Just a plane ride away!

After a teary goodbye to family, friends, and beloved pets, we flew from Seatac to Chicago and then, following a brief lay-over, continued on to the Juan Santamaria International Airport in Costa Rica in Alajuela Province (outside of San Jose). This airport serves the Central Valley region, which is the area we have elected to focus our first series of stays, and is named after a local hero from the province. The flight was uneventful and both we and our baggage arrived tired, but timely, without incident. We took a taxi to our first AirBnB destination, Casa Mariposa (Butterfly House) and after a few false starts, identified the correct lock box.

The facilities were what we had expected, functional for the short three-day stay we had planned for acclimation purposes. A minimal walk down the street took us to a variety of the “sodas,” the small, local, mom-and-pop Costa Rican open-air restaurants generally serving traditional foods. For our first lunch, we ordered a Costa Rican staple at the Soda y Café Estríoral, Casado con pescado, white fish served with spices and vegetables, with rice and beans and a side salad. The pesto topped off the salad to complete our introduction to one of the best fish preparations I have had in my life! With an equally delectable plantain, the meal was so fresh, so light, and served by the delightful shop owner, Jorge. Casado literally means “married,” referencing the origins as a meal packed by wives and sent with their husbands who worked the fields. It was so good, I returned the next day for another helping!

Sitting at the cafe gave us a view of the neigborhood. The Universidad Ténica Nacional sat directly across the street from the café, adding to the growing number of people lunching at our Soda and the other nearby eateries. Despite the traffic, the street was heavily traversed by pedestrians, motorcycles, scooters, even a few bicycles. Navigating the sidewalks and roads has its challenges as the infrastructure has not kept pace with economic growth. But the narrow roads, crumbling sidewalks, and potholes doesn’t seem to deter travelers, and with a little extra mindfulness, we enjoyed walking around the neighborhood.  The pictures below does not do justice to the green mountains rising in the distance.

Of course, my interest in the wildlife was rewarded almost immediately. I was alerted by an interesting bird-call, tock-tock-whee, which I have still been unable to identify despite my best armchair research. However, two native birds greeted me in the morning; the Clay-colored Thrush, the national bird, and the Great-tailed Grackle danced on the street in front of the tiny porch attached to our accommodation. I tried to snap a few shots before they flew away. However, by the time I had retrieved my phone and swung open the gated entry, they had flown to safety. Here are some pics captured by others.

New foliage is always a favorite of mine and I delighted to spy a fushia Cordyline fruticosa. Also known as the ti plant, palm lily, and cabbage palm, it is an ornamental tropical which grows in shades of green, red, purple and pink.

Eating occupied our first few days as we swept past the sodas and cafés. The “pastelillos” are a local traditional and famous pastry, similar to a savory empanada, filled with chicken and potato, most common, or beef. Though not something my gluten intolerance would normally allow me to have, I did eat one with potato and it was reminiscent of the Natchitoches meat pie (Louisiana).

We were delightfully surprised when we ventured to a local pizza shop, El Break: Urban Food. While waiting for a vegetarian pizza, our AirBnB host, Jors, recognized me from my picture on our reservation application. His brother owns the pizzeria and Jors was there assisting. Jors ambled over and we exchanged a delightful conversation about our stay. And, of course, this required a photo of us. We thanked him for our accomodations and we enjoyed the pizza afterwards.

After 3 nights in Alajuela, we felt more grounded and ready to travel to our next destination, Cartago.