We had a slow two days in Costa Rica’s capital between finishing our Spanish school and starting our ‘proper’ travelling together. We used the time to catch up on sleep and some admin.
The hostel (Costa Rica Backpackers) was nice, with a big communal area, and a fairly cheap restaurant and bar in house. It was the first place we booked for ourselves since starting this sabbatical, as the Spanish course took all the hard work out of travelling. The bedroom was an OK size, but the biggest plus was there was an actual bedside light, only one, but the first time we’ve had such a luxury since the first week in Panama!
On our first day we met up with Berglin for a final goodbye before she took her flight home. We ended up wandering in and out of second-hand clothing shops and trying on crazy outfits. I bought a couple of things which I’ve managed to cram into the backpack!
We visited the main market, it was really interesting to explore the different shops. There was a mixture of stalls and small cafes. We found somewhere nice for a tasty traditional lunch. The food in Costa Rica has been quite simple but tasty. I think I’ll get a bit tired of rice and beans though. There are two dishes based on these ingredients, one is a dish called ‘Rice and Beans’ where the rice is cooked in coconut milk, which is different to Pinto Gallo which is more savoury rice with beans more often eaten for breakfast.
We took a chance to walk to the bus station and check the situation for buses, we’d seen a timetable in the hostel, indicating that there is one direct bus a day, but then also read conflicting information online and found nowhere to book tickets. It was useful to check in-person and we spoke to two separate people who confirmed the time and told us to buy a ticket on the bus. Although it was a bit more of a risk, it was also far cheaper at about $8 each rather than $55 each on a private transfer shuttle! It seems a lot of people opt for a hire car in Costa Rica, and more of the population own cars so there are fewer public transport options.
After helping Berglin find a large suitcase for her extra purchases, we said goodbye once again, and she headed to get her flight home. It was so good to be able to meet up again and have a good few hours wandering around.
We had a walk around the city centre. We’d heard from other travellers that San José isn’t particularly interesting, and some had said it didn’t feel safe. We felt fine in the main centre and just took the usual city precautions of not waving our valuables around. The area around the bus station was the only place that we were glad to be heading through quickly.
We went to the Teatro Nacional for a tour of the theatre. It was a pretty impressive building, although the tour was a bit short and simple for the price. That evening we went out to an Indian restaurant for a meal, we hadn’t had any curry for weeks and were both craving it. We managed to find an authentic place with a wide choice and nicely flavoured food. We asked for it spicy and it was tasty, definitely milder than back home though!
We spent the second morning catching up on admin before heading to the national museum of Costa Rica which is housed in the old barracks. The building was nicely converted, with a large butterfly garden that you entered through. The displays were interesting, including some amazing stone carvings, and exhibits setting out the history of the country.
On the final morning we were up early to pack and get a taxi to the bus station. Our taxi driver was really nice, giving us a history lesson and pointing out buildings on the way.
Overall I enjoyed our time in San Jose. If we hadn’t needed some downtime I don’t think it would be a place to stay that long in, but it was nice to wander around and relax there. It was also great for Chris to revisit the city, 21 years after his first visit there as a backpacker during university summer holidays. We took a photo to compare the visits, with the museum and surrounding street looking a lot more modern, and Chris’ hairstyle having changed significantly (although he may be wearing the same zip-off trousers!).
