Tricky Taca

4.20am, Wednesday- Most normal people are asleep. Party-animals are getting in from a big night out. Claire and Milla, on the other hand, arose, ready to hit up Quito airport. With still no idea of where they were going to end up, the girls blearily got into a taxi and headed to Aeropuerto Mariscal Sucre...

5am - A long long time with Taca representative leads to us finding out that they can get us as far as San Jose, Costa Rica, as the airport in Guatemala City is still shut and won't open until at least the afternoon (ie too late for our early afternoon flight). Receive confirmation that we will indeed be able to rebook the last leg for a time in the future.

7.15am - Fly to Lima. No problems.

9.15am - Storm through to gate. No immigration, so Milla gets through absolutely no problems. Purchase 2 bottles of diet Inca Cola and an overpriced (but worth it) Granny Smith apple. I have missed fresh fruit A LOT.

10.45am - Fly to Costa Rica.

13.45pm local time - Land San Jose, get bags, no problems. Customs decided Milla was a more desirable person in the country and gives her 40 days whilst I only got 30. Whatever. Our flight's in 29 days anyway.

14.30 - Head to arrivals at San Jose to talk to Taca about rebooking Guatemala City leg and potentially booking flights to Belize.

15.00 - Finally talk to someone from Taca after waiting in line behind a chubby blonde lady with 6 passports (presumably of the rest of her group) and the world's MOST annoying child. If we'd acted like that, particularly in the airport, there would have been slapped legs.

15.30 - Still arguing with Taca lady/waiting for her to come back from her supervisor. Apparently, we can't rebook flights without penalty, despite this being contrary to what the website says. The phrase "We feel that we have been lied to" was certainly used, particularly given the reassurances (and 45mins waiting in Quito) by the Taca rep and the website.

16.00 - Supervisor comes out on our request and instantly gives us the flights we want, no charge. Done.

16.15 - Get very expensive taxi (we knew Costa Rica was more expensive than Ecuador but $28!) to hostel Galileo in San Jose.

17.00 - Arrive at Hostel Galileo. The guys are incredible. So helfpul, energetic, positive. On their recommendation, we decided to go to Santa Teresa for the week, as it's "super chilled out" and took their hostel recommendation too. And even where they said we should go for dinner. Mexican place just down the road. Super good tacos.


Note - Mexican restaurants in Central/Latin America are amazing if you're wheat intolerant because they tend to say on the menu whether the tortillla is flour or corn, and even if it doesn't eg for my tacos, youask and they just know.


20.00 - Zonk out into bed. Definitely not getting the 6am bus to Santa Teresa.