Great Sadness in Paradise.

My column is late but thankfully Scott is tolerant. I just had too much ‘occupation’ last week, then went off up the coast to Jaco for the annual British community ‘Guy Fawkes’ weekend.

Despite black clouds over the mountains and out at sea, we all enjoyed a brilliant sunny weekend and loads of fun. On return, it was a mad dash to prepare for hosting six members of a wonderful choir from Guatemala city; in Costa Rica for a week, it was a great pleasure to hear them here in San Isidro and to welcome these delightful people to our home.

That over, I was ready to send my column this afternoon, but I can’t. Sending frivolous words when the Government has just declared two days of national mourning feels wrong and disrespectful.

After our sunny weekend, we returned to more rain, and it hasn’t stopped. A front in the Pacific is causing havoc, mainly in the Central Valley and down here on the Central/Southern Pacific coast. The land is water-logged and hillsides are collapsing; this afternoon’s television is truly gruesome as we see communities washed out by flooded rivers, raging torrents from the mountains, or a sea of mud, boulders and forest debris from landslides.

More roads have disappeared and more bridges have collapsed. As we drove through Parrita returning from Jaco on Sunday, we crossed the wide new bridge over the Rio Savegre and joked about the rusty old metal bridge still standing alongside… what an eyesore… but it is no more, it has collapsed as well. The poor people of Parrita have been flooded twice already this year, this time its even worse, the main street looks like a fast-flowing river this afternoon.

San Isidro is inaccessible. The Interamericana highway is blocked both north and south by numerous landslides – one 30 metres wide on the route north over the Cerro de la Muerte! And another landslide has blocked the road to the coast. Further south, water is flowing over the costanara where its never been seen before, culverts under the highway have been washed out and some bits of the road are merely a layer of asphalt with a gaping hole below. A queue of 48 impatient lorry drivers were allowed to cross one spot on Tuesday but the road has been closed today.

Friends on a local hillside are safe for now but metres away, a landslide has carried off a Tico home, the family of four has not been seen so are presumed to be inside, and the house isn’t even visible in the tons of displaced land. A lake is forming on their mountain tops and the Emergency Commission is visiting this afternoon to decide whether or not to blast it before it fills, bursts and wipes out the communities below.

Yet again we marvel at the fortitude of the Tico people as we see men digging with bare hands to try and find their neighbours and friends. We see the Red Cross (brilliant, first emergency responders) and the police service toiling in treacherous conditions to rescue people or locate the dead. This is no walking in with the first aid box – its men roped up for abseiling down hillside and fighting through torrents to help their communities. Over 60 deaths have been announced but this will rise as those ‘unaccounted for’ are found.

As I write, my husband John has just phoned the English speaking Radio Dos (Radio 2!) in a rage – some idiotic announcer has just been joking about water in her garden, and another is calling on people to ‘come on over and have a great party’ at some event in San Jose tonight. Utterly tasteless: suffice to say, their tone has just changed!

Our wonderful little country is taking a hammering, all so very very sad.

Someone has just sent me an email with one of those pretentious endings people use – ‘Joy for our Planet’… is she asleep or what?

In great sadness, frivolity will keep for another day.

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Written by VIP Member Sheelagh Richards. Sheelagh is originally from Scotland and her husband John who is from Wales are two inveterate British travellers who fell in love with Costa Rica, the beauty of the Talamanca mountain range and the perfect climate of the Rio General valley where they have established a small Bed & Breakfast called Casa de Los Celtas.

You can see more about John and Sheelagh’s very affordable B&B outside San Isidro here and photographs and prices here and you can also see a free online video interview with John & Sheelagh Richards here.

Please contact our Recommended Costa Rica Realtors working in the area: James Drews, Daveed Hollander and John Wieland, by using the simple form below and they’ll send you:

Andrew Makarik

to@welovecostarica.com

Andrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.