This morning, I'm up a half hour before my 6:00AM wake-up call...wander down to the office at the Quality Inn for coffee...a shower...pack things up and head for the airport shuttle.
I opt for curbside check-in...everything goes smoothly except that American Airlines adds a $40.00 "extra bag fee"...it could have been worse.
The line at Security is short, and they don't even look in my carry-on bag which is filled with electronics...camera, iPod, Garmin...and a million connectors and cords. My flight boards and leaves right on time...comfortable flight. Three hours later, I'm in Costa Rica. Immigration and Customs are quick and effortless...and, soon, I'm heading to my hotel by cab.
The hotel is nice and centrally located near plenty of restaurants, bars and shops. After checking in, my first job is to find an Ace Hardware store about six blocks from the hotel. They are supposed to have Coleman fuel that I can use to power my backpacking stove. After an hour of searching, I come to the unfortunate conclusion that the Ace Hardware is no longer at the address that I have...if it ever was.
Even on foot, navigation is a challenge...most streets lack signs and most buildings have no numbers. I will do better driving because I have downloaded a set of Costa Rica maps directly to my Garmin GPS...and, when I turn it on, it works!
Around 7:00PM, I walk to "Esquina de Buenos Aires" steakhouse. It is there that I am introduced to the local cane liquor, "Cacique"...very tasty and very lethal. I order beef carpaccio (excellent) and grilled rib steak (also excellent)...several drinks made with Cacique and juice...several glasses of wine.
After dinner, I find a bar near my hotel that just screams "DIVE"...perfect. Several hours then drinking the local beer ("Pilsener") while chatting up several lovely ladies with a keen "entrepenurial spirit".
Around midnight, I head back to my hotel for bed. I will pay for all of this tomorrow...I know that.
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