Gerry and I visited Costa Rica for the first time! The main focus of the trip was the Raptor Research Foundation annual conference in Cariari, about 5 miles south of San Jose.
The conference was held at the DoubleTree by Hilton Cariari hotel, which was quite a lovely place, with several conference rooms for the various presentations. Our hotel room was very quiet and comfortable. The complimentary daily breakfast buffet was delicious, and we enjoyed swimming laps in the outdoor pool on the premises!
We arrived in Costa Rica Tuesday afternoon, October 14, after several hours of air travel and a long layover in Miami. It was a late Monday night flight from LAX to Miami and then a late morning flight on Tuesday morning to San Jose, Costa Rica. I didn't sleep a wink on Monday night, and slept ten hours Tuesday night to compensate.
I'm glad we made the trip and were able to listen to more than 40 raptor research presentations. Most of the talks and presentations were brief, 15-minutes long. Close to 300 raptor scientists and environmentalists attended from all over the world (though most were from USA and Canada).
We were especially glad Nurit Katz and Dan Cooper also attended. Nurit and Dan lead Friends of Griffith Park's Raptor Studies, which completed its ninth year in 2025.
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| Nurit, Gerry, Mary and Dan at the RRF Conference! |
The talks and lectures, talks and seminars took place over four days, from Wednesday afternoon, October 15 through Saturday, October 18. Very interesting and informative; so much to learn and absorb!
Wednesday morning, after eating our delicious gourmet breakfast, we went to the hotel entrance at 9:30 am for our Uber ride to downtown San Jose. (The only access to downtown is via the highway. Darn. I would have gladly walked five miles to San Jose, if it was an option.)
We were dropped off in front of the Grand National Theater at 10:05 am. It is built with a mix of neoclassical and baroque styles, and opened in 1897.
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| Gerry, outside the Grand National Theater |
Unfortunately, we weren't able to take a tour of the museum because the next available tour in English was at 2:00 pm, and our plan was to be back at the DoubleTree by 1:00 pm. At least, were able to walk inside the entrance and take a few pictures.
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| Quite ornate |
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| Another good statue and pose |
Next, we walked to Morazan Park, a lovely park in central downtown, with flowers, plants, statues, and and walking paths in this city park which encompasses four city blocks.
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| Gerry in front of the "Wings" |
The Wings sculpture, was a gift to the city of San Jose by Mexican artist Jorge Marin. An interpretive appreciation sign of the artist is near the sculpture (unlike the Wings at the Observatory in Los Angeles).
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| A banner / sign recognizing the talented artist Jorge Marin |
I also liked seeing the Temple of Music, another small structure in Morazan Park.
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| Admittedly, quite the small music temple |
Onward to the Grand Market, a half-mile away. The Grand Market covers an entire city block and is home to 200 stalls; the largest market in the capital city of San Jose. We spent 20 minutes walking through it. Quite the unique experience with narrow aisles filled with vibrant stalls selling exotic fruits, seafood, spices, woven bags, and serving food.
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| a lot of fresh produce packed in at this stall |
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| a seafood stall, with quite the comical Squid overhang above it |
We strolled by another tree-lined park and wandered around, taking in the scenery.
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| In front of this statue in a lovely city park |
The next and final visits in San Jose are the Barrio Amon and the Barrio Otoya neighborhoods, San Jose's oldest and most historically significant area, evident in the intricate colonial designs on the buildings and the wonderful graphic art and murals.
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| painted artwork on the neighborhood street |
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| another creative one |
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| so artistic, with vibrant colors |
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| Gerry is at bottom left calling an Uber to get us back to the DoubleTree |
We enjoyed a fun self-guided tour of San Jose, though we need to get back to the Raptor Research Foundation (RRF) Conference! Afternoon talks have already begun!
It is fascinating that 5 percent of the world's flora and fauna are in Costa Rica, a country that is the size of West Virginia.
