tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65722408905893640622024-03-12T19:54:27.660-07:00TJ's TravelsTara Jean Hitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01558892929416173807noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6572240890589364062.post-10753931778993423012011-07-27T16:20:00.000-07:002011-09-03T17:23:29.157-07:00Day 21: Panama Viejo and Casco ViejoSo I awoke in my teeny dorm room with no windows where I was squished in with five guys all around 6 foot tall in the bowels of Luna's Castle and decided I should try to switch rooms. Seriously I think they put me up in the bunker. Not that I usually mind 6 foot tall guys but this was a bit much. The room they put me in was unbelievably better. Check out my view!<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I went and had my daily visit with my doctor, picked up a new Apple charger for my iphone at a fancy mall that could have been in any major US city, they even had Cinnabon. I found a diablo rojo headed to Panama Viejo which isn't in the nicest part of Panama City but it was fine. I do get a lot more attention here than in Costa Rica. There are a lot more fair skinned people in CR than Panama.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Panama Viejo is the first of several Panama City's that have been built over the last 500 years. This first one was ransacked by the Pirate Henry Morgan in 1671 and the ruins still stand over several acres of land. It's really impressive.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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I climbed this tower for some great views. It's the remains of an old Cathedral.<br />
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</div>I found a little squirrel, here they come in different colors; red, brown and even white.<br />
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I stopped for lunch at a kind of bodega, I'm not sure if that's what they call it here but it's basically a plate-lunch place. For 2.50 I got ropa viejo which was awesome for something that translates to "old clothes" in English! It was pulled pork cooked with vegetables and of course it came with rice and also some lentils, a nice break from the black beans. I think the lentils are more of a Caribbean thing. I made my way back across the city in another Red Diablo, this one so crowded that I could hardly breathe. Everyone was hot, sweaty and grumpy. Once I got closer to the center of the city I hopped off and took a cab the rest of the way to Casco Viejo where my hostel is.<br />
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I decided I still had time to explore Casco Viejo before sun down so I took a walk around the neighborhood. Casco Viejo is a historic district in the middle of renovations, it also to once was the center of the city and the president actually still lives there. There are ruins next to beautifully restored buildings next to slum buildings. There are also plazas with open air restaurants and lots of cathedrals. It's all very charming.<br />
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This is the supposed ruins of a favorite hangout and gentleman's club of former dictator, Noriega. It's on it's way to being renovated as well but it's a controversial project.<br />
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I walked around the point where there is a kind of boardwalk at the the location of the old fortress where the city used to be defended from. The views are pretty spectacular and there lots of Kuna Yala people, native from the San Blas islands north of Panama on the Caribbean side, peddling their wares. One of the favorite things I have seen today was a Kuna Yala woman in full regale pull a cell phone out of her top and proceed to have a yelling match with someone on the other side of the line.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There's also quite a bit of interesting graffiti art in Panama City. These guys are brave to do this so close to the president's mansion, or perhaps that's the point.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I also went to see the famous arc that stood for over 400 years before suddenly collapsing in 2002 for no apparent reason. It's presence supposedly convinced the Americans that there were few earthquakes in Panama and that it was a good place to build the Canal. It's been rebuilt since collapsing but for some reason they let you stand under it, which makes me a bit nervous.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I wandered my way to the ruins of the old fortress and beyond this into what they call the "Red Zone." It was definitely far different than the city blocks I had left behind and after only a few blocks I decided to turn around. There's a reason they tell tourists to stay out of that neighborhood, it's definitely as the police officer told me "caliente."</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div>Tara Jean Hitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01558892929416173807noreply@blogger.com0Panama City, Panama8.994269 -79.5187919999999628.8850614999999991 -79.649666999999965 9.1034765 -79.387916999999959tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6572240890589364062.post-90635262426718176752011-07-26T13:58:00.000-07:002011-09-03T15:57:49.301-07:00Day 21: Bus to Panama CityPanama is a very small country but it's very long. So, to get from David to Panama takes 8 hours by bus. I'm trying to get on a morning bus because I don't want to get into Panama City after dark. As a girl alone, I definitely try to avoid traveling at night. So, it's off to the hospital again early to get another shot in my butt. Fun.<br />
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Then I ended up at the mess of a bus station once again and on the long bus ride to Panama City. Once we started getting close I started getting excited. There are real freeways and big bridges. It's beautiful here! And there are these local buses, called diablos rojos that are the cutest things ever, brightly painted different designs and sometimes covered in lights. They cost 25 cents and are usually packed full with people and blaring latin music. It's like a club on wheels.<br />
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The bus station is huge and modern and also packed full of people. A far cry from any bus station I have yet to experience in Central America.<br />
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I checked into my hostel, Luna's Castle, in Casco Viejo, paid the cab driver $2 (I love Panama!) without a fuss and ran into a friend that had stayed in my hostel in Boquete. We went out to dinner with some others from the hospital, it was delicious.<br />
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Tara Jean Hitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01558892929416173807noreply@blogger.com0Panama8.537981 -80.7821277.201181 -83.7290035 9.874781 -77.8352505tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6572240890589364062.post-5103262206972210602011-07-25T23:38:00.000-07:002011-08-30T21:58:05.594-07:00Day 20: Not feeling so hot...I was headed back to David this morning thinking I would catch the bus to Panama City and see a doctor there because the medication has failed to cure me, the back of my throat is not looking so good, this strep is not going away. I was feeling ok this morning, see?<br />
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On the way to David, we got smashed into a passing mini bus like a bunch of sardines. I was literally almost hanging out the door which was open and the bus was going 60 mph and when they finally closed the door by squeezing everyone in there was no air conditioning and I didn't eat breakfast that morning. When my friend got off at the turnoff to Boca del Toro so did I. I've never been so close to passing out in my life, except the time I got my nose pierced. Anywho, a Snickers, some water and a soda later, I'm feeling a little better but I'm not going to Panama City today. I went straight to David to see the doctor and to sleep, sleep, sleep. The same doctor who's probably only a few years older than me, gave me another prescription, this time for injections! I asked her if I had to go to the hospital every day or if I could give them myself. I explained that I worked at a veterinary clinic. She asked me if I was a nurse and when I said "for dogs" she just laughed at me. I think she just likes prescribing injections to me I swear! Last time it was steroids for my allergic reaction, this time it's five days of antibiotic injections. Ouch.<br />
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I'm sure I'll be better tomorrow.Tara Jean Hitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01558892929416173807noreply@blogger.com0Panama8.537981 -80.7821277.201181 -83.7290035 9.874781 -77.8352505tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6572240890589364062.post-38832133272490765032011-07-24T23:02:00.000-07:002011-08-26T23:46:03.571-07:00Day 19: La Isla Boca BravaMan, I am not feeling so hot today. After a lot of sleep last night I'm still down, my throat hurts so bad I can hardly eat or drink. I don't think the antibiotics are working. On the plus side, I'm probably getting skinnier. Eh? I woke up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom and had to avoid a bat flying around my room, which wasn't a surprise because the dorms are basically open to the outside because there aren't really any mosquitos here. I know that they are very unlikely to hit me due to their great echolocation but I still can't help freaking out and ducking every time one gets near me. On the way back into my room of course my entryway was being guarded by a group GIANT praying mantis and some freaky HUGE catydids. They were flying back and forth in front of the door and I stood there in trepidation before making a run for it. Luckily none of them landed in my hair but I still had a momentary freak out. Here's a picture of one staring at me... I had to take one as evidence.<br />
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I got up early, about 7 am, and decided to go for a walk to check out the wildlife, I heard a lot of howler monkeys making a lot of ruckus last night around dusk and I knew they were also active at dawn. This place is so beautiful, I watched the sun come up and some birds fishing out over the water as well. It wasn't long before I happened along a couple of them eating berries and throwing the seeds down at me. Cheeky buggers.<br />
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I had a lazy morning, it's easy to be lazy around here when you've got these kind of views.<br />
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Later on I discovered I still had another little roommate. She's not so scary during the day.<br />
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After my rest, I was introduced to a newcomer to the island that I would be bunking with and we decided to go for a hike around the island. We happened upon more monkeys, some isolated beaches and made our way to another part of the island.<br />
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We almost got lost and the rancher we ran into was about as helpful as this cow.<br />
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Thanks to my handy iphone which even works in the boonies of Panama and has a gps, mapping feature and a compass, we were able to find our way back easily in time to catch a lovely sunset.<br />
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Tara Jean Hitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01558892929416173807noreply@blogger.com0Isla Boca Brava, Panama8.2073387 -82.2746240000000178.1763737 -82.332002000000017 8.2383037 -82.217246000000017tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6572240890589364062.post-69952441639772460392011-07-23T10:10:00.000-07:002011-08-20T14:39:35.414-07:00Day 18: Eenie, Meenie, Miney... Golfo de ChiquiriI was headed out of Boquete and my friend, Leon, is headed up the mountain to see if he can make it to the tallest point in Panama. I wasn't really sure where I was gonna go, there's a few places in Panama I'm interested in going so I headed to the bus terminal in David to see what buses were headed out. I happened first upon the Horncitos mini bus and ended up sitting next to a crate full of baby chickens. My first real chicken-bus experience! It was cute because they were babies, I'm sure if they had been full-sized stinky chickens I would have not been so entertained. Local buses in Central America are called chicken-buses because, occasionally, your seat partner may be a chicken.<br />
The Horncitos mini-bus takes you part of the way to the Golfo de Chiriqui, a rickety collectivo taxi takes you the rest of the way. I arrived on the boat dock and this giant Panamanian man comes up and offers to take me to Isla Boca Brava where the hotel is, for free with his family. I was a little trepidatious after Costa Rica at offers of help, but the taxi guy seemed to be ok with it so I went.<br />
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The guy, Alex, and his wife are a young couple who were enjoying the weekend on the boat with their even younger cousins. They were so sweet, he instantly plopped a mango in one of my hands and a beer in the other. The Golfo de Chiriqui is absolutely stunning and mostly uninhabited, really a paradise.<br />
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Once they took me to the hotel, where his wife works, Alex offered to take me fishing and island hopping for the afternoon. The proprietor of the hotel, a woman from San Diego, said they were great people so I happily agreed to go with them. They bought some plates of food while I changed and checked into my room and insisted upon feeding me lunch. We headed down to the boat dock and Alec turned to me and said "Tu eres el capitan." (You are the captain!) So, I drove us away from the boat dock and around the island, much to the entertainment of all of the Panamanians at this gringa driving the fishing boat.<br />
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We did some fishing, some swimming at a completely deserted beach and drank quite a few beers. They even wanted to take me back to their place for dinner but I was still sick and not up to more fiestas.<br />
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I love Panama!<br />
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Tara Jean Hitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01558892929416173807noreply@blogger.com0Parque Nacional Golfo De Chiriqui, David, Panama8.1137398 -82.3424762999999878.0873242999999988 -82.367892799999993 8.1401553 -82.317059799999981tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6572240890589364062.post-85411148413029834352011-07-22T20:15:00.000-07:002011-08-10T20:48:30.882-07:00Day 17: Los Pozos de CalderaWe slept late, which was good because I'm still not feeling so hot. My throat is so sore I can hardly eat or drink. Definitely the worst strep throat I have ever had. Sleeping late, however, was not so good because we missed the late morning bus to Caldera and had to take a taxi. Los Pozos are so isolated that you actually can't drive there. You can get the taxi to take you closer than the bus, but the road is so terrible it costs you a bit more money, so we decided to walk. It was humid and sweltering hot, especially for being so high in the mountains but I'm not complaining, it's better than the rain that usually plagues this area this time of year. The walk was also very scenic, through pastureland and past rivers cloudy with minerals.<br />
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When we finally arrived at Los Pozos we were greeted by a Central American Spider Monkey.<br />
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I thought she was trying to walk up and hit us or take something so I was scolding her when she grabbed my hand and started climbing my leg. So I picked her up and she just wrapped herself around me. I immediately began yelling at Leon to take a picture.<br />
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The owner of Los Pozos came out and charged us the $2 fee for using the hot springs and explained the monkey's name was Chita and that she was tame. We walked around the hot springs, Chita in my ams the whole time. I was in heaven.<br />
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She wouldn't go to Leon and when I tried to return her to the house so I could change, she refused to let go of me. You can't exactly explain to a monkey that you just want to put them down for a second so I ended up changing my clothes with a monkey on my head, quite the experience. Then we spent some time in the hot springs, which is pretty difficult to enjoy when it's already boiling hot outside. Chita spent her time jumping on our heads and trying to steal our belongings, interspersed with napping and being generally adorable.<br />
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After an hour we were exhausted by Chita and she was bored with us so she took up off a tree and we headed out for the long walk back to the bus stop. Seriously though, the best $2 I've ever spent, by far.Tara Jean Hitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01558892929416173807noreply@blogger.com0Caldera, Panama8.653575 -82.3834689999999918.646405 -82.393007 8.660745 -82.373930999999985tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6572240890589364062.post-26301510272671611782011-07-21T18:59:00.000-07:002011-09-03T16:19:29.126-07:00Day 16: Nothing gonna get me down in BoqueteSo according to the Doctor at the Urgent Care at Mae Lewis Hospital in David (which cost $5 to visit, by the way) I have had an allergic reaction to Augmentin prescribed by my dentist, I have strep throat and likely also have sinusitis. Since I'm now possibly allergic to penicillins, I have to go on something else and if that doesn't work I need to come back for stronger medicine. All of this was relayed to me in Spanish since no one speaks any English. I heard everyone speaks English in Panama but I am so far unconvinced of this fact. A shot of steroids in my bum ($3.25) and some medications ($29) and I'm on my way at less than the cost of my co-pay to the emergency room in the states. Panama is awesome. And unlike Costa Rica, they actually have real sidewalks, all of the sidewalks in Costa Rica double as obstacle courses.<br />
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Similar to Costa Rica though, I cannot walk down the street without being whistled, catcalled and honked at. No matter how hard I try to look not sexy, unkempt and/or mannish. It never works and it's basically like walking past miles and miles of construction sites.<br />
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I headed out after my visit and not to be dissuaded from my travels, I caught a bus to Boquete decked out in purple vinyl and feather boas. Yep. Purple feather boas to be exact.<br />
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I met a guy from Brazil on the bus, Leon, who only speaks Portuguese and Spanish, which is great for practicing my Spanish and we decided to look for a hostel together. Boquete is so adorable. It's a mountain town surrounded by coffee fields, near the highest peak in Panama.<br />
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</div>I am sick, so it's off to bed early for some sleepy time.Tara Jean Hitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01558892929416173807noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6572240890589364062.post-36690150455965039522011-07-20T10:34:00.000-07:002011-08-01T10:22:46.722-07:00Day 15: Headed to PanamaI'm really itchy, I think I'm developing a rash, and my throat is sore. Not a good sign. So, I'm headed to Panama today hoping for greener (and cheaper) pastures. They also have a hospital in David that I may have to pay a visit to.<br />
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So I was on the bus at 5 am headed to San Isidro where I caught a bus to the border. Luckily, I arrived in San Isidrio, headed straight to the other bus station and barely made the bus to Canas. <br />
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Once I arrived in Canas, the border town, I was so lost. Even speaking spanish, i had problems finding the Costa Rican office to get my exit visa. Of course there is no signage to let anyone know where it is, that would be far too convenient.<br />
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Once I waited and waited for the Costa Rican officials to decide to do their jobs and stamp my passport I headed toward the welcome to Panama sign. The Panamanian border is pure chaos, no lines, no way of knowing if what you are doing is correct. An official helps you get your Visa, collects your dollar or 5, I've heard different prices. I think they charge less if you speak Spanish or are a brunette. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to the price. <br />
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Then you walk further down the road and you're in Panama. I kept waiting for someone to check my passport or something but nope. You could have just walked through.<br />
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I caught my $1.50 mini bus, one and a half hour ride to David, popped a few more benadryl for my itchy skin and made my way to Hostal Bambu, run by this former musician from New York.<br />
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I wanted to head to Boquete today, there's not much in David, but I gotta get some rest and I think I have to hit up the doctor tomorrow morning. And after 9 and 1/2 hours of bus rides I can't bear another hour on the bus.Tara Jean Hitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01558892929416173807noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6572240890589364062.post-18108121391973877682011-07-19T19:09:00.000-07:002011-07-31T10:33:58.404-07:00Day 14: Manuel Antonio park, el sendroso waterfall and out on the town. I am tired.So as usually happens in these situations, I met some very nice girls from all over the world and we decided to get up early and do some adventuring. We went first to Manuel Antonio national park. The place is literally crawling with people, even at 8 am.<br />
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We hiked up to the lookout, seeing a sloth butt high up in tree (the photo isn't that interesting) and getting eaten by some army ants on the way and stopped by an anole.<br />
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On the way back, we found a great little beach. Then a raccoon tried to steal a whole grocery bag of someone's food, getting away with some condensed milk. Then she returned and rifled through my bag and grabbed my purse. Luckily I played tug a war with her and she didn't get away with it. As you can see she's pretty brave.<br />
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Some of the girls took off for the next beach while a couple of us explored and found some cool things; a giant shell, a hermit crab and a spiny iguana.<br />
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On the way back we ran into a coati who came down out of the tree right next to us for a drink.<br />
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When we happened upon the next beach,there was a whole troupe of white faced-capuchin monkeys that were playing like crazy.<br />
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The beaches were getting more and more beautiful, the further you went into the park. We played in the water until the monkeys came back, this time with a baby monkey in tow!<br />
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On the way out of the park, I had to of course, buy a coconut.<br />
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We went to lunch, then headed to the el sendroso waterfall. Some guys in the hostel had said something about a dog but we didn't really listen to them but, on cue, the dog arrived as we walked to the trailhead. He showed us the entire way to the waterfall and waited there for us, barking everytime someone jumped. Then he showed us the way back. He was a great little guide.<br />
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Exhausted, we made our way home. Made some awesome food and made our way out to Bambu bar for drinks and dancing.Tara Jean Hitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01558892929416173807noreply@blogger.com0Manuel Antonio National Park, Costa Rica9.4020685 -84.1382368000000169.383984 -84.15368380000001 9.420153 -84.122789800000021tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6572240890589364062.post-72888635480063998822011-07-18T15:27:00.000-07:002011-07-30T16:49:15.175-07:00Day 13: More buses and more San JoseSo unfortunately I have to make a quick day trip back to San Jose. I will try to make the best of the situation, unload some stuff that I don't need at the hostel in San Jose, try to avoid cab drivers and maybe do some shopping. A long bus ride later I was back in San Jose, taking yet another walk. After running my errands I had some time to kill so I watched the children play and feed the birds and old folks hold hands at the Central Plaza in front of the Teatro Nacional.<br />
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Some kids were catching the birds and I had to get a picture.<br />
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I also bought some feather earrings from this old man making them out of wire and bird feathers on the side of Central Ave. He was also painting things on them, mostly blob-shaped lizards, which I politely refused for my own pair.<br />
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Back to Quepos on the bus and hoping for better times tomorrow!Tara Jean Hitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01558892929416173807noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6572240890589364062.post-63711741202906788752011-07-17T19:04:00.000-07:002011-07-30T16:22:43.602-07:00Day 12: Manuel AntonioSo I left my stupid bank card in the stupid bank in stupid San Jose which isn't open til tomorrow. And that damn taxi driver took a chunk of my cash so we're living on a budget today. Super duper budget. Luckily there is a free food shelf in the lovely widemouth frog backpacker's hostel and the bus to Manuel Antonio only costs about 40 cents. And the public beach is free. Super duper free.<br />
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That and the coconuts only cost $1. $1!<br />
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It's also free to look like a crazy gringa and lay in the dirt while taking video of leaf-cutter ants.<br />
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It's also aparently free to sneak into national parks on accident where there are delightfully deserted beaches like this.<br />
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And also free to get kicked out of them by very nice security guards. Whoops! I headed my way up the hill to the famous El Avion restaurant. I ran into a sloth and a howler monkey making his presence known along the way.<br />
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My emergency credit card, for this super duper emergency, provided a lovely lunch with a fabulous view.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wghMubPIQpQ/TizQQF7cbCI/AAAAAAAAAHE/e5EABQYfsgo/s1600/IMG_0435.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wghMubPIQpQ/TizQQF7cbCI/AAAAAAAAAHE/e5EABQYfsgo/s320/IMG_0435.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Tara Jean Hitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01558892929416173807noreply@blogger.com0Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica9.4097222000000009 -84.1552778000000229.4041757000000015 -84.161800800000023 9.4152687 -84.14875480000002tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6572240890589364062.post-1032512408445016212011-07-16T17:20:00.000-07:002011-07-24T19:17:03.191-07:00Day 11: On the RoadThis morning me and the girls went out to breakfast. Last night was fun so we aren't on the very top of our game.<br />
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We finally found a place to eat where I got a sandwich to go and headed to the bus station.<br />
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Unfortunately, on the way to the bus station I had a royal jerk of a cab driver who screwed me over by over charging me because we had to drive around construction. I let my guard down because he was so nice and he taught me lesson. I argued him down to 1/3 his asking price but I still overpaid. Thank you asshole taxi driver, thanks a bunch. I had to take the cab because I felt uncomfortable walking through San Jose with a backpack on. It just screams target but apparently you get screwed either way.<br />
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Anyway, so I fumed on my 4 hour bus ride all the way to quepos, near Manuel antonio park on the central pacific coast of costa rica. I fumed all the way past the miles and miles (or the kilometers and kilometers) of palm trees, all used for making Palm oil.<br />
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Fumed my way into my very nice hostel and into my bed.Tara Jean Hitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01558892929416173807noreply@blogger.com0Costa Rica9.7489169999999987 -83.7534279999999858.1251764999999985 -85.516727999999986 11.372657499999999 -81.990127999999984tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6572240890589364062.post-60307131570261557562011-07-15T20:51:00.000-07:002011-07-17T21:00:43.703-07:00Day 10: Last Day with the Family and Back (pooh) to San JoseSo, today is my last day with my temporary Costa Rican family. They have been so great. So has my teacher. Otiac at Montana Linda in Orosi is a great spanish school for a great price and I would recommend it to anyone. It is a little hard to go, I wish I had longer but I am looking forward to seeing more and traveling.<br />
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It's going to be especially hard to say goodbye to Ariana. She calls me Tarrita and always asks for me when I leave the house. When I walk down the street I can hear my name in her little voice coming out of the house.Tara Jean Hitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01558892929416173807noreply@blogger.com0Orosi, Costa Rica9.7974224 -83.8539299.7889929 -83.8595165 9.8058519 -83.848341499999989tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6572240890589364062.post-38582603812367169542011-07-14T17:55:00.000-07:002011-07-17T17:56:20.091-07:00Day 9: Laundry dayYep, laundry day. Sorry, no photos!Tara Jean Hitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01558892929416173807noreply@blogger.com0Orosi, Costa Rica9.7974224 -83.8539299.7889929 -83.8595165 9.8058519 -83.848341499999989tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6572240890589364062.post-80812777292742654902011-07-13T17:22:00.000-07:002011-07-17T17:55:11.942-07:00Day 8: Tejos Lodge and Tapanti MountainsToday I went up to Tejos Lodge with Josue, Natalia and Sophie. They are all cousins and a family member owns the Lodge. We rode up Tico style, in the back of a truck and even picked up some hitchikers along the way, even more Tico style.<br />
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We stopped along the way to visit some people in Paraiso.<br />
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It is so beautiful up there, with sweeping views of the river and the valleys.<br />
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Tejos Lodge is very nice and they have a restaurant, cabinas, trout ponds and a stable, complete with puppies.<br />
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We went hiking through the mountains and saw some Glass-winged butterflies and Josue showed me some Leaf-cutter ants. I got super excited and they probably just thought I was being a crazy gringa.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Ok, you see that town in the back of the valley in the first landscape shot? Yeah we had to walk to that because we didn't have a ride back. It's about 6 km. Luckily it's mostly downhill. On the way, we ran into a Blue grey tanger, a unoccupied tracktor and lots of waterways.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We finally made it to Paraiso, which has the requisite soccer field next to the church in the middle of town.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div>Tara Jean Hitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01558892929416173807noreply@blogger.com0Tapantí National Park, Pan American Hwy, Costa Rica9.7959614999999989 -83.92731449.7756409999999985 -83.9466749 9.816282 -83.9079539tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6572240890589364062.post-24680481480113409162011-07-12T12:58:00.001-07:002011-07-17T17:09:16.116-07:00Day 7: Rio Orosi ValleyI'm feeling a little tired today, so I'm taking it easy. Mama Elisa and I took a walk around the Orosi River Valley.<br />
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There are quaint little bridges everywhere you look.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IuOZp2GfkIg/TiNzYKhPKpI/AAAAAAAAAFQ/d-LERGgdNKk/s1600/IMG_0347.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IuOZp2GfkIg/TiNzYKhPKpI/AAAAAAAAAFQ/d-LERGgdNKk/s320/IMG_0347.JPG" width="179" /></a></div>The whole valley is very quaint and I have yet to see a really extravagant house. Times are a little tough in Orosi, they really need any tourism so people are pretty nice. Whitewater rafting is popular.<br />
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There are lots of little ones in Orosi and lots of pregnant women. Ariana is the 2 year old in my house and she is ridiculously adorable. We're becoming buddies.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x4bxVOVzqiI/TiN5EcZXgMI/AAAAAAAAAFk/00zxfxyTiQk/s1600/photo-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x4bxVOVzqiI/TiN5EcZXgMI/AAAAAAAAAFk/00zxfxyTiQk/s320/photo-1.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Rcg4zuIt8Aw/TiN5MQuQcYI/AAAAAAAAAFo/7TU1GcfIGLY/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Rcg4zuIt8Aw/TiN5MQuQcYI/AAAAAAAAAFo/7TU1GcfIGLY/s320/photo.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>Tara Jean Hitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01558892929416173807noreply@blogger.com0Orosi, Costa Rica9.7974224 -83.8539299.7889929 -83.8595165 9.8058519 -83.848341499999989tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6572240890589364062.post-35437263867126521792011-07-11T12:44:00.000-07:002011-07-20T19:28:40.344-07:00Day 6: El Jardin de Lankester<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Today I traveled to</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;">Lankester</span></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Gardens in between Cartago and Paraiso, run by the University of Costa Rica. It is most famously know for it's collection of 1200 species of orchids, though it is the off season now and not many are in bloom.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br />
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</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Can you see the bird? Here's a hint: he's brown and has a yellow beak. He was pretty close. He's probably the black morph of the collared forest falcon.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br />
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</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Also there is a secondary forest on site, that has been allowed to grow naturally from abandoned farmland.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br />
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</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">The most peaceful area was the Japanese Garden that provided a great place for a siesta, until the mosquitos found me.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br />
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</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">There was beautiful ponds with koi in the Japanese garden that were being visited by birds such as this Green Heron.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br />
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</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">I also found some lizards, one being the Green Spiny Lizard and lots of different butterflies, though they are difficult to catch in a photo.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br />
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</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">I have been taking the bus everywhere and it's been relatively easy. I have yet to take the wrong one, or get off on the wrong stop. Knock on wood. I generally have to ask the driver or a fellow passenger for help. Nobody speaks english, for the most part, outside of San Jose, so it's helpful that I speak some spanish. I headed back to Orosi where it had started pouring, and stopped to get some food at the cafeteria next to the plaza as they call it.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br />
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</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Mama Elisa was very worried because I was 27 minutes late. Then I was off to 3 hours of private Spanish instruction and went home at 6 pm for dinner. Once again I am exhausted. It is really really difficult to constantly be conversing in Spanish. It has yet to stop raining since it started at 2 pm, I think it will rain all night.</span>Tara Jean Hitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01558892929416173807noreply@blogger.com0Jardín Botánico Lankester, Cartago, Costa Rica9.8394207 -83.8900539999999649.8377797 -83.89250549999997 9.8410617 -83.887602499999957tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6572240890589364062.post-18597659720924658792011-07-10T20:36:00.000-07:002011-07-16T07:46:02.063-07:00Day 5: Pueblo OrosiI moved in with my host family today. A single mother, Elisa, with a young teenage son, Josue, and an adorable toddler daughter, Ariana, and Elisa’s brother and their family with two teenage daughters live next door. They are so nice and their home is modest but clean and they have pretty much what they need but no more. I have so much stuff, so much crap that I don’t need. My $12 glasses broke apart in my hands for no apparent reason and later the son gave me a very similar pair that he says he doesn’t wear. Elisa is constantly trying to feed me and putting drinks, like limonada, in front of me. The generosity is overwhelming. Orosi is a small town with the requisite soccer field in the middle, right next to the church.<br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">They took me to the church in the center of Orosi, apparently it is the oldest practicing church in Costa Rica. The building was completed in 1764.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div></div><div class="MsoNormal">There is a museum of religious artifacts on site with paintings from the 17<sup>th</sup> century that are beautiful but could use some serious restoration.<br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">Also, some more great Pre-Columbian artifacts from the Orosi area.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">There are small parrots that hang out around the square all the time. Elisa yells up at them pajaritos! and they skwak back in reply.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">I have been speaking nothing but Spanish since leaving the hostel at 11 am this morning and almost 9 hours later I am exhausted. Hardly anyone speaks english in this part of Costa Rica. I have retreated to my room to sleep at 8 pm!</div>Tara Jean Hitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01558892929416173807noreply@blogger.com0Orosi, Costa Rica9.7974224 -83.8539299.7889929 -83.8595165 9.8058519 -83.848341499999989tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6572240890589364062.post-85657946963151487312011-07-09T21:53:00.000-07:002011-07-09T21:55:42.052-07:00Day 4: Volcano PoasI finally got out of San Jose! Today me and a couple of new friends, Lena and Ferdich from Germany and Holland, all went to the Volcano Poas. It's a day trip out of San Jose that takes you on an aging tour bus up a windy road with all the Costa Rican farms alongside. We stopped at a roadside soda (that's what they call cantinas here) on the way. I was so excited about all the stuff and the fruits (I bought some fresas or strawberries) that I totally forgot to take pictures. Whoops! Anyway Volcano Poas, was cloud filled at first so we passed the time pretending to be Japanese tourists.<br />
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Then we hiked to the cold water crater lake which was also cloud-filled and saw some wildlife on the way. We got a private show by a very overly-friendly humming bird which did these crazy acrobatics all around our heads. I got a video but the pictures didn't come out, he was just a green and blue blur. There were lots of plants, some we have in Hawaii, some we do not so commonly, like these bromeliads.<br />
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On the way back we saw this squirrel. Yes, they have squirrels in Costa Rica.<br />
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We headed back to the crater lookout just to see if by chance the clouds had cleared. The wind had picked up and they had!<br />
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So I decided to have Lena take my picture. And of course my eyes were closed.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SmJKcfRocx8/ThkwHR5cjrI/AAAAAAAAAEI/gjJ0ogf0Z40/s1600/IMG_0317.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SmJKcfRocx8/ThkwHR5cjrI/AAAAAAAAAEI/gjJ0ogf0Z40/s320/IMG_0317.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Tara Jean Hitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01558892929416173807noreply@blogger.com0Poas, Costa Rica10.07124 -84.246558999999991-29.669635500000002 -144.012184 49.812115500000004 -24.480933999999991tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6572240890589364062.post-81525844431509213892011-07-08T22:01:00.000-07:002011-07-08T22:10:56.171-07:00Day 3: When am I getting out of San Jose?Ok, I didn't quite believe all the guidebooks that talked so much smack about San Jose. I mean, I LOVE cities. I'm a city girl. It's true, however, San Jose is pretty awful. Even the few nice areas cannot make up for it and it's been nothing but cloudy. There are giant holes in the street and it mostly looks like this, like a really bad part of East LA.<br />
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However, I went to the National Theatre that has some great artwork and where there are always adorable little kids feeding pigeons outside.<br />
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The old school Mercado Central where you gotta watch your wallet was great. There's the fish market, the herb lady, the chicken feet guy and lots of cow tongues and intestines to marvel at.<br />
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Today though, there was sun until late in the afternoon, so I hurried back to the hostel from my travels around to enjoy the swimming pool.<br />
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</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">The people of San Jose really enjoy their parks, even at night, they are filled with ticos (Costa Ricans) sitting and socializing and all lit up with different colored lights.<br />
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</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Dinner at an old tico restaurant with my international friends rounded out the night, I even tried some cow tongue, which wasn't bad but I still couldn't quite get over the texture of the surface. Volcano Poas is tomorrow, I'm so out of San Jose. Then I can wander around and look like a tourist and it'll be ok. Right now, I'm snapping iPhone shots and trying to pretend I'm texting. It's probably not working at all and I look twice as stupid and the photos aren't the best so, sorry, it'll get better.</div>Tara Jean Hitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01558892929416173807noreply@blogger.com1San Jose, Costa Rica9.9333333 -84.0833332999999939.9094162999999984 -84.1153203 9.9572503 -84.051346299999992tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6572240890589364062.post-83272686293851723192011-07-07T20:48:00.000-07:002011-07-07T20:48:51.484-07:00Day 2: More San JoseYeah, I'm having a terrible time.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v8g26UMdr3w/ThZ5yun6saI/AAAAAAAAADI/Na9Yoiza_VY/s1600/photo-4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v8g26UMdr3w/ThZ5yun6saI/AAAAAAAAADI/Na9Yoiza_VY/s320/photo-4.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>Just terrible. Can't you tell?<br />
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So last night I went to these awesome nightclubs. One in San Pedro near the University that was literally four stories tall and there was giant beer tap things that they brought to the table and cuban cigars and plenty of machismo men and girls in tiny outfits. It got pretty wild. Then we headed off to Pueblo which is this little quaint town built in the Spanish style and it's full of all different bars and clubs each playing different kinds of music, electronic, reggaton, etc. Very cool.<br />
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I was hanging just a little today so I got a late start roaming the streets of San Jose once again. I returned to the cute neighborhood with the and this great cafe. Yum.<br />
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Then I finally made my way to the small but impressive Museo de Jade that is filled with Pre-columbian artifacts. There was a lot of Jade there but I was most impressed with the ceramic and stonework.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ot1snoajto4/ThZ9MJL3NMI/AAAAAAAAADg/ILJCS6Jp4BM/s1600/IMG_0265.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ot1snoajto4/ThZ9MJL3NMI/AAAAAAAAADg/ILJCS6Jp4BM/s320/IMG_0265.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>Tara Jean Hitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01558892929416173807noreply@blogger.com0San Jose, Costa Rica9.9333333 -84.0833332999999939.9094162999999984 -84.1153203 9.9572503 -84.051346299999992tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6572240890589364062.post-15120254637236758682011-07-06T20:18:00.000-07:002011-07-07T20:59:20.444-07:00Day 1: San JoseApparently, I needed sleep because I slept for 12 hours last night! An overpriced coffee with this view got me going.<br />
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Then I explored the city by foot. I walked around and stopped at a few places on the way for a good 5 hours and man are my feet tired. Right off the bat, I almost got lost and decided to turn around and head in the right direction towards the Avenida Central and happened upon this adorable museum, El Museo de Arte y Diseño Contemporáneo, that I had read about in a guide book that had a fabulous little cafe. Even though the building was very nice, it of course had the apparently de rigeur corrugated tine roof seen everywhere. The cafe had ladies lunching and my great meal of local fare and a cas (fruit only "born" as the waiter said, in Costa Rica) smoothie cost a mere $7.50 in American dollar.<br />
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Unfortunately the people in San Jose are far more interesting than the city itself, which is for the most part, extremely run down and and not very pleasant to look at. I'm not quite comfortable taking pictures of people so I didn't but there is some really nice parks and some nice buildings that I did get. Unfortunately some of the great architecture is a bit spoiled by the rings of razor wire.<br />
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Parque Moravado was full of latin lovers kissing and hugging. So cute.<br />
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Later in the day I heard music and thought it was an outdoor concert so I headed that way to instead find a protest. Whoops.<br />
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Near the end of my trek, I found the most lovely neighborhood after miles and miles of run down areas and was enchanted. There was trees and adorable houses and the birds were chirping in the trees.<br />
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Then I rounded the corner to find this brothel. Yep. A brothel.<br />
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Just met some new people and we might go out on the town tonight, I'm excited.Tara Jean Hitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01558892929416173807noreply@blogger.com0San Jose, Costa Rica9.9333333 -84.0833332999999939.9094162999999984 -84.1153203 9.9572503 -84.051346299999992tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6572240890589364062.post-52025376842959429042011-07-05T21:11:00.000-07:002011-07-05T21:11:13.823-07:00The First Hiccough.So, never fly United. Not only are their flight attendants old and bitter but they are misinformed. They sent me to the wrong terminal and by the time I arrived at the correct one the TSA guys thought they needed a break and I couldn't get through security to get to my flight. This led to my first near panic attack of the trip. Luckily the staff of LASCA airlines was very nice to me and got me on a 7 am flight to San Salvador, which is absolutely gorgeous from the air, by the way. Miles and miles of green spotted with rivers, farm houses, small towns. No roads, nothing like the US which is crisscrossed with wide-laned freeways filled with shiny cars.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0RY4ZXkCXpU/ThPcbJtHHSI/AAAAAAAAACc/4uc5dWE46XI/s1600/photo-2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0RY4ZXkCXpU/ThPcbJtHHSI/AAAAAAAAACc/4uc5dWE46XI/s320/photo-2.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>On the ground, San Salvador was a little more intimidating but still fascinating. Yes mom, there were guys with guns and drug sniffing dogs like the one's in the movies but it was definitely an experience.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8m12DeL_YK4/ThPdipvE_QI/AAAAAAAAACg/u8WdcIAWbac/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8m12DeL_YK4/ThPdipvE_QI/AAAAAAAAACg/u8WdcIAWbac/s320/photo.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Much more exciting than San Jose's airport which was pretty much like LAX except it greeted you with a sign welcoming you to the "happiest country of the world." (I tried to get a picture but the convenient escalator was moving too fast.)<br />
Then there was the rush hour Central American traffic drive to San Jose. I learned today that no matter where you are in the world, traffic just sucks. Also I didn't get any pictures yet, but the streets of San Jose look pretty rough and I definitely will not be venturing out at night alone.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-o44UgOvURac/ThPe64mjJEI/AAAAAAAAACk/AnyQV_-DW4M/s1600/photo-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-o44UgOvURac/ThPe64mjJEI/AAAAAAAAACk/AnyQV_-DW4M/s320/photo-1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>All in all not a bad day, I missed my flight which I thought would be the worse thing in the world and everything ended up ok, if not more exciting. I'm dead tired, but I had some awesome guaro (sugar cane vodka) and punch and mojitos on a rooftop bar, next to a gorgeous pool in some cool hammocks and met some cool people but now it is time to sleep in my private room and enjoy it while I can because I'm gonna be doing a lot of bunking in dorms after this.Tara Jean Hitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01558892929416173807noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6572240890589364062.post-30606577518429130022011-07-04T12:00:00.000-07:002011-07-05T20:45:08.974-07:00The Adventure Begins.So I have arrived in LAX at 11 p.m. with little fanfare, seriously there is NOBODY here. There is nothing open and I have nothing to do but wait. I should have brought food and I was too busy to eat anything substantial earlier so here I am, starving and the only things the vending machines are selling is water and electronics. Seriously. LA is ridiculous.Tara Jean Hitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01558892929416173807noreply@blogger.com0