Category: San Jose

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Donated My Body Today!

Today I took the bus to San Jose and from bus station a taxi to the University of Costa Rica on the east side of San Jose in the San Pedro community. I went to the Medical School Faculty Building, 3rd floor, to the Anatomy Department. The nicest ladies prepared documents and a wallet card for me and served as witnesses to notarize the official document. Now if I die in Costa Rica, which is my plan, my body will go to the medical school for research or study and no family member or friend has to worry about my body at death. And I have contributed to science!

Some of you know that in Nashville I had the very same arrangements made with Vanderbilt University Medical School, but you have to die within 100 miles of the school to be accepted there. Not likely now, though if for whatever reason I would be in Nashville at the time of my death, it will still work there and not for Costa Rica.

University of Costa Rica

How to Donate Your Body to Science

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Third Trip to Hospital Mexico Schedules June Angiogram

Locals most often describe CAJA (the government medical program) as a big bureacracy, and that is true, but it works! If you have patience!

My Atenas public doctor was limited in what he could do related to my heart arrhythmia, so he sent me to a cardiologist at Alajuela Hospital in Alajuela, our provice capital.

Three visits there gave me more tests including another EKG and a treadmill test, but Dr. Hernandez wanted an angiogram which Aljuela Hospital does not have the equipment to perform. He sends me to the biggest government hospital, Hospital Mexico in San Jose with his request for it. Over two months time I have had three very interesting visits, including with one lady who spoke very rapid Spanish and would not slow down, necessitating my rescue by a bilingual medical equipment salesman waiting in line.

Today was just an hour and a half wait in the crowded hospital cardiolgy waiting room where a doctor finally saw me briefly, giving me a piece of paper with a 2 June 2017 date for my angiogram and a promise that someone will call me to discuss the time and preparations. That will likely be an interesting phone conversation if I’m even able to complete it!  🙂  When you start living every day life here you realize how important learning the language is. I’m tired of not understanding or being bumfuzzled! Language-learning motivation!

And for after the procedure, which can include some anesthesia, I have scheduled my friend Walter Ramirez to pick me up at the hospital. Though getting there by bus is easy since the Atenas bus stops in front of the hospital!  🙂  Just don’t want to do that alone after anesthesia! Plan ahead!

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By Bus to Bijagua

I road my familiar bus to San Jose Coca Cola Station and then
a taxi to Pulmitan Station where I waited for the bus to Upala with everything
indoors at this station, including the boarding of the buses. I nice terminal.

And if I had not eaten breakfast at home, I could have eaten here.
I did have coffee of course and read a little of a Spanish language
newspaper and the latest book on my Kindle while waiting. 

It was the same bus all the way to Bijagua with many brief stops picking up people. Yes, it was a “collectivo” stopping anywhere someone was at a stop and went into Alajuela Central to pick up a lot of people there. It was definitely best that I went to San Jose and got my favorite seat, the front right seat looking out the windshield all the way up! It was most of the way on Highway 1 and from Baranca on a very familiar route to me which we used on our “Visa Runs” that first year. And the Baranca bus station is also a restaurant with shops and big restrooms that I have stopped at many times, so quite familiar. We had a 20 minute break there. All other stops were along the road including my stop in Bijagua in front of a Soda. I found an unmarked taxi that took me to the lodge.

After arriving at Celeste Mountain Lodge I wandered around with my camera for a few birds in the garden and a bird-less hike on a rainforest trail which I will try again in the morning. The room is basic and nice but the food is fantastic gourmet food! At least dinner was tonight! 3 more dinners plus the other meals. It will be amazing if they keep up the quality of food we had tonight. It is one menu for everyone each night with something new everyday. We started with the best 3-cheese quesadilla appetizer with homemade peccadillo that I could have made a meal of! Then sliced chicken breast with this scrumptious sauce accompanied by three local fresh vegetables all cooked differently, with their own sauces. My Planter’s Punch went great with this and it was topped off with a delicious chocolate layer cake. Wow! Beats bus stop food!  🙂
I have a lot of pictures from this afternoon here, but will save them for sharing tomorrow. Tired and sleepy now! And it is cool tonight! Down to 17c or 62f.   ¡Buenos noches!
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More of San Jose: Public Art

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, the capital city was interesting even with seeing on a small portion, but that is all the photos for  now and I’m ready to get back to nature, enough of this city stuff! And I’ve got a good photo to share tomorrow, shot right here in my own garden, by best shot yet of one particular species. See ya’ tomorrow!

See also my Photo Gallery on San Jose

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More of San Jose: Interesting People

After School in the Park with Skateboards
San Jose, Costa Rica

 

Fresh Fruit & Veggies on Every Corner
San Jose, Costa Rica

 

And Sometimes In the Street!
San Jose, Costa Rica

 

Many Pedestrians Everywhere!
San Jose, Costa Rica

 

Old Man American Tourist
Watches Tico Teen Skateboarder Walk By
San Jose, Costa Rica

 

Children Play in Fountain
Plaza de Cultura
San Jose, Costa Rica

 

Feeding Pigeons in Every Park!
San Jose, Costa Rica

 

Clowns Sell Facepainting
San Jose, Costa Rica

 

Indigenous People Music
San Jose, Costa Rica

 

And Vendors Everywhere!
San Jose, Costa Rica

My Photo Gallery on San Jose

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Day 3 San Jose: Interesting Buildings

Claro TV/Internet Building

San Jose, Costa Rica

 

National Theater or Teatro Nacional

San Jose, Costa Rica

 

Unknown Building

San Jose, Costa Rica

 

Unknown Building

San Jose, Costa Rica

 

Historic Old Post Office Building

San Jose, Costa Rica

 

Unknown Building

San Jose, Costa Rica

 

Unknown Building

San Jose, Costa Rica

 

Historic Metal School Building

San Jose, Costa Rica
Also shown in my Thursday post.

 

Charlie’s Restaurant

San Jose, Costa Rica
Well, I had to include this though it looks more like a bar not open in day.

My Photo Gallery of many San Jose shots might interest you.

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Day 2 San Jose, Churches & Lost Phone

EXPLORING THE CONCRETE JUNGLE!
DAY 2
 
Churches in the order seen, walking 6+ km, found only 6.
If door unlocked or even cracked open (1st one) I shot inside.
 
Iglesia de Barrio Mexico
San Jose, Costa Rica

 

Iglesia de Barrio Mexico Inside 
San Jose, Costa Rica

 

Iglesia de la Merced 
San Jose, Costa Rica

 

First Baptist Church
San Jose, Costa Rica

 

El Carmen Iglesia 
San Jose, Costa Rica

 

El Carmen Iglesia 
San Jose, Costa Rica

 

El Carmen Iglesia 
San Jose, Costa Rica

 

Catedral Metropolitana 
San Jose, Costa Rica

 

Catedral Metropolitana 
San Jose, Costa Rica

 

Parroquia Nuestra Senora De La Dolorosa 
San Jose, Costa Rica

 

Parroquia Nuestra Senora De La Dolorosa 
San Jose, Costa Rica

 

Iglesia de la Soledad 
San Jose, Costa Rica

 

Iglesia de la Soledad 
San Jose, Costa Rica

With some backtracking this was probably more than 6 kilometers of walking on the hot sidewalk and even with good shoes and two pair of socks, my feet were hot when I returned. I also photographed some other beautiful old building and one colorful modern art painted building. I will share these another day and maybe some people or other shots. Now I collapse. Tired.

THE BAD NEWS: I LOST MY CELLPHONE TODAY. 
I had it in my pocket at breakfast and I thought when I got in the taxi to go to the furthermost church to start the walk back. After photographing the church with my camera I reached for my cellphone and it was not there. I was going to use a new guided tour app on it. That didn’t happen! Fortunately I had printed the map from the app and followed it (but still missed 2 churches). Over the next three hours I asked 6 different people (police, taxistas, and a hotel clerk) to call my number, hoping someone would answer. Nada! Finally I had the hotel clerk call Kolbi/ICE who has my phone contract and I canceled it temporarily. They said that when I get a new phone I can reinstate the same phone number. I’m guessing it slid out of my pocket in the taxi this morning, but who knows? Some Tico today got a very good Samsung Galaxy 4 cellphone. Now do I get another good one or just a cheap one? Kolbi is not open in Atenas until Monday morning for the contract, though I could buy a phone somewhere else before then. So time to think about it! Cry. Cry. Then move on! That’s life! Pura Vida!

My Photo Gallery of Costa Rica Churches has more church photos if interested, and the San Jose gallery has more photos of San Jose.

 
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First Afternoon in San Jose

EXPLORING THE CONCRETE JUNGLE!
DAY 1
Holiday Inn Downtown San Jose
My room is on the 16th floor, with only
the 17th floor Dining Room above me.
San Joe, Costa Rica
I mainly look south with fewer tall buildings, but parts of sunrise/sunset.
San Joe, Costa Rica

 

Temple of Music in Morazan Park across the street
San Joe, Costa Rica

 

“Kissing Statue”
Is another thing Morazan Park is known for.
San Joe, Costa Rica
1890 Escuelas Graduadas, famous metal school building
San Joe, Costa Rica

 

1890 Escuelas Graduadas, famous metal school building 
San Joe, Costa Rica
This is one block from hotel and my check-in desk clerk Javier
went to school here and was proud that I photographed it.

This metal school building of course reminded me of the metal church building in Grecia, Costa Rica I shared it back in 2015. See a photo of that equally unusual church building in my gallery.

 

Museum of Modern Art??
Well, that was one name and there was some,
but it was mostly a children’s art museum
with a few adult works in one of 4 galleries.
Disappointing.
San Jose, Costa Rica
I did like this adult installation, for
the color in Museum of Modern Art.
San Jose, Costa Rica

In the first gallery, there was a lot of clothing designed in CR, some book covers designed here, and a few other adult-made installations like the umbrellas above. The other three galleries were all work of school children interpreting life on other planets. Those galleries probably rotate or change and I suspect that some of the schools of design here display their work from time to time. So I will check their website before I go again to see what I’m getting into!

Children Play in Water Fountain
Plaza of Culture
San Jose, Costa Rica
NOTE: After I made this image, a security guard came up to me and said
something like, “I’m sorry sir but we do not allow making photos of
children here. Please stop.” I stopped and was amazed! Interesting!
The security of children here is very important!

 

Feeding Pigeons
Is an activity in every park in Costa Rica, by all ages.
San Jose, Costa Rica

 

The National Theater  or  Teatro Nacional
Beside the Plaza of Culture
San Jose, Costa Rica

 

Flutist Statue
at the National Theater
San Jose, Costa Rica

 

Clowns Sell Face-painting
Plaza of Culture
San Jose, Costa Rica

 

Indigenous People Music
On sidewalk across from Plaza of Culture
San Jose, Costa Rica

 

And You Can Buy CD of the Indigenous MusicOn sidewalk across from Plaza of Culture
San Jose, Costa Rica

Big city life is always colorful and interesting anywhere in the world. No exception here!

“Happy Hour”
By Holiday Inn in a 15th floor corner room watching the sunset.
Lots of free snack food and drinks was my dinner after a big lunch!
And that building above is Banco Nacional, my Costa Rica bank.
San Jose, Costa Rica

And I made loads of photos of interesting old buildings on the streets I walked today. I may eventually add them to my San Jose or other photo gallery at Charlie Doggett’s COSTA RICA. This city has lots of interesting things to photograph! Tomorrow I start with old historic churches and then see what happens after that. This is almost as much fun as the real jungles, though I like their animals better!  🙂

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Temple of Music

Ceiling of the acoustically perfect band shelter in
Morazan Park, San Jose, Costa Rica

“Temple of Music”
Morazan Park, San Jose, Costa Rica
Photographed last week on a trip to San Jose.

The Morazan Park was built in 1887 and was the place where New Year’s Eve festivities were celebrated in the late XIX century. Also music recitals were held in this place and still are nowadays.

This is why in 1920 an investment was made for the construction of the Temple of Music, which has an almost perfect acoustic.

The temple was used for political speeches and also for the exchange of the Power of the Republic. Nowadays, several concerts are presented, from the National Symphonic Orchestra to contemporary music groups.

The Temple of Music is a duplicate of the Temple of Love and Music of Versailles. Its Neoclassical design was made by the architect and painter Jose Francisco Salazar, who also designed the Club Union, the Law School of the University of Costa Rica and the Drugstore of the former University.

The above copied from:
http://www.costaricaexplorerguide.com/php/atracciones2.php?idm=2&atract=65

See the glass building behind the band shelter? It’s Holiday Inn Aurora.
The last night of my 2010 Caravan.com tour of Costa Rica was there and
I’m spending two nights there this week on a “Concrete Jungle” photo trip.
This photo copied from the web.

My trip this week will be to photograph old churches and other interesting or historic old buildings in central San Jose on my walking tour. I discovered a great app for my phone to guide me on many walking tours of San Jose from GPSmyCity.com   with my personal guide, maps, and voice directions each step of the way. Wow! Travel has gotten easier!

I hope to be adding a lot more photos to my already existing photo gallery on San Jose and also to the gallery of Costa Rica Churches. 

The rainforests and cloud forests are my favorite parts of Costa Rica, but sometimes it is exciting to plan on a city visit too! And there is a lot in San Jose for my short Thursday-Saturday trip. Getting there by bus of course!  🙂  Then some taxis though mostly walking. 
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More Birds on My Tree & Little Theater Experience

See also my other posts of tree birds:  Animales Fantasticos,  Arbolitos de Pajaros and still one more coming!

LITTLE THEATER EXPERIENCE
For you guys back in the states who think I just live with the birds and have no social outlets, you couldn’t be more wrong! Sometimes I have too much going on to live the slow, simple life I’m here for. One group I belong to is expats that take charter bus trips to San Jose for cultural activities plus some local recreational activities. Last week we went to the San Jose Little Theatre Group for a very interesting little play titled The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time. It was about a teen boy with Asperger’s syndrome that was a little emotional to me since that was one of Juli’s problems. But I enjoyed it and our group of 40 filled the theater which we had to ourselves. It was a late afternoon private performance and then we went to an Argentina Steak House for a very good dinner before returning to Atenas. Thanks to Tony Phillips who puts these trips together!