For the first weekend, a group of us took a bus to Puntarenas, a small, dirty beach town on the central Pacific only about 1.5 hrs from the capital – very reminiscent of Ocean City, NJ. Only when we returned to San Jose did we learn there had been a major drug bust in the town that day along – not too surprising considering the people we met and observed during the day trip (esp. the deranged drunk man with blood dripping from his mouth while he proceeded to lick his arms and mumble nothings to us). Regardless it was a nice day at the beach.
Sunday we head out of the city again to Poás Volcano National Park. In general, whenever we are going anywhere, we meet in front of the National Theater. The Teatro Nacional is one of the grandest, ornate, and most beautiful opera houses/theatres/ ballrooms/ classical buildings in all of Latin America and the world. The theatre was built in the 1890s when only 19,000 people lived in San José (today there are 1.7 million in the metropolitan area) and was constructed entirely on the funds of the coffee oligarchy - the wealth of a few Europeans exploiting Costa Rica's multitude and high quality coffee plantations. The theater is heavily subsidized by the government to make sure all citizens have an opportunity to experience world class art and culture in the capital - e.g. a few times a week there are hour long lunch performances for only about a dollar. The National Theater is adorned with marble staircases, gold leaf everywhere, gorgeous marble and gold statues, and beautiful murals on the walls and ceilings - including the only elliptical painting in all of Latin America (so the eyes and images follow you throughout the room). In addition, the entire lower seating section has the ability to be raised to stage level, via giant screw, and the seats can be remove. So many nights throughout the year foreign dignitaries and important leaders hold soirees and such (the previous night the Japanese Royal Family held an event in the theatre. So we eventually made it to Poás...
The active volcano stands about ~2500 m and stands shrouded in a beautiful mist which can turn to light rain. It’s a typical spot to go and picnic for a day and relax at the caldera of the volcano and take a more relaxed hike (there were def. women in sandals, possibly heels, so that’s about the pace of the trails) through the park. All in all a real nice first week and weekend to get a feel for Costa Rica!
Sunday we head out of the city again to Poás Volcano National Park. In general, whenever we are going anywhere, we meet in front of the National Theater. The Teatro Nacional is one of the grandest, ornate, and most beautiful opera houses/theatres/ ballrooms/ classical buildings in all of Latin America and the world. The theatre was built in the 1890s when only 19,000 people lived in San José (today there are 1.7 million in the metropolitan area) and was constructed entirely on the funds of the coffee oligarchy - the wealth of a few Europeans exploiting Costa Rica's multitude and high quality coffee plantations. The theater is heavily subsidized by the government to make sure all citizens have an opportunity to experience world class art and culture in the capital - e.g. a few times a week there are hour long lunch performances for only about a dollar. The National Theater is adorned with marble staircases, gold leaf everywhere, gorgeous marble and gold statues, and beautiful murals on the walls and ceilings - including the only elliptical painting in all of Latin America (so the eyes and images follow you throughout the room). In addition, the entire lower seating section has the ability to be raised to stage level, via giant screw, and the seats can be remove. So many nights throughout the year foreign dignitaries and important leaders hold soirees and such (the previous night the Japanese Royal Family held an event in the theatre. So we eventually made it to Poás...
The active volcano stands about ~2500 m and stands shrouded in a beautiful mist which can turn to light rain. It’s a typical spot to go and picnic for a day and relax at the caldera of the volcano and take a more relaxed hike (there were def. women in sandals, possibly heels, so that’s about the pace of the trails) through the park. All in all a real nice first week and weekend to get a feel for Costa Rica!
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