So in the last episode my travel partner and I had planned a trip together. We had picked out Costa Rica and were on the verge of traveling. We reasoned that the airport would not be too crowded on a Saturday and that it wouldn’t be too much of a problem to travel and we didn’t need to arrive two hours early.
I got to the airport and found the opposite. Huge crowds waiting for us and everyone in the check in line had their own special problem. By the time I got to the front they had closed the booking for the flight. Luckily my travel buddy talked to one of the agents, explained the situation and got him to reopen the line for us.
But our day was just beginning. We got on the plane and she said “Do you smell oil?” Indeed we all did. The hydraulic system on the plane had failed. Everyone on board had to be shuffled off and we had to hike to another plane. This in turn was delayed for take off.
One little thing after another seemed to delay us more and more. We finally set our feet on the ground in San Jose about three hours late and had missed our original flight. On top of that we had to search for our luggage. We caught the next leg of the trip that would take us to the Nicosia peninsula. The plane was a small prop plane. That was a wonderful experience.
We landed in a tiny airstrip on the coast seemingly wrenched out of the surrounding jungle and found the hotel had sent a car to wait for us. A bumpy ride to say the least. My friend didn’t look too good. We hadn’t eaten all day and the van ride was aggravating. But she’s a trooper and kept it together.
We arrived at night and really couldn’t see much of the property. We got a fairly large villa with two bedrooms. But what was needed more than anything was food. That helped out the situation a lot.
On Sunday we got a good look round the property and planned our week. The place has quite a range of activities. Two things we picked out for the week were surfing and horseback riding for Monday.
Surfing.
Anyone that knows me, knows I’m not the “cowabunga, dude” or tribal arm band tattoo wearing, bro type of guy. But surfing seemed to be one of the main activities on the coast. After some good-natured cajoling by my partner, I decided to go for it.
My instructor, Miguel, was extremely patient with me. He explained all the techniques gave me a lot of pointers and kept on wading out into the surf with me over and over again as I tried to get on the board and would inevitably fall off. I finally hit my knee on an underwater rock and I decided that was it for me. For the record I did get up on the board once…before falling off again.
But the fun wasn’t over. We were both going horseback riding in the afternoon. It turned out that Miguel was the guide for this too. My partner is an excellent rider and was frequently ahead of everyone. I on the other hand hadn’t been on a horse in thirty years. We wound our way up hills and down valleys inside a huge ranch. We finally ended up on the beach and rode for home. A pleasant little ride and the best part was that I didn’t fall off.
I shouldn’t say that. No.
The best part has been relaxing with my friend. She is just so wonderful to be with. We’ve talked for hours and hours. We’ve laid out on the beach reading and watched the sun set over the Pacific together.
We both needed this trip for our own personal reasons. Life can get so overwhelming and tiresome at times. It really warps you in a way. But vacations serve the purpose of letting all those little knots untangle themselves naturally and allow you to find your balance once again.
The trip had a rough start but hopefully the rest of the journey will be a pleasant life affirming experience.
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