San Jose, Costa Rica

Trip Start Apr 07, 2006
1
7
31
Trip End Aug 18, 2006


Loading Map
Map your own trip!
Map Options
Show trip route
Hide lines
shadow

Flag of Costa Rica  ,
Monday, May 22, 2006

My Central American trip got off to an ominous start when I wasn´t allowed on the plane from Madrid to San Jose. All travellers need an exit flight from Costa Rica, and since I´m going overland for 3 months, I obviously dont have one. So $700 (I had to buy a ticket) and 24 hours later I was finally on my way....

After reading Peter Moores ¨Full Montezuma¨(where he bagged the whole of Central America and almost convinced me not to come here) I swore I wouldnt say anything bad about Central America. San Jose is pretty much what I expected except that doing anything is alot harder than I thought. Because I had to see the Airline agent in San Jose to try recover my $700 (which I was advised I would) that was my first mission. In San Jose they dont give street names and numbers - they give a landmark (building, tree, cardboard box) and then the number of blocks and the direction of their address from there. Fairly complicated. Also it appears Iberia are bad rent payers because they seemed to have moved 4 time since my Lonely Planet was written. Finally I found them and apparently I will get my money back. The rest of the day was spent trying to get my some cash. On the plus side all my running and taxiing around town means that I saw San Jose - the good (vibrant, different to anything else I´ve seen, the beer is bitter) and bad (lots of poverty and not much to do).

So tomorrow I´m off to the Arenal Volcano. I just hope things go smoother.....
Print this entry San Jose hotels