From the highs of Baldi hot springs to the gritty concrete jungle of San Jose: back to reality. Our bus arrived in a fairly dodgy area of the city, so we made a 20 minute dash on foot to the downtown area, where we discovered a beautiful old guesthouse. High ceilings, wooden floorboards with decorative tiles, king-sized beds, thick curtains - it felt like we were staying in someone's grandparent's house. Although the area was classified as "downtown", it felt as though we were out in the suburbs. No skyscrapers or tall buildings, a handful of shops and restaurants scattered about, little traffic - it had a comforting homely feel to it.

 

We spent one day exploring the city and all its offerings. Here's where we went:

• Museum of Contemporary Art and Design. Fairly small, modern building, not overly appealing but the videos delving into the lives of people living in foreign countries were worth watching.

• Brewery. If there was a brewery in town, Danny knew about it and it was on the top of his list. He restrained himself and only bought the tasting panel.

• Lunch at a cafe that offered salads with soy ham. I don't remember ever having soy ham before. It was so-so.

• Pedestrian mall. I found a replacement to my broken sunglasses.

• Central market. Tame, average size, nothing notable.

• A walk past the usual plazas, cathedral, theatre.

• Another brewery. This one offered cider, so I didn't complain as much about going there. 

• Parque la Sabana. Nothing to write home about.

• Costa Rican Museum of Art. Housed in a tiny, old airport terminal, which was cool. Small rooms peeled off in all directions, each displaying a decade's worth of art, plus several rooms exhibiting miniature paintings. Much better than the contemporary art museum.

• Awesome Thai food for dinner.