Day 1

Hola Mi Amigos y Amigas!

Phew, just got back from San Jose! For those of you who do not know, just like I did not know, San Jose is the capital of Costa Rica.
Today we all got up around 7am which seems early, but you have to remember that we are still in the time of the Estados Unidos (United States). So, theoretically- we woke up at 8. We didn't HAVE to be awake until 8am Costa Rica Time. It is a good thing that we woke up early anyways because Rachael set her alarm for Sunday instead of Saturday haha! This morning is titled potty frenzy. It was such a challenge to get the toilets to flush. Also, we are not allowed to flush the paper. So we wipe and put the tissue in the garbage. Their septic tanks are different here, so flushing is much harder. Sometimes you have to hold the handle down about 1 minute sometimes 2 in order for the toilet to flush- and even sometimes it does not.
After the bathroom frenzy, we all walked to the Hostel LBE SKENA to get some breakfast! We had eggs, bread, burritos, and fresh fruit. IT WAS DELICIOUS! After breakfast we had some time to digest, and then we went for a walk up the Montana (Mountain) this is where we saw the Coffee plantation. I got to pick a coffee bean and suck on it. This coffee bean is not what you would think. It is rojo (Red). This read part was a peel on the outside of the bean, you peel it back and on the inside is a slimy part, however there was a little seed inside of it that you DO NOT CHEW it will break your teeth! This is the part that you suck on ... it was very sweet. It tasted like sugar! NOTHING LIKE COFFEE. Don Daniel told me that they "shuck" these beans and dry the slimy part, then it is ground up to make coffee. It was so tasty.
After tasting the coffee beans we went to the local market where I got to eat the following
1. Tamarind: These are VERY sticky seeds that you can eat that come from a very long fruit
2. Ceviche: This is basically Tilapia that is marinated in lemon sauce. It was delicious and the fish was raw, which to my surprise was amazing!
3. Mago: This is a type of mango that is to be eaten sour. It was good.
4. Sandia: WATERMELON. This wasn't a new experience for me, I was just hungry
5. Agua de Pipa: Coconut juice. Oh my goodness this was so refreshing. I can not wait to tell my friend deion that I had it.

After the farmers market we went to the City or Capital of Costa Rica, San Jose! Daniel Jr. took us to a lot of different little stores and places to eat. One of the things that he had us eat was an Empanada. An empanada is basically like a fried tortilla thing (with the texture of cornbread) with various meat or chicken wrapped inside it. It was so good.
There are many people in San Jose. Driving is so different too. There is no direction. People swerve in and out of crowds of people and you have to be very careful. We rode the "city bus" today which was an interesting experience. I was car sick and claustrophobic all at the same time. They fit so many people on a bus it is amazing. If you are in the way of a car in the street, people will honk at you to let you know that you are in danger.
While I was in San Jose, I was able to get a new pair of sneakers and a pair of pants. My sneakers had a hole in them apparently, so new shoes was a must. Therefore, today was learning all about money. It is really hard to think quick and exchange Colones (Costa Rica Currency) to Dolares (Dollars -American Currency). They accept both here, but it is easier to do in Colones because it requires less math. I will post picture of the money below! It is really neat looking and some of the money is clear! However, when the tenders tell me how much I owe for my purchase, I usually can not catch it because they say it so fast. So, I just hand them some form of colones and if they need more they let me know or they give me change if I give them too much.
On our way home from the City we saw a funeral. Now normally I would not write about seeing a funeral, but this was different! The hearse was followed by people playing guitar, and family member following in a large procession. When I talked to Don Daniel, he said that this is traditional to walk to the cemetery behind the hearse to say goodbye to the loved on who had passed.
Once we shopped around in San Jose we came back to the Hostel for dinner. We had ribs, corn and potatoes. It was very good! I have not tried any food yet that I did not like.
Soccer is really big here. The hostels owners youngest son plays soccer and has practice for 2 hours on Saturdays. The Costa Rica team is playing today professionally, so it is a big deal here!

Well it is time to go
Hasta Luego