March 11- We arrived in Costa rica after a pretty long day of flying. Our flight left las vegas at one in the morning. We arrived in San Jose at 3:00 in the afternoon after a 6 hour layover in Houston.

Getting out of the airport and through customs was actually very easy. We encountard our first experience with the Tico laid back customer service when we rented a car. The process took us over an hour. There were some Americans that rented a car for San Jose California and couldn't figure out why they were having so much trouble and they delayed the process. While we were renting a car a group returned a car a day early because it had gotten broken into and their luggage was stolen. The people left their suitcases in the car for a few minutes which is something they warn you about. We decided to get full coverage. We also got the GPS which is the best decision we made for the car.

By chance our hotel was right across from the rental agency. We took showers and left for the Temple at 6:30 so we could get there by 7:00. It was getting dark so we were a little nervous because we had heard you shouldn't drive at night. The roads are narrow and the drivers are crazy but we werent to far away. The GPS lady was directing us wonderfully when the warning went off that we were approaching a toll road. Normally this wouldn't be a problem but we didn't have any colones So we excited. Luckily there was a ATM on the steet we exited on. Unfortunately, we had left our debit card in the room. We wandered around some back streets in unfamiliar neighborhoods while the GPS l;ady kept telling us to flip around. the roads are very narrow and trucks just stop in the middle, we had to turn around in the street a number of times. The fine here for a traffic ticket is $600, so you don't want to get a ticket.

We were just trying to find a familiar street to get back to our hotel when we drove right up to the temple. It was 6:55 PM. Thank heaven for those tender mercy miracles. By this time Kim was a little stressed since she was the navigator and Chelsea was having a blast because she was just a passenger and thought it was quite the adventure.

When we got to the Temple a group of Ticos were already waiting to do Baptisms. The person in charge said that they were a small temple and wished they knew we were coming. I told them later that we had talked to the Temple president a week earlier. It surprised us how much you needed to know Spanish when you got even a lttle way away from the tourist centers. The people at the temple were very accomadating and let us crash the party. Chelsea and Corey did babtism. I confirmed Corey and Kim and was a witness. Chelsea made a few new friends who were trying to practice their English while she was practicing her Spanish. They had beautiful flowers around the temple and the baptism room was very pretty. The Temple president lives less than 3 miles from us and is in Chandis's (one of Corey's friends) ward. They really like her.

The temple matron gave us 100 colones to pay the toll back home (they had to think we were the dumbest tourist ever). We had no money, no card and just showed up.

We made it home and then walked over to Denny's next to the hotel to eat and we got Colones at the casino next door. I know it is strange to come to Costa Rica to eat at Denny's but it was late and we didn't want to drive anywhere. The meal was really good and it did have alittle different flair to it.

The first day was neat. We had an adventure and it couldn't have worked out better.