Back from the beach

This weekend we fully took advantage of our free day and went to THE BEACH!!

I finally got a taste of bus transportation here.  It's very cheap (2000 colones, or $4) to take us about two hours to the beach.  The bus seats were comfy, although not everyone gets a seat (we had to stand on the way back), and unlike the buses around San Pedro, I didn't feel like my life was in danger once.

 The difference from San Jose to Jacó was noticeable the second the bus stopped.  And even before then, while my ears were popping as we descended from 1200 meters elevation to sea level (amidst beautiful cliffs and, of course, more mountains).  The coastal lowlands are a lot warmer, and a lot more humid!  There weren't any clouds in the sky, and the weather was stiflingly hot.

Jacó is definitely a touristy place, as we noticed when we didn't stand out at all!  Most people spoke English, and food was overpriced, although we managed to find a delicious restaurant (of course, hunger is the best sauce) for about half the price I'd pay for a dinner back home. 

Most Ticos I've talked to, and my of our host families, have said that Jaco no es bonita and hay muchos edificios -- saying that it isn't pretty and there are lots of buildings nearby.  This makes me pretty excited to see the famous beaches, because I thought Jaco was beautiful!

 Sorry that there's ONE BUILDING in the background with all the palm trees and mountains! 

Any beach where you can see the mountains and palm trees swaying is a playa bonita to me.  The waves were great, although there are usually some powerful currents and riptides, so we stayed pretty close to shore (but of course far enough to jump in the waves).

 It was great to think that we spent all day in class the day before, and we were going to spend all day in class the next day, but for all of Sunday we got to enjoy the sun and the nature away from the San Jose smog

Some more fun things about San Jose:

-Despite the machisimo culture, mothers/women are the heads of the house here, and the families we're staying with are listed only by the Senora.

-I am continuing to blend in well.  Meaning that I have been receiving my fair share of people calling "macha!" to me (basically means "blonde chick").   Doesn't look like I'll be mistaken for a Tica anytime soon

-The lack of street signs is still confusing.

-EVERYONE wears jeans here, in 70 degree weather -- shorts broadcast the fact that you're a gringo.  Women also walk around in heels all the time.  It's no Europe, but everyone is usually layered up and probably suffering from a lot of ankle problems.

Our Spanish classes are still fun.  We played Jenga (every time you pulled out a block, you had to command someone to do something to practice the indicative tense, e.g. "Put your hand on your head for the rest of the game," or "Bring in candies to class tomorrow" (that one didn't work so well).  We even played Life in Spanish!

Tomorrow we have a long day full of EBAIS tours, lectures, and more Spanish class!

Hasta luego,

Anya