Jaco Town cont.

We finally reach the grocery store.  It is called, in English, "More for Less".

Grocery Store

However, talking to some of the local people, they told us it is more like "Less for More".  Several years ago this chain of grocery stores was purchased by WalMart.  It was their way of "entering" the country.  Some people like it and some don't--of course.  The biggest positive is that WalMart employs over 12,000 people in Costa Rica.

As we arrive at the store we park our bikes in the parking lot.

Parking Lot

As you enter the store, the first thing you see is the vegetable department.

Vegetables

Vegetable Department

You will note they have grocery carts, although they are not like ours--their wheels don't wobble.






It is a relatively large and modern store.

Grocery Store Interior

Some of the things in the store for sale are a little different.  For example, the salad dressings do not come in bottles, they are in "packets".

Salad Dressing

And the eggs are not refrigerated, they are just displayed on a shelf.

Just like Benton County, Arkansas, they sell beer and wine.

Box Wine

Cervesa

The "national" beer here is Imperial.









For me, although Gail is much better, the most difficult part of the shopping process is checking out and paying for your purchases. The dollar conversion is still a little confusing.   Simply put, one of our dollars equals about 500 of theirs (colones).  It is pretty simple until you start calculating nickles, dimes, and quarters.  

This lady is pretty relaxed about it all as she drinks her coconut milk while waiting in line.

Coconut milk

After checking out we have to load everything into the baskets on the bicycles.  It is amazing how much you can get in a basket--I can get a 12 pack of beer, two boxes of wine, a 2 liter of coke, and still have a little room left for some of the less essential things, like food.

On our way home we pass under these huge Mimosa trees.

Mimosa Trees

We can tell we are home when we see our street because it leads right into the ocean.

Street Home