28.03.26 San José – Everything Turns Out Differently (Part II)

After a brief stop at the hotel, the four of us set off again. We leave the street where our hotel Fleur de Lys is located and turn left onto a busier street, the Av. del Libertador Juan Rafael Mora Porras. Here, you can see many cars, buses, and trucks, and the sidewalks have many more pedestrians. Just a real 'city hustle'.

We walk a few meters but must then cross a side road without traffic lights, while still on the same side. I notice that the sidewalks here, in comparison to the busy street, are quite high and vary in quality. You also see larger holes here that are not adequately covered. I wonder how mothers with strollers or elderly people with mobility issues manage. My thoughts, however, quickly fade away. On to the next destination and coffee. Coffee on one. We pass a number of people. Then we need to switch to the right side of the street, which is why we stop at an intersection with traffic lights. Here we pass the main road. We continue, and the Av. leads into the Carr. Interamericana Sur. Once again, we have to cross two side roads. We have already been on our way for approximately ten to fifteen minutes. I rely on my group and the navigation of a fellow traveler.

Suddenly, I feel the urge to check my phone. Why exactly, I cannot say in hindsight. Maybe I wanted to check the time. Perhaps I wanted to take a photo. Otherwise, I couldn't really use my phone during the trip, apart from in the accommodations, because, unlike many fellow travelers, I don’t have an eSim. So for me, no data roaming abroad. Up to this point, it has been fine. However, my opinion about this has fundamentally changed. Why, I will tell you later. So I reach for my shoulder bag to open it and simultaneously realize that it is open. Panic floods my entire body. My thoughts race. Why is the bag open? At the same time, my blood pressure skyrockets, and my heart races. I then realize that my yellow wallet is missing. At the same time, I say to the others, who are a few meters ahead: 'Wait a moment, something is wrong here.' The other girls immediately stop and are puzzled by my statement. I feel paralyzed. They ask me what happened, and I tell them that my wallet is no longer there. Confusion and dismay all at once. My bag isn’t particularly big. I check the contents again. It dawns on me what I intended to do. Checking my phone – that was it! The phone and passport are still there, but there’s no sign of the wallet. Helplessness. Not just for me – also for the others. How could this happen? How is this possible? How could this happen? I had carried the bag close to my body, just not in front of my belly, but on my back. I think I should have noticed!

I hastily decide that I need to walk back. I can’t go to the café at the National Theater, much as I would like to. At the same time, I fear moving alone in the city and making my way back to the hotel. But that's what happens, as none of the others say, 'I or we will accompany you.'

I still wonder why this happened? At the same time, a wave of anger rises within me because I don’t want to communicate my need or desire for companionship, or maybe I can’t. I think to myself, one ought to figure this out! I’m stubborn, which means our paths now diverge – something one shouldn't do in a big city at any time of day, in my opinion! Especially since I am also the person who has no mobile data. Of course, you can add this spontaneously through the mobile provider, but if it’s a quick need, you find yourself stuck. Just like I am now. In hindsight, I know this moment was an exceptional situation for all of us! I also believe that there was no help available to me in this situation. No idea. A wall has been erected. What do I need to do now? Block my cards! This should be quick, especially concerning my credit card. My most important to-do. What do I need for that? Internet access or I have to make a phone call. Another problem. Important phone numbers are in my backpack. Where is that? In the hotel breakfast room. I could scream. So, please remember this. Save important phone numbers directly into your phone or note them down.

The three girls move on. We agree that I will contact them from the hotel, where I have Wi-Fi access again. I turn back. I retrace the exact same route and search every corner. I examine every curb and every edge. I look into the holes. I tell you, in such an extreme situation, you grow beyond yourself. But I can’t find anything. Nothing. No one speaks to me either. I proceed until I return to the hotel. What do I do now? I approach a young woman from the hotel staff, and she is overwhelmed by the situation too. Everyone is overwhelmed. The language barrier doesn’t make it any easier, but I’m pretty sure she understood me. I ask her to unlock the breakfast room to check if I left my wallet there, although I am quite sure that is not the case. No such luck. I forget to take out the necessary contacts from my backpack. The staff member locks it up again. My room, which I have already checked out of, is also inspected in parallel. Every possibility is considered. I check the hallway and the restroom downstairs. But nothing here either. The pressure is building. And then I think I really need to contact my bank now. Then it strikes me that I still need those phone numbers, which is why I need to unlock the breakfast room, which is now essentially serving as a luggage repository. I think to myself, what impression am I leaving here? Maybe the breakfast room isn’t such a bad location after all!

I sit down in the lobby, type the number for my bank – for card blocking – with trembling hands and call. But only a Spanish announcement comes through, which I unfortunately do not understand or cannot place. I likely dialed the wrong area code, so my call doesn’t connect. Now is the point where I can no longer control my emotions. The dam breaks and the tears flow – and how! I feel miserable, small, and lost, and this alone-ness in this situation overwhelms me. But aren't we all similar in such situations? With things for which we've lost the routine? I dial the number of my former life partner, with whom I have been separated for a while now, because there is still that familiar feeling when I really need help – or maybe still a kind of dependency? I don’t know how else to help myself and I feel so relieved when he picks up. I express my urgent request, asking if he can also call my bank to block my cards. 'Please at least try,' I say. A big emotional chaos ensues. I am pretty good at that, unfortunately. He asks me where our travel guide is and tells me I should contact him. But that doesn’t help me at all in the situation. Because I don't know where Jefrey is either. And during the last 3 travel days, the feeling of traveling in a group has somehow dissipated. I think to myself, I don’t have time to call Jefrey – I need to block my cards! He suggests I should try it through online banking. I hang up and hope that he calls for me. Whether he did that, I don’t know to this day because we can’t communicate well anymore. I log in and indeed manage to do it. All cards are blocked, and I take screenshots. Better safe than sorry.

I think in a rush: what do I need to do now? I consider what was in my wallet. ID card, insurance card. Luckily no cash left; just a few Colónes coins, and at most 2-3 Euros. Irrelevant notes. I Google and read that you also need to report the loss of your ID card to the police. I think about it and decide that, due to the limited time resource, I will take care of this immediately upon my return to Germany. The hotel staff approaches me again. Nothing was found in the room. I was aware of that, actually. In the meantime, I could consider what I had done or paid for in the last hour. It’s now about – I estimate – 1:00 PM. I see that I received messages via WhatsApp. The small group is contacting me. They report that they checked again in the café where we were together and asked around, and also checked in the supermarket again. They say they couldn't get into the National Theater or the café. I am not even in a position to respond to their brief message. I reply that the bank cards are blocked.

I decide to walk the route once more and give it a second chance. I try to look even closer – with new focus and renewed courage. But unfortunately, again nothing. I need to keep an eye on the time, as we all need to be back at the hotel by 2:00 PM. Suddenly it occurs to me what else was in the wallet. My loose apartment key. But the fact that losing the key will lead to a much larger problem does not even cross my mind at this point! What to do now? What other options are there? I decide to go to the supermarket one more time and specifically approach someone from the staff. I arrive and see police, likely more of a security service. I take a deep breath and move forward. I ask the man, who seems to be about my age, if he speaks English, which he unfortunately denies. But he takes me to a staff member at a checkout who speaks a little English. I briefly explain the situation. That I was recently in the market and at which checkout I made a purchase. Since I can name the checkout and the approximate time, something totally crazy happens. In the background, the video footage is checked, which the security man later shows me on a tablet. There I see myself paying at the checkout, putting my wallet into my shoulder bag, holding the small groceries under my arm, and leaving the supermarket with my group. That was also my gut feeling – that the wallet was stolen after the brief stay in the hotel. Nevertheless, I am incredibly touched that I received such good help in the supermarket. I want to express a huge thank you! <3

At this point, I decide to leave it at that. I give up. I walk back the same route from the supermarket to the hotel as I did after our shopping and search here again. But again, unfortunately, nothing. I arrive at the hotel completely exhausted, sweaty, around 1:30 PM. The group I was with has also returned, as well as a few other travelers. Somehow the atmosphere is totally strange, and I give the 3 girls a brief update. I sit in the lobby until our group is complete again. I feel completely helpless. Jefrey is back too. I sit in an armchair and the tears flow once more. I have a brief conversation with Jefrey, who is also totally overwhelmed by the situation. He speaks to the hotel staff again, but there are no new updates. The couple from Frankfurt has also realized what has happened. They look at me with large, sad eyes. I can't take it anymore and directly ask the woman from Frankfurt if she can hug me, to which she agrees, and once again my dam breaks. This hug feels incredibly good!

The luggage is now being loaded onto our bus, and by now, the entire group has heard about what’s going on. I take my place in the back, where the woman from Munich has already settled in. We take a while to arrive at the airport. During the ride, I think, and the tears keep flowing. Somehow, I can't find any assurance anymore. Tissues are passed around, and suddenly someone from a row in front of me calls out and hands me a larger bill. And I am grateful and speechless at the same time. And I realize that, although fortunately, I have my train ticket (Rail & Fly), I am now completely without cash and have no option to withdraw money at the counter. It’s the fellow traveler for whom I withdrew Colónes during our trip (her credit card was causing problems here), as we could only pay cash for some items. She says: 'Keep your head up, it will be fine – you helped me out too!' And I am deeply touched. Thousands of thoughts fill my head. I think about how lucky I was that my passport is still there. Had it also been stolen, the whole situation would have looked much more dramatic. Just thinking about it scares me. I remember that I have another apartment key stored with a friend and neighbor. However, I realize this person is currently not in Hamburg. And again, my stomach churns. But then I remember that another key is with my parents, and I breathe a sigh of relief.

Unfortunately, we arrive very early (around 3:00 PM) at the airport. Here it gets emotional again, as we thank Viktor, our driver. We also collected money for him, and a group member represents us and hands Viktor the envelope. He is very moved. Just like Jef was the night before at Sloth Coffee Shop. We surprised Jef there. Unfortunately, Viktor could not join us that evening. We all say goodbye warmly to both of them, and at that moment the joint journey with them ends. Jefrey expresses his sympathy to me once more. The sun is shining, and it is pleasantly warm. The group enters the airport together. Since we are there so early, no baggage check-in counter has opened yet. So we look for empty seats in a café area. The woman from Berlin again kindly tells me to let her know if I want to drink or eat something. However, the whole situation is just uncomfortable for me. I am still completely overwhelmed. Although a bit calmer, I still feel out of sorts. At the seat where I’m sitting, there is immediately a power outlet. I first charge my phone. I log into the airport Wi-Fi and check online banking again. Until our departure at shortly before 9:00 PM, I will do this frequently. I research once more about the ID card. And I fear that, in a short time, some form of misuse could occur. I am anxious about leaving the country and internally feel total paranoia. That doesn’t help at all and only drains more energy. I spend the waiting time sending out initial emails. Among other things, to my health insurance company. I will soon need some new cards. I communicate with my parents and inform them about the current situation. I cool down a bit. How long I sit there, I can’t say anymore, but certainly around two hours.

Now it’s time to go, as the Lufthansa counter has opened. Here, everything is well organized, and it goes quickly. I take a deep breath, and when it’s my turn, I present my passport. This goes well. When I place my suitcase on the scale, my pulse shoots up again because I have over 1.5 kg of excess weight, and I am simply flabbergasted by this. How can 23 kg of luggage be insufficient? But I can manage that, and I feel so ashamed for this. Of course, during the trip, I lacked nothing, and I could have outfitted my entire group in terms of clothing. But no one, including myself, needs so much clothing. There were opportunities everywhere to donate clothes locally and get them washed. I think of the song 'Light Luggage' by Silbermond and tell myself internally that next time I will do better. I actually knew so much before this trip. Much is learned and understood only when experienced first-hand. Thankfully, the staff member at the counter says nothing. And I can only think that I couldn’t have paid for excess baggage . No bank cards left. I might have been able to lay the €100 bill that I borrowed on the counter.

On we go to security control. Here, the passport is checked and signed again. I breathe a sigh of relief and think that I can fly home with the others tonight and don’t have to stay alone here or arrange a new flight. And again I feel deep gratitude. Everything goes smoothly. And while the others get lost in numerous shops and pass the time in different ways, my path leads me directly to the gate and the seating area. I sit there for a long time, just staring into space. And I try to recover from the morning. I don’t need anything. I have my water bottle, which I can refill at the water dispenser. And I reflect for myself that you don’t always need everything in abundance. I can also manage a few hours without food; also, I have a few cookies in my backpack. Completely sufficient. On the plane, there will be more food than I need. In the late afternoon, something very special happens that I first need to process. I see an email in my inbox. I receive a message that someone has sent me a message through my travel blog. I open the blog and find a message from Natalia <3

Dear Natalia,

If you happen to read this, I want you to know that I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your post. I deleted it immediately after reading your message because it contained your phone number, which I absolutely wanted to keep private. I want to tell you how much it helped me that you reached out, and I wish there were more honest people like you. It was so thoughtful of you to seek me out and contact me. Thank you for our conversation and the sense of security you gave me. I had a wonderful time in Costa Rica, and I will always associate this trip with the memory of you. Please also thank your friend who found me on Instagram for me. I wish you and your families all the best! And if you ever come to Germany and happen to be in Hamburg, please get in touch!

For all other readers. What happened? Natalia found my two bank cards on a public bus in San José, one that I never used. They were apparently lying loose on a seat. She picked them up and contacted me afterwards. Natalia lives in San José. Unfortunately, there is still no trace of the rest of my wallet. But knowing that at least the cards, which were already blocked, are not lying around aimlessly in the world, gives me some comfort. And it confirms my feeling that I was truly robbed. What kind of person does something like this and why? If cash had been in my wallet; honestly, I wouldn't have cared. But what does one do with blocked bank cards and IDs from another country? Why can’t this be handed in to the local police or lost and found? I will never understand that, and I probably won’t receive any further answers. The rest of the wallet? Unclear.

Just before 9:00 PM, it is time. Flight LH519 takes off, and I am on board (YEAH) along with a super cool flight crew. Have you ever – please don’t get me wrong – had older flight attendants on your flight? Even though I have flown often, I have always observed very young staff so far, both nationally and internationally. This flight is different, and the crew is incredibly friendly and really great concerning service and safety. And they always have a quick joke and a smile on their faces. We fly through the night and I 'overfly' the time change that Germany is facing tonight. Now there’s even an 8-hour time difference. I can even sleep a bit. We land on time on Sunday afternoon, around 4:00 PM, in Frankfurt. This is quite unfortunate, as we are all seated quite separately in the plane, and some group members have connecting flights, so we cannot say a complete goodbye. Part of the group heads directly to baggage claim; another part is already on the way to the new gate. Everyone goes their own way. I take another thorough look around because I would have liked to say goodbye to the woman from Berlin who helped me with the cash. I do find some fellow travelers again, for instance, the nice couple from Frankfurt, from whom I can still personally say goodbye. Many greetings also go out to Dortmund, Munich, Stuttgart, and Switzerland.

:-)

For me, it’s now from the airport to the main train station in Frankfurt and then by ICE to Kassel-W. Then another transfer and the last leg to Paderborn. Hamburg will have to wait a bit longer. I need my apartment key and am being assisted by my parents in contact with the police. I arrive in Paderborn shortly after 9:00 PM and sit at the police station for hours filing my report.

You’re almost done.

Why am I sharing this information with you?

Because I don’t want you to experience the same thing that happened to me!

Because I learned a lot from this and return with greater inner strength.

My most important tips as a conclusion for you. Think carefully about where you take your passport. It’s best not to have it with you while traveling; you can manage well with security copies, either printed or stored as a photo on your phone. And do you know what? I actually had that (the good old printout), but I simply didn’t want to leave my passport in that mysterious breakfast room, which in hindsight turned out to be a proper safe place. Crazy! Save important phone numbers directly in your phone or note them down; but never your PINs! Also, consider getting an eSim. I think I will have one on my future travels. If you should find yourself traveling alone at some point, which I don’t particularly recommend, you have the options to call up Google Maps, look up connections. You’ll be better reachable. Can access relevant info quicker. Think of secure hand luggage that you keep in sight. What you should definitely not do: never pack your house key in your wallet. And certainly not a master key.

Just don’t do it!

NEVER

:-)

Okay? Promise?

Thank you

<3

It’s best to not take any keys with you on vacation at all. There are plenty of other options!

And while I’m at it, if you’re moving into an apartment, as I am, which has a central locking system, please think about getting proper insurance, like a sufficient liability insurance. They are not so expensive. And the same goes for a good legal protection. I believe it's often the case that when one needs the relevant insurance, it isn’t available or is not sufficient, just like with me.

That’s life?!

Check your rental agreement better than I did.

And maybe one last thing. Don’t hesitate to talk about your feelings or communicate a need, e.g. 'Hey, I don't want to be alone right now. Can you accompany me?' False pride or sulking is unnecessary here. It brings nothing. It won’t help anyone.

I know I did my best in this situation. Cards can be replaced, of course; a bit of running around is involved.

The most important thing always remains that you are healthy!

That no one was seriously put in danger.

<3

Many of you are probably wondering how things will go with my key now?

I can tell you. It doesn't look good for me. But I will also get through this.

Since I’m in the midst of the process/solution finding, I can’t report on this yet.

For me, the right path is always the honest one.

That’s part of my nature and can’t be taken out of me.

But I want to thank everyone who supports me physically and mentally.

<3

I hope I haven’t bored you, and perhaps everyone can take something away for themselves.

We are almost at the end of this travel blog. I still plan to write a little conclusion about Costa Rica in general.

So there will be one more post, and then it will be radio silence here for now.

:-)