Day 2

After arriving late last night, we finally had the opportunity to see our hotel grounds in the daylight. Here’s a better shot of our hotel building. This was the best angle available since the sun was so bright in the east!

And this is the walking path from the hotel lobby/common area back to our hotel rooms. It's a pleasant walk we make several times per day.

We woke up early today to have breakfast at 7:00am, and a typical Costa Rican breakfast was served: rice & beans, plantains, fresh fruit, and Costa Rican coffee and orange juice.

After breakfast, we boarded the bus with our tour guide Christián, and then our bus driver Pablo drove us 25 minutes east into the capital & largest city in Costa Rica, San José. First was a stop to Iglesia de la Merced, which is the oldest cathedral in San José.

Next was a walk though the city center past several important buildings, including the National Theater. But first, a group picture!

Next was a visit to the Gold Museum and National History Museum. Below, Christián (in the orange shirt to the left) is describing pre-Columbian civilizations in what would become Costa Rica.

After plenty of walking, it was time to sit down for lunch. More typical Costa Rican food - we had the opportunity to try casado, which is the most common dish eaten by costarricenses. It consists of rice & beans, plantains, vegetables, a salad, and a choice of meat (chicken, pork, beef, fish), all served on a banana leaf. It doesn’t get much more Costa Rican than this!

After lunch, we went to a market to browse around. Madi gets today’s Bartering Award - she was offered a price, then lowered the price to a number that she wanted to pay, all in Spanish! Here she is in action.

And a special "thank you" to Mrs. Haas for making laminated $ conversion charts for us. They've really come in handy!

From there, we left San José and returned to our hotel in Alajuela for some free time. Here we are boarding our private van.

Back at the hotel, most of us spent the free time in the common area near the pool getting some sun or swimming. It's been sunny and breezy with temps in the mid 80s - really nice.

Finally, some dinner at our hotel, which included fish, vegetables, and you guessed it - rice & beans!

Another full day today!

Tomorrow’s morning schedule includes spending time at an orphanage & center that provides assistance to teen mothers. And the afternoon plan is to visit La Paz waterfall and to experience nature up in the mountains.

¡Pura vida!