“Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir [one]’s blood” – Daniel H. Burnham.
We made it into as a San José last night around 9:30pm local time. Costa Rica is on central time but does not observe Daylight Savings so it is 2 hours behind Toronto. We grabbed a shuttle to the Hertz depot near the airport and after signing our life away, finally were on our way to the hotel by 10:30. After a 20 minute drive on a windy road through the city and up into he hills of Alajuela, we settled into our room at nearly 11pm. This was of course 1am Toronto time so exhaustion had set in for all. We climbed into our beds full of excitement for the first daylight views of a new country and the first full day of our adventure.
The next morning we awoke to the beauty of the valley laid out before us and of our colorful room. Xandari Resort sets the stage perfectly for this vibrant country, reflecting the warmth and vitality of its people and both the natural and urban spaces they live in. The walls and decor of the hotel are awash in colour and whimsical, playful designs which would have brought joy to our hearts on their own. No need though as we were bursting with the thrill of the beginning of our new and wonderful adventure.
After breakfast we went for a hike on the trails below the top of the ridge. Xandari Resort is set in the foothills of the Poás Volcano and offers stunning views southeastwards across the cities of Alajuela and San José towards the Talamanca mountains to the south. It was fascinating to watch the steady stream of planes landing and taking off from Juan Santamaria International Airport far down in the valley. While this is the largest urban centre of Costa Rica and its capital, San José only has a population of roughly 300,000 people. The bustle of the city nearby could not really be felt up on this ridge where the harmonious din of crickets and frogs mostly drowned out the very subtle hum of city noise rising up from below. On the trails we came across a series of waterfalls and a stand of very impressive bamboo.
This entry was posted in Central America, Costa Rica
