Well the expedition is officially over. I"m typing this on a Denver-bound Delta Airlines flight and it's really starting to sink in. The trip definitely changed when we crossed the Panamanian border - it was no longer about rough roads, interesting towns and new experiences. Deadlines, customs and shipping occupied our minds. Five of us handled the vehicles and the other four flew out on Sunday.
That's not to say Panama wasn't extremely enjoyable - in fact, it was one of my favorite countries. It's a fantastic mix of urban areas and wilderness and the surface was barely scratched. I'm already itching to go back. I'd really like to explore the northern coastline as it's controlled by indigenous inhabitants - you even have to follow their laws when you visit. I mentioned Yaviza in my last post and I can't wait to explore Darien province once things calm down. Outside of Yaviza, foreigners aren't very safe - we were prohibited from setting foot outside of Yaviza's borders. The area is rife with FARC guerillas as they are pushed out of Columbia, although there are a substantial number of lodges and resorts in the area. Most of these aren't accessible by road. I was told the fishing in the area is phenomenal, which really piqued my interest.
One of the less exciting aspects of my visit to Panama was the exportation process. I detailed the process we had to go through to get our paperwork stamped by the police and yesterday we completed the final step. In order to reach the port on time we had to depart Panama City at 7 AM and drive two hours to the port city of Colon. To paint a better picture, Panama City is on the Pacific and Colon is on the Atlantic. They are joined by the Panama Canal (more on that later). Colon actually wasn't a difficult experience - it was just extremely slow. We made a myriad of stops: the exportation office to get our passports stamped, then to our shipping agent to get our bill of laden stamped, then pay a fee to get more stamps, and finally dropping off our vehicles. The drug dogs were actually pretty cool to watch. The first dog was on the smallish side and clearly wasn't paying attention - we soon picked up on the fact that he was just a rookie and probably not even a year old. Soon the officer brought in the real deal - this was a physically impressive and well trained dog. The relief I felt when told I could leave the key in the door and leave was incredible. I felt like I was standing 2 inches taller. We had hired a van and a driver for the trip back which allowed everyone to catch some shuteye.
Scott left with Peter (Peter was our Panamana City guide and a contact of Scott's, not to mention an awesome guy and extremely helpful). Scott was heading to a local bead & breakfast as he was staying in Panama until the vehicles arrived in Galveston. The rest of the day was uneventful as my Dad and I packed our bags and prepped for an early morning.
In a fitting conclusion to the trip, traveling today has been extremely enjoyable but lengthy. That's a (tounge in cheeck) way to summarize Central America. It's a beautiful region filled with natural beauty, awesome people, and incredible experiences. When I was presented with the opportunity to join this expedition, I really didn't know much about CA and considered had considered the region (wrongly) backwards and dangerous. While my perception wasn't totally off the mark, these are of the most compelling regions to go! Backwards may have been a little harsh. Most of the countries in Central America have stable governments and are starting to demonstrate some real prosperity. But it takes time to break out of traditional attitudes and create something that most Americans consider worth visiting. All over we found government officials to be courteous, friendly, and helpful (with the exception of a short, round woman at the Panamanian border). Things just take a lot of time. It's like going to the DMV 15 years ago. Paperwork is all done manually and by hand - they just need to automate a few things.
Central America is definitely at a crossroads. Countries are small enough that building a reliable road network can really alter things for the better. This will alter the flavor and character of CA. The whole region will benefit from tourism and modern infrastructure, but a little of the uniqueness will be lost. For the record, we never felt unsafe at any point - except maybe visiting Yaviza.
Now it's back to reality (sort of). I'll be attempting to restart my life in Denver until it's time to pick up the trucks (sometime between April 8th-10th). Then I'll be driving the Jeep back to Denver for some repair. April ends with me driving to Prescott, AZ for the first Overland Expo. This is going to be cool - an entire expo devoted vehicle-based travel and overlanding (those are both really cool sounding terms for what we did). There's even a chance I may be a published photographer and I think I'll be doing some photo work during the expo (as well as admiring some of the insane trucks that will be around).
I don't regret a minute of the last two months (I left Denver on January 29th). At the time my biggest concern was that I would miss ski season. Times have changed. My biggest worry now is trying to find a way to the remote, wild, and dirty corners of the globe before they're all gone.
And that's that. You have the (admittedly rough) story. Yeah, I didn't post as many updates when I was in Costa Rica and Panama. Yeah, I haven't posted any photos since Nicaragua. But I think I've done an alright job and I hope everyone enjoyed reading it.
Chuck
P.S. This isn't the end by any means - one of the positive things about returning to the states is a stable and fast internet connection. This means high-resolution images covering my entire expedition. Also, a lot of what I've posted has been a simple detailing of the days events. I intend to do a little more reflecting on the various aspects, countries, and events I've experienced and I hope to detail a different aspect in the coming weeks.
P.P.S. Being back in the US is overrated - I found myself eating at a TGI Fridays at the Atlanta airport and came to the conclusion that rice and beans are preferable to Bacon Cheddar BBQ Sliders. Honestly, I think I could have stayed on the road indefinitely. It's not like I have a job or anything.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Canal Zone
Ok, I've been promising to write more about the Panama Canal for a few days. My opinion: it's one of the most incredible structures ever built. It's really so big it's not impressive. There's no sense of scale until a Panamax (this is the technical term for commercial vessels that are built to the maximum dimensions allowed in the canal) vessel passes through. At that point, it becomes awe inspiring. The sheer scale of the locks is really hard to visualize. These ships can hold 5000 containers. In simple terms, a container is what you see on the back of a semi-truck. These containers are loaded at a port, put on a ship, and then dropped onto a truck.
Ok, I'm going to do my best to describe what the Panama Canal is and what it accomplishes at the same time. Panama is special because the Atlantic and Pacific oceans are separated by only 40 or so miles. If a ship didn't have to sail all the way around South America, this could save a lot of money. This is why it was built (the Suez canal allows ships to bypass Africa and was basically the inspiration for the Panama Canal).
When a ship wants to go through the Panama Canal, it sails to one of the two ports (Colon and Panama CIty). It then drives into a lock, which are present at both entrances. The lock door shuts and the water level inside is raised.This elevates the ship. For simplicity sake, we will pretend that one lock is sufficient. The ship now sails into Lake Gatun. Once Lake Gatun is crossed, a ship enters another lock and the elevation is decreased, allowing it to sail into the opposite ocean. I hope that made sense.
The construction of the canal was a pretty brutal process. The French were the first to attempt it and it was a bloodbath. Eventually, the Americans picked up the pieces and completed it. There's a really good book I'm reading right now called the The Path Between the Seas by David McCullough. It's a really engrossing book and I knocked off about a quarter off it yesterday. I highly recommend it.
Ok, I'm going to do my best to describe what the Panama Canal is and what it accomplishes at the same time. Panama is special because the Atlantic and Pacific oceans are separated by only 40 or so miles. If a ship didn't have to sail all the way around South America, this could save a lot of money. This is why it was built (the Suez canal allows ships to bypass Africa and was basically the inspiration for the Panama Canal).
When a ship wants to go through the Panama Canal, it sails to one of the two ports (Colon and Panama CIty). It then drives into a lock, which are present at both entrances. The lock door shuts and the water level inside is raised.This elevates the ship. For simplicity sake, we will pretend that one lock is sufficient. The ship now sails into Lake Gatun. Once Lake Gatun is crossed, a ship enters another lock and the elevation is decreased, allowing it to sail into the opposite ocean. I hope that made sense.
The construction of the canal was a pretty brutal process. The French were the first to attempt it and it was a bloodbath. Eventually, the Americans picked up the pieces and completed it. There's a really good book I'm reading right now called the The Path Between the Seas by David McCullough. It's a really engrossing book and I knocked off about a quarter off it yesterday. I highly recommend it.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Panama and Vehicle Exportation
Panama
The days are flying by as the expedition comes to a close. On Tuesday I'll be boarding a flight in Panama City and landing in Denver 11 hours later. When I think of Panama, not much comes to mind. This just demonstrates my ignorance - Panama has offered one of the most diverse and interesting experiences of the trip.
Boquete is a small mountain town north of David near Panama's coffee-producing region. The weather was much cooler then anything we've experienced lately (it reminded me of summertime in the Rockies) and apparently many Americans vacation there. Unfortunately, I didn't have a chance to see much but I can definitely recommend it as a destination.
Our next night was spent in Playa las Lajas at a small hotel on the beach. Sadly, it was our last night on the ocean. The hotel we stayed at had clearly undergone recent renovation and the whole group was all disappointed to leave after one night. The beach was nearly empty and the ocean was the warmest of the entire trip. One or two more degrees and it would have been bathwater. Dinner was particularly enjoyable - we were told to seek out the local German restaurant. A restaurant serving German cuisine seemed out of place in such a small town and we all had a good chuckle when we realized the restaurant was run by Germans and had no German food. Everything was excellent and it was one of the best meals of the trip.
Our next destination was a small town about 100 kilometers outside of Panama City. The local RV Park was run by some American expats and had some very nice facilities (for an RV park). They had a pool, sports bar with satellite, and wireless internet. Unfortunately, we couldn't turn the lights on. The park was technically closed on Tuesdays and if we turned on the lights, his local customers would demand to be let in.
On Wednesday we finally tackled Panama City. The traffic wasn't quite as bad as we feared and after meeting our local contact/guide, Peter, we headed to our hotel. Peter's girlfriend Laura took all of the girls out to the mall while we headed to meet with our shipping agent. Our shipping agent Evelyn is a very short, very round, and very heavy woman. We got all our documents in order and she instructed what forms to fill out, where the trucks had to be, etc. This was the first time we had the entire process laid out in front of us and it was quite a surprise.
Here's a step-by-step list of what the exportation process entails:
1. Meet with Evelyn - very easy. We were told to get the vehicles inspected at the police station, which is in a very dangerous neighborhood.
2. Police Inspection - it turns out the exact process isn't as simple as simply getting your vehicle inspected. When you show up, the police will tell you to come back tomorrow. When you show up at 11:00 AM the next day, you will spend the entire day waiting for this process to be completed. We didn't finish the process until 5:30 PM. James went to go get some ice cream and was told by a police officer to stay in his car and lock the doors.
3. Complete the customs process and drop the truck off at the port - it turns out that the customs office/port is two hours north of Panama City. This means on March 30, we have to get up at the crack of dawn and hit the road so we make it back at a decent enough time to pack our bags before we leave.
It's quite a painful process.
Panama City itself is quite interesting. It's quite compact and is filled with high-rise residential towers and office buildings. We saw at least a dozen tall buildings under construction. One very cool thing is the conversion of military bases into residential areas. When the canal was turned over to Panama, they also received all the US military bases. These have become suburbs for Panama City's wealthy residents. In two or three years it will be quite a city. Unfortunately, the traffic is horrendous. Many intersections have no stoplights or signage and rush hour traffic is brutal.
The Canal is beautiful. I'm going to leave this to your imagination until I make it to the Visitors Center and am able to get some more information. My parents and I went out for dinner at a restaurant located on the Panama Canal. All evening long we were able to watch the ships travel by. It really is an enormous engineering feat. I'll try to give you some more info after I complete my museum visit.
The days are flying by as the expedition comes to a close. On Tuesday I'll be boarding a flight in Panama City and landing in Denver 11 hours later. When I think of Panama, not much comes to mind. This just demonstrates my ignorance - Panama has offered one of the most diverse and interesting experiences of the trip.
Boquete is a small mountain town north of David near Panama's coffee-producing region. The weather was much cooler then anything we've experienced lately (it reminded me of summertime in the Rockies) and apparently many Americans vacation there. Unfortunately, I didn't have a chance to see much but I can definitely recommend it as a destination.
Our next night was spent in Playa las Lajas at a small hotel on the beach. Sadly, it was our last night on the ocean. The hotel we stayed at had clearly undergone recent renovation and the whole group was all disappointed to leave after one night. The beach was nearly empty and the ocean was the warmest of the entire trip. One or two more degrees and it would have been bathwater. Dinner was particularly enjoyable - we were told to seek out the local German restaurant. A restaurant serving German cuisine seemed out of place in such a small town and we all had a good chuckle when we realized the restaurant was run by Germans and had no German food. Everything was excellent and it was one of the best meals of the trip.
Our next destination was a small town about 100 kilometers outside of Panama City. The local RV Park was run by some American expats and had some very nice facilities (for an RV park). They had a pool, sports bar with satellite, and wireless internet. Unfortunately, we couldn't turn the lights on. The park was technically closed on Tuesdays and if we turned on the lights, his local customers would demand to be let in.
On Wednesday we finally tackled Panama City. The traffic wasn't quite as bad as we feared and after meeting our local contact/guide, Peter, we headed to our hotel. Peter's girlfriend Laura took all of the girls out to the mall while we headed to meet with our shipping agent. Our shipping agent Evelyn is a very short, very round, and very heavy woman. We got all our documents in order and she instructed what forms to fill out, where the trucks had to be, etc. This was the first time we had the entire process laid out in front of us and it was quite a surprise.
Here's a step-by-step list of what the exportation process entails:
1. Meet with Evelyn - very easy. We were told to get the vehicles inspected at the police station, which is in a very dangerous neighborhood.
2. Police Inspection - it turns out the exact process isn't as simple as simply getting your vehicle inspected. When you show up, the police will tell you to come back tomorrow. When you show up at 11:00 AM the next day, you will spend the entire day waiting for this process to be completed. We didn't finish the process until 5:30 PM. James went to go get some ice cream and was told by a police officer to stay in his car and lock the doors.
3. Complete the customs process and drop the truck off at the port - it turns out that the customs office/port is two hours north of Panama City. This means on March 30, we have to get up at the crack of dawn and hit the road so we make it back at a decent enough time to pack our bags before we leave.
It's quite a painful process.
Panama City itself is quite interesting. It's quite compact and is filled with high-rise residential towers and office buildings. We saw at least a dozen tall buildings under construction. One very cool thing is the conversion of military bases into residential areas. When the canal was turned over to Panama, they also received all the US military bases. These have become suburbs for Panama City's wealthy residents. In two or three years it will be quite a city. Unfortunately, the traffic is horrendous. Many intersections have no stoplights or signage and rush hour traffic is brutal.
The Canal is beautiful. I'm going to leave this to your imagination until I make it to the Visitors Center and am able to get some more information. My parents and I went out for dinner at a restaurant located on the Panama Canal. All evening long we were able to watch the ships travel by. It really is an enormous engineering feat. I'll try to give you some more info after I complete my museum visit.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Our stay at Rafiki Lodge has been very enjoyable.
Our first activity was completing a nature hike with Lautjie. After a hearty breakfast of pancakes, the we loaded up into a truck and drove up into the hills to the trailhead. The entrance to the trail has been carefully camouflaged in order to hide it from individuals who may have intentions other then enjoying undisturbed nature. It was extremely hot and humid during our walk but we saw some very interesting wildlife. The most visually striking creature was a poison arrow frog. The indigenous people used to capture these frogs and then torture them because they release a neurotoxin when distressed. Arrowheads would then be dipped into this poisonous fluid and then used for hunting. They have a black and fluorescent green color scheme which is very visually distinctive.
However the most interesting creature encountered was the leaf-cutter ant. They get their name from the fact that they cut leaves and then take the pieces back to their colonies. One of the very cool things about them is that there are many specialized ants all contributing different abilities. There are trail-clearing ants which patrol up and down the trail they have cut, eliminating obstacles and watching for predators. These guys are big. Then you have the smaller guys that actually do the cutting and carrying of the leaf fragments. There is even a very small ant that rides on top of the leaf fragments to watch for flies.
Rafting was also very enjoyable. It was pretty mellow overall and I think I spent more time out of the boat then in it.
Last night was spent on Playa Las Lajas, where we found a gem of a hotel right on the beach. Sadly, the bar and restaurant are closed on Mondays but we had a wonderful meal at a restaurant run by some very nice German folks. They had just opened and I was the first to order a cocktail called the "Russian Quaalude". Dinner was a very well prepared chorizo. The Germans really know how to cook up some sausage.
Tomorrow is going to be a big day as we get our trucks inspected and attempt to brave the Panama City traffic.
Our first activity was completing a nature hike with Lautjie. After a hearty breakfast of pancakes, the we loaded up into a truck and drove up into the hills to the trailhead. The entrance to the trail has been carefully camouflaged in order to hide it from individuals who may have intentions other then enjoying undisturbed nature. It was extremely hot and humid during our walk but we saw some very interesting wildlife. The most visually striking creature was a poison arrow frog. The indigenous people used to capture these frogs and then torture them because they release a neurotoxin when distressed. Arrowheads would then be dipped into this poisonous fluid and then used for hunting. They have a black and fluorescent green color scheme which is very visually distinctive.
However the most interesting creature encountered was the leaf-cutter ant. They get their name from the fact that they cut leaves and then take the pieces back to their colonies. One of the very cool things about them is that there are many specialized ants all contributing different abilities. There are trail-clearing ants which patrol up and down the trail they have cut, eliminating obstacles and watching for predators. These guys are big. Then you have the smaller guys that actually do the cutting and carrying of the leaf fragments. There is even a very small ant that rides on top of the leaf fragments to watch for flies.
Rafting was also very enjoyable. It was pretty mellow overall and I think I spent more time out of the boat then in it.
Last night was spent on Playa Las Lajas, where we found a gem of a hotel right on the beach. Sadly, the bar and restaurant are closed on Mondays but we had a wonderful meal at a restaurant run by some very nice German folks. They had just opened and I was the first to order a cocktail called the "Russian Quaalude". Dinner was a very well prepared chorizo. The Germans really know how to cook up some sausage.
Tomorrow is going to be a big day as we get our trucks inspected and attempt to brave the Panama City traffic.
Monday, March 23, 2009
We made it to Panama. The border crossing was dicey, we had to pay some woman $50.00 in order to import my vehicle. Luckily it all worked out. We spent the night in Boquete and our time in Panama is going to be quite busy as we attempt to make it to the Darien Gap and ship our vehicles home. It looks like I'll be returning to the states on 3/31.
Chuck
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Well, the rest of our night at Lake Arenal was quite relaxing. We didn’t encounter any bags containing bodies. In fact, we experienced zero criminal activity that night. Life went on after our brief but interesting encounter with the police and we grilled steaks for dinner. After our evening meal, Scott put together a slide-show so Anne could get caught up on all our adventures and the group contributed a running narrative. It was the first time most of us had seen his photos so this was actually quite interesting. If he uses 1/32 of his photos, all of the Overland Journal subscribers will be in for a real treat (shameless plug: there’s a remote chance I may end up with a photo published so do myself and Scott a favor and subscribe).
One event of note: I was just about to drift off to sleep when a truck drove through our campsite. This scared the hell out of me until I realized it was probably the police patrolling the area. I was too frightened to actually verify that fact, but it’s a lot more comforting then the thought of someone casually driving through our campsite to drop off a body stuffed into a bag.
Our morning was leisurely and we took the opportunity to drive into the nearby town of Neuvo Arenal for breakfast. Interestingly enough, NA is home to a German bakery. We had stopped by the night before as it was closing and couldn’t get served. The allure of breakfast, internet, and delicious German sausages seduced our group and it was there we dined. The Gringo Breakfast (two scrambled eggs, one sausage, three slices of toast, and orange juice) proved to be a wise choice on my part.
After breakfast, we hit the road. We didn’t get far until we ran into a group of about thirty coatis. These are small mammals related to the raccoon. They were quite friendly and used to humans, almost to the point where it could be mistaken for aggression. One kept walking towards James and just didn’t stop. It was quite a scene. A coati basically looks like a racoon with a long, skinny tail and white vertical stripes along the body.
Most of the drive was fairly ordinary (basically the same jaw-dropping scenery we see everyday) except for a brief excursion through a super narrow residential area where we came close to clipping some 18-wheelers.
Camp for the night was the Best Western Jaco. Jaco is a pretty awful town which I would not recommend. The beaches were crowded, the town was smelly, and it drove home the point that Costa Rica should be seen from a rented beachside house in the middle of nowhere.
Now we’re at Rafiki Lodge. I’ve only been here 8 hours, but it’s pretty awesome. The food has been phenomenal and we haven’t experienced any of the activities but I will stand by my review because it succeeds where every other place we’ve stayed has failed: the waterslide factor.
Rafiki Lodge features an extremely fast concrete waterslide which would never be approved anywhere in the US. This is why it’s so much fun. I must have ridden it ten times this afternoon.
Tomorrow we’re going on a natural history hike. I’m sure I will have some interesting jungle facts for all you guys.
Also, I’ve heard some of you are trying to comment on my entries. It’s pretty hard for me to view these at the moment due to the horrible internet connections I’ve been using. Keep commenting and I’ll check them out and respond to them as soon as possible.
Chuck
One event of note: I was just about to drift off to sleep when a truck drove through our campsite. This scared the hell out of me until I realized it was probably the police patrolling the area. I was too frightened to actually verify that fact, but it’s a lot more comforting then the thought of someone casually driving through our campsite to drop off a body stuffed into a bag.
Our morning was leisurely and we took the opportunity to drive into the nearby town of Neuvo Arenal for breakfast. Interestingly enough, NA is home to a German bakery. We had stopped by the night before as it was closing and couldn’t get served. The allure of breakfast, internet, and delicious German sausages seduced our group and it was there we dined. The Gringo Breakfast (two scrambled eggs, one sausage, three slices of toast, and orange juice) proved to be a wise choice on my part.
After breakfast, we hit the road. We didn’t get far until we ran into a group of about thirty coatis. These are small mammals related to the raccoon. They were quite friendly and used to humans, almost to the point where it could be mistaken for aggression. One kept walking towards James and just didn’t stop. It was quite a scene. A coati basically looks like a racoon with a long, skinny tail and white vertical stripes along the body.
Most of the drive was fairly ordinary (basically the same jaw-dropping scenery we see everyday) except for a brief excursion through a super narrow residential area where we came close to clipping some 18-wheelers.
Camp for the night was the Best Western Jaco. Jaco is a pretty awful town which I would not recommend. The beaches were crowded, the town was smelly, and it drove home the point that Costa Rica should be seen from a rented beachside house in the middle of nowhere.
Now we’re at Rafiki Lodge. I’ve only been here 8 hours, but it’s pretty awesome. The food has been phenomenal and we haven’t experienced any of the activities but I will stand by my review because it succeeds where every other place we’ve stayed has failed: the waterslide factor.
Rafiki Lodge features an extremely fast concrete waterslide which would never be approved anywhere in the US. This is why it’s so much fun. I must have ridden it ten times this afternoon.
Tomorrow we’re going on a natural history hike. I’m sure I will have some interesting jungle facts for all you guys.
Also, I’ve heard some of you are trying to comment on my entries. It’s pretty hard for me to view these at the moment due to the horrible internet connections I’ve been using. Keep commenting and I’ll check them out and respond to them as soon as possible.
Chuck
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
The Rich Coast
Life is good in Costa Rica. We’ve spent the last two days on the beach near Playa Tamarindo soaking up the waves and the sun. Our border crossing was smooth, but lengthy. Unfortunately it was the last step in the process which took the longest. We ended up getting in line behind a group of Nicaraguans with incomplete papers but once they got their act together, things went swimmingly.
Costa Rica has a heavy American presence. One doesn’t just see lots of white folks wandering around - you find American brands, stores, and eateries. This is quite a contrast with the countries we’ve travelled in previously. Not even Mexico has such a heavy American presence. I enjoyed a wonderful BBQ Bacon Tendercrisp sandwich at the local Burger King location in Liberia.
After picking my mom up, we grocery shopped and hit the road. Playa Tamarindo is less then 2 hours from Liberia so it’s a fairly busy place. Lots of surfers and other assorted tourists on the beach. Interestingly enough, when we pulled up on Sunday it was absolutely swamped. After some preliminary recon work, we found some public beach access where we could set up camp. The only caveat was that we had to avoid a sea turtle nesting site.
Monday was spent simply, with lots of time spent swimming and relaxing. I did some reading, went for a walk, and swam. The surf camp next door prepared us a tasty lunch and we met some American ex-pats who filled us in on life in Costa Rica. One very cool thing about our campsite was the amount of hermit-crabs crawling around. Each evening around high tide all of the crabs would begin to come out of their burrows and hunt for food. If you waited until after dark, you could find some really big ones running around. Dinner was a simple affair. We grilled some chicken sausages and enjoyed the relaxed pace of life.
The great thing about these small Central American nations is that even on our travel days, we still have time to stop and enjoy the day. Today was Scott’s day and per his request, we stopped and completed a canopy tour (these things are great and I’m pretty sure everyone would have wanted to do it anyway). A canopy tour is simple: you scale a large tree and travel through the forest canopy on zip lines. This one had 11 different platforms and featured one line where you could traverse upside down. We saw some wildlife as well - a massive iguana and some howler monkeys relaxing in the shade.
At lunch we discussed how we should (tentatively) spend the rest of our time in Costa Rica. John and Tammy felt strongly about traveling down the Pacific coast so they are doing exactly that. The rest of our crew decided to travel to Lake Arenal.
The drive was beautiful. It’s very reminiscent of Lake Geneva. There are lots of very interesting small coffee shops. We stopped at a very nice establishment called the Macadamia Farm. After enjoying the leisurely drive to our beautiful campsite on the lake, we had one of the most interesting events of the trip occur.
The group was enjoying cocktails when a dented old truck passes us. Soon a police truck passes us and turns on it’s lights. We speculate for about 20 minutes until the two trucks leave. The police truck stops to talk to us and asks how long we’ve been here, how many people have been here and what kind of cars they were driving. Soon Scott and James receive this message “If you see someone dumping a bag containing a body in the lake, let us know. There has been a homicide. But this is a very safe area to camp. Tranquil.”
Interesting, eh?
Costa Rica has a heavy American presence. One doesn’t just see lots of white folks wandering around - you find American brands, stores, and eateries. This is quite a contrast with the countries we’ve travelled in previously. Not even Mexico has such a heavy American presence. I enjoyed a wonderful BBQ Bacon Tendercrisp sandwich at the local Burger King location in Liberia.
After picking my mom up, we grocery shopped and hit the road. Playa Tamarindo is less then 2 hours from Liberia so it’s a fairly busy place. Lots of surfers and other assorted tourists on the beach. Interestingly enough, when we pulled up on Sunday it was absolutely swamped. After some preliminary recon work, we found some public beach access where we could set up camp. The only caveat was that we had to avoid a sea turtle nesting site.
Monday was spent simply, with lots of time spent swimming and relaxing. I did some reading, went for a walk, and swam. The surf camp next door prepared us a tasty lunch and we met some American ex-pats who filled us in on life in Costa Rica. One very cool thing about our campsite was the amount of hermit-crabs crawling around. Each evening around high tide all of the crabs would begin to come out of their burrows and hunt for food. If you waited until after dark, you could find some really big ones running around. Dinner was a simple affair. We grilled some chicken sausages and enjoyed the relaxed pace of life.
The great thing about these small Central American nations is that even on our travel days, we still have time to stop and enjoy the day. Today was Scott’s day and per his request, we stopped and completed a canopy tour (these things are great and I’m pretty sure everyone would have wanted to do it anyway). A canopy tour is simple: you scale a large tree and travel through the forest canopy on zip lines. This one had 11 different platforms and featured one line where you could traverse upside down. We saw some wildlife as well - a massive iguana and some howler monkeys relaxing in the shade.
At lunch we discussed how we should (tentatively) spend the rest of our time in Costa Rica. John and Tammy felt strongly about traveling down the Pacific coast so they are doing exactly that. The rest of our crew decided to travel to Lake Arenal.
The drive was beautiful. It’s very reminiscent of Lake Geneva. There are lots of very interesting small coffee shops. We stopped at a very nice establishment called the Macadamia Farm. After enjoying the leisurely drive to our beautiful campsite on the lake, we had one of the most interesting events of the trip occur.
The group was enjoying cocktails when a dented old truck passes us. Soon a police truck passes us and turns on it’s lights. We speculate for about 20 minutes until the two trucks leave. The police truck stops to talk to us and asks how long we’ve been here, how many people have been here and what kind of cars they were driving. Soon Scott and James receive this message “If you see someone dumping a bag containing a body in the lake, let us know. There has been a homicide. But this is a very safe area to camp. Tranquil.”
Interesting, eh?
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