And Away We Go...

The journey continues! Lisa and I made an early date with a ¨puddle jumper¨ from Tamarindo’s small but useful airport, greeted by the calls of our bovine friends and some early rising Howler monkeys. The process was quick and efficient, the staff, courteous and accommodating for all we newbie fliers, and as the tiny plane was heard above us, anticipation was palpable.

Moments after the ¨bird man¨, a gentleman employed to ride his scooter onto the landing field to scare away the local squatters, made his rounds, the plane came to an impressive pause and the group of waiting wingers piled in. Lisa and I hurried forward so as to get the front seats so we could watch the pilots go through their motions and feel comforted by their professional airs.

The flight to San Jose was a quick and relaxed one filled with images of the beautiful countryside (some parts I believe would never be seen otherwise), from rolling hills and lush mountains and plains to rivers, inlets, and islands just outside of the Nicoya Peninsula. Astounding! Our landing, with its expected mountain-wind turbulence, was amicable and exciting as we taxied toward the San Jose International airport. F.Y.I. look for the N.A.S.A. ¨tent¨, which either is doing weather balloon or satellite surveying or communicating with aliens… you deicide.

We were met by an industrious young man who aided us by bringing our luggage the short trip to our terminal, then made our way into the heart of the port itself. A few well spent hours later (of course filled with many moments spreading the good word of The Oaks), we were on the plane to Miami, and from there, on to our new adventure. When visiting the San Jose Airport, enjoy the musical stylings of a native gentleman on his guitar, with CD at hand for purchase, as he entertains waiting passengers with gorgeous acoustic versions of everything from Puccini and Vivaldi to Eric Clapton and Sarah McLaughlin.

The American Airlines fight to Miami was unremarkable at best in the best ways possible: fast trip, no turbulence, easy landing… and THEN we were herded into customs. The waiting lines for Non-Citizens, seemingly innumerous and unclogged, contrasted greatly against the overcrowded and labyrinthine queues for Actual Citizens, making me long for the easy-going nature of our Tico counterparts. After a good forty five minutes or more, Lisa and I passed through Homeland Security’s gaping maw to find our luggage in baggage claim. Other than the fact we were misinformed about which carousel our bags were to be arriving at, collecting the luggage was a rather simple process and we exited the terminal to catch a cab.

Lisa and I arrived at the Weston hotel to retrieve my truck (revved up to get this journey underway) when the valet at the establishment informed us that they could not find the keys to my ¨Rugged Chariot¨. In hindsight, we were hurried leaving the first time for the Miami airport and the fact that my truck was left alone in their care for over a month, but all logic disappears at 10:30 PM when you know you have an hour and a half drive in store! The Weston staff was as helpful and apologetic as possible and called for a locksmith to get us into the truck. Less than an hour later said specialist arrived and, after a quick diagnosis, returned to his warehouse with my ignition in hand. Another hour later he arrived back at the hotel with two new keys that worked only to start the car… NOT lock or unlock it. Pura Vida, eh? We promptly paid the man for his services (which in the end was less expensive that the proposed parking fee that the Weston thankfully dropped) and The Oaks Duo was on their way! Finally!

The drive to the ¨West Coast¨ of Florida was crisp and filled with mass amounts of music and talk radio so as to keep the sleep from my eyes. More often then not, the dial fell upon some rather strange late night sermons by Florida based pastors and liberal "crazies" whose statements made even this fairly open minded gent cringe. We arrived at our destination and settled into a pre-planned room at the Ramada by our newly found "Lakeland" (now Winter Haven) friend, C.J., who was already well on her way to dreamland when we arrived. We slipped into our respective beds and followed suit. The next morning our Trio ventured over to the local JEEP dealer to purchase the 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited that Lisa and I had had our eyes on since we first surfed the web for adequate and affordable transportation... and there it was. A few minutes of haggling and a bank trip to acquire the necessary funds later, we were driving off in The OAKS JEEP! Yippy! We attempted a drive to Fort Myers Beach to "soak up the atmosphere" but found even the road to get there far too overcrowded (unlike at The OAKS where you are mere moments from the FIVE BEST BEACHES in Costa Rica!) and decided to make other plans. Lunch!

The MacGregor Cafe in Fort Myers was the spot chosen for its outdoor patio and delicious sandwiches (special thanks to our Latina friend for her aesthetic abilities on the apple pie with vanilla ice cream, garnished with mini strawberry cake morsels!) C.J. and I then took a jaunt to my old abode to pack my belongings (more than I expected) to meet Lisa at her personal Mecca, Wal-mart. By the time we arrived, she had collected all the items we would need over the course of the next few days. Just as I was trying on some new cargo shorts (or what we call "The Lisa Jo Uniform"), Lisa's cart was mistakenly absconded away by a fellow shopper and we had to make a mad dash to seek it out. Twenty minutes later, we had discovered the lost cargo and made a hasty exit for the check out. Paid up, packed up, and settled in for our trip, the three of us made our way to Winter Haven, FL for a good night's sleep before we would continue on to Columbia, South Carolina to spend Easter with my parents and connect with the Auto Wrapping Specialist for our newly acquired vehicle!

We made camp at C.J.'s condo that evening and enjoyed some light guitar playing and story telling on the patio, accompanied by our mascot, The Aroma Muchacho! All I can say is that that Aroma loves to tell a tale, for he kept us up a bit too late! In the end, we made it to bed and dozed well for the next morning's journey!

There is MUCH more to come of Lisa's and Ryan's (EXCELLENT and getting CHILLY) Adventure!