the last couple days have been long, but good…i guess they’ve been like a nice weekend from my vacation. saturday morning i drove around san jose a bit (escazul and rohrsmoser). highlights included a small street market selling produce and replacing some girl’s flat tire. perhaps the best part of the day, though, was not driving….as larisa took me around most of the day. it was nice to not have to deal with driving and the problems associated with it (….like scratched rims….sorry larisa). we went to an art exhibition featuring 100 spanish designed lamps, posters and chairs (300 total). then, we went to a nice little art cafe/store where we had dinner and listened to a musician (guitar/voice). we also swung by larisa’s office and parent’s place. aside from not driving, it was really nice that just about every place we went had style. they were all different, but all nice; and it made the day much more pleasant — and unique from the rest of the trip (art/style is a luxury…and often hard to find….even in the us…but much more so in the poorer economies of central america).
the next morning, i drove up to volcan poas…about 1hr north-west of the city. it’s a nice drive up, with a cooler climate and great views. there were also a lot of bicyclists….those guys are in incredible shape. unfortunately, the volcano was mostly covered in fog….excet for a few moments when the fog would pass, and you could see the steaming crater below.
right now, i’m at santi and annette’s place in santa barbara. and guess what? it’s on a coffee plantation. it’s like portola valley, ca….only with more incredible views (i.e.– the city, a volcano, etc). they also have dogs, a soccer field, fruit trees and a horse here. pretty sweet, eh?
well, today i head off to san jose to track down shipping agencies for the sentra. luckily, santi works for a gps startup…so i’m using their product to guide me around the city. navsat is putting together innovative software for gps devices that is tailored to costa rica (remember, costa rica doesn’t have many addresses….instead they use landmarks….like the old fig tree, or the cafe britt factory).