Costa Rican Warrior

After a late breakfast we set out to explore San Jose before the downpour- it is near the end of the rainy season, hopefully.

It was a short walk to the main attractions of the city. Our first stop was the Opera House, where I had hoped to buy tickets for a performance, but they only have one a month, so no luck. However it is a beautiful building which we can look round for US$ 10. We thought we’d leave that do do when it rained.

We were lucky enough to go into the cathedral during a service so we sat down to listen to a singing nun. The cathedral, of course, is very Spanish in appearance both inside and out.

Next we went to the underground gold museum, which not only exhibits Pre-Columbian gold objects, but also the pots and stone tables. It was well presented, with guides eager to practice their English. We were allowed to take photographs of anything (without flash) - apart from the strong room doors we had to pass through. The intricate gold animals were made using clay and wax moulds- for these the gold was mixed with copper which was also found here, whereas in Peru they used gold and silver. They had to do this as it would melt at a lower temperature and was easier and less brittle to work with. The hammered gold pieces, by contrast, were pure gold. I blipped this model warrior showing off his gold - apparently the bigger the earrings the brainier the guy. Women played a valued part in society, being especially necessary at birth and death ceremonies, and in the kitchen.

We went to a modern art exhibition which was interesting - there was a floral urinal with inside a footballer in an Emirates shirt - obviously the artist is not an Arsenal supporter.

Tomorrow we leave for Tortuguergo at 6.30 am. (The traffic here gets very congested.)