In late 2016, I was invited to deliver some website training to the staff of The Salvation Army’s Latin America North Territory, at their San José HQ. This territory covers 10 countries in the vicinity, so they wanted to ensure their website reflected the geographic and cultural diversity.

As ever, I was well looked after (particular thanks to Susan Pessoa) and treated to some delicious Tico meals. Today, though, I wanted to focus on the city itself, and its surroundings.

The top draw for me, being something of a rail enthusiast, was that the hotel I’d been booked in to (and I promise I hadn’t engineered this!) fronted directly on to the railway track. I don’t mean ‘close to a station’ or ‘near the line’. The front door opened straight on to the track and trains stopped on request. This made maximising the spare time in my three-day assignment supremely easy, as I could venture off both before and after work and know exactly how to get back to base. Brilliant!

The trains themselves were … rustic. Rusting, even. But they gave access to outstanding scenery surprisingly close in to the city centre. And in San José itself, the train tracks are often just embedded in the road surface. Without automatic doors, this means you can jump on and off pretty much wherever you like as the speeds are very low when stuck in traffic.

San José struck me as a beautifully scented city. Flower stalls are everywhere, and the delicate aroma seems to pervade block after block. So too does the smell of freshly made coffee, which is a crop Costa Ricans are extremely proud of, and with good reason.

The city was also playing host to some open-air arts and music events during my visit, which made for some very convivial evenings enjoying some very creative local artists, over a frozen mango.

And because San José is so well connected by public transport, I even managed to squeeze in a quick visit to an active volcano and a rainforest (with sloths!) beside a picture-perfect beach.

I’m glad to have had the opportunity not just to work there, meet and support the dedicated Salvation Army team and understand a little more of their ministry, but to have enjoyed some really life-enhancing cultural activities while there. Win win!