Adventures in Central America: San Jose, Costa Rica

This morning we were up bright and early to cab to Panama City's Albrook (domestic) airport.  We had semi-arranged with our cabbie from the trip to the zoo and from Miraflores to meet us at Magnolia Hostel at 7:30, but I wasn't holding my breath, and indeed he was not there.  I had agreed to pay him $8 for the ride (having been told $10 was normal).  We walked a block down to the Plaza Mayor to find a cab there, and the first one I talked to told me he'd take us for $5.  I was too surprised to bargain.

Our flight was in an Air Panama Fokker 50 and the first leg took us to David, in western Panama.

There we had to go through immigration, and security again, and then re-board the same plane for another hour-or-so flight to San Jose, Costa Rica.

Costa Rica is an hour behind Panama, so we landed at more or less the same time we had taken off.  By the time we were through immigration and all that it was around noon.

The SJO airport is a fair distance from San Jose, but there's a bus that runs every five minutes and costs 535 colones, or about $1 US.  Figuring out which bus to take proved somewhat more difficult than I expected, but a man at the stop proved helpful and told me twice not to get on particular buses and then confirmed that the next one was the right one.  The bus took us about half an hour to get downtown.  We had been warned that there would be no room for luggage, which was true in the sense that there were no luggage racks, but not true in the sense that the bus was never more than half full.  So, if you have lots of luggage this is not a good option.  If you have a backpack or small suitcase, like us, the bus is a very cheap way to get to San Jose from the airport.

Once in San Jose it was a quick walk down the pedestrian street Av Central to our hotel, the Grand Hotel Costa Rica.

In 1930, the year it was built, I assume this hotel was among the best in Central America.  Even in the 1960s, President Kennedy stayed here when he visited Costa Rica.  But now it is a bit tired and run down.  It still manages to be a little classy, and the location is excellent, and, much to my surprise, the price is not bad.  We're paying $63 for our two-bed room, which looks like this.

There is even a breakfast buffet included, served in the fifth floor dining room which has lovely windows looking out over the square.

We were welcomed on the patio with a complimentary drink.

Once we checked in, we went for a walk, including a stop at this remarkable post office.

Later my brother relaxed at the hotel while I went to see the legislative assembly;

Museo Nacional;

and the National Theater.

Tomorrow we fly to Houston, and then on to Edmonton, where our adventure ends.