September 24, 2005 - All Aboard
Paul and I had arrived in San Jose a day and a half early for fear of hitting a delay and missing the boat. As a result, we had plenty of time to explore. This morning, we set out to visit the zoo that was only about four blocks from our hotel. 45 minutes of strolling later and we finally arrived. Apparently we took the “scenic route” which is almost always okay when you have a camera.
The zoo provided much mixed emotions. It held an impressive collection of local species. These were mostly proud beasts but humbled by their continued existence in small cages. Large cats paced back and forth, seemingly without purpose. I appreciated seeing these creatures up close…they were so beautiful. I believe that I gain appreciation for them from this type of encounter. But, it is a heavy price for them to pay for my enlightenment.
A highlight of my day was finding a Spanish translation of “The Little Prince”. It is a story that I have come to love and I have taken on the task of collecting translations from as many places as I can. It is clear from the number of languages that one can find this book that it has touched the lives of so many around the World. It also emphasizes for me that there are common threads that bind cultures that may appear to have no similarities.
We are now on the Okeanos Aggressor. The trip to this point has not been an expedient one. After meeting our fellow clan-members, we embarked on a bus ride that took us over mountain passes. The passage was narrow and therefore very slow. None-the-less, we arrived in Puntarenas while the tide was still high enough. The people who have come to share this diving experience hale from around the World…Italy, Japan, Costa Rica, and States from every region of the lower 48. Stories from past adventures were shared quickly and hopefully we will have common ones in a few days.
I also was introduced to Guaro which is distilled from sugar cane. I was instructed to drink it with orange juice but that would have masked the taste. The taste was not unlike a mild Vodka but I was assured that the effect would be no milder. With lemonade, it was down-right tasty. This will require a bit of discipline. I suppose Guaro is to Costa Rica as Grappa was to Italy. A nation’s form of distilled spirits is so much tied to its culture. Because of that, it is an important aspect to explore. Now,was that convincing?
The zoo provided much mixed emotions. It held an impressive collection of local species. These were mostly proud beasts but humbled by their continued existence in small cages. Large cats paced back and forth, seemingly without purpose. I appreciated seeing these creatures up close…they were so beautiful. I believe that I gain appreciation for them from this type of encounter. But, it is a heavy price for them to pay for my enlightenment.
A highlight of my day was finding a Spanish translation of “The Little Prince”. It is a story that I have come to love and I have taken on the task of collecting translations from as many places as I can. It is clear from the number of languages that one can find this book that it has touched the lives of so many around the World. It also emphasizes for me that there are common threads that bind cultures that may appear to have no similarities.
We are now on the Okeanos Aggressor. The trip to this point has not been an expedient one. After meeting our fellow clan-members, we embarked on a bus ride that took us over mountain passes. The passage was narrow and therefore very slow. None-the-less, we arrived in Puntarenas while the tide was still high enough. The people who have come to share this diving experience hale from around the World…Italy, Japan, Costa Rica, and States from every region of the lower 48. Stories from past adventures were shared quickly and hopefully we will have common ones in a few days.
I also was introduced to Guaro which is distilled from sugar cane. I was instructed to drink it with orange juice but that would have masked the taste. The taste was not unlike a mild Vodka but I was assured that the effect would be no milder. With lemonade, it was down-right tasty. This will require a bit of discipline. I suppose Guaro is to Costa Rica as Grappa was to Italy. A nation’s form of distilled spirits is so much tied to its culture. Because of that, it is an important aspect to explore. Now,was that convincing?
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