Day 313 Wed. 7th February Arrival in San Jose, Storage to Hotel 600m

I honestly don’t know where to start with todays Blog, the drama is continuing as I am writing!!!!!

We arrived today at noon instead of yesterday at 17h00, it has been my worst travel-experience ever. Today when our flight touched down it had been 52 hours since I got into the Uber on Monday to go to the airport, and that is taking the 8 hour time-difference into account. It all went well upto London, where we made the connecting flight to Miami comfortable and in high spirits. We taxied out on the run-way and then just when I thought we are taking off the captain said that we are turning back to the airport as some sensor on the airconditioning was not working. I was willing to continue without air-con, just open a window or two I thought, but apparently the cabin pressure needs the air-con to work. So a few Technicians got into the plane and a few were hoisted up outside the plane, and every half hour the captain up-dated us. Soon we had been on the runway for 4 hours, when the captain told us the problem had been fixed and after plenty of paper-work we would be off.

The paperwork took another hour and we taxied back to the start of the runway. We knew we would miss our connection in Miami to San Jose and had already made arrangements for the 8h00 flight and hotel bookings made to stay over, when, captain said the problem was back and we are now getting off, flight cancelled and new flights were on offer, to all 435 passengers on the Airbus A 380, we just needed to speak to a representative once we get off.

This is where I will cut the story short, but believe me, what followed was chaos as we were given hotel vouchers outside the airport, I did not have a visa, so got separated from Milsy and Rocky, and then British Airways offered flights 2 days later. We then managed to get flights on Airo Mexico via Mexico City, the last flights out of London, and then connect to San Jose at 8h00, after we land at 03h00. And then I did not get a Boarding Pass and went in search of the Mexico Air Desk, and security let me out via the back doors, then I got lost, then I was stopped trying to get back in by Passport Control wanting to know how I got out without a visa, then I lost the boarding pass for the flight I was on that got cancelled, then I was taken to an security office and got stripped searched, (ok, that is not true but it was difficult getting in.) I had Rocky send me photos of their Boarding Passes with flight numbers, but just after I put on my Lost Puppy Face I got back in, but had to go through security again, which is far more  painful than the strip search I refer to.

Pie and Theuns came in on earlier flights and they were getting as much of the Admin and Paperwork done for us, like new Insurance and gathering Info about how to extend our TIPs, (Temporary Import Permits) and where to go, who to see etc. So we set up an office at Starbucks in London Heathrow and started sending them photos of all our Documents:

The rest of the 52 hours are a blur of empty halls (late at night even Heathrow gets empty) and sore bums and expensive food to stay alive.

And of course we could not find a lounge which we could access without selling our children 1st to raise the capital.

But all of this was just preparing us for the real problems stil awaiting us.

Tex who did not ride with us the last Leg had to fly his bike in to be able to join us again, and he also arrived early to un-crate his bike:

Then he re-packed and washed his bike and life was wonderful, what could possible go wrong?

And then Peens jumped on his bike and rode off into the sunset to try and make a boat that would cross over from Panama on which he hoped were beautiful women and a possible wife and not fly his bike across to Colombia like what the rest of us are planning. So Pie and Tex decided to spend the day riding up a volcano instead of waiting for their best friends to arrive so they could offer some help. We call it in Afrikaans Die Blinde Sambok, so instead of having a wonderful ride and bonding moment Pies bike broke down, it kept blowing the main Fuse and the bike had to be brought down the mountain on the back of a break-down truck.

The guys from the Bike Shop were very helpful and did get the bike going, but it broke down 100m from the shop and as I type, the bike is at the shop and more fault-finding to follow tomorrow.

But the boys did at least spend the day on the mountain.

But with them on the mountain, and Peens heading for Panama on his own, it left Rocky, Milsy and I with the task of getting our bikes out of Bonded Storage, our TIP’S extended, and a few other admin tasks related to the above. Our bikes has been standing under a tree, wrapped in plastic for 9 months. I think rats got into Pie’s bike and ate some wires causing his problems. But we also had a few problems of our own.

Rocky’s bike just showed us the Engine Light after we re-connected the battery. But Rocky always thinks out the bocks and decided to try his spare key, which worked, we think the chip in the key died. We got DadAss going and Milsy got his bike going, we just needed to pump some tyres, but Rocky’s front tyre was flat-flat and we tried all the tricks in the book but could not get the tyre to set in the rim to hold the air. We were helped by a truck driver who had a big compressor on his truck, but no luck. We even strapped the tyre onto the rim but failed.

I can’t believe how dirty the bikes were, but they have been outside for 9 months. Well, actually we left them outside under a tree, but then they needed to build another yard and our bikes were somehow moved to an open shed, which gave the owners the idea to double the price we had agreed on, but they did not know who they were dealing with and eventually had to revert back to the agreed price of $1 per day.

Old Pedro the guy that works at the Bonded Warehouse was very helpful

But we failed to get Rocky’s tyre to pop and we decided Milsy would take the wheel with him and set-off in the afternoon rush-hour in search of professional help and some chicken for dinner:

A few photos of us at the storage:

And then the day got worse, Milsy’s bike refused to start after the tyre repair, flat battery even though it had started at the storage, which points to a faulty battery. Our McGiver Batter Jumper has not been charged yet and while I was still trying to arrange help for Miklsy by getting jumper-cables he decided he wanted a beer and pushed his bike 2km back to the hotel. It helps if you are a Roof of Africa Rider.

We are all now at the hotel, minus Pie’s bike which is at a Bike Shop, Minus Rockies Bike which is standing at the Storage without a wheel. My bike is here and so is Tex, but Milsy’s bike is here but is was pushed here. Luckily we only have a 170km day tomorrow, so we do have the morning to sort our bikes out and hit the road at lunch time.

Now we are going to eat a pizza and hit the beds HARD ~~!!!!

Fleisch