Costa Rica Unplugged: Day 1

Day 1 started with a fight. I knew it would happen, just not so soon. My OCD and punctuality was bound to clash with Jackie's procrastination and notorious tardiness.

Because we missed the initial meeting the night before, I wanted to be ten minutes early to breakfast so we could meet our tour guide and the rest of the gang. But she had no such plan. When my ten minutes of cushion time turned into five, I lost all patience. I grabbed my CamelBak and headed downstairs to breakfast on my own.

I was halfway though my gallo pinto (beans and rice mixed together) when Jackie made an appearance. She set her stuff down at my table and filled her plate at the buffet. When she sat down, we started chatting as if she hadn't told me off in our room. And that was just perfectly fine with me. What was the point of lingering on a spat when we were in FREAKIN' COSTA RICA!!!

A fellow tour member pointed out our guide and we waved him down. In no time, 24 of us from all over the world (California, N.Y., Washington D.C., England, Germany, Canada, Missouri, Connecticut, Australia, and New Zealand) were off to explore the capital of San Jose in the rain.

Church view from our shuttle.

This woman was singing and playing the maracas to her hearts' content.

El mercado, the market. Totally resembles my hometown's El Mercadito.

Souvenirs. 

Farm workers depicted in front of a bank to acknowledge their contribution to the country.

Oldest post office still in operation. 

Teatro Nacional. National Theater. 

Oldest hotel in Costa Rica.

Colones, their currency.

After learning that stop signs mean nothing, tailgating is a must, and honking is a given on city streets, we headed to Volcán Poás about an hour away. There, the weather turned icy cold, with rain and wind that cut our eyes. But the views were spectacular. Our guide said we were lucky that the crater wasn't covered with fog.

Coffee plantations on the way.

Short walk.

Mini waterfall.

Description of plant above.

Volcán Poás. It measures one mile in diameter. 

Did I capture the cold???

Another walk to a lagoon.

Squirrels were very friendly there. They walked up to you and if they could, they would have asked you for food. They looked different too, with a reddish tail instead of the grey I'm used to seeing in So Cal. 

Breathtaking.

Our bus driver pointed out this armadillo as we loaded into the bus. Jackie told him to bring it to us and he did. 

Then our driver spotted a sloth as we were headed to lunch. He pulled over and allowed us to get off so we could capture him. In pictures, that is.

Day 1 concluded with a tour of an ox cart factory. The ox cart is a symbol of this central american country. The factory still runs the good ol' fashion way-- on water power. 

Detail on a bench.

The making of a wheel in process.

The main wheel, water-powered.

Artist hard at work. Hence the price tag :/

Mini ox cart model.

Largest ox cart in the world, according to their Guinness World record. 

Angel statue atop a church.

Jackie and I weren't very impressed with our first day there. We thought it was a little slow in the city and I was disappointed we hadn't gone inside the Teatro Nacional or the contemporary art museum. We enjoyed the volcano park and started checking off our souvenir list at the factory, but for the most part, it was pretty mellow. I told Jackie, this just means it's going to get better and better with every passing day...

Costa Rica-- Check!

I just got back from a vacation of a lifetime in Costa Rica with my sister. It was the first time we traveled internationally, not counting Mexico, and it was the perfect choice that will definitely be hard to top. Costa Rica's rain forest was initially what attracted us to it; I promise P!NK getting married there had nothing to do with it. The tour description consisted of hikes, rafting, horseback riding, zip lining, and walks through the city. If you know me, you know I love the outdoors, which is why booking this trip was an easy decision. And then there was the whole we-already-know-the-language thing, so getting by would be a piece of cake. 

I was nervous, I will admit, the weeks leading to our departure, but then again, I get nervous if I'm going to Disneyland, so it might not be saying much. I was mostly worried about the flight, and this was before the horrendous plane crashes making the news. But I had my Lady Of Loreto, Patroness of Aviators and Air Travelers pendant protecting me along with a Guardian Angel my friend lent me. I knew I was going to be safe--the chances of something bad happening were greater on the road than in the air anyway-- once I was in Costa Rica. 

A 20'x10'x12' suitcase and one carry-on each later, we were headed out the door. Thankfully my mom didn't accompany us to the airport because she would've shed buckets as if we were never ever coming back (but that possibility is always there no matter what we do and where we go). After a minor scare at the American Airlines booth where they couldn't find our reservations, we were on our way to the most adventurous thing I'd ever done. But not before a pit stop at Friday's inside the terminal: Jackie and I were determined to kick off our vacation correctly.

As close as I'm going to get to Miami for a while (layover).

We had a four course meal! Drinks, boneless wings, a burger, and that delectable sweetness displayed above. Our layover was four hours, but between landing, searching for food, eating, and boarding again, all we had were 50 minutes to spare. 

Jackie spotted one of our tour companions at the airport. We got to know each other waiting for our luggage. My suitcase was the last to take a ride on the conveyor belt. First I panicked thinking it was lost, but then my mind did what it does best and started wandering. How did celebrities do this all the time, traveling for hours, living out of bags? Did they also have to wait around for their luggage? Probably not. I have to say, I was pretty disappointed with the Ellen DeGeneres endorsed airline. Unlike Southwest, they charge for checked bags and only provide liquids on the plane, no peanuts. I was afraid our flight would be delayed because they don't have good reviews but I couldn't complain about their punctuality. We arrived to San Jose, Costa Rica as scheduled and I guess that's what really counts.

When all of our bags were in our possession and checked with customs, the taxi game began. Since there wasn't a driver holding up our names at the exit, we had to determine which taxi was legit for our 20 minute ride to the hotel. We failed. Unlike the rest of the taxis parked alongside the curb, the guy we chose was stationed inside the parking lot. He had to pay like every body else to get out. His red taxi didn't have the yellow triangle our brochure said it should. But we were three girls and knew we could take him if need be. Jackie, though, mesmerized him right away with her Spanish. She interrogated him without being aware of it. Was he a real taxi? How long had he been a driver? Was he from Costa Rica? Had he traveled? Turned out he has a sister in Santa Barbara.

You're damn right I took of pic of his "license." I think I texted it as soon as  I could to my friend. Can never be too cautious. 

The only consolation we had was that our driver charged us the same amount as the real taxis our smarter companions took. We found this out the next day when our group met in the lobby the next morning at 6:30am for our twelve day adventure...