[PUNTARENAS] Budget and Itinerary

FRIDAY: 22 October 2021

Transportes Jaco (San José - Jacó) - 2,475.00

Airbnb (3 Nights) - 73,107.62

KFC (Chicken Popcorn w/ Fries + Coke) - 4,400.00

Rapid 24 Hours (Mineral Water) - 2,800.00

CRC82,782.62

[LIMÓN] Budget and Itinerary

MONDAY: 18 October 2021

Bus MEPE (San José - Puerto Viejo de Talamanca) - 5,995.00

Airbnb (3 Nights) - 98,286.00

Hot Rocks (Steak + Pizza + Coke + Water) - 15,529.00

Taxi (Downtown - Playa Negra) -  6,000.00

CRC125,810.00

[LIMÓN] Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge

There are two prominent national parks in Limón along Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast: Cahuita and Manzanillo. You will reach Cahuita first coming from San José, while Manzanillo is farther to the northeast almost at the border of Panamá. I wanted to visit both but alas, after many days of long-distance bus travels and sleep deprivation, my body suddenly demanded that I pay some sleep debt or else. And so I had to give up one national park and decided to go to Manzanillo instead.

[SAN JOSÉ] Budget and Itinerary

THURSDAY: 14 October 2021

Avianca (Toronto - San Salvador - San José) - 154,573.80

Airbnb (4 Nights) - 126,625.00

Taxi (Airport - Bambú Rivera) - 14,500.00

CRC295,698.80

[CARTAGO] Budget and Itinerary

SUNDAY: 17 October 2021

Bus Metropoli (San José - Irazú Crater) - 2,350.00

Irazú Crater Park (Admission) - 10,710.71

Bus Metropoli (Irazú Crater - Cartago) - 1,305.00

Lumaca (Cartago - San José) - 595.00

CRC14,960.70

Estimate of CRC100 = PhP8.00

TOTAL – PhP1,196.86

[CARTAGO] Mount Foggy Foggy

So, you want to go to Cartago to see Irazú's lovely volcano’s crater? Based on numerous anecdotes from those who have already visited, you are bound to end up with either of these two views: lovely blue water or fog. What I find weird is that I found neither one. Instead, what I saw there was an arid crater, as it should be, with neither water nor fog. It was just a dry crater, pretty much like what you would probably see on the moon or on the face of your dermatologically challenged friend. No water. No fog. Just a huge hole.

[SAN JOSÉ] Just How Pura Is the Vida?

If we are talking about the laidback vibe, then the vida is indeed pura here in San José. I can’t put a finger on it. You just feel it, how chill the city and the people all seem to be. But that doesn’t mean that I love the city. In fact, if I were to rank the capital cities I’ve been to in Central America so far, SJO will rank low, a bit above San Salvador and probably tied with Guatemala and Panamá. So, what’s the deal, then? I see myself residing here. I mean if I were to find a studio at Bambú Rivera where my Airbnb was, then by all means, go. But as a tourist destination? The vibe is very Manila. The city, not the metro.

No Time to Die

♣♣♣♣/♣♣♣♣♣

After years of being together, what James Bond (Daniel Craig) perceives as a betrayal ends his relationship with Madeleine Swann (Léa Seydoux). Retiring altogether from the service, he lives a quiet life in the Caribbean trying to move on with his life, but the arrival of a new threat perpetrated by the very organization he used to support lures him out of hiding. He soon discovers that the 007 number has not been retired at all, but rather given to eager newbie Nomi (Lashana Lynch), who is immediately at loggerheads with her predecessor. After some manipulations here and there, all paths lead to a new face, that of Lyutsifer Safin (Rami Malek), a ghost from Swann’s past whose vengeance has evolved from personal vendetta to global anarchy, reverse-engineering a nanobot-based weapon that can target any programmed DNA. Plunging back into the chaos he left behind, Bond must function as part of a team to save the world, perhaps for the very last time.