So far, so good.  The weather is spectacular, the hotel is beautiful, we have our rental car and it’s pretty new and the guy spoke English really well so we know what we’re doing.  We have a GPS which he already set with our next hotel.  We have a cell phone, a map, and 3 1/2 hours of sleep.  This is too easy!  There I go again…we’ll probably run over a sloth on the way and get arrested for killing the national mascot. 

We’re off to the Arenal Volcano today, followed by a soak in the hot springs so we’ll have some pics to post later.  Wish us luck!
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The plane finally landed at 4 a.m. and we got to the hotel at 5:15 (4:15 CR time).  We saw the local IR office on the way, and since we were in a minivan that stopped at 4 other hotels we got a little tour of downtown San Jose.  That will be our only tour of San Jose.  We drove through Hookerville and saw about 12 prostitutes within a couple of blocks.  Our hotel isn’t near downtown and it’s very nice.  We each have our own bedroom so I don’t have to listen to Sherry snore.  We have to be up in less than 4 hours because our car is being delivered, so nightie-night!
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Remember that old ad? Yes, I’m dating myself.

I guess I spoke too soon and jinxed us. We left Atlanta at 7 p.m. for a 4-hour flight to San Jose. About an hour out of Atlanta, the captain announced that the plane had a mechanical problem, so we had to go back to Atlanta. Given the extreme turbulence and the mysterious mechanical problem, it was a VERY long hour. The poor Korean guy across the aisle from me doesn’t speak much English so when we landed he was shocked to find out that we were back in Atlanta.

After a bumpy landing they gave us food vouchers and got us a new plane, which was much preferred over the original plan to try to fix the problem. On the way out I said to the captain, “Please tell me it was just a clogged toilet,” and he said, “It was nothing serious, just something that couldn’t be fixed in San Jose.” They could have shared that extra bit of information during the flight and saved us a some worry.

We boarded the new plane around 10:30, but a bunch of the runways were closed for maintenance so we had to wait until midnight to take off. We’ll be arriving in San Jose at 3:30 a.m. (only 2:30 local time), which is a little late even for me. Then we have to get our bags, go through immigration/customs, and get a cab to the hotel. Our rental car is being dropped off at 9 a.m. so somebody has to be awake to do the paperwork. Then it’s about a 3-hour drive and hopefully a nap before our volcano hike.

For all of my friends who know about my fear of flying, I decided to fly without taking my medicine today and I’ve been fine. I think if I can survive these flights without my meds, I’m doing ok. I did use the Rescue Remedy spray even though Karen said it doesn’t work because she used it when she was mad, and she was still mad.  🙂  I think the anger-management spray is the one in the red bottle.
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It has apparently been a really long time since I’ve flown.  Or at least a lot has happened to airport procedures since the last time.  Last night there was a brief moment of panic when I couldn’t find our tickets among our travel documents.  All I need is a NUMBER?  Who knew?!  Today was my first time attempting to check in at a kiosk, and for the most amazing part – IN-FLIGHT WI-FI!  So cool! 

We’re somewhere over the Carolinas right now, on our way to Atlanta.  So far, today has gone without a hitch.  It is so unbelievably easy to travel with another responsible adult.  I didn’t have to pack for her, ask her if she brought her toothbrush, tell her to put on her coat 200 times, and she hasn’t hit anyone, cried, or kicked the seat in front of her.  We walked out the door on time, left Logan Express on time, and got to the airport early enough to have a leisurely lunch before our flight.  Hopefully the rest of the day will go just as well.  We have 1 1/2 hours in Atlanta and then a 4-hour flight to San Jose.

Pura Vida!
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Tomorrow’s the big day…Sherry and I are finally heading off to Costa Rica for a week of Mommy-Time.  The preparations have been grueling, with daily lists that were single-spaced and double-columned.  Ben has a 2-page typed list of daily requirements (who needs sneakers for gym, who needs to bring lunch, etc.), and the components for several “projects” – 70+ valentines, sorting instructions for 89 boxes of Girl Scout cookies, and Adlani’s undecorated 100th-day-of-school paper bag vest that needs to have 100 of something attached to it.

Ben was home this morning because he had a dentist appointment, so he took a shot at the Morning Mayhem. He did a pretty good job, although he did try to slip Adlani some Pringles in his snack bag, and packed Norah’s lunch in her snack bag which would have confused the hell out of her. They would have survived, so I’m jetting off with a clear conscience. The kids are sad that I’ll be gone, especially since I’ll miss the weekend performance of the play (I’ll be back for the school performance), but I think it’s important for kids to see that moms should have a life too. I don’t want my girls growing up and thinking that they have to stop taking time for themselves once they have a family.
I hope to post some pics from the road, but our basic itinerary is:

Day 1 – Fly into San Jose.
Day 2 – Drive to the (active) Arenal Volcano and HOT SPRINGS – volcano hike and dinner at The Springs that night.
Day 3 – Trip to Caño Negro during the day, dinner at Tabacon hot springs that night. We hope to see Coach Roger and Mrs. Coach Roger there!
Day 4 – Drive to Monteverde, night hike that night.
Day 5 – Monteverde Cloud Forest in the a.m., afternoon open with plenty to choose from.
Day 6 – Morning open, drive back to San Jose.
Day 7 – Fly home.

Adios, amigos!!