I left Monteverde this morning to begin my way back to the San Jose area since I leave Costa Rica in the morning. I took a small van/bus and the trip took about 4-5 hours. The first 90 minutes were on a dirt road that was very pot holed, bumpy, curvy and steep at times. I´ve taken dramamine three times now because I don´t want to be sorry after the fact. We had a 20 minute pit stop and I think I got some great pictures of scarlet macaws (parrots). I´ve heard two different reasons why they do not improve the roads to this part of the country. 1) They don´t want people to only take day trips to the area 2) They don´t want the area to become too accessible so they can help preserve it.
Alajuela is much warmer than Monteverde and so much nicer than San Jose. It´s also only 3 km from the airport so I´ll be set tomorrow morning. I walked around this afternoon and had tacos at Jalapenos Central. I hate to say it but that was my first Mexican meal since I´ve arrived. I met an English gal in the shop that is a biologist and has lived here for the past 5 years. She enjoys it but she did say it is easier to stay since she has a Costa Rican boyfriend.
I walked to the Parque Central (Central Square) and took a picture of a 19th century church. I couldn´t believe that they didn´t have a name on it but I read that two presidents are buried there. I finally got a chance to just people watch. There were men playing chess and checkers on benches and school kids in their uniforms having ice cream. The styles seem to be very similar to home. The skinny leg jeans and the ballet slippers, etc. etc. And of course, there was a McDonald´s and a Radio Shack across the street. The only other chain that I have recognized since I´ve been here is Church´s Chicken or something like that. It´s hard to believe all that I have done in this past week and a person could spend weeks more but I´m ready to get to Ecuador. Hasta luego Costa Rica!
