Costa Rica Part 1

Costa Rica is a place I have always wanted to visit ever since I read about it in my History of Latin America class in college. The country's two claims to fame are unparalleled biodiversity and an incredibly stable and peaceful political system. Of course that second one may not seem like a very romantic reason to visit, but when you consider the history of the region, it really does make a difference. Add in the ease of getting there from the U.S. and the comparatively cheap price for the trip, and you have a package that is hard to resist. We were not remotely disappointed.

The flight from Seattle to Houston, Texas is really no big deal in that it takes only about 3.5 hours. It is sort of scary to land at the George Bush Intercontinental Airport (Intercontinental?!) especially when you come across the life-size statue of the former president. However, it is actually a decent, modern place, and I can't really complain too much. We arrived very early in the morning, and spent about three hours mooching around before boarding our next flight to San Jose. Again, the flight was only about 3.5 hours, and before you know it, you're there in Costa Rica!

San Jose is, well, a city. It is not particularly lovely or exciting as far as we could tell. We did get a certain thrill from driving on the Pan-American Highway (Alaska to Chile), but otherwise there isn't much to tell. We did get to stay in a very nice, historic hotel, Grana del Oro which means "golden grain" this refers to the huge importance of coffee in years past. The best part about the hotel was the restaurant which featured an open central courtyard and the most incredible stained-glass windows. Granted, the food was more French than Costa Rican, but we still enjoyed dinner very much.