The Ultimate High School Buddy Trip To Costa Rica

I am a morning person by default, rather than by nature. Because of my career in media production, and then later having kids, I have always had to get up early. So when I’m on vacation, I at least like to try to sleep in. However, the only flight from Houston Texas to Costa Rica was at 6 AM.  I was not jumping for joy when I booked this flight, and I certainly was not doing it whenI got up at 3:50 AM.  But, because I wanted to give myself ample time to return my rental car, and I wanted to get to the airport a little early for my international flight, the early wakeup was a must.

When I hit the ignition button on my Kia K5, the Houston radio station I had found the day before was at a rather high volume.  The radio blared, “Oh Sheila” by Ready For The World! Considering who I am going to meet in Costa Rica, my high school buddies, Mike Carmichael and Phill Minotti, It was the perfect song to start my thirty five minute drive to
the airport. Sidenote: “Oh Sheila” was one of our jams back in the day when we went to teenage dance clubs, Hot Trax, in Van Nuys, and Phases in Canoga Park California. I sang along as I drove up the freeway onramp, “Oh, oh, Sheila let me love you till the morning comes.  Oh, oh, Sheila you know I want to be the only one…” LOL

Because Atlanta is Delta's main hub, many of their flights to destinations that don’t have a direct flight seem to connect at this massive airport first. Knowing that I only had 45 minutes to make my connecting flight, I was slightly relieved to hear the captain say that we were arriving in Atlanta early. But wait, he then came on again after we landed and said that because we were early our gate wasn’t ready. So on the tarmac we sat.

By the time they opened our airplane door, I literally had 38 minutes to get from terminal B to terminal E, by way of the in-airport sky train.  When I asked the Delta representative at the exit gate if she could radio my connecting flight to let them know I was on my way, she looked at me as if she was staring into the eyes of a guy who had just asked her the stupidest question anyone had asked her all day.  It was 8am.  Shaking her head, she looked down at her watch, and said, “You had better scurry,” waving her hand as if to say, off you go!  And that I did!

So, did I mention how big the Atlanta airport is? Yikes. Nonetheless, I arrived at my departing gate slightly out of breath and sweating, with about 20 minutes to spare!  All that running I have been doing on the elliptical at L.A. Fitness has paid off after all! Hallelujah. Costa Rica here I come!

When I was a teenager, Mike Carmichael became one of my very best friends.  I would say that he was my partner in crime, but we never got caught breaking any rules!  We have been bros since we were 15 and 16, respectfully, and later were roommates before he joined the Marines. Mike has lived in the Washington DC area ever since, so we only see each other once or twice every few years. The last time we saw each other was at his mom's funeral last year.  His mom, Mary, was one of the sweetest humans I have ever met.  Our other high school buddy who is joining us on this trip, Phill Minotti, was also at the

funeral. That was the first time I had seen him in about 20 years. I’m quite certain Mary Carmichael is smiling, in her always pleasant way, knowing that the three of us are going to spend some quality time catching up and bonding in Costa Rica.  

I made my way to the international customs line and saw that Mike was just ahead of me.  Although our flights originated in different cities, they arrived just a few minutes apart.  As the line snaked around, I snuck under the rope to join him.  Seeing my dear friend always puts a smile on my face.  Big hugs were in order.  As we both stepped up to the Costa Rican customs agent, we got our passports out, had them stamped, and officially entered Costa Rica!

Our buddy Phil was due to arrive about two hours later than us, so we decided to escape the

bombardment from taxi drivers just outside baggage claim, and headed upstairs so we could order an Uber. Yes, Uber is in Costa Rica, and all ride sharing is accessible at San Jose International Airport at the arrivals drop off.

I found an outdoor restaurant/sports bar that looked cool via Google maps, and off we went for our first Costa Rican meal in a Toyota Yaris with Bryan Jose, from San Jose!  San Jose, Costa Rica that is, not to be confused with San Jose, California.

It was nice catching up after our long flights, while relaxing in the indoor/outdoor patio dining area. As we ordered our food and drinks, it began to rain. And when I

say rain, I mean it was pouring! Phil arrived just after we finished our second round of drinks. Last time I saw him, he had long hair. Now he has awesome, long dreadlocks! After selling his house in California, he has spent the last year traveling to various international destinations, and has recently settled on a potential new home base in Playa del Carman, Mexico, which is just south of Cancun.

Phill and I went to LA Lutheran High School in Burbank, CA together. I won’t say which one of us snuck on campus late at night before the last day of school and tagged the main school wall with a huge mural that said, “Goodby LuHigh,” but I will say it wasn’t me!  This would be the last day ever at this campus, and if you have followed my blog from the beginning, I have written all about how they sold our beloved campus right before our senior year.  It ultimately sent most of us juniors to different high schools, and separated the class of 1987. 

I landed at Van Nuys High School in the center of the San Fernando Valley.  In fact, Mike and I were supposed to go there together. But the principal had other plans for him on his first, and last day at Van Nuys High in 1986. Mike later graduated from Birmingham High School.  Sidenote #1: Fast Times At Ridgemont High was mostly filmed at Van Nuys High.  My homeroom classroom was the classroom used for Mr. Hand’s class in the 1982 film starring Sean Penn.  While Mr. Penn did not receive an Oscar for his supporting role as the bumbling stoner/surfer, Jeff Spicoli, he definitely deserves much praise for the success of this coming of age film.  Without Spicoli, this film would have been a bust.  Sidenote #2: In 1996 I named my action sports production company Fast Times Films, paying homage to the movie.  Clearly the film made an impact on me when I saw it for the first time as an impressionable young teenager...

Our shuttle van arrived and we were off to our condo in Jaco (pronounced ha-co) Costa Rica. It was still raining.  But I was not surprised, as I had looked at the weather before I arrived, and rain was forecasted pretty much every day we would be there.  It’s a tropical thing, so I was not worried!  Now, what would probably be an hour and a half drive, with our slow driver, felt more like three hours.  All three of us fell asleep on our way to Jaco.

Mike’s cousin, Martin, was waiting for us when we arrived. It was dark, so we couldn’t really see the beach, but you could definitely hear the waves breaking on the beach just outside of our condo!  We were all hungry, so we wandered down to the local village next to our condo to get something to eat, and to pick up a few items at the little market next door to the restaurant.

I would say that the food in Costa Rica, at least my first impression, is a mixture of Cuban/Caribbean and Mexican cuisine.  Plantains. Yum! Imperial Beer is a local favorite, and can be found everywhere. Tonight we all opted for turf instead of surf, but considering our proximity to the Pacific, I have a feeling the rest of this trip will be about surf for me!  The food was great, the conversation was epic and a lot of laughs were enjoyed.