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The weather in Connecticut was cold and dreary and work was mentally exhausting. I needed an escape and an attractive fare and the promise of warm weather was all I needed to push me out of my comfort zone. I had never been to Costa Rica before and none of my friends either wanted to go or could get away. What the he'll I figured, I could go it alone. Of course life is never easy and my plane flight was cancelled because of bad weather, after we boarded. The next day I finally took off. A layover in Baltimore and a large cup of Pinkberry, they closed all of their locations in Connecticut, and I was on my way into a vacation mindset. The plane landed in San Jose at night so I couldn't see much of the country as i rode to the hotel, but it was 80+ degrees and I was happy. The next day I was out exploring. San Jose is a rather gritty city but the weather was great and I was away from my headaches. I wandered around the city exploring. Now I'm not totally crazy and I had done my homework. San Jose can be as dangerous a city as most so I was careful where I went. Pick pockets are common so take reasonable precautions and don't flash money or wear jewelry. As long as it was daylight and I stayed in areas with plenty of people I was fine. The second day I was out eating lunch at a little local cafeteria style restaurant when I made friends with an old American retired army sergeant who was living in San Jose. I now had a local friend who could show me the city. Quite the character my new friend knew the underbelly of San Jose. From dive bars where working girls would saddle up next to you to the best cheap eats around. At one point my friend decided he needed a part for a fan and we ended up finding a little run down electronics store that I'd bet my lunch money on was an undercover operation for one of our governmental agencies. The guy was friendly though and more than helpful. My friend even got the part he needed for free. I wish our government was that helpful back home. Prices in Costa Rica are cheap by American standards. Mind you the better hotels will hit your pocket where they can and to be truthful i had booked one of the nicer hotels in town. Just because i was exploring the city's underside didn't mean i was going to sleep with roaches, and they have big ones down there. You can eat well as even steak is reasonably priced. The people are friendly and lots of people speak English. San Jose has some touristy spots and museums although i shied away from them. I like to get a feel for the country and the people. The people are poor by American standards and they work hard but appear to be happy. I San Jose was a cool adventure although most tourists go to the west coast of Costa Rica where the fancy beach resorts are and closer to the tropical rain forests. Well perhaps that's where I'll visit when I go back to Costa Rica. If I had a great time in San Jose i can only imagine how much fun I'll have in the rest of the country. One important thing to remember, I found out the hard way (ouch) Costa Rica is close to the equator. The sun is not just hot, it is dangerous. One day I decided to sit out for just an hour so I figured what the heck i don't need sunscreen. Big Mistake! I still have the freckles on my face reminding me that I'm not as bright as I thought I was. Traveling is an awesome mind expanding experience. The world is filled with amazing sites, but perhaps the most important thing traveling gives you is it gives you a chance to make a connection with other people and cultures. We have our differences but our similarities are amazing. Safe travels.