This morning, after a very good nights sleep, we had breakfast and asked the front desk to ring the airport for an update on the luggage situation. Success!!! Our luggage would arrive in around two hours. We weren’t going to get excited until we actually saw the luggage though. We went for a quick walk around the part of town that we are staying in (that can best be described as dodgy). Lots of rubbish, reinforced bars on windows, razor wire and the occasional prostitute were highlights of the walk around the block. 
Not wanting to leave the hotel as we had to provide our passports to get our luggage, which turned up thirty minutes later.
We have never been so happy to see our bags and never want to repeat that experience again!!
With the luggage safely in our room, we headed off to have a wander in the city. Four blocks south, the seediness disappeared to Central Avenue, a pedestrianised street which extends for nine blocks. Families were walking along the street and people having fun out doing their Saturday morning shopping. We found Plaza de la Cultura, like a mini Piazza San Marco in Venice (not really) with kids feeding and chasing lots of pigeons. 
We found our next hotel to find out what the plan was for tomorrow. Nothing until 7.30pm, so we arranged a tour outside of San Jose. Back along Central Ave, we had to visit the Museo de Oro Pre-Columbino. Here we learnt about Costa Rican history, the foundation of the nation, herbal medicine from the huge variety of trees and plants and the history of gold and it’s use in the culture.
Afterwards, we went to Café Parisienne in the portico of the Gran Hotel Costa Rica. Very swish and we were both in our best thongs too! I ordered a Costa Rican beer, Rock Ice with Lemon. Here I was thinking it was a beer with lemon. I was right in some ways but so wrong as well. It was like a horrible chelada (like in Merida) in a bottle. Half lemon juice and half beer. It was terrible!! Not I was smiling here only moments before tasting the beer! 
On the way home we walked through the Mercado Central. These markets were winding down with some stalls closed. It was mix of souvenirs and homewares with a large section dedicated to produce and local eateries. We were bemused by the chicken feet and livers for sale but the clincher was the pigs head hanging up for sale! 
We came back admiring the view from our room. Rusty corrugated iron roofs and the occasional burning pile of rubbish. 
We are both happy to be heading out to see the real Costa Rica tomorrow, small villages and a volcano!!
Not wanting to leave the hotel as we had to provide our passports to get our luggage, which turned up thirty minutes later.We have never been so happy to see our bags and never want to repeat that experience again!!
With the luggage safely in our room, we headed off to have a wander in the city. Four blocks south, the seediness disappeared to Central Avenue, a pedestrianised street which extends for nine blocks. Families were walking along the street and people having fun out doing their Saturday morning shopping. We found Plaza de la Cultura, like a mini Piazza San Marco in Venice (not really) with kids feeding and chasing lots of pigeons. We found our next hotel to find out what the plan was for tomorrow. Nothing until 7.30pm, so we arranged a tour outside of San Jose. Back along Central Ave, we had to visit the Museo de Oro Pre-Columbino. Here we learnt about Costa Rican history, the foundation of the nation, herbal medicine from the huge variety of trees and plants and the history of gold and it’s use in the culture.Afterwards, we went to Café Parisienne in the portico of the Gran Hotel Costa Rica. Very swish and we were both in our best thongs too! I ordered a Costa Rican beer, Rock Ice with Lemon. Here I was thinking it was a beer with lemon. I was right in some ways but so wrong as well. It was like a horrible chelada (like in Merida) in a bottle. Half lemon juice and half beer. It was terrible!! Not I was smiling here only moments before tasting the beer! On the way home we walked through the Mercado Central. These markets were winding down with some stalls closed. It was mix of souvenirs and homewares with a large section dedicated to produce and local eateries. We were bemused by the chicken feet and livers for sale but the clincher was the pigs head hanging up for sale! We came back admiring the view from our room. Rusty corrugated iron roofs and the occasional burning pile of rubbish. We are both happy to be heading out to see the real Costa Rica tomorrow, small villages and a volcano!! 
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