Wandering with Tedder and Tamara

* Tamara posting *

We went to the central market in downtown San Jose this morning. It wasn't anything too special, at least not compared to the good markets we've been spoiled with (Oaxaca, etc.). We did get some practical-type things, a backpack, DVD-DLs (hard to find), and a map of Ecuador. I noticed in the market there were backpacks with the classic JanSport label, but as "SamSport" - heh. There were plenty of both JanSport knock-offs using the regular name, but it was still funny to see an off-brand type.

We ate a late breakfast/early lunch at a small eatery in the market, but we ended up with food different than our expectations. I ordered a tostada, expecting the Mexican version of a fried tortilla covered with beans, cheese, lettuce, etc, instead I got toast. Ted ordered a torta, which we expected to be a thick bread sandwich, but ended up with basically a hamburger patty with toppings with a tortilla as the bun. Not terribly great food, and it just does something to my appetite when I get something other than what I expected to eat.

Back in the university area, San Pedro, where our hostel is, we ran more errands - getting epoxy to repair the small hole in one side case, pick up laundry, and get the luggage rack back from the welders. The rack looked great - they even painted it, all for under $10. While Ted was busy getting the rack, I got to answer a couple questions from a worker there practicing his English. He was wondering what the difference is between “seek” and “look” in terms of asking who we were looking for. I tried to explain, but it is a hard thing to really tell the difference. I told him that not many people use the word “seek” in normal conversation, but then he brought up a good point - the car radios all have “seek” for the channel finder. So, it was hard to explain that.

The rack bolted back onto the bike easier than when we put it on brand new. It is still bent from the crash, but should be sturdy again so we don't have to worry. The new problem is that 3 of the 4 bolt holes for the mounting bolts for the individual cases won't thread. We need to find someone with a tap & die set to reset the threads. That should be an interesting search.

As we were working on the bike, a guy walking down the street stopped to sell some baked goods. The owner of the hostel says he always buys from this guy - we got a couple treats, really good pastries with a cooked condensed milk filling, very yummy. It seems like a good side business if you have regular customers.

Calling all nerds! We stopped at a game shop in the local mall and got a Magic: TG beginner set. We played a couple games this evening - it's not my favorite, but it is something else to do in the evenings or if/when we get sick or bored.

So, we've been trying to avoid all chain restaurants, especially American ones, but we finally broke down and ate at Wendy's. There aren't a lot of great restaurants around here, just lots of pizza joints (university area), so we finally gave in. We figure that at least we know what we're getting. So I am happy because I got to have a Frosty! And a spicy chicken sandwich! And real American-style ketchup with my fries!

Short/random things today:

The resident cat's name is Gata - which means “cat” (feminine).

We saw Susan, a woman we met in Monteverde - she is staying here at the hostel for a night.

Started looking for a good place to volunteer in South America - probably for a month. I'm hoping to do something in a medical clinic, but that may not work out. If not, I will maybe do some work at an orphanage or with the street kids (any recommendations are appreciated!). I plan on taking more Spanish classes during that time as well.