Blogs from San José, San José, Costa Rica, Central America Caribbean - page 15

San Juan del Sur has a beautiful white sandy beach and clear, warm water. There are palm-thatched restaurants on the shoreline, while up above the little town there's 'Pelican Eyes' - a private resort with three infinity pools, with bars to match. After all our travels it was delightful to laze by one of the pools as the sun set, and then to ease down to the shore for lobster ceviche followed by grilled sea bass. We could have happily spent more time here, but Costa Rica called. As ever, the border crossing was confused and chaotic. Leaving the bus, we were quickly mobbed by money-changers, people offering to carry our luggage, others trying to sell the (free) forms needed to exit Nicaragua and many more unwanted 'helpers'. There were no official signs showing where to ... read more

It's great to actually be in Costa Rica! It's partly cloudy, breezy and I would guess about 72 degrees! Very pleasant! What a refief from the cold weather back home! I wonder if how often people take trips without glitches!!!! We've had our share with ourflights down here. It started at Dulles airport where the ticket agent didn't have a record of our seats on the plane. They assigned us less desirable seats after some discussion and sharing of the frustration Margie and I felt that there had been a breakdown in communication. We had a very nice surprise when we boarded the plane as Taca had given us seats in first class! My first time flying first class was nice! Very comfortable seats and more room! Both flights were fine. We changed planes in San ... read more

La Sabana is a large park on the edge of the city centre in San Jose. On Sunday morning it was full of life. There were thousands of people picnicking and walking dogs, but more importantly playing sports. The park has volleyball, basketball and tennis courts, football fields and a roller skating rink. However sporting life in San Jose seems to be a little machismo – only hombres were playing football, tennis and basketball. Women played volleyball or did the outdoor aerobics class. When we arrived at 9.30 am there were dozens of football games in progress. We didn’t know the social rules for how to join in but Jackson put on his boots and started juggling a football and within minutes he was invited to join a team. He then played 90 minutes of good ... read more

We made it to Costa Rica! Interesting flights and process getting here, but it all worked out! After we got through customs there was a lady standing there with my name on a board! We got our stuff and had a shuttle to take us to our hostel. We actually ended up going to a different hostel that the driver said was more age friendly and since it was the same network we didn't have to pay anything different. We got a room on the first floor with a big bed, a fan, and a bathroom. The hostel is pretty cool and the walls are all painted in murals. There is a really nice pool and a restaurant and bar upstairs and a few lounging areas. After sitting for a little bit and changing our bus ... read more

Wir geniessen das reichhaltige Fruehstueck des Hotels. Danach nehmen wir an einer gefuehrten Wanderung durch den zum Hotel gehoerenden Park teil. Neben zahlreichen exotischen Pflanzen sehen wir auch einige Spinnenaffen, wie sie sich durch die Baumwipfel schwingen. Spaeter machen wir noch auf eigene Faust eine Wanderung durch den Nationalpark. Es hat den ganzen Tag noch kein einziges Mal geregnet. Allerdings der Krater des Vulkans in dichten Nebel gehuellt. Der erste groessere (und aufgezeichnete) Ausbruch des Vulkans war im Jahr 1968. Seitdem lockt das Gebiet zahlreiche Wissenschaftler und Touristen an. Die letzte Erruption ist bereits einige Wochen her. Insgesamt gibt es in Costa Rica mehr als 120 Vulkankrater, 9 davon sind noch immer aktiv. Der aus der Lava entstandene Boden bietet ideale Bedingungen fuer die Tier- und Pflanzenwelt, dazu kommen das warme Klima und ausreichend Regen.... read more