2019: Costa Rica

Nov 10, 2019: Costa Rica Guesthouse 

• Breakfast of coffee (very good - this country could be the best yet for coffee!), then hoofed it first to Museo de Jade, which had an enormous and wonderful collection of jade pieces, beautifully displayed.  Then on to the National Museum of Costa Rica, and Museo de Oro Precolombino y Numismática, another great museum (although I skipped the coins).  Many photos from both museums.

• The day was still only partly cloudy, so after a spinach quiche and fancy coffee (which should have been stirred before being served to me: all the chocolate was at the bottom after I drank it) at the elegant Alma de Cafe, in the Teatro Nacional, I walked on to the Zoológico y Jardín Botánico Nacional Simón Bolívar Park.  Oops.  It started to sprinkle after I arrived, and continued during my now abbreviated stay - yep, I had brought no rain gear.  The park had some wonderful toucans and macaws, and my first ever sloth, but hard to see with the rain and the fine-meshed cages.  

• So hustled on back home, noticed a lively bar on my right, turned in, sat down, ordered my first Costa Rican beer, and met a charming couple, Andrea And Asdrubal Navarro, who invited me to stay with them after my trip south - and I invited them to join me later.  We’ll see if that works out.  They were attending a conference on how to curl hair - I kid you not.

• Back to my guesthouse, sent a message to Wild Rider to Reserve a 4wd car for a week, beginning Tuesday.

• Rain gone after an hour.  Next time, idiot, bring your rain jacket!

• Late dinner at the Dragon Oriental: decent hot & sour but nothing special vegetables - the serving was so huge I could only eat about half.

• After dinner will try getting dollars from an ATM.  In this country, dollars are just as acceptable as colones, and usually available from ATMs.