Post 61: We arrive

San Jose, Costa Rica

F.A.,

Where to begin with the events of today. We were glad to leave the sub-par motel we previously mentioned about in Miami Beach, with the only perk there being that we saved money in the long run, cab and all. Getting through ticketing and security went pretty smooth, and we even had time to opt-out of the body scanners. The only major hiccup was, per usual, problems with Bank of America.

Our mid-day flights from Miami to Caracas via Costa Rica all went off without a hitch and we had a great view of the beginning of the Andes as we arrived in South America. Security at the airport was surprisingly quite lackadaisical compared to what we are used to back home. We spent a few hours just sitting in the airport, waiting for our flight to show up on the Departures board.

When it finally did, there was a bit of confusion regarding our tickets to Cuidad Bolivar and I had to make my way out of the terminal to the main ticketing area without June to retrieve our boarding passes. There was a bit of a language barrier, but with some small words and hand signs, I was able to acquire both our tickets.

The flight departed Caracas a bit late, and turbulence was some of the worst I have felt in my many years of flying. Along the way we saw many giant burning fires shooting into the sky along the countryside, dwarfing the surrounding lights of towns. I assume it had to do with oil manufacturing.

When we arrived, we were met by Walter Bernal (the 3rd!), who transported us right to a nice spot to eat local fish. He even spotted us the Bolivares (at a great rate) for our meal and drink. Shortly after we finished, he drove us to his posada at the back of his own gated property, just a few short blocks from the airport. Our room, which we had previously rented, is massive, with two double beds and one single, all for just us. 

Tomorrow, we depart for Salto Angel!

Gavin and June