July 24 - On our way home

We arose early as we wanted to be on the road by 5:30 a.m. Although it is only 158 kms, Google maps say it will take 2 hours and 20 mins to get to the Car Rental location and then we have to get to the airport 3 hours before our 12:50 p.m. flight. The weather is beautiful and the traffic going towards San Jose appears very light. However, traffic going the other way is very heavy. After an hour or so, we stopped at a Soda on the side of the road and had our last meal in Costa Rica. All the food we had was very good. This morning meal of Huevos Rancheros and coffee cost $2,800 colones ($7.50). I think this was our cheapest meal during our 10 days.

Shortly after our breakfast stop, we crossed a river where numerous people on the bridge were looking over the side. This reminded me of some information I had read about crocodiles that live in a river. We decided to stop and check it out. Yes, we were at the right stop. This was Rio Tarcoles, on the road between Jaco and San Jose. It is about 55 kms from Jaco.

At one time we were able to see 27 crocodiles on one side and three on the other side. It was an amazing sight. I read that approx. 40 crocodiles live in this stretch under the bridge.

We dropped off the car on time and with the gas light on. (we were to bring the car back with as little gas as possible). The shuttle to transport us to the airport was available immediately. We made it to the airport with time to spare. The San Jose airport security line was not too busy and we crossed to the secure side without out any concerns. Our flights this day were without any problems. We had an 1.5 hr layover in Houston and a 1 hour layover in Calgary. There were line ups in Calgary, but once I was able to make eye contact with an agent, we were moved to the front of the security line and made it to our plane with a few minutes to spare.

All in all, the trip to Costa Rica was fantastic. At no time I felt threatened or concerned. It felt like a very safe country. The locals and tourists were friendly. I was surprised at how little English was spoken. Val has been to Costa Rica twice and spent most of the time on the Caribbean side. She noted, the other side of Costa Rica has a greater Jamaican influence and much more English is spoken. I found the prices very high compared to other travel I have done. Even though we attempted a low budget holiday, this didn't occur. I am hoping to return to Costa Rica again. It was a beautiful country.  Pura Vida!

My next holiday will start on August 12 and I will be going to Iceland.