Another Report From Costa Rica

February 15/06

We put in a long day today. 400K does not sound like much but on these roads, it’s a long day. From the start of the ride until we found a hotel we were on the road for 10 hours, 20 minutes. Our average speed was 38 kilometres per hour!

Perhaps my previous comments on the Costa Rica roads were a bit harsh. The roads were better today although even on the Pan-American Highway, constant attention is required to avoid the pot holes. Sides roads were still a mix of rough gravel and huge potholes. At least the gravel road we picked today had been graded and we made good progress on it.

The scenery though… is fantastic! It was a beautiful clear day. The road climbs to just over 11000 ft asl south of San Jose. The roads run along high ridges. At 8000 ft we climbed through the clouds. At 9000 ft. we were on top. (of cloud that is… for the non flying types). This only served to make the views even more glorious. Costa Rica really is a beautiful country.

There is all sorts of agriculture at these altitudes… lots of coffee. Lots of vegetation. Only at the highest altitude do the trees thin out. Otherwise the vegetation is lush and green.

Linda tells me that I am going on too much about the roads… guess I have a fixation on the pot holes, but for those of you who might want to drive (or ride) this way…..

On the highway you will often be stuck behind a line of slow moving trucks and there are very few passing lanes. The police try to control the situation by signalling trucks off the road a various locations to allow the faster vehicles to pass. Also Costa Rica police, unlike most other Central American police, have speed radar. We had been warned and not wanting another encounter with the police, we observed the speed signs. True to the warning, there were several speed radar traps. Most drivers are courteous and pay close attention to their driving (unlike most North Americans). Still some drivers are wild. They will try to drive their vehicle into what ever space it will fit. This includes passing, if they think that the oncoming traffic has enough room to move over and let him through, they will pass. In the city (San Jose today) it was the same thing. Marked lanes mean nothing. Dave and Jenny were clipped by a truck. Luckily no damage or injuries.

Enough of that! I think that we are getting used to the warm weather. I have gone back to wearing my MC jacket even under the warmest conditions. But, today at elevation, we encountered some cold weather. Even after stopping to “layer up” I was still cold. My hands were numb. I think that the temperature was below 15C. Absolutely unbearable! (right Karla?)

Due to our lack of progress we didn’t make it to the beach. We stayed a town on the highway. (San Isidro de el General) We found a nice hotel and a great restaurant.

Just an aside on the hotels here. Security is a major issue. Many of the hotels have so many bars that they look like jails. You just get used to it. On a personal note… security is not an issue unless you put yourself in risky situation. This is no different that Canada.