There's always a man who knows a man

This is going to be short and to the point: be a well prepared international traveler.

1. On Tuesday, April 20, with tears streaming down my face and gazing out over Cuzco, we bid farewell to South America before venturing on to Central America.

2. On Tuesday, April 20, we were supposed to leave Cuzco, land in Lima and then connect on to San Jose, Costa Rica.

3. On Tuesday, April 20, our flight was delayed out of Cuzco so we missed our connection to Costa Rica.

4. On Tuesday, April 20, we spent the night at the Lima Airport, restless and quiet at the same time.

5. On Wednesday, April 21, with nervous stomachs, but strong wills, we boarded our flight to Costa Rica.

6. On Wednesday, April 21, with happy smiles we landed in Costa Rica and shuffled our way safely through customs and now we are listening to the night sounds of crickets and birds and frogs (and I already saw a huge spider!).

7. Heed this warning: When planning an international adventure, be sure to check all requirements for coming in and out of countries. Do not, I repeat. DO NOT assume that if you checked the requirements for traveling from your home country to said adventure countries that you have done a thorough job of preparing for said international adventure. For example, let's say you want to fly down to Costa Rica from California. No problem, just grab your passport and go. But if you've been traveling in Columbia, Subsaharan Africa or even Peru and you want to hop over to CR, well guess what, it is important that you know that you need to have documentation that says you have had the yellow fever vaccination before you're allowed to step foot in, let alone board a plane to, CR. And be sure to read the fine print, because that vaccination must be received at least 10 days in advance of your leaving one country for another. We saw two women practically fall to pieces when learning this news because they had not done their homework and come prepared with the proper paperwork.

8. Know this: in every difficult situation there is always a man who knows a man, or sometimes, a woman who knows a man.

9. Always carry American dollars with you, but use them wisely.

10. It's a good thing that we are expert international adventure travelers and we had no such problem! Happy travels...and more to come from the jungles of Costa Rica.