San Jose...who would've known

I have one week left in San Jose. But before I leave, I'd like to share some random observations about the city.

1. I have seen more blind people here than I ever have in my life. Everyday that I am in the center/downtown area, I see at LEAST 3 (but sometimes up to 5) blind people navigating their way around San Jose by themselves. It is utterly amazing that they can get around. First of all, the city is crowded all the time. Secondly, the side walks are uneven and the gutters are at least a foot deep. This means you have to take a leap in order to get from the sidewalk onto solid ground. Third, and most importantly, the traffic is ridiculous. It is life threatening to cross the street even with two eyes and young agile legs to sprint across to avoid getting smashed like a bug. There are very FEW cross walks/lights for pedestrians. It's Frogger, only you don't get extra lives. Lastly, the city is super loud, so being able to sift through all the sounds in order to hear what they need is quite difficult. Yet San Jose seems to be a mecca for the blind. And as far as I have observed they have no trouble navigating.

2. (Speaking of sounds) America's constitution should actually say all men have the right to "life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, and quiet." Because in the US people feel entitled to their silence and there are even laws (ex 'disturbing the peace') that prohibit intruding upon other peoples silence. The idea that someone has jurisdiction over sound is laughable in San Jose (as it was in Brazil too). The traffic doesn't surprise me, nor the horns, and even the car alarms that go off daily are only to be expected. But the wind...it is unbelievable. My ears ring with the sound of the wind whipping around our house. It shakes the skylight and makes it sound like thunder. And it never stops!

3. Speaking of weather, San Jose in January is decently cold (considering we ARE in the tropics). The wind, obviously, keeps the temperature down, and makes jackets a must. But the most peculiar weather is this week we have had sunny blue skies and rain all day. Yes, at the SAME time. With the wind you begin to doubt if the wet precipitation that keeps your cheeks wet is coming from the sky at all. You look up and there is not a cloud in sight, in fact, if the wind and rain stopped it would be quiet warm. Yet somehow you are getting misted by water...Needless to say, we have seen some AMAZING rainbows. But their quotidian appearance, has begun to jade their magic. However this one this afternoon was SOOO big I just had to snap a picture from the bus window


4. People sell the most random things on the street. This in itself doesn't surprise me, but what does is that while the wares are eclectic, they are not vary diverse. That is to say, other than food, street vendors seem to sell one of four things: Socks, pencils, DVDs, or lottery tickets.

5. Costa Rican children LOVE pigeons. There are a number of plazas to which hundreds of pigeons flock. Nothing fills a child with more joy that to go running after the pigeons. They stretch their arms in an attempt to capture, and shriek with joy when they fly away.

Here are some photos of some other things we have done in and around San Jose:


The San Jose Opera House. I am very sad we are not going to be around for opera season, I really wanted to see one!


Tree-Huggin' in Costa Rica