BOATERS in the Flamingo Marina, inthe northwestern province of Guanacaste,were rocked again this week by an order tocease using the marina, this time comingfrom the Coast Guard and SecurityMinistry.The Pacific coast marina has been thecenter of controversy for more than twoyears.A Coast Guard cutter arrived Mondayand handed out a flyer warning boat ownersand captains they must remove theirboats from the area or risk being evictedtoday.However, the Tourism Mariners’Association, as they have in the past, thisweek filed an injunction with theConstitutional Chamber of the SupremeCourt (Sala IV) in an attempt to stop theeviction.“This is the high season, a lot of peoplealready have reservations on these boatsthis week,” said Junior Bustos, president ofthe association.For this reason, most of the approximately70 boats moored in the marina arenot prepared to follow the eviction order,Bustos said.FLAMINGO Marina users have beenin these waters before.This marks the third time efforts havebeen made to close the marina sinceOctober 2003, when the EnvironmentalTribunal, an administrative court, orderedthe closure of the marina.The tribunal, part of the Environmentand Energy Ministry (MINAE), requestedthe closure on the precautionary principlethe marina’s operation could beharming the environment (TT, Dec. 12,2003).The marina’s private operator wasevicted in August 2003 after a year and ahalf of lawsuits and accusations of environmentaldamage (TT, Aug. 12, 2003).The Municipality of Santa Cruz then tookover the operation and the tribunal orderedit to come up with an environmental planand impact study to allow the marina’scontinued operation. When this was notdone, the closure was ordered.HOWEVER, the marina’s operationhas continued.In March, the tribunal again orderedthe municipality to close the marina (TT,March 26). It criticized Santa Cruz mayorPastor Gómez for allowing the marina toremain open and said under no circumstanceswould boats be permitted at thesite.Gómez, who last December said theorder from the Tribunal was clear and themarina doesn’t exist (Dec. 12, 2003), saidTuesday the Coast Guard and SecurityMinistry had been discussing the tribunal’sorder and finally acted onMonday.THE municipality began a concessionprocess last September to select a newmarina operator.After the Oct. 30, 2003 deadline, themunicipality announced it had receivedproposals from five companies (TT, Nov.14, 2003). Gómez said yesterday thatseven companies were interested in theconcession.An operator will not be selected until aprocess by the municipality and the Inter-Institutional Commission for Marinas andTourism Docks (CIMAT) to create a masterplan for the marina is completed,Gómez said.However, Hubert Gysemans, presidentof the Guanacaste Tourism Chamber,argues that the longer the municipality runsthe marina, the worse things will get.“THEY don’t know how to run a marina,”he said.Gysemans said he has proposed severaltimes that a temporary commission run themarina until an operator can be found. Thecommission would be made up of representativesfrom the Environmental Tribunal,the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT) themunicipality, CIMAT, the tourism chamberand boat owners and operators.“You cannot just close this marina;they are out of their bloody minds,” hesaid.

THE Foreign Trade Promotion Office(PROCOMER) and the Costa RicanAssociation of the Plastic Industry (ACIPLAST)have a plan to promote exports ofCosta Rican plastic products to CentralAmerica and the Caribbean.Roughly 70% of Costa Rican exportsof plastic products are shipped to thosetwo regions, according to PROCOMER.The plan to promote plastic exportsinvolves assessing Costa Rican plasticsfirms, generating information about customsand tax procedures in prospective marketsand preparing studies on potentialclients.Authorities and companies say there isa need to act more aggressively to promotethe sector’s exports. Total plastic exportsdropped in 2003 to $129 million, havingreached $136 million in 2002.

RITEVE SyC, the Spanish-CostaRican firm that holds a monopoly to conductthe mandatory technical inspectionsthat all Costa Rican vehicles must undergoeach year, is suing the Costa Ricangovernment for $3.5 million before anational arbitration panel.The company claims that the government,by not allowing it to adjust its ratesas agreed in the contract, is costing itmuch of its revenues.Since the government has not adjustedthe rates as established in the contract“the company has had to take actions that,in an arbitration suit, consider the possibilityof receiving indemnification fordamages,” Vilma Ibarra, spokeswomanfor the company, told Radio Monumental.The arbitration suit was filed beforethe Counseling and Arbitration Center ofthe Costa Rican Real Estate Chamber.“This situation is painful,” Ibarra said.“The company has waited a long time tomake this decision – one that it didn’twant to take, but that, taking into accountthe arbitrary and not very technical way inwhich Riteve’s rates have been handled, isnecessary to adopt.“Though the laws force the companyto file legal actions against the institutionsof the State, the company will attempt,through every means possible, to hold thepublic employees that have made thewrong, arbitrary and contrary-to-law decisions,respond to the damages they havecaused,” she said.The conflict arose because the companyhas not been allowed to adjust its ratesto compensate for inflation as stipulatedin the contract. The rates for regular vehicles,currently ¢8,805 ($19.68), this yearshould have been raised to ¢13,000($30.67), according to Riteve.The dispute is the result of problemsfound in a rate increase proposed byRiteve in October 2003. While evaluatingthe request, the Comptroller General’sOffice found flaws in the formula that setsthe rates and annulled the request, accordingto the daily La República.An audit was conducted to define anew formula for defining the rates. Afterthe audit, it was concluded that no rateincreases should take place during theremainder of this year. Since last year,Riteve has been requesting an increase of26.56%.In related news, the Public Works andTransport Ministry’s (MOPT) originalcopy of the contract that awards Ritevethe monopoly on technical inspections isstill missing.President Abel Pacheco and PublicWorks and Transport Minister JavierChaves confirmed the mysterious disappearancelast month. However, thePresident minimized the loss, saying theComptroller General’s Office has a copyof the document.

MANY of Costa Rica’s PhotographyClub members are not even professionalphotographers, but judging from the strikingwork on display in San José’s Casa deCultura the photographers could easilyquit their day jobs.This is the last weekend to visit thePhotography Club’s 15th AnnualExhibition, which features about 60 of thebest photographs submitted last year tothe group’s contests.The club holds a contest about everytwo months and the photos are judged ona 15-point scale. Any photograph that hasscored at least an eight is eligible for displayat the annual exhibit, which endsJune 15.The variety of photographs and lack ofa unified theme make this event unique.“The exposition is very varied,” saidGilberto Bolaños, the club’s treasurer.“There are all sorts of themes. Someonecould very easily come to the show andnot find a unifying theme from one phototo another. Because of the nature of theexposition there is notheme.”FOUR “Photographsof the Year” are stationedat the entrance and arelarger in size.“These photos are thewinners of the winners,”Bolaño said, adding thatthere is no monetaryprize or plaque for winningthe contests.“The only prize is tohave the Photo of theYear and the pleasure oftaking the photo,” Bolaño said.One of the top photos, titled, “PaisajeHumano 1” (Human Landscape 1) byRoberto Pacheco looks like the visual representationof a Pablo Neruda poem payingtribute to the female body.Another winning photo, “Amaneceren Bocas” of an early morning oceanscene with interesting lines created by adock, was taken by the club’s president,Marco Vargas in Bocas del Toro, Panama.“EVERYONE works differently, butI don’t shoot unless I love the photo,”Vargas said. “When a photographer isworking, they always have the opportunityto say, ‘No, this is not what I’m lookingfor’ and not shoot. That’s the differencebetween someone who really knows whatthey’re doing and someone who doesn’t.”Some of the photographs on displayare humorous, like Johnny González’sdigitally altered portrait of a smilingelderly man with two reproductions of hismouth in place of his eyes.Other photos produce a surreal effect,like J. Federico Campos’ two photographsof museum patrons looking at paintingsby Goya and Velázquez. The viewer islooking at art which depicts other peoplelooking at art.SOME of the photographs have beenmanipulated, such as one that looks morelike a drawing of the Panamanian governmentbuilding, some are stunning portraits,such as two of Guatemalan indigenousand some are still lives, such as onephotograph of a barrel of glowing redapples.The first floor of the exhibition displaysblack-and-white photography, thesecond floor features color photos.The Photography Club was begun in1989 by a group of five friends whoshared an interest in photography, saysVargas. Now, the organization counts atleast 60 members.The group’s membership has grown,in part, because of the publicity the organizationhas received in the daily newspapersabout its exhibits.“I personally have had about 10-15people contact me wantingto know how to jointhe Photography Club,”said Bolaños, who alsohandles publicity andmembership.WITH such a largegroup and the pointrequirements to make itto the exhibition, only14 club members havephotographs on display(a few of them have severalphotos featured).To participate in theclub’s events (talks, trips, technique classesand photography competitions) onemust be a member. Membership is¢10,000 ($23) per year and members arerequired to attend at least two events peryear. The membership card entitlesFotoclub members to up to a 30% discountin Fuji, Kodak and Agfa stores.“Our members are not professionals –they are engineers, housewives and teachers,”Bolaños said. “They are people wholove photography and do it as a hobby oras a second job.”THE exhibition is free and open tothe public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It islocated in San José at Casa de Cultura delBanco Popular, in Barrio Escalante, 300meters north and 300 meters east of theSanta Teresita Church.For more info, call 224-4186 or sendan e-mail to camaras@racsa.co.cr toreceive updates (in Spanish) on the club’sactivities.

“Dejando Huellas” is a compilationcompact disk which allows listeners of traditionalCosta Rican rhythms to save jaguars,tapirs and macaws at the same time.The newly released CD is available withevery $20 donation to the CorcovadoFoundation, thanks to Horizontes NatureTours and Papaya Music. The CD, featuringreggae, nature-inspired and traditionalmusic, is the result of Horizontes’ desire totop its recent $20,000 donation to the foundation(TT, March 19) and also supportlocal musicians.“Music is a good way to promote thecontemporary culture of Costa Rica,” saidGeorge Soriano, Horizontes marketingdirector.Soriano estimates that the effort hasraised more than $1,000.Horizontes originally offered the CDonly at EXPOTUR – a tourism fair heldMay 24-28, but the level of demand ledthem to offer limited copies through thefoundation. Two lodges on the OsaPeninsula – Lapa Rios and Casa Corcovado– are selling the CD in their gift shops.“We are very happy and very gratefulthey are doing this,” said Mauricio Sanchez,project manager of the CorcovadoFoundation.Horizontes has long-lasting ties with thefoundation – Corcovado National Park wasthe first area of the country Horizontes promotedwhen it entered the tourism business20 years ago. The park’s current problemsdisturb Horizontes’ owners.Horizontes specializes in eco-tourism,seeking to appreciate natural wonders withoutharming them. Soriano explainsHorizontes wants to take it a step furtherand actively support conservation efforts.“The national parks are in crisis, and wedepend on their well-being,” Soriano said.The private sector has “a role to play – it’snot just the job of the NGOs [Non-Governmental Organizations] and the government.”Corcovado National Park is increasinglybesieged by poachers, and scientists fearthat the jaguar and white-lipped peccarymay vanish from the park within the year(TT, March 19).Similarly endangered, according toSoriano, are Costa Rica’s native musicalstyles. Horizontes is proud to have developeda relationship with Papaya, a smalllabel that promotes local musicians such asManuel Obregón and Miriam Jarquín, featuredon “Dejando Huellas.”“We’ve been giving their CDs to customersfor years,” Soriano said. This interestprogressed from background music atcompany parties to “Dejando Huellas” asHorizontes realized that while the ecotourismindustry strengthened, the nationalparks were weakening.For a company that espouses the importanceof environmentally friendly loggingpractices, eco-OK coffee, and sustainabletourism certification, social responsibilityseems only natural. Soriano asserts thatHorizontes will continue to set an examplefor businesses.“If it’s going to help Corcovado, we’lldo it,” he said.To receive a copy of “Dejando Huellas,”contact Mauricio Sánchez at 297-3013 or emailfuncorco@racsa.co.cr. The CD is alsoavailable at the gift shops of Lapa Rios at735-5130 and Casa Corcovado at 256-3181.

PAINTS, violins, surfboards and microscopesare among the activities students canlearn more about during their school breaks.For the creative, scientific or even adventurouschild, groups are offering alternatives tothe traditional trip to the beach.For young children, the Children’sMuseum is hosting Vacaciones Felices(Happy Vacations), which areday camps hosting a range ofactivities. The day camps,held from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.,July 5-9 and July 12-16, welcomechildren ages 5-13 tomake jewelry, paint or participatein science experiments.During the day, campers atLa Montaña Christian Campsplay sports and can takeadvantage of the camp’sclimbing wall and canopycourse, while mornings andevenings provide a chance forfaith-based meetings. Thoughthe overnight camps run year-round, theonly upcoming availability is July 16-18 forstudents ages 12-18.MONTEVERDE’S Conservation Association(ACM) will sponsor a weekendcourse on amphibians in the Bosque Eternode los Niños in San Carlos in Alajuelaprovince, northwest of San José, June 18-20.The course offers instruction on conservation,species identification and natural history.Mark Wainwright, the instructor, illustratedthe amphibian installment of “CostaRica Field Guides.” Night walks will look atforest, rivers and swamps. The course’s costincludes meals and lodging inPoco Sol’s biological station.Proyecto Campanariooffers a longer scientific experiencewith its 10-day tropicalecology course on theCampanario BiologicalReserve near CorcovadoNational Park on the OsaPeninsula. The company providesboat pickup in Sierpe;participants are then whiskedto the remote reserve for theirstay. The course covers fieldresearch skills and allows thestudents to complete bothgroup and individual research projects basedon their observations of the area’s ecology.The organization’s Rainforest ConservationCamps, held June 20-26, July 4-10,and August 8-14, are marketed as “vacationwith a purpose;” they aim to educate asmuch as they entertain. These more familyoriented camps allow groups to hike, learnabout the area’s ecology and keep an eye onthe camp’s solar panels. Shorter trips arealso available.STUDENTS can experience CostaRica’s world-famous surf beaches by taking lessons for beginners. Green Iguana SurfCamp in Playa Dominical accepts parent accompaniedchildren ages 6-18 for 7-, 10-and 14-day camps. One package includeslodging, surf lessons and scenic trips in thearea. The deluxe option adds in horsebackriding, river tubing and a zip-line tour.Green Iguana also runs Angels SurfCamp, allowing girls a chance to try somethingnew in an all-female environment.Third World Productions’ All Girls SurfCamp in Playa Hermosa has a similar program.The company advertises a laid-backatmosphere, with comfortable lodging,massage, yoga, healthy meals and femaleinstructors.“The largest bulk of my business iswomen who want to surf,” said ThirdWorld’s Owner Jack Albritton. “Femalesfeel more confident with an all-girl’sgroup. It seems to ease their mind a bit.”Albritton keeps group sizes small anddates and age limits flexible in order toease the girls into the surfing life. Girls caneven choose to attend it as a day camp.“We work to get them part of the localsurfing scene,” Albritton said.ANOTHER way for kids ages 13-18to get wet is to join one of Costa RicaExpeditions’ teen-oriented trips, billed as“natural history and cultural adventures.”Running 6-21 days from June-August, theprograms include whitewater rafting,camping and flight in Costa Rica.Adventures Under the Sun boasts arange programs for both adventurous teensand those who like their creature comforts.The company has 9-, 11- and 12-day toursencompassing water sports, environmentaleducation and even cooking lessons. Theemphasis, according to owner MelidaBarbee, is on self-confidence and teambuildinggames and developing leadershipskills for students age 13-18.The goal of her company is to help“local kids get out, get to know their countryon another level,” Barbee said.A reasonable level of fitness is necessary,but Barbee stressed that all participantswill have to push their personal limits.“We’re taking students out of theircomfort zones” into new situations, allowingthem to enjoy their personal growth,she added.BARBEE’S front-country trips are customizedto the desires and budgets ofgroups, who stay in hotels and eat in restaurantswhile enjoying the excitement ofadventure activities and community service.The Costa Rica Multisport program runsJuly 19-29 and offers whitewater rafting, aropes course, sea canoeing and surfing.A more rugged option is the Peninsulade Nicoya trip, June 22-30 and July 21-29,which includes a forest canopy tour, surflessons, horseback riding, and marine turtleconservation work. The Peninsula deOsa adventure, June 21-July 2, is a seakayaking and backpacking combination.Group sizes range 7-12 students, withtwo adult guides. All trips are bilingual,co-ed, and open to teens age 13-18.MORGAN Power, 16, a student at theBritish School in Pavas, west of San José,has attended three of Barbee’s trips.“The Osa adventure was demanding,but great fun,” Power said, adding that hestill keeps in touch with people he met onthe trip. He explains that students are“cautious at first, but become relaxed andsay they’d love to do it again.”What to do While School’s OutContact the various companies for more info on their programs.Adventures Under the SunPhone: 228-3056 or 353-8592Web site: www.adventuresunderthesun.comE-mail: info@adventuresunderthesun.comTrip info: Península de Nicoya, June 22-30, July 21-29, $1,190. Costa RicaMultisport, July 19-29, $2,100. Peninsulade Osa, June 21-July 2, $1,400.Angels Surf Camp, Playa DominicalPhone: 825-1381E-mail: admin@angelsurfcamp.comTrip info: Seven-day residential starts at$1,395 per person for 3 people, 14-daystarts at $1,950.Costa Rica Expeditions, Teen TravelPhone: 257-0766 or 222-0333Web site: www.costaricaexpeditions.comE-mail: ecotur@expeditions.co.crTrip info: There are several options, June-August. Prices start at $999 for 6 days to$2,589 for 21 days.Green Iguana Surf Camp, Playa DominicalPhone: 825-1381Web site: www.greeniguanasurfcamp.com/E-mail: admin@greeniguanasurfcamp.comTrip info: Seven-day residential starts at$425 per person for 3 people; 14-daystarts at $900 per person.International Music Camp, Playa TortugaPhone: 389-6706Trip info: July 5-18, concert July 19. It is aresidential camp. Cost is $490.La Montaña Christian CampsPhone: 223-6142 or 223-6259Trip info: July 16-18, ¢12,500 ($30).Proyecto Campanario, CampanarioBiological ReservePhone: 258-5778Web site: www.campanario.orgE-mail: campanario@racsa.co.crTrip info: Tropical ecology student courses,10-day residential, $1,002. The rainforestconservation camps, June 20-26 andJuly 4-10, $876.Third World Productions, Playa HermosaPhone: 643-1497Web site: www.thirdworldproductions.orgE-mail: thirdworldproductionscr@yahoo.comTrip info: Third World Surf Camp, residential,one week $1,075, two weeks $1,995.Del Mar All-Girls Surf Camp, residential, 3-day $570, 5-day $770, 7-day $990, 10-day$1,465.Vacaciones Felices, Children’s MuseumSan JoséPhone: 258 4929Info: July 5-9 and July 12-16, day camp,¢20,000 ($50) a week.Weekend Amphibian Course, EstaciónBiológica Poco Sol, Bosque Eterno delos NiñosPhone: 645-5200 or 645-5003E-mail: acmsecre@racsa.co.crTrip info: June 18-20, residential, ¢56,200($140).

THE Rodríguez family metal workshopin La Ribera de Belén, northwest of SanJosé, buzzes with all the activity of afoundry. In fact, the welding, soldering, lifting,pounding and clangingcan become quite deafening attimes.But off in a corner, youmight spot Randall Rodríguez,a member of the fourth generationof his family to work here,taking a break from more traditionaltasks to fashion an intricatepiece of metalwork.“We all want to be artists,”said Rodríguez, explainingthat he is simply harkeningback to the ways of blacksmithsof old.“IN my great-grandfather’s time, theyhad a tradition of creating lamps and streetlanterns, or decorative metalwork foroxcarts,” explains Rodríguez, who, at age31, has been working at the foundry in somecapacity for the past 20 years.Rodríguez has mixed that family experiencewith his passion for art – amazingly,formal training as an artisan has not beenpart of the equation – and turned it into thecreation of elaborate, decorative ironwork.A Rodríguez work might be a stylish, bututilitarian, piece of furniture. Or it could be acomplete garden filled with iron plants andanimals that he created for oneCariari resident (the gardenitself is part of the iron sculpturetoo).But if flourishes come outof the foundry, so has somefrustration.RODRÍGUEZ explainsthat worldwide demand,much of it from Japan, hasincreased the price of iron inCosta Rica about 200% sinceDecember.Now, he even stops thecar whenever he sees a pieceof usable scrap iron along theside of the road. A 15-by-15 centimetersheet of metal can be molded and formedinto a small figure of a tree, complete withintricately designed leaves and an elaboratecomplex of roots to serve as a stand.“All you need are source of heat, hammerand metal-cutting scissors,” Rodríguezsaid.THAT miniature tree sits on the dining roomtable in the home of satisfied customerMarguerite Moore.“Randall tailors his work to individualneeds and situation,” enthuses Moore, whohas a houseful of Rodríguez-created works.She and her husband Robert had contactedhim with some furniture-designideas, and the rest, as they say, is history.A piece such as the tree might take lessthan a day to fashion.“When I get creative, I can work prettyrapidly,” Rodríguez said.NEIGHBOR Robert McColl, also aproud owner of several Rodríguez originals,said that the works go way beyond functionality.The ubiquitous security bars found inmost Costa Rican homes are one example.“Even they can be decorative,” McCollsaid, describing the flourishes and curly cues that Rodríguez is apt to add, turningthe mundane bars into grilles. McColl callsit an Andalusian style that echoes the art ofsouthern Spain.Rodríguez’ works are scattered aroundhomes in the Central Valley, and a few haveeven found their way to North America andEurope.PLANNED trips to the United States tomeet colleagues of the Artist Blacksmiths’Association of North America, an organizationof which Rodríguez is an affiliate member,have not yet materialized.“The added contact would be a greatboost,” he said. Rodríguez estimates thatthere are about 4,000 blacksmith-artisans inthe world, but, that he knows of, only fiveare in Costa Rica.Rodríguez said he has received nothingbut support from his family for his chosenalternative career path.“THE most important thing is that I feelpride in my work,” he said.“I’m a father who feels pride in my children,”Rodríguez adds. “And I know I’mgetting that from my family too.”For more info, contact RandallRodríguez at 443-2746.

THE International Gymnas-tics Championship is scheduled at the GimnasioNacional in La Sabana, on the western edge of San José June 11-13, bringing with it275 male and female gymnasts from all over the world.About 100 Costa Rican gymnasts will participate in the championship sponsored byClub Gimnastico Carbonell in La Uruca, northwest of San José. The competition willalso include 25 clubs from nations including Bolivia, Canada, the United States andMexico, which will send gymnasts with a range of ages and skill levels.“Gymnastics is very important for young people,” said Carlos Carbonell, director ofClub Carbonell. “It’s very popular with kids because it requires creativity.”THE competition begins today at 9 a.m. and concludes June 13 at noon. Entry is $5;children under 12 are free.The females will participate in vault, beam, uneven bars and floor competition.Male participants will compete in even bars, rings, floor, high bar, vault and pommelhorse events.For more info, contact Club Gimnastico Carbonell at 290-5672.

IN the art world, 41 is considered ayoung age to be considered a great painter,but luckily Leonel González got a head start.González began painting at age 12 andlater trained in Russia, toured in Europe.Now, he found a theme to unify his work:“Absence and Time in Painting,” which ison display at Galeria 11-12 in BarrioEscalante, east of downtown San José. Hespeaks about it with a poetic passion.“My work displays the irony of the conceptof painting in civilization,” Gonzálezsaid.Before cameras were invented, peoplewanted portraits painted to transcend time.But time changes the paintings, so the imagecannot remain true, González said.Depending on the type of paint used, somecolors become bolder and others fade away,much like the details of a memory.“I’m using the theme of the Caribbeanand blacks because they have not been representedin art as a social group,” he said.“There is an emptiness to fill. They have notbeen a protagonist in history and paintingallows me to speak about this. In realitywhat I want to say is more philosophical:Painting is where man puts his hopes to lastthroughout time.”GONZÁLEZ has been showing hiswork exclusively at Galeria 11-12 for a yearand his work is also for sale. Prices rangebetween $2,000-4,000depending on the size.Mario Matarrita, thegallery’s director, saidGonzález is an excellent artist– technically and conceptuallyspeaking – especially consideringhis young age.“Hopefully we can keephim here for years to come,”Matarrita said. “His work haschanged a lot, but it hasremained the same.”“Technically and conceptuallyit remains the same, onlythe themes change,” Matarritasaid, alluding to González’sconstant use of palimpsest, ornewer layers painted upon theolder layers.A body of work maychange over time, a paintingmay change over time andpeople change over time,although they remain essentiallythe same, said Matarrita“PAINTINGS just werenot as trustworthy as theywere believed to be,”González said.González’s displayedwork features black women ofthe Caribbean. The paintingsare all from this year, but theyalso represent a metaphor of how time canchange a painting.The paintings show how missing detailscan alter an image. The flat black used forthe figures of the women has no volume –the only feature remaining on their emptyfaces are colorful lips.“He has always been really great withcolors,” Matarrita said.The background colors used in his paintingsseem as if they were once bright andinviting, but have now faded, while the colorof the women’s lips, painted fingernails andtoenails seems to almost glow. The coloringis purposefully uneven and distorts the realityof the women.“This exhibit is just a point of departure,”González said. “Having found thisthread that ties my painting to time, it hasgiven me more clarity to be able to do mywork in the coming years.”ENTRANCE to the gallery is free.Galeria 11-12 is located 200 meters east and100 meters north of the Farolito, in BarrioEscalante.For more info, contact Galeria 11-12 at280-8441 or e-mail galearte@racsa.co.cr.

Thousands of tourists flock here tosee birds every year. From the tiny volcanohummingbird to the statuesqueresplendent quetzal, Costa Rica’s birdsare stars of the international bird world.People from all over the world pay thousandsof dollars to catch glimpses of thecountry’s amazing avifauna.For those living here, the birds areright in our backyards – and down theroad and over the mountain. Everymonth, the Birding Club of Costa Rica(BCCR) sets out on a bird-watchingexpedition, either a day outing or aweekend trip.Some members are experiencedexperts, some are novices and others arejust happy to be out for a walk in thewoods along with like-minded nature lovers.Bilingual guides help us spot andidentify birds we see in some of theremotest nature preserves, as well ascloser, Central Valley birding hotspots.Traveling as a group, the club saves onlodging and guide expenses, so the tripsare affordable.The groups may stay in a luxuryecolodge one month and then bunkdown in rustic dormitories another trip.Day trips cost even less than a night atthe movies.The organization is holding its annualgeneral meeting June 19 in the coolhighlands near Varablanca, north ofHeredia.They will be birdwatching at 6 a.m.at Poás Volcano Lodge, rain or shine, followedby a short meeting and an elegantFrench country lunch at the hilltopRestaurant Colbert. For info, callDorothy Sagel, 249-1856 or e-mailcrbirdingclub@hotmail.com to receivean e-mail copy of the monthly newsletter,The Tico Tweeter.