Cd. de Panamá, Panamá, a 17 de septiembre del 2009. Muchos saludotes: Ahi les mando algunas fotos de San José y Alajuela, Costa Rica. No previa dirigirme tan temprano a Costa Rica, sino pasar unos dias en Granada, Nicaragua, la meca del turismo colonial de Nicaragua (su Oaxaca o Antigua), pero en el hostel de esa ciudad, una vez registrada mi entrada y tras salir para comer y tomar fotos, a mi regreso la recepcionista me salio con que tendria que asegurar mi pasaporte porque yo era latino, que dijo el dueño que eran ordenes de la Policia Nacional que a [View Full Entry]

---

---

Nice day today (cloudy, tiny bit of sun and warm), didn't do much... would have liked a tour of the city. I decided to wait on Fredrico, who was busy today. He said 2 or 3 hours should be enough and he would charge $20, I said can we cover the city so quick and he said (as is getting to be a theme) a lot of the city we wouldn't return from if we went there. Prices here are like back home for processed type food (vegetables by big contrast are $1 for a Kilo of tomatoes and maybe a [View Full Entry]

---

---

While visiting Granada last month, during an Irish pub´s quiz night, we were lucky to meet Berny and Julia, a great couple living near San José, Costa Rica. They had invited us to stay with them during our Costa Rican trip. (To protect their identity, we never learned their last names, except when it was included in their email addresses.) Originally, we had hoped to see them over a few days. Between illnesses and Bree-sightings, our plans went awry and we only had a single day to spend in San José. On Tuesday, Nov. 10th, we headed into the capital of [View Full Entry]

---

---

Big breakfast start to the day today, looking out on a balcony over San Jose - its probably not one of the most picturesque sights we´ve seen so far!! Headed to the bus station to catch the 12.30 bus to Quepos. 3 hours of a hot and steamy bus ride later, we were nearing our destination. As we pulled up to a bus station and the word Quepos seemed to be on a few signs outside, we assumed we were in the right place!! Off we got, went to get our luggage and we were told to get back on by [View Full Entry]

---

---

On the first day of Spanish class in Zapote, Costa Rica, Alisa and I were supposed to arrive a half hour early. So even though we are on vacation, we got up at 6:30 to adequately prepare for our first day. Alisa spent an hour and a half putting on makeup. I actually showered. The mornings in Costa Rica are amazing. At 7 am it is an intensely sunny 75 degrees. Every morning. Our walk is so short we can hardly begin a conversation before entering COSI, which stands for Costa Rican Spanish Institute. My confusion in trying to figure out [View Full Entry]

---

---

Getting off the plane Alisa and I couldn’t have been more relieved; we had 5 months of language learning to look forward to in the lush green land of the Ticos: Costa Rica. As bleary as our eyes were after Traveling Day, we were still able to flash grateful smiles to my friend Jeff, an American living in Costa Rica, who had agreed to pick us up at the airport and house us that first night. The humidity met as at the threshold as we left San Jose International Airport, walking through the double doors to a crescendo of cab drivers [View Full Entry]

---

---

We arrived in San Jose, Costa Rica at approx. 9pm on October 4th. We spent all day yesterday looking for a place to buy bus tickets to Panama but had no luck due to poor directions and the obvious language barrier. It has been raining quite heavily the past 2 days but we´ve still managed to see a fair bit of the city by foot. Overall, this city is dirty, loud and unappealing. We are looking forward to getting on the 11pm bus tonight and heading to Panama. The bus ride is 17 hours putting us in Panama City by 3pm [View Full Entry]

---

---

Hey guys, it´s been almost 1.5 years since my last blog entry and since I got so much flack for not writing last year on my trip to Brazil and Argentina with Alex and Paul I thought I´d take up the digital pen and revive the adventures of the wandering hungarian. So this time, it´s Costa Rica for 2 weeks. At first I wanted to do Buenos Aires for, well, all the reasons I´ve been talking about for the past year....the beautiful women, amazing steak, nights filled with tango, red wine, amazing coffee and did I mention beautiful women! But the [View Full Entry]

---

---

We could tell right away something was horribly wrong by the way people were running toward the gate. The intense movements of every muscle, every arm and leg, bespoke catastrophe. We were a hundred yards away, on the shores of Isla de Ometepe, just getting out of the warm waters of Lake Nicaragua after an afternoon swim underneath the smoking backdrop of Volcano Concepcion. I thought to myself, You only see people move that quickly just before the paramedics show up. Therein lay the biggest problem. There aren't paramedics on Isla de Ometepe. Our small group of Americans warily jogged [View Full Entry]

---

---

We are getting ready for our trip. Plane tickets, part-time car rental, bus schedule and all nights reserved. I like to travel easy. So pre-work was done. We will see how well the web wove me. Best Tip: Email often to potential propriators. Email responses have been quick and kind. Concerns about no-seems in the green season and boat charter costs were all answered quickly and in English. Costa Rica is no no-mans' land. This woman is clearly pleased! But of course the trip is still three weeks away. [View Full Entry]

---

---