Wednesday, March 6, 2013

San Isidro de El General: Pura Vida!

We arrived in San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica, and went straight to the Musoc bus station to get to San Isidro (Perez Zeledon).  After about 3 and a half hours in the dense fog of the mountain pass, we made it to Perez, and were dropped off at the Musoc station downtown.  We had no cell phone, only a number, and a local was kind enough to let us borrow his cellphone to call my friend Terry.  Terry, a California native, who grew up in Costa Rica, since about age 7, is the one who originally introduced me to this beautiful country.  We met, while he spent a summer working in the states, and visiting his grandmother.  When he left California, he told me I had a place to stay if I ever felt like venturing south...The rest is history, and this trip is my third time visiting Costa Rica.

Terry and Gabby arrived in an old Mercedes Benz SUV, which looked like a tank.  We stopped at the local supermarket, and picked up beers, wine, and a whole chicken.  We then drove up the mountain to their house, where we proceeded to stay for almost 2 weeks, camping in the yard, under the overhang.  That night, Terry roasted the chicken on a tin can in the oven, with the can filled with spices and water, so that the steam rose, into the chicken while cooking, with the result of 2 hungry travelers being served an amazing meal of some of the tenderest, most delicious chicken ever!

San Isidro is an awesome town.  I'd say the population is around 200,000, so it's not huge, but there's everything you might need.  There's an amazing farmer's market ("Feria"), downtown, I believe 2 days a week, and I think it's Monday and Thursday, but don't quote me on that...It's the best, and biggest farmer's market I've ever seen!  There's everything from the freshest tropical fruits and veggies, to fresh meats and seafood.  We went there 2 times during our stay in San Isidro, and ate very well.

We were sort of secluded for our almost two weeks with Terry and Gabby at their house in the hills, so we ended up playing quite a bit of music there as well.


Our friends

Farmer's Market in San Isidro

Downtown San Isidro

Jammin' at Terry's house

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