*** Check out the first post of our trip to Costa Rica and read them in order! ***
So here we are on the final day of our trip, saying farewell to this sometimes frustrating, sometimes terrifying, but always amazing country of Costa Rica. We’ve enjoyed our time here, but like most good things in life, this one too must come to an end.
We woke up at 4:45 and after packing our remaining belongings, checked out of the hotel and took our cab (actually a Turismo van) to the airport. We were unimpressed with our cab driver, who was possibly the slowest cabbie in the world, but he got us to where we were going so all is well. With the exception of some confusion around paying our departure tax ($26 per person for the privilege of leaving the country), our airport process went smoothly.
Costa Rica is interesting in that they don’t allow passengers to carry ANY liquids onboard the aircraft, including items purchased in the gate area. As a consequence, we had to go through a final security check at the gate before being allowed to board the plane. Rose got through her checker person in 30 seconds or less after a cursory glance through her belongings. Philip, on the other hand, received a full check of his carry-on bags, had to boot up his laptop to show them it wasn’t a bomb, and even got a full body wanding with a metal detector. Fortunately, they let us on the plane and we were on our way back home.
Our polar bear friend was looking out the window while we sat waiting to push back from the gate...at least during those few moments when Philip's face wasn't pressed to the glass with excitement.
The plane was fairly empty, though our row still had three people in it. The five hour flight felt like it took seven or eight hours, so we were very happy when we landed in Phoenix. We made it through immigration without a hitch, though our troubles began when Rose’s bag never arrived on the conveyor belt. We waited until the belt stopped moving, and then asked an airline representative for help. Apparently, bags can sometimes get stuck on the conveyor in the bowels of the airport, so she called someone to restart the line and Rose’s bag magically appeared a few minutes later.
Everyone was buckled up and ready to come home from our trip!
Our cab ride home went well and we were very excited to be back. All in all, we had an amazing honeymoon in Costa Rica and we are happy that we chose it as our destination. We don’t yet know where our next travels will take us, but we are already looking forward to seeing another new area of the world. In the meantime, we will likely do some exploring around Arizona now that the wedding planning is behind us. It is our intention to keep posting to the blog whenever we do some travelling, even if it is just to some local wonder.
Thank you for following with us and we hope you enjoyed sharing a part of our adventures. We welcome your comments, even after the fact, and we wish you the best on your future travels. On that note, we highly recommend the blogging process while travelling (or at least keeping a journal), because we have already had a lot of joy from reading our posts from our trip to Italy. It is a great way to solidify memories and ensure that we won’t forget our experiences, even many years in the future. If you ever do decide to keep a travel blog, please let us know and we would love to follow along with you, just as you have done with us! Buen Viaje!
***As a bonus, we have finally uploaded the video Philip took while ziplining in La Fortuna. He loses control and starts to spin about halfway through, but it’s still some amazing scenery and some shots of his panicked face. Near the beginning, you can see the volcano directly in front and the lake is to his left.***
The Global Traveler 
Wow- that zipline was sooo much faster than I had expected! What a blast!