We arrived yesterday morning at about 10 AM and, having decided on the plane where to spend the next night, took a taxicab ($13US) to Hostel Pangea, which is a very nice, clean hostel near downtown San Jose. It´s also a bit, um, bohemian, with vivid murals on all the walls. They do have a double bed with shared bath, for $28 (2 people doubles the cost at most hostels).
Pangea has two other locations nearby, one of which boasts a swimming pool and rooftop bar and restaurant, so we meandered over there for lunch (a meat, beans, and rice plate) and beer (Imperial). For those playing along at home, lunch was about $13 with tip. Beer, however, is cheap– $1.50 a bottle.
After lunch, we both took showers and I took at much-needed nap. Our redeye flight was fine and all, but there´s only so much you can sleep on an airplane, and I was quite tired. John went downstairs to the common areas and watched TV and went on the Internet.
Which brings me to why I´m even updating. I´d planned to stay offline this week, but this hostel offers free Internet access and a phone call (too bad I didn´t bring my address book with me!) for anyone staying here. Throughout the week, if I get the chance, I´ll post something, but don´t count on me checking email till next Monday.
Anyway, the afternoon was spent walking through the downtown area, where there are many shops, lottery ticket sellers, and street-side vendors. We had some coffee and cookies at a cafe while people-watching ($6), and determined that the uniform for men over 40 is dockers with a long-sleeved collared shirt. Uniform for women under 40 is tight blue jeans and a tank top with a wide belt. If the bottom of the top and the top of the jeans don´t meet, that´s perfectly okay. What´s different about this uniform compared to that of the teeny-boppers in the US is that women up to 40 wear it, and also it does not matter how curvy you are– it´s still an acceptable form of attire. I think I might buy a tank top this morning; it was certainly proof that the curvy lady can look good in form-fitting fashion!
I should mention at this point that yesterday held scattered showers, weather-wise. We sat on the rooftop bar while the rain pounded the tin roofs around us. The auditory equivalent of an earthquake–deafening, but exhilerating.
Speaking of which, there´s been more than a fair share of geological activity in the 24 hours since we arrived. We felt at least 2 tremors, one yesterday after nap time, and one in the middle of the night.
Our room has a window that doesn´t close, so we learned overnight that it´s quieter between 5 AM and 8 AM than it is between 2 and 5. Also, and this in no way relates to the rest of this paragraph, the bed was a 1/2 inch thick mattress slapped onto a piece of pressboar over a wire frame. Ouch! At least John was super-sweet and brought me a pillow to sleep on, in case the ones we encounter are uncomfortable or have feathers (Hostel Pangea does not offer down bedding in its rooms).
