The first day (7/1/14)
Today...has been quite the adventure. After maybe 3-4 hours of sleep on a red-eye flight to North Carolina, some bouts of nausea, and an overpriced Starbucks sandwich, we finally boarded the plane to San Jose at 11 AM. I could not have been happier when we arrived in Costa Rica that afternoon! We arrived to cloudy skies and humidity, yet the temperature felt very comfortable; and we were greeted by Ramses: our friend and wonderful host! He gave us a little driving tour around Alajuela and Barva (where he lives). The roads around here are a sort of controlled chaos that I would rather leave to the locals.
Driving through the neighborhoods one can see that all of the colorful concrete houses are surrounded by metal bars. At first glance this does not seem very inviting, but once I went inside the Quiros' house I realized why there are these bars. The difference between the outdoors and the indoors turns into a sort of grey area. The upper level of Ramses' house consists of just 3 walls and an opening to the roof. Thus, robbery is very easy unless of course you have iron bars and fences with barb wire surrounding the vulnerable openings.
Today...has been quite the adventure. After maybe 3-4 hours of sleep on a red-eye flight to North Carolina, some bouts of nausea, and an overpriced Starbucks sandwich, we finally boarded the plane to San Jose at 11 AM. I could not have been happier when we arrived in Costa Rica that afternoon! We arrived to cloudy skies and humidity, yet the temperature felt very comfortable; and we were greeted by Ramses: our friend and wonderful host! He gave us a little driving tour around Alajuela and Barva (where he lives). The roads around here are a sort of controlled chaos that I would rather leave to the locals.
Driving through the neighborhoods one can see that all of the colorful concrete houses are surrounded by metal bars. At first glance this does not seem very inviting, but once I went inside the Quiros' house I realized why there are these bars. The difference between the outdoors and the indoors turns into a sort of grey area. The upper level of Ramses' house consists of just 3 walls and an opening to the roof. Thus, robbery is very easy unless of course you have iron bars and fences with barb wire surrounding the vulnerable openings.
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The view from the patio
Natal
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The inside of the house is beautiful and the Quiros' have been extremely welcoming. We are so lucky!
After getting settled in the house we then took a little tour around downtown Barva. We stopped in the Parque Central
And also at La Iglesia de Barva
We also went to another church that I don't know the name of, but it was extremely beautiful inside. It was insane! Apparently it has been where it is now since 1881.
Ramses
Then, we went to a mirador and got to see all of the city lights
After a long day of traveling and sightseeing, we were off again with Ramses' parents and two little sisters (Alexa and Aleyra) to the family's finca (farm).
Finally, after arriving at the finca, I was able to fall into the deepest sleep of my life.
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