Costa Rica to thw big easy.

San Jose is a cool city. It is vibrant, noisy, energetic and fascinating. Because at heart we are nerds we visited 3 museums. The first was the Museo Nacional a fantastic homage to the local Pre-Colombian civilisation certainly they were a well organised and sophisticated society. Their technolgy and art were amazing. The spanish don't seem that well regarded even though that is the ancestry of most of the people.

We visited the Museo de Or; gold! The central bank has been buying up the Golden art etc. for decades to preserve it as a national treasure. They are pretty switched on, they have also have a Museum dedicated to the developement of their currency. You can chart tne progress of their economy fascinating for me not so for Kerry. 

We found this Italian restaurant by luck the first night back, very close to the hotel and just kept going back; very good food, ambience and reasonable. Just to top it off we were joined by the Costa Rican football side for dinner on our last night. Good blokes and they got a heroes welcome from the patrons. We of course had to ask who they were this was met with astonishment!

A 4.45 start to fly to New Orleans! Now I do understand their concern re terrorism but there is a serious lack of human dignity, they have no humour and you get the feeling that they don't want you to visit. Because I had slipped my boarding pass in my back pocket to assist with belt removal, shoe removal and every other thing removal I went for my first body scan. My boarding pass in my hip pocket was suspicious so after a physical pat down I was tested for Gunshot residue! Welcome back to the USA! We had not left a security controled environment since leaving Costa Rica a bit Ott and virtually un-necessary I would have thought!

How ever we made the Big Easy, New Orleans, the land of dreams and the birthplace of Jazz. As long as I can remember Basin Street, Bourbon Street and Preservation Hall have been part of my musical fabric. Well! Bourbon Street is part sleezy and part exotic but to hear country music in the Bars, though very good, seems wrong but Preservation Hall is magical and far better than I had dreamed. Old fellers including Ray Charles drummer just enjoying them selves and taking us along for the ride was amazing.

We have eaten like Kings and traversed scores of street  musicians that are unbelieveable. It is like walking through a continual concert. Mr Blog is not letting me write any more so I will continue my New Orlean love affair soon.