Mercado Central

Our group spent the afternoon at Mercado Central which is the humongous market in San Jose. It seemed as if we were in a maze the second we walked in. The atmosphere seemed a little nicer than a flea market and everything you can imagine was being sold. I was a little apprehensive about bargaining with the locals but some of my group members were able to lower the prices. My goal while at the market was to get my family a little something to help share my Costa Rica experience with them. I believe I was pretty successful with the gifts I found for them but it also made me a little homesick thinking about my family while picking them out something special. Here is the entrance to the market,

The market was a little overwhelming because you have ticos yelling at you as you walk by trying to get you to see what items they had to offer. We realized after the first 30 minutes that not making eye contact was key. While in the market we noticed how much of a luxury cell phones are and how we rely on them in so many situations. Since we all had different items we wanted to purchase and diverse taste in the little shops we wanted to see, it was hard to all stay together. People kept getting separated and wondering off. I tried sticking with at least one person at all times in order to stay safe. Although I have not felt unsafe here yet, I still want to be cautious after all the crazy stories my mom has put in my head. You can never be too cautious in a foreign country.