Final Day

The sun finally returned to Costa Rica on our last day.  Since Glen isn't actually a chair anymore, he decided he could be late for the meeting so we slept in and had a leisurely breakfast.  We did some shopping in the hotel gift shop as it had many unique Costa Rican products then he attended the meeting while I sat on the pool deck and read.  Several friends joined me so we did lots of chatting and relaxing.  Several of us then went to see the presentation for next year's meeting.  Glen and I weren't sure we'd go but wanted to see what was being offered.  St Kitts, so yes, we're signing up for that trip.

The closing banquet that evening was to be on the Pacific Coast with a view to enjoying the sunset.  Of course, there was a bus ride first so we got dressed up and left the hotel at 3pm.  We travelled south through the central valley then made our way to the coast.  At one point, we crossed the famous Crocodile Bridge over the Tarcoles River and saw huge crocodiles lounging in the river mud.  They are American crocodiles and some are supposed to be over 100 years old.  They're well-fed by the river's fish and the odd cow that wanders too close.  You can get down close to them but would you want to?

When the bus reached the coast, it began a long climb up a coastal mountain (350 feet) to reach the Zephyr Palace straddling its top.  We stepped through the banquet hall into a scene from a Greek play.  Columns topped with plants soared above an infinity pool overlooking the Nicoya Gulf of the Pacific coast.  Warm shadows cast by the setting sun and the hotel's golden facade lit the night.  A guitar duo entertained us as we stood awestruck by the beauty of the scene.

Did I bring my big camera to the banquet?  No.  But, I had my iPhone and I've been impressed with the quality of its photos so I didn't hesitate.  Perhaps with better equipment I would have captured the nuances of the light and setting but I was very happy to photograph what I could.  And take pleasure in a lovely night spent with friends.

After the sunset, we entered the banquet hall and began to hear the wonderful notes of an operatic tenor.  What with choosing our meal and being served, his song was lost to the crowd but gradually we came to hear his voice.  As dinner progressed, we were serenaded by classic opera sung by a trio, soprano and baritone complementing the tenor.  It was an amazing experience.  They lightened the fare with songs from the Phantom of the Opera but most were short arias from famous operas.  The singers waltzed among our tables and at one point, the baritone and tenor did a duet over ours.  I swear I could feel the music surging through my chest as they sang.  It actually moved me to tears which is something I thought would never happen.  What a magical evening!

The dinner was exquisite as well.  It began with chilled cucumber and avocado cream with chunks of blackberry aspic.  What a taste sensation!  I had mahi-mahi with plantain and jasmine rice while Glen had chicken with spinach mousseline.  Dessert was a chocolate terrine which was too rich for my blood so Glen devoured two.  We all wanted the night to last forever but of course, we had a bus ride back to the hotel.  Most had early morning flights home so no one lingered at this magnificent hotel.

We didn't leave until noon the next day so could pack at our leisure.  Just as well since the voyage back to realty was rough.  We had plenty of time in the San José airport to go through security but then as we began to board, they decided to a hand-check of all our bags.  That was everyone on the plane!  Being a little late leaving didn't have me overly concerned as we had a 2 hour connection between our flights in Houston.  Little did I know what awaited us in Texas.  Not only did we have to go through Customs (very confusing as apparently we are US citizens), pick up our bags, and go through security, we also had to take a train from one terminal to another.  One and a half hours later, we arrived at our destination with 20 minutes to spare.  That's when we learned our plane would be an hour late.  This was a good thing as I needed food!  We ate at Fuddruckers and enjoyed a beer before going to the gate.  We'd had met up with a woman from Red Deer in Costa Rica and had helped her when her Visa card had failed so passed the time chatting with her.  It was about 2am (our time) when we finally crawled into bed in Calgary.

Travel is not for the weak but it is usually well worth the effort.