San Jose Costa Rica
Up Granada Nicaragua

Postcards from:


Big Bear Lake USA
San Jose Costa Rica
Granada Nicaragua
Managua Nicaragua
San Salvador ElSalvador
Tegucigalpa Honduras
San Pedro Sula Honduras
Copan Ruinas Honduras
La Ceiba Honduras
Utila Island Honduras
La Ceiba Honduras
San Pedro Sula Honduras
Belmopan Belize
Belize City Belize
Orange Walk Belize
 Lamanai Mayan Ruins

Panama City Panama
Bogata Colombia
Cali Colombia
Popayan Colombia
Ipiales Colombia
Quito Ecuador
Galapagos Is. Ecuador
 Puerto Ayoro Galapagos
Guayaquil Ecuador
Cuenca Ecuador
Tumbes Peru
Lima Peru
Nazca Peru
Cuzco Peru
Ollantaytambo Peru
Machu Picchu Peru
 Machu Picchu Photos
Cuzco Again
Lake Titicaca Peru
 Lake Titicaca Photos
Copacabana Bolivia
La Paz Bolivia
Arica Chile
Iquique Chile
Antofagasta Chile
Santiago Chile 1
Valparaiso Chile
Santiago Chile 2
Easter Island Chile
Santiago Chile 3
Chillan Chile
Valdivia Chile
Puerto Montt Chile
Castro Chile
Chaiten Chile
Coyhaique Chile
Puerto Chacabuco Chile
Coyhaique Chile
Punta Arenas Chile
Puerto Natales Chile
Punta Arenas Chile
Puerto Williams Chile
Ushuaia Argentina
Buenos Aires Argentina
Puerto Iguazu Argentina
Montevideo Uruguay
Colonia Uraguay
Caracas Venezuela
Ciudad Bolivar Venezuela
Puerto Ordaz Venezuela
Porlamar Venezuela
PortOSpain Trinidad
Georgetown Guyana
Corriverton Guyana
Paramaribo Suriname
Cayenne French Guiana
Pointa A Pitre Guadaloupe
Gosier Guadeloupe
Dominican Republic
Miami Florida
Back Home in California

 

 

 


Alajuela Cathedral sitting on the central plaza.


More of the large stone spheres found all over Costa Rica, the origin of which is still debated.


ALAJUELA 2005: Deadly mango missiles falling from the tall trees in the central plaza. Looking up a squirrel dashed along the branch high above directly overhead.


ALAJUELA 2005: Deadly mango missiles ready for launching by the squirrels playing overhead.


SAN JOSE 2005: This military monument seems to be of a soldier carrying a bouquet of flowers! in one hand and a rifle in the other.


SAN JOSE 2005: The mall directly in front of the entrances to both hotels I used the last few days of my visit.


SAN JOSE 2005: Using the tops of the essential umbrella as a display table, vendors show their cleverness. They almost certainly will need the umbrella when they go home.


SAN JOSE 2005: City center park.


SAN JOSE 2005: Vendors and beggars hovered around the open windows in the hotel restaurant and provided diversions for the diners at every meal.


SAN JOSE 2005: This fenced house had two huge stone balls in its front yard.


SAN JOSE 2005: One of the many parks in the city.


ALAJUELA 2005: People relax in the central plaza.


ALAJUELA 2005: Fountain in the Central Park


ALAJUELA 2005: Alajuela Cathedral sitting on the central plaza.


ALAJUELA 2005: Sculpture Garden in front of the Alajuela Cathedral.


ALAJUELA 2005: Sculpture Garden in front of the Alajuela Cathedral.


ALAJUELA 2005: Sculpture Garden in front of the Alajuela Cathedral.

 

28 June 2005

Hello from San Jose Costa Rica
The reliable rain capital of the world.
 
I have been here a week, long enough to see the invariable weather pattern during this "green season:" brilliantly sunny in the morning until one or two o'clock in the afternoon, then rain until early evening. In the decade since I last visited San Jose the city has undergone considerable modernization. Tap water is safe to drink everywhere and futuristic sky scrapers create dramatic backdrops for all of the older buildings still in use. Cell phones are widely used, but foreigners are prohibited from buying a line. If we want a phone, we must rent one for $200 per month.
 
Mosquitoes in the city are rare. So far I've seen only one, the one that bit me on the leg in an Internet cafe. With so few mosquitoes I don't imagine malaria can be much of a problem here in the city. Everyone says to expect swarms in the jungles where some of the critters do carry the organism that causes malaria. I'm religiously taking my Chloroquine once a week, just in case one of the bad guys decides to sample Californian cuisine.
 
The last couple weeks before I left were spent arranging my financial affairs, among other demands. Earlier in the year I completed the sale of Santa Barbara real estate I have owned for thirty years and studied over what to do with the proceeds... in addition to giving the government an obscene amount in capital gains taxes. Janis, my Big Bear Lake bank manager patiently guided me through all of the intricate convolutions required to manage things remotely during my year long absence. However, after all the careful planning, the first two ATM's I tried refused to recognize the financial virtues of my beautiful new translucent bank card. The corporate office for that famous international bank tells me they offer no ATM banking services here in Costa Rica. Fortunately, I still have the old card from another bank I used so successfully throughout China.
 
During one of my early evening walks around a neighborhood near my first hotel I witnessed ordinary people doing ordinary things: an elderly fat lady in her house dress sitting on a chair softly talking with her daughter, boisterous kids harassing a store keeper, a young man in a tank top briskly walking while singing in a high pitched effeminate voice loud enough to be heard a block away. Stopping at a Quizno's for a refreshment I am amused by an older, overweight guy with a jutting jaw and a grin so wide the stretching must hurt, totally beguiled by a pretty dark skinned girl a third his age. He supports his head on the knuckles of one pudggy hand, elbow firmly glued to the table. Mesmerized, the girl plays with the straw in her empty soft-drink cup and kept smiling at the old guy as intently as he at her. Both seemed totally enraptured by one another, so much so neither notices the white haired North American watching so closely for ten minutes. My choice of Quizo's might well have been McDonald's or Burger King or Taco Bell. Every block has at least one of the American fast food joints.
 
As daylight turned to dusk and then darkness an interesting phenomenon unfolds. Side streets busy with frenetic activity in the sun light became dark scary alleys at night while drab deserted trash strewn alleys of the day became exciting neon lit party venues at night. I suppose one could see the same transformations in any city of the world, but this is the first time I noticed the stark contrasts enough to comment.
 
Downtown San Jose reminds me of Bangkok in one regard: many older North American men loiter in the bars and sidewalk cafes, some with young girls, others attempting to attract them. And the girls are plentiful, some are obviously professionals, but many seem to be opportunists or naive sweet young things. I have been amazed by all the belly button jewelry being worn by some of the scantly clad young women.
 
While nibbling on a chicken leg at a KFC I noticed a sign advertising "Puree de Papa" and wondered if that might be the way some of the girls get their revenge with the obnoxious American "papas" or perhaps it has some religious significance with a reference to the Pope, affectionately known as "Papa" down here. As it turned out, KFC is serving mashed potatoes: papa is potatoes in Spanish.
 
My downtown hotel is the Presidente, a four star establishment with $50 to $100 room rates. In Costa Rica everyone pays an outrageous tax of 16% considerable boosting the final bill. Beggars, shoe shine boys, musicians and curio vendors hover around the hotel entrance and attached open air restaurant playing tag with the busy security staff attempting to discourage them, much to the amusement of the tourists.
 
San Jose is a humid place. Washed socks take 24 hours to dry, cotton underwear about ten - that's five times longer than anywhere in China. The hotels have more television channels than many of us have in California. Evenings are spent watching the tube for an hour or so and then reading from the hundred books stored on my nifty iPAQ Pocket PC. At the moment I am engrossed with the Da Vinci Code, a truly remarkable piece of fiction wrapped around a good deal of interesting historical facts about the origins of the Catholic Church and the New Testament Bible. It is clear why it has become so controversial, especially among people of faith. I want to do collateral research on some of the more contentious assertions made by the author.
 
I've been hearing about a lifetime Pneumonia shot and wondering if it might be a good idea for a traveler like me. Does anyone know if they really work? Some may remember my whining about a very sore infected big toe that threatened to delay my departure. That has been healing nicely and now is mostly symptom free. The healing properties of our bodies are amazing. The snug fitting Propet Walking shoes I chose are now super comfortable and I again walk many hours each day.  
Most of the people on my postcards lists have responded to the "still want 'em" query. I will be weeding the lists as time permits of those who have not specifically indicated a preference. If you are bored by my tales of exotic wanderings, please excuse the delay in getting you off the lists.

One day a short bus ride got me to the second largest city in Costa Rica, Alajuela where I walked for a couple hours. The Park of Mangoes is a dangerous place. As I stood taking pictures of a sculpture display, a green mango the size of a baseball crashed at my feet with terrifying impact. Looking up a squirrel dashed along the branch high above directly overhead. I have to wonder if the squirrels have learned how to make unaware tourists jump. Near the entrance to the Cathedral along the park an example of the mysterious stone spheres can be seen. No one seems to know their purpose or origin, but they are found all over Costa Rica.

 
Another long bus ride offered another kind of excitement. As I fumbled to get off at an unfamiliar stop two guys pressed me in a "sandwich" jostling me in an obvious attempt to lift my wallet, the guy ahead ready for the hand-off. Always alert to possible dangers like this, they got nothing but dirty looks. When one of the perpetrators got off the bus with me and then crossed the street to board a bus heading back the way we had come I had my confirmation. We really do need to be aware of possible bad guys everywhere down here.
 
Peace,
Fred L Bellomy


SAN JOSE 2005: This military monument seems to be of a soldier carrying a bouquet of flowers! in one hand and a rifle in the other.


SAN JOSE 2005: Near the center of the city.


SAN JOSE 2005: This fenced house had two huge stone balls in its front yard.


SAN JOSE 2005: Shoe shine man at work in one of the many parks in the city.


ALAJUELA 2005: Deadly mango missiles falling from the tall trees in the central plaza. Looking up a squirrel dashed along the branch high above directly overhead.


ALAJUELA 2005: Deadly mango missiles ready for launching by the squirrels playing overhead.


ALAJUELA 2005: Clowns gaily ply their trade in the central plaza.


ALAJUELA 2005: Clowns gaily ply their trade in the central plaza.


ALAJUELA 2005: Large stone ball in the yard near the entrance to the Alajuela Cathedral


LIBERIA 2005: More big stone balls; similar relics are found all over Costa Rica.


LIBERIA 2005: Typical side street near the town center.

 

 

 

 


SAN JOSE 2005: Whimsical bronze sculpture on the main mall downtown.


SAN JOSE 2005: Using the tops of the essential umbrella as a display table, vendors show their cleverness. They almost certainly will need the umbrella when they go home as it rain nearly every afternoon.


SAN JOSE 2005: Whimsical bronze sculpture on the main mall downtown.


SAN JOSE 2005: This whimsicle sculpture caught my attention. It sits in the main traffic lane on the Central Mall.


SAN JOSE 2005: View west from my window in the first hotel I tried. The Centro Colon is far from central, but the service and value made it a good choice for starts.

SAN JOSE 2005: View north from my window in the first hotel I tried. The Centro Colon is far from central, but the service and value made it a good choice for starts.


SAN JOSE 2005: One of the several markets scattered around the city center.


SAN JOSE 2005: One of the several markets scattered around the city center.


SAN JOSE 2005: This military monument seems to be of a soldier carrying a bouquet of flowers! in one hand and a rifle in the other.


SAN JOSE 2005: I watched the painter sitting in front of the El Presidente Restaurant several days in a row.


SAN JOSE 2005: Vendors and beggars hovered around the open windows in the hotel restaurant and provided diversions for the diners at every meal.


SAN JOSE 2005: I watched the painter sitting in front of the El Presidente Restaurant several days in a row.


SAN JOSE 2005: Elder statesmen debate world affairs in central park.


ALAJUELA 2005: the old guy standing is lecturing the younger fellows who seem to be laughing at his comments.


ALAJUELA 2005: Sculpture Garden in front of the Alajuela Cathedral.


ALAJUELA 2005: Sculpture Garden in front of the Alajuela Cathedral.


ALAJUELA 2005: Sculpture Garden in front of the Alajuela Cathedral.


ALAJUELA 2005: Sculpture Garden in front of the Alajuela Cathedral.


ALAJUELA 2005: Sculpture Garden in front of the Alajuela Cathedral.


LIBERIA 2005: More big stone balls in another city.


LIBERIA 2005: Another shot of the big stone balls on display in this city.


LIBERIA 2005: Typical side stree near the town center.

 

Reference photo: author
 August 2002
 

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