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Jun
30
Cahuita Holding Festival to Honor Calypso Artist Walter Ferguson
June 30, 2010 | Tags: Arts & Culture, Community Calendar | Comments Off
| July 5, 2010 | to | July 18, 2010 |
From July 5 to July 18, Cahuita will present a festival named after renowned Calypso artist Walter Ferguson.
The “Festival de la Cultura y el Ambiente Walter Ferguson” will take place from July 5-18 at various locations around Cahuita and will honor one of Cahuita’s favorite sons with music, theater, dance and poetry. Ferguson sometimes called the King of Calypso is known for songs such as Cabin in the Wata and Callaloo. The festival is expected to become an annual event.
The highlight of the festival is expected to be a Calypso concert at Cahuita’s Central Park on Saturday July 10 starting at 4pm. As well as local Cahuita performers, the concert will feature musicians from Limon and Puerto Viejo.
Download complete festival program. Download festival poster.
Jun
29
Route 31 Closed Again This Morning and Thursday
June 29, 2010 | Tags: Transport | Comments Off
Once again, route 31 through Parque Nacional Barulio Carrillo, will be closed again this morning from 6:30a.m. to 12:30pm and again on Thursday morning. The route which is the most direct link between San Jose and Limon has been plagued by mudslides.
The highways ministry has brought in experts from Spain to evaluate the route and this requires its closure.
So cars, buses and trucks will again be routed via Turrialba, which will add at least an hour extra to your trip.
Jun
24
Puerto Viejo gettting a new road
June 24, 2010 | Tags: Community News, Transport | 11 Comments
If you have lived more then just a few months in Puerto Viejo over the past 10 years, I’ll bet you can’t count on your own 2 hands and feet the number of times that we have heard the good news: the road will be fixed soon! Yet….time after time, it never happened, and the road has just kept on getting worse and worse – to the point where it has become downright embarrassing, dangerous and for some – costly!
When the residents scream enough and protest to the local municipality, we sometimes got the potholes filled with material from the nearby Sixaola River, only to watch it get washed away in the next downpour and the potholes getting bigger and deeper each time.
As a local resident and owner of a vehicle, I can personally attest that our biggest expense is THE CAR….and I am not talking about the gas! With horrible roads, it is impossible to stay away from the numerous highly trustworthy and knowledgeable mechanics – on average monthly! I could easily say that I have had to revise, update or change most parts of my suspension at least 4 times a year – every year!
A few days ago an unbelievable site appeared from the horizons: a caravan of heavy-duty road building equipment rolled in through Puerto Viejo, past Cocles, past Playa Chiquita, through Punta Uva and down to Manzanillo….”could it be” we thought to ourselves?
The answer is mostly yes! As it turns out, they are redoing the road (in reverse order from Manzanillo towards Puerto Viejo), with the best material and thickness these roads have ever seen. Unlike the first coat from 10 years ago which was a mix of gravel and tar, this time, we are getting a full 5 cm of hot asphalt…compressed and rolled on top of the bad road. Upon speaking to the “engineers” on the side of the road, we are learning that they are fixing only the stretches that need it most, and supposedly they will return in “about a month” to do the remaining (that part is the remaining mystery!) We don;t know what the final product will be….but at least we already know what we are seeing: The new road is slightly narrow…and leaves very little room for bicycles or pedestrians – in fact cars will even have to slow down when oncoming traffic is approaching – but a mostly smooth ride should be expected from Puerto Viejo down to Manzanillo.
While most, including myself, are thrilled to have a new road, there is also a new fear that the tourists and our children will be less safe walking or bicycling on the road, as drivers a will be tempted to drive “super fast”.
In an ideal world – we would love to see some bike lanes or trails and speed bumps along the way……perhaps this is something our local community can work towards!
Drive safely!
 Article by Manuel Pinto. Manuel, along with his wife Emmanuelle, are long time residents of Costa Rica’s Caribbean and owners of Caribe Sur Real Estatem a full service real estate company on the southern Caribbean coast of Costa Rica, assisting clients to buy or sell eco-friendly properties and businesses to people from around the world. More information at www.caribesur-realestate.com |
Jun
6
Clandestine minining operation discovered in the Talamanca mountains
June 6, 2010 | Tags: Crime & Punishment, Environment | Comments Off
Residents of the indigenous Bri Bri reservation in the Talamanca Mountains have discovered evidence of clandestine mineral exploration.
The community sent an expedition of 8 persons to investigate after the community noticed a helicopter entering the area. They found evidence including a landing zone for the helicopter, a camp and core samples taken. A second expedition returned to the area with cameras and three policemen from Bri Bri.
The area is very difficult to access, with no roads, only footpaths used by the indigenous Bri Bri.
Analysis of the photos by experts has confirmed that a exploratory visit by miners was the point of the visit.
The area has been known since the 70s to have high potential for mineral exploration. But the Asociación de Desarrollo de la Reserva Indígena Bribri–Talamanca (Aditibri), which owns the land, is opposed to mining.
Source, photos and video: La Nación: Indígenas descubren minería clandestina en Talamanca
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