After an extremely long day of waiting and then a short amount of flying, I have finally arrived at Tranquilo Backpacker Hostel in San Jose, Costa Rica with a couple German girls I met at the airport. The taxi ride from the airport turned a bit scenic as we passed the all too familiar "lady boys," working the corners with their incredibly long legs and skirts so short they could fit a 6 year old. Our driver told us the part of town we were driving through wasn't very safe, then proceeded to pull over and let us out at our hostel, almost directly across the street from where he had just given us our warning. Looks like we're staying in for the night!
As I get ready to be stationary for a few more hours today, this time in a bed, I'm remembering one of the warnings of my malaria medication: "vivid dreams". Now some of you reading this may have been lucky enough to make a cameo appearance in one of my dreams, but even if you haven't had the priviledge you may still know how ridiculous and involved they are on a usual basis. I'm stoked to see what Chloroquine will bring!
Tomorrow I'll be catching a bus to a small surfer town on the Carribean coast, down by the Panamanian border, where I am thinking I may end up staying for a few weeks. Until then!
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Transportation Debacle Day 1
The familiar buzz of the airport's flourescent lights mimic the feeling that is once again pulsing through my body. The feeling I get when I am about to embark on some adventure to an unexplored, new part of the owrld, the one that reminds me I'm alive. Today I am starting another 4 month journey, this time to Central America.
After arriving to the Newark airport 5 minutes too late to check my bag, I have already encountered my first travel hitch. Another familiar feeling. One thing I've been presented with over the last year is a neverending supply of transportation issues (everywhere from Panama to Bangladesh) so I've become a pro at taking things in stride, and trying to get everyone else to follow suit.
Today though it's just me. I've been at the airport for a little more than three hours so far, and I have another seven to go before I can hopefully fly standby on the next flight to San Jose. Seven might seem like a long while, but I honestly just felt a little jolt of excitement surge through my body thinking my new 5pm departure time is almost right around the corner... Almost.
In the meantime I have just started reading The Invisible Wall, which Nicholas Kristoff (NYTimes journalist) profiled the other day as a good read. One of the things I find amusing about this book already is the way the author dictates the language of the characters from this little British town. "What the bloody 'ell are you doing?" and "I could be living in Birmingham with an 'ouse of me own." All this English speak keeps reminding me of my move to London this fall for graduate school... I can't wait to live in such a cool city!
But that's still 6 or so months away. In the meantime, Central America here I come! I'm flying into San Jose today, March 23, and flying out of Belize City on July 27 (that's unless I run out of money before then- a definite possibility!). My main goal is to come out of this experience more "fluent" in Spanish than I am now, but all the people I'll meet along the way and all the new experiences and things to see will make this trip as epic as the rest.
I have a feeling the logistics of this trip will fall into place sort of organically, which is why I have only have my very first hostel booked so far. I can't wait to see where this next adventure will take me, that is of course if I can even get on the plane today!
After arriving to the Newark airport 5 minutes too late to check my bag, I have already encountered my first travel hitch. Another familiar feeling. One thing I've been presented with over the last year is a neverending supply of transportation issues (everywhere from Panama to Bangladesh) so I've become a pro at taking things in stride, and trying to get everyone else to follow suit.
Today though it's just me. I've been at the airport for a little more than three hours so far, and I have another seven to go before I can hopefully fly standby on the next flight to San Jose. Seven might seem like a long while, but I honestly just felt a little jolt of excitement surge through my body thinking my new 5pm departure time is almost right around the corner... Almost.
In the meantime I have just started reading The Invisible Wall, which Nicholas Kristoff (NYTimes journalist) profiled the other day as a good read. One of the things I find amusing about this book already is the way the author dictates the language of the characters from this little British town. "What the bloody 'ell are you doing?" and "I could be living in Birmingham with an 'ouse of me own." All this English speak keeps reminding me of my move to London this fall for graduate school... I can't wait to live in such a cool city!
But that's still 6 or so months away. In the meantime, Central America here I come! I'm flying into San Jose today, March 23, and flying out of Belize City on July 27 (that's unless I run out of money before then- a definite possibility!). My main goal is to come out of this experience more "fluent" in Spanish than I am now, but all the people I'll meet along the way and all the new experiences and things to see will make this trip as epic as the rest.
I have a feeling the logistics of this trip will fall into place sort of organically, which is why I have only have my very first hostel booked so far. I can't wait to see where this next adventure will take me, that is of course if I can even get on the plane today!
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