Manuel Pinto - Costa Rica
On Saturday 29th October 2005 Hurricane Beta turned into a strong Category 3 storm and was about to hit the coast of Nicaragua.
Here in Puerto Viejo, the town is empty of tourists and the San José weekend Ticos. In San José, the advice to anyone even considering coming to the Costa Rican Southern Caribbean Coast (Caribe Sur) this week is this: Are you crazy?
They explain that there is a strong hurricane nearby and conditions are horrible. The roads may be closed, flooding and very high winds. Stay away at all costs.
Our friends, our attorney, clients and tourists - everyone has been calling or writing us with deep sincere concern. Be careful! Get out! You are going to get hit by the hurricane!
But it's a myth!
So, here we find ourselves on Saturday morning - hours before Hurricane Wassername does lash out it's fury on the Nicaraguan Coast and we pray for those that will be affected.
In the meantime, here in Caribe Sur (Puerto Viejo, Cahuita & Manzanillo), the ocean is calm, the sky is blue, there is a slight breeze in the air and the birds and monkeys are singing. In about an hour, we'll be going snorkeling where the water visibility is 10+ meters.
At lunch time, we have a BBQ planned in the yard with friends that felt adventurous enough to come down for the weekend despite all the advice they received in San José.
In the afternoon, we'll take a hike along one of the beautiful pristine virgin beaches, where the water is Caribbean Blue and the concept of paradise seems to have been found.
I've seen plenty of articles warning tourists and residents about being careful with the Caribbean Coast, as it is supposedly vulnerable to hurricanes. This is not correct!
Hurricanes in the southern Costa Rica region are a myth!
Another in a long list of myths about the Southern Caribbean region. In fact, by definition, it is impossible to have hurricanes here.
We are located at the 9.6th latitude, below the 10th parallel. Except in extreme exceptions, hurricanes can NOT go below the 10th parallel! In other words, it is almost impossible for us to ever get hit by a hurricane.
I have not been ble to find any mention of our region ever coming close to getting directly hit by a hurricane, neither is it particularly vulnerable to other hurricanes - out there.
We are one of the very few locations of the entire Caribbean Basin that are actually immune from hurricanes. In extreme cases, we may the feel secondary effects such as some sub tropical force winds or an increase in rain, but even this time with such a big storm visiting our northern neighbor the sun is shining and the seas are tranquilo! Puravida!
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Costa Rica Wildlife - A Jaguar's Kiss
Dale Morris
I have been alone here for six long months. But never mind the lack of human company - I am truly happy with my beach, my paradise, my own forest, my own cliffs, my own sun and moon.
Costa Rica, so full of people, tourists, busy beaches and overbooked hotels, but not here, not at Nancite. Nobody lives in this place except myself. Sixty kilometers from the nearest settlement, it is a tiny dot on a map, set aside for its importance to the world of animals.
Permits are issued to those who want to come and see its wonders, but they seldom do - its too much effort to walk the demanding miles of muddy trails that one must traverse on foot to get here. I am allowed though, this is my research site, my beach, my paradise, my forest, my cliffs, my day and night and my own private natural marvels.
The very last hues of Tangerine and saffron fade into a deep textured Indigo like that of plush velvet drapes, streaked by a radial fan of hazy red fingers. The darkening sky, a star-studded blackness, advances slowly but surely, like treacle, over the fading colors. Inky black silently envelops the earth below and signifies the end of another hot balmy day. I peer out to sea and wait for them to come- it wont be long now.
Santa Rosa National park lies on the Central American Pacific coast and is one of the major breeding grounds for the Olive Ridley Sea turtle. I am here in order to study these huge 45kg animals as they lumber out of the sea to lay their eggs under the warm tropical sand. I have no electricity, no telephone, no outside contact what so ever- a stark change from London my hometown.
On one night, every month during the summer, they arrive in their thousands, filling up the beach so that there is no space to walk. It is one of the true spectacles of the natural world.
The first night.
By eleven forty five this one kilometer stretch of sand has become congested with shelled reptiles, in places, stacked two or three high in the headlong scramble to find a viable nesting spot.
I am knocked off my feet (literally as well as metaphorically) whilst making my way as best I can up and down the beach. This is only the beginning of four nights falling down deep holes previously abandoned by digging turtles. My ankles and shins are bruised and swollen from the repeated butting and scraping of turtles totally oblivious to my presence. They have but one goal, to dig, to lay, to return to the sea.
With up to twenty thousand miniature tanks trundling their way towards me, beach space is at a premium.
The third night.
I am suffering from severe sleep deprivation. Coffee supplies have long since run out and I have begun to hallucinate. In the darkness I imagine the elongated shapes of nonexistent crocodiles lurking between the turtles while human shadows flick in and out of the edges of my vision.
The fourth night.
At three in the morning the turtle numbers start to wind down. Eventually there are less than a hundred of them on the beach, a great opportunity to catch a quick nap before I declare the riot officially over.
I pull my white sheet out of my backpack and make myself comfortable above the high tide mark and within seconds I have fallen into a deep sleep.
It seems only moments later that I awake with the sensation that something warm and wet has just touched my face. In my groggy state I can just make out the silhouette of an animal standing over my outstretched feet. It is not a turtle!
In the near complete darkness I arrive at the conclusion that a rather bold coyote has discovered me and has come to take a closer look. I sit bolt upright, fully expecting the coyote to realize it's mistake, turn tail and flee, but still the dark shape does not move.
When I finally get my flashlight to work and point it at the offending shape I get the shock of my life. Standing not two meters away from me, illuminated in the yellow light of the torch beam is a full-grown male jaguar.
"Whoosh" an instant hit of adrenalin, time slows down, my senses snap to focus with a clarity I am unfamiliar with.
For some strange reason, my initial reaction is to bombard this huge cat with a string of foul language at the top of my voice. This has no effect; he just stands there, motionless with his beautiful amber eyes staring into my own. I then remember my sheet and the golden rule of look bigger, look bigger, when facing a predator. So begins a frantic sheet waving session. I flap it over and around my head and flick it out towards his motionless figure but he is not impressed!
Seeing as this does not terrify him into making a speedy retreat, I hurl the sheet directly at him. It covers the front of his body completely, but then he shakes that enormous head of his and the sheet falls to the ground and rests crumpled at his forepaws.
Time for plan C! Crouching down I begin to throw handfuls of sand at him, the only available material on the beach, but the wind prevents any of my badly aimed missiles from hitting home, I succeeded only in getting a mouth full of sand and half blinding myself.
Then I remembered the big steel calipers I use for measuring turtles. They are on the ground behind me. I grab them and start to beat the sand at the jaguar's feet. This goes on for some moments, but eventually he turns and trots back towards the forest. He stops again, about ten meters away from me and turns his head to look one more time with piercing eyes. Then with a flick of his mottled tail, he is gone.
The following morning.
I return to the scene of the encounter. In the sand, the imprint of my sleeping form is clearly discernible, and next to it the prints of the jaguar are placed either side of where my head had been.
Everyone comes to Costa Rica with the hope of catching a glimpse of the world's most magnificent cat. Virtually none of these people will realize this dream, this animal is almost extinct due to human persecution.
I feel privileged and honoured to have had this experience, and I only need close my eyes to see his eyes, amber within amber, and feel the warmth of his kiss upon my face
Dale Morris and his wife Sasha left Great Britain 11 years ago and he has written numerous articles about wild animals in Costa Rica since 1997. Dale works as a freelance nature writer and photographer and his work has been published in BBC Wildlife, Geographical and Global Adventure and regularly contributes to 'Costa Rica Outdoor' Magazine and Asahi weekly in Japan.
Together, Dale and his wife have worked in Australia, Thailand, Indonesia, Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania, Costa Rica and Scotland and have been attacked by mosquitoes, killer ants, monkeys, chimpanzees, jaguars, fish with sharp teeth, scorpions, bees, bears, giraffe, elephants and drunken Scotsmen during that time.
I have been alone here for six long months. But never mind the lack of human company - I am truly happy with my beach, my paradise, my own forest, my own cliffs, my own sun and moon.
Costa Rica, so full of people, tourists, busy beaches and overbooked hotels, but not here, not at Nancite. Nobody lives in this place except myself. Sixty kilometers from the nearest settlement, it is a tiny dot on a map, set aside for its importance to the world of animals.
Permits are issued to those who want to come and see its wonders, but they seldom do - its too much effort to walk the demanding miles of muddy trails that one must traverse on foot to get here. I am allowed though, this is my research site, my beach, my paradise, my forest, my cliffs, my day and night and my own private natural marvels.
The very last hues of Tangerine and saffron fade into a deep textured Indigo like that of plush velvet drapes, streaked by a radial fan of hazy red fingers. The darkening sky, a star-studded blackness, advances slowly but surely, like treacle, over the fading colors. Inky black silently envelops the earth below and signifies the end of another hot balmy day. I peer out to sea and wait for them to come- it wont be long now.
Santa Rosa National park lies on the Central American Pacific coast and is one of the major breeding grounds for the Olive Ridley Sea turtle. I am here in order to study these huge 45kg animals as they lumber out of the sea to lay their eggs under the warm tropical sand. I have no electricity, no telephone, no outside contact what so ever- a stark change from London my hometown.
On one night, every month during the summer, they arrive in their thousands, filling up the beach so that there is no space to walk. It is one of the true spectacles of the natural world.
The first night.
By eleven forty five this one kilometer stretch of sand has become congested with shelled reptiles, in places, stacked two or three high in the headlong scramble to find a viable nesting spot.
I am knocked off my feet (literally as well as metaphorically) whilst making my way as best I can up and down the beach. This is only the beginning of four nights falling down deep holes previously abandoned by digging turtles. My ankles and shins are bruised and swollen from the repeated butting and scraping of turtles totally oblivious to my presence. They have but one goal, to dig, to lay, to return to the sea.
With up to twenty thousand miniature tanks trundling their way towards me, beach space is at a premium.
The third night.
I am suffering from severe sleep deprivation. Coffee supplies have long since run out and I have begun to hallucinate. In the darkness I imagine the elongated shapes of nonexistent crocodiles lurking between the turtles while human shadows flick in and out of the edges of my vision.
The fourth night.
At three in the morning the turtle numbers start to wind down. Eventually there are less than a hundred of them on the beach, a great opportunity to catch a quick nap before I declare the riot officially over.
I pull my white sheet out of my backpack and make myself comfortable above the high tide mark and within seconds I have fallen into a deep sleep.
It seems only moments later that I awake with the sensation that something warm and wet has just touched my face. In my groggy state I can just make out the silhouette of an animal standing over my outstretched feet. It is not a turtle!
In the near complete darkness I arrive at the conclusion that a rather bold coyote has discovered me and has come to take a closer look. I sit bolt upright, fully expecting the coyote to realize it's mistake, turn tail and flee, but still the dark shape does not move.
When I finally get my flashlight to work and point it at the offending shape I get the shock of my life. Standing not two meters away from me, illuminated in the yellow light of the torch beam is a full-grown male jaguar.
"Whoosh" an instant hit of adrenalin, time slows down, my senses snap to focus with a clarity I am unfamiliar with.
For some strange reason, my initial reaction is to bombard this huge cat with a string of foul language at the top of my voice. This has no effect; he just stands there, motionless with his beautiful amber eyes staring into my own. I then remember my sheet and the golden rule of look bigger, look bigger, when facing a predator. So begins a frantic sheet waving session. I flap it over and around my head and flick it out towards his motionless figure but he is not impressed!
Seeing as this does not terrify him into making a speedy retreat, I hurl the sheet directly at him. It covers the front of his body completely, but then he shakes that enormous head of his and the sheet falls to the ground and rests crumpled at his forepaws.
Time for plan C! Crouching down I begin to throw handfuls of sand at him, the only available material on the beach, but the wind prevents any of my badly aimed missiles from hitting home, I succeeded only in getting a mouth full of sand and half blinding myself.
Then I remembered the big steel calipers I use for measuring turtles. They are on the ground behind me. I grab them and start to beat the sand at the jaguar's feet. This goes on for some moments, but eventually he turns and trots back towards the forest. He stops again, about ten meters away from me and turns his head to look one more time with piercing eyes. Then with a flick of his mottled tail, he is gone.
The following morning.
I return to the scene of the encounter. In the sand, the imprint of my sleeping form is clearly discernible, and next to it the prints of the jaguar are placed either side of where my head had been.
Everyone comes to Costa Rica with the hope of catching a glimpse of the world's most magnificent cat. Virtually none of these people will realize this dream, this animal is almost extinct due to human persecution.
I feel privileged and honoured to have had this experience, and I only need close my eyes to see his eyes, amber within amber, and feel the warmth of his kiss upon my face
Dale Morris and his wife Sasha left Great Britain 11 years ago and he has written numerous articles about wild animals in Costa Rica since 1997. Dale works as a freelance nature writer and photographer and his work has been published in BBC Wildlife, Geographical and Global Adventure and regularly contributes to 'Costa Rica Outdoor' Magazine and Asahi weekly in Japan.
Together, Dale and his wife have worked in Australia, Thailand, Indonesia, Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania, Costa Rica and Scotland and have been attacked by mosquitoes, killer ants, monkeys, chimpanzees, jaguars, fish with sharp teeth, scorpions, bees, bears, giraffe, elephants and drunken Scotsmen during that time.
Monday, September 10, 2007
Billion Dollar Tourism Project For Guanacaste
Friday, August 31, 2007
By Ralph Nicholson
Two Hotels, Marina, Golf Course and 800 Home Sites
US developers on Wednesday announced plans for a 15-year, billion-dollar tourism project, to start construction in November on two beach-front properties in Guanacaste’s north.
The project, known simply as Guacamaya after one of the beaches, will include a Ritz Carlton hotel, a smaller, as-yet-unnamed boutique hotel, an 18-hole golf course, a 200-slip marina, an equestrian center and up to 800 single family homes.
For the first time, the project will include a desalinization plant that will turn sea water into drinking water and ease pressure on Guanacaste’s fragile water supplies.
“This further consolidates the area as a destination for the upscale tourist market,” said the Minister for Tourism, Carlos Ricardo Benavides, at a party to launch the project.
“To be chosen for the site of such an upscale or high end project, well, it is not every country that can do this,” he told about 120 invited guests from local and national government and the tourism industry.
Mr Benavides was speaking after officially opening the offices of Plantación Properties, an affiliate of Christie’s Great Estates, which will market and sell the residential arm of the project.
The development, to be built on about 800 hectares (2000 acres), is a partnership between Union Box Company of Baltimore in Maryland and Greenfield Partners, a privately-held real estate investment firm in South Norwalk, Connecticut.
The property, which was purchased in two chunks over three years, covers three, white-sand beaches --- Playas Guacamaya and Zapotal, plus the smaller Playa Celeste --- all about 25 kilometers (16 miles) north of Tamarindo.
A $100 million, 110-room Ritz Carlton hotel will be built across Zapotal beach, beginning construction late next year. Larry Silverstein, the Chief Executive Officer of Union Box Company, said he expected the hotel to be completed by the end of 2010.
“We talked to a number of hotels --- we approached some and others approached us --- but it was clear the Ritz was a very good fit for us,” Mr Silverstein said.
“That whole area is somewhat unknown,” he added. “For most people the world stops after Playa Potrero and starts again, further north, at Playa Ocotal. The Ritz is a distinct brand that can bring immediate recognition, as opposed to there being just another hotel.”
It is understood the developers will build the hotel, while the Ritz will lend its name to the structure, taking a management fee and a percentage of room sales, as has become customary with hotel projects.
Work on an 18-hole golf course, designed by architect Rees Jones, will start at the same time as the hotel. Mr Jones, who has designed more than 100 golf courses, mainly in the US, will lay out the course in the Zapotal Valley, which stretches about four kilometers back from the coast. There will be no residential sites within the valley.
A 200 slip marina, capable of docking so-called mega-yachts of up to 92 meters long (300 feet) will be sited at the southern end of the development, between Zapotal and Celeste beaches.
A boutique hotel, yet to be named, and of somewhere between 50 and 100 rooms, will be built to service the marina.
However, phase one, including more than 100 residential homes, will begin construction within three months, giving developers cash flow while they build the hotel, marina and golf course.
“We will release 140 lots to start with in what will be known as the Beach Village,” said Molly Harris, President of Plantación Properties.
“There will be architectural guidelines upon what people can build but at the same time our clients don’t want to deal with a cookie-cutter mentality,” Ms Harris said.
She confirmed house prices were likely to start around $800,000.
In phase two, luxury home lots --- about 100 of them --- will be released. Architects from both the United States and Costa Rica, will then build a variety of model homes. The houses will sell for between $5 and $10 million each.
There will be an equestrian center and horse trails throughout the property. Developers will also include a mountain-bike trail. Both are likely to spill over into neighboring properties as developers seek to share amenities.
In fact two other developments --- the Rosewood Hotel to the north and the project known as Las Catalinas to the south --- have already pledged to share such infrastructure as roadwork and possibly power.
It is also likely Guacamaya’s neighbors will want to share water infrastructure as well.
“The problem is not the existence of water but the infrastructure to distribute it,” Tourism Minister, Benevavides, said in response to questions. “And I have no doubt these projects are going to help us solve the problem.”
Mr Benavides confirmed the developers had formally asked for government assistance in setting up a desalinization plant.
“This is a brand new concept. We will be able to explain the project to the other institutions in the country and help them get through the red tape,” Mr Benavides said.
Mr Silverstein said the biggest challenges they faced were the same as for every developer along the coast --- a lack of infrastructure, finding a suitably skilled work-force and a backlog in supply of building materials.
“No there is not enough water,” he said. “We are not the only ones tapping that water reserve. We believe we have sufficient water to maintain the residential component, which is why we are building the desalinization plant.
“A desalinization plant is a new idea here, but the fact is that most of the resorts across the Caribbean are all operating on desalinized water.
“It is something we must do. I think what will bring buyers is the level of assurance we can give them. They want to be safe, they want water when they arrive here, and they want a constant supply of electricity.”
There have been a rash of developers announcing luxury hotel projects in the past 10 months.
The El Salvador-based Grupo Poma conglomerate, has already broken ground on a five-star, 180-room, JW Marriott resort on the property known as Hacienda Pinilla, south of Tamarindo.
The US-based, Global Financial Group has also announced plans for a $300 million 320-room Hyatt resort in Brasilito, and late last year two Minnesota developers announced they would build a $120 million, 150-room Regent Hotel on Guanacaste’s Papagayo Peninsula.
Steve Case, the founder of the internet giant America Online, announced plans last month to open an $800 million beach resort just south of Playa Hermosa, featuring two boutique hotels.
Meanwhile, Rosewood Hotels and Resorts, confirmed it has signed a management contract with developers HPC Costa Carmel Limitada to manage a new luxury resort to be built upon a 60-hectare (150-acre) property on Playa Guachipelín.
By Ralph Nicholson
Two Hotels, Marina, Golf Course and 800 Home Sites
US developers on Wednesday announced plans for a 15-year, billion-dollar tourism project, to start construction in November on two beach-front properties in Guanacaste’s north.
The project, known simply as Guacamaya after one of the beaches, will include a Ritz Carlton hotel, a smaller, as-yet-unnamed boutique hotel, an 18-hole golf course, a 200-slip marina, an equestrian center and up to 800 single family homes.
For the first time, the project will include a desalinization plant that will turn sea water into drinking water and ease pressure on Guanacaste’s fragile water supplies.
“This further consolidates the area as a destination for the upscale tourist market,” said the Minister for Tourism, Carlos Ricardo Benavides, at a party to launch the project.
“To be chosen for the site of such an upscale or high end project, well, it is not every country that can do this,” he told about 120 invited guests from local and national government and the tourism industry.
Mr Benavides was speaking after officially opening the offices of Plantación Properties, an affiliate of Christie’s Great Estates, which will market and sell the residential arm of the project.
The development, to be built on about 800 hectares (2000 acres), is a partnership between Union Box Company of Baltimore in Maryland and Greenfield Partners, a privately-held real estate investment firm in South Norwalk, Connecticut.
The property, which was purchased in two chunks over three years, covers three, white-sand beaches --- Playas Guacamaya and Zapotal, plus the smaller Playa Celeste --- all about 25 kilometers (16 miles) north of Tamarindo.
A $100 million, 110-room Ritz Carlton hotel will be built across Zapotal beach, beginning construction late next year. Larry Silverstein, the Chief Executive Officer of Union Box Company, said he expected the hotel to be completed by the end of 2010.
“We talked to a number of hotels --- we approached some and others approached us --- but it was clear the Ritz was a very good fit for us,” Mr Silverstein said.
“That whole area is somewhat unknown,” he added. “For most people the world stops after Playa Potrero and starts again, further north, at Playa Ocotal. The Ritz is a distinct brand that can bring immediate recognition, as opposed to there being just another hotel.”
It is understood the developers will build the hotel, while the Ritz will lend its name to the structure, taking a management fee and a percentage of room sales, as has become customary with hotel projects.
Work on an 18-hole golf course, designed by architect Rees Jones, will start at the same time as the hotel. Mr Jones, who has designed more than 100 golf courses, mainly in the US, will lay out the course in the Zapotal Valley, which stretches about four kilometers back from the coast. There will be no residential sites within the valley.
A 200 slip marina, capable of docking so-called mega-yachts of up to 92 meters long (300 feet) will be sited at the southern end of the development, between Zapotal and Celeste beaches.
A boutique hotel, yet to be named, and of somewhere between 50 and 100 rooms, will be built to service the marina.
However, phase one, including more than 100 residential homes, will begin construction within three months, giving developers cash flow while they build the hotel, marina and golf course.
“We will release 140 lots to start with in what will be known as the Beach Village,” said Molly Harris, President of Plantación Properties.
“There will be architectural guidelines upon what people can build but at the same time our clients don’t want to deal with a cookie-cutter mentality,” Ms Harris said.
She confirmed house prices were likely to start around $800,000.
In phase two, luxury home lots --- about 100 of them --- will be released. Architects from both the United States and Costa Rica, will then build a variety of model homes. The houses will sell for between $5 and $10 million each.
There will be an equestrian center and horse trails throughout the property. Developers will also include a mountain-bike trail. Both are likely to spill over into neighboring properties as developers seek to share amenities.
In fact two other developments --- the Rosewood Hotel to the north and the project known as Las Catalinas to the south --- have already pledged to share such infrastructure as roadwork and possibly power.
It is also likely Guacamaya’s neighbors will want to share water infrastructure as well.
“The problem is not the existence of water but the infrastructure to distribute it,” Tourism Minister, Benevavides, said in response to questions. “And I have no doubt these projects are going to help us solve the problem.”
Mr Benavides confirmed the developers had formally asked for government assistance in setting up a desalinization plant.
“This is a brand new concept. We will be able to explain the project to the other institutions in the country and help them get through the red tape,” Mr Benavides said.
Mr Silverstein said the biggest challenges they faced were the same as for every developer along the coast --- a lack of infrastructure, finding a suitably skilled work-force and a backlog in supply of building materials.
“No there is not enough water,” he said. “We are not the only ones tapping that water reserve. We believe we have sufficient water to maintain the residential component, which is why we are building the desalinization plant.
“A desalinization plant is a new idea here, but the fact is that most of the resorts across the Caribbean are all operating on desalinized water.
“It is something we must do. I think what will bring buyers is the level of assurance we can give them. They want to be safe, they want water when they arrive here, and they want a constant supply of electricity.”
There have been a rash of developers announcing luxury hotel projects in the past 10 months.
The El Salvador-based Grupo Poma conglomerate, has already broken ground on a five-star, 180-room, JW Marriott resort on the property known as Hacienda Pinilla, south of Tamarindo.
The US-based, Global Financial Group has also announced plans for a $300 million 320-room Hyatt resort in Brasilito, and late last year two Minnesota developers announced they would build a $120 million, 150-room Regent Hotel on Guanacaste’s Papagayo Peninsula.
Steve Case, the founder of the internet giant America Online, announced plans last month to open an $800 million beach resort just south of Playa Hermosa, featuring two boutique hotels.
Meanwhile, Rosewood Hotels and Resorts, confirmed it has signed a management contract with developers HPC Costa Carmel Limitada to manage a new luxury resort to be built upon a 60-hectare (150-acre) property on Playa Guachipelín.
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