ROBERTO Alonso works most of hisday as a professional counselor at his cozySabana Oeste office on the western edge ofSan José, filled with plush chairs, a couchand a secretary in the front room.But about two months ago, the 32-year-old’s office hours began to decreaseas he increased the number of patientscounseled from his home, in front of hiscomputer, in the comfort of his shorts.Alonso is one of the first professionalcounselors in Costa Rica to take his practiceinto cyberspace. About 95% of Alonso’spractice is still made up of conventional,face-to-face counseling, but a growingnumber of patients are turning to otherforms of counseling – such as by telephoneand his fledgling Internet practice.“I think it’s a great way to reach out topeople that might not usually look for helpor for people who feelthat they have no one totrust,” said Alonso fromhis first-floor office.Alonso, tall and slim,looks several years hisjunior. He completed hiseducation in the UnitedStates. He earned a bachelor’sdegree fromWittenberg University inSpringfield, Ohio, followedby his master’sdegree in professionalcounseling fromColumbia International University inColumbia, S.C.ALONSO first offered Internet counselingjust over two years ago when heestablished his practice in Costa Rica. Sofar, Alonso’s online patients are all men,ages 25-55, and all are from outside thecountry.“Men are not usually as open aboutgoing to counseling so they might be morelikely to seek counseling online,” Alonsosaid.The procedure is actually quite simple.To make an appointment, a client goes toAlonso’s Web site and fills out an intakequestionnaire. The questionnaire includesbasic information like name and age, ifthey have ever taken medication, or contemplatedsuicide.The questionnaire also asks for a briefdescription of the problem or why the personis seeking counseling. Once the clientcompletes the questionnaire, they agree tomeet online (at his Web site) for a chat at ascheduled date and time. Since Alonso hasalready collected a patient’s basic information,they can jump right into the session.A number of reasons drive people toseek counseling online, according toAlonso.“One reason people seek counseling onthe Internet is that it’s a lot cheaper,” hesaid. “Counseling in New York City canrun between $250-350. In smaller towns,you can find $75 and up.”Alonso charges $50 per hour for onlinecounseling through PayPal, an Internetpayment service that accepts credit cardsand bank withdrawals.Flexibility is another factor.“You can do it from your house,” hesaid. “you don’t have to leave.”ACCESS is also an important issue forpeople seeking counseling online.“I’m going to be doing counseling withpeople in other countries, say, Americans inAfrica,” he said. “They might not be able toget their hands on, or have access to professionalcounseling. Orpeople that move or aretraveling. You don’thave to be in the city inorder to do counseling.”Lastly, privacy is abig advantage foronline counseling.“Some people don’tlike to actually come inbecause they might runinto someone in thewaiting room, or someonemight find outthey’re going to counseling,”Alonso said. “Especially when itcomes to issues like drugs, infidelity orhomosexuality. They’d rather just makesure there is absolutely no way anyone canfind out.”Also, the fact that Alonso is based inCosta Rica and does not take paymentsthrough American insurance companiesensures that his clients’ counseling historiesare kept confidential. Alonso pointedto the fact that while American insurancecompanies will often cover most of thecost of counseling, a patient’s history cancome up in court, when a person is seekingemployment, and it may cause a person’sinsurance premiums to go up.ONLINE counseling does have itscritics. Lack of personal contact, lowprices and a higher possibility of improperlytrained counselors at work are all concernsthat have been expressed by thecounseling community.There is a code of ethics for onlinecounseling (most notably, it states that asuicidal person should be referred to someonelocal for face-to-face counseling), butno one regulates whether or not counselorsfollow them.Alonso concedes that Internet counselinghas its disadvantages. Despite his effortsto get a sense of a person he is counseling(Alonso asks for pictures of his patients andtheir children, for example), he doesn’tmake out Internet counseling to be exactlythe same as conventional counseling.“It’s different,” he said. “You lose a bitof the personal part. You can’t pick up onthe non-verbal communication, so that’sone of the drawbacks.”But he also said the negatives are balancedby the positive aspects of Internetcounseling.“THEY might not warm up as quickly,I can’t offer them a bottle of water whenthey come in, or a tissue if they’re cryingor a tap on the shoulder as they are walkingout,” he said. “So it takes a little bitlonger for the person to feel that warmth.On the other hand, they usually open upquicker because they know they are notgoing to run into me at the mall.”A patient of Alonso’s, a man in hismid-30s from New York, first heard ofAlonso through word of mouth. Neverhaving tried other more conventionalforms of counseling, he started communicatingwith Alonso weekly by phone withfollow-ups through e-mail. He said hechose this type of counseling mainly forcost and convenience.“The Internet use, the long distancephone calls and counseling fees combinedwere much less expensive than visiting aNew York City counselor,” said thepatient, who wished to keep his anonymity,through an e-mail. “Also, I didn’t haveto drive or wait in an office and could relaxin the convenience of my home.”The client admitted that sometimes,when having a session from home, it iseasy to get distracted with reminders ofchores and a television nearby. But all inall, he explained he prefers the type ofcounselor-patient relationship that is fosteredthrough Internet counseling.“An anonymous counseling relationshipmay actually be better and allow more freedomfor the patient to open up. I personallyfelt comfortable and developed a rapportwith Roberto,” he said.For more info, contact Alonso at 291-1490 or e-mail info@counselingoninternet.com or visit his Web site at www.counselingoninternet.com.

LOS Angeles-based band Ozomatli wasalready known to superbly mix Latin and hip hopwhen its last album was released on theinfamous date of Sept. 11, 2001. But thegroup used the cataclysm as a jump-off tostudy North African and Arab compositions.After all, “music is a language far more universalthan politics,” said the band’s trumpetplayer and co-vocalist Asdrubal Sierra.Those lessons were incorporated wisely,and wonderfully, in Ozomatli’s new album,Street Signs, released June 22 in Costa Ricaon Concord Records.The album features the multi-culturallineup of Sierra, percussionist JiroYamaguchi, bassist Wil-Dog Abers, percussionistand MC Justin Poree, co-vocalist andguitarist Raul Pacheco, clarinet and tenor saxophonistUlises Bella, drummer Mario Calire,turntablist Rene Spinobi, Dominguez and MCJabu.Ozomalti also welcomed recording guestssuch as jazz legend Eddie Palmieri,Moroccan sinter master Hassan Hakmoun,French-Jewish gypsy violinists Les YeuxNoir, the Prague Symphony, Los Lobossinger/guitarist David Hidalgo, and ex-Wallflowers drummer Mario Calire.The resultant Street Signs travels theworld astutely, offering the band’s trademarkhip-hop and Latin flavor to the current politicalrhymes and of the band’s original MCChait 2na (now with the rap group Jurassic 5)to Palmieri’s piano accent salsa horns in“Nadie Te Tira,” to the block party socialscene that is “Saturday Night,” to The BeatleBox Remix of “Ya Viene El Sol,” which canbest be described as a cut-up, pasted-togetherdance mix of latin beats.Woven throughout is a new and betterversion of globalization, one that peacefullyintegrates the cultures of Latin America, theMiddle East, North America, Asia, France,Europe, Africa and beyond into the mostexciting and progressive world yet.

HEAVY gray clouds broke to let the sunshine down on the hundreds of attendees atthe Canada Day festivities on June 26. Astrong breeze blew through the grounds ofPedregal in San Antonio de Belén, fillingout Canadian flags and carrying the soundsof the marimba, children’s laughter andfriendly conversations conducted inEnglish, Spanish and French.Adults wearing maple leaf hats and t-shirtstalked in groups while Spanish-speakingclowns led children in games.Attendees snapped up hot dogs, hamburgers,and pancakes with real Canadian maplesyrup under the collection of tents and open,roofed buildings northwest of San Jose.“It’s always a pleasure to spend CanadaDay out here with people. That’s what it’s allabout. We have the official holiday on July1, and that is a much more official, protocolkind of event, but this is the real thing here,”said Canadian Ambassador Louise Léger.“THIS is my third, and from what I cansee, this is probably the biggest crowdwe’ve had. It just keeps getting bigger andbetter every year,” Léger added.Event organizers Henry and BeverlyPenner estimated the crowd at 400 adults and75 children. The event had a big family picnicfeel, as friends greeted each other withhugs and children danced to music played byBruce Callow. Callow also pleased the adults,who relaxed with beers under the mango treeswhile he performed rock standards.Free cappuccinos from Café Britt were ahit with adults, while kids flocked to thepony rides, sometimes dragging an uncomfortable-looking parent along with them.Henry Penner estimated that Canada Dayraised “about $23,000, including the $14,000from the Canadian Embassy, which continuesto support our ‘Outreach’ program.”CANADA Day’s purpose is to raisemoney for this program, where the club supportsvarious community programs. Penneralso reported that the embassy matches everydollar the club raises with $2 of its own.Rob and Donna Potuzak, who moved toCosta Rica from Vancouver three years ago,were the lucky winners of one of the morethan 60 raffle prizes: An ounce of golddonated by HSBC Bank.“I’m very, very happy about winningthe ounce of gold. I never win anything.An ounce may be small, but when it’s gold,it’s great,” Mr. Potuzak said. For more info,visit www.canadianclubcr.org.

IT was an evening of murder, mystery, and solving twoheinous crimes, while enjoying a delicious dinner of tropicaldelicacies.On June 20, 40 sleuths – some murderers incognito –gathered at the home of Mike Forbes (alias Paradise IslandResort) in the western suburb of Escazú.Why this surreptitious gathering? The answer: AMurder Mystery Dinner Game.Seated at tables of eight, guests were given a script outliningwhere, when and how the gruesome crimes, of notone, but of two murders were committed. Character profilesand background information were handed out to eachparticipant and they were asked to introduce themselvesand make certain they stayed in character for the durationof the Murder Mystery Dinner.Murderers were informed in their synopses that theywere the guilty party and were the only people at the tablewho could lie. The other suspects – everybody present –must reveal all the facts truthfully when questioned.However, they were allowed to be as devious as theywished, plus embellish their characters when confrontedwith facts that cast suspicion on them. More evidence accumulatedbetween courses, as Scenes 1-4 were passed outand the mystery unfolded.NEEDLESS to say, the object of this dinner game is todetect who the murderer is. Players tried to establish theirinnocence as facts, suspicions, accusations and a bombardmentof questioning ensued. The excitement escalatedthroughout dinner, until the grand finale when the culpritwas accused and the crime solved. Of course, this dependedon how astute the sleuths had been and how clever thekiller was.AMurder Mystery Dinner Game is fantasy personified.You certainly won’t hear any political discussions or socialchitchat around these dinner tables. Instead, an entertainingtime full of illusion, drama and fun is the name of the game.The above event was a sell-out and so successful thatmore Mystery Dinner Games are planned.Every “Whodunit” is different and future games arescheduled on a commercial jet “Flight 013” on July 25from 1-5 p.m., at a college reunion “Forever Friends” Aug.21 from 5-9 p.m., and in a Las Vegas casino, “WinnerTakes All” on Sept. 27 from 4-8 p.m.For Halloween, an extra spooky séance “Beyond theGrave” is planned for Oct. 30 from 5-9 p.m. and “TheEternal Cruise” in Alaskan waters is scheduled for Nov. 21from 1-5 p.m.Reservations should be made well in advance as seatingis limited. The price will vary according to the “theme”of the meal served.For more info or reservations, call 289-6087 or e-mailcalchef2002@yahoo.com. Also call 203-3652 or e-mailandreason@racsa.co.cr.

THE name “De L’Ola del Mar”is a perfect indication of what thisrecently opened seafood restauranthas to offer. It’s yet another choicein Plaza Itskatzú, a dining Mecca inthe western suburb of Escazú –southwest of San José.If you’re enamored by anythingthat swims and the thought ofseafood makes your taste buds tingle,then take the plunge and visit “DeL’Ola del Mar.” The modern, elegant,black-and-white décor resemblesnothing close to the usualseafood house decorated with nets,shells and sea urchins. White linen tablemats and napkins,plus a high ceiling draped with a canopy of creamy whitefabric adds a unique touch to this light and spacious restaurant.Five of us arrived for Sunday lunch and found the restaurantempty apart from two diners. An acquaintance of oursand fan of the establishment recommended various items onthe menu with great enthusiasm. Our attentive waiter reiteratedhis recommendations and we ordered both the appetizerslisted as “The Chef’s Specials.” These change regularlyas do the main courses.The breadbasket arrived with a selection of warm miniloaves and bread sticks accompanied by garlic butter, oliveoil with thyme and a hot pepper dip. We munched on theseuntil our appetizers appeared.THE Artic clams served on a bed of sea algae resemblingChinese watercress, were enhanced by a touch of thetropics – slices of mango. The presentation was as creativeas the description. I was somewhat bewildered as I pokedaround in the sea algae for a mollusk’s shell. Then my companionsinformed me that the centerpiece, which lookedlike an attractive floral arrangement, was actually made outof the clams. They were delectable, despite being shell-less,but a mollusk is a mollusk and personally I’d rather havethem left in their juicy abode.The waiter solved the mystery, “The clams are importedfrom the Canadian Artic minus shells,and we also import seafood not found inCosta Rican waters from Chile,” he toldus.The vermicelli served with a selectionof seafood dressed with sesame oiland lemon juice was piquant and different,while the cerviche a la Tica, marinatedfish Tico style with chunks of avocado,received no complaints. Alarge selectionof appetizers and a few soups, mostlyseafood based, range from ¢1,350-4,325 ($3-10), with the clams topping thelist. Slightly overpriced I thought.The main course offerings, some withpasta or rice, include a selection of mollusks,crustaceans and fish. Scallops –seldom seen on menus here – are alsoavailable. It was hard to decide; everythingsounded very tempting, prepared ina variety of ways with a combination ofdifferent ingredients. Prices range from¢3,000-5,000 ($7-11). Lobster andshrimp are more expensive: ¢7,500-10,000 ($17-24). A coupleof chicken and steak dishes will keep non-fish eatershappy and I’ve heard reports that one of the Chef’s specials,surf ‘n turf is excellent.OUR orders were well timed and arrived together. TheMahi Mahi with avocado was served with a shot of Tequilaon the side, presumably to douse the fish. However, therecipient had a different idea and it disappeared in traditionalMexican fashion with salt and lemon. Yuca stickssmothered in garlic and a tasty ratatouille accompanied thered snapper with sun-dried tomatoes.Octopus with baby potatoes and shrimp flambé withrum were all as delicious as they looked. Chef EdgarAlvarez must be congratulated on his creative presentations,blending of flavors and ability to cook all that swimsto perfection. My one complaint was it could have been hotter.My friends agreed, but it didn’t seem to bother them.We all passed on the desserts that included lemon pieand crêpe Suzette, nor did we sample any wine from thecomprehensive list.The service during the meal was commendable, butnothing is ever perfect. By the time we were served coffee,the restaurant seats had filled and two in our party hadalready left. To our surprise, the waiter asked us to move toa smaller table because he needed our table for a party of sixwho had been waiting outside. Against my better judgement,we moved.De L’Ola del Mar is an upscale restaurant, with excellentfood, and a pleasant ambience, but regardless of how busy itis, they should learn to treat their customers with morerespect and give them time to finish their coffee in peace.IT’S located on the second floor on the south side ofPlaza Itskatzú by the Próspero Fernando Highway west ofSan José between Escazú and Guachipelín. Open Mon-Fri.,noon-3 p.m. and 6 -11 p.m. Sat., noon-11 p.m. Sun., noon-8 p.m. For reservations, call 289-4364.

THE Orquídeas Inn in Alajuela sits righton the border of two facets of Costa Rica –down the road lies the traffic woes and hustle bustleof the ever-developing capital city, upthe road features the tranquility of the traditionalcoffee and sugarcane fields.Sitting at the rectangular-shaped pool, thejuxtaposition of the hotel’s location becomesclear: One can hear the resident toucans’squak as well as the occasionalrumbling engines ofcars passing just outside theentrance gate.Time and time again, thehotel has been described asan “oasis” by guests throughnumerous letters, e-mailsand the guest book.And it is. Just 10 minutesfrom the airport, thehotel is everything San Joséis not. The hotel is calm andfriendly. It even smellsgood. The air is fresh andfull of flowers, not smog.It’s surrounded by nature,something newcomersexpect but don’t necessarilyfind in the city.“WHY waste your firstand last day of vacation?”said new owner GaryStubbs. “We find most people who come toCosta Rica on vacation come for Costa Rica,not San José.”The hotel is perfect for weary travelersjust arriving from long flights at the airport –not quite ready to continue their travelsexploring the country.It also serves as a good home base fortravelers booked for day trips around theCentral Valley and is a great option for thosewho have come to Costa Rica for nature, nottypical city life.For those who haven’t made travelarrangements prior to arriving, a tour company,Aventuras Turísticas Zamar, is located inthe bright purple-and-red lobby to help coordinatevarious day trips. For those who wantto plan trips themselves, tour owner WadyZamar has no problem dishing out free adviceand drawing maps for guests not using hisservices.STUBBS, the 53-year-old pony-tailedand bespectacled hotel owner, has been in thehotel business for about 30 years and heknows how to treat his guests. Although fromthe United States, he is as talkative andfriendly as a Tico and gives better traveladvice than a guidebook.Stubbs, once a regular guest of the inn,bought the hotel in 2003along with the propertynext door, which now housesthe hotel’s luxury roomsand massage therapist.All the woodwork –floors, doors, furniture – isCosta Rican artistry as wellas the painted teal bambooheadboards.Originally, the hotelwas a home for an elderlycouple. People beganknocking on their doorasking for a place to stay,since there were fewplaces in the outskirts ofAlajuela, and they eventuallyturned their home intoa hotel.The Orquídeas Inn is inthe middle of remodeling –repainting rooms, addingplants and clearing walking trails throughoutthe 10-acre property, which is host tobanana, avocado, lime, orange and mangotrees along with a wealth of non-edibleplants.AMONG the new features is a fabulousrestaurant. The food is presented like a workof art on banana leaves. Fried plantain chipsform curly Qs and sprigs of rosemary looklike evergreen trees. The tilapia is great.They also have newly added vegetarianoptions.The restaurant, located directly abovethe Marilyn Monroe bar, overlooks the pooland diners can see Irazú Volcano on a clearday.Poás and Barva volcanoes are also visible from other points of the property.With excellent food and a friendly staff it is easy to see why thebrightly colored hotel has a litany of repeat customers.With the exception of the restaurant crew, almost all the staff hasbeen with the hotel since its inception in October and they are wellliked. Even Edwin Sandoval, one of the newer staff members,receives thank-you mail and packages from former guests.“People work really hard so they can save money and take theirvacations,” Sandoval said. “I just want to make sure they have agreat vacation.”One guest loved the popular Marilyn Monroe bar so much, herequested to stay there forever.About eight years ago, Richard, a frequent guest, asked that hisashes be kept in the popular Marilyn Monroe bar. Richard was anairline pilot who traveled worldwide and Marilyn’s was his favoritebar through his travels.“The last time he was here he was very sick with cancer,” saidErich Barrantes, the hotel’s manager. “He said, ‘If I die, would youlet me stay here?’ and of course I said ‘sure.’ I thought it was a jokebut he died here and his son said he knew his dad would want to stayhere forever.”GETTING THERE: The hotel is 5 km west of the Alajuelacemetery and is clearly marked. Buses from San José leave forAlajuela every 5-10 minutes from the Tuasa bus station. Or, call thehotel at 433-9346 to arrange pick up from the airport.For the rainy season, room prices range from $45 for a standardroom to $120 for a mountain-view suite or the geodesic dome whichsleeps up to five.For more info, call 433-9346 or e-mail info@orquideasinn.com.

DURING Day 1of the Costa Rica legof the annual PresidentialChallenge ofCentral America tournamentat OcotalResort last Sunday,the 15 anglers released19 sailfish,said tournament directorJoan Vernon.Team USA (BillEasum, Dale Sid-dall, Todd Weatherly)came in at the head of the pack with sixreleases. Close behind was Picapleitos(Margie Adams, Vernon, Henry Riggs-Miller) with five releases, and Sea JCharters (Hans Kaspersetz, Joe Mayer,Jamie Harless) trailed in third with fourfish to the boat.Easum was the top angler for the daywith three releases at the competition on thenorthern Pacific coast. Kaspersetz releasedtwo sails but beat the clock for earliestrelease of his second fish to claim secondplace over Scott Rickert, also with two.Adams had first release of the day at8:21 a.m. Vernon, her teammate, was rightbehind (she had the first ‘hook up!’) at8:23 a.m. Most of the action was early inthe morning as it was spotty throughout therest of the day, Vernon said.Good biting continues along the Pacificcoast. I received an e-mail from ToddStaley, who runs the fishing operation atCrocodile Bay, in the Golfito region.The resort’s boats have impressive statistics.Between Jan. 1-May 15, anglersraised 10,274 sailfish, with 3,004 to theboat for release. Marlin tally was 65released for 288 raised and a total of 457tuna, 232 dorado more than 25 pounds,seven wahoo, 2,420 roosterfish, 452 snapper,1,614 jacks and 749 miscellaneousspecies were also caught during that sametime period, Staley said.“March was the top month with 3,512sails up and February was off for the firsttime this year because of the green water,”he said.Tuna are the attraction now, with bigschools working from 4-20 miles off thebeach. A 175 pounder was the big fish lastweek, but others more than 200 poundshave been hooked and lost, Staley said.I wish more skippers, lodges, marinasand resort operators would keep similardata and stats on fishing, particularly on amonth to month basis and share them withus. It would certainly help promote fishingin this country to the international marketand gain new insights into fishing patterns.Another report came from BruceBlevins, who operates Banana Bay Marinain Golfito, who said the area enjoyed flatseas and little rain last week, with boats outof the marina nailing tuna from 30-160pounds, a 350-pound blue marlin releaseand a sprinkling of sailfish.Inshore, Captain Bobby McGuinnessof the “Sweet Dreams” has been releasinglots of snapper and roosterfish on fly tacklewhile fishing with Bruce Pratt.For more info on fishing or assistance inplanning a trip to Costa Rica, contact Jerryat jruhlow@costaricaoutdoors.com orvisit www.costaricaoutdoors.comSkippers, operators and anglers areinvited to e-mail or call Jerry with fishingreports by Wednesday of each week. Call orfax: 282-6743 if calling from Costa Rica, orthrough the e-mail address above.

A strike by Costa Rica’s near 100 air trafficcontrollers that began last Saturday, criticizedas illegal by top government officials, has thenation’s airports operating with an interim forceof 28 foreign controllers, precluding the use ofradar.Local controllers say the switch puts manyflights in “grave danger.”The striking workers are demanding salaries 35%above certain Civil Aviation Inspectors who currentlyearn more than the controllers – something they claimthe government promised them in 1994.Public Works and Transport Minister Javier Chavessaid though the limited number of controllers onlyallows for the use of radio communication, visual cuesand aircraft instruments to assist in takeoffs and landings,airport safety and security have not been compromised.HOWEVER, the striking controllers and somepilots maintain that the practice of operating with one thirdthe normal amount of air traffic controllers isextremely risky.“There have been some very serious cases (in the airports).Nothing is normal or safe,” said LeonardoGuillén, the spokesman for the Costa Rican Air Traffic Controllers’ Union.For example, commercial pilot CarlosZamora filed a written complaint with theCivil Aviation Administration saying hewas 150 feet from colliding with a CessnaMonday near the Quepos airport, on theCentral Pacific coast.Chaves said the incident, which occurredSaturday, is one of three reported incidentsthis month and the only one reported sincethe foreign controllers stepped in.But Guillén said the striking workers,using a radio scanner to monitor communications,have recorded 90 “serious, serious”incidents since the foreign controllers werebrought in to run the towers.“WE are very worried about the airsecurity situation,” Guillén said. “We don’twant an accident. An accident would be adisaster for everyone.”The Central American Air NavigationAgency (COCESNA) brought in theemergency replacements and is coveringtheir salaries – $150 per person per day.The 28 controllers are from Peru, ElSalvador and Nicaragua.Alvaro Durán, of the Department ofCivil Aviation’s Technical SecurityCommittee, said the switch did not slow airservice in the country, save a several-hourdisruption just after the strike began, andlikened the change to switching from “acomputer to a word processor.”Although the strike did not significantlyaffect air traffic, it did prompt the cancellationof an emergency security simulationat the Juan Santamaría InternationalAirport, just outside of San José nearAlajuela, originally scheduled for Wednesdaymorning, as well as nationwiderestrictions on flight training.NEGOTIATIONS between the strikingworkers and government officials thisweek yielded little result, and Guillén saidthe controllers will maintain the strike untiltheir demands are met.“This is a question of dignity,” Guilléntold The Tico Times. “We will continueforward.”Guillén said Costa Rican controllerslearned of the foreign traffic controllers’arrival three days before the strike began. Hesaid it was partially that “lack of good will”on the part of the government that led to thestrike.The administration of President AbelPacheco claims to be willing to go as far aspermanently replacing all of them.Government officials from several ministriessaid the agreement with COCESNAcould continue indefinitely.COCESNA spokeswoman LianaMantilla, working in the company’s centraloffice in Honduras, said the company is anot-for-profit dedicated to Central Americanintegration. She said COCESNA obtains itsfunding from two main channels: airlinesthat frequently use Central American airspace,and fees charged for airline securitytraining courses. The airlines, she said, payfor aeronautical data and security services.Mantilla said COCESNA has had anofficial agreement with the Costa Rican governmentsince 1963, in which it guaranteesthe country the kind of navigational supportit is providing now. She said COCESNA hassimilar agreements with all CentralAmerican countries except for Panama.MINISTER Chaves said the governmentis prepared to fulfill the terms of the1994 contract with the controllers, but hesaid they are now demanding “an incrementthat is not proportional.”Chaves said the controllers’ salarieswere raised to 30% above the inspectors’ in1994, and that they are indeed owed theremainder, with their combined paymenttotaling approximately ¢200 million (about$460,000). He said the government hasagreed to pay that amount.“We’re not talking about smallmoney,” he said. “But that is reasonable.”Air traffic controllers currently makebetween ¢450,000 ($1,034) and ¢700,000($1,609) per month, Chaves said.But now, he said they are demanding35% more than inspectors in new categoriesadded to Civil Aviation in 2000 – anincrease that would more than double thecontrollers’ current salaries. This, Chavessaid, is not negotiable.Guillén said regardless of the new categories,the controllers should earn morebecause they make a much greater contributionto air traffic security than inspectors.LABOR Minister Ovidio Pacheco saidthe strike is illegal, as the labor code mandatesthat employees of public transportationservices offer to negotiate beforeannouncing a strike – something he saidthe controllers did not do.Guillén, however, insists that the controllersdid attempt to negotiate.Minister Pacheco also said strikes thatcould cause significant economic damage tothe country violate the labor code, andalleged that the controllers’ strike put at riskthe country’s $1.2 billion tourism industry.However, Tourism Minister RodrigoCastro said the strike has not affectedtourist traffic.Just the same, Labor Ministry representativeson Monday officially requestedthat judges in Alajuela, Liberia and SanJosé declare the strike illegal. Those threecities are home to the country’s majorinternational airports: Juan Santamaría(Alajuela), Tobías Bolaños (Pavas), andDaniel Oduber (Liberia). Civil Aviation’sAlvaro Durán said all of the nation’s controllerswere distributed among the three.SANDRA Castro, a spokeswomanfrom the Judicial Branch, said the threerequests are being handled as one case by aSan José judge, who she said should ruleon the matter Monday or Tuesday.If the strike is declared illegal, the governmentwill be able to fire the strikingcontrollers without paying them a severancepackage.Guillén said the potential declarationof illegality does not worry the workers, as“there has never been a legal strike inCosta Rica.”Presidency Minister Ricardo Toledosaid the controllers’ union lawyer all butcompletely broke off negotiations with thegovernment Monday. Toledo said repeatedlythis week that if the controllers don’twork, they will not be paid.“In 15 days we’re going to have peoplewith problems – people who haven’t beenpaid,” he said.BOTH Toledo and Chaves publiclyasked to controllers to resume negotiations.Public Security Minister Rogelio Ramossaid some of the interim controllers receivedthreats, so police are providing added securityfor the foreign workers, all of whom hesaid have obtained the necessary immigrationdocuments to work here.

LESS than a month after naming Álex Solís thecountry’s Comptroller General, the majority of theLegislative Assembly’s deputies asked the head inspectorof government financial contracts to step down.Allegations that Solís financed the smuggling ofhundreds of illegal immigrants to the United States andfalsified the signature of his brother Ottón Solís causedthe new comptroller to lose the support of more thantwo-thirds the Legislative Assembly.On Wednesday night, 40 legislators voted in favorand nine against asking Solís to resign within 24 hoursbecause of the perceived scandal.Last night at a press conference, Solís again denied anywrongdoing and refused to step down, saying he will do his job “as long as God will allow.” Hepromised to “continue the fight againstpublic and private corruption,” and reiteratedthat he has broken no laws.He added that he has been treatedunfairly by the media.Legislators have said that if Solísdoes not resign, they will continue thelegal process for his removal, nipping hiseight-year term in the bud.A special legislative investigativecommission began investigating SolísJune 21 and has 20 days to reach a conclusion.Solís was named as a successor to formerComptroller Luis Fernando Vargas,who stepped down after completing hiseight-year term.The Comptroller General is responsiblefor reviewing the government’sfinances and all contracts and public bids,particularly to combat corruption andirregularities.THE investigation into Solís’ backgroundbegan in response to allegationsby Patriotic Bloc deputy Humberto Arcethat Solís falsified the signature of hisbrother – a former presidential candidateand founder of the Citizen Action Party(PAC) – on documents.Further investigation of these documentsrevealed accusations that Solíshelped fund Southern Zone residents’illegal entrance into the United States bylending money to pay for costly “coyotes.”Costa Ricans hoping to be smuggledinto the United States pay up to $5,000,according to local press reports. Severalmen who called themselves “travelagents” told the daily newspapers thatthey help poor campesinos from theSouthern Zone canton of Pérez Zeledónstart new lives in the United States.FROM 1998 to 2001 these “travelagents” often referred their clients lookingfor financing to Solís’s law firm,according to reports, because it offeredlow interest rates.One coyote has his office in the samebuilding as Solís’s law firm, located inSan Isidro de El General.Residents often mortgaged theirhomes to borrow the funds. Several PérezZeledón residents told of having theirhomes repossessed when they wereunable to pay their debts to Solís, oftenbecause of the death of a family memberor because the person smuggled into theUnited States was never heard from again.“Travel agent” William Zúñiga, however,said Solís is “an honorable person”and his friend. Zúñiga admitted to Al Díato having assisted in smuggling at least1,000 Costa Ricans into the United Statesthrough Mexico during the past 14 years.He denied the business was profitable,alleging he had incurred $350,000 indebts. The $5,000 fee is used to buy aplane ticket to Mexico and then hire acoyote to smuggle the client across theU.S. border, he said.HUMAN smuggling is not illegal inCosta Rica. However, attempting tosmuggle immigrants into the UnitedStates is a punishable offense carryingsevere criminal penalties and can renderthe smuggler permanently ineligible toenter the United States, according to theU.S. Embassy in San José.Although unable to comment on thespecific case of Zúñiga, embassy spokeswomanElaine Samson said normallywhen situations of human smugglingcome to light information is passed on tothe various agencies involved in immigrationand national security.“We are considering this a domesticissue at this point,” Samson said of thePérez Zeledón smuggling reports.SAMSON was hesitant to say thetype of smuggling Zúñiga and others areinvolved in qualifies as human trafficking,which has come under fire recentlyin Costa Rica.The U.S. State Department recentlyreleased its annual Human Traffickingreport, and Costa Rica ranked in the Tier2 category of countries.The report reads “the government ofCosta Rica does not fully comply withminimum standards for the elimination oftrafficking; however, it is making significantefforts to do so,” which defines allTier 2 countries.“WHAT we call trafficking in personsgenerally relates to sexual exploitationand forced labor,” Samson said.“People are promised a job in a countryand when they arrive they are forced intoprostitution or to work for a factory for$1 an hour.”The lines between human smugglingand human trafficking get blurred whencoyotes bring immigrants across the borderand then demand more payment oroffer jobs to pay back loans in forcedlabor situations, Samson said.(Tico Times reporter Robert Goodier contributedto this article).

ZIPLINE canopy tours, white-water rafting, bungeejumping… Tourists in Costa Rica will find hundreds ofadventure-tour options, all promising to get adrenalinepumping and hearts racing. Choosing a certifiably safeoperator, however, may prove a more daunting task.Government regulation of Costa Rica’s adventure tourismindustry has had negligible results since newrules were published in October of last year, according toindustry insiders.Despite extensive government requirements,tourists interested in extreme adventures will find aconfusing mess of private and public certification andalmost no industry-wide standards to guide them inchoosing a tour company.ONLY five of the more than 200 adventure-tourismcompanies in Costa Rica have fully complied with thenew regulations, according to Euclides José Arce, a representativeof the National Training Institute (INA),which oversees the certification program. The CostaRican Tourism Institute (ICT) is also involved.However, the government will not have specific guidelinesin place for three activities – mountain biking, naturehikes and horseback riding – until the end of this year.“It’s a process,” Arce explained.It appears to be a process that some of the most establishedadventure-tour operators in the country are ignoring.Some even admit they are making no effort to obtaincertification, although that doesn’t mean they’re not safety-oriented.Rafael Gallo, president of Ríos Tropicales, a river- rafting and bungee-jumping tour operator,and president of the 47-memberAssociation of Adventure Operators(AOA), is among those who criticize theregulations, saying they are unfair andunnecessary.THE government is “asking for veryridiculous requirements,” he said.“They have sent the Minister of Healthto ask for your safety records and youroperations manual, and they have no ideawhat it needs to contain. I could send themanything,” Gallo added.The government, however, sees therequirements as essential in an industrythat feeds off perceived danger.“We have to take care of the tourist, theworker, and the community,” Arce said.THE ICT announced its 80-pageGuide to Evaluate Maintenance andSecurity Procedures in October 2003,touted as the first set of legal guidelines inLatin America (TT, Oct. 24, 2003). Theguidelines were inspired by the death oftour guide Patricia Baron in September2000 after she fell from a zipline at ValleEscondido Hotel in San Ramón, in thewestern Central Valley (TT, Sept. 8, 2000;TT Daily Page, Oct. 23, 2000). Thecanopy tour operator was found guilty ofinvoluntary homicide (TT, Oct. 24, 2003).The government guide consists of a130-question checklist and technicalguidelines for adventure-tour operations.All operators that qualify as “adventuretours,” must fill out the survey, show proofof insurance, create manuals for safety,operation and maintenance and have theirequipment, guides and facilities approvedby ICT technicians. Untrained guides mustreceive courses from the INA.AFTER the ICT issues a certificate ofapproval, the guidelines say tour operatorscan then apply for licenses and permits fromthe Health Ministry and municipalities.Arce explained the certificationprocess to The Tico Times this week, notingit is a very thorough and demandingprocess for the tour operators.“We make the programs, we sendthem, they (ICT officials) look over them,and we execute them. But they are theones appointed by the law to manage this.”The final step is Ministry of Healthapproval, which is now a legal requirement.The five companies to have completedthe process, according to the ICT, areJacamar Naturalist Tours, Costa RicaArenal Canopy Tours, Arenal ParaísoCanopy Tour, Senderos Aéreos deTortuguero, and Poás Canopy Tour.Technically, according to TourismMinister Rodrigo Castro, who replied toTico Times questions through his pressadvisor Alvaro Villalobos, “the ICT’slegal powers don’t allow us to force anyoneto have a license from the ICT topractice a tourist activity.”The catch, according to Arce, is that theMinistry of Health does require certification,and the only way to obtain this isthrough the ICT process.MANY tour operators believe that insuch a large industry – according to ICTguidelines, activities from white-waterrafting to hiking are defined as “adventureactivities” – strict government regulation isimpossible and ridiculous.“The ICT doesn’t have the ability tocarry out the requirements,” said RobertoFernández, manager of rafting outfitterAventuras Naturales.According to ICT spokesman Villalobos,however, “the government has doneits homework.“For the creation of regulation, theytook into account the opinions of nationaladvisors and international experts, in eachone of the involved adventure-tourism disciplines,”he said.YET even tour operators who say theyunderstand why the government wishes toregulate the industry, such as Coast-to-CoastAdventure’s president Mike Lapcevic, saythe requirements are frustrating.“The government wants to reduce theamount of accidents, make sure that guysare qualified, that standards stay high.That’s what a company like Coast-to-Coastwants as well. What we’re questioning is,is that the only way to do it?”For Lapcevic, the answer is no. Hesaid he sees many flaws in the government’ssystem, including the government’sperceived detachment from the industry.“We shouldn’t have to go to all these(government-sponsored) courses,” he said,adding they are “the same as private ones.”He said adventure-tour operators have theirown safety standards and established system,“and now they’re almost reinventingthat with their own (government) system.”RIOS Tropicales’ Gallo took an evenharsher stance, saying the governmentmay not be qualified to teach safety andguiding courses.“All my guides are certified by theInternational Rafting Federation, but thegovernment won’t recognize that title.They have to go to their (the government’s)school, where they know nothing aboutrafting.” He referred to a requirement thatguides be trained at INA.Coast-to-Coast’s General ManagerCristina Ulate agreed.“There are some parts of the requirementsthat we think should be a little moreopen. For example, many guides have a lotof experience but don’t fulfill the requirementof a high school diploma,” Ulate said.Gallo said some of his best guides“cannot comply with guide certification. Ithink it’s ridiculous.”Arce said the government’s system isnot as inflexible as tour operators believe.Guides can take courses with the INA, takean exam to prove their knowledge, or showcertification or degrees from recognizedsources such as universities.“And if the guides are good (beforegovernment classes),” Arce said, “Theycan be excellent (after the classes).”GOVERNMENT and industry representativesboth urge tourists to researchcompany track records and check insurancepolicies before choosing a tour.