Costa Rica 2007 – Chapter 3, Getting Home
Continued from Chapter 2, Getting Around.
We arrive to SJO about 7:45am. It took about 10 minutes to get to Avis, who quickly checked us back in in 5 minutes, then another 10 minute ride to the departures terminal. In Costa Rica, one has to pay a US$26 departure tax, which is done before check-in so you have a receipt to show. They are happy to accept payment in USD, Colones, or a mix of both. The departures tax desk is immediate across from the AA counter, so navigation was easy. There is a separate check-in line on the far left of the AA counter (which itself is on the far left of the concourse) for J pax, which had no one in it and 2 agents working it. The Y line has perhaps 8 people, and 3 check-in agents. I decide to check in my bag this time (keep this in mind), and am done in less than 5 minutes. The SJO station provides Immigration forms inside your ticket jacket, which is a nice touch.
SJO’s ticket “screeners” are actually Policia de Aeropuerto, and the line is divided into two types: Adults only, and Families…. a very nice feature, as it speeds up the queue for us single males. There isn’t much of a line anyway (2 families in the other line) thanks to quick and efficient security screening. SJO is not a shoe carnival, but you can tell who the Americans are… the silly ones who take off their footware and put their laptops on the belt separately. I get through with no fuss.
I’ll admit – I wasn’t expecting much of SJO, and I’m pleasantly blown away by the facilities. There are some interesting souvenir shops (all seemingly run by the same outfit), whose highlight is free samples of COFFEE! And not just coffee… at least 6-8 different brews, along with an assortment of free chocolate-covered goodness. And this is repeated in all 3 stores, so I continue to get coffee and candy on my slow walk towards Gate 3. The food offerings seem pretty good too (though a complete waste of money, IMO, after eating so well locally). Church’s Chicken ($5.60 for a 2-pc meal), Burger King ($5 for a Whopper), Papa John’s, Schlotsky’s, a deli and a smoothie bar are all available. But I didn’t come all the way to Costa Rica for any of that.
The gate area is quite open, airy, modern and spacious. A guitarist plays live music, and best of all there’s free WiFi. They start boarding within 15 minutes of my arrival (even though I was hopped up on caffeine, I still took my time getting to the gate… no Club to access!). They make clear announcements asking not to form lines and to board by group number. I obviously board with J so I didn’t know if the announcements worked, but there were definitely no gate lice in the beginning.
AA2166 – SJO-DFW, 08/03, dep 10:10am, arr 3:15pm – 757-200, Seats 2EF
My upgrade had cleared 2 days prior, so no trading is necessary. The plane is nice and cold, which is great because the aircraft had overnighted in SJO. Boarding is through 2L so the FA was able to do a proper predeparture service. She offers “water, champaign, or OJ” but her face seems to light up when I asked for a mimosa. Our departure is held up for 10 minutes because there’s a problem with the aircraft’s A/C (we were plugged in earlier), but it’s a quick fix. We leave the gate 100% full, taxi, and take off immediately. I finally get to see Costa Rica from the air in daylight, and it’s beautiful… lush and green. Our flight path also takes us over some reef formations (I’m going to have to find out where… Belize maybe?).
We get the typical warm nuts/bev service/hot towel treatment, except the FA hands everyone double minis… terrific! The lunch service starts with a nice salad with a choice of vinaigrette or creamy French dressing (French is tasty). Entree options were grilled tenderloin with black beans, plantain and rice (muy typico), or tortellini. I go for the steak, and it’s very good, probably one of the best meals I’ve had on AA. The steak is perfectly medium rare, beans are flavorful especially when mixed with the rice. Dessert was another typical Tico offering, tres leche. Delish! The caterers at SJO are fantastic.
I watch a very funny Letterman segment (How many Spidermen can you fit into a Jamba Juice?) followed by Blades of Glory with Will Ferrell (3 thumbs up from me) while catching up on this trip report. We arrive to DFW on schedule and after a short taxi pull up to the D terminal.
We’re funneled to Immigration, which must have about 300 people waiting in the non-citizen queue, and about 50 in the US/Residents line. Once in front, I of course choose the line that doesn’t have 2 officers working it, and does have non-citizen residents, so while my friend is done in under 2 minutes, I’m standing there like a schmoe. At the carousel, bags don’t appear for 10 minutes. My bag is one of the first (but I do notice that bags without priority tags were present as well…. I just got lucky), but my friend’s took another 20 minutes to come out. It’s slow going but it finally appears (sans priority tag… hmm) and we head through customs then into this long line for rechecking bags! Aren’t you just supposed to drop off your bags? Well, you are, so the line was just humans turning into lemmings again… quite unfortunate for those running to make their connections. We make our way to security in no hurry, though I’m grateful for the elite line which was completely empty. For some reason, they saw a mystery knife in my backpack, so it got searched, but only caused me another 5 minute delay (though I had to ask the TSAer to change her gloves, which she did so happily and actually commented that I was the first pax to ever ask).
AA1505 – DFW-SJC, 08/03, dep 5:55pm, arr. 7:25pm – MD-80, Seats 4F and 21D.
Our next flight takes off from A16, so onto the Skylink to get to the AC in A for a shower to refresh and drinks. I also have to add myself to the airport upgrade list… and am #2! I’m behind a pax originating from MCO (who probably OLCI at T-24:00), with F sold out. Uh oh… oh well, I’m optimistic. We have a beer at the bar, then walk to A16, where I’m told that all have checked in, and Mr. MCO has arrived on his gate. I decide to wait in the seating area rather than board (good call… it’s hot out there!), and my buddy boards the plane without me, after I insist. Unfortunately, all of F boards full (earlier, I had to explain the difference of “checked in full” and “boarded full” to the GAs), so I board with the masses (I know, I know!). This is the first time since becoming EXP that I haven’t cleared a sticker upgrade under normal circumstances, though I blame this on the fact that I couldn’t OLCI (and that I was stupid enough to upgrade my buddy with my miles!).
The biggest loss was no meal, but I can hold out for a few hours. I have my apple juice and work away on my laptop. Pretty uneventful flight, but again at 100% capacity. Though it’s pretty funny when the FA does her arrival announcements and obviously is caught off-guard: “And, um, er… and I have connecting flight information (?) for those going to SNA, your flight is leaving out of A16B”
AA3153 – SJC-SNA, 08/03, dep 8:15pm, arr 9:35pm – Embraer 140, Seat 11A
Now, I normally travel without checking in my bags. Remember though how this time I figured, I didn’t need my bag, even if it was a couple days late. At SJC I’m reminded why I should never do it. I was scheduled for a 50-minute layover in SJC, which isn’t a problem. But as luck would have it, my flight is delayed another 45 minutes. The fun thing is that the previous flight to SNA (scheduled for a 6:45pm departure), was delayed until 7:50! The issue is that if I got on that flight, my bag would still be on my later flight, and either way I’d have to wait, as there wasn’t enough time to make it worth leaving SNA, and the AC there is closed early on Fridays. So I just hang out in the SJC AC. Not much to report for this Eagle flight… maybe 5 empty seats on board, and we arrive at the same time as delayed flights from ORD and IAH (CO)… and all those flights use the same baggage claim carousel! But the highlight is that my bag is the first to come off any of the just-arrived flights, so I skate away from the 2.5 planeloads of pax, waiting to start their weekend with the Mouse.
Final Random Thoughts – These are some of my final impressions from this trip. And they will be random:
- 6 flights and only 5 free seats total?! Wow.
- Tico food is excellent, and probably pleasing to most palettes (I didn’t find any “weird” food there). Eat local whenever possible.
- Make sure to bring printed confirmations for hotels!
- We got lucky with the rain, as this is the wet (or “green”) season right now.
- During the high season, every source suggested going to the Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve instead of Monteverde. We did Monteverde since it was the low season.
- There really isn’t anything in San Jose… it’s just a starting point for your trip to the rest of Costa Rica.
- If you plan on renting a car, a midsize-and-up SUV 4×4 is HIGHLY recommended.
- Mosquitoes… not a problem!
- Most of the country took US$. There were even Europeans whipping out the greenback.
Go back go Chapter 1, Getting There.
yellow lines to pass… on a two-lane street. Our road leads to a freeway entrance ramp, but we have to go the other way. I’ve never really had to play chicken in a foreign country before. Eventually (after accidentally taking the scenic scenic route), we make it onto the national highway, Route 1. Parts of it are 2 lanes, sometimes 3 (with 2 lanes going uphill), and still the Ticos cross the double yellow at places we Americans wouldn’t think of doing… before curves, over the crest of a hill…)
It’s about a 3.5 hour drive from San Jose to our hotel by Arenal, with half of it on unpaved roads. And by unpaved, I don’t mean gravel, I mean chunks of softball sized rocks jutting out of a hardened dirt road, with hairpin turns, potholes that would swallow a transmission, and inclines/declines. Average speed over this “road” is about 30kph (that’s under 20mph for us learned Americans). We pass through La Fortuna, the town by the volcano where most of the businesses and hotels are located. However our hotel is another 30 minutes beyond, as the lava flow is only visible on the side opposite the town. 
Though the roads in La Fortuna are paved, we have to make a turn onto unpaved roads again to get to our hotel, and even had to ford a stream (it was so fun that I back up and did it again).
available (closest was back in La Fortuna). After much rangling with the desk clerk, another guest who had just extended his stay decided to offer his room and stick with his original plan. I wanted to refuse his generosity and make the hotel accommodate me, but he wouldn’t hear of it and insisted I enjoy the stay, and I’m grateful for it. He had a standard room with a view ($65/night for 2), but lacking an A/C. Fortunately, it isn’t necessary at night.
Anyway, for $20/person, our guide, Benardo, comes at 4pm to pick us up and drive us to the entrance of nearby Arenal Observatory Lodge (though we didn’t go in… side note, this is another hotel that has views of the flow, and incidentally is featured in the August 2007 issue of American Way). The hike is of medium difficulty because the last part is over lava rocks and boulders. In fact, our hike takes us through the path of the 1992 eruption. We learn that Arenal isn’t like Hawaii, where the flow is of liquid magma. Because it’s cooler, Arenal belches out red-hot glowing boulders, which roll down the mountain in a spectacular show at night (during the day and if it’s clear, all you can
see is smoke billowing from the top). From where we are on the hike, you can hear the lava rocks crashing down, and the volcano making a hissing noise. We’re lucky in that the clouds cleared that evening (we’re in a rain forest so the volcano is usually covered up). Bernardo is very fluent in English and explains the science of volcanoes well.
Again waking up way too early to a very bright sun, we stumble into the included breakfast, and it’s delicious and filling. I order the “plat typico” which consisted of two eggs (any way), rice and beans, queso palmito (local), guava jam and butter, corn tortillas, and toast. After breakfast, we check out… or rather, try to. It takes about 45 minutes, as there’s one person manning the desk, and all transactions are manual, i.e., pen/paper. I guess it just adds to that rustic charm? While we’re there, there are two girls who are also waiting to check out, but they’re trying to catch bus to 
“We have no record of your reservation.” This time, they claim not to have received my faxed credit card confirmation for a standard room ($70++). Fortunately, they have 2 economy rooms ($25++) that end up working out terrifically. Each room has a double bed, a room barely bigger than said bed, and private bathroom. All in all, a nice place to stay (much better than any hostel I’ve been to, but the Four Seasons this is not). Slight (read: Major) issue with hot water pressure if your neighbors (in this case, Bob) uses the shower at the same time. While checking in, we make arrangements for a coffee tour later that afternoon, and a cloud forest tour the next morning.
After settling into our rooms, we walk to get some lunch. We walk by a couple of restaurants recommended by many published guides, but settle on a small restaurant that had lots of Ticos in it (and I have no idea what the name is). 
I love going into local joints, and this one did not disappoint. A very filling plate of beef stew, rice, black beans, and plantains for me (my buddy had steak sautéed in garlic butter) with some Coke (bottle + cane sugar = yum), and it comes out to about $5 a person. After our fill, we head to the nearby market for supplies, then go back to the lodge for much needed Internet access and relaxation before our coffee tour guide picks us up at the lodge.
The coffee tour ($25pp, $20 w/ student ID) is very informative, and the all-you-can-drink coffee is to die for… very smooth, full of body, and not very acidic. I had the equivalent of 6 cups of caffeine. I buy some to take back… why have 10-month old store-bought beans when you can have 2-day old beans? And the highlight… Don Juan himself makes an appearance. Retired nowadays, he lives in the corner of the plantation, feeding his chickens and raising his flowers.
Sofia’s is set back from the main road between Santa Elena and the Monteverde Forest reserve. It’s operated by an ex-pat from the US, and is an elegant setting. Slightly pricier than other places, but well worth the ambiance. We start dinner with an order each ($4) of carnitas croquettes and yucca/smoked gouda croquettes. Both are delicious, and actually the gouda ones are a mistake as we ordered yucca/meat, and they bring some out for us. We like the gouda better.
(Fun note: what restaurant experience is complete without a cat jumping on your lap and taking up residence in the middle of dinner?)
For the main course, I order a grilled tenderloin topped with chipotle butter and balsamic-glazed onions, medium-rare ($16). It came with mashed sweet potatoes and seasonal veggies. It was tender, full of flavor, and succulent… the only thing keeping it from being fabulous is that there was a bit of too much char from the grate (plus I prefer steaks grilled over charcoal).
The guide tour itself takes us along developed trails, which is easy to traverse, but would probably be pretty difficulty if it rained (and we’ve had great luck with the weather). Though easy, hiking boots are still recommended. Amazingly, there are almost no mosquitoes either here or at Arenal, so it’s very pleasant.
There are lots of flora to look at… trees, vines, ferns… all cooperating with one other, or just being parasites yet still part of the circle of life. We have a few exciting fauna sightings: a wandering dung beetle; a tarantula guarding its hole; a hummingbird sitting on its nest; a sloth hiding in the tree (actually, we only saw its back); a porcupine lounging on a branch (actually, we only saw its tail); some caterpillars and centipedes; a coatimundi sniffing around. The most exciting fauna experience is the Hummingbird Gallery just inside the vehicle entrance. They set up feeders and dozens of hummingbirds zip in and out all around you, so close that you feel the breeze off their wings.
After the fun-filled morning, we head back to the hotel to pack up and check out. Before heading out of town, we hit up Donde Henry for lunch, which is basically just shack set up along the main triangle of town. There’s a heated service station, a small prep area, and two tables + 4 stools. We’re talking smaller than my bedroom. But the food
is fantastic… a plate full of rice & beans, stewed beef, and plantains (and that queso palmito if you’re so inclined… I thought it smelled a little fishy, if that was possible for cheese). All for $3… terrific value, even if I did have to share my shoulder room with a German lady.
In reviewing the menu, this place seems to specialized in grilled items. We decid to get a big meat feast of sorts… fried pork chunks, grilled chicken, stewed beef, corn on the cob, whole avocados, mashed black beans, plantains, rice, pico de gallo… it is BIG. When it came out, we are so excited and hungry that we dig in immediately, and it was delicious! The best is the pork, coming out just perfectly flavored and juicy, with a slight crunchy outer part. We enjoy ourselves so much that I forget to take a picture until it was too late. We finish with the best tres leche on this trip, because it’s just swimming in leche, which is how it’s supposed to be.
I notice weird stains on the bottom of Bob’s feet…. wtf? Well, have you ever read all the warnings about DEET (the bug repellant)? (
We easily find the Avis counter, and check in. As a Chairman’s Club member, I’m usually entitled to an upgrade to the best vehicle available if I reserve an intermediate, though it can be hit-or-miss outside of the US and Canada. Unfortunately for me, they gave me exactly what I reserved… a Nissan Tiida (which, I think, is the Nissan Versa in the US). The agent claims to have no 4×4s available, and even if he did he’d charge for the upgrade. There’s no way a subcompact (in US measurements) will make it where we’re going. I ask for it a couple times, but we do have a backup plan, as the hotel we’re staying at offered 4×4 rentals for cheaper than what the Avis agent was offering. When we start talking about it, the Avis agent magically comes up with a Mitsubishi Montero Sport 4×4, and with a 50% discount (special for my being CHM) bring the cost to $35++/day, and we decide to take it. We wade through the throng of people outside of the terminal, hop onto the Avis minibus, and take a 15 ride to the Avis facility, where our blue SUV is waiting, and we’re out of there in 10 minutes.