Nightmare in Costa Rica?

Traveler’s Nightmare in Costa Rica was Fortunately Averted

By Kay Trotman

San José, Costa Rica

View of the increasing vertical development of the skyline of the city of San José, Costa Rica. Photo by Wikimaniac-CR/CC BY-SA 3.0

I just returned from another trip, this one to Costa Rica. No, not Africa this time, but you can be sure I’ll be back on my way to Africa within a few months or less and I will update this site at that time. But I wanted to tell you of one of my experiences while on that trip.

Bridge in Costa RicaI was escorting a group of six people and it was a wonderful group and a wonderful time. On one of our stops, we’d just had lunch and left for our next stop. While on the bus, I was watching out the window and wondering why this car was speeding by the bus. Suddenly the bus had stopped and the person in the car, who I did not see get out, did so.

She stepped onto the bus and held up a wallet that someone had left at that last stop. She was the owner of that restaurant, and had made a point to visit each of the tables and talk to the clients. I had met her. I could not believe that the wallet she was holding up was MINE.

That had never happened to me, never in all my trips, either to Africa or other destinations. The importance of this event was that we were headed for somewhere that could only be gotten to by boat, and the owner knew exactly where we were going, and had a car available to get to us, and could get to us.

Turrialba Volcano in Costa RicaOne certainly hopes that if something like this were to happen, that an honest person with integrity, such as this lady, would be the one to find it and find you to return it. The one thing I neglected to mention is that this wallet contained EVERY piece of important documentation I would need on this trip, my money, my credit cards, AND my passport.

I count my blessings because I was very lucky that day. Who knows what sort of problems I would have incurred had she not returned my wallet and documents to me. Let this be a lesson to you – always be sure you have left nothing of yours when you leave anyplace while traveling.

The trip was fantastic. It was only marred by my unfortunate loss. But I was lucky, very lucky. I can’t stress it enough, be sure you are aware of where all your documents are whenever you travel.

To this day I don’t know how exactly or where exactly I lost it, but I do know that it won’t happen again.

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