the bus was leaving monteverde at 6h30 am, which made it possible to reach San Jose early afternoon. i walked through the city, snaped som pics and droped my luggage at a cheerful youth hostel. i then took a local bus to a smaller town and from then on, another bus to an even smaller town. i was once more looking for a coffee farm, in San Rafael. although i couldn t find the farm itself, i did end up meeting the owner of the farm, which, for a first on my trip, happened to be a total old gerk. i went to a local coffee-coop and met a much more welcoming crew.

one advantage of being in a major city is that you finally get some variety, food-wise at least. san jose was by far the most city-like of the capital i had visited in central america. i could have been, actually, in any other south-u.s. major city. louis and i hited a fine indian restaurant that evening, which was quite refreshing (inspite of the spicyness !). we had a cool white wine (italian pinot griggio) to wash the meal down, and a surprisingly authentic masala chai tea.
it was only fair that we treated ourselves with some exotic food, as we were preparing for a full day of commuting to get into panama, early morning on the next day.