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Published: April 22nd 2014
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Getting around Costa Rica often involves going in and out of San Jose, at least if you use public transport. We had two stays in the capital and on both occasions we stayed in a trendy art-deco hostel/guest house just off Parque National.
The city is probably the most modern we have visited in central America and is heavily influenced by US culture with notable brands cropping up everywhere; Wendy’s, KFC, taco-bell, Wall mart and McDonalds to name a few.
The city was bustling and feeling very vibrant during our visit; we were visiting during the Easter holidays which also coincided with the FIA14 International Arts festival and made for a busy and crowded, but fun experience; not ones to turn down a festival we got involved with a few of the events going on in the city.
The highlight was probably at Sabana park which we visited last Saturday. The main park and home of Costa Rica’s National Stadium was host to a huge variety of artistic shenanigans including circus performances, caricaturists, games made from recycled materials and live music across two stages. When we arrived a Latino Ska band was entertaining a large crowd who were
bopping up and down at the front of the stage and kicking up masses of dust as they did. You don’t often get dust at UK festivals!
Later in the afternoon we watched a Flamenco performance which Helen particularly enjoyed and then we ended our day in the park watching a local rock band called 424. They were obviously very popular because they attracted a big crowd but once they got started they only played a few tracks. Although short it was very good, I thought they were reminiscent of the kiwi group The Temper trap.
Being a family event and also probably because it isn’t a big part of the culture there was no alcohol at the park. Coming from the UK this was unusual for us; we would normally enjoy a cider or two (or 8) at an event like this so in true Brit style we went to the pub on the way home. It wasn’t a bad theme bar although the food names had some curious titles, one I can remember was ‘Tudor chicken fingers’. The picture of Sam Fox also made it feel a bit dated and there were no pints either but
the beer was on draught so I was happy.
The following morning we visited family who had just started their Easter vacation in Costa Rica. Helen’s cousin Matt and his family were staying at the La Paz Waterfall gardens which are an hour and half north of San Jose. Initially it looked like it was going to be difficult to get to as we couldn’t find any public transport but Helen’s tenacity paid off and in her usual determined style she found a bus that would get us there. (Helen has a nack for finding affordable travel options even when it looks like there aren’t any)
The Waterfall gardens were fantastic and it was very nice to spend a day with familiar faces. The lodges and gardens are set in 70 acres of lush forest with five stunning waterfalls and several walking paths to explore. The site is also home to a wide range of wildlife and rescued animals.
We arrived earlier than we expected which meant we were in time to feed the humming birds which visit the gardens daily. It was definitely a highlight to see so many fantastically coloured birds all at once. Throughout
the day we visited all of the attractions and some of them more than once; we handled toucans and fed them; Helen, Jess, Rachel & Sarah had a red eyed tree frog clamber over their faces; we watched the rescued big cats get fed and even got to fish for trout. However my highlight was in the butterfly and insect house where I got to handle a huge Hercules beetle. The others didn’t quite share my enthusiasm but I was absolutely mesmerised by such a large impressive insect.
We had a lot fun with Matt and Sarah and the kids and were absolutely exhausted by the end of the day. We got back to the city around 9 and hit the sack almost immediately. We spent the following day preparing for our epic ten hour bus ride to Panama City where I am now enjoying a cool Balboa beer. Helen will let you know the fun we’ve had in Panama.
Hasta luego!
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