From Costa Rica to the Philippines (not so direct)

SJO-LAX-TPE-MNL (May 14 - May 17)

At the San José airport on my way out of Costa Rica, I met two girls from Los Angeles who had been backpacking CR for a few weeks. When I told them I had 6 hours to kill in LA before my flight to Taiwan, they offered to take me around the city.. It turned out to be the best stopover ever!!

They picked me up from the hotel the next morning and we went to Manhattan Beach. Although the weather wasn't quite like Costa Rica, it still felt great to go for a swim! We had lunch and hung around the town for a bit, then they dropped me back off at the airport.

Then I had a great flight from LAX to Taiwan. I watched Guilt Trip, Oz the Great and Powerful, Hansel and Gretel Witch Hunters, half of a documentary on UFOs, Gangster Squad, Broken City (slept through most of it), and Walk the Line.


14 hours like this but the complimentary slippers made it okay ;)

It was a funny feeling knowing that the airport hotel in Taiwan was going to be the nicest place I would stay for the next three months.

It was a long stretch but I made it to Manila safely!!