Unfortunately, the high water the coast had back at the end of November has messed up the banana canals and they now need dredging so the boat from Finca 60 is not running until further notice.  So the alternate route is required which is a shared taxi from the border to the somewhat more distant town of Almirante then a boat or ferry from there to Bocas town.

Please expect to pay a little more for the shared taxi between the border town (Guabito on the Panama side) and Almirante - the distance is further.  The standard fare there is typically $10 per person (insted of the $5 per person to Finca 60). The boat ride at $3 each is a little cheaper though.   There were various emails circulating that people though they were getting scammed by the taxi drivers in Guabito who wanted to bring them to Almirante only to get a larger fare and telling them Finca 60 was closed. Well it wasn’t a scam, it is unfortunately the truth.

The biggest lost is that it was a very pretty ride through the canals and so we hope this route will be reopened.

Please remember that there is a the option of booking a complete transit including pickup at  your hotel in Puerto Viejo all the way to the dock in Bocas town for only $34 per person - this includes the vehicle transport on both sides of the border and the boat ride.  You can book that on Gecko Trail Adventure’s shared ride shuttle form (just select Puerto Viejo as your pickup city and Bocas del Toro as your destination):

The article does a great job of explaining what makes Puerto Viejo special and different from the Pacific Coast and I think will really atract the kind of tourists who will enjoy their experience here.

Getting mentioned in the article are Hotel Banana Azul, Global Creek, Aviaros del Caribe, Jammin’ Juice and Jerk Joint, Cariblue, El Encanto, Loco Natural, Cha Cha Cha, La Pecora Negra, Miss Edith’s and Roberto’s Tours.

And there’s a lovely photo gallery as well.

While the communities of Puerto Viejo, Cahuita, Cocles and Punta Uva are mostly getting back to normal after the flooding, the upland communities where tourists rarely go remain severely affected. This includes the town of Sixaola on the Panama border so the land crossing to Panama (a frequent route for travelers is Puerto Viejo to Bocas, Panama) remains closed for now.

The emergency commission (CNE) is estimating some 42 billion colones (77 million US$) in damages to highways, streets, agricultural crops, damaged wells and aqueducts, clinics and schools.   The impact beyond this to individual homeowners and in lost business will increase this amount greatly.

CNE also estimates some 46,000 persons affected by the flooding including 5.497 who remain in shelters, unable to return to their homes.  They are also reporting that although the water has receded in most places there remain 35 communities whose access to the outside world is cut off by the flooding.

Help is still sought as well. The Cruz Roja is mounting a national campaign and locally the relief effort is being coordinated by ATEC which has setup pickup points locally where donations of food, water, clothing, money, medicine, tools, toys, holiday gifts, and cash.  Puerto Viejo Satellite and the Talamanca News are helping out by processing credit card donations for people so that people can help from whereever they are. We will cover all credit card fees so 100% of your donation will go to the relief effort.

More:

• La Nacion: CNE estima las pérdidas por lluvias en ¢42.000 millones
• Teletica (video): Lluvias generan millonarias pérdidas en Limón

Arte Viva has announced that their rescheduled event for this weekend has been cancelled.  This is the announcement we received:

Queridas amigas, queridos amigos

lamento comunicarle la definitiva cancelacion del festival ArteViva. Las razones creo que son evidentes para todos. Sin embargo queremos decirle a los patrocinadores que, como la mayoria del dinero recaudado no se ha gastado, ellos tendran automaticamente el derecho de aparecer en el afiche oficial de ArteViva 2009. Tambien seguiremos con nuestro programa de Talleres, de lo cual los tendremos informado a travez de nuestra pagina www.arteviva-puertoviejo.com. Finalmente le comunico que la componente Puerto Splash se va a realizar parcialmente con actuaciones de varios grupos (Mekatelyu, Chacra, Jhonny Duxon, Plan B) este fin de semana en Bar Maritza. Este programa es integralmente patrocinado por Puerto Splash (Charlie Wanger). Muchisima graciasa a todos por su comprension y apoyo.

Atentamente
Claudio Ambroso
Presidente EDACS

So it looks like we’ll have to wait for next year.  They note in their message above that most of the money donated to this years event remains unspent and so sponsors will automatically have the right for their sponsorship to appear on the 2009 event poster.

They will be continuing with their schedule of workshops so you can get more information on that at www.arteviva-puertoviejo.com.

As well, the Puerto Viejo Splash component is set to go ahead this weekend at Bar Martiza. The previously announced program for that is as follows:

Friday Nov 28 - GRAN INAUGURACIÓN DE PUERTO SPLASH 2008 CON MÚSICA EN VIVO

· KINGO LOVERS, REGGAE, (H. 21.00- 21.45)
· LUÍS ÁNGEL CASTRO, CALIPSO Y REGGAE (H. 22.00 – 22.45)
· PLAN B, REGGAE Y FUSIÓN LATINA (H. 23.00 – 23.45)
· MEKATELYU, REGGAE, SKA Y DANCE (H. 24.00 – 1.30 AM)

Sat Nov 29 - SEGUNDA NOCHE DE PUERTO SPLASH 2008 CON MÚSICA EN VIVO

· RAYMOND COORPORATION, SALSA Y LATINO (H. 20.00 – 21.15)
· JHONNY DIXON AND THE CALIPSO EXPERIENCE (H. 21.30 – 22.45)
· CHACRA Y SU CALIPSO CALIENTE (H.23.00 – 00.45 AM)

Sun Nov 30 - TERCERA NOCHE DE PUERTO SPLASH 2008 CON MÚSICA EN VIVO

· GUILLERMO Y YANINA PRESENTAN MÚSICA BRASILEÑA (H.20.00 – 20.30)
· GEO.CLA.ME. PLAYS JAZZ, CON GEORGIA, CLAUDIO Y MEMO (H.20.45 - 21.30)
· JIM MACDOUGALL Y LOS RAYOS DEL SOL, RITHM N BLUES (H.21.45 – 22.30)
· SANTOS, GUAYABAL, CALAVERA Y AMIGOS, FUSIÓN LATINA (H.22.45 – 23.30)
· COSTA CARIBE, SALSA Y CALIPSO, H.23.30

So at least there’ll be lots of good music to enjoy!

Construction crews worked all day today and a temporary crossing, suitable for all but buses and large trucks, is now open where the damaged bridge was on Playa Negra.

Construction crews finishing temporary crossing where the bridge at Playa Negra into Puerto Viejo had washed out.

This family cannot return to their house in Celia, Talamanca so they wait for help. Photo by Martin Caraval, courtesy of La Nacion.

The community of Yorkin in Alta-Talamanca lost its bridge, its lodge, its water and septic systems and needs help rebuilding. Many other communities are also suffering.

ReciCaribe’s truck will bring up donated items this week and again as long as we keep getting donations—they lost their crops they will need help for a long time.

Look for a donations box at the following supermarkets (soon to be more) or bring donations to the following places listed below.

• Pulperia La Violeta, Playa Negra
• Super Buen Precio, Puerto Viejo
• Super Pirrilpli, Cocles
• Duende Gourment, Playa Chiquita

or to:

• ATEC in Puerto Viejo 2750 0191
• Aguas Claras in Playa Chiquita 2750 0131
• The Mariposario in Cahuita, contact Leda 2755 0108 or 8844 8032
• ANAI in Hone Creek 2756 8021
• ANAI in San Jose, contact Diego 2224 3570 or diego@anaicr.org

100% of cash donations will be given to flood victims will be completely transparent and will be posted on here on the Talamanca News and on Greencoast.com.

Credit card donations can be made at www.puertoviejosatellite.com/donate.php. Puerto Viejo Satellite will cover the credit card fees so that 100% of your donation will be forwarded to help out.

You can also make a donation through Banco Nacional so no fees are paid. Please see account details on Greencoast.com.

Please consider at this time of giving thanks, that we have our health and safety, and that we are thankful that we are able to be generous to our neighbors.

Please contact ATEC with ideas, questions, help, or concerns:+506 2750 0398 or atecmail@gmail.com

Reports are also that the Margarita Road route between Cocles and Margarita is open so 4WD vehicles which want to get around the broken bridge at Playa Negra in Puerto Viejo to drive into town or to Cocles, Chiquita and Punta Uva can go that way.

(Almost) back to normal here on the Caribbean!

The rain has stopped falling for now but they are forecasting a return to heavy rains tonight which is why the red alert remains in force for the Atlantic coast.

There’s even a forecast of a little sun to sneak through the clouds by tomorrow afternoon.

Sources: IMN, La Nacion.

Cruz Roja rescues resident stranded by rising waters

La Nación is reporting the closure at 1 a.m. this morning of the Braulio Carrillo highway between San Jose and Limon due to 3 landslides on the route.  As well the alternate route through Turrialba is also blocked due to landslides between Turrialba and Siquirres. Finally they also say there is a road closure between Siquirres and Limon due to rising waters of the Chirripó River.

Earlier unconfirmed reports also said that the highway between Cahuita and Limon is also blocked due to rising waters of the Rio Estrella.  However, we just crossed the bridge and although the water is running fast there is no sign that the bridge was or is about to be overwhelmed by the water. A JAPDEVA employee stated that the full route between Hone Creek and Limon is open.  JAPDEVA and ICE crews were out in force on the roads.

Other rumours said that the bridge linking BriBri and Sixaola to Hone Creek and on the rest of the country is also unpassable but this is unconfirmed.   If anyone has photos or verification of this either way, please email editor@talamancanews.com.

MEPE´s San Jose office advised at 2pm today that there will be no more buses today but tommorow they advise simply ”vamos a ver” (let´s wait and see).

Besides the road closures, more than 4,000 people have been left temporarily homeless by the rain. The Cruz Roja has more than 50 staff working in the area and is mobilizing auxiliary forces to try and rescue people stranded by the storm.

Photos and further updates will be published as they become available.

Yesterday afternoon one of the bridges into Puerto Viejo washed out and it’s not clear when the heavy equipment needed to fix it would be brought in. The damage is extensive although pedestrians and bikes are making their way across a plank where the bridge came away from the road and then on to the bridge, the remains of which are listing at a 30 degree angle.

Bridge out into Puerto Viejo

By yesterday evening, the ground was so saturated and the rain was continuing to fall that water levels kept rising. At Hotel Banana Azul, where this reporter is located, the water rose about a meter in a matter of hours, cresting just half an inch short of the level of the main floor of the hotel before it started to recede.

Other places were not so lucky. Many houses were flooded and had to be evacuated.   At one hotel several trees were reported to have fallen on top of several of the cabinas.

Buses and some transportation continue to run however as the roads to Limon and to San Jose remain open. The MEPE transport bus is running into Puerto Viejo as far as Pulperia Violeta (Jeffrey’s) where people are walking to and from town.  Some other forms of transport have been canceled leaving travelers stranded and the bus oversold.

Lining up to leave at the bus stop about 1.5km north of downtown

The communities of Puerto Viejo, Cocles, Playa Chiquita, Punta Uva and Manzanillo are so far operating fairly normally with no major shortages reported. But getting supplies in will be difficult. Without the bridge on the main road into Puerto Viejo the only other option is Margarita Road, a 4WD only road over the mountains between Playa Cocles and the main highway to Sixaola.

Pedestrians and bikes are still making it across the bridge

Meanwhile La Nacion is reporting more than 2,000 people, mostly in smaller towns, needing shelter with some communities completely unreachable.