Juan Santamaría

Above: Costa Rica's national hero, Juan Santamaría.

Tuesday 16th February 1988

I was up at 06:00 hrs busily copying out notes from the Lonely Planet “South America on a Shoestring” guide which Declan was taking back to the U.K. with him. We had breakfast and chatted to Sean, a young Canadian, as Declan sorted through his kit.

At 10:00 hrs. we left the hostel together to find the bus stop for buses to San José International Airport, or Juan Santamaría International Airport, Alajuela. This airport is the primary hub in Costa Rica and is located only about 1 mile away from the city of Alajuela, and just outside of downtown San José.

It is named after Costa Rica's national hero, Juan Santamaría, a drummer boy who died in 1856 defending his country against forces led by US-American filibuster William Walker.

The Lonely Planet book gave us a bum steer, but we found the yard where the buses left from at the end of Avenida 2, just past the big church on about Calle 14. There was a continuous queue and buses left just as soon as they were full. It cost Declan ₡ CRC 15 for a ticket to the airport and we shook hands and Declan departed.

Now I needed some money, so I changed up $70 U.S. dollars at the Banco Anglo Costarricense. Next stop was the Post Office for stamps, then it was back to the Youth Hostel for a much-needed shave and decontamination session.

I peeled off my filthy clothes, spattered with rain forest mud and dust from the road and plunged into an ice-cold shower. After a good scrub I emerged clean and fresh and cold, smelling of coal tar soap which I had bought in Puntarenas.

I wrote some postcards and then it was time to go to the dentist. The streets were busy, and the traffic was hooting furiously. I got to the dentist, nervous but glad to be getting treatment. The job was surprisingly quick and painless, and the dentist was friendly.

I emerged at 15:10 hrs. after paying ₡ CRC 750 for my dental treatment, but a lot happier for getting my filling replaced. I posted my cards and went back to the Youth Hostel to ponder what to do next now that I was a solo traveller.

There is only one flight a week from San José to Ecuador and it left at 15:00 hrs. on Tuesdays. I had decided to skip over Columbia and fly to Quito in Ecuador to continue my Latin American tour.

I ate a meal in the Youth Hostel, chewing tentatively with my new filling, but luckily it seemed to hold out. I went out into the city centre at 19:00 hrs. to try out some new bars which were recommended in the South American Handbook. I started off in Ye Pub which was familiar territory in which to start. It was dull drinking by myself, so I had one bottle of Imperial and moved on.

I couldn’t find Arturo’s Bar at the address which was given in the book, so I walked back towards the Youth Hostel to investigate a bar on Avenida 1, Calles 21-23 with the oversized name “El Quartel de la Boca del Monte”. This was very pleasant, with music, but expensive at ₡ CRC 60 for a beer.

I returned to the Youth Hostel and began chatting with Sean and before long a fiesta was going on in our room. Our amicable gardener supplied rum and coke and goaded the old American, calling him one minute “abuelo” (grandfather) and the next “hijo de puta” (son of a whore)!

The rum ran out and they sent a runner for some cane spirit. Ideal for cleaning paint brushes, guaro is a sugar cane-based liquor and is the best-selling distilled spirit in Costa Rica. It is known as "Costa Rican liqueur". As it has a neutral taste, guaro can be consumed pure or combined with any natural or artificial mixing.

The party went on until midnight with visiting locals and some Canadians who were here on a three-month exchange program. It was a great spontaneous evening, and a good time was had by all.