In 1979, the Frente Sandinista Liberacion Nacional overthrew the incredibly brutal US-backed Somoza family and freed Nicaragua. They ruled the country for 11 years in spite of US backing of the Contra rebels. In 1990, the FSLM succumbed to their own ineptness and was voted out of power, but people still fondly remember there role in ending the dictatorship. Today, the conservatives that beat the FSLM has joined with the former FSLM members that aren't commie nuts to create the Conservative-Liberal Alliance in an effort to keep the FSLM from ever taking power again.

El Grupo del Universidad de Washington en Nicaragua

Here is the whole gang posing on an old fort on Lake Nicaragua that was used by the Spanish to fight pirates (It's a really big lake!)

This is me somewhere over Lake Nicaragua. This lake is unique in that it is the only fresh water lake in the world where you can be killed by sharks. I wasn't.

Election Update: The Tides Turn Again

The TSE has completed its hand recound and says that Oscar Arias is now ahead by 1.1%. That seems like a big shift until you consider that the last two provinces to get counted were Limon and Guanacoste, both of which Arias won by wide margins. However, the TSE has refused to declare Arias the winner until they resolve the hundreds of complaints of vote irregularities that have been alledged by the PAC. Read more here.

Take Off

One of the highlights of my two days in Esterillos was the chance to have an airplane pull me 2000' in the air above the coastline for a 25 minute hang gliding ride. The instructor let me pilot for a while and we even did some tricks like mid-air stalls and dives. He also pointed out the vacation home of Jenna Jameson, unfortunately she wasn't sunbathing by the pool at the time.

There was a camera mounted on the wing and I will post some mid-air pictures as soon as I get to a scanner.

After a long, tough day of hang gliding (read: sitting in the shade drinking beer), Kylie, Ben and I decided to relax in one of the spare planes (and drink more beer).

Hang Glider Wing Cam I (Click to Enlarge)

Hang Glider Wing Cam II

Hang Glider Wing Cam III

Election Update: Be Afraid

According to the BBC, anti-CAFTA, pro-tax leftist presidential candidate Otton Solis is leading Nobel-laureate Oscar Arias by 1.3% with 80% of the hand recount completed. Solis's Citizen's Action Party has also filed over 100 complaints with the Supreme Elections Tribunal claiming various irregularities in the voting and vote-counting. So much for acrimony-free. Read the complete story here.

Monkeying around on the Pacific Coast

This weekend was perhaps my best yet in Costa Rica. Ben and I set out Thursday morning from San Jose and headed by bus and taxi to Playa Esterillos where we set up camp on a deserted beach before meeting friends for two days of camping, swimming, partying and hang gliding. From there, we headed to Quepos and to the Manuel Antonio National Park for a day of hiking, animal watching and relaxing on some of the most pristine beaches in the country before heading back to Heredia on Sunday night. It is hard to believe that I have less than three weeks left in Costa Rica, but I still have a weekend in Nicaraqua and a weekend of camping and hiking in Rincon de la Vieja before I return to Phoenix on the 12th and Seattle on the 14th.

Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio

One of the gems of the Costa Rican park system is Manuel Antonio, outside of the Pacific coast town of Quepos. The park has several beautiful beaches, great hiking, lots of interesting animals and even a waterfall.

Goofing around in Manuel Antonio

Ben at the Mermaid of Esterillos

Pacific Sunrise (Playa Esterillos Oeste)

Pacific Sunset (Playa Esterillos Oeste)

Waiting for a cab in Jaco

More from this weekend

My program director Max managed to get a camera in to the Bribri lands and snap a few shots including this one of the traditional Bribri communal house.

This is one of the rivers we had to ford in order to reach the Bribri tribal lands. Becky (the girl on my left) and I are soaking wet after getting pulled off our feet by the strong current

Hey Ladies!

Election Update

Five days after Costa Rican voters went to the polls and proved themselves to be a divided nation, authorities say it could be weeks before official results are known in one of the closest presidential elections in the country's history.

A preliminary partial vote count released Monday afternoon showed that only a fraction of a percentage point separated the two top candidates – National Liberation Party (PLN) candidate Oscar Arias had 40.5% of the votes vs. 40.3% for Ottón Solís, of the Citizen Action Party (PAC).

(More)

Weekend in the Caribe

This weekend, I traveled with my class to the Caribbean coast, to the towns of Puerto Viejo and Puerto Limon (Where Columbus landed on his fourth trip to the new world and coined the name Costa Rica (Rich Coast)).

We hiked deep in the jungle along the southern border to visit the Bribri indigenous people who still live much as they have for thousands of years. It was a rare opportunity as only about 200 outsiders are allowed in each year. (Unfortunately, they have an issue with photography, so I had to leave my camera in my cabana) In the village we learned about how they sustain themselves on traditional crops and how climate change and incursion by the outside world are threatening there way of life.

On Sunday, we visited the world's only Sloth Rescue center and learned about these amazing animals and the pressures that they face. I also spent time body surfing in the Caribbean and relaxing with friends and drinks.

I have also received inquiries about the recent election, as it stands now, the Supreme Election Tribunal (TSE) is conducting a hand recount. The results will be released next week. The preliminary results indicate that Arias has won by about 3500 votes out of 1.5 million votes cast! The process has been delightfully acrimony-free. The parties have not resorted to claims of fraud or malfeasance and no legal challenged have been filed. I will post more when I know it.

The Caribean Coast along the Costa Rican and Panamanian border

Amy and I at a Carribean beach.

Sloth rescue Center

Super Bowl Party

Once more a Seattle sports team has failed to upend my cynicism. But while the Seahawks met their inevitable end, it was still a great time. My family, very considerately, agreed to have 25 screaming, insane gringos in the house for the party and a good time was had by all, at least until the last seconds ticked off.

On top of this, the presidential election proved to be far closer than anyone believed it would and when my brother and I went to bed at 2:30 am, it was still to close to call. I woke up this morning and still no result. It is starting to look a lot like Bush/Gore 2000, Tico style. As of this post, Arias has 40.8% and the leftist Solis has 40.2. No one expected Solis to do so well, and I am wondering if this may reflect the broader trend towards Pan-Latin socialism that has seen the rise of leftist candidates and parties in a number of Latin nations. Stay tuned.

Democracy - Costa Rican Style

Today is the Costa Rican presidential election as the Citizen's Action Party and the Libertarian Movement Party try to overcome the huge lead of National Liberation Party candidate and Nobel Peace Prize winner Oscar Arias. I spent the morning at one of the polling stations, taking pictures and asking questions. I was very impressed with the level of youth activism. The girls pictured here are volunteers for the Libertarian Movement whose job it is to make sure that PML voters are able to get to the right polling booth and are able to cast their votes. The party atmosphere at the polls was amazing. Music, dancing and vendors selling juice (alcohol sales are suspended 30 hours before the polls open) all greet voters as they arrive. Each major party has a booth where they coordinate GOTV efforts and provide info to undecided voters. The kids also get to vote in a straw poll, the results of which are released at the same time that the official count is. As a libertarian it has been both heartening and informative to see an ideologically like-minded party compete and win. The PML is expected to increase their representation in Congress from 6 to 11, putting them neck and neck with the PAC as the second largest party, all within 10 years of the party's founding! I am hopeful that I will be able to use what I have learned to help our own Libertarians break the strangle hold that the Dems and Republicans have on the neck of the body politic in the States.

Beach Yoga

Two of the more unusual beach activities that I got to enjoy last week were sunset yoga and somba lessons. Go figure.

Arias Center for International Peace

San Jose 2

San Jose 1