Tag: San Jose Airport

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White-winged Dove

The most commonly seen dove or pigeon in my garden in Atenas is also one of those seen & liked on my first trip to Costa Rica in 2009. That photo is included below along with today’s photo. It was the first bird I ever photographed in Costa Rica, right after taking a taxi to Hotel Aeropuerto near SJO Airport in Alajuela. As the sun was setting in the hotel garden, I went out just before dinner and this was the first bird I found! 🙂 Our birding tour group had dinner together and the next morning we flew to Puerto Jimenez where I photographed that Tropical Kingbird I shared a couple of days ago. Good memories! 🙂 See more and better photos in my GALLERY: White-winged Dove, Zenaida asiatica.

At Hotel Aeropuerto, SJO Airport, Alajuela, Costa Rica, 1-31-09, my first night in Costa Rica.
White-winged Dove, photographed a week ago in my garden, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica.

¡Pura Vida!

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Kevin Finds it Difficult to Leave Costa Rica

Kevin Hunter with Sloth at San Jose Airport

Kevin reluctantly poses by The Tico Times sloth statue in the San Jose Santamaria Airport. This was right before I said goodbye and he entered the security line and I had to leave. We were already told that his 2:25 flight was delayed to maybe 3:30 or later. Well the last I heard it was not leaving until after 6 PM for Miami, missing his Nashville connection of course, and American Airlines has him spending the night in Miami and getting home around noon Tuesday. “Tico Time” often refers to things here not starting on time and it seems that American Airlines has fully integrated into the Tico Culture! Sorry Kevin! It was probably some computer’s fault!  🙂

And by the way, The Tico Times and one other internet CR newspaper (The Costa Rica News) is about all the news I read here. The U.S. news is too depressing (and embarrassing) and I have even quit looking at PBS Newshour downstreaming, upstreaming, whatever! PBS and BBC are still the only decent news sources on TV, but it is now the negative and stressful news itself I refuse to get involved with. Pura vida! And . . . After 17 days with a rent car, I am even more convinced that I don’t want to get a car! Too stressful again! My next visitor may have to see Costa Rica with me on foot, by bus and taxi.  🙂  Costa Rica is trying to “Save the Americans,” but is it too late?
And by the way, our Howler Monkeys are really active this evening – wish I knew how to record them and share their noise with you! They hollered most mornings and evenings while Kevin was here and recently started doing it during the night. Cool!

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Call From Tour Leader – Ready to Go!

Yesterday Christopher Howard, the director of “Live in Costa Rica Tours” called me to give last minute details about pickup at airport Saturday and answer the many questions I keep asking. I’m excited about having “boots on the ground” in my continued search for whether or not this is the best thing for me to do. Right now I’m certainly favoring a move while looking for good reasons why I shouldn’t do it. I’m in Costa Rica August 23–September 5 and plan to post a photo and report each night that I have internet connection and it isn’t too late when I get in my hotel room. See my itinerary.

Now that it is widely known what I am doing next week, it is fun hearing the questions and comments from friends who find this concept of moving abroad rather strange and some even dangerous. Of course I’m the forever educator and helping many Nashvillians learn a lot about life in Costa Rica.   🙂  While other friends who know be pretty well are not surprised at all that I would consider moving to Costa Rica!

Landing at the San Jose International Airport 2009
Click to enlarge.