It has been some time since I have attempted to write in the blog. First of all we were having trouble with computers, the only working computers were little notebooks and they were too small for my fingers to type on a regular basis.. We were also having trouble with the internet.
I took a business trip back to Canada on July 18 coming back to Costa Rica August 2. It took me a few days to get caught up here and get over the very arduous trip. Going back to Canada I had a first class ticket and travelled to Dallas, then Seattle, then Kelowna. Coming back I had only a coach ticket and travelled from Kelowna to Vancouver, waited several hours, then couldn’t find my print of the E ticket. I tried airline after airline, and finally phoned Melaney and luckily caught her at home and she gave the information that I needed. Once I had the correct airline, it was roses. They had all the information that they needed in their computer and I checked all the way through. I checked the one big duffle bag that I was carrying through to San Jose, and took the small bag and computer bag onto the plane with me.
Our itinerary took us first to Phoenix ( I waited an hour on that plane because it was the same one going on to Las Vegas.) I didn’t have to go through customs, that was in South Carolina. There was a long wait there. I had flown through the night, and arrived at six A.M. I didn’t leave until nearly eleven. I arrived in San Jose at 1:30 P.M. Also, the only food on the plane was at one point to buy a chicken salad, or chicken roll-up for $7.00 on Visa. I had anticipated this and had purchased two boxes of granola bars. By eating a couple every so often, I kept hunger at bay. At least the airline served plenty of liquids. They will reduce that soon, I am sure. In most of the terminals I had a wheel chair service. I could have walked, but not dragging two heavy bags. Some of those terminals go on forever. At least the wheel chair attendants knew where they were going. It cost a few dollars but not too much. It was not mandatory to pay the pushers, they have salary, but I am pretty heavy and the pusher had to juggle my bag on wheels. I could carry the laptop on my lap.
Well---I got to Costa Rica. On the last flight we had to fill out customs slips. I can`t write worth anything, and I convinced a stewardess to fill it out for me.
As a backward thought, when I presented my boarding pass at Charleston to get on the plane for Costa Rica, I had some problem with the agent. She wanted to see my return ticket and of course I had only a one way ticket. She wanted me to provide some kind of proof that I had the right to stay in Costa Rica. I told her that I had an application for residency and that was why I went back to Canada, to get some more documentation. She couldn`t accept that and made a call for a supervisor. It took some time for the super to get there, and in the meantime, they were loading the plane. My anxiety level was getting pretty high. The super finally arrived, and when I told her my story, she just waived me through. Now the wheelchair....
When I arrived in Costa Rica, I had no problem. The fellow at immigration gave me 90 days, and I was on my way to the exit door. They didn`t do any more to check my bags than run them through a scanner. The wheel chair attendant had been very helpful. I paid him $5. At the baggage claim, and told him I would give him some more if he stayed with me to the exit. He had translated for me when it was needed. When we arrived at the exit door, I could see Melaney through the window and I gave him calones worth about $15. That was more than his wages for the day. He was very pleased.
MEL took my bags, and I walked to the car. She was ticked because the attendant at the exit made her go further around the corner from the door. She tried to tell him that I needed help, but he indicated that she could not stand in the proximity of the exit. I had no trouble walking that far, and Mel had no trouble with the bags.
When we arrived at home, we were both relieved and happy to be back home again, and I have 90 days to get my paper work back from the foreign affairs office. I had put a postage paid envelope with the correct address on it, so it should be back in about six weeks.
Hi Gloria,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your blog concerning your flight returning home, as well as the post about mangoes. I love that fruit. One of the guys who lives with us say that mangoes are the most prolific fruit, just everywhere in Nepal as well. I love keeping track of you through your blog. Keep writing. You are fun to read.