Semana 3

Graffiti on the half-built house at Miro Mountain

It has been getting harder to wake up at 6:30 every morning; however, this week was full of fun activities. On Tuesday, I ate lunch at a local Chinese restaurant. It was interesting to read a menu in half-Spanish and half-Chinese, and the food was a combination of Chinese and Costa Rican food. I had a dish similar to sweet and sour chicken, and it was delicious!

Entrance to the zoo

On Wednesday, we went to the zoo. In Costa Rica they are not called zoos; they are called rescue centers for the animals. The zoo was smaller than the ones that I have been to in the United States; however, there were many different types of birds and monkeys throughout the zoo. Other animals included sloths, mountain lions, turtles, parrots, emus, and other animals I do not know the name of because they do not exist in the United States. Below are some pictures I took of the animals:

Parrots

Crocodile

Emu

Monkey

Monkey

Inside of the Church

On Friday, my Spanish classed traveled to Cartago to see la La Basílica de Los Ángeles, a catholic church, and the Cartago market. The church was huge and beautiful, with many paintings and gold features. Underneath the church, there were displays of gifts, such as jewelry, medals, pictures, and pins, that people gave to the Virgin Mary. On August 2nd, thousands of people visit the church to pray and give thanks. After, we traveled to the market which had every kind of fruit, vegetable, meat, and fish that Costa Rica offers. I did not enjoy the market at all because the men selling the fruits and vegetables stared at Jess and I the entire time, constantly whistled at us, and made inappropriate comments. It is a part of the Costa Rican culture for men to whistle and yell at women, but I have never felt so uncomfortable in my life. I would never return to the market, and I do not recommend that any woman goes there. The market in San José is much different. The people are nice, I did not feel unsafe around them.

The Catholic Church

This past weekend, Jess and I went to Jaco for a relaxing beach weekend with our friend, Julie. It is a 2 hour bus ride from San José, and only costs around $5. We stayed at Croc's Casino Resort, a beautiful hotel on the beach and spent most of the weekend relaxing in the pools and in the ocean. We watched the surf competition at Playa Hermosa, a popular weekend event in Jaco. We also went out dancing Saturday night and had a great time. On Sunday, we took a jeep to the top of Miro Mountain, a mountain in Jaco that has a half-built mansion. The view from the top of the mountain was absolutely incredible, and it was interesting to see the different works of graffiti. Overall, this weekend was full of much needed relaxation and exploring more parts of the beautiful country of Costa Rica.

View from Miro Mountain

Sunset on the beach

The huge pools at Croc's Casino Resort