Sep

28

Talk about Globalization and Free Trade

September 28, 2008 | Tags: Community Calendar | Comments Off

October 3, 2008
10:00 amto12:00 pm

The University of Costa Rica is hosting a discussion on the impacts of Globablization and Free Trade on our communities.

The event will be held Oct 3 at 10 a.m. at La Casa de la Cultura.

For more information contact Kioscos@accionsocial.ucr.ac.cr or telephone 2207-4361 or 2280-1841.

Source: Greencoast News: Charla sobre Globalización y Libre Comercio

Sep

24

Arte Viva Festival Cancelled at Last Minute

September 24, 2008 | Tags: Entertainment | Comments Off

This weekend’s planned Arte Viva Festival has had to be canceled after a court challenge left the municipality unable to issue permits for events.

The details aren’t clear and nor is when the event will be able to be rescheduled.

The festival is organized by Escuela de Artes del Caribe Sur (South Caribbean School of Arts), a nonprofit that provides arts education to local school children, and was scheduled to begin this Friday. Event organizer Claudio Ambroso said the festival is their major fundraiser and if they are not able to eventually hold the event, they will be hard pressed to provide services to their community this year.

Some of the restaurant and bar events which don’t require a permit will continue as planned, check directly with the venue to confirm.  Eddie Ryan at La Costa de Papito said that the events planned at his hotel’s Que Rico Papito Restaurant and Bar including tonight’s Calypso Night will continue as planned.

Sources: Tico Times: Weekend’s Puerto Viejo festival canceled unexpectedly and local inquiries.

Sep

13

ArteViva Festival Starts Soon

September 13, 2008 | Tags: Entertainment | 1 Comment

The annual ArteViva Festival of music, art, food, sports and alternative medicine is coming again this year from Sept 26-28 with some pre-opening events starting as early as Wed Sept 24.

arteviva posterThe event offically kicks off on Friday Sept 26 at 7pm at the Casa de la Cultura (see location on map) with fireworks, live music and an art exhibit.  It continues through to Sunday’s closing event at 10pm at Stanford’s with live music.  Other venues during the event include La Costa de Papito Hotel, Jacaranda Hotel, Jhonny’s Place, El Parquecito Restaurant and a main stage setup at the basketball court by the bus stop.

More information is available at www.arteviva-puertoviejo.com and a full schedule of events is available on the Greencoast News.

Sep

6

EasyStreet Music Fiesta Coming in October

September 6, 2008 | Tags: Community Calendar, Entertainment | Comments Off

October 24, 2008toOctober 26, 2008

EasyStreet Productions is planning a three day music festival in Puerto Viejo from Oct 24-26.

The artists and type of music that will be presented at the festival include:
Kimany Marley, JasminKarma, Evolucion, KingoLovers, Mekatelyu, Electronic Music, Calypso, Jazz, Blues, Hip Hop, Soul, and more local and international bands playing.

There will be an accompany Art exhibition held at Ez-Times.

There will also be fireworks, fire dancers, various DJ’s, beach parties, kids park with activities, good food and good intentions.

Venues will include WoddRokk Bar, EZ-Times and Johnny’s Place. They will soon have a website with detailed event information.

One of the goals of the event is to raise funds to preserve biodiversity, and this will be done through Conservation International Group, which does research and projects for preserving nature in the Caribbean Area.

You can watch the video announcing the event (in Spanish) from the Teletica Channel 7 program “Espectaculos” on the Teletica website — after you download the video, go to 4:50 for the segment on EasyStreet.

If you’d like more information on the event, how you can support it or get involved, contact Paola Chaves at easystreetmusicfiesta@live.com.

Sep

2

Hone Creek – Puerto Viejo Road Dangerous for Your Lungs and Limbs

September 2, 2008 | Tags: Economic Development, Government and Politics, Health, Transport | Comments Off

Dust filled road between Hone Creek and Puerto Viejo
Kely, David, Nelson & Kenia Chaves travel 3 km each day to school in a cloud of dust . Photo by Mario Rojas, courtesy of La Nación.

Anyone who has traveled the road between Hone Creek and Puerto Viejo knows what a danger it is: unpaved, huge potholes, full of dust, lacking in signage, shared by bicycles and cars and pedestrians with no separation between them. It has always been a strange exception in that the route between San Jose and Hone Creek is one of the better routes in the country, but those last 5 kilometers to Puerto Viejo remind you you’re still in the developing world.

Locals have been complaining to the municipality for years to get the road paved. The municipality always responded that they didn’t have the money to fix the road. Finally last year, the road was declared a national route by CONAVI, the national roads council.

But so far the Conavi designation hasn’t translated into a road up to standards. The minimum width of a nationally designated road is 20 meters. Darwin Mena, an engineer working with Conavi, said that this road at points is only half that and that the width is encroached upon at several points by buildings owned by the Municipality of Talamanca which need to be removed.

Neighbors complain that the many cars and buses traveling at high speeds are a daily risk to people on bicycles and on foot that are covered by clouds of dust. Not only does the narrow potholed road cause collisions, the clinic in Hone Creek reports that they treat at least 4 people each week who were hit by stones thrown up from the road.

At the Hone Creek clinic doctors have also reported another hazard of the road — increased cases of asthma. The cases have been reported by those who need to commute the road daily by bicycle, children who walk along the road to get to school and those living near the dusty road. The director of the clinic, Wilman Rojas said that 80% of those living on the edge of the road are suffering from respiratory problems.

Eddie Ryan of the Chamber of Tourism says “As inhabitants of this place, we feel completely abandoned. Puerto Viejo is a unique tourist destination and the need for repair of this road is urgent.”

Ryan stated that the road receives maintenance every six months, but weeks later is damaged again. “The grader scrapes the street and spreads the material, but when it rains you lose all the work.”

The engineer Mena said that the repair of the road could be done in two years. Funds are supposed to be budgeted for 2010 to execute the work.

More:

Aug

27

Jump on the Band Wagon

August 27, 2008 | Tags: Community Calendar | 1 Comment

September 2, 2008

They are doing it again. The band, to be named but known as “The John Wheatly Experience”, is heading to Bocas del Toro to play some gigs, snorkel, explore the islands, make a party, renew their passports, and in general have a ton of fun with you!

So, as you can see, a major part of the plan will crumble if you do not come. So they’re inviting you to join them. Who are they? The band includes members John, Marc, Eric, Kristy, Liam, and special guest Jim MacDougall.

They are doing this international tour/fiesta every three month as a fun way to get their passport stamps. You may have heard that people are now getting busted for having false stamps! So this is a great way to get legit.

Even if your passport may not be ready to renew just now, but if you go early with us this time, you will be in sync with them forever.

They’ve arranged a shuttle service that will pick everyone up in private vans from Puerto Viejo and drive across the border all the way to the ferry in Panama. A ferry will be waiting to whisk everyone to Bocas Town on Isla Colon. This shuttle includes the ferry ticket so you are guaranteed a seat on the boat and won’t have a long wait for the next ferry. The shuttle will save at least an hour, maybe two, over taking public transportation. It’s the easy, fast, secure, comfortable way to go. It will only cost a couple dollars more than doing it with public transportation. And it will be fun with a van load of friends. Crack a beer if you want, and relax! This shuttle returns at the end of the trip, as well. There is limited space so reserve early. $20 each way.

The band will be leaving Tuesday morning, September 2, and returning Friday morning, September 5. Depending on demand, there will be various departure times.

Over the next few days they will be developing a written itinerary. It will include the gigs, activities, parties, costs, suggested meeting points and times for meals, cocktails, etc., transportation times, etc. They will also be deciding on a hotel(s), and we will be able to help you with reservations. Of course the location of the band hotel will remain a secret so as to avoid the paparazzi and your basic panty-waving fanatics.

If you have questions, comments or suggestions, or would like to reserve a spot, please call your favorite bando:

Kristy: 8841-4007, Purejoy23@hotmail.com
Eric: 2750-0168, e@erichaller.com
Marc: 8864-3230, cdmastering@gmail.com
Liam: 8878-7577, liam@tropicaltales.co.cr
Jim: 8859-7511, e3r4t2000@yahoo.com
John: 8849-7600, JungleJamJohn@gmail.com