Costa Rica 2009 - the big journey

Firstly, I do apologize to all my Czech readers who do not understand English, but this needs to be understood by a wider range of people. I will translate it eventually.

So, after the worst consequences of my hangover gone (the initiation of my stay was a bit beery...) I can finally write a few sensed words about my first impressions of Costa Rica. But first let me describe the wonderful 30 hour journey I had to endure to get here...

The horror trip

In the beginning there was London Public Transport. Then someone put people in charge and everything got screwed. Due to delays I got to the airport 25 minutes before the departure. I had to guess which of the two Gatwick terminals was mine, as it was not mentioned in my booking details and proper indications at the airport entrance is just something they did not invent yet, not to mention that my flight IBxxxx with Iberia became BAyyyy with British Airways, which did not facilitate things. When I got to the check-in, the staff must have thought I run all the way from London on foot, because I looked as though I just took a shower without undressing. Of course it was too late to put the luggage in, so I put the most valuable items in my hand bag (basically my 15-year old Iron Maiden t-shirt I take to every concert, two Gambrinus beer glasses, the aftershave and some basic clothes). The rest I left behind (there is a service that sends luggage back to your home address, but the check-in guy told me to be very quick, while the guy at the service counter started with the words "yeeeeee...... but..... it will take like 20 minutes to put everyting in the computeeeeer....."). Anyway, I got into the airplane eventually, five minutes before departure, and still looking like I just left a sauna. I got seated and could finally relax.

My relaxed mood lasted until I realized something was wrong with my connection flight. I was supposed to land in Barcelona at 19:45 and leave for San Jose at 19:55... hm, somehow fishy, innit? So I was "slightly" nervous for most of the trip, I rushed out of the plane and had to run all the way to the other end of the terminal to the Iberia helpdesk (at least half a mile). When I got there, I looked like a marathon person again. However, the helpdesk lady was not startled by my look, but by my question, to which she replied "but there is no flight to Costa Rica tonight, it´s tomorrow morning...".

Perfect, I thought, I didn´t miss the flight then, but am stranded in Barcelona for the next 15 hours or so. Hence the money I saved on the ticket were spent in cabs and hotel. Not bad though, I could relax, have a shower and some sleep. I also checked the luggage damages and in the end the most valuable thing I really regret the loss of are my nice slippers (not that I can´t just buy another pair, but I was really attached to thiese). I do not want to bother anyone with my luggage inventory, though - if you are still reading this, you might be more interested in how the journey proceeded.

The next day I got to the airport on time, everything was relaxed and I promised myself that no sweat would be spilled. I was just a bit puzzled about the Barcelona taxi system: the taxameter was running like crazy at first, even though we were waiting at the traffic lights, when we reached the destination it showed something over 23 euros and then, like magic, the driver pressed a button and pop, there was 30... apparently airport extra fee and weekend supercharge (the day before the same trip was 22 euro). In any case, I was there two hours before the departure, got breakfast, was relaxed, no sweat was being spilled and no marathon record attempt initiated on my part and I was making the queue nicely and on time. However, the take-off was delayed by one hour...

On top of that, although the trip info only mentioned one interchange, this flight was to Madrid... luckily the connection there was immediate (so immediate I had to break my oath and spill a few drops of sweat). As if this weren´t enough, the main flight, the one that FINALLY took me to San Jose, was also delayed due to the connection delays. BUT I was inside the airplane and I was going to Costa Rica. Huraaaaaa!!!

The main flight was a very strange experience. A sort of 11-hour gap which I feel kind of strange about. I guess such long flights are best compared to hospital time. You lay in bed, you stare at the wall, you are mindbogglingly bored and you know there is nothing you can do about it, just endure the pain and boredom and wait till it´s over. In a train or bus you see the road and the panorama moving, you know you are making progress, you see other cars and it all feels sort of normal, but in an aircraft, even though you can walk a bit, get up to stretch your legs and go to the toilet, you can´t see anything outside, especially if most of the flight is over the ocean. Everything is kind of still, your ass is shouting "I´m being crushed down here, get up you fatass, end this torture!" And the time drags itself like a snail: slooooowly. Reading a book in such an uncomfortable position is not much of a consolation, either. Also the fact that we flew West and for 11 hours it was broad daylight was kind of weird. I had a very long day in the end, getting up at 7am in Barcelona and seeing daylight until midnight in European time.

In the end, this 11-hour flight feels like an empty gap in my life. Time I spent totally bored, wishing for it to be finally over, being horrified at the thought that it´s like a whole shift with lunch break and some overtime on top, which is a lot of time. In other words, it really felt like hospital time.

Finally Costa Rica!!!

Even the worst things come to an end eventually, and so did this flight. At some point we started to lose altitude, the blue of the ocean was left behind in exchange for green and brown color of fields, forests and mountains, and then we were on the ground, slowly taxiing towards the terminal. The landing was a bit harsh, it seemed like the pilot started to go down too late and then, almost on the ground, he literally stepped on the brake and we experienced a brief, but not exactly pleasant freefall of a few metres. Then I was utterly surprised about the aircraft´s breaks efficiency - this big transatlantic fella stopped almost on the spot, unlike the smaller continental ones. I really appreciated the seatbelt in that moment.

Meeting the people

At the airport I met Gustavo, the guy who is kindly hospiting me, and the first words that came out of my mouth after the transatlantic torture were "man I need a beer". As you probably realized, I had a few more later on...

Different world

My first day in San Jose I was totally overwhelmed by visual input and by the people. Most cars around here are American (although I have seen a BMW X5, for instance), there are these huge trucks which are totally awesome! Public transport doesn´t seem to work much around here (I´ve seen some bus stops, but no buses. And not a single policeman or police car, by the way), so everyone without a car is using cabs, which are so funny. They are all totally cranky (no wonder, with the roads here full of holes) and the drivers drive like crazy. No lanes on the roads, sometimes the traffic lights get simply ignored (crossing the road is a hazard, but the locals do not seem to mind. If a crazy taxi driver runs towards them, it is no reason to speed up a bit). And the buildings and everything looks exactly like in the Mexican movies. Just amazing being here.

Then there are all the small everyday things which differ from country to country and you notice them as you come across them during everyday things. For example different electric plugs, different water taps (in Costa Rica you open the tap by pushing the handle down and close by pulling up), different door handles, etc. I came across the first difference at the airport toilet - it was full of water, so I thought it was stuck and simply left. When we got home later on, the toilet was stuck, too! I realized not all toilets in San Jose can be stuck and asked Gus, who assured me it is normal here to put so much water. Another weird thing is the shower - it only has one circular handle for the water, the showerhead is fixed on the wall and there are some buttons whose purpose I do not fully understand yet. And there is an electric wire leading to the showerhead! So much for health and safety... When meddling with the buttons, I really appreciated they only have 110v electricity instead of the European 220... I was then told by a few people that they take the cable off when showering, but then there is no hot water, so it´s not really the best solution, either. Catch 110 I would say.

One good thing is the food. I did not eat that much yet, but eggs, smoked meat, some veggies and chicken are excellent. What I have seen in the fridge gave me much more confidence than the stuff I buy in Tesco...

Well, I think that´s it for now, I wrote quite a lot of stuff and my hangover is not over yet so I´d better get back to lay down, open a beer and relax... If you wonder why I did not mention any people, it´s because I only met a bunch of office guys and gals and we got drunk together so it is just regular stuff :) There will be much more to say once I get to the office. I will also add some pictures as soon as I make any.