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¿Qué Pasa en Quepos? – May 2010

Bienvenidos/Welcome to Quepolandia! We are happy that you have come to visit. We have a wonderful community – an exotic combination of x-pats and locals, who with our visitors, gives us a very international atmosphere. On a bus ride to the beach or out to dinner you could possibly hear 5 or 6 different languages and we all try to live with the Pura Vida attitude that is Costa Rica. Here it is May and as usual with the passing of Samana Santa (Easter) our rains have come back…..the beginning of “Green Season”..sounds so much nicer than “rainy season” right? We are happy to be greening up and cooling off….there won’t be enough rain to dampen your spirits or plans for your vacation so get out there and have some FUN!..try a few tours………explore our beautiful Paradise and have a great time…..when visiting our advertisers please let them know you found them in Quepolandia because without them we are “nada”… we would like to welcome Dra. Candy back to Quepos…with her is Linea Vital DE C.R. Emergency Medical – open 24/7 to help with your medical needs …call: 2777-6868….. we would like to thank our friend Myla for our beautiful cover shot & wish she hadn’t moved “up North”….we would like to welcome 2 new guest writersAnita Kiesel of Indiana & David Seyhun of LA..check out their stories later in the month…..…please enjoy yourselves have a super time at our beach but remember the ocean is  powerful & we want you safe – so take care and pay attention to the riptide—if you are here on the 31st – Memorial Day – don’t miss Papa & Harry’s 8th Annual Memorial Day Pig Roast at Pueblo Real – Damas – starts about 1pm with music by Robbie & Live Wire  ……..so that’s about it…..caio for now…………………P


¿Qué Pasa en Quepos? – April 2010

Bienvenidos/Welcome to our beautiful tropical Paradise..we are happy to have you visiting…….wishing everyone a Happy Easter and a safe Semana Santa (Costa Rica’s Holiday for Easter that begins on the Thurs. before Easter through the holiday) It is a time when many Ticos come to visit their beautiful Manuel Antonio Beach & Park so if the road to the beach is crowded take it easy & enjoy the scenery during these few days…………..CR has new laws concerning driving so be sure everyone in the car fastens their seat belt, be careful how much you have to drink & drive defensively……………..congrats to Janet Brent of Kingston, Ontario Canada and frequent visitor to MA for the great sloth photo on our cover………..as you are visiting our advertisers please let them know you found them in Quepolandia…..where the finest restaurants advertise –we have great places to eat so enjoy…its hard to single one out but if you’re looking for  special ambiance for a special evening we know you will enjoy Kapi Kapi as we did recently- delicious ! & while there see the beautiful Global Gypsy Collection of jewelry by Suzan Crane. Don’t miss our drinking establishments with plenty of cold beer for these HOT days..& our advertisers can also hook you up with fishing, canopy tours, white water rafting, horseback riding …..just to name a few of our fun tours…………….we would also like to mention our GUEST CHEF this month – Tracy Maue of La Hacienda Restaurant – watch for her recipe later this month – she will also have a terrific Easter Menu at La Hacienda….hope you hear good music, taste wonderful food & good drinks and have a terrific time while you are here to enjoy our part of Paradise… stay in touch at www.quepolandia.com ……hasta luego…………P

Our small community was saddened over the past Feb-Mar when we suffered the loss of our friends; Claire, Janet and Travis. Each of them was special to us – each gone far too soon in their life and will be missed by friends & family.


PAWS – Pets of Aguirre Welfare Shelter

PAWS - Pets of Aguirre Animal Welfare ShelterWe are happy to announce the launch of the PAWS website and PAWS Face Book page. We are very excited about this giant step forward! We hope everyone will take a minute to check out www.paws.cr and let us know what you think. We will be adding more as we go along. We need lots of volunteers-even if you aren’t living in the area we can use you help to spread the word. If you have a website and can add a link to PAWS that would be appreciated also. Also, you can make a PayPal donation here.


¿Qué Pasa en Quepos? – March 2010

Bienvenidos/Welcome to sunny Costa Rica! We are into the heart of our summer with little or no rain and lots of SOL – so don’t forget the sunblock especially at the beach..and while you’re there you can always cool off with a tasty ice cream at GNAM Gelateria & other Italian goodies….or go up, up and away with Costa Rica Parasailing… a great way to see how we look from the air! If by chance you’re still a little stressed from pre-vacation mode or you need to cool down after Beach Body Bootcamp with Pamela –  wander on down the beach to relax with ”Masaje Mistico” Katreena for Reiki & a massage from Pauline- their located in front of Hotel Arboleda…we also welcome Katreena as a new writer to Quepolandia with her “Life’s a Beach” column…..speaking of new additions to Quepolandia -welcome comic strip creator “Luciano” ..you can also pick up autographed copies of his work at Jaime Peligro’s book store next door to Century 21..as you can tell this has been a plug for our beautiful beach, but don’t forget to take a walk through Quepos to enjoy our drinking establishments (always fun on St. Patrick’s Day!) & great restaurants…we have the best – check out our live music listings in the left column – and please tell our advertisers that you saw them in Quepolandia — whatever you do—have fun and enjoy our “Paradise”—hope to see you back here soon…………………..caio……..P


A Hero In Manuel Antonio

All he wanted was a cigarette and a rum & coke – and to catch his next plane to Miami.

I recently got to meet with a hero enjoying a hot dog and a cold beer at El Wagon –home of the BEST HOT DOG in MA as the guest of Alan Templeton of Costa Verde. He was here visiting his sister who lives in Jaco with his friend Karina from Miami. This was a trip he had been waiting 5 years to make and if circumstances had been different on December 25th it might never have taken place, but happily for about 270+ people, he turned out to be a hero and made it to Costa Rica……. it happened like this: Read More…


¿Qué Pasa en Quepos? – November 2009

Bienvenidos & Welcome to Paradise!

Here it is November all ready – our rains will be coming to an end soon – we haven’t had our usual amount – prompting AYA (CR water authority) to ask for water rationing or at least a 20% reduction in consumption – sighting showering for less than 3 mins (we suggest showering with a friend!) and don’t let the hose run when you’re washing the car—or the faucet while brushing your teeth – all little things that can help………….now on to more fun ………… we hope you are having a great vacation and we are happy to have you here for a visit—don’t forget to visit the Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio celebrating 37 yrs. this month—-we have other great tours & wonderful restaurants so ENJOY – Check our ads for special menus for  Thanksgiving so you won’t have to miss your Turkey Dinner! …………….Congrats to our Cover Winner Lauren Lipton of Tallahassee, Fl – Lauren sent us about 12 great pics of a wonderful vacation……………we are happy to Welcome some new folks to our little corner of Paradise…………….new businesses will be opening this month…a Jaime Peligro’s Book/Music Store (music review this month will be our own Benjammin!) owners are Jeffery & Carolyn – from Colorado Springs, CO the store will be between Century 21 & Lynch Travel so check it out…Grand Opening in late Nov.…………also a new Bakery!! Dan will be opening soon across from Vetcomer on the side street. Dan’s from Glacier Park, MT – we heard something about cinnamon rolls!! AND a big welcome to Myla & Craig from Fl who will be starting construction on a new home & plan to live here full time – Myla is a great addition to Tues. Bridge Club @ Dos Locos –all fun-lovin’ folks! AND now for the really BIG NEWS – as you can see, the all new www.quepolandia.com is up and running!! You can now follow all the happenings of Quepos/MA when you go back home! We are very excited to be offering our advertisers another avenue to enhance their business and our readers a chance to keep in touch……..so check us out – often – as we will be updating frequently!…………….our friend “Papa” Bill is stuck in Syracuse, NY getting much needed treatment on that bum knee – looks like he will be away thru the holidays – send him an email at [email protected] if you would like to keep in touch  – we know that hearing from his friends at home will keep him smiling!……………that brings us to the end of my rambling………….so get out there and have some FUN!


¿Qué Pasa en Quepos? – Sept/Oct, 2009

Bienvenidos & Welcome to the heart of Green Season in our beautiful part of Paradise! We certainly hope you enjoy your stay –and don’t let a little rain slow you down – just slip – slide & slosh around with the rest of us! This is our combined issue covering Sept/Oct. to give us a short break. We plan to use it to get our long awaited website updated………so look for us at www.quepolandia.com in the very near future….. A few of our restaurants also close to give vacation time to their employees – thankfully not all at the same time so we won’t starve!…. but be sure you check before you go. We hope you will find Quepolandia interesting and helpful to your stay. While visiting our advertisers – please tell them you found them in Quepolandia! Independence Day for Costa Rica is Tues. Sept. 15th so you can expect much celebration and a BIG Parade through Quepos…… School children dressed in costume and marching bands plus the Fire Station and Police participation……so bring your camera and enjoy the fun – generally starts around 9 am in front of the seawall and meanders thru town after the speeches by officials – it’s a special time for Ticos to show their pride for their country…so come join in the celebration………Looking for a fun time on Oct.3rd come by Restaurante La Hacienda located in Plaza Yara where Tracy & Bill Maue will be hosting the 3rd Annual Green Season Chili Cook Off…………and we’re talkin’ some serious competition here!…..Contestants are vying for CASH and the coveted People’s Choice Award……..all the particulars are on page 10…………so whether you come to compete or just EAT –(be sure to taste OUR Chili) come on down at 2 PM ………Tracy tells me the Judging will come first this year…..so come early and stay for all the FUN…………..not that we ever have down time around here..but you might get a short break between the cook-off and Halloween- get that costume ready as there will be several parties around town and crazy outfits make it so much more fun ——just be safe as you enjoy yourself…..also, this month Matt Casseday is introducing his new column “Episodes” – glances into his years in Costa Rica……and as a final note……..we want to say good-bye & best wishes to our friends Mama & Papa of Sargento Garcia’s as they move on to new endeavors and maybe just a little relaxation – thanks for the fun times…… we will miss you but look forward to seeing you around town & at the Memorial Day Pig Roast ………..ciao……P