The Art of Sleep

The small commuter airport for Sansa airline is right next door to SJO which really isn't that large of an airport.  I rolled my big bag down the street and up the side walk.  Paid my exit tax checked my bag. I had to take my empty big back pack out of the suite case so it was under 50lbs. I now had an empty back pack as my second carry one.  No big deal.  I even had time for a nasty sandwich and a beer.  Hair of the dog hangover cure. Didn't help my heartache though. 

I was upgraded to business class which was a nice surprise for flying standby.  I watched some HBO and other TV and didn't really sleep.  I guess I was too sad.  I ate a snack and drank tomato juice.

I had to fill out the customs and immigration form that always needs filled out when arriving a new country or returning to the good old United States of America.   I forgot about these questions! "11.I am bringing... d. Soil or have been on a farm/ranch/pasture:  yes or no"    "12.  I have(we have) been in close proximity of (such as touching or handling) livestock: yes or no"   Opps.  I don't know if you've ever been to secondary screening, but it's not pleasant.  They are rude and treat you like a criminal.  I opted to answer NO!  Hell no, I wasn't anywhere near a farm, pasture or livestock.  (if you want to hear my 8lb Parmesan cheese story when I returned for Italy just let me know)

Made it through customs and immigration no problem.  No anal searches or bag searches.  The food/drug dog sniffed at me a couple times and the rude beagle even jumped up and put his front feet on my back to smell my backpack.

I ate a Checkers hamburger, fries and 2 large coca-colas which was a mistake and I was crappy my guts out two hours later.  It was probably for the best that I didn't get on the stand by flight to SLC.  I was to stay the night with my friend in Salt Lake and catch the morning flight to PDX.  Instead I slept in the Atlanta airport.  Well, sleep is a relative term.  I slept some in between people walking by, cleaning people dusting and cleaning people vacuuming.  So many 2.5 hours total, curdled up with my backpack and borrowed red Delta blankets. 

I miraculously got on the first flight to PDX and was home by noon.  Thank you Christine for picking up this heartbroken zombie of a traveler!  My bad had a nice trip to SLC without me and I was able to pick it up that night.  Homeland security had searched it again, repacking it like a monkey might.  Breaking my iphone charger and basically making a mess of things.  Thankfully my easel didn't break.