Home Again, Home Again...

I started my journey to Costa Rica on Monday, 27 November. Purpose? To renew my visa. When I entered Honduras I was given a 90-day visa. I could get one 30-day extension, but that wouldn't be long enough. So, I decided to leave the country for the required 3 days, then reenter on a new visa.

I took the Los Contreras bus to Tegucigalpa on Monday. When I arrived in Teguc, I took a taxi to the home of my new friends, Jenny and Adam -- two young missionaries from Arizona. They had graciously opened up their home to me (actually, the home of the pastor and his family that they are staying with). Adam had the phone number of a taxi driver, so he called the driver and made arrangements to have me picked up at 5:00am Tuesday morning and brought to the King Quality terminal. Imagine my surprise when the taxi driver arrived, RIGHT AT 5:00AM!!

I checked in at King Quality, got my seat assignment, and waited for the bus to board. I'd have to change buses in about two hours, and then from there it would be a direct trip to San Jose, with a short stop in Managua, Nicaragua (and at the various borders, of course).

While waiting, I was talking to a man from Arizona. Within a few minutes I realized that he was the type of traveler who gives Americans a bad name: NOTHING was ever good enough for him. He proceeded to tell me how dangerous San Jose is, how his friend was robbed there three times in 30 days, how poorly he's been treated at restaurants in Honduras, how fat Guatemalans are, and on and on. I didn't bother to ask him all the questions I was thinking: Were you treated poorly because you walked in to a restaurant with a visible chip on your shoulder and an air of superiority, are you aware of the genetic predisposition of Guatemalans, etc., etc. And, guess who I got to sit next to on the first leg of the trip? Yup. Mr. Rude American. I prayed silently for him, and for me -- that I wouldn't kill him or say what was really on my mind. Thank God for iPods!!

We switched buses and I was thankfully reprieved from my seat in the closest thing to purgatory that I've experienced. I was now sitting next to a guy from El Salvador. Very friendly. We were able to talk a little bit. Hey, I think I'm starting to catch on a little.

At our very first border crossing, I got just a little worried. We were at the Honduran/Nicaraguan border and the official there told me that I was over my 90 days. I explained that I was exactly AT my 90 days. Well, he made me step to the side and told me he wouldn't be stamping my passport and he'd let them deal with that when I left Nicaragua. I paid my $7 fee and was the only one given a receipt. We made a brief stop in Managua and then were on toward Costa Rica. At the border there, everything went very smoothly. I was never questioned about my visa. I received a 90-day visa for Costa Rica. We arrived at our final destination in San Jose at about 12:30am. It had been more than an 18-hour trip so far, and I still had to get to my hostel. I got a taxi, who charged me $10US (because it was very late, he said). I didn't care. All I wanted was a bed.

I had notified the hostel that I might be arriving very late, and was told that would be no problem, and it wasn't. I checked in, paid, and was shown my room. I had revived just enough that now all I wanted was to wash my face, brush my teeth and check my email. So that's what I did. I jotted off a quick note to let a few people know that I had arrived just fine. OK, how soon until I can go back home now?

Even though it was about 1:30am when I went to bed, I got up at about 7:00am. I took a nice warm shower and got ready for the day. Breakfast was included at the hostel so I made my way to the dining area. I walked around the place a little to get familiar with things. I found all brochures for places to go and things to see. Then I asked Melissa which one she would recommend. It ended up being a trip to Waterfall Gardens. http://www.waterfallgardens.com/ I wasn't sure if I wanted to spend the money, so I decided that I'd wait until later in the day to make my reservations for the next day.

Melissa gave me a map and an overview of the city. I decided that I was going to make my way to the mercado central (central market). Melissa told me that things were cheaper there than at other places for souvenirs. She told me where the mall was, and that's where I went first. I walked to the mall, found a bank and waited for it to open. I was about third in line. I needed to change money. I received 515 Colones to the dollar, so in my mind I just used 500:1 to figure out the approximate cost of things. After walking around the mall a little, I went outside, grabbed a taxi and headed for the mercado. I walked all around the mercado, several times. I really wasn't in any hurry and didn't have any real agenda for the day. I bought some souvenirs for friends back home, noting that everything was much more expensive in Costa Rica than in Honduras.

It was soon lunchtime and I was hungry. I decided to eat at one of the lunch counters in the mercado, but knew that I needed to be particular about where and what I ate. I turned down the siren song of one counter, gracefully explaining that sometimes their food is too rich for our American systems. (Translation: I don't trust this place and think it will land me in the bathroom for days on end.) I intended to walk much further away, but the place across the way caught my eye. I ended up with a fruit drink, sopa de mariscos, arroz, platanos, and tortillas. At the invitation of two Ticos (Costa Ricans) I also tried the pickled veggies that were on the counter. ¡Muy ricos! And the cost for lunch was pretty reasonable: about $3.50.

After lunch I waited for the rain to let up some, then ventured across the street and into another mercado. Like I said, I had no real agenda for the day. Soon, I was ready to head back so I hailed another taxi and made my way back to my hostel. I met several of the other guests there. It was definitely an international crowd. And, hey, I even met a guy from West Orange, NJ. Go figure!

OK, I decided to do the waterfall/rainforest/butterfly/hummingbird place. I called to make reservations and found out that they needed a minimum of two people and as of that time, only had one (me) with one other "maybe". They would call me in the morning to confirm or cancel. That was fine with me, because I figured that if it didn't happen, then I'd save the $55US that it was costing. Yes, it was definitely a splurge, but how often do you get a chance to visit a rainforest? As it turned out, they ended up booking a group of 3 others: two retired sisters and the daughter of one of them. We hit it off wonderfully.

Waterfall Gardens was magnificent. I got lots of butterfly pictures and even managed to get several decent hummingbird pics. The picture of me below was taken in front of one of the five waterfalls there.The trip included transportation to/from my hostel, a stop at a coffee plantation on the way up the mountain, a guided tour of Waterfall Gardens, and a wonderful lunch. By the end of the day I knew that it was well worth the money.

I got back to the hostel and was able to rest, talk with some of the others and then take a taxi back to the bus station. My bus was scheduled to leave at 3:00am, so I needed to leave the hostel at 2:00am. Sleep could wait. And hopefully, because I was so tired, it would be easier to sleep on the bus.

The trip back was relatively uneventful. We crossed the border into Nicaragua and they gave me a 90-day stamp in my passport. So, I'm set for the rest of my time here. At the Nicaraguan/Honduran border, the Nica official took my yellow visa paper, the one that's normally left in your passport. I didn't realize it at the time, and hope that doesn't pose a problem when it comes time for me to leave. We'll see.

One thing I did note: it had been a pretty dull, gray, overcast day -- UNTIL we crossed the border into Honduras. I looked up and the clouds were breaking up and the sky was bright blue. Shortly, I was treated to one of the most gorgeous sunsets I've seen. The sun was hidden by some clouds, but the rays were breaking through over row after row of mountains. It almost looked like wave after wave at the ocean. Absolutely breathtaking!!

The bus arrived at the King Quality terminal about 8:30pm on Friday, as scheduled. I got a taxi and then made my way over to Paul and Ellen's house. Ellen's directions were great. It was so good to see them and spend some time with them. They needed to leave the next morning for Olancho, so I helped them a little bit with Grace. Since this was their first trip with the baby, I thought it might help them ease into the traveling a little if they had a little help. I know they'll have a routine worked out in no time. Plus, Ellen and Paul are going to be travelling to San Pedro Sula soon. They're planning to stop by here in Comayagua on the way back.

On Saturday, I took a Los Contreros bus from Tegucigalpa back to Comayagua. They let me off right in front of Enlaces. Oh, it felt good to be home. And Kezia, the dog, was very excited to see me also. Back in my own bed, I slept very soundly that night.

Sunday morning was our first morning service, switching from having church service in the afternoon. Wow! I got so many hugs from people -- and I had only been gone for six days.