When one door closes, another one opens

Time flies and it was indeed time to finish the first chapter of my journey. Kathi and I spent 3 more beautiful days in Santa Teresa. There, we did what we felt we hadn't done in the past 3 weeks: lounging around! We lay on the beach, enjoyed delicious food, tried to surf, since the waves were really strong, and had a great time on our last days together.

And then the time came, our goodbye was approaching... It felt totally surreal, since Kathi unexpectedly came into my life 3 weeks ago and from that moment on we shared everything for 3 weeks - beautiful moments, experiences (I want to remind you of the volcano hike :D), food, drinks, rooms, beds, basically everything. And now, suddenly, this time should come to an end? Who would choose the perfect papaya for me, warn me about wild animals, or defend our created 'snack bag' as strongly as our valuables? I was really sad during the farewell and at the same time, of course, full of anticipation and excitement for the upcoming time. It was a rollercoaster of emotions, let me tell you. In this context: Thank you for this amazing time, dear Kathi. I look back with joy on the past weeks in Panama and Costa Rica. We will tell our grandchildren about it! :D Take care and see you in Germany!

Well, since we're already talking about unpleasant topics when traveling, like saying goodbye, let's continue. I love to travel and appreciate every single day, but of course, there are also days when I just want to go home. Last week, I received several very bad news from home. Above all, Dexter suddenly became very very sick, so my parents even had to take him to the emergency room. He's doing better now, but the cause is still uncertain. I am incredibly grateful that Mom and Dad take such good care of him and I know that he is in good hands. However, as soon as his condition worsens again or extensive examinations need to be done, it is out of the question for me to fly home early. Nothing is more important than Dexi and/or my family. Anyone who knows me can probably imagine how bad I felt receiving the news. It's a terrible feeling to be so far away in such situations and not be able to do anything. But I look absolutely positively towards the future and hope that it had a completely banal cause and everything will be fine. :) Actually, problems at home are also the only problems that really bother me. Despite all the inconveniences, like insects of all kinds in the room, constantly dirty, wet clothes, lizards in the shower, smelly rooms, or the constant packing and unpacking, which can be challenging at times, but at the same time authentic and always good for a laugh. One could say that I quickly adapted to the circumstances. Sometimes freshly washed laundry becomes the highlight of the day and is celebrated extensively. But don't worry, so far the fresh undies have always been enough. :D

But well, I'm getting off track with the actual topic... After the farewell, I continued on to San José, the capital of Costa Rica, on my own. Since we had already stranded there a few days ago due to a transfer, I knew that I wouldn't find a particularly beautiful city there. But as it always is, it ultimately depends on the people around you. I was constantly in the company of friendly people from different countries, explored the city, visited the famous Central Market, and was able to get some good tips for my next destination, Colombia.

With Colombia, the next chapter of the journey begins. There, I will work on a volunteer project with children and teenagers for 4 weeks. I am very excited about the experience and look forward to finally settling in one place. I really enjoyed traveling through Panama and Costa Rica, but 2 countries in 3 weeks were quite active. So I'm looking forward to unpacking my bag and not having to say goodbye right away.

You'll find out about Cartagena, a city on the northern Caribbean coast, in the next entry. Well, that's if everything goes smoothly at the border, because I have heard and read some wild stories there too. So it remains exciting. To be continued...

Adiós amigos!