(Opera San Jose)
Even though I really only had one free day in Costa Rica I really wanted to go up to Monteverde. I wanted to do the canopy tour and go zip lining. Unfortunately with it being off season in September and it being about a five hour drive I wasn’t able to make it happen this trip. Excuse to go back? What I was able to fit in with the season and my time frame was a day tour just outside of San Jose. My pick up was at 5:55 am (rough I know) and we went to Doka Estate, Poás Volcano, and La Paz Waterfall and then I was dropped back off at my hotel by 5 pm. Long day but it was a great way to see a little more and not have to navigate myself.
When the fog cleared you could see in the crater.
We stopped on the side of the road to try queso palmita which is a salty soft farm cheese and strawberries.
At the waterfall there is a facility that has rescued Costa Rican wildlife and we got to check them out! Toucan Sam is pictured below.
After getting back to my hotel I walked down the pedestrian mall, which was right behind my hotel, to the Mercado Central. This market is great and has lots of shops; from food to touristy places you can find it all.
For dinner I met a coworker in Barrio Escalante and had dinner at El Patio then headed over to the Costa Rica Beer Factory for a drink. That area is really cool and I would highly suggest it if you ever visit. Another restaurant we went to the previous night was Cafe Mundo. The food didn’t blow me out of the water but it was an old colonial house which was pretty neat.
Pura Vida—as you will hear all the time if you visit!