Notes from my recent trip to Costa Rica over New Years:
I have been on some ridiculous trips, in which I have really had to “rough it”. These have included:
1) Pooing in a tupperware toilet at 14,000 feet
2) Riding on the back of a horse with gas to a lamaist temple
3) Walking out on the tab in a kazakh yurt after being overcharged
4) Getting sex-iled by my Auckland hostel roommate (I was 25, a little old to be getting sexiled!)
5) Insane papaya salad runs in Bangkok
But nothing has compared to the terror I felt when I thought that I last lost my laptop computer!! OK, here’s the rundown:
Dec 27, Midnight – Leave LAX for San Jose, Costa Rica
Dec 28, 7am – Arrive at San Jose
8am – Clear customs and make mistake of leaving the international terminal only to discover that the “domestic terminal” doesn’t EXIST! I also realized that all of the restaurants are behind the security gate, meaning I couldn’t get a cup of joe!
9am – Walk to “Sansa Airport” (local plane to take me to Nosara) which consists of a small room and a seating area outside in front of the building. I proceed to check in, only to be told that my flight will not check in until 11am. I then schlep back to the international terminal to look for ANYTHING to eat (iced tea and Papa John’s Pizza)
11am – Check-in. Because the plane is so tiny, I need to check both my rolling suitcase and my carry-on (note: carry on includes my laptop as well as all of the details of my destination hotel in Nosara, Costa Rica). I am told to wait out front and that the flight, originally scheduled for 11:45, will board 15-20 minutes late.
12:10am – I check with the counter to find out when my flight will board. They tell me that the flight has ALREADY LEFT! Funny, because with only 10 passengers per flight you’d think they would notice if one of the boarding pass holders hadn’t boarded. Apparently they realize that they f*cked up, so they agree to drop me off in Nosara as part of the next flight to Tamarindo, scheduled for 1:15pm. FYI, my checked luggage is on the plane and will land in Nosara.
2:55pm – Flight to Tamarindo finally leaves after 1) low fuel and refueling 2) enging failure. We boarded and deplaned 3 times!
4pm – Arrive in Tamarindo and board my Sansa provided cab.
6:40pm – After 2 hour ride to Nosara, the cab driver can’t find my hotel and leaves me at a restaurant in the middle of Nosara, which is frighteningly similar to Lovina in Bali. For those of you who have been to Lovina, you understand that its basically a TINY VILLAGE. I get the phone number for my hotel (remember all of my paperwork is in the checked luggage which theoretically arrived in Nosara before me so I have no phone numbers) and call them and they pick me up.
7:00pm – Chow down on food and a couple beers and reunite with my former coworker, who is the best in the world for putting up with my retarded drama. After dinner find our way to the room we have in this huge mansion house (the hotel was full, but they put us up in the room in this house).
10:00pm – Crash
Dec 29, 6am – Wake up and head to hotel.
7am – Meet up with driver who has agreed to help me find my lost luggage. Bear in mind that I was sweating bullets all night because I thought I had lost my LAPTOP, which as a grad student would be like DYING. He ends up taking me to the airport (read: air strip, complete with cows), the Sansa office (open at 9:15) and the other airline office. He then buys a loaf of bread at the local baker and decides to take me to his house where we will wake for the Sansa office open. There his brother makes a phone call and learns that my luggage is being held in a convenience store across the street from the airport (read: cow pasture) and I pick it up. WHAT A RELIEF!
9am – Back at the hotel to enjoy breakfast and more coffee
10am – First surfing lesson and life goes on….
So besides the terrible play-by-play on all of the drama, there are a couple of good takeaways from my trip. First, surfing is SO FUN! I LOVE IT! I am having a blast, despite having to wear a rash guard, which is a ridiculous piece of clothing. Second, meeting people in other countries rocks. Third, I am finally starting to de-stress. Fourth, I have had several chances to use my terrible Spanish, which is always a treat.
Today was amazing, with two surfing lessons and I was able to get up on my own and stuff. Hopefully soon I will be good enough to go to the “outside” of the break. Also I need to send some postcards and relax a bit more. Also, drinking as usual began today…celebration mojitos for reclaiming my lost computer. What a sad life I lead…(just kidding. My life is pretty awesome, as evidenced by my hitting four countries in the past month. Five if you include my stopover in Canada)
Lost Motivation
I have lost all will to read my book, do my "homework/interview prep" or even write this blog!
Going Commando
One of the wonders of wearing board shorts/bathing suit all day is that I haven't been wearing underwear. I don't have any good analysis yet, but just something to note!
