We are what our thoughts have made us; so take care of what you think. Words are secondary. Thoughts live; they travel far.
— Swami Vivekananda
Thursday, February 28, 2013 (DAY 361)
Waking with the same excitement I had from the first day of my travels, I am packed and ready to head to Costa Rica for the eighth time, but this time my final destination will not only be a new country but a new continent. It still amazes me that I can travel from San Juan del Sur to the small transit town of Rivas and on to Penas Blancas before boarding another local bus to San Jose all for under $12. After more than 9 hours I arrive in San Jose and bound for my friend Melissa’s hostel, Galileo, that she manages. Having met her and Bitney when they came to do visa runs and stay at the Surfing Donkey I promised them that the next time I found myself in San Jose I would stay at their place. Just as I walked through the door and was greeted by one of her staff, I saw Melissa walking down the narrow hallway and before I knew it we were embraced in a hug. The friends that you make whilst traveling is unlike anything you can explain to those back home. Warm embraces from those that you meet even for a few days feels as though they are long lost friends.
Waking with the same excitement I had from the first day of my travels, I am packed and ready to head to Costa Rica for the eighth time, but this time my final destination will not only be a new country but a new continent. It still amazes me that I can travel from San Juan del Sur to the small transit town of Rivas and on to Penas Blancas before boarding another local bus to San Jose all for under $12. After more than 9 hours I arrive in San Jose and bound for my friend Melissa’s hostel, Galileo, that she manages. Having met her and Bitney when they came to do visa runs and stay at the Surfing Donkey I promised them that the next time I found myself in San Jose I would stay at their place. Just as I walked through the door and was greeted by one of her staff, I saw Melissa walking down the narrow hallway and before I knew it we were embraced in a hug. The friends that you make whilst traveling is unlike anything you can explain to those back home. Warm embraces from those that you meet even for a few days feels as though they are long lost friends.
Galileo hostel is an old converted Victorian home situated on the corner of a street in the center of downtown and reminds me of my cousin’s house in all places, Stanberry, Missouri. The creaky narrow wooden steps that leads to the dorms makes the place feel more like a home than a hostel. After settling in, I head back downstairs to catch up with Melissa and Bitney and I am quickly introduced to other members of her staff including the owner, Brian an American living in Costa Rica for the past four years. The night quickly begins with a barrage of laughter and conversation, but soon I have to excuse myself since I have an early flight the next morning. While, many think that the joys of travel is a life of complete freedom, let me remind you that there are sacrifices you contend with. Tonight, I am contending with an avid snorer that leaves me with blood-shot eyes the next morning and only a few hours of sleep.
After grabbing a taxi from the curb just outside the hostel, I tell the driver that I have another friend, Poppy, to pick up at another hostel just five minutes away. Poppy is another great friend that I met in San Juan that worked at PachaMama hostel and is also bound for the airport. As we pull up to her hostel she is already waiting outside and she recounts for me the confusion of her journey from Nicaragua since she was supposed to meet me at Galileo. Missed buses, lost taxi drivers, extended time spent at the border. These are times that patience becomes a learning curve while traveling and we can’t help but laugh at the situation as the taxi driver is swerving in and out of traffic narrowly missing other cars and even pedestrians. Once at the airport we get checked in and say our goodbyes and she is headed to the other side of the globe, New Zealand. The new friends that I have made in almost a year and where they are scattered throughout the globe always brings a smile to my face because the adventure of life and the unknown becomes a way of life for us to invest in experiences rather than the material things.
After checking in for my flight that I purchased through Travelocity I knew that I had a connection through San Salvador, but what I didn’t realize was that I was flying first class. This was my first experience flying first class and not only was it an incredible experience even if it was only a one-hour flight, but I had an opportunity to fly along the coast and view San Juan from 30,000 miles above.
On my flight in to Bogota I sat next to an older gentleman that appeared to be a business traveler that gave me some great information about the location I was supposed to meet Char in an area of the city called Caldera. He informed me of what I should pay for a taxi, this is always helpful information, because I cannot tell you how often you will get ripped off and end up paying double of triple. I’ve learned to always negotiate, if possible, a flat rate fee for your destination. As I was waiting in a que for a taxi I overheard another couple from Brazil asking about the same location I was heading and spoke with them about sharing a taxi to reduce the cost. As the three of us piled in the taxi for the 25-minute ride, our driver was an 80-year-old man that was the sweetest guy. He continued to ask us questions after welcoming us to his country and while doing so he reached in to his glove box and pulled out some coins and gave each of us a Colombian peso as a way of welcoming us. After doing this he asked if there was anything we had from our countries that we could give him since he had never met anyone from Brazil or the United States. We each gave him a coin and I have never seen someone so happy to receive a gift. Upon reaching my hostel I felt compelled to give him an American dollar since he was so interested that I was Asian, but also from the United States. At this moment tears began to fill his eyes for this gratitude, but for me it was an experience I will always remember for my first time in Colombia.
On my flight in to Bogota I sat next to an older gentleman that appeared to be a business traveler that gave me some great information about the location I was supposed to meet Char in an area of the city called Caldera. He informed me of what I should pay for a taxi, this is always helpful information, because I cannot tell you how often you will get ripped off and end up paying double of triple. I’ve learned to always negotiate, if possible, a flat rate fee for your destination. As I was waiting in a que for a taxi I overheard another couple from Brazil asking about the same location I was heading and spoke with them about sharing a taxi to reduce the cost. As the three of us piled in the taxi for the 25-minute ride, our driver was an 80-year-old man that was the sweetest guy. He continued to ask us questions after welcoming us to his country and while doing so he reached in to his glove box and pulled out some coins and gave each of us a Colombian peso as a way of welcoming us. After doing this he asked if there was anything we had from our countries that we could give him since he had never met anyone from Brazil or the United States. We each gave him a coin and I have never seen someone so happy to receive a gift. Upon reaching my hostel I felt compelled to give him an American dollar since he was so interested that I was Asian, but also from the United States. At this moment tears began to fill his eyes for this gratitude, but for me it was an experience I will always remember for my first time in Colombia.
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