After a excellent supper at Buena Vista Hotel and a good night sleep I woke up with the first daylight at 5:30 a.m. Considering that that there are two hours difference Between Costa Rica and Florida I was well rested. I started my day stretching out in the garden overlooking a beautiful valley. Buena Vista Hotel lives up to its name, since the view is really charming. In addition, the birds were chirping and a family of birds were building a nest in the palm tree just above my head . The nature in Costa Rica is really beautiful.

As the Study Abroad group was ready to leave the hotel we were met by a group of middle school children dressed in traditional colorful costumes. We were then treated to the local folk dancing right in the lobby of the hotel. The dance was so charming and surprising that it was a highlight of my day.

The first  planned activity of the day was a visit to the Chamber of Costa Rica in San Jose. The visit was very informative as the young representative of the chamber talked about the success of Costa Rican economy, mainly due to the stable government, exemption of taxes for newly formed foreign companies and free trade agreements with the rest of the world. Such advantage make Costa Rica favorable destination for expansion of many countries.

While in town we visited a local restaurant Papa Pez and enjoyed a splendid lunch to digest the new information we acquired at the chamber of commerce. The restaurant is in close vicinity of the Chamber in a quaint quarter filled with shops, restaurants, tiny streets and squares. The roofs of the buildings were covered with large orange tiles, which I promptly photographed.  The whole quarter was fenced off like all the houses and buildings here with bar like fences. The security is important as we learned that the crime is mostly drug related.

And finally to conclude the day’s business we visited Walmart. The only difference to the stores in US is that the parking lot is fenced off, secured and patrolled by a guard. Each vehicle is given a free parking token, which has to be returned on the way out. Obviously the packaging is in Spanish and the store caters to local food tastes and customs. It is convenient that one can pay in $US, but change is given in Colones.

Our first day as a group was certainly fascinating and informative. I was glad I could constantly practice my Spanish, which is needed in remote places. I am glad that I can communicate the basics and understand the locals better. I am eagerly awaiting the events of the rest of the trip.