Bienvenidos/Welcome to our little corner of Paradise…we hope you are having a great time and that you are thawed out from the northern winter blast and basking in our warm(hot) sunshine! We would like to take a minute and congratulate Dragonfly Thai on the Peoples Choice Award at the 7th AtenasCharity Chili Cook Off –they won 3rd in our local Chili Cook Off in Nov….way to go Bill plus they have great Thai food at the beach! We are very lucky to have wonderful restaurants with all sorts of flavors from Mexican, Italian, Continental and outstanding seafood….you for sure won’t go hungry – and don’t forget pizza…you should try our sushi in MA at Los AmigosSushi and in Quepos at Tropical Sushi – both are outstanding…..Those of you that know me – my pet peeve is the ever growing population of signs taking over our once beautiful 7 km drive from Quepos to Manuel Antonio..I don’t know about you but I came here to see the Rainforest -not signs….if by chance you feel the same and think the sign population is out of hand please write me at our email address on the front cover – I would like to hear from you – even if you like the signs!…and I’d like to know if anyone actually reads them as they are driving past…ok off by soap box…..our beautiful cover of the Toucans was sent in by Connie Wilson of Mission,KS…congrats! Connie & her husband come to visit every winter and she has been trying for a cover for a long time—well you did it!
Bienvenidos/Welcome to Paradise! You have chosen a great time to visit – the weather is beautiful, hot but not too hot and the flowers like the bougainvillea on our cover are everywhere. The fishing is great – our charter boats are ready to help you catch that fish of a lifetime!.. put on lots of sunblock before heading out on the water or to the beach as our sun is very intense and a sunburn isn’t any fun! Quepos/ManuelAntonio area has just about everything that brought you to Costa Rica …enjoy a tour from zip line to rafting, horseback riding to jet skis and of course fishing! We also have football – Super BowlXLVIII is coming our way on Feb 2nd..at this writing the teams have not been determined but I’m counting on the Denver Broncos ..you will be able to see the game in many places like the Double Hook Bar & Grill in downtown Quepos – they are offering us 5 TV’s and special food items, Sunset Place at Marina PezVela will have a GIANT screen set up in the amphitheater with food specials available….we have great restaurants with a variety of tastes available and we welcome new advertisers Falafel Bar – awesome flavors! Also Coconuts is open big menu with lots of room and stop by La Cubanita for eggs benedict…we can’t list them all but don’t forget Quepos for fun also…Dos Locos has pub trivia on Thurs at 7 and live music on Weds. & Sat, Wacky Wanda’s has Country Music on Fridays with Ralph, you can have great Italian food with choices like Escalofiro, L’Angolo. DolceVita or pick up a pizza & wings from Miguelitos….like I said I can’t mention them all….don’t forget Valentines Day – grab your sweetheart and have a fun evening..let our advertisers know you found them in Quepolandia…..have a great vacation and come back soon…follow us on facebook.com/Quepolandia and check us out here online when you get back home…ciao for now………..P
ps: we receive great photos but many are too low of resolution or just too small….check our requirements for a cover shot and if you have larger files let us know in your email….thanks!
Beginning in 1975 & continuing until 2008, Carol Vlassoff, a demographer & women’s health specialist, has been travelling to the rural village of Gove, Maharashtra in India to study and record the lives of the people living there; in particular the roles and status of males and females – sons & daughters, brothers & sisters, husbands & wives – in the family and in the community. Last month Palgrave Macmillan published Carol’s findings, conclusions & recommendations in her book, Gender Equality and Inequality in Rural India. Blessed with a Son.
Filed under: Pat Cheek Comments Off on Past Quepolandia Contributor Publishes her 33-year Study: Gender Equality and Inequality in Rural India. Blessed with a Son.
Happy New Year to everyone – we hope you are having a great time …you have come to a wonderful place to enjoy everything that Costa Rica has to offer-and more…we have the most exciting tours and the best restaurants so play hard and eat well……a first time advertiser is Buru Restaurant –“where the best food & best service converge”.. their menu looks awesome and tell them you heard about them in Quepolandia….another great restaurant is located to the south just a little past Dominical , La Parcela, sits on the point with an incredible 180 degree view – you can see some of the surrounding area an enjoy a delicious meal…everyone is invited to The Battle of the Bands at Rancho Leon Jan. 26th to benefit PAWS– it will be an incredible afternoon of live music – our awesome cover of the sailfish was sent in by Mark Jansen of Mar 1Sport Fishing– thanks Mark for sending in more of your great photos…we have the best fleet of charter boats with knowledgeable Capts and crew to provide you with an outstanding off shore or inshore fishing experience including Luna Tours, Quepos Sailfishing Charters & Pez Rey so get out there and make some memories… read Sarah’s That’s Fishin’ and you’ll be ready to go…..you can also get wet with white water rafting with Quepoa Expeditions or renting your own boat with Tres Ninas or go for a wild ride with Jungle Coast Jets -you’ll find all their contact info within our pages..we hope you enjoy our magazine and beautiful area – you can even follow us on facebook.com/Quepolandia and check us out here online when you get back home.
Keeper of the beat leaves us…Niven Keymer , aka “Gringo Star”, passed away on Oct. 30th in Quepos. Niven was a long time resident of our little paradise. He was also the “go to” drummer for almost every band in the area. Born in England in 1949 then moving with his family to Toronto where later he and his brother Geoff had their first band, The Manta Rays. Niven also lived in Key West and California but Quepos became home.
He is survived by his bother Geoff of Nova Scotia and sisters Lesley and Sheryl from England. There was an outpouring of friendship and love from the community at a Celebration of Life held Nov 7th in Quepos at Dos Locos – one of his favorite “hangouts” and weekly gigs. Space limits us here to express all the kindness that was sent in Niven’s honor but here are a few quotes from the many stories shared that day: Read More…
Filed under: Pat Cheek Comments Off on Keeper of the beat leaves us…Niven Keymer, aka “Gringo Star”
We are happy you are here and know that you will have a wonderful time in our little corner of Paradise…….where has the year gone? Christmas just a few weeks away- gift ideas….a zip line tour, off shore fishing, Villa Vanilla Spice Tour, a white water rafting trip, rent a chair at the beach and watch the waves – ahh….or enjoy a delicious meal at one of our outstanding restaurants – maybe stop at a fun “watering hole” for a cold one….see there.. now your shopping is complete!…..Jerry from Luna Tours would like everyone to drop by and meet his new partners Geoff & Heather – gee you could book a fishing trip at the same time…we also invite you to keep an eye out for a new restaurant & bar – Coconuts opening soon on the road to Manuel Antonio….if you are looking for great Italian food check out Gondola Restaurant located at Tres Bandera Hotel. You can also try Escalofrio or L’Angola in Quepos….there are so many great places to eat we can’t name them all. We heard from Sunspot Poolside Bar & Grill at HotelMakanda that they have special menus for Christmas Eve and New Years Eve – it’s a beautiful setting so check out their ad. There will be a turkey dinner somewhere around so don’t worry. We love our cover this month ‘cause that Mom & baby sloth are just too cute..many thanks to Paul Gerace of Dominical for sending us the great photo on the cover and the others inside with how he was lucky enough to get awesome shots. This is Paul’s second cover so congrats! We have beautiful sunsets this time of year so stop by for a happy hour sunset that I bet will lead to a great dinner at El Lagarto BBQRestaurant 2 x 1 cocktails—or run up to Ronny’s Place for the BEST SANGRIA anywhere….New Years Eve is always FUN– usually Fireworks on the seawall at midnight….live musicNew Years Eve at Dos Locos Restaurante in Quepos – a great party….looks like I’m out of space so I’ll end with best wishes for a great vacation Holiday Season and a ProsperousNew Year to ALL…..follow us on facebook.com/Quepolandia and check us out here online when you get back home…tell your friends what a great time you had and come back soon………..ciao………….P
Bienvendios/Welcome to Paradise or at least that’s how we see it here in Quepolandia and we are pretty sure after your visit you will feel the same….We are nearing the end of Green Season also known as Rainy season….doesn’t seem to have been too bad this year at least at this writing….don’t get me wrong we can still get some heavy rains into December but hopefully things will stay on the mild side…..We want it to by dry for the 3rd Quepos Open at the Quepos TennisClub…qualify begins on the 2nd & 3rd with the final matches on the 8th – 10th of Nov. Everyone is welcome to come on out and watch local, national and international players play some great tennis… we are sure it will be even bigger and better than last year…..we are happy to report that our restaurants are back open after some have taken vacation to relax and get ready to serve great food …you won’t be disappointed as we have the best and a huge variety to suit everyone’s taste….if you are here for Thanksgiving you will most likely find a turkey dinner as several usually have it on the menu….all our tours are up and running so don’t miss the excitement of catching that big fish or flying through the jungle on a zip line or whitewater rafting…..we would like to thank Glenn Baxter , part-tine resident of Manuel Antonio for our great cover shot –an outstanding sunset …we are sure that you will get a chance to capture your own photos, send them to us(please note the requirements ) and you too might make the cover of Quepolandia….we hope you enjoy your visit with us..please tell our advertisers that you found them in Quepolandia..as they are what keep us going…also check out our Live Musiclistings and treat yourself to some great localmusic..maybe even dance a little………well that about wraps it up for this month..hope to see you around…be sure to “like” us on facebook.com/Quepolandia and check us out online here when you get back home…until next time go out and have some FUN………ciao…P
Bienvenidos/Welcome to the heart of our Green Season…also known as Rainy Season and boy can it rain…September is sometimes very nice with lots of sunny mornings before rain in the afternoon so get out and enjoy your day early…we are glad you have come to Quepolandia and hope you enjoy your visit….this issue covers 2 months and we will let you in on what’s going on for both months…Sept.15th is Costa Rica Independence Day complete with a wonderful parade..it generally gets under way about 10:30 to 11 am but it varies & takes place in downtown Quepos…lots of children dressed in traditional costume and floats and marching bands like you have never seen…don’t miss it! This year represents the 192nd year of independence – Pura Vida…we need to mention that many of our fine restaurants take time off in the 2 months for vacations for employees..we recommend that you call ahead as to not be disappointed ..thankfully for us they don’t all close at the same time! All tours will be operating although some may be on limited times…there is still plenty to do and less crowds so enjoy….we would like to thank Sjoerd (Jay)Biesman, Wildlife Projects, from The Netherlands for our great cover shot…bee in the orchid…Jay comes to visit every year and always gets some great photos…..to all you photo bugs out there send in a couple of your best shots as we need more all the time(see guidelines in magazine)…October is a quiet month but we try to liven it up with a Chili Cook-Off around the first week so keep your ears open and check here online for info or at facebook.com/Quepolandia for details….Halloween has become a big event for both Ticos and Gringos so create a costume and come out for the fun from Quepos to Manuel Antonio..check with Jaime Peligro Books & Adventure in Quepos face painting and temporary tattoos to add to your outfit! We are off for a little vacation ourselves and will be back with you for the November issue….have fun, be safe and tell your friends what a great little piece of Paradise we have here…ciao for now…..P
Bienvenidos/Welcome to another month in Paradise– are we lucky or what and since you are here with us you are too…. Into everyday will come a little rain so just relax and enjoy – it keeps our air clean, cars dirty and makes everything so beautifully GREEN here in our rainforest…..just take care driving and go ahead and dance in the rain….this month brings Mother’s Day to Costa Rica and it’s a National Holiday- as well it should be, so take your favorite Mom out on the 15thto celebrate with a delicious, elegant dinner at Kapi Kapi or gourmet pizza at Victoria’s or panko tuna at Agua Azul….or seafood platter at Z Seafood & Lounge…all in Manuel Antonio …….or in Quepos great Italian dinning at Escalofrio, Dolce Vita, or L’Angolo…you get the idea – we have great restaurants and that doesn’t even name them all so check the pages of Quepolandia for more……….we also have every exciting tour you might like..we doubt you will be bored in our little corner of Paradise…….we continue this month with the new look of Quepolandia and we have added a new column called Inside Look by Sarah Munro….so let us know what you think….we would like to thank Elizabeth Rowe of Manuel Antonio for our cover shot of the beautiful waterfall…nice job Elizabeth and bet it was fun, too – We would like to recognize our lifeguards at the Manuel AntonioBeach…they do a great job and make next to nothing….there has been a very strong riptide lately and as always extra care needs to be taken when swimming or playing in the surf…we want you to enjoy your visit….tell your friends about us and follow us here & on facebook.com/Quepolandia ..come back soon……….ciao for now…………P
Bienvendios/Welcome to Paradise we are happy to have you here in our Beautiful part of Costa Rica…….and even happier that you are reading the Anniversary issue of Quepolandia! Thanks to AnaLyons for Matapalo for getting it rolling way back in 1998…. we have made it our top priority to continue to make Quepolandia an important part of the community of Quepos/Manuel Antonio. We could not do it without our great advertisers who have stuck with us thru the good and the lean times – we thankyou……..please let them know you found them in the pages of Quepolandia.…this issue also launches a new look for Quepolandia with more additions to come in the next few months…we welcome your comments as always……..so enough about us – you need to get out there and enjoy all our great area has to offer…go fishing, fly through the air with the greatest of ease on a zipline or raft the whitewater with your adrenalin pumping..parasailing or jet ski – you can have a great time…don’t forget to include a trip to our World Famous ManuelAntonio National Park and see the wildlife…along the way you are sure to enjoy a cold beverage and a variety of wonderful food served in our great restaurants……we would like to thank Paul Gerace for our outstanding cover shot of the Strawberry Green Jean Frog…Paul recently retired and moved from NYC to beautiful Dominical – we are glad to have you here…….watch out for the heavy rains at times, drive defensively, keep an eye out for your fellow travelers and locals, be safe and come back soon.. you can also follow us on FB and on our website www.quepolandia.com……ciao for now…..P
Bienvenidos/Welcome to our beautiful Paradise we are a glad you have come for a visit ….congratulations to all the graduates, newlyweds and those of you that picked Costa Rica for a perfect vacation…we doubt you will be disappointed……..we have it all……from the best tours to the best restaurants and you will find them all right here in Quepolandia…please let our advertisers know that this is how you found them..A Happy Father’s Day to all you Dads….June brings a little more rain and the occasional torrential downpour but this time of year it is mostly in the late afternoon and evening…there will still be plenty of sun so don’t forget the sunblock…we would like to mention a couple of things about the beach area…the official looking guys trying to stop your car and have you park at the first area are anything but official….just drive on past as there is plenty of parking closer to the ManuelAntonio Park – unless you just like to walk a kilometer hauling your stuff…….the other is we have a pretty strong riptide at times so please use caution when swimming in the surf……we would like to thank Sjoerd (Jay) Biesmans of Wild Life Projects (photography, web and graphic design, [email protected]) for our cover shot of the beautiful Blue Crowned Mot Mot….Jay visits us every year and always gets some great photos….he lives in The Netherlands..There will be a wonderful party/fundraiser for our local animal group PAWS held this year on June 22nd at La Foresta Resort see their ad for the details and come on out for the fun…rest assured your support goes to a worthy cause……we hope you enjoy Quepolandia, we welcome your comments both on our website and facebook…check out our check out Readers Resources on the menu bar above where you will find the TideChart, Bus schedules and much more – plus our classifieds if you are looking for a place to stay before you travel….don’t forget to send in those perfect photos for a chance at our cover or a short story about your travels …..have a safe and wonderful time..
Bienvenidos/Welcome to all you travelers….we are happy to have you visit and hope you have a great time. May is a perfect time to be here with plenty of sunshine and a little rain thrown in..a welcome sight for those of us that have endured the heat and humidity of this past dry season and welcome our vegetation’s rebirth -bring on the GREEN. You will find plenty to do from a tour of our World famous Manuel Antonio Park to white water rafting and an exhilarating zipline or a day on the water as Captain of your own boat..check out Tres NinasBoat Rentals or one of our Charter Sportfising boats like Luna Tours, Pez Rey, Pez Espada for a great day of world class fishing….you won’t go hungry as we have wonderful restaurants so check the pages of Quepolania for their locations……….we would like to thank Lona Collison of Ontario, Canada for our most beautiful cover shot. Lona and Lloyd spent a few months here and took some great photos..Lona said the helaconia is one of her favorite flowers and from this photo you should agree! Happy Mother’s Day to those visiting from the US & CA..we celebrate on Aug. 15th here so if we are lucky we get 2 days of recognition! Please take the time to tell our advertisers that you found them in Quepolandia and take a copy home to your friends – you can also follow us on FaceBook and here on our website…..have a wonderful visit and come back soon……..ciao……P
Bienvenidos/Welcome to our corner of Paradise…we are hopeful that we all survived another Semana Santa and are looking forward to a beautiful April..maybe we will begin to see a few rain showers as we are pretty dry and would welcome some green back into our lives…….if we are so lucky to get some rain it surely won’t wash out your fun so not to worry………..we would like to welcome some new advertisers to Quepolandia and hope you will try them out or stop by for a visit….MidWorld Costa Rica,a zipline and more and FlexiTour which offers a little of everything… check out their ads now among our wonderful tours that are waiting to thrill and excite you………we also have some top notch restaurants just waiting to serve you …you may be hungry for fish & chips so check out El Gato Pescador, or Escalofrio in Quepos or L’Angolo Ristorante just 2 of our great Italian restaurants…we have something for everyone so you won’t go hungry…we would like to introduce Sarah Munro as our new fishing report columnist and in line with fishing we would like to welcome all the anglers/competitors and visitors here for the Offshore World Championship hosted by Marina Pez Vela this month…we know it will be a great tournament. Our cover shot is from David Tuplin of Canada…David shot this a few years ago and due to the lack of fish photos (ya gotta be quick) we’re rerunning this great shot of a sailfish on the fly…we hope you have a great time while visiting Costa Rica…please tell our advertisers that you found them in Quepolandia… we hope you will continue to follow us on FaceBook and here on our website… viaje and come back soon……….ciao…………
Bienvenidos/Welcome to PARADISE and our beautiful area….we are happy to have you here………March is a busy month with Semana Santa/Easter week and the influx of many people to our beaches. Traffic can get a little slow on the hill so take your time and have some patience – also keep an eye out for many pedestrians….it’s only a 7km road so it won’t take long to get there safely……..and then Pura Vida! …with lots of people come the not so nice little snatch and grab thieves so be aware and hang on to you “stuff” – we may live in Paradise but it’s the same the World over..don’t let your vacation get ruined by not paying attention…We have the greatest tours and the best restaurants around so enjoy a fun and active day then relax with a cold beverage, a beautiful sunset and a delicious dinner…..Hotel Makanda is now having a Pool side BBQ every Sunday – a beautiful spot to enjoy the afternoon..check it out….plus a 10%discount if you mention their ad in Quepolandia………..March Madness for you basketball fans – many places will have the games on so no problem…and don’t forget St. Patrick’s Day…sure to be a “Green Beer” somewhere…Wacky Wanda’s might have something going on….We would like to thank Lloyd Collison of Midhurst, Ontario for our very colorful cover of the Toucans..great shot!….our beaches are beautiful and the weather great so enjoy a boat ride that you can Captain with Tres Ninas Boat Rental, or charter one of our great Sportfishing boats, like Chaser, LunaTours, Pez Rey, Mad Marlin or Pez Espada(see their ads) and go catch dinner- Dos Locos Restaurante in Quepos will cook it any way you like… we hear the fishing’s been great…..well that about wraps it up for the month ..be safe, have fun – remember to check us out regularly online and follow us on facebook…tell your friends about your great vacation in Quepos/Manuel Antonio and come back soon……….ciao …………..P
The Dictionary of Costa Rican Slang – by José Antonio González Ugalde
By Pat Cheek
14 years went into the writing and publishing of this book: Dictionary of Costa Rican Slang – now that’s dedication! I met with José during the holidays for a cup of coffee and enjoyed hearing the story of how it all came about.
Bienvenidos/Welcome to our little corner of Paradise…we hope you are having a great time and that you are thawed out from the northern winter blast and basking in our warm(hot) sunshine! We would like to take a minute and congratulate Dragonfly Thai on the Peoples Choice Award at the 7th Atenas Charity Chili Cook Off –they won 3rd in our local Chili Cook Off in Nov….way to go Bill plus they have great Thai food at the beach! We are very lucky to have wonderful restaurants with all sorts of flavors from Mexican, Italian, Continental and outstanding seafood….you for sure won’t go hungry – and don’t forget pizza…you should try our sushi in MA at Los Amigos Sushi and in Quepos at Tropical Sushi – both are outstanding…..Those of you that know me – my pet peeve is the ever growing population of signs taking over our once beautiful 7 km drive from Quepos to Manuel Antonio..I don’t know about you but I came here to see the Rainforest -not signs….if by chance you feel the same and think the sign population is out of hand please write me at our email address on the front cover – I would like to hear from you – even if you like the signs!…and I’d like to know if anyone actually reads them as they are driving past…ok off by soap box…..our beautiful cover of the Toucans was sent in by Connie Wilson of Mission, KS…congrats! Connie & her husband come to visit every winter and she has been trying for a cover for a long time—well you did it!
