Travels with Hayley

I had planned a long lay in today but apparently my body is too used to the early start so I was ready and out by 7. Had some fruit and cake at breakfast while chatting to Judy and then a guy at the next table asked us if were there for the Intrepid tour – we explained we’d just finished it and he asked us for any tips as he was starting it today.

What a bullet dodged he wasn’t on our tour, he wasn’t pleasant at all and when Judy told him she’d been zip lining he looked her up and down incredulously and said ‘you? You went zip lining?!’ It was so rude.  He also told us he he wouldn’t go to Sri Lanka (where I’ve been and loved) and it’s just ‘India lite’ so what’s the point?! Brendan joined at this point and I made a swift exit – apparently he got worse and told Brendan he no longer travels with his wife as he is expected to ‘be the husband’ and do all the planning so she is on a cruise and he has come on this trip! We were so lucky with our group not to have anyone like that! 

I spent most of the day on the edge of/in tears which while I’m very sad to be coming home I was a bit confused by the extreme reaction until I realised I was due on the next day and it was just the standard PMT weepies! Could have done with knowing that before I wept on a receptionist tbh…🙄

Four of us headed out to the art museum, the lack of a leader was so pronounced, we couldn’t agree which way to take there, we got a bit lost and grumpy etc! You don’t realise how good these tours are until suddenly you aren’t on them anymore!

The museum was free (which was unusual in an expensive country) and actually really good, some amazing sculpture and a room with the walls totally sculpted in stucco and then painted to look like bronze telling the history of Costa Rica. It was really beautiful.

We walked into the main town as Kristy had arrived late on the first day and hadn’t seen it, popped to the post office to get Judy some stamps (the most incredible building from the outside, the most tatty and sad corporate one inside) and then headed to the indoor market for lunch.

Again, we couldn’t decide where to go and I could tell everyone was wishing Marvin was there to save the day 😂 I put my foot down and insisted we sat on stools at one of the counters as I knew that was what Kristy really wanted to do today and she was too polite to say!

We ordered – Jen got a tongue sandwich (no jokes please, you’re all better than that!) which I tried some of and was delicious, not sure what I thought it would taste like but just like a tender meat. Kirsty got a huge casardo and what we thought was a fruit drink and turned out to an enormous milkshake. I was still waiting for mine so I helped her with hers and obviously by the time mine came I was full! Which was probably good as I wasn’t that keen – I’d ordered the Aztec soup again and it had a word in front of it I didn’t recognise (and still can’t work out as I forgot to take a picture of it dammit!) but I think maybe some kind of vegetable? It came out with all the same toppings but the soup was a pale orange colour with no tomatoes and a bit insipid tasting. I fished out all the good bits and ate those and left the rest!

Grabbed a wooden spoon on the way out of the market as that’s the souvenir I allow myself to bring back from everywhere, it’s nice to remember all the places you’ve been when stirring your pasta! Wandered back to the hotel and waited for our cab to the airport which arrived bang on time and an uneventful wait for our flight. 

Flight itself had really, really bad turbulence at one point. I cried so much (silently, I’m still British) that my eyes were too swollen for my phone Face ID to recognise me! The crew were lovely, they just kept giving me drinks afterwards which meant I slept through the next 7 hours of the flight, result! 

Back in the UK, a selfie from Brandon, Kristy and I to the CR WhatsApp group as a final goodbye and then home.

As I cannot jinx it now I can announce I only have 3 mozzie bites, all of them tiny and on the same ankle, all of them from the night where I had my feet in the pool and forgot to reapply the bug spray afterwards. Most people had tons, that spray is absolutely brilliant, expensive but worth every penny.

Thank you so much for travelling along with me on this trip, it’s been really lovely knowing everyone has been reading and has ensured I’ve kept a really good record so I can remember every moment of it forever.

As they say in Costa Rica – Pura Vida – which means a good or simple life – to all of you.

Lots and lots of love xxx