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Los Angeles, CA

It’s brutal to get up this early. I had to leave the hotel at 3.30 to make my 5.50 flight. Christianne flight was one hour later. There were some terrorist activity in Central America- so they recommended that we leave early. When I got to the gate, there were at least 12 tables and they checked everything in each passengers carryon- that took quite some time. From the gate we had to take a long bus ride to the plane. This is a situation where you needed to be on that bus or you would miss this flight! It was a bit of an ordeal. My seat was in Avianca business class and I must say I really enjoyed the service aboard this flight. We had to change plane in El Salvador, but that went smoothly. The flight home was fairly short. I watched a couple of movies and it made me cry but now 2 weeks later I can’t remember what I watched. This trip was special, Christianne and I were celebrating our birthdays and our 48 years of friendship. This was our longest and farthest trip we took together since Spain, 41 years ago! We still share the same curiosity and same thirst for knowledge of different cultures and it’s people. Our wanderlust has remained the same! I was surprised by the demeanor of the people in Costa Rica, in that they’re more reserved than I thought they would be. They don’t sell their tours like other nations might. I thought the food would be better. I was blown away by the country’s various terrain, by its many jungles, by the kindness and the pride of its people. The country feels so much bigger because of its varied scenery and it’s 2 very different coastline. I am grateful to have experienced this country with my oldest and very special friend!

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