This is part of 8 posts where I will, with minor edits and omissions, put my journal from days in Costa Rica online. There is no real grammar structure, but hopefully it makes sense...10/30/2010 Saturday
I am in about as different a position as is possible to be in after just 24 hours. No beach 100 meters down a gravel path... paved highway instead. Closed windows, a cool temperature, hot water readily available. Cable TV even. No bugs in the room to bite during the night. You get the idea.
For the 2nd time this trip I woke up to catch a 6am bus. Last night after the movie ("Silence of the Lambs") I decided it was time and packed up. Ara gave me a hug and wished me safe travels. Then I walked into my room and saw a big spider... probably 1" x 2" with eyes reflecting green. I turned the lights on and the fan all the way up so she left. I kept the fan on just in case. Gabby also caught the San José bus to go back to school after visiting her dad, so we sat next to each other on the ferry. She's going through college 2 classes at a time while working about 60 hrs / week. Incredible. Once back on land, the bus stopped at the Coca Cola station. What a zoo! I will avoid that in the future if possible. I was so exhausted from riding in a bus for 6 hours that I took a cab all of 5 blocks (₡500 ~ 95 cents), checked in and laid down for a nap. I discovered college football on ABC from a Denver channel. (The same horrible political ads from home on TV all the way down here... uggh) After almost 3 hours of drifting in and out of sleep I got up and walked out for dinner. I had planned on going to Machu Picchu like last year (nearby, delicious, accepts credit cards...) but it was before 5pm so they weren't open. No problem; right across the street was a Colombian restaurant, Mi Parrilla Colombiana. Jackpot :) My waiter was Colombian and even showed me on a map where my aguardiente came from. My dinner was the bandeja paisa; rice, beans, a fried egg, ground beef, sausage, plantains and a platano tortilla, avacado and chicharrón (pork belly... when in Rome, don't ask, just eat) on all one plate. I also had a beer and a shot of aguardiente plus café con leche and vanilla flan for dessert, all for $17 with tip and tax. Very reasonable. My budding Colombia fascination was spurred on by this meal, so I think I have to go there next. The restaurant was very nice; Colombian MTV in the background (not over the top), with paintings, maps and photos celebrating the owner's homeland. [sidenote: based on the musicians on the TV, I have to say, Colombia has an immense wealth of talented musicians] I think I need to improve my aguardiente skills though; I overdid the salt. There were several kinds so I just told him to pick whichever he liked the most. I got a plate of limes, a pile of salt, and 1 chilled shot. My waiter told me to shoot, not sip, and watched with anticipation. That stuff goes down really easy. He seemed proud of his selection for me and was happy to hear I liked it.
No comments:
Post a Comment