Blogs from San José, San José, Costa Rica, Central America Caribbean - page 14

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 vying for attention. Ignoring them I found Jeff and gave the little man a big hug, our first in many years. “What’s up dawwwwggggg?” I said in my usual high-pitched crescendo. “Man, it’s good to ... read more

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 over to the metal bars that marked the entrance to the grounds where we were to stay that night. There were already half a dozen onlookers in a circle around a body on the ground, just ... read more

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. ... read more

San Jose Arriving pretty late into San Jose we called Cristian who finished work at 10pm and said we should eat something then meet in a bar. Doing this we met in a sports bar and after a couple of drinks made it to his house, where the rest of his housemates were just chilling and drinking late into the evening. The next day was spent sleeping in, washing and planning things for the next couple of weeks. Eventually making it out for food at 3pm we headed to a Japanese fast food place that and then met up with Joe from Chicago and later Miska who were both friends of Cristians. We then had a late party night out in San Jose which was good fun but the club was pretty empty, and made it ... read more

Costa Rica is great. I've had a week of classes now and finally feel settled in to my apartment. It took me until today to figure out how to get internet at home and get it set up. I'm online now. Classes at Maximo Nivel are wonderful. I love being a student and I am really impressed with the philosophy and techniques that they teach. The teacher is fantastic and seems to have boundless energy when she teaches. Our class has 12 students, 9 from USA, 2 from Canada and 1 from Australia. We represent all ages, most have some college or advanced degrees and everyone is a lot of fun. I enjoy being in a part of the city that I did not know previously. San Pedro is an area where there are a lot ... read more

I can't tell you how bizarre it feels to be fending my way through the familiar hostel life all by myself, without Derek and Mark (my travel companions from my big round-the-world trip in 2006/7). Gingerly making my bed while checking for signs of bed bugs without Derek by my side just doesn't feel right, and checking out a bathroom without Mark laughing at me just is not the same. I'm on my own, now. Not that it's been terrible. I've only been here in San José a few hours but I've been holding my own and catching a few breaks. There was an ATM right outside my gate as I stepped of the plane and, low and behold, it accepted my line-of-credit debit card for direct cash withdrawl!!! That's excellent because my accounts are in ... read more

The Lonely Planet guide describes spending a night in the city as a necessary evil. The city write up also mentions it as a cross between cosmopolitan and commercial. If in summery of the above comments were meant to convey that there is nothing to see, they were right on. The most interesting aspect of Costa Rica was the accident we had to wait for after crossing the border with Panama. Another bus had hit the back of a back-hoe and broken the window pane of the door. No other damage. Just the window pane. The back-hoe was not even scratched. Nonetheless, the dear driver refused to pull over to the side of the road, and instead left the bus facing traffic in the right lane and effectively blocked both lanes for a half hour while ... read more