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Published: September 17th 2008
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First fall of the trip
Of course, arm is covered in dirt When prices to Europe skyrocket, and plans to rent a summer beachhouse fall through, only one option remains. Head down to Costa Rica. These were the factors that brought on the decision to spend a weeks vacation in Central America around Labor Day. Given the fact that I had never been south of Florida, and the only Spanish speaking country I had been to was Spain, I thought Costa Rica would be a pretty viable option. My roommate had been a couple of times and only had good things to say about it, as well as the scores of people I know who had been there at some point in their lifetime. All said I was in for a great trip, which I was hoping to be the case.
After a full Friday morning of flying, we arrived in Costa Rica towards the mid-afternoon. First impressions when I was landing was that the country just reeked of green. Everywhere you looked, lush greenery and trees for miles. Additionally, there were many colorful builidings that could be seen in the villages surrounding the airport. After getting of the plane, I noticed that the airport was very modern. So modern in fact,
that the food court not only had a Burger King, but a Schlotzky's Deli and Papa John's Pizza to boast. Clearly, American tastes have influenced the Costa Rican pallate. We got our bags and cleared customs, and then endured the chaos that is exiting the San Joes International airport. As soon as you step one foot outside the terminal, it's a mob scene of can drivers, shuttles, vans, and a cast of colorful characters all vying for your business. You're literally bombared by at least 5 people that are all saying "Hey, you need taxi? I take you to hotel." We were approached by this one dude who was allegedly made a call to a taxi to take us to our hotel. The tricky part is that all the vans look the same, and basically have cardboard signs with whatever the hotel name is in the window. If you don't know your hotel as soon as you leave the terminal, you're basically screwed. Fortunately, we saw our van and we were all set. However, we still had to tip the guy that "made the call". Of course, 3 other people insisted they needed tips too, but we played the "we
have no colones" card. We hopped in the van and had about a 20 minute ride to our hotel, through a pretty gritty section of Alajuela. You could definately tell that Costa Rica was not the most prosperous country, but again, modern grocery stores, shops, and restaurants were strung along our ride. Still, there were a slew of farmers and laborers walking along the roads with tools in hand. Not to mention a few donkeys along the way. Once we got up to our hotel, it was like driving into a lush tropical resort (which hey, acutally it was). Since we were still waiting on our last traveler to arrive later at night, we decided to stick around the hotel property for the rest of the day. What was great was that there was a series of trails that led to some pretty cool waterfalls, which we hiked around for most of the afternoon. Of course, we hit up the pool and hottub afterwards. After a nice dinner, we were all falling asleep and decided to call it a night, since we were also waking up very early to do whitewater rafting the next day. Around 11pm, our friend Steve
Don't take a step back
...because you'll sink in quicksand finally came in after his "white-knuckle nighttime ride" through Alajuela. Long story short, Steve had to get our rental car and drive on detoured roads through a rough part of town in the dark and without a gps. Thankfully, some Korean dude he met at a gas station led the way. Needless to say, once Steve came in our room he was lit up and cursing out the country. Good times.
This group of pictures is from the Xandari resort and spa, where we stayed the first two nights. Really great place, with a killer spa to boast. Since we went in September, we were literally 5 of the 15 total people at this resort, which gave it a tranquil feeling. Still, I have to say I was impressed with the overall ambiance and decor of the place, which actually exceeded my expectations. Next up..whitewater rafting!
Until next time, safe travels
-Kacz
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