We left promptly at 8:30 and after an hour or so we arrived the Panama/Costa Rica border called La Frontera. We had heard this was a zoo and that is accurate. First we pulled up at the Panamanian exit area. We all got off the bus with all our luggage. We went into a large room where agents opened very bag and gave them a cursory look. We put the luggage back under the bus and waited in a line to get our exit stamp. This involved finger prints on an electronic device and took some time, especially when the two agents disappeared for their coffee break while we waited. Then we walked a distance to to the entrance area for Costa Rica. We waited in another line to show our immigration forms and get stamped. Then we had to drag out all the luggage again and have it inspected. Finally we were all done and back on the bus and on our way.
Around noon we stopped for lunch at a large, clean cafeteria with lovely bathrooms. Another short stop later in the day of a bathroom break. Jeff and I had brought lunch with us because we were told the bus drove straight through. Anyway the breaks were good for stretching, peeing and eating some sweet watermelon. At one point the driver picked up a little man selling dried plantain slices. I bought a bag and they were a good and crunchy snack.
As we left Panama and entered Costa Rica, the landscape looked similar. It was a different kind of lush green with more palms as we moved north. Still flat as we were near the Pacific and caught glimpses of beaches and surf and we drove. Lots of ferns and shrubs, but no colorful plants along the road. Speaking of the road, it was two, narrow lanes almost the entire time - seven hours! The road was patched and our driver made daring passes every time he got behind a slower vehicle. As we got closer to The Central Valley and higher elevations the landscape changed with large hills and terraced hillsides with farms. Lots of cattle and crops.
Finally we got to San Jose and traffic on a rainy Saturday late afternoon. We disembarked at a bus station and took a taxi to our hotel. All the taxis here are red, smallish sedans. Did not see the downtown area. Our room is very nice with a sitting area on one side and two queen beds in a private area. The coffee table in the sitting area is a marimba, with sticks, in case you get the urge to play a tune.
Decided to take a shower and wash my hair before dinner. Just as I was rinsing out the shampoo the power went out and the water stopped. OMG! Luckily the water came back and I was able to finish in the dark! Jeff came in with a flashlight so I could see which bottle was the creme rinse. Now I had a dilemma as I could not dry my hair. I toweled it the best I could and got dressed to go eat. Just as we were going out the door, the electric came on and I was able to dry my hair. Yea! Power outages are common here and in Panama.
We had a lovely dinner in the hotel restaurant and enjoyed the live music by a duo of guitar and bongos. They did a great mix that included Paul Simon, Carole King and Latin tunes.
We are all packed for our early morning pickup. We will leave our big suitcases here at the hotel and live out of our small carry-ons and backpacks for the next three days.
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