First Trip - July 2002

	This is a view from my balcony. Across the street is another hotel and in the back are some of the mountains. San Jose is surrounded by mountains; some of which are volcanic and some of them are active.
	This is the National Theater - Built in France and shipped to Costa Rica and assembled there (like many of the early buildings.)
	The top of the National Theater has three statues depicting the arts (Music, Dancing, Acting)
	Inside the theater was this painting painted by a French painter - this painting depicts Costa Rican life - predominantly the coffee (growing, harvesting and shipping) and Bananas. This same painting was also used on the first Five Colones note. The local joke is that the French painter knew nothing about Bananas - the farmer is carrying them upside down!
	This note is no longer in circulation in large towns! However, I got two as change in the town of Orotina.
	Copyright © 2004 Raman Jalota. All rights reserved. No part of this electronic publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the written permission of the author.