Being Thankful in Nosara and Nicoya

Jane's not arriving here til Sunday and not much turkey is being smoked, although I managed to fire up something. I took Charlie to the vet with my bbq mate Ryan and his dog. While in Nicoya needed to get my 97 Nissan Pathfinder through inspection. This is the first time I tried doing it myself. We waited in line under the sun with the AC on and the car overheated. I had some water and antifreeze I keep on hand for just such occasions, but I figured it wouldn't help my chances of passing the inspection for the inspectors to see me refilling the radiator next to a puddle of water. But then I couldn't get the engine started so one of the inspectors helped me push it to a start. At that point I had pretty much given up on getting through the inspection successfully and thought about just driving off in shame. However, there was no longer anyone in front of me and Ryan was off finding some grass for the dogs.
My spanish is still pretty crappy but the guy was going down his checklist and so far there wasn't anything obviously wrong.
This was shortlived, as they pointed to the missing passenger side outside mirror. Necessito? I asked, thinking that the extra mirror was optional and they might not care about it. That didn't work and I'm not experienced in bribing in those circumstances. Nobody had their hand out, but maybe I just wasn't looking that hard. Then we stumbled through a review of my options, which were to continued the rest of the testing and fail or to bail out with 30 days to return. I can handle more frustration so I continued through the test, which is more rigorous than the ones in DC. I didn't pass the emission and had a problem with a cracked rear taillight assembly. Fortunately the engine had cooled and would start again.
We're finally out of there and I head to a garage nearby where I've had work done before and they remember me and my fat wallet. I'm not expecting much, just to have him find a mirror and come back another day to have the engine checked out. The owner surprises me and says that in a couple of hours they should be able to fix it up so it will pass. That brightens my mood and one of his mechanics drives us to the vet on the other side of town. I had used this shop last year to get through the test and they know how to get cars through.
The vet says Charlie has fleas and is having some allergic reaction and gives him a steroid shot and me some advice on fighting them. We got a cab back and I'm told, or at least I think I'm being told, because its Spanish, that someone has driven the car back to the inspection station to get it through. In fact, the guy arrives just as a downpour is abating, and puts the new sticker on the windshield. But it turns out they have to take back the light assembly and return the broken one because they had borrowed it from another car in their shop. The mirror seemed to fit the car perfectly and I get to keep it.
So I have a lot to be thankful for today.

Pura Vida!
Fritz

Flying lessons in the AutoGyro

Just when life in Nosara threatens to become a routine (ha!) along comes something new and exciting. In this case, the opportunity to learn to fly, specifically, in one of the AutoGyro aircraft available at the Flying Crocodile, the training center for ultralights at Playa Buena Vista near Samara.
I'm in my second week of flying, toward 35 hours to qualify for a license.
The AutoGyro is manufactured in Germany and I've included a link to the photo page on their website. The gyro is remarkably stable, safe and easy to operate and under the highly experienced guidance of Frank Nierhoff today I practiced landing and takeoff after doing many descents down to Playa Guiones and many other spectacular beaches here, buzzing the surfers or whoever else, if anyone is on these beaches at all. We fly by Mel Gibson's beach but Britney Spears is long gone, as is everyone else now.
In a few days we are going to take a training run to the Arenal Volcano, and I'm including a shot taking by Alex, who is completing his training.

Security in Nosara should improve

The head of the Fuerza Publica, Costa Rica’s top police official, flew into Nosara Monday with an entourage of officials to hear first hand from residents about escalating crime at this upscale beach resort.

Comisario Eric Lacayo, the chief of the Fuerza Publica, listened to almost 100 Tico and ex-pat residents and businessmen for almost an hour, and then promised help, including a follow-up meeting for Tuesday, Oct. 6, with the top prosecutor, or Fiscal, of Nicoya, as well as the regional head of the OIJ, the Judicial Investigating Organization sometimes referred to as Costa Rica’s FBI.
Area residents have been meeting over the past year in efforts to organize and address escalating, bolder and more professional home and car break-ins and beach thefts. As one resident testified, “My home is been broken into four times, costing me about $1000 each time, and my car has been broken into twice and stolen.”

One local group has been writing letters to government officials in an attempt to deploy members of the new Tourist Police to the beaches of Nosara, and it was from that effort that the high level visit was sparked. The Tourist Police report to Comisario Lacayo and have the same authority as the Fuerza Publica.

Residents complained of ineffective and corrupt local police, as well as prosecutors in Nicoya who release criminal suspects the same day they are brought before them. Further, the Nosara police station has been ordered closed by the Department of Health for its poor working and living conditions.

Residents have been petitioning and raising funds to support and attract a delegation of the relatively new Tourist Police to Playa Guiones, including a headquarters building near the beach, and to renovate the existing Police office in the center of Nosara.

Comisario Lacayo congratulated the gathering, which he said is the largest delegation that has met with him over local security concerns. With the Chief of Police of Nicoya present as well as the regional chief for Guanacaste, he said he would take the names of police officers who engaged in improper activities. Many in the audience submitted names of suspected police officers, written anonymously on pieces of paper and collected in a hat. He also urged people to call 911 to make complaints, which can be done anonymously, he said. He also pointed out that anonymous drug tips can be made by calling 176.

Money cannot be spent on improvements to the Nosara police station by the Ministerio de Seguridad Publica until the land is properly deeded to the Ministerio. The lot is currently deeded to the Board of Education and efforts to get the deed transferred have been slow, according to Agnes Pinheiro, who has led recent meetings to address security.

She said a member of Lacayo’s delegation assured her they would check on the status of the station to ensure it would not be closed because of the needed repairs.
Comisario Lacayo said there were only 18 crime reports from Nosara filed in Nicoya from January to last May. Most of those at the meeting raised their hands when asked if they had been the victim of a crime. Residents were disappointed to learn that reports filed at the local station in Nosara were not included in the official statistics. Tourists here for a week of vacation are not likely to take a day to file a report in Nicoya, and residents are also unlikely to make the hour-long drive, several people pointed out.

In response to another question, Lacayo said that the victims must file the reports themselves, rather than through a rental agent. He promised to try to find a way for reports to be filed locally and accepted as part of the statistics.
He promised a follow-up report to be presented at the Oct. 6 meeting, scheduled for 8 am at the FUCAN building behind the Kitson Library, including a response to efforts to secure the Tourist Police. He also promised to send advisors to help neighborhoods organize better communications to fight crime.

Pinheiro reported that pledges of about $12,000 have already been received toward an annual budget of $15,000 thought necessary to support six tourist police. She said an organizational meeting was planned to create an association to oversee the fundraising and security efforts. Following the meeting, Lacayo inspected the proposed office space, located across the road from the meeting at Casa Tucan.
Also accompanying Comisario Lacayo were Commandante Jose Cruz, sub-director of the Fuerza Publica in Guanacaste, and Agente Yinni Guerrero, Commission de Distritalizacion, a community liaison.

A Song and Video for the Smokeshack!

We're really on the map now, we have our own theme song for the Smokeshack. Check it out at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hvj1XZtB6ag

The Smokeshack, Bigger and Dryer

The Smokeshack has been taking a break lately, as we work on our strategy for the rainy season. We're building a new roof area that will cover the smoker, and we're working on a way to make the whole shack waterproof so we can withstand the afternoon rainshowers. Next week we should be back in business.

Citizens meet to fight crime in Nosara

I’ve been invited to write the blog for the redesigned website Nosara.com which is one of the first local websites and due for a big overhaul. It’s purpose is to promote Nosara as a destination and help visitors plan their trips, so I don’t expect to be bringing a lot of controversy to that site.
For instance, I won’t be writing about the meeting Wednesday night of concerned residents and Ticos looking for ways to fight a recent crime wave here. The meeting of over 50 included a nice mix of concerned Ticos and expats, well represented by businesses and landowners who feel their livelihoods threatened by crimes perpetrated by a few known locals as well as some passing through who are bolder and in some cases violent.
“I’ve been here 25 years and this is the worse I’ve seen it,” noted one U.S. expat.
Agnes reviewed various ideas that had been sent to her, including firearms training. She said she preferred a nonviolent approach, but many people, frustrated with the lack of effective law enforcement, are pursuing various forms of protection.
The meeting was animated and constructive, and frank. Some Ticos pointed to nonlocals brought in as part of construction projects, or other businesses, rather than hiring locals. In defense, one builder said it necessary to bring in outside workers because too many local workers have too much of a Pura Vida attitude.
Finger-pointing aside, after almost two hours the groups moderator, Agnes of Mango Property Management, pointed to agreement that a future meeting should invite the police chief of Liberia, as well as the fiscal, or magistrate, in Nicoya who has released the few prisoners who have managed to get themselves caught. An effort to get officers from the new Tourist Police stationed in Nosara was also endorsed.
The other idea that emerged is to start an awareness campaign and post the photos of known ladrones, or thieves, as well as a campaign against the fences who buy the stolen merchandise.
A call was made for anyone to show their hand who may know one of the aforementioned officials. That the call was unanswered may point to a problem, which is the lack of political clout held by Nosareans. That remains to be seen, but even the fuerza publica, local police, didn’t attend the meeting, although invited.
Nosara has two security companies, and there is grumbling that they haven’t been more effective, although at least one of the companies say they haven’t received enough community support through subscribers to maintain their current levels of patrols.
There has been some talk of setting up a lair for the purpose of catching a burglar red-handed. Such efforts will be successful if they have the support of the police and prosecutors.
Residents are already paying heavily for iron bars, alarms and security service, which many Ticos can’t afford. If crime is unabated, more will have to be spent. At even higher cost is potentially the feeling of tranquility that is sacrificed when strangers are met with suspicion rather than a wave and a smile.

Bringing the Q to Pelada

We've been bringing the Q to Playa Pelada on Sundays.

Now serving bbq at Playa Pelada

We're excited to be rolling the bbq wagon out to Playa Pelada this Sunday, where we'll be setting up at the beach in the afternoon and then moving to Pancho's restaurant around sunset for a few hours by their pool and restaurant.

Sean Dunleavy at Pancho's and Ryan sparked up the idea of collaborating, and we've been wanting to bring our bbq to the Pelada community, so close yet so far from Guiones. Business has been pretty good for us, although March started off real slow. The issue here is what to do during the slower green months, and hooking up with Pancho's is bound to help. They can give their kitchen staff a day off while at the same time trying to ignite a new scene at Pelada.

We've improved our signage at the Smokeshack. Paul Dalosta painted us a great sign and Ryan did a sign with our new days and hours, Monday, Wednesday and Friday from noon to 7 pm by the beach entrance. Paul is a great musician, a guitarist, singer, composer who's normally playing at Sarafina's in Pelada, but he is also a great painter. He's been painting skulls lately, which he calls deadheads, but his sign for the smokeshack is a beauty.

The Smoke Shack is here!

Ryan and I built our Smoke Shack out of bamboo and palm leaves to provide shade for our customers, just as our cheap awning from Maxi-Bodega is beyond what duct tape can repair.
This upgrade to our infrastructure will be sure to raise our profile in the neighborhood.

It smells like puppy!

We picked up a new puppy a couple of days ago, a female black lab that Jane named Charlie. Our friends Mark and Jill have been very helpful with advice, since they have a lab as well, and Mark even made a pen in the yard. Charlie has been quite docile the first couple of days, and I have to see if she'll take a crap before going to bed.

BBQ and permits

Our business is going well near the entrance to the beach, and we're seeing a lot of barbecue lovers, tourists, locals expats and ticos. We're also getting noticed by some locals who are concerned about whether we have permits for doing our business. That's not a surprise, and flattering, I guess some people are concerned about competition in a market that's likely to hurt from a downturn in tourism.
It's been very rewarding to get such positive feedback from so many people. This may sound like an ego trip but I'm feeling like it's now my mission to bring the best possible slow-smoked meat, fish, etc. to Nosara.
Of course I'll do what it takes to comply with Costa Rican law. The more attention we get the more we will be the concern of a few people here, whatever their motive. I know many people would be disappointed if I got shut down. I don't really consider myself a threat to restaurants, and my best fans are people who can't generally afford to shell out the bucks for the relatively expensive Nosara dining experience. Even if I'm pushed into renting retail space for a barbecue restaurant, I'll always position myself as a low cost alternative.