If I happen to spell any words wrong in this blog, I apologize.  In an “Experience of Costa Rica” as Abuela called it, I was frightened by a gecko who found my khakis comfortable. When I went to pick them up, it went scurrying up the wall and I threw my khakis across the room. I’m a little on edge to say the least.

Anyways, this morning, I woke up and had another breakfast centered around gallo pinto that did not disappoint. Phil, my roommate for my two weeks in Costa Rica, and I ate quickly this morning so that we could stop at the local convenience store for water, and I had another fun experience trying to figure out what I owed the cashier. I somehow ended up getting two bananas as well, so you could say I still have a lot learn.

After our first train ride in Costa Rica, we arrived in San Jose, located in the Central Valley. Quite literally, San Jose and the central valley is surrounded by mountains, with one side being a volcanic mountain range and the other being normal mountains. Filled with parks, fountains and museums, San Jose is a beautiful city. We walked through a national park and saw a national monument depicting Costa Rica’s fight against imperialism. As we ventured further into the downtown area, the streets turned into a walking path for pedestrians only and the sides were filled with stores. This walkway made San Jose very easy to traverse and made the experience there much more enjoyable. There were still streets we had to cross as if to remind us that we still do not have the right of way and the drivers will run us over if we try to scurry across. Even though San Jose is Costa Rica’s biggest cities, the influences of the coffee and banana trade are still apparent. The most obvious are the vendors who sell fresh fruit on the street and the existence of the large central market which is lined with vendors who sell fresh bananas, meat, and traditional meals in Costa Rica. Additionally, there are even more vendors who sit in the middle of the walkways with their blankets covered in products ranging from belts to iPhone chargers. In my opinion, these people have simply adapted from the selling of coffee and bananas to things that both tourists and locals want more nowadays.

Aside from obvious cultural differences, Pittsburgh and San Jose have many commonalities. They both use a grid system and they both have bus lines. They both have local stores and multinational chains. They both have a national park and they both have touristy souvenir shops. However, San Jose has one minor difference. There are no house numbers. Yeah. None. Picture this. You are in a city where you do not speak the native language or know the layout of the city and you heard there is this great dessert spot there. How are you supposed to find it? Even if you do speak the language, the best you are going to get is a series of right and left-hand turns as directions, not an address.

I find it fascinating that such an advanced city cannot have street numbers. It seems trivial to have house numbers so that people can easily locate restaurants and shops. From a business perspective, there are certain downsides to not having a number assigned to your building. One thought is that mail delivery is now a hassle, but I actually don’t see this as the biggest issue. A mail deliverer most likely has the route memorized and is able to locate buildings off of memory. If I think about my neighborhood, I know who lives in all the houses and I don’t need to look at who lives at what house number. However, for somebody who is not familiar with an area, this makes it much more difficult to locate specific places. This makes location a much more important part of a business plan. For example, today, I did not leave the main walking street of San Jose once I had free time. Every business that was not on that strip was out of the question because it would be too hard to find it or get back from it. To have a lot on the main strip  is much more important in San Jose than it is in an American city. By implementing house numbers I feel like San Jose would be a much more balanced city and it would surely make it easier to navigate.

Luckily for us, we were blessed with a tour guide who knew his way around the city very well and, more importantly, came equipped with some incredible jokes. This blog would not be complete without one of them. So, what do you get when you cross a parrot with a centipede? A walkie talkie!

Pura Vida!