I'm back and boy have I been busy!

I got back on Sunday night. After the Spirit fiasco everything went smoothly. I got to the airport with plenty of time. I hit the first snagget when I tried to get a boarding pass. The gal at the check in said she couldn't find my return flight. I handed her my bus ticket and she was concerned because it was an open ticket, not for a specific date (lesson learned, next time I will pick a random date). The manager wasn't around and her coworker nicely explained to me that Americans can't leave the country without a return flight. Hmmm never heard of that law, but she said it with such authority. So finally they find the supervisor and she says my ticket is fine. They note it in the computer as the "authority" slunk away. I asked for an empty seat next to me because of my leg and the gal was really accommodating. I was on a flight to Orlando that continued onto Ft Lauderdale and apparently you need to keep the same seat on the whole trip. She found me a seat with tons of legroom right behind the Big Seat row and I had no one else in my row for both flights! I spent the extra for a Big Seat on the CR leg of the trip so that was no problem. So on to security, of course I am the random traveller to get searched, but then I think I have only flown once where I wasn't. The searchers were nice and the woman with the wand was really careful with my leg. The rest of the day was uneventful. I met a really nice Tica in the airport in Florida, we chatted for a bit and exchanged numbers. People are so friendly here. I got to San Jose at midnight and by 12:30 was in the car with Mario and his brother. Oldemar drives a taxi at night and we figured out it was cheaper to use him then rent a car and stay in a hotel. So off we go, they had borrowed someone's GPS because no one knew how to get home from the airport. Usually you go into San Jose and then grab the interamerican highway. This GPS however took us on the scenic route and we got to climb a mountain through some really dicey neighborhoods and traverse a rut filled dirt road. What fun at 1 AM, but we finally got home at 5:30 in the AM.

The next day we got up late, I even managed to sleep through the roosters and we looked for a doctor. Mario was convinced that I needed to go to the hospital so he never made the appointment (sigh). His dad recommended a clinic but they were booked, gee SOMEONE made appointments. They sent us to the next clinic 2 doors down. They also were booked, but the nurse came out to look at my leg (I had stayed int he car this time because it was bleeding and hurting). She looked at it and had Mario go back in with her. They fit me in later that day - not a good sign for me since that meant it was BAD. We went to the appointment and the doctor told me the skin had died and I was heading for gangrene. He had to cut all of the dead skin off and it would be a BIG open wound that will take months to heal. Oh joy. He said there was really no other way. So he opens this door in his office and there is an exam room. He did it right there. I was my usual big baby self and cried. It REALLY hurt! He gave me anesthetic, but still there were parts that he cut that felt like I had nothing. He also gave me more antibiotics and pain killers and explicit instructions on how to care for the wound. It is actually looking much better now so I am hopeful the worst is over. Oh yeah - cost? $80, and he apologized and said from now on it would be $60, but he had to charge for the operation.

The next day we signed our lease and Wednesday we moved to the new house. I said I have been busy lol. I LOVE LOVE LOVE it here! I will tell more about it in another post, when I find the damn cord to the camera and I can post pictures. But it is a dream come true, I never thought I would live somewhere so beautiful.

Today Mario brought the rest of our stuff. We got a late start because the cable guys were here. So he got here late and it started to rain before they could get the big truck out. To get to our house you need a 4x4. We couldn't find a 4x4 so Mario borrowed his brothers box truck and his dad helped it along by pulling with his 4x4. That worked great on the first trip on Wednesday. Today however, the rain made the clay/rock road slick. They decided that it had just started and they could make it out. So they tied the 2 trucks together and started out. Mario had problems from the start, they big truck had no traction, his dad started to pull it and we heard a horrible noise. They think it is the transmission on his dad's truck. Then the bumper snapped off on the big truck. So now we had 2 trucks that couldn't move stuck on our road. So Mario hiked up to the top of our road to see if anyone had a tractor (this is why I love it here). He called me from the highway, nobody could help us. He called Oldemar and he was going to take the taxi to his 4x4. I suggested a tow truck but the look on his father's face and Mario's reaction told me this wasn't gonna happen. I started dinner for everyone because I figured we would be stuck for a while. Mario left with Oldemar to go and get his car, but his dad got impatient and decided that he and his wife would walk to the highway too. Now I know where Mario gets it. So I called Mario and back he came, he got them safely, they are in their 70's and I was so worried that something would happen to them on the gravel mountain road. Hours went by and I called mario to see what happened. He said he was on the way with his dad, his brother, and a tractor. Sure enough a half an hour later the tractor pulled out his dad and the big truck. They can fix the bumper with 4 screws so it is not a big deal. His dad's car drives but they need to get the 4 wheel drive fixed.

Whew that's it! I'm heading to bed and can't wait to see the mountains in the morning!