Calm Before the Storm

We got another late start on Saturday, which was nice, and headed to the airport to pick up a new group. They were supposed to come in the night before, but had a whole bunch of problems with the airlines (go figure). Jose and Manolo were also there to pick up Manolo’s wife who was in Argentina for surgery, but they left way before us. It took the group quite a while to get through customs, but once they were out, we went to the Villa for some lunch. After that, we had some time to kill, so we took them down the road a ways to a strip mall to shop and look around. Mihai and I just chilled in a little restaurant area inside the supermarket, and there was a dubbed version of “The Three Amigos” on TV, which I just watched and laughed at the lines I knew they were saying. I got the feeling that the humor is lost in translation for that movie. After walking back to the Villa, we had dinner and caught another cab back to the House. It has been a very relaxed two days, which is very nice because by Monday there will be three groups staying with SCORE, and there will not be fewer than that for several weeks.

One thing about Costa Rica that is similar to the U.S., but at the same time is far different, is driving. They drive on the same side of the road, the steering wheel is on the same side of the car, and they have traffic lights, but that is about it. The first noticeable difference is that speed limits are guidelines, not really set rules. In the past, I knew that our bus was often flying down the highway, and today I got a chance to catch how fast we were going; 90 KPH, in a 70 zone. And just about everyone was doing the same. Another interesting thing is that motorcycles can go pretty much anywhere they choose, and it is the norm for them to drive between lanes of traffic to pass everyone. I bet they are able to cut their travel time in half by doing this. Another difference is that it is not uncommon to run red lights, and that is even with a green light that starts flashing before turning yellow. Finally, cars do not stop much for pedestrians. Unless you are at a controlled crosswalk, if you make it to the other side without getting hit, you have earned your right of way.