sometime around midnight

Just want to mention before I talk about me that the lyrics written by The Airborne Toxic Event are really quite creative; quite poetic at times.

I went out in Heredia and San Jose a couple times these past few days, and it's a completely different experience when you're not being led around like tourists (or cattle). Even though I'd been getting drowsy around 9, I easily made it through the 3 hour 3D epic of Avatar in El Paseo de las Flores--a huge, glowing neon testament to the influence of American commercialism in Costa Rica. Before we headed into the cine at 9:40, we had a little time to kill, so we strolled through the mall, window-shopping the spin-off Abercrombies (seriously, there are stores here called Moose that look and smell just like A&F) and Gaps until we came across an unfamiliar but trendy store (can't remember the name, unfortunately). I admire the Ticos for their dedication to dressing boldly, but honestly, at first I was a bit overwhelmed by the purple leather jackets, frilly blouses, and pants in lime green, magenta and electric blue. But, rather than turn up our noses at the admittedly unusual fashions, we decided to try on some outlandish outfits. I ended up in a pair of those magenta skinny-jeans (which I secretly love now) and an oversized sweater printed with palm fronds. Surprisingly, I thought the clothes kind of worked, and I didn't look like I'd stepped out of a bad 80s movie, as I'd expected. And Lena actually came out looking like a model in an ensemble of tie-dyed purple jeans, purple tube top, and a purple leather jacket. And Erin rocked the frilly top that had reminded me of a French-maid's get-up. Once you give their clothes a chance, these Ticos actually have an attractive style--of course, we're talking high end clothes here, beyond even my American price range. Later, when we were about to head into the theater, Lena realized she'd accidentally trashed her ticket for the 3D "anteojos." So, brave soul, she went dumpster-diving, while I tentatively held the lid with the very tips of my fingers. Shudder....

But, enough of that. We went out Friday night to Miraflores, a discoteca that plays salsa and merengue, etc. (baile popular). Unfortunately, when we rolled in with like 15 gringas (and Brandon), there were nowhere near enough Ticos to dance with. Of course, this meant that when a middle-aged guy asked several of us to dance, we took the opportunity...wrong idea. Though I'd only just learned the basic steps a couple days ago, I quickly realized this guy didn't have the footwork of the other pros on the dance floor. He attempted to cover his lack of skill with lots of crazy twirling, which just ended up making me dizzy. Hopefully, we'll check out some other (better) discotecas later on...or just come to Miraflores at like 1:30, since no one seems to arrive until about that time of night.