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Published: April 14th 2006
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I arrived in San Jose after a long day of travel through Los Angeles and Guatemala. Typically I don´t return to places I´ve travelled before so it was a different experience upon arriving.( I travelled through central and south america for 4 months a while back) Unlike before I knew where I wanted to go and, dun dun duh, a little spanish. With rehearsed disdain I blazed past the scam-artist taxi drivers to my "parada de autobus" and on to my hostel. Anyway, I spent only a day in the capital city of San Jose before heading to the surf in Santa Teresa.
In Santa Teresa I stayed at "Zenaidas", which is where I was last time as well. There is a campground on the beach with several hammocks along the beach and a small restraunt in the back. The family that ran this was amazing and made great food. I ate mainly "bistec con papas", which is steak and french fries along with a milkshake. For entertainment the woman who ran the place would play cheesy american music and movies (Van Damme. Lots of Van Damme) During my time here I rented a 6´4" board from a local
named alex. I surfed a lot. The waves were pretty big with close-outs for the first week so I got my butt kicked pretty good. On one particular crash my shirt was torn from my body, leash wrapped around my neck and my board kept smacking my head. Upon surfacing for air I had the distinct feeling of wanting to be home with my mom. In addition to getting hurt surfing (fucked up my wrist) I got food poisoning for a day. Although these sound harsh, for the most part I chilled in a hammock and read my book about the immigration of Cuban children to the United States in the early Castro era.
For friends I chilled with all the people at the camp. Mainly I kicked it with Ingo, a med-student from Germany. He has travelled more than anyone I´ve ever met. He doesn´t know it yet but Lauren and I are gonna crash at his pad during the Europe part of this trip. Another friend at the camp was a Brazilian girl named Krishna. Her passion was a Brazilian Martial Arts called Capuera. It is a mix of a dance and fighting that was developed
covertly by slaves under Dutch control. After 10 days at the campground I went back to San Jose. Incredibly, I saw I guy wearing a Sonics T-shirt on the bus and we talked about the Supes for a while. He was in the know, wanting to trade Rashard. My first Supes´sighting in all my travels! San Jose was distinctly different when I returned ass all the stores were closed and the people gone due to "Santa Semana". This is their version of Easter and is the biggest public holiday of the year.
In addition to my sharing how I experienced Costa Rica I thought I would include my thougts about the country itself so those who haven´t had the chance to explore it can perhaps understand a little of what it is like here. Although only here for a short time, lack of experience or knowledge has never hindered my willingness to form strong opinions so my here are some observations about San Jose for those who have never been to this country:
MERCANTILISM. During my walks through the city what stood out the most to me were the innumerable small businesses. In 15 minutes or so
I saw several automechanics, a handful of independent lawyers, countless family-owned restraunts, computer-repair shops, even a printing press. In addition to these more legitimate businesses there are thousands of individuals selling snacks or junk throughout the streets. What distinguishes this experience from being surrounded by vendors in, say, a mall is the ownership. For the most part the people working in these enterprises were the owners and their workers were their family members. I believe this more independent form of mercantilism more resembles the form of industry that emerged in the United States during the end of the 18th century. This system is more democratic by nature as it eliminates the hierarchy of either a monarchal society or a large corporation. It is fascinating to witness this vibrant form of commerce as a visitor here.
BARS. One thing that sucks about Latin American culture is the omnipresence of bars. By bars I mean welded metal in front of doors and windows. The overall feel of this architectual addition is one of insecurity and crime. I don´t quite understand this phenomenom. I haven´t experienced the violence or theft that would justify such a prisonesque result. That said, in the past
24 hours I met a guy who had absolutely everything stolen and another who was mugged off his motorcycle. That said, there is a peculiar juxtaposition in latin homes; the bars everywhere outside with a christian symbol to match on the inside. The majority of homes have, say, 6 or 7 million crosses or pictures of Jesus in their homes. Hey Jesus, why do these devoutly catholic countries like crime so much?
FINAL THOUGHTS. Well, Costa Rica is full of richness in culture and natural beauty. For those of you who have decided not to travel here because it is too "touristy" I think you can make it as authentic as you like. With remarkable ease one is able to avoid the travellers circuit and choose the "road less travelled". The land is fertile and lush. ( the branches dug in the ground to act as fences grow into trees for god´s sake). I have found the food to be filling if not fantastic. A typical dish is beans and rice with a portion of meat or fish. Picking up some Spanish will make, obviously, the transition into their world that much easier.
p.s If you are wondering
why none of my observations came from Santa Teresa, where I spent most of my time, it is because I turned off my brain.
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Tye
non-member comment
Nice try
Have a great time. Your first entry was well done. You are obviously still inferior to Fasy (remember who financed his trip) but nice blog all the same. I really look forward to seeing you in a few months on my turf. There is a basketball court at the beach. We are going to have the ultimate Italian 2 on 2 tourney. Losers are drowned in the Adriatic.