful enough in its way, is in reality a balance of disharmonies, violence held within bounds. It is preserved by the merciless decimation, by predators and parasites and other natural checks, of any species that threatens to become so abundant that it will cause the deterioration of its environment by bearing too heavily upon its resources. Such ecological balance with our environment is indispensable for our survival as organisms, but it is too often achieved by means that distress an awakened conscience."

It went on . . . . and he closed with (after he has built his rude cabin in the backwoods) . . . "Here I hoped to have the leisure to mature my thoughts on these baffling problems."

This section written around 1940 . . .  A Naturalist in Costa Rica, by Alexander Skutch (click link for my book list) - the most influential naturalist to wander the forest and hills of Costa Rica.

Alexander also traveled to the only place a Costa Rican army had marched to in anger in 1856 - Rivas, just north of the Costa Rican border, in Nicaragua.

"Rivas is one of those happy places without a history, save such as was connected with its name. It was evidently named for the Rivas in the neighboring republic of Nicaragua where Juan Danta-Maria had advanced under rifle fire to ignite the building in which the army of the filibuster, William Walker, had fortified itself. That campaign to hurl the North American adventurer from Central American soil, few as were the men engaged in it, furnished the epic theme of Costa Rican history. Happy the nation which can recount no more sanguinary wars."

Alexander Skutch and many ex-pats/gringos etc felt as comfortable as I do with the idea that armies are unnecessary if you can get the circumstances working in the right direction and be at one with the ecology.  Once there was an army BTW, but they were abused by the government in an effort to circumvent a democratic election in 1948. 

Don Pepe Figueres, Revolutionary/Idea

The country was retaken by force, a small militia of 2000 led by Don Pepe Figueres, in 1948.  In 1949 he turned the main military barracks into a museum and abolished the army for their poor behavior.

From Wiki:  "abolishing the army (as a precaution against the militarism that has perennially thwarted or undercut democracy in Central America) Figueres said he was inspired to disarm Costa Rica by H.G. Wells "Outline of History", which he read in 1920 while at MIT. "The future of mankind cannot include armed forces. Police, yes, because people are imperfect.", he declared. 

From a local message board, the question was asked,

"Is Costa Rica ready for a Swiss style Army?"

The respondent opined during our very noisy christmas season that starts in early December and ends some time in the second week of January, 

At a Costa Rican Tope

"I've been thinking about this.  As I've been puttering around in my garden this weekend, and trying to get some sleep at night, I've heard an unending stream of parties with mariachis, marimbas, and cimarronas, not to mention the fireworks and other noisy forms of merrymaking.

Ticos should go with their strengths, which is to party hearty. What would happen if a Nicaraguan invasion force was met at the border with 100 tico cimarrona bands armed with several thousand cases of Cacique? My guess is that any red-blooded Nicaraguan soldier would lay down his arms and join in the merriment. --Steve, trying to keep his sanity in S. Rafael de Heredia

So I'll continue with my disconnected musings on a Costa Rican Army.   For CR to need an army it needs to really upset someone else. There is no right side of THAT equation in Costa Rica.  This discussion prompted me to do a first hand survey with 5 Ticos who happened to be standing around having breakfast today. The question was simply, "give me your first reaction to an army in CR?"
 

The best one was along the lines of "we don't want to teach our children military ways, there is already enough violence in the world. They would grow up to be different people."  This was an interesting take and had the room nodding in agreement.  Another, "It is better to talk than to fight." The room was adamant about the lack of need for an army and everyone agreed the effect would be negative for the country. It isn't up to us or our gringo opinions.

Gringos at a Tico Wedding

They might also respond with "soy Tico" (I am a Costa Rican), and that perhaps sums it up.  It is easy for the Tico to give up on the army idea . . . for others it is more difficult.  Every now and again a strong character shows up on the local scene, in 1948 it was Don Pepe Figueres.  He had a good idea and as he had just saved the country from loosing it's soul in a failed election, the populace was more than happy to go along with his brilliant and simple idea.

One respondent, obviously new to Costa Rica opined some time back, "I am wrinkling my eyebrows now at the thought that CR has no army. Do you really feel safe there? I mean, there are ideologies that seek to dominate the world and it seems to me that CR has no way to defend herself. Don't you feel terribly vulnerable?"

I pondered, "Um for the life of me I can't see why any country would "take over" Costa Rica today?  In a world of city states (lets say circa 1456 a.d.) there was a great need to accumulate more cities and territories in part because a city state was non viable and needed some economies of scale, room to graze more cows,  score additional slaves or just vent the frustrations of young men with too much aggression or allow old men to score points.  Nobody takes over other countries any more (well ALMOST nobody). Its truly passe, makes a mess of the local landmarks, interrupts the only thing that separates us from cavemen (schooling) and pisses off the neighborhood."

Nicaraguan Troops getting Wet On The Border

The idea continues today with our current president Laura Chin -chilla.  The country responds to aggression in peculiar and hilarious ways (link to blog posting on the border incident) - Nicaragua stole a bit of land from Costa Rica and Costa Rica thinks of it as a "fire on the border" and sent 14 fire fighters to patrol the fire. 

Costa Rican Firefighters Preparing to deploy to the border

I can only smile.  Skutch's words ring out today 70 years later "But I wished to do more than learn facts about living things that surrounded me here; I wished to dwell in harmony with them"

The Road Less Traveled

Some time last year I realized that I had never been to Upala.

For that matter I did not know anyone who had been to Upala . . . at least nobody who ever went there deliberately as in, "Today I am driving to Upala, can you tell me the way?".

A huge majority of guests will ask me "how long does it take to get to Arenal?" or "which way to Arenal?" or "what is the fastest way to Arenal?" or my favorite, "which way do you like to go?".  I mean 1000's of guests have asked one of those.

But "can you tell me the way to Upala?".  Never once.

Now I know plenty of people who have "come from" Upala.  A couple of our staff and some former staffers "come from Upala".  But nobody goes there.  My imagination of course, over the years, constructed this vision of a ghost town somewhere near the Nicaraguan border . . . devoid of population except perhaps 3 or 4 grandmas waiting for their kids (our staffers) to show up at Christmas or Easter.  There might be one bar, one church, one overgrown soccer field with banana trees growing in the goal areas and one street with a sign "Alajuela 100km".  This was my vision of Upala until I decided enough is enough and I will be the first to say "Today I am going to Upala!".

Which is what I did and guess what? 

My vision was pretty much accurate.  Although there is also a quite nice little regional hospital in town too.  I found Upala and I found it to be delightful!

Anyway . . . in the news today is word of an even more remote journey that is now being made possible thanks to Chief Nutjob of Nicaragua, Ortega.

Finally a road that is really less traveled!  In fact never traveled.

I see a road trip on the horizon . . . from today's news at Insidecostarica.com:

Costa Rica Building A Road Parallel To the San Juan River

Almost a year later after the discovery of an alleged invasion by Nicaragua of Costa Rica's side of the San Juan river, raising an international incident that is currently before the International Court of Justice in The Hague (ICJ), Costa Rica is building a road parallel to the river so that residents and police do not have to use the river.

The road stretches some 120 kilometres on the south side of the river.

There is no question that the river clearly belongs to Nicaragua. But, the south bank of the river is Costa Rican territory and Costa Rica has the right to navigate the river, both a source of friction between the two countries for more than a hundred years.

The gravel road will connect the communities of Los Chiles and San Carlos in the province of Alajuela and Sarapiquí in the province of Heredia. Those communities never have been connected with each other by land.

The road stretches from Los Chiles to the Delta Costa Rica, just ahead of the Isla Calero, the area of the current conflict, alleged invaded by Nicaragua.

Once finished, hopefully by next year, the road will be passable by four wheel driver vehicles all year round.

"The idea is to continue to enable border and isolated populations that have only have had contact by the river", said Francisco Jimenez, Minister of Public Works and Transport, and ensure the movement of police and other authorities.

The project will cost ¢7 billion colones, will be 14 metres wide built on a 50 metre wide right of way and will include storm drains. Six bridges will be constructed to allow traffic flow.

The money will come from the emergency relief agency, the Comisión Nacional de Prevención de Riesgos y Atención de Emergencias (CNE) and the Consejo Nacional de Vialidad (Conavi) - transportation department.

Asked about the possible paving of the road, minister Jiménez was candid in his response, "highly unlikely in the short term".

The residents of the communities of La Trocha (Los Chiles) Tiricia (San Carlos) and Trinidad (Sarapiquí) have something in common that they never had before, the movement of large machinery everywhere, equipment hired for the job

Reports from the area say farmers and those living in isolation in the area are stunned to see this type of movement in the area, the only big machinery they ever saw was dredges, now the area is filled with loaders, trucks, bulldozers, graders, compactors, etc.

The road building work is being carried out in 12 to 16 kilometres section, with some of the sections already finished.
 

You must admit it is sorely tempting "Those communities never have been connected with each other by land.".  How many places left on earth can you make such a statement about?

Marginal Fruits

I tasted a naranjilla yesterday for the first time.

It seems to fall into a category of truly marginal fruits (but then I'm not a pejibaye fan either which I also consider a bit marginal which is close to a sacrilegious statement to a Tico).  Pejibaye, jocote and tacacos (a local MUST in Olla de Carne) all seem to be vegetables living on the fringes of society and to that I must add naranjilla . . . which springs in very odd ways from a giant spiky thistle like weed.

And the only one I've tried was so tart I literally jumped after tasting too much in one gulp (maybe 1/4 a teaspoon :-).  Now perhaps it just means I haven't properly acclimatized to CR fruits but it seems to me the only reason people grow tacacos for example is that they DON'T grow IT.

IT GROWS and then someone had to make a recipe to put it in . . . because frankly nobody can argue how marginal a tacaco is.  And it doesn't matter WHAT you put in Olla de Carne.

Am I beginning to grasp it?

Please advise?

Driving Directions Tico Style

After awhile in a country with few signs and no road names  . . . . someone wanted to know where the veterinary hospital UNA was to be found.  We know the place well so we provided the usual directions:

Who Says We have no Signs

UNA is maybe 1/2 km east of the REtieve of Heredia which if you are not a car driver is useless information but is how I find it.

Another way to find it is about 3 km east of Amazon.com*** which if you are not an Amazon fan sorely dissapointed when he first found the building and learned of its true purpose is also useless information.

This location is somewhere between INBioparque and Alajuela and if you are not an INBIO fan or resident of Alajuela, this is also useless information.

This road (that it is on) connects to the road that becomes two ways going north in the evening rush hour between the psychotic Uruca/Hospital Mexico intersection where my life was once severely threatened by two buses out to crush me. If there were 6 lanes going north it would not help on a Friday evening. Do not try this on Fridays :-))

The above intersection (of the Una road and the Uruca interchange northern exit) incorporates a French car dealer - Renault or Pewjoe (as my dad used to call it) maybe . . . so if you are French and a fan of such cars it is possible you would be close to figuring out where UNA is?

Bus Route Says "Heredia by the Highway"

***The Amazon reference relates to the fact that in a country with no road names and pretty much no deliveries Amazon, though having a large building here does not do any deliveries here.

Moving Here?

A message board newby here asked the question: rent or buy when you first move here.  During the first week after arrival in Costa Rica we gained 4 lawyers and lost 3.

Bugged

"You need a bank account." My brand new lawyer du jour tells me.
"OK, no problem I'll get one."
"You need one with Banco Nacional because that's where I bank."
"Why does that matter?"
"Well first you have only been in country for 3 days, so you can't open a bank
account."
"That then is likely an issue?"
"Yes. But I know the people at BN I will walk you there. We will bypass some
things."
"Are there other banks?"
"Yes. But not like BN . . . "
"I see, why is that?"
"Because you need to give me the check."
"The whole thing?"
"Yes."
"Do you know about escrow?"
"Yes, I used to work in the US. But we do not need it."
"I see. You know I have only known you for a day?"

Outside BN

"Yes, you need to trust me."
"Of course I do." Grinning from ear to ear and then some.
"It will be easier with BN as that is where I have my personal account."
"You will deposit my check in your personal account?"
"Yes, it will be easier."
"If I did this normally how long would it take."
"6 months to get started. But this is quite normal."
"I see."
"The good news is that as I am the attorney for the owner you are buying from,
as well as your attorney, it will be even easier."
"Yes it seems we have some luck with this transaction all around. I get to open
a bank account bypassing the rules, we get to share the same attorney on both
sides of the deal and I can do the whole thing without escrow."
"Yes. We can close tomorrow or maybe Monday."
"All I need to do is trust you?"
"Yes, absolutely."

Civic Duties

Now you know one reason you were advised to wait 6 months before buying anything . . . the second reason is that after some months or years of living here the above conversation between a buyer and his lawyer will seem entirely normal to you by then.
 

Been Cooking

For the last few months the kitchen of the Pura Vida has been hosting a series of special dinners . . .  these dinners are usually taste and recipe tests for the upcoming opening of MEKoNG Asia Fuasion, a new restaurant in Escazu (not necessarily at the Pura Vida).  Below is a test menu to look at plating and presentation  . . .

Fried Shrimp Wontons (Cantonese)

Deep fried shrimp wontons on wasabi mayonese – a great first course to share with friends

Green Papaya salad with Fresh Fish of the Day (Thai style)
 

There’s many ways to do this dish.  This is our Thai version with dried shrimp – topped with a delicious grilled Robalo (you may know it as Snook) fresh from the co-op at Tarcoles on the Pacific.

Lemon Grass Beef (Vietnamese)

In Ho Chi Minh City this would be a “salad course” – cold rice noodles topped with stir fried beef.

This will be stir fried like many Mekong dishes on our special 90,000 BTU woks soon to be brought in from Beijing

Banh Xeo –  Our Signature Crepe (Vietnam)
 

For the moment the only authentic Banh Xeo – pork, shrimp, bean sprouts and more in a crispy rice flour crepe – perhaps something to share for a first course.

Tom Yum Soup with Kafir Lime Leaf (Thai)
 

The traditional Tom Yum from Thailand or Laos, is both hot and sour from a variety of interesting ingredients such as lemon grass, chili pepper and galangal – one sip may be enough to get you hooked for life

Brocolli Beef by Wok (Cantonese)

 
Stir fried in the wok, our best cut of tenderloin of beef served with a perfect jasmine rice

Lemon Ginger Lemon
 

Our fusion lemon bars from the MEKoNG garden lemons in Alajuela, a little ginger gelee served with a lemon vodka ice

THE GHOST ANTS OF TUETAL

This is a tale from Day 3 of our taking possession of the Pura Vida and amended on Day 42 as we discover reality. I explained this to Colleen today, a guest who had observed something similar.

Returning to “Day 3” or so of our new life. I wander down to the kitchen - it is 11pm, I turn the lights on. I notice something small had died in its tracks half way across the kitchen. I also notice a trail of the local tiny gray ants has found its next victim - the small dead thing. About 200 of these tiny ¼ sized ants had picked up the dead "insect thing" and were "walking" it back to where ever tiny ants take their prey. I watched and wondered about this automatic and so natural system. The simplicity, the elegance of the solution.

200 tiny grey ants here and another million or so somewhere under the house. The wonder of it all. I learned later these ants are known as ghost ants from a local Costa Rican bulletin board on Yahoo.

On Day 3, that was my view of the "ultimate solution" at Pura Vida Hotel. It is now day 42 and my views have changed on a lot of things . . . not least is the efficiency of the tiny gray ants. It started a few nights later. It culminated a few nights ago - the great gray ant reassessment.

It happened as I watched the abject failure of the usual 200 ants to deal with a lumbering giant of a beetle who had crawled out of the primordial swamp. This followed numerous gray ant failures of a lesser scale. My Hormigas, as they are called here, were bloody failures at their job. I needed swift execution. I needed immediate removal of the carcasses that landed in the Casa. If reinforcements were needed I expected the jungle telegraph to assist. If 200 Hormigas was not enough, I wanted to see 300 or even 1000.

Whatever it took to get the job done. After all, there were another million or so under the house sitting in lounge chairs listening to our Cuban CD's. Where were they when you needed them???

One possible advantage of these little grey ants are so small is that it doesn't matter too much if you step on a few. The mess is not noticeable. However with failure after failure the trails of these little idiots were growing.....200 Hormigas near the green sofa working on a brown beetle, another 200 working on a very large Hormiga of different specie near the dining table. Another 200 under the Fax machine dispensing unsuccessfully with a black thing of no identifiable specie.

The old Casa in 2002

These trails start to add up.... worse they take so long to get the job done when there's only 200 per carcass! Leave them to do it their way and a big bug could take 3 or 4 days. Then there's the "walking on them thing". How many do you end up walking on when their trails start to resemble the London underground train system? Something didn't feel right about all this. My Hormigas were just not cut out for the job.

This is why they are no longer a "wonder" - in the short space of 42 days, they are now persona non grata at Casa Jubb & Chu. Of course, it really won't matter a hoot what the Casa government thinks about their presence. But I have a new mission and it is to seal the entrances. I realize the futility of this since the windows here are never closed. We have the perfect temperature day and night of about 75/68. We have screens on most things yet the small gray ant is of a perfect design. It was built to penetrate the smallest mesh made by man or womankind (I do, however, have grand hopes for nanotechnology). I know my mission may be pointless, but it was important to put behind me some of the naivete of a newbie in Costa Rica.

The main Casa today

I actually now believe we may be reaching full détente with the Hormigas because I now realize it matters not if I can keep them out. What I am keeping out is the bigger bugs they are seeking. With nothing to carry around, no night time exercise regimen so to speak, the little buggers don’t even want to launch an expeditionary force inside. Their scouts report back to base, "Nada at the Casa" and off they go searching for other 6 legged things to play with in the gardens.

Only Day 42 and I feel like the Hormigas and I have reached the proper accommodation.