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Published: October 7th 2011
Out in Escauz
Martin + Beer = Super Martin!!With our Lonely Plantet in one hand and 285 colones for our bus fare in the other, Peter and I ventured out into the capital city of San Jose for a day. Not because of the pollution or smog, but from cold & flu season, we packed our day packs with the essentials: kleenex, kleenex, and more kleenex, cough drops, and vitamin C tablets. It's a good thing we didn't know anyone on the bus anyway, because our synchronized nose-blowing sure wasn't going to land us friends anytime soon...pretty much, we were a hot mess...
Our couchsurfing hosts live in Escazu, a small suburb away from the hustle and bustle of the Costa Rican capital. Mostly filled with expats and other
gringos, Escazu is quiet and easy to navigate. We managed to find the city center--a quaint little park with lovely trees and benches. Practicing our Spanish there one day, we watched people walking their dogs, fathers playing with their children, and teens cutting class. And after being in Escazu just one day, we could direct the taxi driver to Will and Raquel's house (our CF hosts)...in Spanish! Que bueno!
San Jose, on the other hand, is everything you
Out in Escauz
Typical street view love about big cities: crowded, a million buses, homeless people sleeping on the corners, litter strewed across the streets, and people selling pirate DVD copies of the latest movie. And yet, using our trusty Lonely Planet map (I never leave home without one!), we found our way to the quiet little neighborhood,
Barrio Amon, the key art center of Costa Rica. We dodged the afternoon rain by snaking through various art galleries and art museums (some better than others), and grabbing a yummy (but pricey)
almerzo, and our very first round of
batidos (fruit smoothies).
Next on the agenda was a stop at the
Museo Nacional de Costa Rica (see....Spanish isn't
that hard). Walking through a beautiful butterfly garden was the last thing we expected as we entered the museum, but apparently, butterflies are at the heart of the Costa Rican rainforests and thrive here due to the climate. Between coughs and sneezes, we learned a lot about the pre-Columbian Costa Rica and even saw some tropical birds!
Although we asked 7 different ticos (and got 9 different answers) how to find the bus back to Escazu, our broken Spanish got us back home!
-Ilene
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Out in Escauz
Fuel gauge tattooed on a car? Sure, por que no? to the bottom of this page for the rest of the pictures...
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Ariska & Josh
non-member comment
Looking nice
Hey Girl... I'm happy for the two of you!! Looks like you guys have sorted it all out! I'm kinda jealous of the two of you! Love to travel again... Keep your stories posted on FB and I will read them all!! Miss you my little miss american! Xoxoxox