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| my delicious first meal in San Jose, Costa Rica |
So, after 12 hours of transit, Stefanie and I are finally in San Jose, Costa Rica.
The morning started off okay. We were at the Detroit airport quite early, so we took a short nap before boarding, then it was off to Houston, Texas. I was a little nervous about Houston because of the whole Swine Flu debacle, but the airport seemed completely normal, aside from the fact the some people were wearing face masks. It´s strange because everyone at the San Jose airport was wearing masks and gloves. A bit freaky….
When we finally arrived in San Jose, we decided to take the local bus downtown. It was a little confusing at first, but then we saw a guy we met on the plane who mentioned he was also taking the bus and just followed him. We paid 400 colones for the ride, which is basically $1 USD. Once we were downtown, we hailed a cab and zoomed through the streets towards San Pedro, where our hostel is located. For a 10 min ride, it cost approx. $4.
The drivers here are fearless. The cut each other off, honk their horns, and squeeze in between other vehicles like it´s nobody´s business. I was a little scared, but we made it to our hostel in one piece.
We´re staying at Hostel Bekuo. It´s in a nice, quite area. After we checked in, Stef and I hit the streets in search for some dinner. We wandered into the university area. We found a small diner, which Costa Ricans call a soda. We had some language difficulties, but we managed to order some rice, chicken, beans, salad, juice, and plantains all for just 4$. It was a ton of food. The waitress called the dish a casado and I guess it´s pretty typical around here. I´m sure we´ll be ordering the dish every day. So cheap, so good. Very backpacker friendly!
I forget to mention, my ear has been bothering me since last Thursday. The right ear feels plugged, but my sinus pills are worthless. So Stef and I decided to check out the local pharmacy. Basically, you walk in and there is a large counter. You tell the person what´s wrong, they go in the back, and bring you some medicine. No prescription, no I.d., nothing! I got ear drops for around $7.50. In Canada, I would have needed a prescription or they would cost at least $30. Funny enough, the guy behind us got Moxicilline (an antibiotic). Definitely, not what we´re used to.
We walked back to the hostel and put the mystery drops into my one ear. I freaked out a little, but so far, so good! I hope it works. It´s driving me nuts!
Tomorrow, Stef and I are taking a 4 hr bus ride to La Fortuna to see the Arenal Volcano, one of the world´s most active volcanoes. I can´t wait!
Melissa To and Fro 