Breakfast comes with free show from monkeys

(This article appeared in thestatesman.com on Saturday, December 19th)

SAN ISIDRO, Costa Rica Breakfast at Monte Azul, a small ecolodge outside San Isidro, comes with a show: monkeys.

I nibble fried plantains as a rowdy gang (or troop, or cartload, if you'd rather) of capuchin monkeys swings down the hillside across the path.

They're after their own breakfast: bananas, hung here for them by the owners of this mountain hideway, which is as much about art and social responsibility as it is about a comfortable bed.

Drama, inevitably, breaks out.

One white-faced capuchin monkey has grabbed another and is dangling it precariously from a branch. My husband, Chris, and I are traveling with another couple, Charlie and Sara McCabe of Austin. We all pause, mid-mouthful.

"Don't drop the monkey!" Sara calls out helpfully.

Monkey No. 1 disregards Sara. Monkey No. 2 crashes through a few branches before latching onto a vine 15 feet below and bellowing its displeasure.

We humans are more polite at our breakfast table. Vacations will do that to you, and I've slept well in our chic little cabana, with its own private garden (pineapples and exotic heliotropes growing right there!) and a roaring river just yards away.

Monte Azul, which opened in December 2008, is situated on a 125-acre private nature preserve. Each cabana is decorated with handmade furniture made from salvaged wood and art created by visiting artists. We wash with homemade soap, eat greens grown in the garden and sip coffee from a sustainable, two-acre onsite plot. The lodge even plants a tree for everyone who stays here.

"It really is about working with the community," says co-owner Carlos Rojas. "Everything is done from the ground up, by us."

The lodge sponsors a village soccer team and started a recycling program in the community. The goal is a zero carbon footprint — and an appreciation for art and artists.

You even can sign up to take classes. I'm tempted by the cheesemaking course myself, but offerings include print screening, soapmaking and a slew of others.

We don't have time today, though. Our plans include a hike to a nearby waterfall and an afternoon at the Talamanca Mountain Thermal Baths up the hill. There's a little roadside bar, too, perched on a rocky outcropping, where you can sip Imperial beer on a deck overlooking the river canyon.

When all else fails, I'm content to sit on the porch of our cabana, trying to spot as many of the 240 species of birds that live in this rain forest as I can.

The monkey show is over. It's time to get moving.

By Pamela LeBlanc

AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF

Updated: 11:53 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 19, 2009

pleblanc@statesman.com; 445-3994

The complete article can be found at the following link:
http://www.statesman.com/life/travel/breakfast-at-ecolodge-comes-with-free-show-from-134010.html

Birdwatching in Cost Rica at Monte Azul

Starting in October of 2007, Monte Azul hired birding experts, Noel Ureña and Luis Sánchez Arguedasto to perform a year-long study of the bird population on our 125 acre Nature Preserve.

The property includes over 1200 meters of riverfront plus many creeks and streams. The variable topography ranges in elevation from 950 to over 1200 meters. Our diversity of habitats include riparian zones, primary, secondary and recovering rainforest, organic shade-grown coffee plantations and open fields. In all, Monte Azul was discovered to possess an astonishing number of avian inhabitants, from endemic species to passing migratory birds.

Our current count is of 229 species. These species are categorized under 41 family groups, among which are found 38 species of latitudinal migrants, 186 resident species and two species whose populations include both resident and migratory categories. As a result of our field observations within the Monte Azul Nature Preserve, 141 species are considered abundant, 67 as common and 18 less common.

Among outstanding observations are the facts that all five species of Honeycreepers reported in Costa Rica are found at Monte Azul, as are 23 species of Hummingbirds. Particularly exceptional are the presence of birds considered difficult to spot by even the most experienced bird watcher, such as the Turquoise Cotinga (Cotinga ridwayi) and the White Crested Coquette, both of which are relatively quite easy to spot at Monte Azul, especially among certain species of fig and guabas. Since the study was presented to Monte Azul in October of 2008, three additional species have been added to the Checklist.

To learn more about birding at Monte Azul, please visit the website link:

www.monteazulcr.com/www/en/communityandenvironment/birds

2010 Monte Azul Harvest - Quick Monkey Coffee

With the 2009-2010 coffee harvest well on it's way, Monte Azul, along with our neighbors, begins a long and complex process of hand-picking, sorting, drying and a multi-step procedure prior to roasting. Our own brand, which we call 'Quick Monkey', is of the Altura Veranero variety, a high quality mountain grown coffee known for rich flavors and moderate yields.

As a shade grown variety, our coffee farm is designed to prevent erosion and loss of valuable topsoil. By planting nitrogen fixing trees such as Poró and combining them with native and fruit trees, the coffee plantation at Monte Azul actually provides habitat for native species of orchids and other plants, mammals, birds, reptiles and wildlife.

Savor our delicious, rich, dark roasted coffee named after one of our favorite inhabitants of the forest, and inspired by one of our talented fine artist's, Henry Jackson's, monotypes.

Weekend with the Artist - Federico Herrero

MACA, Monte Azul Contemporary Art, is pleased to announce the award of Artist in Residence at Monte Azul to Federico Herrero.

MACA invites curators Silvia Karman Cubiñá, Executive Director and head curator of the Bass Museum of Art in Miami, and Mark Coetzee, independent curator, artist and writer to host a private and casual discussion at our facilities in Costa Rica.

Limited to five couples or 10 people, MACA invites collectors to participate in a special event that includes a private visit with the artist at his studio, two nights at Monte Azul boutique hotel located in Costa Rica’s new Center for Contemporary Art and Design, a private cocktail reception with the curators and the artist, a dinner in honor of the artist and guest curators, with a private and casual “living room” presentation and talk about the artist’s work and currents in the contemporary art world. The trip includes options for horseback riding, spa treatments and museum and gallery visits.

FEDERICO HERRERO

Federico Herrero (b. 1978) is arguable Costa Rica’s most notable artist of our time. Invited twice to the Venice Biennale, (awarded Best Young Artist in 2001, invited to exhibit in 2009), Herrero’s work was displayed in the Latin American pavilion, which for the first time in the Biennale’s history was located in the central armory.

Herrero’s work is greatly inspired by the city of San José. Known for chaos and congestion, this improbable patchwork of urban is disarray is also dynamic and industrious, inhabited by a young population whose median age is only 27. Herrero’s understanding of his surroundings extends beyond the sensorial elegance found within the disorder of the city.

A keen understanding of how the perception of color is affected by light and energy allows apparently disparate fields of color to coexist on his canvasses. Voids of exposed gesso, with densely worked acrylic paint, oil paint, ball point doodles and random spray paint seem like a recipe for disaster, however, the apparent disarray and random placement is finely orchestrated and held together with the same youthful optimism of his home city. However, this is only one of the many layers of a work that goes beyond interpretation of a landscape and in fact, delivers a fantastical awareness or reality of its own.

Herrero places “eyes”, white circles with black centers, throughout his paintings. In effect, the paintings take on a existence on their own terms, returning the viewer’s gaze in a game of who’s watching whom as well as blurring the line that separate the material world from the realm of the imagination. Within the color field, shapes and voids, Herrero often introduces creatures that he calls Martians, adding yet another dimension.

Federico Herrero lives and works in San Jose, Costa Rica. He graduated from Pratt Institute in New York in 1998. In the past few years he has exhibited his work in prestigious international institutions such as the Watari Museum of Contemporary Art, Japan; Centro Cultural Conde Duque, Spain; First Prague Biennial, Czech Republic; Musee d’art moderne de la ville de Paris, France; and the Museum of Fine Arts, Taiwan, among many others, as well as various art fairs and biennials including Art Basel, Venice Biennale, Seville Biennial, Aichi World Expo in Nagoya, Japan.

MARK COETZEE

“Art has the capacity to help us understand our place in the world: our cultural past reflects how we have impacted the world that surrounds us, and the present challenges us to consider how we wish to impact the future through the traditions, cultural activities and customs we surround ourselves with now.

Art does not allow us to simply accept the status quo but demands that we be aware of our actions, aesthetic traditions and ethical practices. It also asks us to think carefully on such complex issues as what it means to be both human and responsibly human.”

Originally from Cape Town, South Africa, Mark Coetzee has established himself as a prominent force in the international art scene. A respected artist, prolific writer, recognized art historian, and curator, Coetzee's career has included distinguished positions as Director of the Rubell Family Collection (RFC) in Miami for eight years, the position of adjunct curator at the Palm Springs Art Museum in California and was also a lecturer in critical theory, art criticism and contemporary art practice at the New World School of the Arts (NSWA), as well as of co-director of the Honors Program.

In December 2008, Puma.Creative partnered with the Rubell Family Collection to support the exhibition “30 Americans.” He has been an adjunct curator and faculty member at a variety of institutions and most recently a prestigious invitation to represent the Zeitz Foundation (www.thelongrun.org) as the organization’s fine art Specialist.

SILVIA KARMAN CUBIÑÁ

“The role of the curator is to present, interpret, facilitate, mediate (but not too much), but most importantly, to make the experience of viewing an exhibition engaging, even fun. I think exhibitions should also provoke, delight, challenge, and sometimes infuriate, if necessary. The curator and the space are less important than the art. The curator's responsibility I think is to know when to stand back and let the art do its job.”

Ms. Cubiñá is the Founding Director of The Moore Space (since 2002), an internationally recognized contemporary art exhibition space in Miami, founded by collectors Rosa de la Cruz and Craig Robins. Prior to running The Moore Space, Ms. Cubiñá served as an independent Curator and held the position of Adjunct Curator at INOVA, the Institute of Visual Arts, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. Previously, she held positions at The Mexican Museum in San Francisco and the Cuban Museum of Art in Miami. At The Moore Space, Ms. Cubiñá organized exhibition projects with artists and organized numerous group exhibitions. In 2007, she presented the landmark exhibition French Kissing in the USA, a group of works by emerging French artists. She has lectured extensively internationally, and has participated in numerous grant panels and award selection committees. Most recently she served as a juror to the Guggenheim Museum's prestigious Hugo Boss Award 2006. In 2007, she was a finalist for the Walter Hopps Award for Curatorial Achievement, and was one of only ten fellows at the Center for Curatorial Leadership program in New York, a well-respected training program for museum curators.

PRELIMINARY EVENT OUTLINE

THURSDAY, 25 February 2010

Option to meet the artist at his studio in San José for those arriving the day before.

Transportation to hotel in San José and dinner.

FRIDAY, 26 February 2010

Arrive at Monte Azul. Welcome reception and orientation.

Free afternoon to relax.

Evening dinner at our restaurant either individually or at one seating for all.

We could possible split guests at tables with the curators and artists.

SATURDAY, 27 February 2010.

Monte Azul offers individual or group recreation with each guest selecting, for example, from the following:

Monotyping workshop

Screen-printing Workshop

Horseback riding

Guided hiking

Cheese-making workshop

Guided bird-watching, etc…

The afternoon is open with an option for Spa treatments.

Early evening we meet at Casa Palo Alto for cocktails, followed by Mark’s suggested casual presentation with the curators and the artist.

Dinner is served at Casa Palo Alto and followed by desert and live music (folk guitar) and after dinner drinks.

SUNDAY, 28 February 2010.

Farewell breakfast and return to San José or other destinations.

TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS

Leigh Ann Coultier, selected by Condé Nast Traveler as the top Costa Rica luxury travel expert nine years (2000 - 2009) in a row will individually tailor the entire trip for each client, door-to-door, to include possible extension to beaches, etc., by client request.

Long Run Destinations - Monte Azul

I am writing this to you about the important work of the Zeitz Foundation and the launch of their Long Run initiative.

The Zeitz Foundation (www.zeitzfoundation.org) was founded in 2008 by Jochen Zeitz, CEO and Chairman of PUMA, the global Sportlifestyle company. Mr. Zeitz founded the organization with the intention of promoting long term environmental and social sustainability through the balance of conservation, community, culture and commerce in privately managed areas.

This past month saw the global launch of The Long Run, a Zeitz initiative which attempts to affect global change in the way people live in conjunction with the environment (www.thelongrun.com). The project was conceived as a platform for long run change and to raise awareness about humans and nature living as one.

As one of the objectives, the Foundation works towards supporting and growing and alliance of Long Run Destinations across the world that exemplify best sustainable practices.

If is with great pride that we announce that Monte Azul Hotel and Center for Art and Design was selected as one of 9 businesses globally to be founding Long Run Destinations. (http://thelongrun.com/destinations/index)

Monte Azul is a product of the founding partners’ passion for the arts, belief in the need to protect our natural environment, and desire to make a positive impact on our local community.

Located in the village of Chimirol, in the mountains and rainforest of Southern Costa Rica, Monte Azul Nature Preserve, Monte Azul Contemporary Art (MACA) and Monte Azul Boutique Hotel promote art creation, exhibition and collection, while raising awareness for protecting our natural environment.

Costa Rica, 5th Cleanest Country in the World

Costa Rica has been ranked the 5th cleanest country in the world in a study conducted by scientists at Yale and Columbia Universites. The study, called the Environmental Performance Index (EPI), ranked 149 countries on 25 indicators tracked acrossed 6 established policy indicators: Environmental Health, Air Pollution, Water Resources, Bio-diversity and Habitat, Productive Natural Resources, and Climate Change.

The study's results were published in Forbes Magazine. According to the magazine, the robust ecotourist industry forms the base of Costa Rica's economy, an economy that that benefits from public and private initiatives to protect biodiversity, prevent deforestation and promote reforestation.

The 4 countries that out ranked Costa Rica are: Switzerland, Sweden, Norway and Finland. The only other countries in the Western Hemisphere to make the Top 20 were Colombia (#9) and Canada (#12). The United States came in at #39.

Costa Rica currently has an initiave to become a carbon neutral country by the year 2021. So look out Switzerland! Costa Rica is on the move.

The complete EPI report can be found at http://www.epi.yale.edu/

Monte Azul to Quepos:New and Improved

I am very happy to announce that the trip from Monte Azul to Quepos, the gate way to Manuel Antonio, is now only 1:40. Last week Carlos and I took a trip to Manuel Antonio to look at a project and were quite shocked at the short time that it took to get there. The 42 kilometers from Dominical to Quepos has been a notorious stretch of road that could take 3 hours. It was slow-going on a dusty gravel road full of enormous holes and rickety 1 lane bridges. By the time you reached the end of this stretch your body felt tired, battered and dusty.

The Costa Rican government had been talking about improving this stretch of road for years. Everyone was skeptical. The hold up was the fact that so many bridges needed to built because of all the small rivers flowing to the ocean. Construction of these bridges began about 2 years ago. After the bridges were completed, the road would be raised, widened and paved, connecting all these bridges. The completion date was to be December 2009. Everyone laughed at this date, including me.

Then, we took this route to Manuel Antonio and were shocked. We left Monte Azul and arrived at Domiical in about 1 hour. This road was improved 2 years ago. We then turned north towards Quepos. The road is still gravel for the first 10 minutes then the new pavement started. Carlos and I looked at each other in disbelief. It is fantastic. The road is wide, smooth and marked with road lines and stripes. Less than 40 minutes later we were in Quepos feeling great. No more teeth-rattling potholes stretching for miles. No more dust clouds from the cars and trucks in front of and behind you. No more treacherous turns or sudden drops. No more ancient 1 lane bridges.

I am confident that the road will be completely finished by December 2009 as scheduled which will make the trip even shorter. It is an end of an era. An era that I am very glad to see go. We can now get to and from Manuel Antonio easily and quickly. And our hotel guests can come and go to the central coast easily and quickly as well.

Monte Azul New York

Monte Azul Contemporary Art is proud to show works in New York City.

Structured around the Artist in Residency Program, Monte Azul Contemporary Art (MACA) features work at Monte Azul Costa Rica, Monte Azul Boutique Hotel, and Monte Azul New York, our Gramercy Park gallery.

If you are interseted in any of the works produced at any Monte Azul venue, please contact us at info@monteazulcr.com

The above photo features works by our dear friend, and accomplished artist, Henry Jackson.

Everyone Returns to Monte Azul...

Even the animals.

Since we began construction at Monte Azul in June 2006, we have seen a lot of people come and go. The one thing that we always here is "I will definitley be back" We have found this to be true with our friends, family, artists and hotel guests. Now it has happened with animals too.

In July of 2006 we bought our first 2 horses, Taquilla and Grillo. They have been 2 great work horses and trail horses for our guests. At times they seemed to be more like big dogs than horses. The follow you around and beg for food, especially Grillo. In 2007 we added Marcel and earlier this year we added Moon Pie to our family of tour horses.

Unfortunately, Grillo didn't much care for the new family additions and started to misbehave a bit. He is a farm work horse and needed much more individual attention than we could give him. He became a bit "roudy " and needed an experienced horse rider to handle him. So we made a trade with his original owner for an easier going horse much better suited to Monte Azul's needs and those of our guests. The new horse is Rayo.

Grillo is much happier being in a "one horse show". Or so we thought. Two weeks after the horse trade, Carlos and I were walking up to the road and passed the horse pasture. There stood Grillo in the road waiting for us. He had come back to Monte Azul to visit his old friends and perhaps get a snack. The amazing part is that his original home is 5+ kilometers (3.5 miles) up the valley. He traveled through 2 towns ansd made several turns to get to Monte Azul. It appears that horses, or at least Grillo, have a keen sense of direction.

Grillo stayed the afternoon visiting and eating several bananas and guavas before returning to his original owner. It is always nice to see old friends and have people and animals return to Monte Azul. I look forward to all of our new and old frieneds coming back whether they be man or beast.

Here is a picture of Grillo with his riding outfit from 2009 and a picture of him wandering through the studio construction site looking for snacks in 2006.

The Vultures Have Landed

In the last few weeks the vultures have taken up roost in the trees at Casa Palo Alto. A group of these large birds has decided that the trees on the hill just above Casa Palo Alto are a great place to spend the day resting, drying their feathers and taking in the sights and smells of Monte Azul and Chimirol.

Although they look like something from an Alfred Hitchcock movie, these birds are quite interesting. In Spanish they are called Zopilotes or Gallinazo, both very exotic sounding names. These birds belong to the Family Catharditae. They are very large, about 25" long and are often mistaken for hawks as they soar in search of carrion. You can only identify them by sight. They do not have any vocalizations.

They have a highly developed sense of smell which they use to locate their food. Other genera of vultures can locate carrion by sight not smell. Casa Palo Alto is a great place to roost if you rely on smells. The breezes come up the mountainside and carry with it the smell of potential meals. Smells that are completely undetectable by humans and can be miles away.

It is relaxing and mesmerizing to just sit on the terrace at Casa Palo Alto watching these grand and beautiful birds come and go, congregate in the trees and jostle for the best branch. The zopliotes are just one of 240 sepcies of birds that have been indentified at Monte Azul.

For more information, check out these links.

http://www.govisitcostarica.co.cr/travelinfo/photoLg.asp?phID=35

http://www.1-costaricalink.com/costa_rica_information/vultures.htm

Desfiles de Faroles – The Parade of Lanterns

September 15, 2009 marks the 188th anniversary of Independence Day in Costa Rica. In 1821, Costa Rica, along with El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua (the 5 provinces that formed the Central American Federation) gained independence from Spain. Freedom was declared in Guatemala and began to spread. The news did not arrive in Costa Rica until almost 1 month later – October 13th. Even after the news arrived, Costa Rica did not officially receive its own independence until after a peaceful meeting with the Spanish army on October 29, 1821. However, September 15th is the official Independence Day.

The tradition of the faroles began in Guatemala the evening of September 14th and can be attributed to Dolores Bedoya who ran through the streets of a small town in Guatemala carrying a lantern or farol and shouting “Viva la patria” “Viva la libertad”. She was spreading the news of this independence and calling her fellow townspeople and countrymen to join her in the streets. Lanterns were used because none of these cities or towns had electricity at the time.

This tradition of parading through the streets has been carried out year after year in every small town and city in Costa Rica to reconfirm and declare the continued freedom from foreign rule. However, it was in 1953 that the tradition was officially moved to the local schools and the starting time of 6 PM began.

Children are the centerpiece of the celebration. Children learn to make the faroles in school and at home using all types of materials. The designs can range from simple boxes with Costa Rican designs to elaborate houses with intricate details. All of them include a candle for illumination. For instructions on how to make a simple farol, visit:

http://www.museocostarica.go.cr/en_en/recreo/farol-de-carreta.html

The festival includes traditional dances, the parade of the lanterns and the singing of the national anthem. Like all Costa Rican festivals, there is music and lots of food that is made and sold by the local women including the traditional tamales. If you are ever in Costa Rica on September 14th, I urge you to attend one of these celebrations. I was lucky enough this year to receive one of the faroles as a gift which wuill become part of Monte Azul's permanent art collection. It is a large farol featuring 2 oxen and an ox cart with cut outs of Costa Rica's national icons: a Guanacaste tree (national tree), a yiguirro (national bird), a Guaria Morada (the national orchid) and the Costa Rican flag.

Like everywhere in this country, all people are welcome. Independence Day here is not just about Costa Rica’s independence from Spain but also about people being free everywhere in the world – Viva la patria! Viva la libertad!

Feet or Meters?

The answer is both - there is third option no one warned me about… I’ll get to that in a moment. It is necessary to learn and become comfortable with both the metric system and the old standard of miles, yards, feet, inches, pounds, ounces, gallons, quarts and pints. For a US citizen, the later is second nature but the metric system unfortunately is not on the same level of familiarity. I can remember when the metric system was first marketed to the American public by the US government. I was in 7th grade and it was introduced to us in school. There was a concerted effort to incorporate it into all our classes and eventually our daily lives. It was the new standard and would have to be learned – there was no choice. The old system was going to be archaic and we couldn’t take the chance of being left behind. My mother and aunt even came to school and took a class to learn this new system. As an aside, this still hasn’t happened.

30+ years later, the US is still in the same place, trying to learn the system. It is true that there are places where the metric system is the standard, such as the sciences and manufacturing. However, in our day to day lives it is our old friend the foot, pound and gallon that prevail. Yes, we pay “lip service” to the metric system. We put the # of liters on a gallon of milk or on a 20 oz. bottle of Diet Coke but no one ever goes to the supermarket and orders ½ kilo of hamburger. The only example of a metric only item that I can think of is the 2 liter bottle of soda. I am not sure how this item slipped into our lives unnoticed.

Having a background in the sciences, I know the metric system. It is easy to learn and understand and a very standardized unit of measurement across all units: weight, volume and length. The problem for me in Costa Rica has been 2 fold: conversion and knowing which system to use.

The conversion issue is simply one of math. No one wants to have to divide by a number with 2 decimal places especially without a calculator. The trick is to carry around a calculator. It is a dead give away that you are a foreigner. But then, so is my overall appearance. There aren’t a lot of natives that are 6’3” (or should I say 1.91 meters) blonde and blue eyed.

Anyway, the need to convert from metric to the US system is really one of value. We are paying 540 colones for a liter of gas. How does this compare to the US and what we are used to paying? Is it expensive or cheap? It turns out to be $3.50/gallon – YIKES! This is worse than California. The day to day conversion is easy. Soon, I hope to just know the relative value and will not have to “do the math”. I must admit that I use online conversion sites when I am at home. This site is good:

http://www.worldwidemetric.com/metcal.htm

The other issue is know which system to use. This has been a big factor in designing and building a house here. I designed the building the old fashioned way using drafting paper, a ruler and a pencil. It was all done in feet. Then, the plan was turned over to engineers to convert it to a plan that could b e approved by the College of Engineers. This was done in meters. This was easy enough.

The problems started to arise when purchasing materials for the house. The type of material determines the unit of measurement. Electric wire is sold in meters, nails are sold by the kilo but the sizes are in inches, plywood is sold in 4’x8’ sheets, pipe diameters are in inches but the lengths are in meters, metal columns have metric length and width but the thickness is in inches. It is all just a guessing game. You just have to learn what measurement goes with which item. And if some of the metric measurements seem strange, they are most likely simply a conversion from feet. For example, a sheet of drywall is 122 cm x 244 cm. This is simply a 4’x8’ sheet. Kitchen cabinet widths are also conversions from inches. That 92cm cabinet is a 36” cabinet.

Just when you think you have it all figured out, there is another unit of measurement – the vara. This is an old unit of measurement that is still used for wood lengths. A vara is approximately 84 cm or about 2.8 feet. A standard unit of length when ordering wood is 4 varas - or somewhere between 11 and 12 feet. This is a hold over from when theSpaniards ruled Costa Rica. For more infor checkout:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obsolete_Spanish_and_Portuguese_units_of_measurement#Vara
The other interesting thing regarding wood measurements is the dimensions. Wood is sold in standard US sizes such as a 2x4. In the US this 2x4 is actually 1.5” x 3.5”. In Costa Rica, the actual dimension is 2” x 4”. This makes a big difference when constructing a building. And for a cost per unit comparison, the Costa Rican 2x4 is 52% more wood than the US equivalent. Now I am getting just too complicated. Bring a calculator and good luck.

Paper or Plastic? How About Neither

Living in a country that prides itself on being eco-friendly, it is nice to see that a long standing non-green tradition in Costa Rica has begun to change. Historically, Costa Rica never had the decades of paper bags and then the option of paper or plastic when shopping. Pre mid-1980s, shoppers usually brought their own bags or the items purchased were wrapped in paper at your local pulperia to take home. Then, came the advent of the ubiquitous plastic bag.

Like the rest of the world, Costa Ricans quickly embraced this inexpensive plastic option. Soon everything was put into plastic bags: groceries, a bag of nails at the hardware store, laundry, a gallon of paint (paint cans in Costa Rica do not include handles for some unknown reason) a single can of soda, take-out food, etc. Costa Ricans instantly learned to put things in bags and tie them up. Buy a can of Coke at a pulperia and they put it in a small plastic bag, securely tied, with a straw in it.

Data released by the United States Environmental Protection Agency in 2001 on U.S. plastic bag, sack, and wrap consumption, estimated somewhere between 500 billion and a trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide each year (an impossible number to visualize).

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/09/0902_030902_plasticbags.html

One unique thing about the use of these plastic bags is what I call the Coast Rican Knot. This is one of those knots that I have never seen or experienced anywhere else but here. This “knotting” was one of those things that you didn’t think about until it was done. I kept telling myself that I would remember to ask the clerk not to tie the bags but it was always too late by the time I thought of it. I was usually in the car or at home facing the insidious knots. You are probably thinking “what is the big deal, just untie it”. I cannot tell you how many times that I struggled to get these knots untied. It is not your typical knot but some secret Costa Rican knot passed down through the generations. Is it one of those things learned from childhood? Does being able to untie one of these knots as an adult prove that you are really Costa Rican? Are all extranjeros (foreigners) doomed to rip the bags to shreds or cut the knots out in order to open these bags?

I cursed these knots constantly. It was a real challenge trying to get one of these knots undone when the bag contains very hot roasted chicken or a bag of nuts. You couldn’t simply tear the bag open without the contents spilling out. I would be fighting with a knot when Carlos, my Costa Rican partner, would walk up and undo the knot with ease. He would give me that smirky smile and say that I must have loosened it for him. He knew that I would never be able to master these knots. The secret to these knots is still safely hidden within his brain and fingers and he has yet to reveal this Costa Rican secret.

But I digress. My solution to this dilemma of the Costa Rican Knot and the use of plastic bags has been to take my own cloth bags whenever I shop. Not only does this solve the “unknotting” issue but it is much more eco-friendly. No more plastic bags for me or Monte Azul.

I am happy to see that so many other people here are rejecting these plastic bags as well and embracing a greener option. The last time I took the bus from San Isidro to San Jose I witnessed a dialog between a passenger and store clerk that is becoming more and more common place. At the midway point of the trip the bus makes a pit stop and everyone gets off and buys a snack. The woman in line in front of me bought a soda and 2 bags of chips, The clerk proceeded to put the soda in one plastic bag and the chips in the other. She quickly stopped him, politely admonished him for being wasteful, smiled and carried her purchases away without a bag.

As time goes by, I see this scene being played out more often and see more and more people bringing their own reusable bags with them. Once again, Costa Ricans are embracing the protection of the naturaleza one reusable bag at a time.

Costa Rica - Working Towards Carbon Neutrality

Costa Rica is racing to become the world’s first carbon neutral nation. In order to reach this lofty goal by its target date of 2021, Costa Rica must reduce its fossil fuel combustion and offset what cannot be eliminated with carbon sequestration, such as through the planting of trees or the scrubbing of industrial emissions.

The bid for carbon neutrality is not only a platform for global environmental leadership but a shrewd investment in the nation’s own economic future as the world’s standard-bearer of eco-tourism.

A significant source of Costa Rican oil combustion is in the production of electricity in its Moín oil-burning facilities in the region of Limón. The table below shows the estimated breakdown of electrical power sources in Costa Rica.

Costa Rica

Power Source Percentage

Hydroelectric 81%

Oil 8%

Wind 8%

Geothermal 3%

Solar 0%

Here is the link to this article:

www.soldeosa.com/editorial/07-01-2009-nocarbon.html

Costa Rica Photo of the Week

Resident artist, Hai Zhang, snapped this photo on his recent 2 week residency at Monte Azul.

Hai will be returning to Monte Azul in March 2010 to complete his project, "Waiting for the Rain".

info@monteazulcr.com/www/en/fineart

Monte Azul Artist Creates Unique Fashions

Monte Azul and Costa Rica artist, Karla Solano, has taken here fantastic mixed media work and created a one of a kind fashion item - The Beso Boot.

Please e-mail inquiries:

info@monteazulcr.com

Your Costa Rica Vacation: You Don't Have to Rough It (Part II)

You don't have to rough it while enjoying the mountains and rainforest of Costa Rica.

When staying at Casa Palo Alto, Costa Rica's premier vacation rental, enjoy the spa like bathroom, a full sized bath tub and shower.

Enjoy your day in the rainforest, horseback riding, jumping off the waterfalls, or just sitting by the pool. When the day is done, come back to your suite and pamper yourself.

Visit our website at:

www.monteazulcr.com

Sleep Well on Your Next Vacation

Guests at Monte Azul Boutique Hotel in Costa Rica often claim that they “haven’t slept this well in a long time.” Our lively breakfast discussions usually include explanations ranging from the the soothing white noise of the nearby Chrripo River, the quiet of our remote river valley, the high thread count sheets and comfortable mattress, and general exhaustion after a full day of hiking, horseback riding, zip lining, etc.

A recent article in the New York Times offers another suggestion for consideration: temperature. The article (link attached) suggests the optimal sleeping temperature for the average person is between 60 - 68 degrees F. As it turns out, that is the temperature every night, year round at Monte Azul.

Despite our proximity to the equator (8 degrees north) and location in the Costa Rica Rainforest, Monte Azul Hotel is situated at an altitude of 3,500 ft above sea level. As such, we benefit from cooler, mild temperatures that range from 60 - 80 degrees year round. Typically, guests wear sweaters/sweatshirts in the early morning and evenings, and shorts or pants and t-shirts during the day.

That contrasts dramatically with the low lands, where temperatures can approach a sweltering 100 degrees F during the day, and a very uncomfortable 80+ at night.

If your vacation includes the beaches of Costa Rica, consider a night or two at Monte Azul before heading home, to ensure you are well rested.

www.nytimes.com/2009/08/04/health/04real.html

Come Stay at Casa Palo Alto, Costa Rica's finest mountain vacation rental.

Cafe Blue at Monte Azul serves the finest cuisine in Southern Costa Rica and the Chef is available for in home food preperation.

visit us on line: www.monteazulcr.com/www/en/hotel/lodging/casapaloalto

Your Costa Rica Vacation: You Don't Have to Rough It (Part I)

Monte Azul Hotel, while secluded in the mountains and rainforest of southern Costa Rica, does offer hi-tech comforts.

Until 3 years ago, there were no telephone lines in our valley. Today, our telephone lines are complemented by high speed internet access through our Wi-Fi network in every suite, Cobalt Bar, and Cafe Blue.

So while your blackberry isn't yet likely to get your 3G downloads, turn on your wi-fi function and you can stay in touch with the office, family and friends. Don't worry, we won't tell anyone you have full connectivity.

Please see the attached link to the local English language news source, Tico Times.

www.ticotimes.net/business.htm

Monte Azul Artist - Karla Solano

Karla Solano is a member of a new generation of Costa Rican artists who have challenged a relatively conservative art scene in their own country, while coming of age with the arrival of digital media.

Vicky Pérez, Director of TEOR/éTica gallery (a not-for-profit gallery in the center of San José known for it’s innovative programming) describes Solano’s work: “The territory in Karla Solano's work is the human body, particularly her own. For a long period she used x-rays as a means of metaphorically analyzing the image of her self.” For the past decade the artist continually produces innovative and provocative works based on images of her own body.

Solano has exhibited large scale public works at the biennales in Sao Paulo, Havana and Shanghai, in which she wraps a building or a room with images of her own body. On a smaller scale, Karla Solano produces a series of photographs ingeniously combined with painting on canvas. “Beso”, featured above, is a seductive and playful image of her lips in the form of a kiss. The scale of the lips and the textures of the image, as well as the canvas, invite viewers to explore the abstracted shapes and contours. The tension between the media, the gestures and the colors create compositions that are challenging as well as beautiful.

In another group as part of her latest body of work, Solano explores photography in three dimensional formats. “Wraps”, what she calls the sculptural pieces, confront the viewer like an alien being. However, the familiarity of the skin tones and textures, with glimpses of gestural hands and her curly red hair suggest a kinship and warmth that ultimately invites the viewer to relate on a more familiar level.

Monte Azul is proud the show this artist’s truly innovative works at

our sites in Costa Rica and New York.

Costa Rica Photo of the Week

At Monte Azul we find all sorts of strange and new creatures. Recently I snapped a picture of a Walking Stick which Carlos found and proceeded to let walk up his arm. Completely benign, their defences are obvious...look like the bush or tree you are sitting on and your prey and predators won't see you. Creepy and cool.

Local Cheese Artisans supply Cafe Blue

Monte Azul strives to promote local products and fortunately, we are located in an area with bountiful and varied options. One of the most treasured are the Swiss style cheeses, homemade less than a mile from Monte Azul, and produced in the rural tradition of the Swiss Alps.

Katia and Wilberth, born and raised here in the Chirripó Valley, learned the technique from a Swiss cheese maker who later invited the couple to Switzerland where they trained in traditional cheese making methods with farmers in the Alps. The couple has brought to “The Switzerland of Central America”, as Costa Rica is known in the region, delicious and unique versions of those cheeses. In Switzerland the cheese had no name, so to keep the tradition, Katia and Wilbur insist on leaving their savory cheeses nameless.

The family farm produces milk from organically raised dairy cows. Wilbur is in charge of producing the milk for the cheese, while Katia is in charge of the cheese production. Young or aged, the cheese will delight the strictest fromageophile. Paired with a local desert liquor, we serve a desert entrée featuring these cheeses that may tempt you to skip the rest of dinner.

Guests at Monte Azul are privileged to participate in the cheese making process as one of the workshops we offer in collaboration with the family. In fact, it has been one of our guests’ favorites by far!

Update: Our very own Randy Langendorfer has embarked on the cheese making adventure. He continues to learn Wilberth and Katia's techniques and is exploring with Mazzerella, Ricotta, Swiss, and Chevre.

Come Hike Mt. Chirripo

Chirripó is the highest mountain in Costa Rica, and is one of the largest national parks in the country. Just 15 minutes up the road from Hotel Monte Azul, Chirripo National Park protects a number of important ecosystems on the Costa Rican Pacific slope.

Locals and tourists from around the world travel to our region to hike the mountain with the goal of reaching the summit, Cerro Chirripó at 3,800 meters (12,533 ft). Starting from the town of San Gerardo de Rivas, it is a 34 Km (21 mile) journey to the summit, and usually is a 3 or 4 day trip for the experienced hiker and fit vacationer.

In March each year, the river valley hosts the annual Cerro Chirripó Race. Locals and international runners alike, make the the trip to our community for the annual race to the top and back. The winners time is usually under 4 hours.

The week long party that precedes the race is worth seeing. All the restaurants come out to show their stuff, there are daily football games (soccer), events for children, evening discos, fireworks, and general merry making.

As you plan your next trip to the summit of Chirripó, consider Monte Azul for your lodging needs. We are a luxury boutique hotel just a 15 minute drive from the entrance to the Chirripó trail. Hike Mt. Chirripo on your next vacation.

For more about the national park, please visit the following link:

www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/chirripo_national_park

www.monteazulcr.com

Wine Notes - Casilleros Del Diablo Cabernet

Cafe Blue at Monte Azul has spent the last year trying to find the perfect wines to match our seasonal menu. Most recently, we have been pleased with what we have found at the highly respected Chilean producer, Concha y Toro.

Most notable in the lineup is the Cabernet Sauvignons, that have been described as “versatile” and “flavorsome,” and “affordable”, everything we have come to expect from Chilean Cab.

Please visit the wine makers website for more about the wines.

www.conchaytorowines.com/wines/diablo.html

Ileana Moya - Monte Azul Artist

As part of an ambitious project designed to bring the process of making art into the daily lives of people, four artists have organized to present a workshop open to the public, each with a different social context.

Ileana Moya heads a program dealing with migration and how migrations affect individuals and ultimately society as a whole, and its effect on the natural environment. “We move fluidly from place to place, from one emotion to the next, from one though to the next, without considering our personal story or history.”

Ms. Moya guides participants through their own life journeys, as they craft handmade papers using personal items, fragments of clothing and various discards into a work of art, ultimately as portraits of the individual’s migration.

Sponsored by the prestigious Museums of the Central Bank, Ms. Moya presents her workshop on August 22, 2009 in San José, Costa Rica.

Please contact the artist directly at ilimm2002@yahoo.com.

Monte Azul Offers Complete Design Services

With a growing line of new furniture pieces, Monte Azul Design (MAD) offers the Costa Rican and international markets simple, comfortable, contemporary designs. Skillfully crafted, each piece is personally approved by the owners. One of the owners, Rolando Mora, is a master woodworker and himself oversees to the construction of each piece. This is possible because at MAD we would rather remain a small shop and retain the exquisite quality we demand of ourselves, rather than risk the compromises that impersonal mass-construction often invites.

Every piece is built on site at Monte Azul. Hotel guests and furniture clients are welcome to tour the woodshop and meet the staff. MAD is also a builder of quality wooden doors, window frames, and designs and builds kitchens and baths. Using sustainable methods, MAD guarantees personalized service, at a very reasonable and surprisingly affordable price. We stand firmly by our motto: Quality: We use only the best materials. Service. We listen to you and we keep our promises.

Costa Rica: 2742 5222

New York: 646 478 7038

Paulina Ortiz - Her Unique and Powerful Art

Paulina Ortiz is considered a fiber artist to some, a sculptor to others and a conceptual artist to yet others. Ortiz’s works seem to inhabit multiple domains: ancient, contemporary, organic, structural.

The raw beauty may at times seem aggressive, contained only by her masterful architecturally or biologically inspired compositions. “Her creations with vegetal elements appear like screaming wounded nature, yet beautiful,” says Pilar Tobon, textile art sculptor and critic, President of Women in Textile Art Organization.

Ortiz’s work may also have a shamanistic air to them, with mysterious shapes and symbols interwoven with natural elements of bright colors contrasting with earth tones and textures. Their timeless structures are simple and powerful, distilled shapes with an iconic presence that seduce and enchant, often alluding to ceremonies of antiquity. Weaving both literally and figuratively, Ortiz does indeed approach each piece as a ceremony: the collecting of the fiber and materials, the exacting process to prepare them, and the contemplative, intellectual and spiritual process of shaping their ultimate manifestations.

As pertinent to the prehistoric drawings at Gabillou Cave in the French Dordogne or the majestic garments of Montezuma, Paulina Ortiz’s works speak to the contemporary collector as timely testaments to our own era where humanity’s relationship to nature has never been more relevant. On an aesthetic level, Ortiz manages a bravado of balanced tension between the rudimentary, almost crude materials and the elegant compositions and sophisticated color palette. They are a poetic embodiment of the inseparable relationship between culture and nature.

More recently, Paulina Ortiz has produced an exciting new body of work incorporating computerized lighting on large scale installations, an example pictured below.

Works are currently available for viewing in Costa Rica and New York. To arrange a viewing or for additional information, please contact us at info@monteazulcr.com or by calling 646 478 7038.