well border conflicts with quarrelsome neighbours have passed to the background with the tragedy of the landslides and floods the country has undergone.

it is still raining.

twenty confirmed dead in one of the worst mudslides, there are at least four people still missing, there have been a number of other deaths throughout the country. most of the roads are cut, thousands of people are without electricity or water, or are staying in shelters.

people living high in the mountains are in danger from landslides, people living by the coast are waist deep in floods.

you can see some pictures here

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we, luckily, live in a nice stable flat valley with relatively good drainage, and have no fear of either floods nor landslides, thank goodness. fortunately we suffer not at all, however there have been a number of people lose their houses up in the hills even only about a kilometre away.

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and
my sister-in-law's house - Wil's sister Rocio - has been condemned as being in an extremely high risk of a landslide. her daughter has been staying with us for the past two weeks. her parents had moved back home after people broke and and stole many of their belongings after the initial crisis about a month ago - this new crisis is even scarier - at least they have been given some government help in being given a year of rent - but they have to find a house to rent before monday to formalise it - and probably will be able to get some assistence in building a new home on a block of land they have nearby to us, in the safer valley where we live.

and it is still raining.

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the bad weather is supposed to be on its way out,

but

horribly it is now heading off to wreack further havock on the already much tormented Haiti.

let's hope it has expended its fury before it gets there.

once again, it's raining. a lot. yellow alert declared by the National Commision for Emergencies for the pacific coast.

we had three days of perfect weather at the beach over the weekend, and now it's some serious rain.

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well I finished working at my old job - it's been 10 days. I find it hard to wind down, but have been working at it!

finally getting to do lots of things - but many more on the to-do list....

lots of photos to post of our wonderful weekend away.

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meanwhile a night of rain rain rain.

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interesting things happening at the nicaraguan border.

nicarguans have been accusing costa rican 'troops' of being on their land. costa rica has had no army since 1948!

from the costa rican point of view, nicarguans are the ones with troops on the costa rican island Calero. they are dredging the San Juan River, which forms the border, (the river belongs to nicaragua, but the terms of the treaty are that costa rica has free navigation of it )- according to costa rica - they are not merely dredging the river, but seem to have been trying to change its course to make a more direct exit to the Atlantic, which would cut out lots of costa rican land , chopped down a whole lot of trees in a reserve on the costa rican side, set up an encampment on a costa rican island, and are seriously effecting the local ecology.

Nicargua insists it is Costa Rica that is behaving beligerently, are claiming land that is Nicaraguan, has been invading Nicaraguan lands, sending helicopters heavily armed - and wants to take away nicaraguan sovereignity of the river San Juan - and have built up military presence on the border. stupid. Costa Rica has no army, and no kind of war-mongering or territory-grabbing desires.

Nicarguan elections are coming up soon; this is a cynical attempt to create a external conflict to take pressure off internal concerns, raise nationalist fevour and unite the country against new imaginary enemies. sad. and stupid. but effective.

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it's going to Haigue for arbitration. let's see how it works out.

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and meanwhile, a night of rain rain rain...