November 3 2010 Marked the One Year Anniversary of The Fenix Crew’s Arrival in Nosara, so now Marcia and Josh are embarking upon our second Summer/High/Tourist season/Thanksgiving in Nosara Costa Rica.
I bet you never thought you’d hear from me again eyh? ( I speak Canadian now too BTW) I took a little hiatus to reformulate a plan, and now I am ready to start off the local new year with a BANG..BANG………….did I say BIIIZZZZIIIIZZZZAAAANGGG!!!
The title of this post says it all…or does it? It serves as the official announcement that Marcia and Josh are no longer operating Refugio Del Sol Hotel or El Fenix Restaruant (Please, hold your applause until the end ) I am pretty sure that local Nosara Residents had a betting pool for how long we’d last so I would like to know who won and collect my shot(s) from the winner.
SO WHAT HAPPENED ??? The truth of the matter is that Marcia and Josh packed up their stuff in good ol’ Savannah GEEAAWGIA and moved on a whim to a tropical paradise (ha) and run a hotel and restaurant. We Had NO EXPERIENCE – NO MONEY – NO IDEA of what we were getting into when deciding to RETIRE to the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica. We made it further than ANYONE imagined (including us) and to our defense, we came down 4 people strong and were down to only the 2 of us by the end of three months (VISA RUN)- We could have gone all the way aside f
rom a few unseen obstacles not to mention the fact that owning/operating/marketing/ and LIVING at a Hotel/Restaurant/Bar is well, let’s just say “exhausting” to say the least -UNDERSTATEMENT of the year..
I
would like to take this moment in the Coconut Telegraph”s History to initiate a new category Description called Stupid Gringo Button Situation. Gringos (expats, Canadians, Europeans -anyone NOT TICO)– you know the EASY button Staples Office Supply store? Paint a big STUPID GRINGO right on that button and give it a WHACK whenever I deal with any Costa Rica Utility Institution (special shout out to ICE (pronounced EEESAY) Costa Rica’s Government Run Monopoly for Electricity, Telephone and Internet) THANK YOU for making every electric bill at El Fenix a true event. (Stupid Gringo Button Situation #1)…………. And now we will institute the next Coconut Telegraph Category Description called 
(Marcia’s Personal Favorite Promotional Attempt ) – this will be for people, businesses or anything that I want to promote. The NOSARA SPANISH INSTITUTE and my lovely teacher Sylvia are the recipiant’s of the first (Marcia’s Personal Favorite Promotional Attempt #1) POR QUE = Yo Comprendo Mucho Espanol VERDAD ICE!!!!!!?????
Can you keep a secret? (My guess would be No) Marcia is NOT a Chef. (Shock, Awe! and Gasp!) I can cook, apparently better than I thought – but CHEF? Now let me give you a statistic -IN 8 MONTHS of OPERATION as CHEF of EL FENIX not one single plate ever came back to the kitchen returned for any reason….EVER… (Top Chef Season 12 in Costa Rica – 
Just a thought Bravo Network) Our plates came back licked clean almost 99% of the time. I am consistently humbled and a bit amused when I receive compliments on my food to the high degree that I have – and I would like to thank you all very much for your support and kind words. (Keep the comments coming)
I recently visited with a friend of mine who has known me since I was 13 years old and her name is Tonya Brown. I was telling her how much people loved my food. and how insane I thought it was. ” I just find that so funny, Marcia” was her response. Tonya and I used to live together as roommates for a period of time and one night in our grand state of being decided to have Potato Night – 5 different types of potatoes for dinner; french fries (of course), mashed potatoes, fried potatoes, scalloped potatoes, and baked Potatoes. MMMM it was good but let’s get real…Marcia, A Chef??? C”mon..NO ONE saw THAT coming did ya?
Now we get down to the REAL nitty gritty – “What the hell are you still doing here Marcia?- I thought we would get rid of you by now?” Unfortunately, Marcia and Josh were voted off of the Costa Rica Ithsmus quite early but we’re just so damn stubborn that we just refused to put out our perverbial torch. (SURVIVOR NOSARA, Costa Rica?? – Just another TV Show opportunity here CBS.)
The following explains it all – it is what was written at the top of the EL FENIX Restaurant Menu. Our “Mission Statement” if you will.
In Mythology, the Phoenix is a bird of prey representing longevity and rebirth. According to legend, there can only be one Phoenix at a time, it lives for 500 to 1000 years and when it dies in a fire of its own making, it is then reborn out of the ashes. Among some accounts, the Phoenix represents those living in paradise enjoying eternal youth. We chose the name El Fenix because we truly believe we are living in paradise enjoying our own eternal youth. But mostly, the name El Fenix represents our determination to succeed in life and happiness and should we fail …….we will rise again out of the ashes
This always gives me chills when I read it because It consistently holds true…Then and Now…and Until I lived the words, I did not understand their meaning. We came to Nosara Costa Rica because we believed in A Dream and an Opportunity to be a part of the community of Nosara – TODAY? I still believe in a dream and I believe in Opportunity….but I have an even bigger reason for staying in Nosara Costa Rica for now, something a bit larger than Nosara itself…
Stay tuned as we will soon launch the newest Phase of our master plan to rule the Universe with the new FENIX UNLIMITED. - A Custom Service Company that will connect you with ANY service you want or need…Nosara and beyond – Customized vacations, airport transportation, house rental, hotels, B&Bs, Resorts, legal Service Referral, Business Consultations, Real Estate Investments, MASSAGE, Personal Training PROFESSIONAL SURF BOARD REPAIR, Event Planning and Promotion, Catering. The list goes on and on…basically, you should just contact us if you NEED ANYTHING and we’ll put you in touch with the right people….The BEST PEOPLE… Fenix UnLTD’s network of providers and services has you covered – And we will RISE to any occasion. (Fenix Unltd. Self Promotional Attempt #1) – New Website is on the way – until then contact me through the blog.
If anyone still wants some Jambalaya, Fish Tacos or Fried Tomatoes (and Avacado) – I will be happy to come to your kitchen and cook for you from the El Fenix Menu…as a Private Chef….or even show you a thing or two with a Private Cooking Lesson - In Spanish maybe? at the Nosara Spanish Institute ?? There is even a rumor of possibly opening for reservations only 1-2 days per week at our secret location!!!
Marcia Banes is an expert in Sales and Marketing with over 10 Year’s Experience in the field. I’m a Communications Specialist who has held jobs in just about every category you can think of; Sales/Marketing Director, Copywriter, SEO Optimizer, Presenter, Event Coordinator/Planner, Blogger, Chef, Personal Trainer, Manager, Owner and all around GREAT GALl . I am studying Espanol with the hopes of becoming Fluent In Spanish and am learning quite a bit more about Search Engine Optimization through my recent work. I am working with the up and coming Nosara Tourism Chamber with the hopes of being their marketing Guru very soon (hint hint) so watch out for that to grow in the coming months. Currently, I write web copy for several companies and am starting the FIRST Marketing and Promotional Company in Nosara Costa Rica called Fenix UnLTD CREATIVE which is a subdivision of Fenix UnLimited focused on promotion and events of all shapes and forms. Wanna play in an exotic paradise on the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica? Do you want to get married in a Tropical Wedding Destination aka Nosara Costa Rica (SEO OPTIMIZATION at it’s best here folks! I’m taking my skills International.) Nosara Costa Rica is a beautiful Sustainable Tourism Destination Experience and I say come one, come all. (OOOOhhhh I have really made some of you mad eyh? – Canadian) I want to continue my work in the International Tourism industry as a social media networker, copywriter and marketing director and currently, I am secretly developing a master plan to rule the universe. Mwah Hah Ha.
(Marcia Banes’ Shameless Self Promotional attempt #1 of MAAAANY). I say Happy Anniversary Nosara and all you lucky people past and present who I 
will come across in my journeys. I’m STILL HERE, STILL BREATHING, and I’m STILL STANDING…yeah, yeah yeah...Besos Elton.
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