News from Lake Arenal

Hola, Friends,

Well, I know this isn't fair to those of you reading this from the frigid northern regions, but I'm gonna do it anyway: WE ARE HAVING THE FINEST WEATHER HERE AT LAKE ARENAL! Cool evenings, sunny days, nice breezes, and the volcano is showing itself every day.

There has been a lot of activity in the real estate sector here at Lake Arenal over the past month. Many of our buyers are coming in from Canada, but we are also getting visitors from the U.S. and Europe. We have a good selection of great properties from which to choose, but we are always searching for more properties for our client base.

Our friend Roberta Ward Smiley of La Reserva Forest Foundation reports being very encouraged on behalf of the monkeys after meeting with the president of ICE (the national electric and telephone company here in Costa Rica) and members of the Comision ICE Intercantonal at a luncheon recently. The ICE people distributed a folder describing their environmental concerns and showing where they have installed some monkey "bridges" as well as another safeguard on the insulators. If you have not heard about monkey "bridges" before, the idea comes from the problem that we often observe here when monkeys and other wild animals do not have enough trees on which to safely move from one feeding area to another. They often end up perched precariously over the roads, hanging from power lines, and generally placing themselves in grave danger. The monkey "bridges" consist of strategically planted trees of the proper species which allow the monkeys to feed and move around safely. Roberta has complied with ICE's request for information about monkey crossings around the lake by sending them a list of 10 locations that various residents have recently contributed. Roberta expects work on these to begin promptly. I will update you on this as I learn more.

Later this month we will be enjoying the annual fiesta in the village of Tronadora. This is my favorite fiesta of the year, maybe because it is held during the best weather of the year. There will be bull riding, bull chasing, great food, local crafts, and local musicians.

At this past Wednesday's "gringo gathering" at the Hotel Tilawa, a group of ex-pats got together for an impromptu jam session of rock n' roll. We sure do have some talented folks around here! At tomorrow's fund raiser for La Reserva, we will also be enjoying live music. I will take some photos and post them soon. The theme of the fund raising dinner tomorrow will be Mexican. Yum.

Speaking of yum, I'm getting a treat this evening, or maybe I should say that I'm getting my "fix" this evening because I will be enjoying dinner al fresco at my favorite restaurant, Gingerbread. If you haven't enjoyed Chef Eyal's fantastic, eclectic cuisine and the lovely ambience of the Gingerbread, be sure to plan a visit the next time you are in the area.

Okay, that's it from the lake for now. Keep your questions coming, and hasta pronto.

Laura Murray
Owner/Broker
RE/MAX Lake Partners
www.arenalbuyersrealty.com
www.lakearenal.blogspot.com
Lake Arenal, Costa Rica
U.S. Phone: 310-928-1523
Costa Rica Phone: +506-695-4511