B&B El Hipocampo De Oro San Jose

... verbs. Though it was a bit easier as I asked him to teach me a bit more in English. As it was 1 to 1 he was fine with it, as long as I didnīt tell his boss! Started to learn some Spanish swear words at last, thatīs what I paid good money for! None can be repeated here though. Managed to hold a conversation for about 20 minutes in the evening, mostly repeating stuff Iīd said before though!

24th November 09

Last breakfast was the famous Gallo ...

... clean and welcoming and you are glad you have finally arrived.

We are staying initially at the Luisiana Hotel in the Santa Ana district of San Jose. It's a cute, if out of the way 'boutique' hotel that is comfortable and stylish. It's quiet here, which is just what we wanted as we have decided to spend the first couple of days relaxing and planning Phase 1.

... with the tin roofs of small houses, hole-in-the-wall bars, open food counters, restaurants and small corner stores. People were scattered about enjoying their Saturday night. I should have taken a video, but I was taking it all in and was too excited…Me in Costa Rica…all by myself… On an adventure.

The residential area where my host mother stays is quiet. There are no street signs or discernible addresses. It’s funny, no matter the ...

... building, we had a much appreciated rain shower which meant an extra break! Then, after lunch we were back to shifting wheelbarrow loads of earth and bending metal... more muscle work! Emmanuel again was our hero, whilst Shirelle found her niche - not plaiting hair, but twisting wire to join the metal rods together for earthquake proofing... Even divaīs can be builders! After a *********** site we were treated to a trip to town to the internet cafe, this meant an end to battles ...

... slate grey streets, there must have been a considerable proportion of locals at Church and with family, It was now however a Friday lunchtime and the streets were in full flow. Street venders displaying illegally copied DVD's in sun faded, photocopied covers, umbrella sellers awaiting the first fallen raindrop and then making their way to the nearest available open wallet. Men with oversized stomachs and excess stubble (some women likewise ...

... there were some cultural dancers.

Masaya-- For our final day in Granada we split up. The boys headed to a volcano near Leon where they went sandboarding. Annie and I had a relaxing morning. I went to get a blind massage and then we headed off on a tour of our own. We went through Tierra Tours to the town of Masaya. Our first stops were to a few small villages. The first one we drove through was a town where the people their still practice withcraft both white and black. The ...

... Rica. Among our favorite chocolate shops is Giacomin gourmet chocolate shops. They can be found in downtown San Jose and online. La Chocolateria (sells 5 kinds of gourmet chocolate) is located in Escazu and in Curridabat. The Amazilia women's cooperative sells ...

... about doing just that. I guess I found it surprising that a seemingly normal man had done it. Anyhow, the luggage showed up promptly but the customs line was long. I always feel uneasy waiting for the customs interrogation. One of these days I'm guaranteed to confess to something I'm not guilty of. Then we hopped a cab to the hotel and got started on our adventure. The hotel was... as expected. A far cry from the Four Seasons. However it was clean and insect ...

... came over and welcomed us. We started to read the bulletin and realized that on the first Sunday of the month the service is bi-lingual and begins at 9:00. The bulletin was also bilingual; the part about the bishop being there to consecrate the recently completed "face-lift" was in Spanish. We didn't figure that out until later. A CD player in the back started playing, "It Is No Secret, What God Can Do", and then, "I Come to the Garden Alone" - songs we recognized from our ...

... dirty. It felt so great to take a shower. We had dinner and Federico and I took a walk between the rain. We came back and talked to our family and we all went to bed. Federico sounded like he will bring me to his house before my flight since his family lives so close. It is hard to believe I have been here 4 full days - just 2 left. It is raning now and it cooled off - maybe I will be able to sleep longer tonight. I am actually tired. Maybe it is a good thing for an early night.