SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA

 

 

You didn’t really think I was going to enter Paradise, and continue writing at the same pace, did you?  No?  Sorry for the delays, but I have hit my Nirvana for this 45-day adventure.  As expected.  Costa Rica is everything is it cranked up to be.  I have budgeted 10 days here, and wish I had allowed for 100.  This beautiful country – “The Switzerland of Central America” – will definitely get a return engagement some day.

 

The first thing I notice in my journey south from La Cruz to the capital of San Jose (located smack dab in the middle of Costa Rica in the central highlands) is the varied topography.  Over a five-hour bus leg, I am able to enjoy multiple shades of green extent in low canopy jungle, grasslands, savannah, farmlands (primarily coffee and bananas are harvested), coastal mangrove swamps,  and pine forests amidst several pass-through National Parks along the Pan American Highway.

 

The road is of fine quality but slow due to being single lane most of its length.  Costa Ricans (or Ticos) are very safe and considerate drivers.  They brake early, don’t ride the bumper of the vehicle in front, let others turn in front of them, and let other vehicles pass.  They do however, have the alarming addiction of being glued to their mobile phones and using them constantly in the course of driving.  Bus drivers especially.

 

I arrive in the city about 2:30 in the afternoon, and immediately get a reasonably priced $6 taxi ride to a hostel that had been recommended by HostelBookers.com about six kilometers away, The Costa Rica Guest House.  It has huge rooms (more than I needed), each with multiple beds, clean bathrooms, hot water on demand, breakfast included, concierge travel services, and bi or tri-lingual attendants who help with every imaginable question.  All for about $32 nightly.  The rest of the evening is spent catching up.  Admin duties and a need for blogging discipline never seems to take a break.

 

I am here during the High Season.  The time from December to April when cooler temperatures prevail (average temperature year round in San Jose, about 72 degrees farenheit) and tourists take their sun lizard vacations south of the border.  Prices are higher than normal now, then settle down with the summer heat.  The weather is sunny, and delightfully cool in the nights.  As usual, crowds emerge then, and restaurants do most of their business later in the evenings.

 

The late meal (supper, with heavier “dinners” taken more at mid-day) is enjoyed with newly arrived special company at a brand new Italian eatery several blocks distant.  The new kitchen had only been in business for ten days.  I am treated to the best meat lover’s calzone I have ever experienced.  A caprese salad is accompaniment, along with a generous portion of garlic bread.  Local beer (Imperial) acted as the wash-down.

 

The next day (Sunday) is an orientation day.  And ordinarily, I have only one of these -- in metropolitan areas especially.  Large cities are generally to be avoided, unless there are an abundance of architecturally significant cathedrals, castles, or quality art museums.  Then it is off for an activity in the hinterlands.  Not so with this town.  My immediate goal becomes getting used to San Jose, which at 350,000 is a relatively small town for a Capital City.  The public and tourist areas are centered about intersecting Avenida Central, and Calle Central.  Surprisingly the usual concentration of Catholic churches and public squares are not evident in this central shopping district.

 

Hours are spent, snacking on local foods such as ceviche and guacamole and chips.  Then shopping for potential gifts back home.  Visits are made to the Museo de Oro (Gold Museum), and then followup jaunts to the uninspired Contemporary Art Museum and finally the riveting Museum of Costa Rican Art.  Given that I arrive 15 minutes before closing, the ticket taker at the door lets me in to tour for free.  “Whirlwind,” again.

 

During this entire afternoon of wandering and snacking and shopping, getting a map of all of Costa Rica and obtaining both timely plus relevant tourist information prove surprisingly difficult to obtain, without retaining the assistance of a booking agency.

 

My second night’s meal is enjoyed at a Peruvian restaurant close to my hostel.  Simply put, the food is extraordinary and well valued. It includes a Pisco Sour (the Peruvian national drink), a caipirinha of course, Peruvian potatoes in crème sauce, a bit of red wine, spiced ceviche, and Peruvian spaghetti verde con pesto.  It may have been the best I’ve ever tasted.  Or at least the best in years.

 

A second full day in San Jose begins with a two-hour session with Miriam, a charming tri-lingual French attendant at my hostel who explains all the primary attractions within reasonable commuting distance of the capital.  Most of these attractions are in Costa Rica’s fine collection of National Parks which dominate the central highlands and both coasts – Caribbean and Pacific. Those include volcanoes, beaches, canopy-cover platform tours, scuba diving, snorkeling, waterfalls, hot springs, bungee jumping, caving, river rafting, bird watching, and animal watching.

 

She carefully and patiently explains the features of each attraction, the cost of getting there, multiple transportation potential timelines, and the cost of the attraction itself.  There are simply too many demanding choices.  I must narrow down the field, in order to see a broader spectrum of the country.  More sightseeing travel in a rental car (which Miriam helps with also), and less in the way of focused nearby activities.  I decide on an overall route which still includes river rafting, animal viewing, a volcano viewing and hot springs daily double, canopy cover platform tour, beach time, and a possible bungee jump.  Or two.   

 

The afternoon excursion is to an artisan’s market in the areas traversed repeatedly the previous day.  So many clever, colorful, creative, and compelling crafts are exhibited!  If only I had room and the will to display them all.  But I am in a mindset at this point in my life, where I am trying to get rid of things, and not acquire more.  If not purchased for others, arts and crafts remain items that are admired either momentarily or only at a distance.  None will be taken home.

 

Sunday evening’s entertainment consists of a most welcome soccer match, Costa Rica vs. Nicaragua in the Central America Cup.  I learn during this match that Leo Gonzales, a quality defending fullback for my Major League Soccer Seattle Sounders, is a Tico.  The tickets, purchased last minute from a scalper yards from the stadium, cost only $8 each.  That buys a seat on the 50 yard line, about 18 rows up.  A very good viewing location.

 

Costa Rica is supposed to be much better than Nicaragua.  The away team is a newbie in the arena of  international soccer.  Costa Rica scores an early goal on a very athletic header, that I am lucky enough to catch through a telephoto from a perch halfway up the stadium tiered seating at the exact moment the ball crosses the goal line before reaching the back of the net.

 

Never the less, Nicaragua maintains a stalwart defensive front, largely due to the inspired play of their goalie.  The contest remains tight – with Nicaragua playing better than usual and Costa Rica playing down to their less experienced competitors -- until about ten minutes remain, at which time the home team scores on yet another header.  The very accomplished goalie had no chance at the ball.  The Ticos finish the evening, proud 2-0 winners.  Much singing and scarf waving accompany the victory.

 

There is no celebrating or carousing this night for me, however.  A 5:30 wakeup call awaits, for a long haul out to the southeast and the Rio Pacuare for Costa Rica's best river rafting.