Day 1 of our 22 day journey to Costa Rica, Panama and Colombia. Alarm at 4:15 AM, 7:00 AM departure to Miami and 10 AM flight to San Jose. Uneventful except that they couldn’t start #2 on the Airbus 321neo in Tampa. Maintenance showed up, recommended a manual start, rather than computer assisted. We ended up with a 20-minute dash down Terminal D in Miami but we were first on behind the wheel chair contingent. 

Two pilots, apparently deadheading from Tampa to Miami, left the flight when the delay was announced. “Not a good look when the crew abandons ship,” I said to one as he left. 

It’s a pretty day for flying and we’ve had nice views of Miami, the Florida Keys and Cuba, including a barrier island off the southern coast of Cuba, apparently uninhabited. Then, beneath the clouds, the mountainous cloud forests of Costa Rica and into San Jose. 

The best laid plans aren’t the best. Sometimes, forget the plans; go with what presents itself. This afternoon proved the point.

Tauck had arranged transportation from the airport to our first-night hotel – the Grano de Oro (Grain of Sand) downtown rather than the official digs at the Marriott. The Grano de Oro is an old mansion made into a hotel. It proved as charming as the pictures on line. So far, we’re pleased.

The ride from the airport, normally 20 minutes, took an hour and a half due to accidents. I’d like to tell you it didn’t matter because of the interesting scenery. But Highway 1 wasn’t all that intriguing. The only thing of note were collections of third-world-ish buildings nestled next to steel and glass skyscrapers, one housing Amazon.

Our room wasn’t ready but we had a plan: walk to the nearby (15 minutes) contemporary art museum and the adjoining park. The man who checked us in recommended an alternative: the National Museum of Costa Rica. And again, the unplanned was the winner. Uber worked like a charm both ways: $3 each way plus a $3 tip. Traffic was big-city terrible.

The museum is housed in a former army barracks built in 1917, a fortress-like structure that has been much modified since its army days. It is a repository of a large collection of artifacts and documents spanning Costa Rican history, beginning with pre-Colombian indigenous peoples to the present day. There’s even a large live butterfly section you can walk through.

The bad news is that the museum sent my head spinning: too much history to absorb in a two-hour visit. So I could only scratch the surface. But here goes:

Columbus landed in 1502 and the Spaniards, as we all know, had the run of Mexico, Central and South America for 300 years. Before, archeological evidence shows a blending of Mesoamerican influence from the north and Andean influence from the south.

Mexico did the heavy lifting in its war of independence in 1821. The Central American countries were freed as part of Mexico but soon broke away. Costa Rica declared sovereign independence in1828. A democracy was established in 1868 and things went on an even, if poverty-stricken keel into the 20th century.

An election in 1948 was annulled by the ruling party. That didn’t sit well with the other side and a civil war broke out, lasting five weeks. The rebelling junta was successful, and the leftist and communists were ousted. A new constitution was established, guaranteeing free elections that included universal suffrage. The army was dissolved and a Guardia National established to provide civil peace and safety.

The U.S. has mucked around in Costa Rican politics, especially in 1912 when the Marines landed and in the 1980s vis-a-vis the Sandinistas in Nicaragua.

Tonight we’re having our two-traveler welcome dinner. Tomorrow: a walking and eating tour of San Jose after which we head to the Marriott to meet the rest of the crew.

Not a bad day’s work for the first days, if I do say so myself.

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