Woke up to my alarms in a comfortable bed at the Hotel 1915 in Alajuela, Costa Rica. I had been unable to get a WiFi connection last night when I checked in but it was working now so I let Rhea, and my FB friends, know that I had arrived safely.
I was very sleepy. This was to continue all day, but I didn't know that. I pulled on some clothes without showering first and ventured out into the lobby in search of coffee. I found three strangers sitting in the sun-filled lobby. I sat down and learned their names and drank coffee, strong and back and tasty. Then another cup and some water before ordering breakfast tipico (eggs, rice, beans, cheese, fruit).
After breakfast, I showered and set out with my new friends to explore Alajuela. Street view of the Hotel 1915. I had arrived at night and so not really seen it:
We walked a block to the Central Plaza. Filled with tall trees (Mango?) and many people:
There was even a club of Harley enthusiasts:
We walked to the Cathedral and peered in at mass, in progress. We posed for a touristy photo out front:
(No, we are not that fat. Somehow the blog is stretching the image.)
We left the cathedral and continued our stroll through town, admiring the scene:
The main event in Alajuela was a big football match with Uruguay. Local fans were out in force:
They were pouring into the local stadium:
We instead found a local amateur league football game:
which we watched instead:
We found a nice restaurant for lunch:
and of course ordered coffee:
Despite this, I was tired. I left the three amigos and walked back to the Hotel. I took a nap until 4 pm, when our first lecture began. We did introductions in the lobby while drinking coffee and nibbling pastries. Our first lecture was on the history of Monteverde: preservation and ecotourism development.
Dinner was a lovely buffet at 7 pm. We chatted after, then went to bed. No internet. Slept well.
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