Costa Rica is an amazing place.San Jose is a bustling city,and in many ways has all the trappings of city life.Traffic jams are something you expect of most cities but there is a common collaborative goal to keep things moving.Coach drivers and reps readily get out of the comfort of a seat to keep things flowing and people readily accept minor holdups.

Heavy traffic in San Jose

Costa Rican people were very hospitable .Heraldo an amaing person

The Rainforest beckons

Barcelo San Jose 4* a very good hotel but the rooms allocated to us as short stay guests were noisy.

Staff were friendly and gardens beautiful. Food was buffet and average.Wildlife in the gardens was abundant and gave us a taste of what was to come.The trip provided an opportunity to see some of the places of interest in San Jose ,museums ,Parks,the opera house and many of the street vendors.

Street vendor San Jose

Notice narrow gauge railway line

Aztec infuenced jewelry

Jade

Bodies decomposed the re arrnged for a more compact burial

Museum gardens

As in a lot of cities graffti has its place in a modern society( click on pictures for more in formation).

Day 3 We travelled from SanJose to Tarcoles at the 3* Hotel Villa Lapas,The coach journey was really interesting coming out of the city to the outskirts of the Rainforest. As we approached Villa Lapaz we had to cross the Tarcoles river on a very busy bridge to take in the wildlife .Which was fantastic.

Plenty of rubbish on this part of the rver

Tarcoles river

American crocodiles

Wood storks and a flock of Black bellied whistling ducks

Great tailed grackle male and female

Crocs lying in the sun the numbers are there waiting for food from tourists

Black necked stilt

Close up

They look fairly sociable

whistling ducks and heron

Snowy egret

Rainforest is close

We arrive at Villa in a private reserve.to be continued.