Adventures In Paradise
By Bob (Last name withheld to protect the innocent)
Chapter Four
The Gringos Design a House

Last month was devoted to identifying and architect with a sense of imagination with whom we feel we can work. After selecting Antonio, we spent five hours showing him the building site and reviewing our folio of room groupings, architectural designs and specifications. We then left for a two week trip to Mexico City and Key West to observe first hand details of Spanish Colonial architecture which is the design we have selected. We spent a week touring Mexico City with out youngest son and his family and then a week in Key West with our oldest son and his wife. Managed to climb the third highest pyramid in the world in Mexico, visit the Venice of Mexico and eat a lot of really fine food. In Key West, went sailing with my son and visited about 300 really good restaurants (well, it felt like 300). We also loaded all the stuff we have been ordering from the states into the two half filled bags we brought with us as well as having to buy another large one!

30 DAY PROGRESS REPORT:

TIME TO SIGN OFF, BUT BEFORE I DO, A SHORT NOTE ON RETIREMENT AND PARADISE. NEITHER IS FOR SISSYS!! HAVING MADE THIS STATEMENT, I WILL TELL YOU ABOUT OUR RETURN TRIP FROM MIAMI TO SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA. IT WAS SCHEDULED TO DEPART AT 11:47am AND ARRIVE IN SAN JOSE AT 12:30 (TIME DIFFERENCE AND DAYLIGHT SAVINGS) WE STARTED OFF BY AN ANNOUNCEMENT THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE WINDSHIED WIPER AND A HALF HOUR DELAY BEFORE BOARDING WAS ANNOUNCED. THIS WAS EXTENDED 3 TIMES AND THEN WE WERE TOLD THEY COULDN’T FIX THE DAMN THING, BUT THEY FOUND ANOTHER PLANE PARKED DOWN THE RUNWAY AND THEY SENT MAINTENANCE OVER TO STEAL THE REQUIRED PARTS.
THE NEXT ANNOUNCEMENT WAS THAT THAT DIDN’T WORK EITHER, BUT THEY FOUND ANOTHER PLANE AND WOULD ALL 350 OF US PLEASE MOVE A QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE FROM GATE 8 TO GATE 6 FOR IMMEDIATE BOARDING. (PROBABLY BEFORE THE FLIGHT CREW FROM THE NEW PLANE RETURNED TO THE GATE TO FIND IT MISSING!!) ANWAY, ON TO THE NEW GATE AND A HALF HOUR DELAY WHEN THE ANNOUNCEMENT CAME THAT THEY HAD FIXED THE WINDSHIELD WIPER IN THE ORIGINAL PLANE AND EVERYONE WHO STILL WANTED TO GO TO COSTA RICA SHOULD MOVE A QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE BACK TO THE ORIGINAL GATE FOR IMMEDIATE DEPARTURE. THIS TIME, WE ACTALLY DID BOARD THE PLANE AND AFTER ANOTHER HALF HOUR THE CO-PILOT MADE THE UNFORTUNATE ANNOUNCEMENT THAT DO TO THE TIME DELAY, THE PILOT’S SCHEDULED FLIGHT HOURS HAD EXPIRED AND HE COULDN’T FLY THE PLANE.
THE GOOD NEWS WAS THAT ANOTHER PILOT WAS ON STANDBY AND WAS ON HIS WAY TO THE AIRPORT. ANOTHER 45 MINITES ALL OF WHICH 350 PEOPLE WERE PACKED INTO THE PLANE WITH NO AIRCONDITIONING OR DRINKSL GREAT NEWS! THE PILOT HAS ARRIVED!!!! UNFORTUNATELY, THERE WERE TWO ORTHODOX JEWS ON BOARD AND DUE TO THE LATE DEPARTURE, THEY WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO COMPLETE THEIR JOURNEY AND BE IN THIR RESIDENCE BEFORE SUNDOWN OF THEIR SABBATH SO THEY HAD TO DEPLANE. THE ONLY PROBLEM WAS THAT DUE TO TSA RULES, THEIR BAGS HAD TO BE LOCATED AND REMOVED WITH THEM WHICH MEANT UNLOADING THE ENITRE CARGO BAY OF THE PLANEL I’VE FORGOTTEN SOME OF THE SAME DELAYS, BUT WE DID MANAGE TO GET THE DAMN PLANE OFF THE GROUND AND CUT THE NORMAL FLIGHT TIME OF 2HRS 50 MINUTES TO 2HRSJ WE ARRIVED IN SAN JOSE AT 6:30PM VICE 12:30PM AND SPEND THE NIGHT IN THE B&B WE ALWAYS USE WHICH IS A 5 MINUTE TAXI RIDE FROM THE AIRPORT.

SIGNING OFF FROM PARADISE – PURA VIDA (PURE LIFE)

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