As I have been in San Jose, I have found that it is very much similar to any city that you might be familiar with; from its rush hour, to the traffic and the many malls and attractions in the busy areas. However, one thing I've noticed that has been apparent around the country, and that I have written about before, is the way the country and people accomodate to tourism. For example, I've noticed in many of the beach town trips I've taken, that many people are willing to provide their services for payment in return; such as tour guides, taxi services and surfing lessons. This income gained through tourism in the community allows for great economic induced effects; this is seen in the recirculation of the local currency in a given community. In my experience, many consumer items and tours were available for purchase, and those purchases allowed for the local communities to live more comfortably, or at least get by. As jobs continue to become available in many industries due to tourism, this creates a perfect competitive market that the locals participate in for tourism season; meaning that anyone could become local vendors and have equal competition with those that sell too. The demand is very high in this season, so many of these self-employers can supply.
I also became aware that homestays, like mine, were getting paid to have me in their home.
