Time is apparently not of the essence for me. It’s been near a month since i have returned from Costa Rica, but its still ingrained in my memory. With other trips and travels on the horizon I decided to finally sit down and get this one off my chest. You have to empty the jug to put more in I guess.
Costa Rica is a country of extremities. A place of constant change and movement, and that’s what makes it so intriguing. We began our trip were we usually do, at the office finishing up some project prior to our departure flight. This trip somewhat snuck up on us – not that we forgot that we were going, just everything seems to be taken care of for us – so kudos to our trip planning partners Costa Rica Nature Adventures / Pacuare Lodge. Actually kudos to the Pacuare Lodge for making this trip so incredibly wonderful.
We flew into San Jose during a rain storm and according to the locals and our cab driver it had been raining for days. Everywhere we looked there was a flurry of activity from the pummeling rain, to the annoyed travelers stuck outside, but what struck me the most was the barrage of cabbies and visitors standing outside the airport trying to get first pick of the tourist coming off the plane. So tip of the day – plan for your hotel to pick you up from the airport. If you can speak Spanish with ease and enjoy haggling your way through about 100 soaking wet cabbies, then go for it – but I much preferred a little white sign with my name on it.
As part of our trip we needed to spend one evening in San Jose, our journey to the Pacuare Lodge began at 6 am, so a comfy bed, a hot tub and a strong cocktail were our requirements for our evening lodging. We found them all at the Hotel Grano de Oro (or the Grain of Gold in english – and that it is my friends).
The hotel, an old tropical Victorian, breathed history. Grainy black and white photos lined the halls and around every corner you found a courtyard or a tiny fountain filling the air with sounds of rushing water. You could feel merchants from years past walk down the same halls, however I’m pretty sure they were not toting an Imperial beer in one hand, with the other hand desperately grasping for the waist-slipping towel on their way to the hot tub, but who knows. A juxtaposition in itself the exterior and lobby area was incredibly modern and slick, and fit into the old Victorian perfectly. Actually they played off each other quite well and gave the surrounding neighborhood a glimpse of a cultural and architectural revolution. As our exploration of the hotel came to a close and the night wore on, we lifted the windows and let the cool night breezes soothed us to sleep. I’m not sure what I dreamed or if i dreamed at all, but the next few days began one of the great adventures in my life and because of this I now know that I am a traveler by passion and trade.
Part 2 the Lodge is next…