My freaky World! - Thale vs. San Josè

A comparison of my hometown (Thale in Germany) and the town where I currently live (San José in Costa Rica).

Thale
Thale is a small town in the middle of Germany in the state of Sachsen-Anhalt. It is located in the mountains called Harz. It's idyllic, quiet, safe, sometimes boring, but pretty and definitely has a lot of healthy air to breath. It has about 17,000 inhabitants (out of 80 million in Germany) and it even has a few sights for tourists (e.g. chair lifts that get you up the mountains, a tiny amusement park and a zoo). However, it lacks major industries and therefore jobs. And of course, Thale has those typical seasons of Germany: cold and snowy in winter, warm in spring, hot in sommer, and windy and rainy in fall. Click on the picture to get to the official webpage of Thale.

San José
San José (the capital) is a big city in the middle of Costa Rica in the province of San José. It is located in the mountains of Central Valley. And that's about it what Thale and and San José have in common. San José is dangerous (the most dangerous city in Costa Rica), dirty, ugly, never boring, there is barely any air to breath and it is loud. The city of San José has around 340,000 inhabitants, but if you count all the semi-independent towns around the city, it has 1,600,000 inhabitants (out of 4 million inabitants in Costa Rica). You might be able to find some pretty buildings, but you will have to look hard. The closest sights are about 40-60 km away from San José and would be the volcanoes. If you want to earn money (esp. in the areas of marketing, sales, and big industries) you have to go to San José; that's where the jobs are.
But do not think that I don't like San José. In fact, I love it! Deep inside me I have always been a city girl. I love to go into the city center and do window shopping all day, I love to have a big selection of everything (clothes, food, furniture, dog food...). Plus I love the weather here: Yes, it rains all year long, but it never gets too cold nor does it get too hot! Compared to the little, hot, boring town of Las Juntas, Costa Rica where I lived before, San José is a paradise for me!
Click on the picture to get to a webpage with more information on San José.