Another walking tour

This morning after breakfast I looked in the mirror and realized that part of my front tooth, one of the temporary crowns, came off during breakfast. After only a day and a half! Will what's left of it last two weeks?

I walked to the Morazon Park near the Holiday Inn to meet the free walking tour of San José.  I mistakenly joined a small group but the guide didn't speak English very well or audibly.  I soon found out it was a paid tour through Intrepid Travel, my tour company, which is not a good sign. 

Iso spoke English much better, had a microphone and was very enthusiastic.  The group was 6 young Germans though a retired man from Iowa joined us later.

She asked us some questions and gave us "points" but at the end no one except me seemed to know how many points they had. She did an eeny meeny miny moe and gave someone a small packet of crackers. That was a little disappointing! 

Some of the information was repetitive but I still learned a lot. I saw so many pretty buildings and parks that it made me appreciate San José a lot more (plus it wasn't raining).

The monument to the Central American countries and their independence and the defeat of the American scoundrel, William Walker

The Congress building which looks more like a prison

The happy group (really they struck me as an unenthusiastic quiet group...jet lag?) in front of the Museum of Costa Rican History which used to be the military headquarters back when they had a military.

Of course, the 2 1/2 hour tour wasn't really free. I think everyone tipped her generously. She even escorted us to a "safe" bank to use their ATM. I hope she made at least $100.

I then went to find the Mercado Central. I ate a lunch in one of the "sodas" (diner) inside the market, lots of food for only $6.40 (finally, a cheap meal)! 

A young woman played violin near the restaurants. I gave her 1,000 colones (about $1.85).

La Sorbetera de Lolo Mora, founded in 1901. I had a medium sized sorbete (it was plenty and cost about $5) of the traditional flavor that we tasted the day before on Daniel's tour. Soon I saw two of the Germans from the tour and encouraged them to order sorbete.

This is the herb, juanilama, that Rita told me many Costa Ricans use for digestive problems

I walked back to the hotel and it wasn't a fun walk. I was very tired by the time I arrived, by trying to cross streets,  looking at my phone surreptitiously (Iso warned us of crime), seeing dogs wandering near busy streets, sleeping men (95% are drug addicts, Iso said), and the heat!