Riding Costa Rica's Mountains and Coastlines
Riding Across Costa Rica Update 34 (June 2023)
San Vito to Puerto Viejo to Liberia
After a nice stay at Las Cruces Research Station I booked into San Jose, the capital. The weather is keeping it’s pattern of fine morning, rainy afternoon. I have been trying to fit in with it and keep to short rides, ride early, finish early. But I am not very disciplined and find myself dawdling or getting distracted by detours to explore.
I still wear all my protective gear in these hot climates. One, to protect myself, and two, because there is nowhere else to put it. It does have vents that help a little, and as long as I keep moving it is not too bad. In climates like this I don’t tend to wear any rain gear, as it gets too hot. Normally I dry out pretty quickly.
Today I should have just ridden inland and made it to San Jose in about 3-4 hours. But I decided I really should go and see the Pacific coast of Costa Rica.
Playa (beach) Hermosa.
There wasn’t much action, just a few people lazing in the shade of the palms, and this lizard that was seemingly hoping for something to eat.
I started heading along the coast but decided to backtrack a little and get back into the mountains to hopefully find some cooler weather.
It was a nice ride and a good sealed road, but it started raining and getting quite cold. At one point I was at about 3,300 metres, in the rain and it was now around 9 °C. Sadly, I think there would have been a nice view but it was also foggy. My expectation of a short downpour failed and the wet weather continued for the next couple of hours into San Jose. I was soaked through and cold when I arrived at nightfall.
I stayed two nights and then headed for the coast on the Caribbean Sea.
The next afternoon from my San Jose hotel window. Here comes the rain again.
San Jose mall.
Parking under the hotel. You can see the size difference to the local motorbikes. I think the bike size, my gear and my height, all contributes to so many people staring as I ride by. I just wave and smile, and they suddenly come to life and do the same. And I am sure the people around here also think, what is that stupid foreigner wearing all of those clothes for?
I think that was Río Turrialba off in the distance.
Here comes today’s rain, over Santa Marta I think. It didn’t last long and this time I dried out quickly.
My accommodation at Finca Chica, near Puerto Viejo de Talamanca. It was a great set up in the forest, unfortunately it was only available for one night. The nearby town of Puerto Viejo turned out to be a very touristy party town, without much appeal to me, so I moved on the next day.
I made use of the kitchen and cooked a basic pasta. There was a good supermarket down the road. The prices in Costa Rica have surprised me. Even local products are very expensive. It might be the most expensive country I have come across on this trip, even compared to Chile.
The beach at Puerto Viejo de Talamanca.
The next morning I started making my way towards Nicaragua. Again I got distracted with a detour. But my Locus and Google maps were confusing. I ended up speaking to two separate locals who directed me. But I think I messed up and I started heading down the impassable road both of them told me not to use. Luckily a third local stopped me and did his best to tell me the correct way to go.
I found some nice cabin style accommodation near Guapiles. It was on a small farm set next to some rainforest. Breakfast the next morning was just about all made on the farm. It’s quite an intimate feeling to eat their delicious goats cheese and yogurt while you are looking across at the actual goat it came from. I don’t think I have been that close to the “farm to table” experience before. There was also a humming bird that kept alluding my photos. Plus a sloth that I never got my timing right to see.
I was still one night away from the Nicaragua border. There wasn’t much choice, so I ended up detouring to a hotel at Liberia. It wasn’t much good but I’d stayed at much worse.
I took another detour to see Lago Arenal. But the roads and town were full of tourists and day trippers. I ended up taking a back road to my original route. I did get a good view of Volcan Arenal.
I spotted this Iguana (I assume) up high in a tree. It was a good size. By coincidence today in Nicaragua (as I write this) I was riding along and saw a guy in his 20’s pull out a sling shot and shoot up into the trees. Down came a lizard. It was a good shot judging by the 10 odd metres it fell. Dinner I guess?
A sloth and Toucan from afar.
Panama to Las Cruces Research Station, Costa Rica
Update 33 (June 2023)
Liberia, Costa Rica into Nicaragua
Update 35 (July 2023)