San José – Costa Rica: A Starting Point

Flying into San José is not the most comfortable plane ride. In fact, I think I’ve been on roller coasters that have scared me less. But despite the turbulent patches of thick large clouds and stomach disappearing “falls” from random windy pockets, the view is worth making sure you pick a window seat. The green mountains, rolling for miles and miles, kissed by the sweetness of the clouds that tossed you around in the first place. How can something so soft looking be so hard to get through?

The plane finally touched down, or at least that’s what it felt like. I had to pinch myself a few times, wondering if we had survived through all of that turbulence. I couldn’t help but wonder if we were just ghosts in some parallel universe, maybe even having entered into this space earlier in the flight. I mean, how do hundreds of thousands of pounds of metal somehow remain suspended in midair. It almost makes no sense. For a moment I found myself tripping -envisioning our plane was this little puppet, like a marionette, suspended in the same spot with a frozen backdrop. Clearly it’s nothing short of magic that keeps this contraption soaring through the air.

I finally breathed my first full breath since departing from Orlando and happily scurried off of the plane. Eager to feel the Costa Rican air and smell the soft scent of tropical air (read: mold) present in most tropic climates, I power walked to the immigration station. After spending some time in immigration and nearly a few seconds in customs, I followed the mass of people to this outdoor catwalk where every other person was a taxi driver. No joke. Each of them insisting that you wanted a ride and that they were going to be your driver. A bit aggressive. Actually too aggressive. All I wanted was to find a corner in the sun and bathe in the “jungle air.” But all I was getting was, “Taxi? Where can I take you?” It was then in that moment that I toyed with the idea of just dropping my bags and screaming, “NO! Stop! All of you listen, I don’t need a ride… and even though I may not know where I’m going, nor who’s picking me up, I know it’s not you!” The insisting just wouldn’t stop. Just stop asking to drive me, I’ll be the one who will do the asking around here! But, of course my classy composed side would not let my Joan Rivers realness shine through in the first fifteen minutes of being in Costa Rica. But it really can get that annoying. If you’re having to wait around for a while for someone to pick you up, I’d recommend meeting in front of the airport's Malinche’s – a restaurant a few quick steps to the right from where you would exit. There the taxis should leave you pretty much alone and you’ll be able to connect to Malinche’s Wi-Fi.

Taking public transportation from the airport is doable, but not that intuitive. There is a bus stop that’s to the left of the airport that will take you into San José for a reasonable price. During the 30 to 40 minute drive into the city you might be surprised to see that not all of Costa Rica is a jungle. I’m not sure what I expected – maybe something more along the lines of “Jurassic Park” meets “George of the Jungle” I guess.

Once you get to the city, or anywhere away from the airport, you will find that food and drink prices are much more reasonable. Restaurants serving typical Costa Rican food, “comida Tica,” are your best bet for saving money and eating well. Eating the typical meals will be much more inexpensive than a restaurant serving non-typical food, and just as filling. Food and other items are awkwardly expensive in Costa Rica – so take the more immersive and frugal route of eating typical food or the typical dish “casado” which usually consists of rice, beans, plantains, thick plantain chips and a vegetable medley. If it’s the only thing you’re eating on your trip to Costa Rica, you may get sick of it, but you’d be surprised at the average human capacity for these foods. A few days in and you’ll be eating it for breakfast too, just like the locals!

But, a nice lighter "pick-me-up" or after meal treat can be found at smoothie chain Cosechas – just keep an eye on how much sugar they secretly stuff in your smoothie. If you’re like me and you prefer natural sweet and don’t mind subtle tastes, ask for your smoothies without sugar. If your intention is to find a medium or vessel for sugar into your body, then by all means, let the barista do their job. The “Pura Energia” (Pure Energy) smoothie without sugar really gets me feeling good. It has an earthy taste with beets and spinach but is naturally sweetened with the added pineapple and banana in the mix. It’s a smoothie that definitely gives me life, especially after walking around San José for hours.

However, walking around for any longer than a short walk may leave you begging for more than a smoothie. It’s not the prettiest, most put together nor most interesting city in the world. I guess it goes without saying that I’m not the biggest fan of San José. At least not when it comes to walking around for hours on main streets having to find a decent place to eat or visit. But to not throw complete shade at the city, I acknowledge that San José has it’s good spots just like any other city – they just seem few and far between. For instance, Paseo Colon, one of the main streets in the heart of the city, is nothing to really write home about. And for that reason I really won’t.

For many the appeal of Costa Rica lies outside of the city walls – so if you’re planning on visiting – plan on traveling. Costa Rica is a great road-tripping country! Enjoy it.

#adventures #trips #food #costarica #centralamerica #sanjose #comidatica #puravida