A Lazy Day in San Jose

It was always our plan to have a quiet day here in San Jose and a bit of a look around the city tomorrow, before we embark on the long trip home on Sunday. After a bit of a sleep in, we had breakfast on the deck, with a nice view to the mountains that surround the city.

After breakfast, we had no specific plans, but given the nature of the afternoon storm here we thought we’d make use of some pool time in the morning and head to the Spa in the afternoon. A couple of Pina Coladas and some Quesadillas for lunch seemed to fit the bill. We also noticed the change in the clientele… being Friday the business people were leaving and the party people arriving. While we had lunch we had the privilege of seeing three ladies show up by the pool and take at least a thousand selfies while giggling and carrying on. A little sleuthing on instagram revealed they were here on a birthday trip from Vegas.

• 

• 

With little else on the agenda today, we turned our thoughts to reflecting on the differences between some of the countries we’ve visited. One of the things that happens when you tour a country is that the guides have a story to tell, but it’s always good to verify some of the information. Here’s some food for thought…

Cuba vs Australia

Cuba has an unemployment of 2.2% while Australia’s is 5.2%, but generally jobs only pay about $USD30 per month. Most Cubans have second jobs or sell whatever they can get their hands on. Australia is 37% cheaper to live in than Cuba, largely due to the cost of buying cars in Cuba. A privately owned car in Cuba would cost around $USD 150,000. Other expenses like food, childcare and education are all cheaper. Cuba spends 12.5% of GDP on Education whereas Australia spends 5.2%. Australia spends 9.5% of GDP on Healthcare versus Cuba’s 11.9%. Interesting numbers there, however one must bear in mind Cuba has no private education or healthcare services. In Australia 6/100,000 women die in childbirth versus 39 in Cuba.

Costa Rica vs Australia

Costa Rica has higher unemployment of 8%. Costa Rica’s average per capita GDP is around $16,000 against Australia’s $50,000. Expenses like food, childcare and education are all cheaper. Costa Rica spends 7.1% of GDP on Education whereas Australia spends 5.2%. In Australia, 88% have access to the internet vs 54% in Costa Rica. In Australia 6/100,000 women die in childbirth versus 24 in Costa Rica.

We had dinner at the other restaurant tonight , which had a much more Costa Rican theme. Because not much els happened today, I’ll throw in some more food pictures from dinner ‘free of charge’.

• 

• 

We’re heading into San Jose tomorrow and probably won’t get back to to hotel until quite late, so I probably won’t do the blog until our 8 hour layover in LA on the way home on Sunday.

Hasta Luego!