Livin' the Dream: San Jose, Costa Rica (13 Dec 2009

Prologue

This trip was almost over before it even began. Even though I arrived at Dulles International Airport over an hour before my flight departed (at 5 a.m., no less!), I was unable to check in on time due to the large number of idiots in front of me that were checking an equally large number of items. The agents at the gate were having difficulty dealing with the items, which were not actually luggage—the items ranged from tricycles and car seats to large, unsealed cardboard boxes with half their contents spilling out. The area in front of the ticket counter was littered with this motley assortment of junk, and it literally appeared as if Continental Airlines was conducting a yard sale. Long story short, by the time the agents had dealt with the idiots in line ahead of me, it was already too late for me to check in.

The Continental agents that I spoke to, both in person and over the phone, were entirely unhelpful and refused to admit any fault. I was given only two options: (1) pay a fare differential of $1,200 and catch the next flight departing that same afternoon (there were only first class seats remaining on that particular flight), or (2) wait until December 31 for the next available flight with vacant coach seats, subject to a $300 ticket-change fee. Both options were obviously unsatisfactory, but my attempts to reason with the Continental agents proved to be frustrating and futile. To Hell with Continental, I decided, and began to pursue alternative strategies (and airlines). Fortunately, I was able to purchase new roundtrip airfare to San Jose on United Airlines—at a fair price and, more importantly, departing that same afternoon.

San Jose

There is not much to write about San Jose. The city has no flair, no local flavor or distinctiveness. The Parque Central is the least attractive that I have seen throughout all of my travels. The Plaza de la Cultura should probably be renamed, since it is flanked on all sides by every foreign fast-food establishment imaginable, including one of the largest and busiest McDonald's that I have ever seen. The busy Avenida Central is noteworthy only for the ridiculous number of shoe stores located there. The Mercado Central is the tamest and, consequently, the most boring that I have ever been to. The architecture is bland and uninteresting. My photos of the Teatro Nacional, considered to be San Jose's most impressive public building, are unimpressive and not even worth posting here.

My recommendation to travelers passing through San Jose is simple: find a place to crash for the night (I highly recommend Hostel Pangea) and catch the next bus or flight out of there.