Now that's what I'm talking about

I'm really going to miss the informality of the Abacos. Check in at the airport was such a pleasure, although I still don't feel comfortable having to stand on electronic scales and getting weighed along with the luggage. IBC is a wonderful airline and I have renamed them "I Be Casual". Heading back to Florida, the aircraft we stepped aboard was very different from the one we flew on the way over, much more luxurious without a cockroach in site. We had to stop off in Treasure Cay to pick up two more people so initially we flew low out of Marsh Harbor.

After a short interlude on the ground we were soon back in the air with the extra passengers. The kids settled into a corporate game of 'go fish' and I sank down in the comfy seat to gaze out of the window into the vast blueness as we gained altitude. Rising ever higher, I began to distinguish and recognize the shapes of each of the different Cays below. Pushing my face to the window, I was eager to enjoy the last glimpses of now familiar territory. A lump began to form in my throat as watched the the Abacos disappear behind us and Grand Bahama Island come into view. My eyes traced out in real life what they had studied on Google Earth when planning the trip. Organizing flights to Marsh Harbor had seemed easy at first because plenty of carriers flew there. Yet it had proved a nightmare trying to find an airline that would carry 9ft. surfboards. One of the options had been to fly to Freeport, Grand Bahama, then take a bus to McLeans Town (at the other end of the island and hours away). We would then take a small ferry to the tip of Great Abaco Island and travel hours by road down to Marsh Harbor. This had been convoluted travel plan number 682 (681 had been taking the overnight mailboat while sitting upright in plastic chairs). I was convinced that 682 would work until a random internet search popped up details of a story about said small ferry taking on water and needing asssitance back to Mcleans Town. In my twenties, this ferry would have been an adventure. In my forties with 2 kids, 12 bags and two surfboards it was a disaster waiting to happen. Looking down through the clear blue skies at the topography, I realized how close the land masses were and how shallow the water was. With hindsight, I resolutely concluded we would have been able to raft together the boards and bags Gilligan style and paddle ourselves out of trouble. Amazing how resourceful one can feel from the comfort of a large leather airplane seat with drink in hand.

“May you have the hindsight to know where you've been, The foresight to know where you are going, And the insight to know when you have gone too far”

Irish Blessing

However, I was now eyeing the stark road along the full length of Grand Bahama island with few signs of human settlement alongside it. I realized the ferry would have been the least of my troubles. The clouds began to blur my vision and finally the bank of mist engulfed us. Time to blow a farewell kiss to the Bahamas, finish looking backward and face towards the future and Florida.

"Now a soft kiss - Aye, by that kiss, I vow an endless bliss."

John Keats

I could see Greg was feeling much the same as I and we began saying positive motivating things about Costa Rica in a half hearted way.

I just hope that I had managed to take away with me a little of that wonderful Bahamian friendly charm and a slice of their informal relaxed manner.

"Open your arms to change, but don't let go of your values" Dalai Lama

It's less than 200 miles to Fort Lauderdale from the Abacos yet they are worlds apart. We touched down and walked over the same piece of tarmac to the terminal building. It all seemed the same as a month ago, it was I who was different.

"A mind that has been stretched will never return to it's original dimension."

Albert Einstein

The constant stream of traffic outside the airport fence was a shock to my golf carting/boating system. Returning into the Americana of the hustle bustle life at the airport left me longing for quieter places and less people. I used to think I was a bit of a city slicker but quite obviously I am a country hick at heart, I hope the kids will forgive me if I make them that too.

Overwhelmed and overtired it was a tearful goodbye to our dearest friends, who had been our companions on the road for almost 2 weeks now. Sadly we wheeled away, onwards to our next flight check in. Check in with Spirit Airline was a lesson in patience and the ability to make camp in the most hostile of conditions.

It took almost an hour to part with $750 in excess luggage fees and gain a new understanding of Spirits clever baggage policies. Apparently it costs an arm and a leg to fly with bags these days, although we were in the queue so long Josh actually lost another tooth. But he wasn't prepared to hand that over now he was back in the land of the US dollar paying tooth fairy. Mmmm...exactly where does one stash a tooth under a blow up neck pillow? Eager to test out the new gums, we trudged over to the next terminal for dinner at Chillis. The midnight flight to San Jose was only a couple of hours, I didn't really expect to sleep as I had no illusion that Spirit would have us all jammed into full capacity. I wasn't wrong, not long after take off the "big" seats up front were offered up for $75 apiece. I only managed to avoid paying for water by stealing a cup of ice when the hostess wasn't looking.

"Did you ever notice that the first piece of luggage on the carousel never belongs to anyone?" Erma Bombeck

We were all feeling a tad rough on arrival into Costa Rica. Shuffling through the baggage hall in the wee hours I really didn't feeling up to dusting off my non existent Spanish. Somehow in our sleep deprived fog we managed to sweet talk a porter into helping us and with the miraculous arrival of all our bags and boards, we took our grumpy pillow faces towards customs. The porter kept asking me if I had fruit, no, no, no. Ooops, that damned golden delicious - I hadn't thought it very fair to give it to Josh with no front tooth. Guiltily, with the look of a heroin smuggler, I handed over la manazana. I'm sure the porter was called Adam the way he took my suspicious, insect riddled piece of fruta and carried it high in the air in the palm of his hand to the guy on the other side of the x-ray machine. I figured I'd gone and done it now. I was sure it would be into secondary for me and an expensive fine paid at dawn after a hot and sticky night in the Controlador's office. To my cringing amazement, the apple was placed in what looked suspiciously like a supermarket plastic bag and in a long trash can. I held my breath but nothing was said. In fact, the way I kept eyeing the situation I think I was causing Senor Customs to go a little hot under the collar. Unharrassed, we were the last to shuffle out of the customs arena and I breathed a sigh of relief. With a backwards glance, I spied the Senor collating all the evenings fruit haul and it seemed he was headed home for a high fibre intake or perhaps he had a deal with the hospital florist shop. I relaxed my shoulders a little, if the rules were bendy here then I was gonna like it just fine.

"There are no exceptions to the rule that everybody likes to be an exception to the rule." Charles Osgood