Part Nine

Costa Rica
February 5 / 1999

Once again I find myself sitting here trying to remember the events of the past month so that our journey can be recorded. Thank goodness for the daily notes we made!

At this writing it is 7:30 in the morning and we are sitting on the rooftop terrace of our hotel in Panama City. It has a small pool to cool off in and a wonderful view of the city (it is eight stories high). The pool is necessary as it already is very hot in the sun but with the shade here and a slight breeze it is far nicer than the small room we have. The only drawback is the constant traffic noise. We are in the waiting mode now, our van finally given over to the care of the port and our plane to Colombia is scheduled to leave on Saturday.

By now the journal must seem very boring to those who are still following it, as it appears to be quite repetitive so I have had a debate with myself how best to proceed. I had to question what and who was the journal for? The answer was that it was principally for Diane and I, a written record to review in the future, an outlet for me during the trip (which helped me in my personal inventory), and secondly a way of sharing our experiences with those that were interested. We find that even with pictures, videos, and these writings it is impossible to capture so many of the experiences. You really have to be there to truly have all the senses stimulated but this is the best that I can do at the moment.

So......back to the border crossing at Costa Rica.

We were so happy to be driving again, with the wind from the open windows drying off the accumulated sweat of sitting at the frontier for what seemed like most of the day. We have found that borders are really just that, arbitrary lines drawn on the map, but that they create real cultural and psychological divisions. The changes were evident within a very short time, but they are sometimes hard to put into words because it is a cumulative effect of everything seen as we drive down the highway.

The first difference is the condition of the road, large potholes dot the asphalt and we begin the dodge and weave approach that was so common in Mexico. What was once an excellent highway designed for speeds above 80 km/hr was now in a state of disrepair such that our average speed was down to 50 km/hr. We hoped that this was just a temporary situation but over the next few weeks we saw that the main roads were generally like this and the sideroads were in far worse condition. We became very cautious and observant drivers, always watching for the pothole that would eat us up!

The next surprise was pleasant, with us noticing that we were driving through a park like setting, and we came to understand that the vegetation had not changed except with a greater profusion of flowering plants, but that there was no obvious garbage alongside the road, the right of way was better maintained and the general upkeep of the buildings and properties was at a much higher standard. The scene gave us the impression that the people here were proud of their country. People appeared happier, the police at the checkpoints were friendly and welcoming, and we felt far more comfortable there.

We got to our first large town, Liberia, before dark and picked out a park like lot behind a 24 hour gas station for our first nights stay in Costa Rica. We had time before dark to walk around town and we were pleased to note that it was laid out in a modern style and had regular stores, just like in Canada! Diane was so pleased and she couldn't wait to go shopping at the supermarket to replenish our supplies.

Again, it is hard to put your finger on what makes it seem more like home but it is the combination of dress, signing, storefronts, infrastructure (curbs, sidewalks, garbage containers, street lights, paved streets, quality and volume of vehicles, etc.) We were not stared at or taken notice of much, as Costa Rica is used to tourists and actually encourages them since it is their largest industry. The night was noisy but we felt very safe.

The next morning we headed out west towards Peninsula Nicoysa and the beaches after trying unsuccessfully to phone home. Costa Rica's telephone system is another area that could use improvement, as we never did manage to use the public phones successfully. The countryside was a combination of dry, treed grasslands and dense forests with tropical vegetation. We began to see large iguanas crossing the road and colourful birds in the forest.

Our first beach stop at Playa El Coco was a bit of a disappointment as it was not well developed but had a lot of use by the locals. We walked but didn't swim and then carried on to Playa Samara, a more well known area where many North Americans have houses. The road there was narrow but newly paved (the ex-president of the country had a home there) and we soon found ourselves set up in a campground jam packed with city folk that came up for the weekend.

We had the only motorhome, everyone else was tenting, something we had not yet seen! Once we settled in, we did not feel out of place and it was good to have an electrical hook up for the fridge, computer and to charge up all of our batteries. They also had showers and toilets so we were happy and the night turned out to be surprisingly quiet for the amount of people (mostly families). We had expected pounding music all night! In fact, in the far distance we could hear deep bass booming until early in the morning, next door to a campsite that we had thought of staying at but decided not to because it was twice as much money. What luck for us!

This beach was beautiful. It was in a long bay several kilometres long, had a gradual slope, a reef to break up the large waves but still allow four footers through, it was clean and the water was warm. We found a place to have our laundry done (it had been almost two weeks since the last time and everything needed washing) but flinched at the price. It cost us $30 to get four loads done! Oh well, camping was cheap!

That evening we took our chairs down to the waters edge and watched the phosphorescent waves breaking on shore under a sky filled with stars and later we were treated to a full moon rising up out of the jungle. In the morning, more of the same, walking and swimming (I went snorkelling amongst a flock of pelicans and found myself swimming in the shallows with millions of small fish, they were so thick you could not see the bottom only four feet away!) before we decided to head towards the mainland via a small ferry crossing.

We were now beginning to realize that time was marching on and that we could not afford to rest too long in any one place. It turned out that we should have stayed put and enjoyed the day because when we got to the ferry we encountered a long line up of people waiting for the ferry (it was Sunday afternoon and all the city folk were heading home). We calculated that we would be waiting for about four hours so we decided to turn back and go to another beach and then avoid the ferry by driving north the next day.

We pulled into Playa Tamarindo (a surfer's beach) just at sunset and managed a quick walk before dark. Our campground was in a mangrove swamp just above the beach and the night was hot and humid, Diane had trouble breathing it was so humid! Thankfully we had our little fans that worked amazingly well when we were sitting in the van but which we couldn't let run all night as they would deplete our batteries.

A new day, a new beach to explore, we watched surfers and walked around the village looking at the shops before heading out. As we were leaving town we ran into the Canadian couple (travelling by VW van) that we had met in Guatemala. It was nice to exchange experiences as neither of us had met any other people travelling by vehicle. They had travelled to the islands on the Caribbean coast of Honduras and told us of the one island that had been set aside as an ecological reserve because of its unique flora and fauna, that the hurricane had stalled over for several hours. There was nothing left but sand, everything else was torn away by the hurricane. The resort islands nearby fared much better as their infrastructure had been built for that weather.

On the road again, our destination that night was somewhere up in the northern mountains near Lake Arenal, a famous windsurfing lake. On the way, we took a sideroad (washboard) to a golf and country club to see what it was like. It did not measure up to Fairmont standards at all, we suspect it was another property seeking investors (we saw endless properties for sale in Costa Rica).

The drive up was wonderful as we gradually escaped the heat of the lowlands and moved into the misty rains of the highlands. The lake was wonderful, irregularly shaped, windswept, and covered in numerous rainbows. We slowly moved into a lush tropical area where peoples yards were a riot of colourful vegetation and grass, some with hibiscus hedges. The roadside ditches were filled with impatience flowers and the forest was enchanted. Vines dripped from the trees, leaves that were four feet long, gigantic ferns, wild banana trees, birds chattering, iguanas sprinting and ant highways everywhere.

By dusk we had circled the lake and were settled into a gravel pit beside an earth dam at the end of the lake. Beside us was an active volcano that we could see steaming and we read that in the night you could see red lava flowing down the sides. We were not to see this though, because the weather socked in and it began to rain steadily (as can be expected in rain forest areas). However, sporadically throughout the night we heard loud explosions coming from the mountain, far louder that any thunder we had heard!

I attempted some repairs on the water pump (an ongoing problem that I seem to temporarily fix each time) and on our inverter that shorted out ( I believe as a result of that washboard road we took yesterday). No luck with the inverter so we are going to look for a new one in San Jose as it is a critical piece of equipment as it charges our Walkman, video camera, and computer batteries.

We head off in the rain down the potholed road, passing beautiful yards, people selling lottery tickets, people using umbrellas (even while riding bicycles), vast a profusion of wildflowers, houses perched on hillsides and pastoral countryside. For a short while the road surface improved (this was due to the local district taking matters into their own hands and setting up a toll booth to fund the improvements) and we enjoyed the steep windy road that wound through coffee plantations and led to a small town that had a wonderful park filled with sculptured trees. We had a nice walk and rest there, appreciating the artistry and dedication of the workers who created this Alice in Wonderlandlike park. We also found a small tailor shop that repaired the video camera bag for a nominal fee. Shortly thereafter we joined into the main stream of traffic heading towards San Jose.

Another thing different about CR is the smell of the exhaust fumes, they are terrible! We believe this is because they use some 'bio-gas' but in our opinion they would be better without it! The diesel is still diesel and the volume of black smoke is the same as everywhere in CA. When Diane wipes down the inside of the van the cloth comes away black from the soot!

We had read in a map that we had bought that there was a trailer park located in a suburb outside of San Jose so we took a chance and drove off the highway at the exit hoping to run into it by chance. It was not to be however because the road system turned very chaotic when leaving the highway, no signs, diagonal, windy roads, one ways, and heavy traffic. When were slightly lost and ready to give up we stopped and asked for directions. The man tried to explain but said it was very complicated so finally he just said follow me and he would show us. This was so nice of him as it took him several kilometres out of his way!

So it was that we found ourselves at the Belen Trailer Park. This was a park that was run by some people who spoke English (she was from the States) and that had hookups, potable water and clean washrooms with hot shower! It was a bit expensive for our taste ($15 Can/day) but we were happy to have found a place near the city so easily.

It was still early so we had time to head into the city to get oriented and hopefully to locate a few places. The city is the same as most, good access going in (even signed) but narrowing down to narrow congested streets at its core. We didn't find the places we were looking for as the downtown was too awful to drive in (no street names, one ways, no parking except in expensive lots) so we headed back but not before having supper at the Pizza Hut and finding a large new mall (with a store that had Internet access) that was just off the freeway before our exit to Belen.

At the RV Park we chatted with some residents at the park. There were two of them there who had travelled extensively in the past but who were now semi-permanent residents at the park. They had large trailers and one, an American and his wife, had just made arrangements to ship their pickup truck with camperette (he had an Airstream that he left at the park) to Peru to do some bird watching. We exchanged info on shipping and such. Another couple were from Belgium and another from Germany. It was very nice to talk with everyone.

The following morning as we began to head out to do a bunch of chores, the van began overheating (drastically, boiling over). I had noticed that over the last few days it had been running warmer than usual but not too bad, so we limped back to the park and did some investigative work, which of course meant unloading the back to get at the engine. It appeared that the fan was not coming on when it should but after everything cooled down and we went for a few test drives to the post office and the mall it seemed to be all right so we went looking (unsuccessfully) for an inverter at a Radio Shack in another mall (Diane loves to go to malls!).

We had been planning to get the van overhauled in Panama while we were waiting for shipping but we decided that because of the overheating that we should get everything checked out here, so the next morning we found a VW dealer and made an appointment for the next Monday (this was Friday). We were also able to speak to the shipping company in Panama (with the help of the lady who owned the park) to obtain some shipping info (they emailed us the necessary info). We found an inverter of better quality and a lower price than our old one so we were very happy. Things were working out!

So that afternoon we headed east towards the Caribbean coast for the weekend. The highway was its normal congested self with potholes that were 8-10 inches deep with sharp edges, definitely things to be avoided. Just out of San Jose, the road begins a steep descent from the highlands to the hot coastal plains. We were back into the lush vegetation with giant leaves and the 'boulder gardens' in the wide river beds. We stopped at a national park for lunch and then proceeded past vast plantations, Dole and Del Monte plants and trucks, trucks, trucks, and past the port of Limon.

Once past the port, the road parallelled the ocean and became very scenic and quiet. The ocean was a wonderful pale blue and had many beaches and by dusk we came to our destination, Cahuita National Park where we found a wonderful (free if you get there after 5:00) campsite beside a wonderful beach with pounding surf, surrounded by a tropical forest alive with the sounds of birds and animals (especially howler monkeys). I especially love the sound of the crickets every night in the tropics as I used to often use a meditation tape back home that had crickets in the background. I find them very soothing. Our improvised mosquito netting system on the doors and windows again came in very handy!

We headed off early (partially to avoid paying the day fee of $9 Can. each) to drive south to some other beaches. It was a very pretty, laid back area, with little traffic and we stopped at all the villages and beaches along the way before ending up a Playa Manzanillo for the afternoon. Found some good snorkelling here and had a great walk along the beach before we started back to the park for the night.

We didn't get very far before the van boiled over, so we had to stop, wait for it to cool, and then refill the cooling system with water (we were lucky we had our main tank plus an eight gallon jug of water). The combination of high outside temperatures (35 degrees) the rough gravel road, and the fan not coming on allowed us only to get a kilometre or two before the process repeated itself. I deduced that the problem was that fan and that if we could get onto pavement and keep up our speed to increase the air flow to the engine we probably could make it back okay. This turned out to be the way it was, so, after six or seven boil overs, we made it to the open road and limped back to the campsite where this time we paid our fee. Along the way Diane saw a sloth crossing the road. Magically, as we pulled into the campsite, the fan started working again (you can hear it).

Glad to be somewhere comfortable for the night we still had time to go for an evening walk along a jungle road and walk back on the beach with the setting sun. We actually cooked a supper that night (Mexican pasta) where usually we just eat fruit in the hot climates.

We awoke to another beautiful Caribbean sunrise and went for a walk on a beach strewn with pearl and pink coloured shells before carrying on to a jungle trail in search of a snorkelling area. The trail wound through a mangrove forest and was cool and medicinal smelling. We didn't see much life other than multitudes of geckos and large spiders. The snorkelling area turned out to be to shallow to be enjoyed so we headed back to swim and shower before attempting the road back to San Jose. Just before getting back to the van I saw a group of monkeys in the trees. It was a pleasure to watch them as they are so active. One mother carried its young one around on its back and it didn't appear to slow her down at all!

The van began heating up right away so we began the same procedure as the day before. It was a little disappointing as we had hoped that the fan would keep working until we got back to the city. Anyway, it wasn't too bad and eventually we limped back into the Belen Trailer Park without having to be towed. Luckily, the fan again magically began working just as we got into the city or we really would have had trouble! We didn't stray too far the next day, just visiting the Butterfly Farm and an exclusive residential complex out in the country (it even had a polo field), emailing, doing correspondence, planning for the next day, and visiting with people at the park.

Early the next morning (5:15) we unloaded all the stuff from the van into a screened cabana at the park and I headed off into town to get to the VW dealership by 7:00 for my appointment. This left Diane to spend all day hanging around the campsite doing laundry and writing postcards. I left the van at the dealership with a list of things to do (the previous night we had spent hours translating this list into spanish). The service manager knew about as much English as I knew Spanish so we did all right. The dealership was not just VW, it was also GMC, Hino, Ingersol Rand and various other truck and equipment brands. They had seen very few Vanagons ( I suspect none) but the shop seemed to be run well and I assumed they knew what they were doing (since I didn't have much choice).

I took off on foot and walked to the Canadian Embassy where I made application for a new passport as mine was just about full from all the stamps given at the borders (more so because of the vehicle). It was a breath of fresh air to go into the clean modern embassy and be welcomed in English! They gave me the forms and an address of a notary public who had to verify that I was who I said I was so I walked over there had that done and then walked downtown in time to catch the noon English speaking AA meeting.

Then it was back to the dealership, partway by cab, as I was beginning to fade from all the walking, noise and pollution. There I picked up my birth certificate (necessary for the passport application) and saw how they were doing with the van before going back to the embassy with the completed forms and documentation. They informed me that the earliest that my passport would be ready was on Thursday so we were going to have some time to kill in San Jose.

Back to the van where they were valiantly working on it to get finished. They had problems getting the air out of the cooling system but as they knew it was our home they persevered and worked past closing time to get it finished. The main problem turned out to be the thermoswitch for the fan but all the overheating had caused some failures in some of the cooling lines so they had to be replaced. All in all, even if they did not get all the things done on the list, the important overheating problem was fixed and a rear brake cylinder replaced and all for a total of only $180 Can. which was very reasonable. It was well past dark by the time I got back to the park and Diane was very relieved to see me!

We decided that since we had a few days to hang around we would take this opportunity to head out to the west coast to see if we could link up with some friends from Calgary whom we were told (via email) were holidaying at Jaco, a beach area that we had wanted to visit but since it was out of our way at the time decided to skip. So once again we were on a busy highway heading out of San Jose, winding our way through the mountains and finally down sea level, this time on the Pacific coast. We managed to miss an important junction so ended up visiting Punta Arenas and some other areas before making our way down to Jaco.

The countryside was much drier on this side but still very beautiful. One thing about CR is that it has tremendous variety. Some of the coastline reminded us of the Howe Sound area with islands and peninsulas appearing out of the mist. The van was working excellently except for the radio which wasn't working at all. They had tried to fix it a the dealership (only the two right speakers would work before) but obviously had made it worse. Along the way we stopped at a river just past a crocodile farm and were pleased to see eight giant crocodiles basking in the river.

We arrived at Jaco about 4:30 and sought out our friends but the resort they were supposedly at was not in the area. We were misinformed. Too bad because we were looking forward to seeing some people we knew. The campsites looked noisy and/or dirty so we elected to spend our money on pizza and park in a residential area where they were building a bunch of homes. The night was hot and humid, being on the coast again. Diane doesn't do well in the heat and the afternoons and nights are hard for her but other than idling the van all night with the air conditioning running there is not much to be done!

The construction workers arrived at 6:15 so we packed up and went for a walk on the beach. While walking and doing some videoing we were approached by a couple who had noticed our van and who were also from BC. It turned out the woman had lived in Burns Lake for a while before we were there but we still knew many of the same people. It is a small world!

That day we explored the road going south along the coast and were rewarded with sights of flamingos, storks, cranes, and many other birds. We walked along long surfing beaches with waves crashing into shore and stopped for lunch in one of the many date palm plantations alongside the road. They were so neat and geometrically spaced so that wherever you stood the trees stretched out in straight lines. The trees were interesting to, they had red fruit and had large ferns growing out of their trunks.

Shortly thereafter we came to the small sport fishing town called Quepos. This is where the paved road ended and we elected to sun ourselves at a majestic disco/bar/restaurant that had swimming pools and a perfect setting on a rock breakwater overlooking turquoise waters, rocky bays and was cooled by a strong breeze coming off the ocean. It was a large pool that we had to ourselves to swim laps. Off to one side was a giant white sailing yacht, almost like a cruise ship! All this, and only for two bucks.

When we felt ready to move on we drove back past Jaco and took a side trip on our quest of trying to locate our friends, up to some famous waterfalls. The climb up was about 12 kilometres on a very steep gravel road and we were disappointed to find that you had to hike down to the falls. We didn't feel that energetic and besides we didn't have enough time before dark so we carried on up the road following some signs that led to camping and a resort. We kept going until we started descending some very steep road that we wondered if the van would make it back up.

We took the plunge and headed down but were horrified at the bottom when we found the road crossing a muddy river that we had not a hope of getting across. We managed to get turned around with great difficulty and then started up praying we would make it. It was all the van could do to power up that steep slope and we have to give credit to the designers for the great traction we had heard so much about. If we had spun just once, we would have ended up back in that river! Oh well, we sure felt alive with all that adrenalin coursing through our system!

The trip back down to the highway was also interesting as this was the first time we had to use our brakes rather than our gearing to hold us back (the rough road and hairpin corners wouldn't allow us to go the necessary speed). We began smelling our brakes halfway down and by the end were beginning to experience brake fade. It took almost an hour of driving on the highway to get them back to normal temperature. Just a test for Andes!

Part 10

caravana@vanagon.com
Copyright © 1999-2001 Ron Lussier. All rights reserved.
This page last updated January 16, 2000.