While those of us on the east coast of the U.S. locked ourselves in on the night of August 27, fearing Hurricane Irene’s destruction, a few members of Costa Rica’s version of the FBI, some doctors, and other folks were having a good time at a party in Moravia, near the Irazú volcano. As they mingled, made small talk and sipped champagne (my interpretation of the events), they looked up at the sky to see about 20 UFOs crossing east to west for about five to ten minutes. And of course, someone whipped out their camera and took video, which was then sold to the news.
Marco Vargas, who has the fancy title of director of the Trauma Unit of the National Children’s Hospital of Costa Rica (whew, mouthful!), was one of the witnesses interviewed by Teletica. He described watching the lights cross the sky, and then seeing them configure into a triangular shape. It occurred to some of the attendees to call the nearby airport control tower, assuming they would lay their doubts to rest by confirming that it had been a group of very silent helicopters, but nope!
Teletica then did the logical thing and showed the footage to Alexis Astúa, UFO expert. He says the lights could possibly belong to some sort of surveying device, but that the objects move in an intelligent manner, form shapes and move slowly. He also makes a pretty good point: The people at the party could be considered reliable sources, and because of their positions and titles, can escape the usual “Oh, he’s just some crazy person” explanation.
As usual, I have to be the bearer of bad news. A few days ago, a nearby family came out with an explanation for the sighting, and beware, it’s disappointing. They were having their own festivities and released a bunch of balloons into the air. If you refuse to believe this weird explanation, there’s video. The balloon party starts at around 2:40 in. But hey, at least the balloons are biodegradable!
Here’s the thing, though. The report mentions that these balloons are not commonly seen in Costa Rica. Conveniently enough, the very family that was launching them also sells them! You see where I’m going with this, right? Astúa also weighs in on this new twist, commenting that one of the fundamental problems here is that most people don’t know to differentiate between an “unidentified flying object” and an “extraterrestrial” object. Yet another good point, Alexis! But still. I smell some viral marketing.
All I know is now I want to have a UFO balloon party. Who’s in?
