Return trip to San José on 27.03.26

Good Morning!

It is 9:30 AM, and our journey back to the capital of the country begins. We are now leaving the Leyenda Hotel. Viktor and Jefrey are loading our luggage onto the bus, and then we will be off. We will be traveling for over eight hours in total. It will be a very long bus ride. Initially, everyone is optimistic and in good spirits, although I personally feel a hint of sadness, as the end of this journey is drawing closer. Unfortunately! If I had the chance, I would love to stay a bit longer. Costa Rica is a beautiful country, especially the people who live here have deeply impressed me. During the return trip, each group member does something different. Some take a nap, read, listen to music, munch on snacks, do puzzles, or look out the window. There is plenty of time to reflect on the many vacation moments. Unfortunately, we are stuck in traffic. The flow is slow, the roads are varied in quality - quite a bumpy affair - and we frequently encounter traffic jams. We often and for long periods come to a standstill. We stop at gas stations twice in total for restroom breaks and have the opportunity to buy snacks and cold drinks. Throughout the journey, I've shared the last row of seats with a woman from Munich. We enjoy some Imperial and Toña.

This evening we will have a group wrap-up of the trip. We are visiting the Mr. Sloth Coffee Shop. We are scheduled to meet there at 6:00 PM for some cocktail mixing and dinner. As we slowly approach the area around the airport, we lose a lot of time. The multi-lane road is completely packed. It’s a concert of countless engines and honking. Stop and Go feels like it lasts forever. We are on our way to our starting hotel, the Fleur de Lys, but we only arrive shortly after 6:00 PM. Check-in is quick, the suitcases are carried up the stairs to the rooms, and then off we go again. We have about a 15-minute break. This time, my room has windows and even a balcony. I quickly freshen up and head back down to the reception.

A short walk follows until we arrive around 7:45 PM. It is dark by this time. The city is bustling on a Friday evening. At Mr. Sloth, we are warmly welcomed first. We go up a staircase to the upper part of the venue. Here, we are served a small creamy cocktail with cinnamon. Next, we will make mojitos together. This is a lot of fun. Afterwards, we fill fresh empanada dough with pulled chicken, coleslaw, mixed pickled vegetables, and some spicy jalapeños, along with various sauces. It is so delicious. Amazing. After that, we enter the lower section of the venue and take our seats at beautifully set tables. A three-course menu follows. We have lemonades, beer, or sangria available, depending on everyone's preference. Very tasty traditional dishes follow. I wish I knew the names now :-) Definitely, there's a Caribbean-style chicken prepared in coconut milk, accompanied by Pico de Gallo and fried plantain slices. Everything tastes excellent.

When we finish eating, a very special surprise follows, which no one knows about. The room is dimmed, and a birthday song is played. One of our fellow travelers has her birthday today and is surprised with a rich chocolate cake with candles. Since she didn't tell us about her birthday, though Jefrey prepared something special, this is a very touching moment. We all sing together and chat happily. The cake is quickly eaten. We start to slowly head out. A small part of the group goes back to the hotel while the others are still looking for another bar. Eventually, we stop by 'El Lobo Mestizo.' Here, everyone gets another drink. We arrive back at Fleur de Lys satisfied, but also exhausted. I go straight to bed.