Waiting at CIMA

Out past the big hospital,
the monolith with its reflective glass facade and gun turret windows
we waited for you in the car
until I caught a glimpse of something
Across the herringbone pavers styrofoam para llavar boxes
wedged themselves against the curb
We walked to the end of the parking lot
where empty paint buckets and plastic straws nuzzled rock gabions.
But over the edge we found wild grasses
pink and soft as thistle down 
they snickered in the wind
laughing at man's need to fill the world with concrete
We explored this 
tiny, wild world
until you 
returned.

Driving Miss Sarah~

I wrote to family and friends recently about a hair-raising trip I took from the capital, San Jose, to my home in Talamanca. So I thought I'd attend to the blog and write a bit about driving in Costa Rica. 

Ticos are not the worst drivers in the world (regardless of what you've heard or believe); a couple of years ago that honor went to Italy, but it's hard not to imagine, what with all the Italian immigrants here now, that Costa Rica hasn't passed on a blind curve—one of the favorite driving maneuvers here—and pulled ahead for that coveted status. In all fairness, though,  I believe the statistics for Asia were left out of the equation. My guess is that many countries could vie for first place. I've heard driving in Thailand is a bit like WalMart the day after Thanksgiving. 

The statistics for Costa Rica are pretty dismal though. According to a Tico Times article, "Some 340 people died in traffic accidents last year [2007], and about 530 were seriously injured, according to the Public Works and Transport Ministry (MOPT). Nearly 40 percent of the victims were between 20 and 35 years old." 

I think one of the issues here is an attitude shared by all the Ticos I know. It is best summed up by a small story. Many years ago Alan and I heard a nightmare tale from a friend whose husband died suddenly. That was bad enough, but it soon became apparent to his widow—our friend—that she was about to loose their property because there was no will. We decided to see a lawyer and ask about the issue. After relating the problem, I asked whether we could be assured if, God forbid, something should happen to Alan that I would be protected by the current paperwork we held on our property. The lawyer smiled and said she thought so. I pressed her further asking, "If he dies will I have ownership of the land?" 

To which she replied, "I think so. I don't think you have to worry. Something would have to happen." There it is in a nutshell. Costa Ricans live by this motto. They drive by this motto, and that is why they pass on blind curves: something would have to happen. 

But, the Costa Rica legislature wants to do something about the spine-chilling ordeal of getting out on the road. In December of last year—yes, that would be close to ten months ago, now––the legislature proposed a whole host of fines for dangerous driving. They slammed their foot down on the break pedal and swore to punish those offenders. 

Bad Drivers Have It Coming screamed the headlines in the Tico Times (/Dec 12-18 2008)  and to be sure many of them are stiff. Here is a brief rundown:

I particularly like the "driving while tipsy" category. I'd bet that on any given weekend six out of ten drivers on this coastline violate this law. And that's a conservative estimate.

I would be worried about the speeding fines (and/or jail terms) but it's hard to get up to the speeds they speak about here. For instance, what is this a picture of?



Is it: (a) the moon, or (b) a stretch of road outside Puerto Viejo?

The road is so bad in our little community that it often takes us thirty minutes to pick our way over the four kilometers into Puerto Viejo. Some stretches are so bad the truck has one foot or another in a hole and resembles a lunar lander clambering up and wallowing down into holes. There are faster drivers than us, for sure, but their cars aren't on the road for long. Alan's 1987 Jeep pickup is now the oldest running vehicle in this area. No small feat.  

Most speed limits in Costa Rica range from 60-90 kilometers and hour (about 35-55 miles an hour). The most likely offense listed would be 20 kilometers above the speed limit, and the cops do love to nab you on this one while you are trying to overtake a slow car. We carry a radar detector. 

But I digress. The legislation. What about the legislation?

According to the Tico Times: The bulk of the new law was supposed to go into effect Sept. 23. But lawmakers have found flaws as well as a political concern. The flaws involved misnumbered paragraphs that would void some penalties. Lawmakers also consider some of the fines disproportionate, they said.

But what about the political concerns?

Again, The Tico Times: The March 1 date would have the law going into effect after the Feb. 7 presidential and legislative elections. [However] One aspect of the law is the obligatory vehicle insurance that would have a heavy financial impact on Costa Ricans when they sought to pay their road tax before the first of the year.

Oops! Don't want to piss off those voters. 

Yesterday's news:  the legislature voted last Thursday night to delay for six months the effective date of higher fines found in the new traffic law. (Until after the election!) That vote was the first. A second and final vote is planned for this coming Monday.

They also seek to correct misnumbered sections of the traffic law passed in December, and to eliminate an increase the cost of obligatory insurance of vehicles.

The vote last Thursday was 37 to 4.  I bet next Monday's won't be much closer. 

The good news here is that the laws for drunken and reckless driving have already gone into effect. 

But what does all this really mean for us drivers?

When I was in San Jose a couple of weeks ago, I saw big reader-boards on the main drag in San Jose extolling the new law and the fines. I said to my taxi driver: "Boy, looks like Costa Rica has some tough new laws." 

He grunted.

"Or," I said, "this is just an alert to all drivers, that the mordida for the cops has just gone up." 

To this he laughed out loud, shook his head, and said: "You must have lived here a long time. You know us too well!" 

Getting Teste(s)~

It's been awhile since I've written anything for the blog. It's not that we've been busy with sarna, although I have equated our current difficulties with our neighbors as being worse than mange (but that's another story, another blog). Thank the insect gods, the mites are gone. It took weeks of daily laundry, weekly injections, and frequent puppy washings, but we are rid of them. Finally.

The pups are growing rapidly and are really looking more like dogs than puppies. How fast they grow! In fact, we are now looking into the whole spay/neuter thing. I have read that Basejis have special needs in that regard. Like Greyhounds, Basenjis have a high muscle to fat ratio and can be over sedated quite easily, sometimes resulting in the death of the dog. They also need their reproductive organs intact for long bone development (no, not that long bone!). So I have been doing a fair amount of research.

During my Internet searches, I ran across some interesting information. The person querying the particular dog blog I was reading, said: We are ready to neuter our young male Basenj and are looking into Neuticles. I was mesmerized. Neuticles? It couldn't be, could it?

I hit the link immediately, and, yes, it could be. It is! Testicular implants that, according to www.neuticles.com, "over 250,000 caring pet owners worldwide have selected… as a safe, practical, and inexpensive option when neutering." Clearly this had to have happened before the current economic downturn. The Web site goes on to say, "Neuticles allows your pet to retain his natural look, self esteem, and aids in the trauma associated with neutering." I don't think I'm alone here when I say there is more anthropomorphizing going on here than is good for any one person.

You should check it out. There are various models for your dog. You could, I suppose, give your miniature Schnauzer a set of cajones to offset that Little Man Syndrome he's always had. Why not give him a larger more impressive pair, say those fit for a St. Bernard or an Irish Wolfhound? It's really up to you. With any major credit card, you can purchase them online using their handy chart as a guide. The original Neuticles are "crafted from FDA medically-approved polypropylene. Not plastic but resembles plastic in firmness." Now this would make me feel better about my dog: putting polypropylene in my pup.

One of the many reasons we are having our dogs neutered, aside from the fact that we are not breeders and don't want to bring more unwanted dogs into the world, is that Chacho has a typical male (dog) attitude. He is headstrong and only stays home when he wants to stay home. I have done operant training with a clicker and threats, but we are now working with an electronic boundary to keep him safe and off the street. The Neuticles sites says:

With Neuticles®-
  It's like nothing ever changed...

Nothing has changed!? This is not what we want. We want it to be very different than before. So, we will not be buying any plastic bollocks for Chacho. I don't think he will notice, frankly… but maybe he will stay out of the street.

Here are some newer photos of them 

  

Bibi is very unusual for a Basenji. The only thing she loves more than water is mud. I call her my Bog Dawg.

 

  

And, Chacho is a very handsome little man.