It was my first real intercontinental flight. And for that reason I didn't wanted to miss it. The whole story starts in Bulgaria where I have lived over the last winter. In fact I have spent last two years or so on Balkans. It was the right place for its time. But now I was ready to move on.
The first connection was a flight with WizzAir from Sofia to Madrid - one of the best airports to fly to the Caribbean.
Now I don't know if it was a good decision still but I have decided to stay on Madrid Airport for the night.
My option would be to hustle myself into the center and stay on overpriced part hostels. A poor option to begin with just for one night stay...
I also always wanted to try the lifestyle of Tom Hanks in the movie Terminal. Even if it's just for one night. But let me tell you it wasn't a very pleasant experience.
My first mission was to get through the border control and customs which was actually super easy while still travelling within EU.
Than I was on the hunt for cheap food. Nearby airport there was quite a big concentration of supermarkets so I was naturally headed straight there. Staying at the airport for the whole duration of my layover I would definitely spend much more money even just for water.
Loaded with food both for the airport and the flight later I headed back in search for somewhere to have a nap in horizontal position.
Many people choose to sleep over a airports just somewhere on the ground. I wasn't that keen on that. But when I was trying to get to the supermarket I have seen a massive parking lot right next door. So I have sneaked in to try my luck.
Because it was raining I had to improvise like this. Otherwise I would just hide myself somewhere in the bush. I took the emergency stairs all the way up to the fifth floor and crashed there for a bit. Just enough to recharge myself for another few hours internet surfing at the airport's caffe.
It got cold and I had to go back and finish my night at the food court.
There I have put few chairs together and formed a small bed like that. Being hidden behind the table and yet still in a busy area provided me with the right settings and I got through the worst with ease.
The next day I did another trip back to the supermarket and proceed with my check in.
The next flight was from Madrid to San Jose in Costa Rica. Apart from being quite tired the flight was smooth as butter. They even gave us a small blanket and a pillow as a present. Somebody must have been through my experience I thought :)
To enter the country it is very important to remember that local law requires travelers to present a return or ongoing flight. Let me tell you a small tip here. You can have a cheap bus ticket to Nicaragua instead. And it absolutely worked! I told the immigration officer that my profession is Blogger and he spared me from deeper and unnecessary questions. Maybe so I don't write about him in bad light...
In any case new adventure starts here and I can't wait to share more from the new world. Stay tuned and share your thoughts should my articles provoke some.
All the best,
Global Local