COSTA RICA part 2
It was my second night spent in the hostel and I already made some friends. I decided to use the couchsurfing website to find a local person to show me San Jose from their own perspective. I received a response straight away and so we agreed to meet the very same day. I took a shower, put some colones in my pocket and marched out to meet Kari ; a young student who absolutely loved her hometown. I was happy to explore it with her but because I spoke to many people, who mentioned that San Jose is a waste of time I grew highly demotivated . Nevertheless I decided to create my own memories and make opinions based on my own experiences. I am very glad that I did it.
Kari picked me up from the central square and we became comfortable with each other within seconds. We walked around parks, full of beautiful plants, trees and fruits that I would only find in supermarkets back home.I never fully got used to see oranges on tress. We explored the streets which seemed abandoned, poor but when we turned to others we saw beautiful, great houses. We walked past pubs, restaurants, and schools. One of them i remembered very well as it was made entirely out of metal. Yes, absolutely everything. We walked further to the city market that was full of Chinese made products, local fruits, vegetables and faked clothing. The smell of rotten food was very strong.
I wasn't taking out my camera very often, simply because I was getting a lot of attention. I was still a little bit unsure about this whole safety thing. I decided to minimise taking pictures on that day.
We stopped by her favourite caffe which name of I cannot remember. We had a delicious casado which is recognised as the signature of Costa Rica. Truly delicious. We drunk our beers and continued talking.
I realised how little I knew about this country and how little I expected from it. I felt ashamed.
Kari told me how hard the life can be here if one won't make right decisions. How easy it is to fall for an easier way of earning money, the way that you cannot get out of later. We spoke about the education and her ambitions after she is finished with the university. We talked about politics and how people blindly follow the power. The situation she described was very similiar to my home country with the difference that poverty in my motherland was never so high. Kari offered me to stay with her parents so that I can save some money but i politely refused because i paid for my hostel already. We slowly walked back to my hostel and I couldn't recognise the city. It looked completely different in the light of the falling sun, people looked much calmer and the landscape prettier.
When i got back to my hostel I went straight to the pool, swam a little and joined a group of people at the bar where I started finding out the reasons, hopes and dreams of other travellers. I took my beer went to the hammock and closed my eyes thinking about everything Kari said to me and about how much I loved San Jose.
It's very beautiful post my friend :)
I follow you now!!!
Hello. Thank you very much for reading my post. :)
I am very glad that you liked it.
Costa Rica is a great choice for adventure! Yes, San Jose can be not so great at times, but like any big city, it depends on where you go and what you're doing there. There are plenty of cool places to visit and there are also parts of the city that you should probably avoid. Where were you staying in San Jose and where were you sightseeing while you were there?
As far as casado goes - what a treat! And the best part is, you can pretty much have it at any time of day! It has everything the body needs...starches, fried meat, vegetables, beans, and starches.
Did your backpacking journey happen to take you into the mountains of Tarrazu?
Yes it is. I absolutely loved San Jose even though i only spent 3 days there. I haven't felt totally safe while being there but perhaps it was more for the fact that it was my first solo travel rather than a city itself. I must admit that I mostly spent time in the city centre but i also visited some beautiful outskirts of the town with a friend I met there. Did you ever go to Ram Luna restaurant ? It is located outside of the city but the journey was totally worth it. The restaurant is placed on a hill which allows you to see the entire city from a nice perspective. You could easily hike up these hills, the views were spectacular. I stayed in CostaRica backpackers. It was a nice place with a great shared kitchen and a pool. I was there during the low season so the prices were cheap as well.
Cascado ! I miss it already. Although the food in Leon/Nicaragua was much better ! :D
No i never got a chance to go there. I checked it on google and i kind of regret it if im to be honest. But I guess one can't see everything.
When did you visit Costa Rica ? How was your experience ?
I know the feeling. This past spring I took my first international trip by myself - coincidentally, it was to Costa Rica as well. I think a lot of it had to do with the language factor. I'm not 100% fluent, so there was some worry about whether or not I would be able to communicate effectively enough if I had any problems. But I manged to survive, so that's good.
No, I'm not familiar with it. I did look it up though and might have to give it a try next time I'm in the country. When I travel to Costa Rica, I spend most of my time in the mountains, south of San Jose. So, Ram Luna will probably go on my list of places to eat.
I work with coffee farmers in the Tarrazu region - actually, a sub-region of Tarrazu called Llano Bonito. I've only been to a few restaurants in the city. There was a really great cafe in Heredia (northern part of San Jose) - Kawah Cafe. It's a small place, but they have excellent food and they serve some of the best coffee you'll find in Costa Rica. It's like a quaint but modern-looking gourmet shop.
My experiences in Costa Rica have been great so far. The people in the farming communities are really nice and welcoming. I mean, it helps that I want to buy their coffee, but they're just normal folks putting in some hard work and trying to make sure their children are taken care of. We're not all that different.
If you have a few minutes, this was an account from my most recent trip: How to Set Your Rental Car on Fire. It's a two-part post, so don't forget to read the dramatic conclusion!
Do you have any plans to go back? Or was it just a one-time visit?