Very strange.
We have been itching for some ecology and ethology, so we decided to get up and out early and go to the National Park Palo Verde. It was only 22km off the main highway and the little bit of research we did said it was a small park, just a few short trails, and visitors typically spend 1-2 hours. The perfect amount of time to get us to our next overnight. Unfortunately the road was really bad… like 10-20 km/h. Which pushed what would have been a 2-3 hour adventure to a 4-6 hour adventure, and we did not have 4-6 hours. Again, we were really wanting some critters… me especially. But alas, we aborted and decided we did not have time to do the park. So I pretty much pouted inside my helmet for the next 100 km. It was easy to do as the road was kind of boring and full of traffic. This part of Costa Rica is very developed. I failed at explaining it to Ernie today, but between last night’s Illin-diana-tucky vibe and the four-lane full-on interstate we were on today, I got out of the Central American vibe and wasn’t happy about it. Heck we are paying for everything with US dollars. And Costa Rica is expensive! And not Central American expensive, US American expensive. 1L of water costs $2 and a six pack of Imperial costs $8. Restaurant prices are too rich for our blood. We were smart to do some cheap booking online ahead of time, and a $30 room doesn’t get you much. When Ernie saw our shower he said “I’ve seen barns where the cows have nicer showers”
No complaining. I’m stoked to be here and according to our maps, the ecology changes come tomorrow and we are headed to Quepos. Not sure what to expect (other than touristy), but whatever it's like, I’m pretty sure I’m going to like the Costa Rican Disneyland Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio. Ernie tells me I will (not might, will) see a sloth. Yes! Clw tells me I can get a good and traditional Tico meal. Yes!
Back to the “very strange”... Puntarenas is a confusing place. With our mega-interstate today we were in Puntarenas by 1 pm, so a silver lining to the day was that we were off the bikes when the afternoon downpour came early (at 1:15 pm). It is a 5 (?) km peninsula, and looking at Google image, it has all the makings of/potential to be a hip stretch of the Florida Keys or the bohemian San Francisco. There are lots of bars and restaurants, a black sand beach, some piers. A ferry. But it is… strange. We walked the entire thing (playa side and the main drag). Very strange.
Highlight was likely the gatos. Lots of gatos. Jeff Brown would enjoy the gatos. They are very wild looking - mini pumas. Ernie and I sat on a bench and watched an orange gato hunt and dig for crabs on the beach. We have never seen a gato on a beach. As Ernie pointed out, gatos dont' really like water. Which is funny as they really like fish.
We checked out the website of the adventure riders we met yesterday. Magnanimous giggles by Ernesto and I. They have three of the exact same pictures as we do. (To Matt and Karin if you ever read this - know we have nothing but respect. The spirit of this paragraph is in the best of humor for all of us that have taken this journey). First in Baja, Mexico - the boulderfield. Not the same exact cactus, but we know their cactus - it was on the other side of the road). Also, while reading this, just imagine Ernie laughing really hard in the background, as he doesnt' do that very often. Second, tying up the motos on Baja Ferries. And then third, an overlook outside of San Juan de Lima. There was actually a fourth picture as well - we both stayed at the same palapas in Bahia de los Angeles, but we didn’t pitch our tent under the palapa (we pitched it half way between palapa and beach) so our pictures are a bit off. Ernie wonders if the same scumbag ripped them off at the gas station too? The funniest one to Ernie and I was the boulderfield in Baja… at that moment we really felt like we were in the middle of nowhere and that we traveled hard to get there. There was a sense of accomplishment that got blended with uniqueness. And while we know we had our own journey as did our Netherland friends, as humans we have that connection that we focus on similar things. It is funny because we are so predictable.
We have been itching for some ecology and ethology, so we decided to get up and out early and go to the National Park Palo Verde. It was only 22km off the main highway and the little bit of research we did said it was a small park, just a few short trails, and visitors typically spend 1-2 hours. The perfect amount of time to get us to our next overnight. Unfortunately the road was really bad… like 10-20 km/h. Which pushed what would have been a 2-3 hour adventure to a 4-6 hour adventure, and we did not have 4-6 hours. Again, we were really wanting some critters… me especially. But alas, we aborted and decided we did not have time to do the park. So I pretty much pouted inside my helmet for the next 100 km. It was easy to do as the road was kind of boring and full of traffic. This part of Costa Rica is very developed. I failed at explaining it to Ernie today, but between last night’s Illin-diana-tucky vibe and the four-lane full-on interstate we were on today, I got out of the Central American vibe and wasn’t happy about it. Heck we are paying for everything with US dollars. And Costa Rica is expensive! And not Central American expensive, US American expensive. 1L of water costs $2 and a six pack of Imperial costs $8. Restaurant prices are too rich for our blood. We were smart to do some cheap booking online ahead of time, and a $30 room doesn’t get you much. When Ernie saw our shower he said “I’ve seen barns where the cows have nicer showers”
No complaining. I’m stoked to be here and according to our maps, the ecology changes come tomorrow and we are headed to Quepos. Not sure what to expect (other than touristy), but whatever it's like, I’m pretty sure I’m going to like the Costa Rican Disneyland Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio. Ernie tells me I will (not might, will) see a sloth. Yes! Clw tells me I can get a good and traditional Tico meal. Yes!
Back to the “very strange”... Puntarenas is a confusing place. With our mega-interstate today we were in Puntarenas by 1 pm, so a silver lining to the day was that we were off the bikes when the afternoon downpour came early (at 1:15 pm). It is a 5 (?) km peninsula, and looking at Google image, it has all the makings of/potential to be a hip stretch of the Florida Keys or the bohemian San Francisco. There are lots of bars and restaurants, a black sand beach, some piers. A ferry. But it is… strange. We walked the entire thing (playa side and the main drag). Very strange.
Highlight was likely the gatos. Lots of gatos. Jeff Brown would enjoy the gatos. They are very wild looking - mini pumas. Ernie and I sat on a bench and watched an orange gato hunt and dig for crabs on the beach. We have never seen a gato on a beach. As Ernie pointed out, gatos dont' really like water. Which is funny as they really like fish.
We checked out the website of the adventure riders we met yesterday. Magnanimous giggles by Ernesto and I. They have three of the exact same pictures as we do. (To Matt and Karin if you ever read this - know we have nothing but respect. The spirit of this paragraph is in the best of humor for all of us that have taken this journey). First in Baja, Mexico - the boulderfield. Not the same exact cactus, but we know their cactus - it was on the other side of the road). Also, while reading this, just imagine Ernie laughing really hard in the background, as he doesnt' do that very often. Second, tying up the motos on Baja Ferries. And then third, an overlook outside of San Juan de Lima. There was actually a fourth picture as well - we both stayed at the same palapas in Bahia de los Angeles, but we didn’t pitch our tent under the palapa (we pitched it half way between palapa and beach) so our pictures are a bit off. Ernie wonders if the same scumbag ripped them off at the gas station too? The funniest one to Ernie and I was the boulderfield in Baja… at that moment we really felt like we were in the middle of nowhere and that we traveled hard to get there. There was a sense of accomplishment that got blended with uniqueness. And while we know we had our own journey as did our Netherland friends, as humans we have that connection that we focus on similar things. It is funny because we are so predictable.