Although the Costa Rica border seemed rather chaotic, we breezed through with no problems. On the other side of the border there was another 6km line of trucks. However, many of the drivers were prepared by setting up camp under the shade of the truck with their trusty old hammock. Once again, immediately after we crossed into a new country we noted obvious changes. There was less rubbish on the road side, more groomed properties with mowed lawns and colourful flowers, the cost of things were similar to US prices and in general the standard of living could be easily compared to life in New Zealand or Canada. Going into the supermarket, I felt like a kid in a candy store. There were so much more variety and products I hadn't seen since the US and parts of Mexico. It was killer because it was very expensive so all I could do was drool and stick to what I went in for.... porridge, pasta and peanut butter!
Our first night in Costa Rica was with the GATO tribe (couchsurfing). It was a real treat to have a thai meal (in Costa Rica of all places) and marvel at their home they'd built together from scratch. They had some really neat ideas. We just might tuck a few away for safe keeping!
Next we made a beeline to Monteverde where our friend Ellen (who we stayed with in Mexico while learning Spanish) was staying. This town was set in a cloud forest high in the mountains with the only access a precarious dirt road. We opted for leaving our bike on the Panam and busing up. Also, we simply didn't have time to ride up as Ellen was leaving for Mexico the next day. It was so great to see her again. Especially since on this trip we are always moving and meeting new people; it was a treat to meet up with someone we already knew. She said maybe she could meet us at the finishing line in Ushuaia and we thought that would be pretty cool. Anyone else who is interested in doing that please let us know! It was a whirlwind visit to Monteverde. Although there is much to do up there: canopy zip lining, hiking in bioreserves, cheese factory etc. It was all pretty pricey so we jumped back on the bus the next morning and said our farewells to Ellen. I.e. To bus to and from Monteverde cost us in total $8US whereas to simply enter a bioreserve cost $17 each and to do a zip line whosamathingee cost $60 each. Anyway, it was far more entertaining watching the local soccer team trying to play with almost zero visibility, due to the clouds. The cost: PRICELESS! Oooo, just like the Mastercard ad!
The word on the street was that cycling the Panamerican Highway in Costa Rica is at your own peril. Although a more developed nation than previous countries we've been through, more money is spent on social and health needs rather than on improving road conditions. As cyclists, the main problem was there was no shoulder and vehicles were impatient to pass even with oncoming traffic. So the decision to get off the Panamerican seemed sensible. Our first mission was to get to Tilarán, 22Kms from the highway. This should have been a simple one hour cycle allowing us to have a carefree afternoon. Yet, true to our style we found ourselves doing it the hard way. Thinking our plan was fool proof after asking two different people if we were on the right road to Tilarán, we set off on our merry way. Ok, so the road has turned to dirt. That's ok, the guy said it was only for four kilometers before we hit pavement again. Turns out we need to start rewording our questions. Yes indeed this road went to Tilarán but it's not the main highway. You need some kind of serious truck to navigate this trail. It was steep, muddy and slippery and uneven. So we walked, pushed pulled and dragged the bike for the next 20kms. One step forward, two steps back. We even had to cross a river as it had been raining so much. In all honesty, it was a really beautiful route and very quiet. The only vehicle we saw in four hours was a beasty four wheel drive going in the opposite direction. It was at this point when we were told we were on the wrong road and there is a lovely paved road all the way to Tilarán. Next time I guess! It was also pointed out to us that this road was not suitable for our kind of bike. Really!
Once arriving in Tilarán we contacted our host Daniella from couchsurfing. She was good enough to meet me and Big Bird at a corner store while Roland walked for total of 90 minutes looking for our flag pole as it was missing, which we didn't notice until we arrived into Tilarán. Fortunately he found it after much perseverance... “it will be round the next corner, no, the next corner”.
We had a chilled out evening with Daniella and Pucca (her wee dog), spending far too long in the shower washing off layers of dirt and then falling asleep in front of a movie (it wasn't a bad movie, just a tough day). Nighty night! Daniella has a close knit family. It was actually her parent's house where we left our bike to visit Ellen. They not only kept an eye on Big Bird but fed us a typical soda meal* and gave us a ride to the bus station. You couldn't meet nicer people..... the story of our entire trip. We are so blessed!
We decided to go a longer way around towards San Jose (the Capital) which was very scenic, had views of lake and volcano Arsenal, and was much more quiet. There were many ideal and appealing places to have breaks so we did! We even had an espresso coffee. So gourmet and quite the step up from the endless cups of Nescafè we are so accustomed to drinking now. Also, passing through other recent countries our options were generally limited to bus stops surrounded by rubbish which wasn't always conducive to relaxing.
As a rule, along with secondary roads comes steeper hills. We had our work cut out for us the next two days and we also had our fair share of rain. First time we've pulled out our raincoats for cycling in a while. As you have just seen (well heard) from our video, our first night back in the tent since Belize was rather soggy. We found a perfect camping spot in the jungle and a nice flat surface. However once the rain started (and didn't stop) it was the perfect spot for all the water to collect. So we didn't get wet from above but from below. As Roland said, it was literally like a waterbed...... maybe one could say we were camping in style! We still slept reasonably well but I think it would have been quite a different story if it had been cold as well. Wet and cold: not a good combination. This is also the night Roland's trusty MSR stove bit the bullet. After 15 years of faithful service, the stove sprung a leak and the whole stove caught alight. Roland acted quickly and smothered the fire and (due to all the rain) the ground was very damp not allowing the fire to spread. The next country we can buy a MSR stove is Colombia. We thought we could go a couple of weeks without a stove and just improvise our menu. However, we have been kindly donated our host's stove that we are staying with now. Such a generous gift and ever so helpful for us, particularly as it will save us money being able to continue cooking our meals.
We are having a cozy break in the Ramirez household in Alajuela. We found Manuel through SERVAS but have befriended the whole family (Mercedes, Juan, Cecilia, Efrain, and Jafet). They have been very generous with delicious meals, use of the guest suite and computer, and helping us out with fiddly things we need to get sorted. It's been the perfect opportunity to tidy up some loose ends and complete chores that have been nagging at us for ages. For example, rust proofing BOB and the welded bit on our frame and attending to a back log of emails. Sounds boring doesn't it? We have also made the decision to fly from Panama to Colombia rather than go by boat. It's gonna be a bit of work disassembling the bike to ensure it meets the airline's requirements but doable. Now it's just a matter of deciding which city in Colombia to fly into: Cartagena, Medellin or Bogotá. The boat option did sound appealing but we are not sure if we are in the right head space to totally appreciate the ride, also it's raining a lot these days and it's more expensive than flying. We also remembered that back in 2000 we did a sailing trip around some Greek Islands for 5 days with the bus tour we were on so let's stick to the cycling for now.
San Jose and the surrounding area (including Alajuela) are set in the central valley highlands, so we are about 1000 meters up from sea level and it's amazing what a difference it makes. We are thoroughly enjoying not breaking out in sweat and wearing pants for a change. We spent a day in the big city with Manuel and simply did lots of walking, checking out used book and clothing stores, people watching, sampling various snacks* that are special to Costa Rica, having a bit of fun dressing up in matching hats and finishing off the day watching Robin Hood at the movies.
Finally, this is where we had some parts for our bike sent from Co Motion (our bike company in the US) after our “out of this world” experience in Honduras (see past blog). We have been so impressed with the guys at Co Motion and can't say enough nice things about them. We would also like to thank 'Suspensiones' for receiving the goods for us and to 'Kiwi' Bike Shop for giving Big Bird a makeover. Yes, that is the actual name of the bike shop here in Costa Rica. Obviously, this shop is exclusively for New Zealanders!
Next we are off to the Pacific coast again and then into Panama. We will next update our blog from Panama City – the end of the road for us in Central America. Just a bit of a milepost!
Interesting points:
- 'Pastelillos' are snack sized baked pastry pies with savoury fillings. Manuel took us to his favourite pastelillo joint where all they sell is these taste explosions. You have two choices: chicken or potato. After that it's just a matter of deciding what you want to drink; which is an assortment of natural fruit drinks. We opted for 'Cas' which is a fruit similar to guava but only found in Central and South America. Oooo, how exotic! These places seem to be the equivalent to taco stands in Mexico. Quick, cheap and tasty.
- 'Sodas' are not something you drink here in Costa Rica but restaurants that serve typical Costa Rican cuisine. For example for breakfast they would serve: gallo pinto (a mix of rice and beans), natilla (a semi-sweet sour cream), fried plantain (unsweet large banana), tortillas and eggs.
- Costa Rica hasn't had a military army in 60 years.