A CASE OF GOODNESS AT THE BORDER AND THE LUCKY BRACELET!

So Matt and I took a little unexpected side trip to the islands of Boco Del Toro in Panama. As we were waiting in line to cross the border from Costa Rica into Panama, we started talking to the very nice Australian couple in front of us. We learned their names were Christy and Cam. So, we chatted for a bit and shared stories about our travels with our new friends as we waited in the long line to get across the border. (There was only one person working checking and stamping passports, and he had no intention of making it a fast process!)

Christy and Cam were in front of us, and when they handed their passports to the border patrol, they were told the couldn’t exit Costa Rica, as their passports already had an exit stamp. They were very confused, as they tried to explain to the border patrol man that they had only entered Costa Rica once (at the border in Nicaragua) and they were leaving for the first time now to enter Panama. After much conversation back and forth, they realized that the border patrol who stamped their passports when the entered Costa Rica at the Nicaraguan border, stamped an “exit” instead of an “entrance” stamp. Once the confusion was clear, Christy and Cam thought they would be able to get their passports stamped and be on their way. But we have come to learn that nothing is ever that easy in Latin America! The border patrol told our new friends, that they couldn’t leave Costa Rica until they got the proper “entrance” stamp, and the only place they could get the proper stamp was to go back to the Nicaraguan border and have that border patrol fix the mistake! Now if you can imagine, the Nicaraguan border is not around the corner, it would take at least 2 days to travel there and back, not to mention the extra cost of traveling itself. (And Christy and Cam had their flight to go home after 3 months of traveling out of Panama in only a few days.) Going back to Nicaragua would be a terrible inconvenience and it just seemed so unfair for them to have to go so far out of their way, for a mistake that was made by someone else.

Matt and I felt so horrible for our new friends. They were in quite a predicament and there didn’t seem like any way around it. Matt and I tried to talk to the border patrol for them, tried to help plead their case, but it didn’t seem to work. Matt and I had to leave as the tour group we were with was leaving, but we felt so bad leaving our new friends. We knew there wasn’t much we could realistically do to help them, but wish them luck. Then I looked down at my wrist, and I saw a bracelet that was given to me in Peru by a friend who told me that the bracelet (it’s a bracelet of a special seed from a Peruvian tree) brings good luck and protection. I slipped the bracelet off my wrist and put it on my new friend Christy’s wrist. I told her that I wished there was more we could do for them, but at the very least she had “Peruvian luck.” Christy was really touched and thanked me for the thoughtful gesture. We said our goodbyes, exchanged emails with our new friends and Matt and I crossed over into Panama.

Once on the other side of the border, we had to wait in the immigration line. Again it was another loooong line. By the time we finished up with Panama immigration, we saw our friends Christy and Cam crossing onto the Panama side! She told me my “good luck” bracelet had worked! After spending much time talking and pleading with border patrol (and slipping them a little extra cash) they were able to get across! We were so happy for them! Christy asked me if I wanted the bracelet back, and of course I said no. It was hers now. She told me that she would hang on to it, and then pass it along to someone else when they needed luck, and so an so forth! It was so nice to be able to infuse a little bit of goodness (and luck!) into an otherwise annoying and frustrating situation