Surprise! You're Going to Costa Rica

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Geo: 39.2642, -76.5894

Wednesday, November 18

Brennan learned on Monday night that on Wednesday he would be going on a trip with G&G. He packed T-shirts and Bligh packed everything else so that the destination would remain a secret. However, when he was asked to try on the rubber boots we bought for the trip, he said, "We're going to Costa Rica to the Rain forest!" We, of course, told him there were lots of places where boots were useful. He wouldn't learn where that would be until we arrived at the BWI Airport for our flight to San Jose, Costa Rica! The suspense turned out to be worth the wait.

The first day started out fine with getting to the airport, checking in and seeing Brennan's surprise when he learned where we were headed. From there, the day went downhill: had to de-board at BWI due to engine trouble (a two-hour delay); over an hour getting our car rental (we will never use Dollar again); rain and heavy traffic through San Jose. This all added up to not arriving at Hotel Turrialtico in Turrialba until 8:30pm. With no delays, we should have been there by 3:00pm.

However, our luck had changed. The rain had stopped and the lights in the valley below Turrialtico were spectacular! On top of that, the restaurant was open until 10:00pm - life was good again. Despite being exhausted, and his head almost falling into his plate, Brennan loved his sea bass. Sue went for a chicken breast with a great mushroom sauce and Dave a pork chop; all accompanied with salad and a cup of chicken/ham/corn soup.

We had stayed at Turrialtico years earlier and were so happy that it hadn't lost any of its appeal with the views from its hilltop location, friendly service, orchid gardens, and open-air dining area.

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