Blogs from San José, San José, Costa Rica, Central America Caribbean - page 17

Well, we're back in San Jose! ...at least, I think we are... it's hard to tell, since nothing is labeled and there is no order to anything. See, I'm from Chicago. That place is a huge a grid with a clear, mathematical layout that would make any American proud; look, we're so organized and easy to maneuver! So of course, I'm inclined think that a city in Central America is a bit disorganized, city planning-wise. I knew that going into this trip, you can tell from looking at a map. The geography and history that has affected San Jose's urban orientation is different than my quaint Midwestern hometown. Fair enough - I've been in plenty of places where it's not completely flat and midwestern. The kicker is that while there are labels on a map, proving ... read more

Hi There, Here is our nature stop. Costa Rica has one the richest biodiversity in the world. We saw so many wild animals all along.... read more

So I went in to San Pedro today to meet some people from Coopetarcoles to talk about my plan of action for living there next week! We reviewed my interview questions to decide which ones would be the most appropriate, I signed a code of ethics to make sure I'm not taking advantage of anyone, and we decided on how I should support the cooperative. We decided that I'm going to organize an "event" with some of the women in the cooperative. They are going to make something (probably food) and then we are going to sell it on the day of the finals for the world cup and try to make some extra money while having fun and building community! I'm super stoked, this is the kind of thing I like...doing research and giving back! ... read more

The day started at 1:00am when we left absurdly early to get to the airport to catch our 6:00am flight. Our visions of closed roads in angry G20 protesters didn't materialize and we got to the terminal 4 hours before our departure time. We flew Delta Airlines and took a small connecting flight to Atlanta, Georgia. We heard someone on the plane say something about having to pick up our bags and check them again for the connecting flight ourselves. This seemed weird, but when we landed 45 minutes before our next flight left, we headed out in search of baggage claim. Upon finding it, we noticed a sign indicating that no reentry would be allowed if we proceeded. That didn't sound right and our next flight's departure time was quickly approaching. After some quick deliberation ... read more

Our last few days at the Tropical Dojo were quite good fun. On Friday, after the morning meditation, yoga and animal feeding, Theo and Carol (a couple visiting one of Noe's neighbours, Bunny) drove us an hour up in to the hills to Noe's mountain retreat. He owns five hectares on a hill that borders a beautiful river. The house is very basic, but has everything you need. It made me feel like we were going bear hunting out in the wild (not that they have bears in Costa Rica... I think). We chilled there for a bit, the boys had a swim in the river while Carol and I talked about her fabric import business from India. She is a PIO, Person of Indian Origin, and learnt how to dye fabric from her grandfather. She ... read more