Costa Rica:
Day No. One
The flight from Dallas to San Jose was interesting. Daniela had window seat I had middle. About half way to the end of the flight there was a lighting storm. From amazing view from above, you can see the sky illuminate the edges of the clouds for split seconds.
I could tell Daniela was excited for me this being my first time in Costa Rica. She said when we exit that there will be people asking us for taxi rides, and she also told me to take note of the the smell of the air. When we got off the plane, she was right and there were alot of people, mostly men, pressed up against the glass holding signs. I tried to describe the air when I got out and got my first few breaths. It smelled smokey- like a sweet cigar mixed in with the moisture and humidity of the city.
After a stop at the grocery store (where I saw a Costa Rican version of Nutella), we drove east to their house. Driving down the streets of Costa Rica reminds me of a nicer version of Mexico, where all the gates of houses are all flush with one another's. The kind of gates that have the front lawn and entrance on the inside of the gate instead of the outside.
I got a tour of their house, it is lovely. It is definitely up scale, being three stories and high vaulted ceilings. It's winter here and the tiles are cold when I took my slippers off. I have my own room- that use to be the maid's. It's really tiny with a day bed and a tall cabinet for my clothes. It even has it's own bathroom. The tininess and compactness of the guest room gives me the slight impression of studying abroad. Daniela sleeps in her cousin Gabi's room, through the common room, up four stairs, through the hallway and to the right.
Dani told me you can eat the tomatoes like fruit here. She was right. They were sliced perfectly and were the most perfect shade of red. I felt deprived of real fruits and vegetables at home, all feeling excited at the same time knowing that I will be eating these tomatoes for at least a week, with almost every meal.
For our first dinner we had arroz con pollo, with tomatoes and chips. For our drink, guanavana (the smell of the drink and the taste of the drink are completely different. It tastes much better than it smells). And for dessert, galleta suiza con dulce de leche. Conversation at the dinner table was mostly in Spanish, and I understood very little until her aunt translated things for me in English. She told us about beach about five hours from here, closer to the Atlantic, where there is this tiny area where people from 68 different countries live, including her family. She sees them once a month and says the beach is beautiful.
We will be there Thursday to Saturday.
Tomorrow we are going zip lining, and to the hot springs.
I'm allergic to cats, and the cat came through my door just now. I can feel my eyes getting irritated.
But Until Then,
AL
The flight from Dallas to San Jose was interesting. Daniela had window seat I had middle. About half way to the end of the flight there was a lighting storm. From amazing view from above, you can see the sky illuminate the edges of the clouds for split seconds.
I could tell Daniela was excited for me this being my first time in Costa Rica. She said when we exit that there will be people asking us for taxi rides, and she also told me to take note of the the smell of the air. When we got off the plane, she was right and there were alot of people, mostly men, pressed up against the glass holding signs. I tried to describe the air when I got out and got my first few breaths. It smelled smokey- like a sweet cigar mixed in with the moisture and humidity of the city.
After a stop at the grocery store (where I saw a Costa Rican version of Nutella), we drove east to their house. Driving down the streets of Costa Rica reminds me of a nicer version of Mexico, where all the gates of houses are all flush with one another's. The kind of gates that have the front lawn and entrance on the inside of the gate instead of the outside.
I got a tour of their house, it is lovely. It is definitely up scale, being three stories and high vaulted ceilings. It's winter here and the tiles are cold when I took my slippers off. I have my own room- that use to be the maid's. It's really tiny with a day bed and a tall cabinet for my clothes. It even has it's own bathroom. The tininess and compactness of the guest room gives me the slight impression of studying abroad. Daniela sleeps in her cousin Gabi's room, through the common room, up four stairs, through the hallway and to the right.
Dani told me you can eat the tomatoes like fruit here. She was right. They were sliced perfectly and were the most perfect shade of red. I felt deprived of real fruits and vegetables at home, all feeling excited at the same time knowing that I will be eating these tomatoes for at least a week, with almost every meal.
For our first dinner we had arroz con pollo, with tomatoes and chips. For our drink, guanavana (the smell of the drink and the taste of the drink are completely different. It tastes much better than it smells). And for dessert, galleta suiza con dulce de leche. Conversation at the dinner table was mostly in Spanish, and I understood very little until her aunt translated things for me in English. She told us about beach about five hours from here, closer to the Atlantic, where there is this tiny area where people from 68 different countries live, including her family. She sees them once a month and says the beach is beautiful.
We will be there Thursday to Saturday.
Tomorrow we are going zip lining, and to the hot springs.
I'm allergic to cats, and the cat came through my door just now. I can feel my eyes getting irritated.
But Until Then,
AL