Redefined Timeline

A couple of weeks after returning from Antarctica, the Hubs and I boarded a plane bound for a much warmer destination… Central America (Costa Rica and Panama, to be more specific). We were actively trying to make up for the COVID era of non-traveling, and these were countries three and four of eight in eight months. Back to the flight… United for the win. Pre-COVID I always tried to sit in the rear of the plane. I find it to be quieter and generally quite empty. Now airlines overbook flights, filling them to the brim. The travel gods were with us, and the pre-COVID delight of an empty rear happened. Being a good, friendly southerner, I immediately struck up a conversation with the stewardess nearest me. Best. Decision. Ever. She and her male counterpart were amazing! We chatted with them for the entirety of the flight (except when they were successfully doing their jobs and serving other people that weren’t us). Our reward for not being abhorrently rotten travelers… A giant bag of beer and wine. I mean that quite literally. They quietly snuck up behind us, told us we were awesome, and gave us a grey United plastic bag filled with cans of booze for our enjoyment. Hubs made sure to get their names and sent corporate an at-a-boy for both superb flight attendants.

Back to the tour…

We checked into our hotel and then wandered downtown San Jose. We were not very impressed with the city, though, we rarely find ourselves particularly impressed with large cities. We lean more towards smaller “cities” and towns, or just nature. When you have to deal with awful people all the time during the course of your job, people tend to be the last thing you want to deal with while on vacation. For those that do not know what the Hubs and I do for a living, see this post. The pictures give it away instantly. Anyway, San Jose is large, loud and dirty… Yes, I know I’m basically describing every city in the world. Moral of the story, it’s nothing special. Sorry (but not really) to anyone who finds offense in that statement.

We have begun trying to hunt down international police departments in order to trade patches with them. San Jose, Costa Rica was a success (some places haven’t panned out). The officer we approached spoke sparse English, but understood what we were inquiring about. He motioned us around the corner, promptly ripped the patch from his arm and handed it to us in exchange for a couple of our Virginia police patches. Winner winner!

Not knowing we were going to be going to dinner with the group and guide later, we opted for some post-flight sustenance. Tapas y Carbon was near the hotel and offered beer and tapas. We plopped down in some outdoor seats and enjoyed the nice weather.

This tour was with Intrepid Travel. It began in San Jose, Costa Rica and concluded in Panama City, Panama. Along the way we would stop in Puerto Viejo de Talamanca before crossing the border into Panama. Then it was on to Bocas del Toro for a few more days on the water. Next, we motored up to Boquete in the mountains of Panama. After that, we drove through the second largest city of David and over to Santa Catalina, a tiny town on the Pacific coast. Then a longer jaunt up to Panama City by way of the Chame District, one of the more modernized parts of the country.

Most of the group had been together for awhile… they went on the longer tour that started many countries north. Those without jobs have that option, so we were the ultimate outcasts from the start. Not only did we not know anyone, but we were also gainfully employed, and that employment tends to automatically alienate certain people. Add to that our guide, Rafa, was an avid pot smoker, so he treated us a bit differently knowing his favorite pastime was illegal. Awkward!

The following morning was off to Puerto Viejo and Gulf Coast beaches!

Wow, that took me entirely too long to post with how few photos I had from Costa Rica.