Don Mateo

With my car doing what it does best– sitting idly in the carport awaiting a part– I walked twenty minutes in the dark down the long incline of the main street of the barrio to line up for the 5 am bus to Quepos. A red taxi pulled up. The driver stepped out and said, “Quepos! Dominical!” The going rate from Perez Zeledon to Quepos is 25 to 30 thousand colones. Not worth it as after 35 years here, I live happily on Tico time. Then he quoted his price. Mil to Dominical, mil quinientos to Quepos. Me and 2 other guys stepped forward. He loaded our gear in the trunk and off we went.

Since moving to Costa Rica in 1990, I have not missed a World Cup final. I’ve watched them from a bar, from a friend’s house, and from the comfort of my own home. For 2026, I planned on something different. I took the trip over the mountain to San José, ready to attend the huge public party at La Sabana Park.

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The Ring of Fire–the 25,000-mile horseshoe-shaped belt that runs from Southeast Asia up the Pacific Coast to far Northeast Russia, over to Alaska and down the coast all the way to the tip of Chile– is in a turbocharged state, tectonic plates crashing and subducting, wreaking havoc on the earth’s surface far above.

Playa Dominical has a well earned reputation as one of Costa Rica’s premier surfing spots. Its powerful and consistent beach break draws riders from all over the world. It regularly hosts stops for the official Costa Rican Surf Federation National Surf Circuit (Circuito Nacional de Surf) and also has its own highly competitive local tourneys.

Perez Zeledon is home to a team in the first division of Costa Rica soccer. Known as Los Guerreros del Sur, the club has been in existence since 1991. As one of the smaller market teams, they are at a general disadvantage compared to the major teams such as Saprissa (San Jose), La Liga (Alajuela), and Heredia. Salaries are much lower, and when a talented player emerges, he will be made a better financial offer by one of the major clubs and depart for the Greater San Jose area.

I don’t want to hear about Tico Time. Where did that expression even originate? It has been around for at least the 35 years I have lived here. It was likely coined by some impatient gringo who first said it in a voice of irritation and disgust. Personally I’ve never had a problem with a casual approach to punctuality.

On the night of September 10, 2001, I was working at the cantina I managed. It was popular with expats as we had a massive satellite dish and 5 TVs, and were the local Quepos home for any type of sports programming from the US. It was the opening weekend for American Football, and the first Monday night game featured the New York Giants against the Denver Broncos.