San José

Arriving SJO just before sunset, I had the luxury of being met and driven to a studio flat in Los Yoses district, where I stayed for the first six nights. Driving towards the city I was struck by how much it felt like the US – albeit not a wealthy part – in terms of building styles, advertising and lack of public transport infrastructure. The tap water here though (for example) is delicious, and apparently safe throughout the country.

In the following days I explored Los Yoses, Barrio Escalante (with its many lively bars and a couple of great vegan spots) and the central area. I particularly like the Costa Rican Legislative Assembly’s brutalist cube.

The Teatro Nacional was completed in 1897, when the capital’s population was under 20,000. The pretty, if tired-looking, café serves the country’s finest coffee, an export tax on which paid for the building’s construction.

The main post office is impressive too.

My last free day in the city, before three days of web services work, was spent partly at Spirogyra butterfly garden, where I took dozens of pics with my new compact camera, trying in vain to capture the flitty creatures. I have no idea how long the Blue Morpho beauty sat on my shoulder before I noticed it.

And here’s the view from my office, a language school classroom, the day before I set off:

On day 7 of my adventures I took a bus southwest to the town of Uvita, near the Pacific coast north of Corcovado National Park. Cute animal pics coming soon!

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