Saturday-ish
Eventually we boarded the plane, then sat for what seemed like a longer than normal time for all the passengers to load, and then taxiing to the runway and de-icing. Finally we took off for Los Angeles. It was over 2 hours and we landed late. The movie screens didn't work so I read my book. There was enough time in the layover for us to find the next gate and sit for awhile. The lady next to me offered me a golden ball of chocolate, which I declined, but we talked a bit. Then I pulled out a Sudoku book and started on a puzzle.
At 11:15, we boarded the plane. Again, we sat for some time waiting for all the other passengers to load. Then they shut the door and we taxied to the runway. The plane took off and we were on our way to Costa Rica. We were sitting in first class and I did not see the lady. It seemed to take a long time till they brought out the meals. I wasn't sure I should eat because it was after midnight. But I did. I watched an animated movie about a Yeti. Then I called up a classical music mix and settled back with my scarf over my face to try to sleep.
Maybe I did, or maybe I didn't. Eventually the person in front of me opened her window and the flight attendant announced landing procedures. I could see the sunrise ahead of us. I took some pics of it and the cloud formations. The plane descended and landed. It rolled along the tarmac to the gate. I wondered how fast a plane could roll without taking off.
We landed two hours early, somehow. It took a long time to de-plane and then we went to Immigration. The lady was back and following us the whole time. We got separated when we presented our passports. We picked up our suitcase and went out front of the terminal to wait for Herberth and his friends. And the lady joined us again. She was very nice, but it seemed faintly odd that we kept running into her.
Herberth came running up to us to hug and greet us. His friends pulled the SUV over to the curb and we loaded our stuff in the back. Then we headed to a restaurant for breakfast. I tried to stay awake. Gabriel took me for a walk to explore local plants while we waited for the food to arrive. Then we came back and ate. There was much conversation as Chris tried to communicate in Spanish and they tried to communicate in English. Only Herberth was fluent in both languages.
After eating, they took me to a fabric store so I could buy needle and thread to fix my fanny pack strap and Chris' jacket patch. I also got some fabric, surprise surprise. To further the surprise, Jessica insisted on paying for the purchase. Then we stopped at her house and she picked up some pins and scissors.
Finally we were on our way cross-country to Turrialba. I fell asleep in the back seat even though it was not comfortable to have my head back so far. We proceeded slowly because the roads were so rough. That also was uncomfortable. I don't think I slept long. But anyway, the countryside was beautiful! So green and verdant. All kinds of vegetables and fruits sold at local stands. Fields of sugarcane. Tropical flowers and vegetation.
We stopped at a restaurant for bathrooms and the view. We ordered some yucca fries, which were really good. I took some pics. Then we continued on.
We drove through the village of Turrialba, spotting the markets. But we didn't stop till we got to a property on the other side that was for sale. It looked a little familiar since Chris had toured it two years ago and sent back pictures. I wondered why it was still for sale but then heard the asking price was $200K. No house, but there were some fruit trees and tropical plants. And someone had been mowing it.
We walked around for some time. I took my shoes off because I had a big blister on my right foot. Then Gabriel stepped in a fire ant mound. He and Jessica slapped the ants off. I was careful not to go near it.
Eventually we left, heading back to town using a better road. We passed another property for sale. Then we stopped at a hotel/restaurant before we got back to town. Jessica found some blackberry bushes growing around. Following her, I stepped in an ant mound. They both helped me brush off the ants. The ants went up my leg. They were angry. I noticed that my feet and ankles were puffy, though that was true a little earlier as well. Was it something I ate?
We went to check in. Chris picked a room and we brought in our luggage. I was tired so we agreed to meet at 4 for a meal. I laid down on the bed and tried to sleep. Chris closed the curtains which closed off a magnificent view. It helped cut down on the light. But I had a hard time sleeping because he kept moving around. And then exotic birds made exotic sounds and there was no quiet. I tried counting backward from 300 by 3's. I kept getting sidetracked. And if it were quiet, it probably would have worked.
Chris nudged me at 4. I got up and moved around a bit, still sleepy. We went out and met the others at the restaurant. We sat at an outside table and talked. Again, Chris tried to speak Spanish, and Gabriel and Jessica tried to speak English. Herberth interpreted. Then we ordered from the menu. When the food came, we ate without breaking conversation. We agreed that all our meals were excellent. And the conversation continued. We talked endlessly about the schedule for tomorrow and finally decided to meet for breakfast at 7 and Church at 8:30, followed by a meeting with a real estate agent at 10:30.
Herberth took me back to my room. Then he rejoined the others. I peeled and ate a boiled egg, and ate some cheese squares. I worked on my blog and posted for yesterday. I tried to work on sewing my fanny pack, but I could not find the end of the thread. I gave it up for daylight. Then I got ready for bed.
I deleted a bunch of e-mail and read some. Then I read Telegram messages until Chris returned from the gathering. I pretended I'd gone to bed, but he wasn't buying it. So we chatted and he checked his messages. Then we turned in for the night.
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