Hola From Costa Rica

Costa Rica is only a half hour flight from Nicaragua but it feels somewhat like a different world.  We are in Alajuela, a suburb of the capital city, San Jose, and it is much more modern and upscale than Nicaragua, but it also has tons more traffic and the bus rides aren’t nearly as much fun.  We’re not picking up our rental car until tomorrow afternoon so after we arrived this morning we took a local bus to the town of Sarchi, which is known for its artisans who make incredibly beautiful wood furniture and colorful, hand-painted ox carts.  The bus was more a Greyhound than a little yellow school bus, and there were no vendors shouting out their offerings.  It all seemed so tame by comparison.  Whereas Nicaragua was largely flat, Costa Rica is mountainous, with twisty roads.  And the weather is quite different — it was hot in Nicaragua but when we arrived in Costa Rica today it was cold and rainy.  We are also experiencing sticker shock — prices here are double to triple what they were in Nicaragua.  Still, it is lovely — the hills are terraced with steep slopes of coffee bushes and tropical flowers grow everywhere.  It is green, green, green.

We were up very early for our flight this morning so it is time to hit the hay.  We’re in a very modest hotel that is more like a hostel, but the owner, Jose, who is originally from Colombia, is a very sweet and helpful man.  We’re very excited about the arrival of William’s nephew, Starr, tomorrow.  He’ll be joining us for the rest of the journey.  Travel With Balls is on the move!

Peace & Blessings,

Jan