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apologies for not having updated this, Internet access is pretty sporadic here.... have been stealing enough wifi to check emails and update facebook on my ipod.....
Left Monica and Gilles' house on Friday 10th and flew via Newark to San Jose. Obviously sat next to two fat people who were comlaining that the seats were too small (not the other way round?). Arrived in about 9, got a taxi straight to the hotel, and straight to bed after a long day flying.
Woke up early, this country is so noisy with all the birds and cars making loads of noise. The hotel is really pretty, lots of wee old buildings joined up with outdoor areas with loads of pretty plants. The breakfast room was outside in the garden, and was all you can eat for $6. Was too tired to take full advantage of it! I was searching round for people on my tour, but to no avail. The guy at the desk told me to look for the welcome note outside, and as I was reading it, 2 other girls started to read. I'd found some friends and was relieved not to have to spend the day in the big city on my own.
Kate and Emilia are from London, and Kate has an awesome sense of direction, so was more than happy to be led around the city. Sadly, it was the day before Easter Sunday, so everything was closed. Managed to find a wee time warp cafe to have a drink in. While we were sitting there, a man walked past with a snake round his neck, as if this is a totally normal thing to do.
Walking down the street, people shouted stuff at us, made weird noises, and people came up to us with scabby pigeons in their hands. We went out for lunch, tico tacos for me (tacos covered in cabbage with ketchup and mustard over the top, not culinary perfection), then back to the hotel to read in the shade. The heat is pretty over-powering in the city.
We had a group meeting and met the leader Kevin, who I immediately managed to insult, and the rest of the group. There was Kate and Emilia traveling together from London, Ellen and Leilan from sunny Guelph, Kerry from London, Melanie from Switzerland, my roommate Freda from Toronto, Ruth and Jon from Oxford, Laura and Lewis from England, Ashlei and Owen from Canada, and Ron from Vancouver. Most people were around the same age as me, apart from Ron.
Went out for a group dinner, and had my first taste of typical Costa Rican food, rice and beans. More specifically Casado, rice with black beans and salad with meat, chicken, or fish, and fried plantains. Really yummy, which is just as well, cos you get it for almost every meal!
They say the streets of San Jose are dangerous, but I think they mean it literally. There are giant ditches at the side of the roads, I guess from the rain, and loads of random giant holes in the pavement!
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