Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Guitar Hero


When I first came to Costa Rica over two months ago, I made a to-do list that went roughly as follows: 1) see a sloth, 2) learn to surf, and 3) buy a guitar. The first, as readers of this blog know, I crossed off the list a month ago in Puerto Viejo. Number two is still to come, hopefully. And three, I'm happy to report, is finally in the bank.

I had first hoped to buy a classical, Spanish-style guitar in Spain last fall. But due to the luggage constraints of solo backpacking, as well as difficulties navigating around the Spanish siesta, this was a no-go.

Thus, I resolved to buy a guitar to satisfy my musical cravings in Costa Rica. Two months later, I finally have one. Since we rarely stay in San Jose on the weekends, and I'm usually busy with work on the weekdays, it has been difficult to find time. But this past weekend, I made it my top priority.

Buying guitar is a surprisingly dangerous venture here, unless you're willing to settle for a pawn shop or cheap model. But I wanted to buy mine from the legendary Hermanos Guzman, brothers who have been crafting hand-made guitars in Costa Rica for years. The only problem is that the Hermanos Guzman live in Tibas, a notorious San Jose suburb whose murder rate ranks up there with Detroit, Baltimore and Newark.

It was a Saturday afternoon, however, and we took a cab and were fine. I did, unfortunately, lose my glasses on the way--they were in my pocket in a case and must have fallen out when I was in the cab. I was so pleased with my new purchase, however, that I didn't care. Glasses are replaceable, but this guitar is pricess. OK--it was more more money than I planned to spend, but it sounds awesome and is without a doubt one-of-a-kind.

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