This was supposed to be the first day of our trip to Costa Rica. The plan was that we would drive to SFO, leave the car in long-term parking, and catch a Panamanian plane (COPA airlines) to Panama City, where we would catch a flight to San Jose, Costa Rica.

Sounds simple, doesn’t it? We all know what happens to plans. The FAA had just grounded all Boeing 737 Max airliners because the door flew off an Alaskan flight recently. So our connecting flight was canceled and the people at COPA could not provide an alternative flight, so they sent us to Avianca Air. The Avianca flight would not be until the next day, so COPA sent us to a Comfort Inn, promising dinner to boot.

The Comfort Inn did not ask us what we would like to eat. They presented us with Chinese takeout, consisting of slabs of chicken, some wilted greasy vegetables, two scoops of white rice and a scoop of—what else?—macaroni salad. This came with billious green cans of some sort of sugary soda. It was now around 7:30 pm and we didn’t have a car. We were tired. We accepted the Chinese food but asked for sparkling water instead of soda, which was provided. We didn’t eat very much.

The Avianca flight was 9 hours long, and it was cattle class because the plane didn’t have anything else. We waited an age at the airport for a shuttle to the Quality Hotel where we would be staying. I was convinced that by the time we got to the hotel, around 10 pm, there would be no food. But I was wrong, and had lobster for dinner. And a large margarita. The room at the hotel was several steps up from the Comfort Inn in every way. So what if we were supposed to be in an entirely different country?

This doesn’t begin to recount all the phone calls Tom had to make to various hotels and airlines, and other travel things to shuffle our schedule around.

We are now at the San Salvador International Airport, waiting for a flight that leaves at 9:50 pm, hopefully to San Jose, Costa Rica. We got here around 11:30 am because there was really nothing else to do with the time in the immediate area. We splurged for the Avianca VIP Lounge, which they charge extra for and it took about 20 minutes to arrange. There’s food, booze, bathrooms, Wi-Fi—all the comforts of home! Except that most of the food has raw vegetables in it (salad, sandwiches), and Frommer’s says this is a no-no in El Salvador. I took one tiny bite of salad before the alarms went off, so I hope my body can overcome any bad stuff I consumed. They had chicken soup, so I ate that instead.