And it begins

It has been a long long LLLLLOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGG day.
Woke up at 2:15 AM. Parents made themselves coffee. Coffee happens to be part of the food pyramid, in case you were unaware. My father cannot function without it. Mom dropped (and broke) a glass jar of mustard. (Don't ever do this, please, for the love of God. The smell is horrible.)
After an eventful half an hour, we left at 2:45 for NEwark airport, where, thankfully, there were no events. Smooth check-in.
I had a window seat on the plane. The couple next to me, probably in their late 30s, decided to start their day off right: 7:05 AM - bloody mary's. I suppose this is perfectly appropriate.
Transfer in Miami. Thought I would miss it! But, thank goodness, I made it, and still had time to spare to use the restroom. (I somehow will never be comfortable with the idea of using the bathroom thousands of feet above the ground.)
I even had time to do some people-watching. I can't help but think Miami is the foreign country I need to be studying.
Character #1: Female, mid-20s, bleach blonde hair (with dark roots), heavy black eyeline (1 lb, maybe 2), unnecessarily tall platform shoes, black shoulder bag, probably containing a chihuahua or other such creature.
Character #2: Adult male, phone conversation: "Que pasa!?!?...I'm getting on the aeroplane."
Obnoxious? Please don't feed the tourists.
Flying into San Jose, I saw farms, forests, mountains, towns, and shantytowns/slums. I was expecting to see more forested area, I suppose.
My first two hours in Costa Rica were uneventful as I waited for fellow travelers to arrive. Sitting on the sidewalk outside the airplane. Wildlife observed: tourists, tour guides and taxi drivers.
After getting off to a late start, the group checked in at the hotel (which is very nice I might add) and headed to lunch. We dined at a hotel in the heart of San Jose. It was established in the early 1900s with the help of a government contract.
Then onto some souvenir shopping at the market. Typical souvenirs: shotglasses, jewelry, etc. I tried to haggle, but the language barrier does sometimes pose a problem. I did try to learn Spanish on the plane with the help of a conversational Spanish book - ineffective.
We saw a fight on the street. (This should not discourage anyone from coming to San Jose or Costa Rica in general.) The scene unfolded in front of the national theater, an absolutely gorgeous piece of architecture.
I am absolutely exhausted now, so I think I will leave it at that. Pictures ASAP! I promise!