We arrived in Baltimore at midnight, and headed to baggage claim. Apparently the BWI baggage folk had some issues going on, because they changed our baggage claim several times! We started out at one, then they switched us to a different one - our tennis bag came off of this carousel, so we were optimistic that our other two bags would soon appear. Nope, they switched us back to our original carousel! Fortunately our other two bags quickly appeared, and we headed to the car. We got back to Bill & Della's at 1:30 am, and we had to wake up at 4:30 in order to leave for Dulles airport at 5:00 am. Short night!
When we arrived at Dulles we headed to check in, and for some reason Brandon wasn't grouped with Bill, Della, and me on the reservation. Poor Brandon - we were worried that they had lost his reservation! Fortunately that was not the case, and we all trooped off to our gate. We all slept a large portion of our flight to Houston, and made our connection to San Jose. I'm writing this while we are over the ocean - it's beautiful out the window, there are lots of fluffy sheep like clouds below us.
Now on to the fine dining of the day - an airplane meal! Even though we travel internationally fairly regularly, it's always a shock to be served a meal on an airplane! I remember flying with my parents as a child and absolutely dreading the meal because the food was so bad. Dry turkey sandwiches with rubber cheese seemed to be the common fare. The food on this flight is simple. There is a choice of a chicken or beef sandwich, or a bean burrito. Nothing exciting or even Costa Rican. Let's talk about some AMAZING airplane food that I've previously experienced.
When I was 11 my Mom and I went to Africa for a month, to visit our dear friends Alan and Karen while they lived in Uganda. We flew from London to Muscat, Oman on Gulf Air, a Middle Eastern airline. Even 17 years later I remember how good the vegetable curry that they served us was. I also remember that I had an unfortunately short hair cut and one of the flight attendants thought that I was a boy - oops! ☺
We've had some European flights with good food. Both times that I've been to Italy the food on the way was good. Similarly, the flights to Peru on LAN have great Peruvian cuisine. When we went to Morocco on Air Maroc the food was good as well. The safety of the plane on our way to Casablanca was another matter! I think that the 6 of us (all experienced travelers) felt a large amount of relief to be off the plane.
I was thinking this morning that it's funny how traveling by air has changed so much since it's inception. It used to be a glamorous, exciting experience - an adventure in itself, in addition to whatever destination the travelers were heading to. Men wore suits and hats, women wore dresses and heels, and everyone looked FABULOUS! I'm sure the food was amazing as well; I have visions of carving stations of prime rib served with fresh horseradish, asparagus, and of course a red wine chosen by the airline's own personal sommelier. It must have been amazing! Now, many people shuffle about the airport like they're heading to their own personal doom. Also, it's rare to see people dressed up to fly, and if you do, chances are that they are business people. I, for example, am wearing grey TOMS, black running pants, and a purple long sleeve base layer shirt. Quite the opposite of the classy dresses, heels, and fur stoles of the original air travelers! While I daydream about how utterly glamorous that would have been, I'm secretly relieved that I don't have to wear heels to fly!
We land in San Jose at 2:45, and once we retrieve our luggage we'll pick up our rental car and begin the trek to Herradura. Bill will be our fearless driver, and the trip is supposed to take approximately 1 1/2 hours. Not bad!
The last time we traveled internationally with our parents was our incredible trip to Morocco - I know that we're all thankful that driving in Costa Rica will not be like driving in Morocco. Two lanes would be turned into three, cars would drive on the curb, cars pass each other on a one and a half lane road filled with hairpin turns, and then - SURPRISE!!! There's a donkey pulling a cart in front of you! We were all thankful that we didn't have to drive there. Props to Mohammed, our awesome guide/driver.
We can't wait to be at our destination and experience some serious Pura Vida. Translated as "Pure Life," this is absolutely the Costa Rican national motto. When my parents and I were here before, people almost said it to you as a farewell - instead of "Adios," we would often hear "Pura vida!" I love it and I can't wait to live it for the next 8 days.
Until next time - pura vida, amigos!
Linds
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