Pura Vida from Costa Rica. Last day of my tour

Today is “National army abolition holiday” so the things I want to see in San Jose are closed. Bugger. Should have stayed another day. 

But then after a three hour drive we arrived. I wanted to go straight to the city to explore but told I had to wait till we could check in and so I went to a mall and ate with the rest. 

I was hoping to go on a walking tour but with dinner planned for 6:30 I would not have been back in time for the farewell dinner and it would have been rude not to go. 

Seems I got excited about seeing the city when I needn’t have. My first stop was the local square where there was live music with Xmas songs, father Xmas and some great food stalls. Of course I had eaten so that was a waste. 

It was lovely just hanging in the square and people watching for a while. The live music was excellent and boosted my spirits a bit. 

Outside the music hall they were preparing for a concert and along a bit further there was what sounded like some sort of propaganda event. I carried on only to find myself in a mall full of asian shops, restaurants, tea shops. That wasn’t what I expected and I hightailed it out of there pretty fast. 
But there was lots to look at blankly. Here’s a sample:

Further down I was getting desperate for a coffee and stopped at a wee Italian Bodega for the best espresso yet. As only an Italian can do. It would be rude to leave without a vino rosso which was the icing on the cake. 

It was getting chilly out and the city outside of the square did not excite me so after a brief stop there I made my way back to the local hood where I spent a while ogling at food in the local supermarket wanting to buy some and get cooking. 
When it was too late to join the tour I wanted to do we are told that dinner is at 7:30 and not around 6:00 so I could have gone. We ended up leaving closer to 8:00pm so I was somewhat annoyed that I missed out on the tour unnecessarily. 

Time for a shower before the farewell dinner. I will not be sad to be saying goodbye. This trip hasn’t been what I was hoping for but I hope I have learned to check things more thoroughly before I book. 

The farewell dinner was fun. My grilled octopus meal was great, not fantastic, but the camaraderie was fun. 

We retired to a very loud pub where I lasted a very short time. Bidding final goodbyes I returned to my room and bade goodnight to the world.