1915 Hotel Alajuela

... so it was a big deal to the Costa Ricans. Everyone was wearing red and blue for them and the whole area was decorated. I wore blue to the game and apparently that wasn't the best idea because everyone would see us and yell COSTA RICA!!! because the US wears white and blue so I looked even ore like a gringo. oh well. We first walked to this one bar/restaurant but every table was reserved so we went to another and it was the ...

... him a few dollars the next day for taking me around. Our room was a glorified tree house; which made it quite interesting during the fierce electrical storms we experienced. The rain was coming through the mesh on the windows so I was getting pretty wet, but it was at least refreshing and as our tree house only cost us 16 US a night I could live with it. After the storm that went on for about 12 hours the kitchen and bathroom area was flooded in about 8 inches of water ...

... around town all day. It was pretty sweet, it was cool to meet everybody and just absorb Costa Rica. My spanish was a little bit better than I expected, but it still has tons of room for improvement. Anyways, we visited a bunch of historical spots, including the Church of la Merced, the Metropolitan Cathedral, the National Theater, the ...

... hoch. Ich kann nicht, weil ich kein Kamerakabel habe und seine Kamera macht eh die besseren Bilder. Auf dem Bus zurueck waren der Fahrer und eine Mitreisende auch wieder wirklich freundlich und haben uns die besten Tipps fuer Costa Rica gegeben. Wenn bemerkt wird dass man etwas spanisch spricht oder es zumindest versucht, dann freut sich hier jeder. Wenn man dann noch sagt dass man aus Deutschland kommt, dann freuen ...

... we´d be staying in a crazy cat lady´s house, but then she took us to her rentals which were very nice. Two queen beds in a lovely room with a tv and bathroom for $45 for all four of us. In Costa Rica that´s not bad (but still over our budget...hence our mad dash for Nicaragua). The place was like our own apartment, with a living room and a kitchen complete with refrigerator and microwave (luxury!). We slept like babies so it was hard for Joseph and I to drag ourselves out ...

... that said SWITZERLAND with a Swiss flag, he wasn't hard to spot. We then accidentally went to a lesbian bar for dinner and drinks - Adrian chose it because it was full of hot girls (doh). I had fun, but the boys got twitchy when a small gay New Yorker in a tweed trilby came over to chat me up on behalf of some girl he was with, and they insisted that we leave. We ended up at the goth club, which was hectic and really fun, even though we felt ...

... to see the Arenal volcano. I had a good time even though I only got about a day and a half there. Took a night tour around the area where they try to show you a good view of the lava flows. Apparently it was much more active ten years ago but you are pretty lucky if you get to see it erupt nowadays. Swam in some natural thermals (hot springs) and went out to dinner with a couple from Barcelona. Ate and conversed; it ...

... line and got in trouble rigtht away cause I was standing on the line not to be crossed. I was excused thank goodness, my bag was searched and I made it back on the bus. woo hoo. Everyone was chatty back in the bus and it seems we were all feeling similar. Anxiety always makes people bond. No language, age or cultural difference sets you apart from feeling vulnerable in the border crossing. After a few more hours we stopped for lunch at a typical soda stop where I had beans and ...

... I realize at times like these where the “Ugly American” stereotype comes from.

At dusk you can see that what looks like clouds are really eruptions, and see the lava bright red and flowing. It sounded like popcorn, but they say that at times the whole earth rumbles and the volcano really roars. When we got back to the hotel, we called and found that the spa had two openings for massage that night. It would be our only chance, as we were scheduled to leave in the ...