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Published: July 30th 2006
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Mike and I arrived in Costa Rica on July 27th, tired from all the running around we did in the States during our last two weeks there but very ready to begin our new adventure.
Our flight was due to leave Philadelphia at 6:30am which meant a very early wake up call at 3:30! Thankfully my folks drove us to the airport and saved us a costly cab ride.
Once again, the airlines tell you to be 2 hours early for your flight, yet the lines are not even open at this time so we waited patiently, still half asleep until the US Air group arrived and opened up for ticketing.
This time, we knew better than to pack our “extra” belongings in cardboard boxes so instead we had 2 very large roller bags, 1 large pack for backpacking and 1 small roller bag. All this, along with 3 carry-on bags and a guitar, we looked like folks who were either moving to Costa Rica or were people that simply couldn’t be without their “stuff” while on vacation.
The ticketing agent explained that we would have to pay extra for the two large bags which we knew
would be the case. So for about $160, we got all the belongings we would need on the plane with us to CR. Much better than trying to ship them UPS! We were also told that we were lucky because Costa Rica was not on the "embargo" list. Apparently this lists out countries where you cannot bring additional baggage on the planes, even if you pay for it. For those of you traveling soon - Guatemala is on this list, so leave your 40 changes of clothes behind.
Still half asleep, Mike and I were in the process of getting through security when I heard him call my name from the back of the line (it was taking him longer to get through due to his non-slip off shoes). At this point, I was already through the metal detector and was straining to hear what he was telling me. Finally the TSA guard said that they had called my name over the loud speaker and that I had to return back to the ticketing agent. After a bit of confusion, they finally just let me go back through the metal detector and run back downstairs to ticketing while Mike
Bird in the Park
Although this bird might not be much to look at, he has an amazing voice. waited for me on the other side of security.
When I got down to ticketing, they told me that I had to see the TSA agent at the end of the US Air area as they were having some “issue” with my bag. All I could think about was the machete, knives, and about 50 pounds of backpacking gear we had packed that were probably causing some suspicion. I have to say that the TSA agents I dealt with weren’t exactly the friendliest people. I understand they are just doing their job and need to take precautions but honestly, I don’t think there is any reason to be nasty about it. I finally got down to the agents and saw 5 of them standing around our large suitcase. The told me that we had a lock on it that was not TSA approved to which I told them the lock was supposed to be removed before we had given it over to the ticketing agent, that I was very sorry and would be happy to remove the lock to which they told me NO under no uncertain terms. I had to give them the combo instead. Ok, no problem.
For some reason however, they couldn’t get the lock opened no matter how many times I yelled the combination to them. Oh, did I mention that I couldn’t cross a certain line in the area which kept me very far away from my bag? After the 7th try, they called over another agent as all of them continued to say to each other, “We can’t get it open. It’s not the right combination” I tried to tell them multiple times that the lock isn’t spring loaded like a normal lock and you have to pull it forward to get it to open but that didn’t seem to register. The new agent brought the bag back over to me, on the other side of the line of course, and it was opened in seconds. They opened the bag and determined that the item causing all the problem was The Club (anti-theft device for cars) which is totally metal along with a graphite chain and lock I had next to it to lock things up over here. One agent told me this was the problem and that it was fine, they would pack my things back up and I could go. However,
Trees in La Sabana
The colors on these trees were amazing. as soon as I proceeded to walk away, another agent yelled for me to stop and told me I couldn’t go anywhere. How embarrassing in the middle of the airport. I told the agent that I was just told I could leave but I’d be happy to stay there longer if they needed my assistance further. The agents then apparently all got on the same page as they told each other it was The Club and chain causing the issue and that everything was fine. I could “officially” now head to my plane. And off I went, not even a “sorry for the inconvenience”, “thanks for the cooperation”, nothing….
I ran back through security and met Mike on the other side who couldn’t figure out what had happened. We proceeded to our gate and only had a short time to wait before boarding and falling asleep on the way to our first stop through Charlotte.
We arrived in San Jose, Costa Rica at about 1:30pm. The line was very long through Immigration and we waited about 45 minutes to get through but Customs went very quickly. We made it through with all our bags and had no issues
here in CR at all.
On Friday, we met with our lawyer to sign our residency application. He said everything looked great and we should have paperwork in our hands in a few weeks that allow us to stay in the country for longer than 3 months. 3 months is the normal time frame you can stay in Costa Rica on a tourist visa. Once the 3 months are up, you have to leave the country for at least 48 hours. With this paperwork, we’ll avoid having to leave at all.
We also found out that we definitely cannot get a cell phone until we either buy a house or get our residency. Looks like it’ll be calling cards for us for a bit.
While meeting with our lawyer Romulo, we also arranged for the organization to take us next Friday to get our driver’s licenses. Monday is a holiday here and we were told that Tuesday no one goes to work because they are recuperating. Wednesday is another holiday, hence no work on Thursday either so Friday was the earliest we could get the license taken care of. How surreal that’s going to be to actually
have a Costa Rican driver’s license. Considering that we have no means of transportation and are living out of our suitcases, the fact that we are actually living in Central America hasn’t really hit home yet. It still feels like a long vacation. Once we have the licenses in hand, I’m sure we’ll feel a bit more grounded.
After our meeting, Mike and I headed over to the National Museum of Costa Rican Art which sits beside La Sabana Park. La Sabana was really nice, fairly tranquil and provided just enough benches for Mike and I to sit a bit and take a much needed rest. While in San Jose, I would recommend La Sabana if you have time to kill and just want to sit somewhere quiet and read. Check out the next blog entry for information on the museum.
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Sharyn
non-member comment
Would love to hear more. . .
My husband Mike and I will be relocating to CR in November and found your experience pretty interesting. I would love to hear more about how you decided to go . ..where you plan on living . . . what you plan on doing etc. We are in our mid 30's and 40's and would love to hear about someone else's experience. You can reach us as sharyn@sharynandmike.com. Would love to hear from you. BEST OF LUCK!!! www.sharynandmike.com