It was a cloudy Sunday morning and I found myself awake at 6:45am (why I don’t know). No one was outside in the park and the roads seemed to be fairly clear. The only activity we had planned for the day was cancelled by the host due to a family emergency so we had another free day. I wanted to do at least something today so I searched for tours. I found on GuruWalk a tour that would begin at 1pm with Jules. I figured if it would let me sign my mom and I up we could do that in place of our cancelled class today. I made sure my mom would be up for it and she agreed so I booked it. GuruWalk operates on a tipping system so you pay what you think the experience is worth.

     We got up around 11am and made breakfast which consisted of bacon, eggs, bagels, croissants, grapes and juice. By now the park was more active and the clouds seemed to be passing but still no sign of the sun so we opened the balcony door as we sat and ate breakfast in the living room to allow some fresh air in. Everything was filing and by the time we were done it was time to get ready to call a Didi and meet over by the National Theater of Costa Rica across town (about 12 minutes). Our meeting location wasn’t far from where we were yesterday where the Central Market was. We arrived about 30 minutes early but my mom spotted Jules nearly right away.

     Jules had it noted that he would be in a blue “Pura Vida” hat and would be holding a GuruWalk sign. She saw a man with a cap and as we walked over he was talking with another group. When she got a moment she asked if he was Jules and he said yes so we told him we were there for the afternoon tour. He seemed surprised and checked his phone and saw that we had indeed signed up. He thought he had blocked off the afternoon tour but hadn’t but insisted that since we were there he would honor it (we appreciated that). He wrapped up the tour he was finishing and they were giving him praises saying that he was a great guide and that they had learned so much (they were a family with kids and another couple). 

     Upon leaving we introduced ourselves and began with a bit of history with where we currently were which was Plaza de la Cultura. We were by the National Theater whose architectrue encompasses many different influences and the architecture was beautiful. Jules showed us a photo inside of the theatre and as he said there’s no bad seat because the theatre is made in a way where there is no bad seat and the elevated chairs have the ability to be leveled. In the lobby of the theater is a daily cafe that operates and tours of the theater in Spanish happen every hour the theater is open and every two hours there’s an English tour.

     The story behind the theater is that there was a very diva-esque opera singer back in the day that performed at very notable places. When someone inquired she perform in Costa Rica (this is before the theater was built) she pouted and basically said she wasn’t interested, there was nowhere worthy to perform at. Well that prompted the construction of the National Theater (she never did perform there by the way). The gold trimmings around the door are pure 14k gold. Some of the other fun facts Jules told us were:

•Costa Rica has no army (it was abolished 75 years ago)

•Costa Rica has 98% renewable energy

•Costa Rica has 4-6% biodiversity worldwide

•Costa Rica has 7 provinces: Alajuela, Cartago (going there tomorrow), Guanacaste, Heredia, Limon, Puntarenas and San Jose

•Costa Rica translates to Rich Coast

•Coffee in Costa Rica is considered the grain of gold (grano de oro)

•Limon is composed of the Afro-Costa Rican community

•25% of Costa Rica contains national parks (28 to be exact)

•Ziplines began in Monteverde (The Original Canopy Tour)

•A soda in Costa Rica is considered a small family owned restaurant

     Jules was born in Costa Rica and eventually returned back after living in the US and being in the Air Force. He was an English teacher and worked in another business that was no longer in service after Covid. He’s transferred his skills and uses that to do walking tours and he’s very knowledgeable about many things. He explained to us that the history of an empanada is from Europe and how it basically began as mining food where the meal was basically put inside and the outside wasn’t eaten (because of dirty hands). Over time the concept caught on but the outside was made edible as well and there you have the empanada. 

    Now that my mom and I have the concept of colones down Jules showed us a few fun features about the money. It’s plastic and colorful and each bill denomination is a different size. There is an animal of nature on the back of each denomination along with an important figure/person on the opposite side (front). If you squint on the back of the bill below the animal are 2 smaller animals with the words “Pura Vida” within them. Also, if you have a bill face forward curve both ends inward making a sphere and there is a puzzle that connects on the corners. Ridges can also be found on the bills to assist the blind in knowing what that bill’s denomination is. Another factor for blind people is that the sidewalk has ridges to help lead them. 

     Because there are a lot of churches in Costa Rica Jules told us a fun fact to use a church to help give us a better sense of direction. If you are facing a church the sun will rise behind it and that is considered the east. In knowing that the opposite direction is west, the left is north and the right is south. We saw a lot of interesting things along our walks from plants, flowers, trees, fruits, artwork and more. We went in a butcher shop, fruit shop, church, hotels, parks and saw some very significant buildings/places like Chinatown, the Yellow House (similar to the White House), The Museum of Natural History, The Temple of Music and more. 

     By the end of the tour we had went over by about an hour but my mom and I did in fact learn a lot ans we’re certain that our tour was such a unique experience thanks to Jules. Along the way we had a fresh juice, fruit, empanada, a small pastry that was like a cupcake version of a chicken pot pie and more. Everything was tasty and I know what airport snacks I plan to take home with me. We passed an Artisan Market which he recommended for souvenirs but I think we’re good already thanks to the Central Market but we’ll see. We wrapped up the tour around 5:30pm, thanked Jules and caught a Didi back to the Airbnb.

     While out we got word that Joe Biden has dropped out of the presidential race and my immediate thought was, “We are doomed.” I honestly thought it was a joke but saw that it was not. I digress…back at the Airbnb my mom decided to go ahead and make breakfast sandwiches tonight since we have an early morning tomorrow because we need to get to a train station and take the train to our meeting place for our tour tomorrow. We took a moment to breathe, ate and then relaxed a bit more as I began this write-up (I did my best to summarize yet give the wealth of information we received). A little night cap with a drink and dessert before preparing for bed for an early and adventurous morning…