One last view at the Bay….and then my journey started.
And the journey was…long!
Matthias had taken me to the airport on June, 29th, at 12:45 pm and after 24 hours I was supposed to check in in my new home…
Part 1: By airplane from San Francisco to Los Angeles
That’s just fast. Boarding, take off and just a few minutes later you can spot L.A.:
Part 2: By airplane from Los Angeles to San Jose, Costa Rica
Boarding is at midnight, the flight is about seven hours and I only try to sleep. But unfortunately I’m at the middle seat, trapped between two strange men and sleeping like that isn’t that great…
Shortly before the landing a conversation is started with one of my neighbours. And it turns out: he is not only Costa Rican but also speaks German, as he studied once in Germany! Que suerte, what luck. He helps me at the airport to buy a phonecard in beeing my translator.
Then he shows me the “right” taxi as there a lots of “pirate taxis” as well which rip tourists off. And he gives me his card in case of an emergency….
Part 3: By taxi from the airport to the bus terminal.
The taxi ride costs 17.000,- Colones. Oops? But that’s about 30,- Dollars. Still not cheap, but the ride was about forty minutes and I arrive indeed tired, but safely at the bus terminal. And here I can prove my Spanish knowledge in buying a ticket… .
With my ticket (yes!) I have to wait one hour for the next bus to San Isidro and I shorten the time with perspiring a bit. Hace mucho calor!
Part 4: By bus from San Jose to San Isidro
In the bus everybody has it’s seat (you can’t decide where you want to sit!). And I didn’t know that I am a giant, though only 164 cm tall! Nearly all the people are much smaller than me! And therefore it is quite narrow in this bus, I have less space then in an airplane!
Three hours I will be on this bus. That’s good. I’m so tired, so I can…yawn…yawn…yawn…. I fall asleep immediately. But I am not granted to sleep as a zig zag mountain road flings my head from left to the right and from the right to the left…
And then I arrive San Isidro! I am picked up by car from my (future) boss.
Part 5: By car from San Isidro to San Gerardo
Fortyfive minutes it needs by car to get to San Gerardo de Rivas, my home for the next two month. Here you can see the main road:
In the city center you’ll find on the left side of the road the soccer field, the school in a nice blue, and the chirch.
And on the right is the restaurant and a small, small grocery shop.
And here it is – my new home:
You can’t see it in the picture very well, but the street to get to the house is nearly as steap as the streets in San Francisco. But without any concrete. It is just too steep and the curve as well makes it impossibly to drive here by car. So we need to carry my luggage…
And then my new family welcomes me like a family member! So lovely!
And now it’s Spanish-time… my family is patient and so I understand sometimes what they tell me and I also stammer a little bit 🙂
But at 7 pm I am just too tired and I have to go asleep.
Like a stone I fall into my bed. I sleep for twelve long hours!
Hasta luego mis amigos!
