Costa Rica Trip

Day 2 Entry 2

Well, its about 11:30pm here in Costa Rica. Still cant belive I havent seen or participated in a vehicular death yet. I actually ordered some food for myself today, Gallo Pico (local beans and rice dish very good) Chicken Dumpling soup, and the singularly best glass of wine I have ever had. (I hate white wine but dang this was tasty).

All in all the day ended way better than it started, although unless I find otherwise I would avoid Sushi here in San Jose. Jose swore it was the best in San Jose and the chef swore its delivered fresh but I would argue that fish was frozen twice and soaked in lemon juice. I refused to eat it and they took it off the bill but I did tip the Latino Sushi chef so it all worked out.

Jose took me an area called "San Pedro" tonight and I must say I was comforted to say the least. Real motorcycles, San Pedro is nice, its a more modern suburb and I think I could actually spend some time there enjoyably if I knew a little more spanish.A bit more modernized and to top it off I got to go in to an Office Depot. An Oasis. :) I couldnt belive when I saw it, Although It took 15 minutes to find a Spanish English Dictionary (Plenty of French Spanish Dictionarys to be found, go figure)....but it all worked out with Jose Interperting.

Anyway

Jose dropped me off and I had my first experience with the Latino female persuasion this evening and it goes a little something like this.

I walked in to a hotel next to mine, called "The Sportsmans Bar", well I guess you can tell by the name it was a popular hangout for americans. Following suit, it was filled with middle aged Caucasian men with wedding band tan lines and multiple latino women in tow with over exposed flesh. I walked up to the only opening at the bar and there was a very conservatively dressed, seemingly out of the fray, fairly attractive 24 year old latino woman sitting at the bar near me.

She smiled and the conversation went:

Her: Hola
Me: Hola

Me: Habla Ingles?
Her: Un poquito

Me: No Habla Espanol

(a woman walks by with her stuff body parts hanging out innapropriately walking over to this middle aged man with a cheesy grin on his face)

Her: You like Prostituta
Me: No Prostituta
Me: No Problemo Senioritas
Her: Si Si Si I can tell! (she grabs my arm points at my dimple and says what it is in spanish)

(she gestures and asks me to buy her a drink because she says she is out of Dinero. I do laughingly falling right in to the compliment like an typical USA idiot)

At some point she shows me a picture of a girl that from what I can tell was supposedly killed in a car accident and she is taking care of one of her babies....at this point her story coincidently ended at the same time her drink did.

She asks again for another drink..I pause and look at her like I am not going to do so and she says Pleeeeaase (and some spanish I dont know). I gesture to the bartender to give her another one and ask for my check. I guess she was trying to tell me not to leave or whatever.

$4 total damage for the whole emmy winning performance. (I only had 1.5 cervesas and it was like 6 bucks total)

Well I later found out ( a few minuts ago from Jose) that the girls here get Commission for getting guys to buy drinks. Go figure. I was taken.

Anyway I am off to bed, will probably write at the end of the day tomorrow.

-D

Day 2 Entry 1 (Scroll down for day 1)

I went so sleep last night with Jose telling me he wanted to turn on the fan because he didnt want me to get bit by Mosquitos. Arrgh. (I knew I should have gotten that Malaria shot :) Just kidding. Malaria isnt common here for travelers nor is it common unless you are in a poverty stricken area with standing water. Woke up to a traditional Costa Rican Breakfast, Beans, Rice, Eggs and Premade toast you buy in a store (Dry), and Water. It was actually pretty tasty and Jose's mom prepared it. Jose's house is nice, but I decided to go and stay at a hotel for a couple of days to help get myself acclimated. Things are hairy back in the burgh with the business and I need to get myself situated. I really feel like a child in many ways right now. I feel like I need Jose with me everywhere I go and that is tough for me. I say my spanish words so slowly and sometimes out of a book and its taking some getting used too. Finding the bathroom, ordering food, or booking a room takes confidence and rehearsing in my head. Any help requires extra effort. I am getting a few words down so I am able to be gesurally kind. No Cell Phone for me right now as the infrastructure here is maxed out with lines. My hotel is pretty cool, I have some images I will upload later. I tried to ask the hotel guy where I could go to meet some people I could interact with but he felt compelled to explain to me "No Prositutes are allowed here" LOL I backed off. I have alot to say but I have to get some things done so I will post more later when I get back from the office.
-DI

Day 1

Well I have landed in the Costa Rica or "Rich Land" as Christopher Colombus dubbed it. It has been quite an experience. From the moment that the flight attendant handed me a customs form with a Spanish as the primary language I knew I knew I started to feel the humility muscle tingle.

Airport was kind of like an upscale greyhound station and from what I understand its one of the biggest in the country.

When I landed the passengers were being greeted by free liquor being handed out by an scantily clad girl. I looked at it as a sign that this is a VERY different kind of place and my guard needed to be up more than usual. ( I didnt take any) hehehehe.

Going through customs for the first time was pretty easy, and Jose was waiting for me with a big smile on his face at the Edge of the airport. Good to see Jose.

As soon as I got in the car I began to see major cultural differences here. The streets arent marked, the roads arent lined (most of them) and its mostly a free for all. I can tell you that I will never feel unsafe riding my motorcycle again because the things I have seen people do things here that violate every law in the book and some that havent been written yet. Stop signs are optional, and they have Rotundas where people go around in circles. It makes no sense how they drive the way they do...Its almost like order would CAUSE accidents.

It also wasnt long before I realized that the language barrier was gonna cause me issues. I guess in my head I was resigned to the fact that this would be like going to a authentic latino restaraunt or walking around Los Angeles. Not so. I have found mediocre english at best. My slick use of the english language to express myself and get things isnt going to ge me anywhere here. LOL Without those tools I am forced to think and act different and its a real challenge for me.

Well its official. I am Spoiled Rotten with my lifestyle. Americans, err uh People from the United States have it good. (I was sternly corrected by Jose today when I referred to myself as an American in contrast with the culture). The worst places in pittsburgh would be upper class in most places here. There are some gated communities but these are few, far between and reserved for elite that want to live seperate from the culture.
One thing I should make clear before I start is that I am NOT in a tourist area, nor am I experincing this place like a tourist. I wouldnt go as far as "roughing" it but I definately have been hangin with locals and experiencing Costa Rica from an Inner city day to day lifestyle.
Went to HyperMas, which is the Costa Rican Equivalent of WalMart (recently purchased by them) and Purchased Jose's Dad a good bottle of Black Label Johnny Walker Scotch (real cheap here too).