Safe & Sound in San Jose

Hello All!

We arrived safely in San Jose last night. There were some delays, so it was about 1 a.m. Texas time. (That is 12 a.m. in Costa Rica because they do not use Daylight Savings Time. On that note, it is strange here because the sun is up around 5:30 a.m. or earlier.)

Our flight was an adventure..the kids loved it. When we arrived at the airport, they let us know that the departure time had been moved back about an hour and a half. After we boarded, there was a passenger who had checked luggage, but did not get on the plane. When that happens on an international flight, they have to go through all the luggage that has already been loaded on the plane to locate and remove the luggage of that passenger. The flight was uneventful. We were able to see the sun set from the plane, and could still see the Gulf of Mexico when we began flying over it. When we arrived in San Jose, it was too foggy to land, so we circled for a time before they would let us land.

Once in San Jose, customs were very easy. They stamped our passports and put a few of our bags on a conveyor belt. When you get to the exit, however, it is kind of crazy. The people that are there to pick up passengers must wait outside, so there is a mob of people all holding different signs, trying to find their group. We found our driver immediately, however, and they loaded us and took us straight to the hotel.

The hotel is fun. It is hard to describe, but I will try. We are on the 5th floor. The windows are not like our windows. They are horizontal plastic slats that you crank to open. All of the windows were open when we arrived - on the fifth floor safety is not an issue, but noise was. We closed the windows to sleep, but are enjoying having them open during the day. The weather is beautiful. It is cool and breezy, but with the sun shining it was warm enough for the kids to take a brief swim this morning. There are tropical plants everywhere. We can see a mountainous area from our room that appears to be covered in rainforest vegetation. We had our first Costa Rican breakfast complete with gallo pinto (rice and beans mixed together), fresh watermelon and pineapple, and an odd kind of white cheese that came in slices with ham. The beverages were different and in the end we opted for water, which is safe here in the city.

Dennis had blood drawn this morning. They drew quite a bit of blood and he passed out, which if you know Dennis, is not completely unexpected. : ) The tech called Dr. Brenes in - we have been talking with Dr. Brenes via phone and email - and Dr. Brenes himself, not a tech, gave Dennis an IV of sugar water, adjusted his chair, and checked on him until he was ready to go. We came back to the hotel and ate breakfast, then Dennis went back to the clinic where the doctors are going to evaluate his condition and video him as well. After this, Dennis is headed to the hospital to do physical therapy. He will come back for lunch and then meet with the plastic surgeon this afternoon to discuss his mini liposuction which will happen Tuesday morning.

The clinic has been wonderful. There was a bouquet of fresh fruit and flowers when we arrived as well as a notebook that had a schedule for Dennis, an explanation of all procedures, maps, and other Costa Rica ins and outs.

Thank you so much for your prayers. We will keep you updated.

Love,

The Trammell Family