San Jose: Blood, Sweat and (thankfully no) Tears

 

Brittany and Ashley have acclimatized to the 29 degree weather (yes, we know, you hate us) and had a full day in paradise. Err, the necessary big city stop en route to paradise, that is. This means that yes, they made it, after yes, successfully finding their G Adventure shuttle driver. This was made possible by his giant sign that said "WELCOME ASHLEY" with "& Brittany" written in the smallest writing possible with a fat tipped marker. (One of them felt a little like a superstar, one of them felt shafted). They can't really say that they quite made it without their foodie companions night one, as they went to a local supermarket near their hotel, ate doritos and chocolate and drank MGD (because it was screw top). They devoted themselves to trying harder for the sake of their foodie companions the next day. So far so good for their tour-mates. The group ranges in age from 13 to late 60's/early 70's (a guess), with people from Canada, the US, Sweden and the UK.  More to be learned throughout the trip about this bunch.  Considering that they are writing this blog, they survived San Jose traffic although they waited at a few corners for a very long time. Now all they need to do is survive zip lining.  They not only ran into a mime, but may have offended one... more to come.

Where they stayed: Night one, at Boutique Hotel Casa Las Orquideas, and night two, at Hotel Boutique Luz de Luna. They were supposed to be at Boutique Hotel Casa Las Orquideas for both nights, however had to change because it couldn't accomodate the full tour group. Luckily Hotel Boutique Luz de Luna was right around the corner and the tour company was fully accomodating: paying for a cab to transport them 60 seconds and one corner. Both hotels were nice, with private bathrooms and tv (with approximately 5 english channels, Ashley counted). Ashley was incredibly paranoid about spiders and cockroaches, while Britt intensely feared bed bugs. Suffice it to say, the benadryl cream has not been opened and they both had an excellent 10 hour sleep on night one.

What they ate and drank: The aforementioned dinner of champions, doritos, chocolate and MGD. The morning after they ate a traditional Tico breakfast (which consists of rice and beans and scrambled eggs, mmm) with delicious coffee (which Costa Rica is known for). Followed by the welcome dinner where they shared a plate of veggie nachos and had their first local beer, called Imperial (which Ashley thought wasn't much different than MGD, she isn't quite a connoisseur yet). Brittany was sad that she didn't order fajitas, so much so that she fell asleep hours late still saying "Damn, should have ordered the fajitas."

What they did: Relaxed and walked a lot. The relaxing started on night one when, when Ash and Britt passed out by 9 p.m., after being in transit for more than 12 hours. They followed this up with a chill Saturday in San Jose (really, the opposite of chill, it was gorgeous weather). They checked out local street art, local markets (Mercado Central), local theatre (Teatro Nacional) and local parks (Parque Morazan, Parque Espana and Parque Nacional). There was a cultural festival that just so happened to be on the same day that they had free in San Jose, so they got to listen to local music and play some chess in the park. Turns out, they both suck, or are just too nice to win. In the end it was a stale mate. They spent some time sitting in front of the national museum, writing in journals and watching the locals, and in plaza cultural, watching children chase pigeons and pose with disney characters (we don't get it either, but it was entertaining). They also experienced the first injury, more to come on that. Lastly they met up with their tour group and their local guide Eduardo (Eddie, for short), which is why they were in San Jose in the first place, off to see the adventure that Costa Rica has to offer!

Lessons Learned: A Tica woman will tell you what she thinks, including that she will not let you order a coke when your meal already comes with orange juice, and she will ask you why you didn't finish your food. Always carry around a first aid kit, in case you're trying to catch your hat from flying off your head and accidentally snag your finger on window bars, scraping off skin and becoming a bit of a bloody mess in downtown San Jose. Luckily they know that blood means please give me a band aid at the local pharmacy. (This is Ashley, by the way, in case Britt's parents are reading this, she is fine!)

Best funny moment: When Ashley thought that a mime actually wanted to take her and Britt's picture, when they were really mime-ing picture taking, and she firmly said "NO". It turned out okay, he couldn't have thought she was being too snobby as he mimed picking a beautiful smelling flower and putting it in her hair. At least that's what she thinks.

More questions for La Fortuna/Arenal:

1) Will Britt get to eat fajitas? Will they be as good as the ones in San Jose?

2) Will Ashley continue on the clumsy path of injury?

3) Will Ashley and Britt's adventurous spirits come to light?  Do they have those, tucked somewhere in there?

Stay tuned!