Random travel fun

  With security checks and crowded planes, flying isn't as much fun as it used to be. One can appreciate having no problems with security and not having knitting needles confiscated as terrorist weapons. We did have a banana taken away at the San Jose airport; we had forgotten to eat it before arrival and the authorities rightly do not want to risk a banana disease entering the country. I always wondered why they X-rayed all the bags coming into Costa Rica. Maybe there are other reasons besides bananas.
   No missed connections is good, and so is finding something decent to eat at the airport. But really, my idea of fun isn't just the absence of negatives. For example, I love it when they have interesting exhibits in airports. In Atlanta I enjoyed an exhibit of puppets from around the world, especially Petruk and Gareng, two clowns from Java.

    In San Jose,  our friend and taxista Juan was waiting for us right outside the airport doors. It was really fun to catch up with news during the drive to Monteverde which took about 4 hours including a lunch stop. We also stopped at a big ropa americana store to pick up a 100 pound/45 kilo bale of used clothes for Marcela's small store in Monteverde.  Lots of used clothes gets shipped from the US to Central America and many other parts of the world. I wonder if wealthy countries in Europe also export used clothes or is it just Americans that buy so many things that we need to get rid of them like that? The store we stopped had the clothes beautifully arranged. Things were looking cheerier already.

    I would love to hear what little travel experiences en route have tickled your fancy.
   The best part of traveling, however, is arriving. Seeing friends again. Hearing parrots flying over the house in the morning. Eating breakfast including local coffee on the balcony and being warm. Pura vida.