I’ve now been in San Jose for two full days, and it’s been an amazing experience so far. After arriving, I took an Uber to the hostel and got my first glimpse of the city at night, as well as the light-covered surrounding mountains, on the way. Upon getting to the Selina hostel, I was struck by how cool the atmosphere there was. It was bustling with travelers from all over with a wide variety of backgrounds, and everyone was extremely friendly and welcoming. The main lobby contained a beautiful dining area, and the building also had lots of hidden reading nooks and a rooftop with a great view of the city. That night, after briefly exploring Selina and getting settled in, I pretty quickly passed out.
The next morning, I woke up and ate a fantastic breakfast at the hostel – the coconut smoothie bowl hit the spot in the morning heat. Then, we walked to the Saturday market, which was unlike anything I’ve experienced before. I absolutely love farmer’s markets, and this one was by far the biggest I’d seen. There were so many varieties of fruit and produce, many of which I’d never seen before, and avocados and bananas bigger than I knew was possible. I didn’t end up buying anything due to being a bit overwhelmed by the sheer size, bustling atmosphere, and endless choices, but I very much would like to go back next week.
One of many parks in the city
That day, we also got to explore the city, try out an amazing café, and stop by a local grocery store to pick up some snacks and ingredients for dinner. One thing I found very cool about the city as we were wandering through it was how the area around the hostel felt almost like it was in a jungle; there were so many trees and parks and so much green space. However, the minute we walked a few blocks over, we were in the middle of a busy, bustling, and lively urban atmosphere. At night, we relaxed in the hostel and my roommates and I cooked up a gourmet dinner of pasta with pesto sauce and sauteed veggies while chatting with some other people staying at the hostel.
View from the Starbucks Coffee Plantation
Today, after breakfast, we went on a tour at a Starbucks coffee plantation, which I was super excited about as a huge Starbucks fanatic (ask anyone close to me and they’ll tell you I spend WAY too much money there). The plantation was beautiful and I learned so much about coffee production. Plus, I got to get my daily coffee fix from a drink made with beans from the plantation. I had plenty of time to sip the drink, as getting an Uber back was extremely challenging, but allowed for some great group bonding (as we had to cram as many of us as we could into the back of a car). By the time we’d made it to the Hostel, we were all ravenous, and stopped by a local German pub. I admittedly had low expectations for a German bar in Costa Rica, but was very pleasantly surprised by my fish tacos!
I can’t wait to see more of what Costa Rica has to offer in the week I’m spending here, as well as to start the Needs Finding Workshop tomorrow. This week is definitely going to be busy, but also definitely exciting.
Cohort bonding in the back of an Uber!