Leaving Manuel Antonio was brutally hard. We agree that it was one of the best places on Earth, and leaving is like leaving paradise. Poolside drinks, perfect temperature swimming pools, stunning ocean views and monkeys galore are just some of the reasons Manuel Antonio and Hotel Parador are amazing.
This vulture was perched outside our room when we returned from breakfast to finish packing. We were in awe ... but our bellman didn't seem so impressed when we pointed him out:
We flew a twin propeller plane for 20 minutes to the capital city of San Jose. The flight was a little scary and stomach dropping, and I had wobbly knees for about an hour after we arrived. It was a great birds-eye view of the country, though. We knew we’d be safe, though, cause our captain was scheduled to get married later that day!
Airfield at Quepos:
Yes, I am hanging on with a death grip:
We were thrilled to see Fernando once again was our driver. He had become a very familiar, trustworthy face and his help and information and kindness were much appreciated. He took us to the Best Western Irazu in San Jose, about seven kilometer from the airport and right outside of downtown. He was kind enough to wait while we checked in and then drive us to the city center for some shopping.
For about an hour, San Jose was fine. We did some souvenir shopping and walked the main boulevard – a crowded pedestrian street lined with shops. Within blocks, though, it became apparent that all the shops were basically the same: hoochie-mama clothes, brand name labels and electronics. The stores are blasted music and it was like shopping the garmet district in Downtown Los Angeles – but way more Spanish. On the street, people were selling things like pirated DVD’s, Dove soap and toys, and they were yelling the whole time at the crowds.
We found ourselves growing tired, frustrated and agitated … the Zen was slipping away and we hated it. We decided to find a Peruvian restaurant, Machu Pichu, that Fernando and Lonely Planet both recommended. It was about a 20 block walk that took us briefly into an awful and scary part of town. But we found it, and the tenderloin saltado and the service were worth it.
We took a short taxi ride back to the hotel and ventured out to a couple souvenir shops and a nearby grocery store before returning to the room (which we had to switch twice due to a very stinky plumbing problem plaguing some of the rooms on our floor). I read, we re-packed, Kevin loaded photos and we watched an awful Lifetime made-for-TV movie before finally deciding we better get to sleep for our early morning around 10:30 p.m. We set the alarms for 3:20 a.m. and went to sleep.
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