Our Journey Part Four

Saturday, Oct 7th

There's really no sleeping on the vinyl chairs of the airport, no matter how plush the blankets and pillows. We spent the night at the Liberia airport even though there were no flights going out to the US until afternoon the next day. Strangely enough, even with zero flights or activity in the darkened and mostly abandoned airport the P.A. System kept blaring out announcements, like warning you not to bring 10K in cash in or out of the country and that it's forbidden to bring seashells out of the country (oops! I've done that!). The announcements blared out every 15 minutes all night long! You'd finally drift off to sleep only be to jolted wide awake by an altogether too cheerful voice loudly warning you about various regulations.

                                      Jim settling down for the night at the Liberia Airport

Where we slept there was a large overhead fan, the biggest one I'd seen, with blades at least 15 feet long adding to the noise and non-sleeping. But we got a giggle out of that fan. Jim lay on his back staring at the fan before asking me what I saw on the fan. I joined him in staring overhead and finally saw the name of the brand 'Big Ass Fans' Such a straight forward name could only come from Texas. I discovered later it is a Texas brand. Long way from Houston to Liberia.

The animals kept us up too. Jim was on the computer and pointed to the windows and asked me if I'd ever seen such a strange looking black squirrel before. There was just one problem, that was no squirrel, it was the cutest little skunk that kept running up to the plate glass windows to peer in. There was also a large white bird, I'd say a hawk or an owl, continually circling over head in the airport most of the night, making loud pissed-off cries that could not figure out how to leave the building.

For all my complaining I have to say I'm impressed with the staff at the airport. They put us up in makeshift beds on couches, provided pillows, blankets, bottled water, snacks and coffee for our stay. It's just hard to sleep in a public space like that.

After awakening from our fitful attempts to sleep we discover that the road to San Jose is still closed, the only way to San Jose from here is on a plan and the only airline with empty seats, United, wanted a pricey amount, starting at $1,600 going up to double that. Way to gouge people stuck by a hurricane, United! Those tickets would have only gotten us to a hub, like Atlanta or Dallas and we'd have to outlay more money to get to D.C.

But... while in crazy circumstances, do very crazy things, like go around and talk to each and every airline, even the regionals. While most of the other stranded airline passengers were snoozing at the Hilton dreaming of the waffle bar Jim was hustling around to the regional airlines.

None of the regionals had open seats to San Jose until 3 pm, but the good folks at Sansa airline let us go on standby for a seat on their 8:30 am. Fortune smiled on us, and there were exactly two seats with no shows for that first flight. Likely it was two from the hotel that overslept. We took that first flight to San Jose.

From the air the view was both incredible and devastating. You could see angry gouges on the mountains where mud slides had happened, and there was water for miles over various plots of land. The sight of the Arenal Volcano park rising over the beauty of Lake Arenal was breathtaking!

                           View of Lake Arenal and the volcano from our plane.

We finally got to San Jose Airport and ended up taking to many different service reps from our airline. But just as we were finalizing our new tickets and flights around 1 pm Jim's brother called with the news that my beloved Maw in Law wasn't doing well, that the people from hospice said it wasn't long now, that it was merely a matter of days until she passed.

Which meant if Jim wanted to see his mother before she died he needed to get to San Antonio, Texas.

Mini rant: Two weeks before we got word that MiL was being put in hospice. Jim wanted to try and change this ticket to him visiting his mother for a few weeks and me flying out a few weeks later on my original ticket. He wanted to see and spend time with his mother. He should have, but apparently once he announced to his brother that he was making arrangements Mrs. Satan (our sis in law) put a kebosh on that, saying that the Maw in Law wasn't 'that' sick and insisting Jim not come visit his mother. More passive aggressive stupidity. I urged Jim to go anyway, but they talked him out of it. I will never forgive them for doing that selfish thing.

We scrambled up to the airline offices yet again, rebooking Jim on a flight to San Antonio, Texas and keeping my ticket to D.C. exactly the same. We were scheduled to fly together to the hub in Fort Lauderdale at 1 am and then take different flights in the morning to our respective destinations.

It has been a stressful few days with no sleep, so we did attempt to nap right on the floor of the airport, grabbing a few quick naps.

We didn't get much sleep because Jim's brother kept calling to get updates on when Jim would be there, and also to tell Jim he'd have to get his own ride from the airport and find a place to stay as he was still not welcome at his and Mrs. Satan's house. The nerve. Some brotherly love. Jim and his brother were pretty friendly right up until Christmas from Hell shortly after he married Mrs. Satan.

No matter what happens, if the Maw in Law lives or dies this next week it's going to be interesting, an very likely a goat rodeo if recent interactions over the MiL'sinvestments and that Christmas are any indication. I dread the funeral. I hope there is booze because that's about the only way I'll be able not to say nasty things to her.

When we were finally boarded on the plane back to the states it was around midnight. We both went immediately to sleep, one minute the plane was taxing down the runaway and it seemed like the next moment we were landing in Fort Lauderdale. Then things go nuts.