Spontaneously, when Jim and I arrived yesterday at our hotel near the airport we decided to accept the invitation of a nice young man who works here as a tour guide to take us into the neighboring town when he was off.   We took a long leisurely walk through Liberia.  Past the Central Park and down the famous old colonial street  - not to be missed, according to the Rough Guide - Calle Real.  It had gorgeous old tiles on the sidewalk, murals; stucco houses were painted with the bright colors I love - turquoise, magenta, green. We saw the 2nd oldest church in Costa Rica, a prison we would never want to be stuck in, a small private university that seemed like a community center.  Our friend took us into a working man's bar where we met his girlfriendwe and had beers for $1.50 each, and delicious appetizers typical of CR - with fish, chicken fajita, and plantains with bean sauce.  We stayed away from the fried chips. American brand names are everywhere on the streets.

 We stopped at the big supermarket with a lots of fresh produce.  Picked up some coconut water on their recommendation - very sweet, but a different taste.  We had the perfect peaches and oranges for breakfast today.

Later we pick up David and Cassie at the airport and drive to Nosara, a small resort on the Pacific coast where we will spend a week.

I will also meet with my friends who graduated with me in June from Immersion, the second year of nutritional studies at Integrative Nutrition, which is hosting a final conference and celebration in this paradise.