San Jose Travel Blogs | Travelogues | Travel Journals

Note: Left my camera in LA and won't be able to upload photos until I get back next week. Check out some of Dave's photos from the trip here:www.travbuddy.com/travel-blogs/12062-----Before the trip, Dave and I meticulously packed up our surfboards. We smothered the boards with bubble wrap, padded the rails with piping insulation, and threw them into cushy board bags. It appeared that our boards would be traveling more comfortably than we were.The first test came at LAX airport. We handed the ...

This day was pretty uneventful.  Sarah and I made the sad drive from Arenal to San Jose, which took about three hours, dropped off the rental car, and headed to the airport to catch our respective flights.  I had a connection in Guatemala City, Guatemala (a new country for me!).  I was lucky that I encountered no rain delays.  Again I flew TACA and loved them.

OK, this is a bit of a behemoth.  I thought I'd write a summary of the country as I found it now I'm leaving it.  Although life is full of shades of grey, the old B&W best of/worst of format will suffice for this resumé.  Sorry it is huge, I have tried to break it up though to make it easier.  Photos later when this goddamn machine stops acting up. Onwards...ExperienceBest: Has to be Arenal Volcano.  It is simply something one doesn't often (if ever) get to see.&...

Well the today has finally arrived, i am to pack my karrimor in a few hours for the off, have my last plate of gorgeous nachos, and check out.. Adios costa rica, bex is saying farewell, wow we spent over 3months here, and its gone soooo quick, i have had a great time, and will take loads of great things home with me.  The best experience i had in Costa rica was, Volcan Arenal, out of this world, seeing neon red lava flow was just errie and great.  The best place i stayed was Vista s...

Al dia siguiente de llegar a San Jose, ya nos volviamos para España, pero como era por la tarde, esa manaña tuvimos tiempo de dar un paseo por San Jose.  Te recomiendan que tengas mucho cuidado, que no atiendas a extraños que te digan cosas, que no mires un mapa o te distraigas en la calle, que las mochilas las lleves cogidas por delante, que no muestres una camara de fotos ni de video, asi te va poniendo un nerviosismo que hace que no quieras ver mucho. Vimos la catedral, sobre todo ...

The last morning in San Jose, Atiba and I went to the hot tub at the Best Western. Even though we only had a view of the hotel, it was still nice to have plants and trees around me. After the hot tub, Atiba got ready to play tennis at the hotel and I packed since I was taking the airport shuttle at 10am. We ate at Denny's that was basically in the hotel and by the time we were done, it was time for me to get on the shuttle. It was sad to realize that I would be at work the next day. Even thou...

Some Photo's from a beautyfull trip

To say goodbye to Puerto Viejo, we went to the beach all morning and then packed our plastic bag with our few clothes and left. First we made a stop in Cahuita to see the national park (nice!) and catch a road by the ocean which was "sin salida" ...we just found this out after 1/2 hour driving... We got to San Jose late and still had to find a backpack or something...guess we couldn't travel with a plastic bag :)  Went to the supermarket and got a school backpack :)) nice..and sma...

From 7/ 7:30 p.m. onwards, we are going to be meeting for dinner and drinks here: 'La Cocina de Lena' in El Pueblo Commercial District Shopping Centre.  Afterwards, 'El Pueblo' becomes the hotspot in San Jose for bars and nightclubs, all open, all night! :D Get a Taxi here by asking for El Pueblo...BTW, this is where the Ticos get dressed up in their finest, so wear something comfy, but smart :) Here's the link to the Restaurant, which comes highly recommended!  http:...

Majestic and demur. Not always the things that come to mind when one considers Latin America. But even as rustic haciendas and plantations mix in with shanties and wooden shacks, San Jose certainly can be described as majestic. And with a highly educated population, there is an air of sophistication rarely encountered in her neighboring countries. The beauty of Costa Rica is immediate and unending. The unfortunate "gift" of this beauty is that everyone who visits, dreams of staying. As one dr...

Today I got home from Costa Rica, which should be renamed Costa Roja, since that's what color you are after a day on the costa.  In my case it's a poisonous shade of red, almost purple really, that stops complete strangers in their tracks in the airport restroom where I lifted up my shirt several times for a better look at my stomach. Costa Rica was Splendid!  I saw two volcanos (Poas and Arenal), dozens of waterfalls, a million butterflies, a hundred hummingbirds, 14 howler monke...

We had no idea where to go or even where to look for a hostel in San Jose! We were lost when we hit the bus station, and luckily we ran into some guys who were headed to Tranquilo and said that we could follow them. We hooked up with the guys as they led us to Tranquilo Backpacker Paradisio. We crossed our fingers, hoping that there would be enough room for the three of us! There was!! Tranquilo is an artists dream. There is a different theme for each of the rooms, and it is not uncommon to f...

  We arrived in Orlando, but it is the US, so we had to go through customs, and that took a very long time. Suddenly everything went very fast and they almost forced us to run to our connecting flight. This plain was special arranged for us, but was already waiting for us. This was a cityhopper and of course everybody was getting a new seat. Finally we arrived at 6 o’clock in the morning at San José airport. Her goes everything very fast and within 30 minutes we are outside were...

$, yep, thats all I can really express about San Jose. This is by far the most expensive city in Latin America that I know, it really is rediculous. I spent more in one night, just one night, in San Jose than I spent in one week in Peru. Give me a break. Sorry, Im not too happy about it, especially since the trip is coming to an end and our funds are getting low. The thing is, we didnt even want to stay in San Jose, we just wanted to take a bus from the border straight to Nicaragua, but, w...

And after so many days of living far from home, it was finally time for me to return to California.  I had bought a new ticket home to extend my trip by another few weeks, but now I had to go home.  My last day in San Jose was spent with a lot of wandering, writing, shopping, and eating.  I was still trying to recover from the almost all nighter the night before with one of my best friends I hadn't seen in 2 years who just so happened to be in San Jose for one night before I le...