THE ongoing financial scandal thathas rocked the Social Security System(Caja) – Costa Rica’s nationalized healthcaresystem – saw several developmentsthis week.The Superintendence of Securities(SUGEVAL) filed a complaint before theProsecutor’s Office late last week againstEmilio Bruce, president of pharmaceuticalfirm Corporación Fischel S.A., alleging hehad presented investors with incompleteinformation about the company’s financesduring its most recent stock offering.SUGEVAL charges Bruce may haveauthorized the publishing of false balances,presented fraudulent credit documents andissued false testimony, the daily La Naciónreported. If charged and found guilty ofthese crimes, Bruce could be sentenced toseveral years in prison.ACCORDING to Adolfo Rodríguez,Superintendent of Securities, Fischel presenteda sworn declaration guaranteeing theveracity of the information in the company’sprospectus. However, this information wascompromised after it was discovered that theprospectus failed to include several companiesowned by Corporación Fischel.The companies are Farmacias Catedral,S.A. and Farmacias Fischel, S.A, both registeredin Panama. The prospectus alsofailed to include that Fischel owns a 40%stake of the firm Asesores de Servicios enSalud (ASERSA).Bruce told the daily Al Día he andCorporación Fischel would fully cooperatewith SUGEVAL and courts.ON Monday, private Hospital ClínicaBíblica ran full-page ads in several dailynewspapers announcing it was ending itscontract with Corporación Fischel for thesupply and distribution of medications tothe pharmacies of the three San José areabasic health-care clinics (EBAIS) it administratesfor the Caja.Clínica Bíblica operates EBAIS clinicsin the western suburb of Escazú, the southernSan José neighborhood of Leon XIII andLa Carpio, a shantytown west of San José.The hospital’s board of directors professeda willingness to be open about thehospital’s relations with Fischel and gobefore the courts, if necessary. The ad stated,however, that the board would henceforthavoid speaking to the media about itsrelations with Fischel.La Nación published statements byJaime Peterson, the president of CostaRican Medical Services Association,which owns Clínica Bíblica, explaining thecontract’s termination.“THE decision was made because of allthe problems we were having as a result ofour relationship with Fischel,” Peterson stated.“Our personnel are spending too muchtime responding to questions about Fischel.”While the Association will have to payFischel $120,000 for breaking that contract,its other business relations withFischel will continue, he said.“We are only separating the businessthat is related to the Caja,” Peterson told LaNación.Also on Monday, former Vice-President (1998-2002) and EducationMinister Astrid Fischel testified before theLegislative Assembly. She said that in1998, before becoming vice-president, shebroke all ties with Corporación Fischel,which was founded by her grandfather.Fischel was a member of the company’sboard of directors between 1991-1997 and in 1994 she served as its president.She told the legislative deputies shebroke all ties with the company after sellingall her shares to her sister SophieFischel.During Tuesday’s weekly cabinetmeeting, President Abel Pacheco appointedJosé Manuel Arias, an economist with adegree in business management, to theCaja’s temporary board of directors. Ariasreplaces César Jamarillo, who resignedshortly after being named last week, citinga conflict of interest.THESE events are the latest chaptersin a scandal that broke in April followingLa Nación reports questioning Fischel’sprivate dealings with Caja executive presidentat the time, Eliseo Vargas.Vargas reportedly rented a luxury homefrom Fischel executive Olman Valverde athalf its value. Vargas and Valverde bothresigned shortly after this was reported.The report prompted a governmentinvestigation, which revealed that whileVargas was a legislative deputy in 2001, hesupported a $32 million loan from theFinnish government to finance medical suppliesin Costa Rica. A Fischel subsidiaryreceived these government contracts.Caja’s board of directors laterannounced that Project Finland’s supplieswere not “priority needs” in Costa Ricanhospitals (TT, May 14).As a result of the ongoing investigations,two weeks ago, a judge suspendedthe nine members of Caja’s board of directorsfor six months on the grounds that theymisused $6,000 in public funds by takingout ads in four major newspapers supportingVargas after he was accused of shadybusiness dealings with Fischel.President Abel Pacheco named a temporaryboard of directors to preside overthe Caja on June 8 (TT, June 11).
Dominican Republic Closer to Joining Regional Trade Pact
TOP trade officials from CentralAmerica, the United States and theDominican Republic traveled to Miami,Fla., this week to discuss the final detailsfor the Dominican Republic to become theseventh country to be part of the CentralAmerican Free-Trade Agreement(CAFTA) with the United States.“We have great interest in DominicanRepublic’s participation in this free-tradeagreement,” said Anabel González, headCAFTA negotiator for Costa Rica. “Fromthe Costa Rican perspective, theDominican market offers multiple and variedopportunities for national producersand is an excellent opportunity to modernizethe rules that govern our trade.”Between January and March, theUnited States negotiated DominicanRepublic’s inclusion in CAFTA.Dominican Republic accepted the 22 chaptersof the normative portion of CAFTA.However, relations between theDominican Republic and countries ofCentral America, which already have afree-trade agreement, had not been notdefined.THE purpose of the meetings is toextend CAFTA’s trade privileges multilaterally– so they apply reciprocally betweenall seven countries, González explained.The main issue on the negotiating tableis defining the type of market access thatCentral American countries will receivefor products that were excluded from theCentral America-Dominican RepublicFree-Trade Agreement, such as dairy,chicken, pork, rice and some textile products.If the negotiations are successful, thetrade ministers of the seven countries willsign CAFTA again (TT, June 4), this timewith the Dominican Republic.After that, each country would beresponsible for submitting the treaty to itslegislative body.CAFTA will be submitted to CostaRica’s Legislative Assembly during thesecond half of July, according to González.
Flaw Detected in Atlas Refrigerators
ELECTRICAL appliances manufacturerAtlas Eléctrica has announced it discovereda flaw in several of its refrigeratormodels that could lead to malfunctionsand short circuits. The company says itwill replace the faulty components free ofcharge.“We recently discovered that in thetwo-door, frost-free refrigerator models,the panel of lights that indicates the conditionof the device’s functioning can beinvaded by small insects,” explainedDiego Artiñano, general manager of AtlasEléctrica. “These insects can generate ashort circuit or cause faults in the equipment’sfunctioning. There is even the possibilitythat this may cause a fire.”The flaw was found in refrigeratorswith serial numbers between200302010000 and 200309300000. Thecompany has set up a hotline (211-0510)where refrigerator owners can report themalfunction and request repairs. The companyhas hired more than 100 trainedtechnicians to visit homes and repair thefaulty components.Atlas Eléctrica, which began operationsin 1961, employs 800 workers. Ithas plants in Costa Rica and El Salvadorand is listed in the National StockExchange.
Children Plant Tree as Part of Project
CHILDREN from the San RafaelSchool planted trees with the TropicSierra Foundation May 26 in Monte de laCruz in north Heredia, kicking off thefoundation’s Project Plant-a-Tree.Project Plant-a-Tree aims to get communitymembers educated and involvedin environmental concerns.The foundation hopes to follow withsimilar events.Universidad Nacional Professor ofForestry Studies Henry Ramírez spoke tothe children “about the environment, theimportance of trees and rivers,” accordingto foundation spokesman Jorge Paniagua.The foundation is “devoted to savingour natural resources with primaryemphasis on the environment of CostaRica,” according to the organization’sWeb site at www.tropicjoes.com.THE foundation is sponsored byTropic Joe’s Tours, a company thatarranges ecologically friendly tours andvolunteer vacations, offering participantsthe option of what the Web site describesas a “hands-on” opportunity to help ourenvironment.”For more info, call 291-4492 or 291-4493.
The Vanishing Catch: Life and Struggle on Costa Rica’s Isla Chira
ISLA CHIRA, Puntarenas – Traveling to this island, in the Gulf of Nicoya, is like traveling back in time. Life is simple and tranquil – it is a life before Nintendo games and movie theatres, a life before malls and supermarkets.
Isla Chira is one of Central America’s largest islands with five towns and about 3,000 residents, most of whom survive off fishing.
Residents wake up shortly before sunrise and head to the port to “sweep” the ocean for bait: sardines or prawns. They spend the rest of their morning fishing, return home for lunch and head back out to sea in the afternoon.
Although fishing is traditionally dominated by men, in Chira, women fish alongside the men as multi-colored fishing boats line up next to each other. Sometimes, more than half the town is out fishing at once, leaving the area empty except for the sounds of children and pigs squealing, hens clucking and cows mooing.
When the fish quit biting, the fishermen and women pull up their anchors and migrate – all together – to a different spot and begin all over again.
FISHING is a way of life for the residents of Chira. If the fish populations are low, their lifestyle and their livelihoods are in danger.
María Trinidad Pérez, founder and ex-president of the Association of Fishing Women in the town of Palito, was born in Chira and has been fishing almost her whole life.
“It’s not what it used to be,” she said, while grabbing a shiny sardine and jabbing a hook through its gaping mouth. “There used to be a lot more fish. To get two, three or four fish in a day is a lot now.” She throws the bait overboard and iridescent fish scales stick to her dark hands like dried glue.
In the boat next to hers, a man lays down with the fishing line between his toes and a straw hat across his face shading him from the sun.
Over-fishing has made life even more economically hard on this tight-knit community. Beginning in June, there will be an obligatory three-month fishing moratorium, Pérez said, to help the fish population regroup.
According to a United Nations project description sheet, “many fishermen do not respect the three-month break (when fishing is not allowed), nor the established requirements of the types of fishing nets permitted.”
The government will provide subsidies for that time period, but as of late May, Chira residents were still not sure how much money they would receive.
“The people either work on their homes or community projects during that time,” Pérez said. “My husband and I are thinking about going to San José to work, but we have two children in school.”
After four hours of fishing, Pérez and the rest of the fish harvesters return to shore to sell their catch. Anchors are dropped, knives are brandished, throats are slit and fish guts are thrown into the air to the delight of the circling pelicans, vultures and seagulls.
The tired workers trudge up the beach and line up to sell their fish, holding onto their catch by the gills. The fish are weighed – names and prices are yelled out. Pérez sells her four fish for a total of ¢5,400 ($12.50).
Family members await husbands, wives, fathers and mothers coming in from fishing. Among them is Teodora Medina, patiently looking toward the ocean, arms crossed, while her three children play around her. She is waiting for her husband Gabriel, who was lucky and caught several corbina.
“It’s been three weeks and we haven’t even seen a corbina until today,” Medina said. “Today, they took out 90 kilograms of prawns.”
“They’re going to finish them off. They’re going to finish off everything in the sea,” said Medina, shaking her head.
Women of Chira Take Control of Destiny
ISLA CHIRA, Puntarenas – ForLiliana Martínez, fishing in the economicallydepressed area of Isla Chira was away of life – a life that was leading manymembers of the community down a road ofpoverty.A single dead fish the size of her forearmis in Martínez’s sink. Normally, everyonein her family eats a whole fish forlunch, she says. But today her husbandcaught only one that was too small to sell.“We didn’t want to keep fishingbecause it was not fruitful anymore,”Martínez explained. “Before, we would goout fishing and come home with emptyhands and it kept getting worse. We decidedwe had to do one of two things: Leavethe island or change the work situationhere,” she said as her almond-shaped eyeswidened for dramatic effect.Martínez helped form a group – theAssociation of Ecotourism Women of IslaChira – to provide more employmentoptions on the island located in the Gulf oNicoya. She, along with Teodora Medina,Isabel Cruz and Marta Calderon, are theonly ones left in the ambitious women’sgroup that once boasted 11 members. Afterincreasing pressure from the town, one byone, the other women quit.WHEN the women were out to sea,their boats huddled together, they fishedfor ideas.No one in town gave much merit totheir far-fetched dreams. Husbands calledtheir wives crazy. Neighbors called themvagrants. Others said theywanted to corrupt theisland by bringing indrugs and prostitutes andother problems.“The people were somad at us,” Medina saidquietly. “The pressurewas incredible,” she said,lightly wiping crumbs offthe countertop with herstrong hands.But, the women needed an employmentoption that did not include fishing –rare on an island that only features a fewpulperias, a bakery, an elementary schoolin each of the five towns, one high schooland a medical clinic. There are no gas stationsor large restaurants or stores thatwould need employees – no hospitals orfactories (see separate story, W-5).“We had to build a business, anything,”Martínez said. “We had a lot ofideas, but someone said ‘Wouldn’t it benice to have cabins?’We would like peoplefrom other countries to come here since wecan’t go to other places.”MARTÍNEZ’S voice rises in excitementand she soundsalmost like a child whenshe speaks about the project.“We thought it wouldbe beautiful to makefriends with people fromother places.”When a group fromthe Universidad Nacionalcame to visit the island,the women finally got theencouragement they needed.“There was so much negative pressureon us,” Medina said. “We might not haveaccomplished what we did without it,” she said, referring to the added desire it producedin the women to accomplish their goal.The group went to a meeting with theUnited Nations’ Small Donations Committeeand received financial and moral support inthe form of $20,000 and meetings full ofbusiness suggestions and advice.“For the women, the possibility of survivingis even more precarious since manydon’t have access tothe sea because of thehigh cost of boats andmotors as well as thesocial cost of raisingchildren,” cited a U.N.project descriptionsheet. “These situationsrequire positiveactions to diversifywork options in theGulf of Nicoya andspecifically in IslaChira.”THE women’sassociation is one ofseveral women’sgroups in the Nicoya Peninsula funded bythe United Nations.“In the beginning, nobody believed inthe project, but now, in the whole community,there is a lot more respect,” saidEduardo Mata, the U.N. coordinator ofSmall Donations, who has been workingwith the group for three years.Before, many members of the communityrefused to even go look at the women’sproject of building a cabin to host tourists(See separate story, W-8). Now, theAssociation of Fishermen and Women holdmeetings at the cabin’s spacious eating area.“We were women with a lot of fear,”Martínez said quietly, while walking homein the dark. “It was very difficult to go to the(U.N.) meeting in San José. We didn’t havepermission from our husbands and so wewent without permission. When they foundout they were terribly upset.”The group was also invited to severalconferences on self-esteem, where a womanpsychologist told them they were brave,beautiful and strong. She said they had aright to live without the fear of aggression.THE conferences made an impact onMartínez. When she got home to her furioushusband, she told him, “I am a healthywoman. I am a mother. I have a right to livea healthy life and you do not have the rightto keep me from doing what I need to do forthe good of the family.”“I began to lose my fear and began toknow the laws that support women. At theend of a year, my lifehad completelychanged. I could say,‘I’m going to work onthe cabins’ and I wentand worked calmly.And that’s how everythingstarted,” saidMartínez, noddingand smiling proudly.And so thewomen began a laborintensive year-longproject, in 2001, andovercame all odds tobuild a cabin anddiversify the workforce on the island.ALTHOUGH the simple log cabin maybe roughing it for people from the city, itmay be considered a luxury to people on theisland.The residents of Chira live in poverty.Their few roads are dirt. Some homes havedoorways, but no doors, windows but nowindow coverings. In these homes, roomsare separated by sheets. Kitchens and bathroomsare commonly found outside thehome.Doors are not a necessity, since crime isnot an issue on the island.“The kids get out of school at 11 and ifthey’re not home by noon, it doesn’t evencross your mind that something has happenedto them,” Martínez said, watching hertwo young sons kick the soccer ball around.“If they’re not home, it’s because they’replaying. You don’t have to worry here.”And now with the additional incomefrom tourists, Martínez, and the otherwomen in her group, also don’t have toworry about feeding their families.
Student to NCAA Sport
WHILE just about every Country DaySchool graduate continues to college, fewdo so while playing sports for a NCAA university.In the fall, Nigel Barton, 18, will attendTulane University in New Orleans, La. andwill play tennis for the team, which is currentlyranked 18 in the nation.“I’m a little nervous going into the tennisprogram because they have such a highrecord,” he said.Barton isn’t used to playingtennis for school –Country Day, a college preparatoryschool located inEscazú, southwest of SanJosé, has soccer, basketballand volleyball teams thatcompete in Costa Rica andthroughout Central America,but no tennis team.“What’s good aboutNigel is he’s been able tobalance a very demanding academic programwith many, many hours a day practicingtennis,” said the school’s principal,Kevin Glass.BARTON trains about two hours a day,five-to-six days a week.“It’s kind of hectic because I go toschool, go to practice, come home andstudy,” he said.Barton started playing tennis at age 4when his father started taking him to theCosta Rica Country Club.“I played with my dad for about eight ornine years and I also joined clinicas andplayed with other kids,” Barton said.Although he played other sports, likebasketball, throughout his childhood andteen years, tennis was always his “main”sport.At 16, he moved to Florida to train for ayear with his younger brother, Geoffrey, now16. There, they shared an apartment withseven other tennis players where they weresupervised by coaches instead of parents.They also attended a local high school and,of course, practiced tennis – four hours a day.But academics have also played a bigrole in Barton’s life.THIS year, Bartontook four AdvancedPlacement (AP) classes,which are the high schoolequivalent of acollege class. Dependingon his score on theAP tests, Tulane willgive him college creditfor the classes.He has already beenexempt from taking anyforeign-language classes at Tulane afterscoring a five, the highest score possible, onhis AP Spanish test. Barton added he is notnervous about the academics part of universitylife in the United States – Country Dayprepared him well.And although he does have personalconnections to Tulane – it was the sport thatultimately led him to choose the Louisianauniversity.“I knew I wanted to be in the south andmy grandmother is a Tulane graduate,” hesaid. “I looked at a few other schools whichwere good academically, but the tennis atTulane was far superior.”
Colorful Plant Good for Eco-Friendly Gardens
HERE’S anothercolorful, tropical,native ornamentalfor your eco-friendlygarden, whichdoesn’t require dangerouspesticides orchemical fertilizers,nor lots of irrigationin the dry season.It’s called YellowElder (Stenolobiumstans) and is foundin most regions ofCosta Rica.This hardy bush is easy to identify withits clusters of yellow, bell-shaped flowersand serrated, compound, pinnate leaveswith 5-13 leaflets. This plant is a memberof the family Bignoniaceae, and is relatedto Cortéz Amarillo (Tabebuia chrysantha),which has similar flowers.Yellow Elder is a patio ornamental,which can often be seen along sidewalksand avenues. By the way, on these bushesyou can often collect seeds from the narrowcapsules, which are about 6-8 inches long.THE older capsules turn gray and splitopen, releasing the small brown seedsincased in a white paper sheath. Theseseeds can be planted in small pots or recycledplastic cups with holes punched in thebottom and filled with potting soil.In several days to a week the seedsshould germinate, and in a few months theyoung seedling plants can be transplantedto a permanent site around the home.Another form of propagation is to takewoody stem cuttings from a bush and startthem in plastic nursery bags in the greenhouseor plant them directly in the soilwhere you would like them to grow.Of course, the latter should be done inMay or June, when the rains keep the soilcontinually moist. Yellow elder growsand flowers best in full sun conditions andcan tolerate salt breezes back from thebeach.THEY also grow on a wide variety ofsoils and require very little in terms of soilfertilization, but additions of aged compostand foliar fertilizers help to keep thesebushes blooming and growing vigorously.It is common to find them planted as ashrubby, living fence or as a freestandingspecimen in the patio. They can be prunedyearly to keep them compact and low. As Imentioned, yellow elder is a hardy nativeplant that doesn’t require special pamperingand has no serious insect problems orplant diseases. That means less work andmore environmental harmony in your garden.You can often find yellow elder in leadingnurseries around the country.However, for any of our readers whocan’t find them in your area, I’ll be glad tosend you a gift seed packet, provided thatyou send me a self-addressed, stampedenvelope to New Dawn, A.P. 372-8000,San Isidro de El General, Costa Rica.YOU can also find more seeds andbooks on tropical gardening and tropicalmedicinal plants by accessing our Web site:www.thenewdawncenter.org. We’ll try toanswer your gardening questions at: thenewdawncenter@yahoo.comUntil next time, happy gardening inCosta Rica!
Exploring Costa Rica’s Best Dive Spots: Cocos and Caño Islands
Visibility is a big factor when divers decide where to drop into the water because the clearer the water, the more a diver will see. Even the biggest whale is invisible in water that is too murky. The heavy rains that have fallen country-wide have clouded many of Costa Rica’s dive sites with brown river runoff.
Luckily, Cocos Island, 365 miles west of Puntarenas on the Pacific coast, and Caño Island, in the Osa Peninsula in southern Costa Rica, are far enough offshore to escape the vast area of dirty water off the continent. The rain actually contributed to great diving there. The islands were not completely spared—the downpours rendered the island’s dive sites murky for a few hours, but since ocean currents are far stronger than any paltry island river, the tides washed away all the rainwater.
The mixing of nutrients from the rivers into the ocean never fails to bring massive quantities of marine life. The food chain starts small and gets big, from anchovies to whales. But divers don’t just want to know it’s there, they want to see it.
The blue water throughout Cocos Island has dominated any rain, even though the cold, green water below has been holding to below 100 feet. Ironically, the super clear water makes it slightly more difficult to see the big groups of hammerhead sharks that divers come to Cocos to see. But the sharks are still there, along with every famous beast of the eastern tropical Pacific.
Blue water mixing with cooler thermoclines at Caño Island has created advanced diving conditions on many days with heavy current and surge. Fish thrive in currents and can be found where the current is strong. The trick for divers is to not lose their buddies while being blown about by currents in thick dark clouds of fish. A whitish layer of rainwater on the surface created some strange and beautiful lighting on the bottom of the sea.
The Pacific’s offshore blue water has been transparent as usual because the water is defined by its lack of land sediments. The blue water has hovered only a few miles beyond Caño Island, but it is accessible from the entire Pacific coast. Off Caño Island and the Osa Peninsula, multiple species of thousands of dolphins, together with tens of thousands of tuna, some sailfish and marlin, and a few sharks and assorted other creatures, have been feasting on bait balls of little fish and crustaceans that may cover hectares.
Hundreds of olive ridley turtles, often mating, have been dotting the surface of this deep water. The clearest water in Costa Rica remains unaffected by rain. The question is, how far out is it today?
The Caribbean and Guanacaste, with dive sites close to rivers, have had some rather dirty days, but both are showing signs that this spell of heavy rain has passed. One thing is for sure, all conditions will have changed by the time you read this, but rest assured, somewhere in Costa Rica, there is always excellent diving to be found.
Mystery Dinner Games Coming to ‘Paradise Island’
IT’S a mystery why visitors “Resort ToMurder” on Paradise Island. Are you athriller addict, armchair detective, or planninga grisly crime? If so, head for the westernsuburb of Escazú June 20 and join thefun at the Murder Mystery Dinner Games.Guests have the opportunity to sleuth àla Sherlock Holmes, Nancy Drew orHercule Poirot, but beware! Don’t presumeyour shady past will be ignored – everybodyis a suspect at “Resort to Murder.”Before settling in Costa Rica threeyears ago, Vicky Kieke hosted many dinnerparties at her home in Calgary, Canada.“In Canada, Mystery Dinner Theaterhas been popular for years, but it is verydifferent from Murder Mystery DinnerGames,” Kieke said.The former uses professional actorswho interact with thediners encouraging themto participate, help solvethe crime and often playsmall roles. The latter hasa totally different formatwith no actors involved.The diners seated at individualtables of eight arethe actors, playing all theparts and keeping incharacter throughout dinnerto try to solve thecrime between courses.LAST year, Kieke(who brought her collection of games withher from Canada) introduced the innovativeidea to The Women’s Club as a fund-raisingproject. Each month during the year, differentmembers of the organization held a dinnerfor eight people in their own home.“It was a great way to spend anevening,” said Blanche Brown, who hostedone of these events. “We had an amazingamount of fun – I was the murderer, butnobody guessed. In fact, everyone was asuspect except me.”Now Kieke, assisted by Cari Rhodes,are collaborating with Michael Forbes,known to all who have sampled hisremarkable culinary talents as “Big Mike.”Together, they are creating events ofsleuthing fun and gourmet dining.The first Murder Mystery DinnerGame is scheduled for June 20 from 4-8p.m., in Forbes’ home.To set the mood for the Paradise IslandResort theme, the hosts ask that guestsarrive in costume – any type of tropicalattire.UPON arrival, guests will be given acharacter and mini-script synopsis to mullover while nibbling on hors d’oeuvres.While enjoying an appetizer of coconutfried shrimp, the fun will start and continuethrough the courses of Thai soup andAsian bean sprout salad. By then, guestswill realize all the characters at the tablehave a motive.As guests chomp onthe main course, KailuaPork (fish eaters andvegetarian sleuths willalso be catered to), theplot thickens and everybodybecomes a suspect.Will the murder besolved or will the guestsuccessfully cover thecrime? Macadamia cakeand coconut ice creammay help culminate themystery.ORGANIZE a party and reserve atable of eight. Couples and single sleuthswill be seated in groupings of eight.Advanced reservations are required asseating is limited to 40 people at “Resort toMurder.”Tickets are ¢6,500 ($15) per person.Quarterly and semi-quarterly packagesalso available. For more info or reservationscontact Forbes at 289-6087 or e-mailcalchef2002@yahoo.com or call VickyKieke at 282-4830 or e-mail andreason@racsa.co.cr.
