Costa Rica

Costa Rica, what a place. First experience was the border crossing. No problem leaving Panama but getting into Costa Rica was not that simple. The process was ok, it was knowing which order to do things and having to get things photocopied for the first time on the trip. For some reason the official office does not have photocopying machines. Too much trouble for the one and only person doing all the paperwork I suspect, which is usually a young woman who is usually on her cell phone or is usually talking to another young woman, comparing shoes or clothes. The guys at the windows, which are usually male truck drivers, just stand and wait as they know that to upset them usually means they are in for a long day. It is all so much a power play thing that is interesting to watch, usually.


So, after getting everything in the way of paperwork that is required you have to leave the queue and go across the road to a private shop and have it all copied, then it needs to be checked and the copied documents stamped. Then back into the customs queue for the final time so that it can all be checked and a final customs temporary import certificate be given for the bike. An hour and a half later and we were on the move. I have heard of some people loosing it with all this stuffing around, but if you take your time and arrive early so that you have time, then it all fits, somehow, and if you have to pay someone $10 to guide you through, what’s the problem.

So, after crossing from Panama we decided to move off the Pan American and follow the Pacific coast road, that way we would bypass the three major cities on the Pan Am. A good choice as it turned out. It is such a lovely coastline to travel along. A travel guide we met advised us of a couple of places to stay where we could see wildlife without having to go to any of the national parks and have the worry of safely parking the bike and the park entry expense. What good advice it was. For the price of the rooms we had a free wildlife experience and it was amazing. Monkeys, Sloth’s, Vampire Bats, Birds, Butterflies etc, etc. So this was how we spent a few days before moving on toward Nicaragua.

As we moved north we crossed a river and looking over the bridge we could see these salt water Crocodiles sunning themselves. What was interesting was the fish that swam around the Crocs without being eaten, and the bird that was trying to catch the fish didn’t seem to upset with the Crocs being their either, was great to witness.

Along this coastal fringe it was easy to see how much jungle had been cleared to make way for controversial palm oil production. Hugh areas covered in palm trees and smoke belching processing factories.

As we moved closer to the border we moved into the dry upland areas where more livestock and sugar cane farming takes place.

We motored into Quepos to find the plane nick named “ Ollie’s Folly“. It was sent down to Costa Rica by the Regan administration for the Contra rebels to use in Nicaragua. Once the Iran arms for cash deal, Oliver North and the CIA were exposed the plane sat idle, so now someone has turned it into a seaside restaurant and has made a really good job of it.

All in all Costa Rica has been wonderful. No military, beautiful beaches, great wildlife and lovely people.

Next it is Nicaragua, like El Salvador, a country we watched on the nightly news as it battled through its violent guerrilla uprisings