Welcome to the Cuckoos Nest

From the peace and tranquility of La Fortuna we head to the bright lights of the capital, San Jose. The bus arrives in a slightly seedy area of town, but best foot forward west ride out for Avenida Central. Our chosen accommodation is Hostel Gran Imperial, just opposite the Mercado Central. It's a little like a mental institution but is scrupulously clean and has hot water, not warm HOT. We choose the only room with a window and its right next to the balcony that runs along the front of the hostel, instant room extension.

We're half a block from Avenida Central, the main shopping street and a stones throw from the Parque Central. Good cheap eats in the market, prawn rice only $5, a cosada which is a typical meal, rice, beans and chicken/pork/beef/fish just over $4. Having been hankering for fish since Belize and not being able to find it at a reasonable price I'm straight there and it's fish fish fish all the way.

The Parque Central is lovely at twilight with loads of parrots noisily vying for a roost in the trees, it's quite a spectacle and a cacophony. As dark falls there's a different population of birds take over the Parque. Parque de la Culture is home to the National Theatre, a stunning building but big band jazz is the only option whilst we're in town and we're not that bothered. Under the square is the Museo del Oro, a vast vault built by the Banco Nacional to house a collection of precolumbian gold dating back to AD700. it also houses an exhibition about the history of money in the world and Costa Rica's currency.

We visit the Estadio Nacional, home to the Costa Rican football team, built strangely by the Chinese. It's not dissimilar to Wembly. The stadium is housed in La Sabana, a park that used to be the airport. The guide book plays up its part as muggers place central, but it's fine and we watch a group of ageing men playing baseball before heading back to town.

On our last night in San Jose we find a bar just a couple of blocks away that is perfect for us, it's almost tempting to stay bit time is marching on...