"But you can call me Speedy..." and other musings from my first day in Costa Rica

As most of the world knows, there was a 6.1 earthquake in San Jose, Costa Rica yesterday. It happened about 5 minutes after my plane landed, and about 30 seconds after I set foot into the airport. Aside from the fallen ceiling tiles and the power outage and some random hysterical people in the airport, it was not a bad way to start off my adventure in Central America.

Immigration was a bit odd (I didn't have a pen, so they took my passport until I could find one...), and customs was altogether the easiest I've ever experienced. It was no time at all until I was safely with my hostess, and we set off for Ciudad de Colon.

The rest of the day was very laid back. We drank batidos, did some grocery shopping, took naps, and made dinner. The evening was spent eating an awesome dinner (coconut curry), drinking wine, and chilling with other people that live in the building.

Today started relatively early by most standards, but I have to admit that it was pretty easy to wake up knowing that the day would be filled with coffee. We had breakfast and then set out to the Britt coffee plant in Heredia. Our driver for the day was "Jorge Gonzales," but he quickly advised us that we could call him "Speedy." He was quite the comedian, which should have tipped us off for overall atmosphere of the coffee plant. :) The Coffee tour was a little campy and done by actors, but very informative. And the silly was kind of ok too. We chose the "coffee lovers" option, which meant that we also got lunch, visted the wet mill where coffee is processed, got lunch, and were treated to some awesome coffee drinks. I learned how to froth milk in my french press, and how to make a cappuchnio at home without an espresso machine. The hot chocolate was amazing too. Between the two of us, we bought 3 tins of it. Amaretto, regular, and caramel.

The other folks on the tour were pretty fantastic too. There were two women from the Bahamas who wore extra layers because they were cold. I was in awe of how someone could be cold in COSTA RICA, but they were also very nice. We chatted with them for most of lunch, which was really nice. It's always good to meet new people. There was an Italian from Switzarland, and a couple from Texas too.

After the end of the tour and mucho shopping, we headed back to the apartment, which is where we are now. Tonight promises to be full of more wine, pizza, and maybe dancing. Tomorrow, Rainforests. I can't wait!

Photos uploading coming soon.