The weekend trip

To tie up to my last article: I guess you are not on vacation anymore but are living in one place, when you pack a small bag and leave for a short trip. So, last weekend I packed my bags and left for a short trip to San José in Costa Rica. Why did I do that? San José is so far away… Well, in Costa Rica I participated in an Urban Sketcher workshop called “The Market Adventure”.

I left on a Sunday and I am still not sure if this was a good or a bad idea. There are almost no buses on Sundays. So, it was kind of tricky to reach the border on the first hand. However, through this I learned that a shared taxi from San Juan del Sur to Rivas actually costs only $2 (for locals) and nor $10 how taxi drivers always tell you. Also a shared taxi from Rivas to the border only cost me $5. Of course, that was more expensive then the bus, but like this I did not have to wait for hours. 

The fish stall in the San José market

Obviously, as there is no frequent public transport to the border on a Sunday, the immigration offices were almost empty, making things run fast. Only few people outside the border tried to sell you papers you won’t need. And of course, there was almost no bus going from the border to San José. So, in the end I had to wait over two hours at the border for the next bus. This means, there was actually no reason for me to run through Nicaragua and to take all these taxis to reach the border earlier. In the end I had to wait anyway.

In Costa Rica I had difficulties to adapt to their timetable. Costa Ricans tend to sleep longer it seems. The breakfast in the hostel was set to 8 a.m.. For me that meant to wait for almost three hours to finally get some food into my stomach after getting up. However, in the three nights staying there, I never saw the breakfast. My workshop started at 8.30 a.m., but at 8.20 a.m. the whole hostel staff was still sleeping. So, no breakfast for me…

A camera crew inside the market in San José

Pedestrians outside the market in San José

The workshop took place inside the market in San José. A crowded place, especially the days before Easter. They all bought fish. You better do not get too close to the fish stalls in order not to get stuck there. The market is loud and noisy. Especially the small food restaurants try to attract clients for breakfast, lunch and snacks: “Darling, what can I serve you, Mister, here are still free seats, Love, we have roasted chicken today…” The good thing about a Sketch workshop inside a market is, that you definitely will not starve nor die of thirst. And all the colours of fruits, vegetables and souvenirs, the smells of rose petals, fish and recently slaughtered meat as well as the many different noises make it a very inspiring and creative place.

Looking from the inside out