Five years ago, I had a four hour layover at the San Jose airport, in Costa Rica, and three years of high school Spanish. At the Duty-Free, I bought some bottles of Lizano sauce, a Costa Rican classic that resembles little. A large portion of the airport advertisements were for plastic and dental surgeons, with color photographs. I studied these for a little while. The PA system paged a man named "Adolfo." But I was bored, and was still looking down the long-end of my wait. This was well before 9/11, and airport
security, I had learned on my flight down--particularly in the tropics, was casual.

I realized I should use my extra time to see Costa Rica. I put my backpack in a locker and at customs, I negotiated my exit. The customs officer, a
woman over-dressed for the heat, told me that I would have to pay a one-time fee of $5, which I did. I walked through the terminal and out the front door. A large group of cabbies surged. They made offers in broken English at me: low rates to downtown, cheap restaurants. I ignored them and found I was in the overcast and humid haze of Costa Rica.

I walked the length of the

airport

airport, a small terminal, and walked out to the main road on which it sits. It seemed unlikely that I would find much to see but I preferred being outside to the airport. A few taxis made lazy loops in
front of me and asked where I wanted to go. "No place," I think I said.

Then I saw a sign, something like Parque Nacional... and words I didn't understand "...500 metros." The National Park, I thought, so close to the airport--only a quarter mile from where I was. I began walking. Half-way there, I saw
another sign, good proof because I wasn't sure when or how the park would emerge on the horizon. I walked on. It is then that I found myself in an
over-sized parking lot for the national airport, with weak Spanish and crumpled expectations.

Back at the airport, I rejoined the group waiting for our flight. I was near an American, who looked about my age, and thought we might chat. But he moved to the corner and began meditating almost immediately.