Dominical Dot Biz

I found a recent article in the Costa Rican national newspaper that discussed the current state of the “Bumpy Road” north of Dominical. It was so detailed and specific with date projections that I thought it might be a benefit to readers of my blog to translate and paraphrase it here. My analysis should be unique enough that I haven’t asked permission from La Nacion, but the attribution is inherent in the above disclosure. Their website is www.nacion.com. (Click here for the smaller English version.)

The article was dated Wednesday October 19, 2008: “The minister of Public Works and Transportation, Karla Gonzales, declared before neighbors of Quepos ‘In October of 2009, the Southern Coastal Highway (la Costanera Sur) will be ready’”

It was interesting to find this article when I did because I was sitting in my favorite Sushi restaurant in San José, when I found the article. I had to come up the coast since the Pan American route had been experiencing periodic shut downs due to landslides. I don’t like driving up the coast primarily due to the 25 mile stretch between Dominical and Quepos. It is hard on the car and my temperament.

Getting to Costa Rica’s southern zone has been a big reason why it has been one of the last areas of Costa Rica to get developed and become “touristy”. So the question of “when are they going to pave the road between Dominical and Quepos” has been a regular feature of life here with visitors and prospective investors planning their next visit, or even their move to the area.

Jack Ewing of Hacienda Baru has a pat answer to the question, which he has heard over the last 20 years or so: “when I see the equipment out there on the road, laying the pavement, I’ll then tell you when I think it’ll be paved”. Jack has an article saved from 15 or so years ago that states that construction on the highway will begin “next year”. So we have all been a bit guarded about making projections.

This article has some qualities to it that make me think that perhaps the end is in sight. The article continues “Ms. Gonzales made (the above) promise with Costa Rican President Oscar Arias as a witness of honor at the inauguration of 3 of 8 major bridges of the Costanera Sur.

The bridges have arguably been the primary impediment to getting this final link in the Costanera paved. There are some that would say that politics were involved, but I have no way of knowing if that’s in fact the case. Rumors and reports have swirled about over the years of the projects budget being set aside and then mysteriously disappearing, in fact, this particular rumor claims that his happened twice.

Some say that the powers that be on the northern end of the Bumpy Road pulled strings to keep the link from being improved so that tourists would not want to go any further south thus supporting the local tourism market there in Quepos and Manuel Antonio. Who knows.

The cost of the bridges is quantifiable and when considered, compelling. Keep in mind that Costa Rica has been a rather poor, “third world” country up until recent years.

Starting on the north end of the Bumpy Road, here are the eight major bridges and their costs in USD:
1. Puente en Parrita - $3.7 million, length – 170 meters
2. Puente in Paquita – $2.8 million, length – 113 meters
3. Puente in Naranjo - $2.8 million, length – 198 meters
4. Puente en Savegre - $2.2 million, length – 94 meters
5. Puente en Portalón - $1.6 million, length – 90 meters
6. Puente en Matapalo - $1 million, length – 60 meters
7. Puente en Hatillo Nuevo - $2.2 million, length 120 meters
8. Puente en Hatillo Viejo - $1.7 million, length 90 meters

Building the road then is something of a “connect the dots” scenario. They put the bridges in, then pave the stretches in between.

In the meantime, what’s it like to drive until that promised completion date of October 2009? Well, it is bumpy still, and will likely continue on in this condition until we get closer to completion time and the paving actually starts. There were some stretches of fresh gravel, and one stretch where we actually passed a grader that were uncommonly smooth, but these type of conditions are temporary, especially during rainy season.

The major change that we witnessed on our drive was the installation of a traffic light on one of the old one lane rail-road-track bridges. I didn’t take pay attention to which of the above noted bridges this was, but there was the nearly completed new bridge to our left, but traffic was still flowing over the old one lane bridge. Typical to style in this land of low law enforcement, this “improvement” was ignored and we spent some time backed up on a bridge behind a string of cars and buses that had passed on through the red light. The guys on the other side had the green light, and they weren’t going to budge, so we sat there, unable to move for about 20 minutes while cooler minds negotiated with the green light guys to make way or we’d end up spending the night out there on that bridge.

So there you have it. A date, and an eyewitness testimony to having seen the equipment out there working on the road. Lets see what things look like in October of 2009.

She says: “Honey, where should we go this year?”
He says: “Oh, I don’t know, the South of France was sure nice last year”
She says: “Yeah, and the year before that the kids got a real kick out of Disney world.”
He says: “Whattaya think about maybe Cancun, or Rio? Some place tropical?”
She says: “Yeah, that sounds good. What was the name of that little place on the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica that the Wellingfordbreaths went to last year? They loved it… Dominican… no.. that’s that island. Oh, I remember, Dominical. How ’bout there?”
He says: “Huh?”

That Dominical Costa Rica, and its surrounding areas, Uvita, Ojochal, Matapalo etc… would even be mentioned in such a conversation, is a huge indicator of the change that is going on in the Southern Pacific Zone of Costa Rica. The word is out: Its pretty darn cool there… well “here” from this writer’s perspective. This is an extraordinary part of the world and tourism is kicking in with a vengeance. But, it isn’t “tourism” as one might think.

Dominical features beaches, and perfect tropical weather. The mountains come right down to the ocean from just north of Dominical to Uvita. The country itself is so tiny that there are spots in the center of the country where a really good spitter can hit both oceans by simply turning 180 degrees (hyperbolic authoric license), meaning that there is all kinds of ocean breezy climate going on here. It is a wonder to be so close to the equator and be able to live without air conditioning.

So what is “tourism” like in Dominical? Well as much as it seems to want to be, and with as much pressure as the developers are putting on to it to be your normal fare tourism, it isn’t. Whats normal? (more…)

Had a bit of a shock on my way home from California. I had caught a red-eye from Sacramento California to Houston, where I had a 3 hour lay over, which is fine since the airport there offers some serious people watching and stuff browsing opportunities. I made the best use of my time there and then went to the gate, where they were announcing that “even if you are all checked in, please come to the counter to get your passport approved”. I hadn’t ever heard this before, so I dutifully went to the counter. They took one look at my passport and said, “you can’t travel with this, I’m going to have to pull you from the flight”.
Needless to say, I am now miffed. But, I enacted my “Friendly and Patient” policy that I developed during my repeated crossings at the Panama border from Costa Rica. I stood there without saying the things that I wanted to say: “Could I be sure and have your full name please, so that I can file a complaint”, and “you know, you could just let me through and I’ll get the thing taken care of at the Embassy in San Jose Costa Rica, you are just harassing me” along with other less speak-able diatribes - meanwhile he is calling the baggage place and telling them to pull my luggage. (more…)

Relaxation - calming down - it seems to be the objective of a lot of visitors to the Dominical area. Right at about day 4 we hit critical-mass relaxation. Getting away from the cell phone, secretary, 24 hour news broadcasts, and e-mail, results in some anxiety, actual withdrawals, as we leave behind those things that cause anxiety for us. But the separation anxiety only lasts a little while. Somehow we survive and we begin to actually start thinking thoughts that originate within our own psyche.

The beaches in the Dominical to Uvita zone all have nicely spaced out palm trees, perfect for hammocks. We carry a box of beach stuff with us that has a bunch of those nylon straps that have hooks on either end with a length adjustment clasp. We get ours here at Price Smart in 4-packs. I have seen them in hardware stores in the States, as well as CostCo. These are perfect for hanging a hammock under the palm trees. Do this thing. Bring your straps with you, but you can buy a hammock on the beach. I think that they are about $20. Spend a few days there. You can read if you want. Try not reading also. Just sit. Dozing’s OK. As you pass through the various stages of withdrawals, you will gradually feel calm.

So, at day 4 you are now re-integrated with life on planet earth; what now? Well, take a look around. There are a number of things to do in Dominical. For the moment, I want to talk about one in particular, that of basket weaving. I know… “basket weaving” you say. “How ’bout we build some bird houses while we’re at it“. Well, I gotta tell ya, these are no ordinary baskets. These are works of art.

Kim is the Gran Maestra of basket weaving, and we’re not just talking Dominical.

Click Image

These are the finest baskets that I have ever seen. They are generally irregular and organic in their shape. But not awkward. They are elegant and beautifully balanced. The colors of the materials display a full earthy spectrum. Kim comments on how lovely the molds are that color the various palm fibers, almost like a patina on bronze or copper.

Kim and her husband Steve live in downtown Dominical. Their home is right on the river, and is quiet and tranquil. It is situated alongside the Baru river. A visit to their home is more like stepping into an art center than a home, although it has a distinct homey feel.

In my past life as an art dealer in the States, I witnessed the tendency of artistic types to congregate for the steel-on-steel affect of discussing, arguing, and debating the various ideologies with respect to art. I enjoy the stories of the artists in Paris and Spain, where they would get together at salons to drink coffee and stimulate each other with such sessions so that they could then go back to their studios to paint, sculpt, and construct to new heights.

So - basket weaving in Dominical. You are welcomed into an open air studio alongside the Baru that is perhaps 200 meters from where it dumps into the Pacific Ocean. There are beautiful tropical flora all around and the chirruping of the toucans can be heard outside up in the trees. Take a look around at the baskets, lamps, and various vessels scattered about the studio and you’ll know that you are in for an artistic experience.

Kim offers personalized instruction to each member of the class. She discusses warps, wefts, and weavers, but kindly doesn’t expect us to know right off what the heck she’s talking about. After awhile the vocabulary starts to make a little sense. In fact, this writer now knows that if you weave a thing with the warp and the weft of equal widths and weight, you can make a place mat. If you bow the warp material out and then back in from its origin, and weft it with twisted or flat organic fibers, you can make a basket suitable for holding stuff. Impressive verdad?

I actually did not take the class. I just heard about it and so went and visited with my camera. Socially it was cool since there were a number of folks there who were visitors to the area. Finca Ipe, a nearby organic, biodynamic, permaculture, farm, provided the majority of the weavers. The colors and forms that took shape while I was there were a delight for the eye. The classes cost $25.00 (at this writing) and include lunch.

So, when you get to that critical-mass relaxation point, and want something to do with your new-found outlook on life, why not weave a basket.

Oh, and by the way. Steve & Kim have rooms for rent as well.
Click here to see their page.

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