So last night was definitely eventful but I had a great time and it was a great way to finish what has been an amazing trip.
The night started out at a local Karaoke bar in town which had a great atmosphere and was really cheap – I think I only paid the equivalent of $5 for 3 vodka & cokes! I’m not much of a karaoke person but after a few drinks I was soon joining in with Mena and Kelly while they sang Bon Jovi songs. This was much to the horror of the couples in the bar who were busy trying to sing love songs to each other due to the fact it was Valentines Day yesterday but we were only in the bar an hour or so before moving. The other Intrepid guide recommended we checked out the bar up at the University of Costa Rica called Terra U so we all jumped in taxis and made our way out to the suburb of San Pedro.
I loved the atmosphere at Terra U and I’m not much of a club person but it had a mix of everything – nightclub, bar, disco, sports bar, TV lounge and terrace all in one with the atmosphere and liveliness of a University all in a great climate. The drinks were much more expensive and I think I paid as much per drink there as I did for all of my drinks at the Karaoke place but I’m glad I decided to carry on there with the group rather than head back to the hostel. I must say that a University bar on Valentine’s Day is quite a frustrating place to be when single but I wish we had gone straight there. We probably stayed there for an hour or two before starting to head back to the hostel in groups, of which I was in one of the first with Mena, somebody from the other Intrepid group and Miriam. We chatted over whatever drinks of ours were left in the fridge before heading back to our respective rooms but I didn’t sleep much last night for a few reasons.
This morning I relaxed in the hostel partly to recover from last night and partly due to the fact I would have a lot of travelling ahead. I got up early to say goodbye to Gina who is travelling on to Panama on the next leg of the trip with Intrepid and then finished my packing while waiting for the others to get up. I had a transfer booked for lunchtime; I decided to book a transfer through the hostel rather than catch the bus like Mena so we just chatted for a bit until it was my time to head to the airport.
The lady that transferred me to the airport was one of the hostel worker and came from Colombia. We chatter for a bit during the transfer about our respective travel experiences and about what I did while in Central America and it helped pass the time as the airport is quite a way out of the city.
I checked in online yesterday before heading out into the city so When I arrived at the airport I paid my $28 departure tax before collecting the boarding passes from the bag drop desk – they gave me the option to go on an earlier flight but I decided to stick with my original flight due to the fact I had a seat with extra leg room booked. When I received my boarding pass I found out they had changed my seat but they had put me in an exit row which was even better as I have long legs so every little helps. Then it was time to proceed through security to grab some lunch and then relax watching the airport activity before my flight.
My COPA Airlines flight to Panama City was short and sweet but enjoyable. I read in the safety information leaflet in front of me that you are supposed to be able to speak fluent Spanish to be able to sit in the exit row for safety reasons but the flight attendant gave us the instructions in English and said she knew she could count on us if there were any problems. I’m glad that she felt she could trust me as I was the only person on my side of the plane at the over-wing exit, while there were two Americans on the other side of the aisle. COPA seem a fairly good airline in terms of service, comfort and quality but that was the only flight I’ve ever been on.
I’m now in Panama City airport waiting for my flight to Amsterdam where I will catch my connecting flight to London to finish my trip. I was worried I wouldn’t make my connection on time but it looks like this flight is going to be delayed, and the inbound flight arrived right next to my ongoing one, so in the end I had plenty of time. It’s an overnight flight so hopefully it’ll give me a chance to catch up on sleep.
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