gone south

Well, we reached our furthest latitude south at 7 degrees & 25 minutes at the tip of the Auzero Peninsula. I´m sure those of you in VT are tired of hearing it, but the beaches here are too fine! We saw a photo from home that seemed to show 3 - 4 ft of snow; we live in shorts, sometimes flips & a shirt - in & out of the Pacific all day. It´s quite a treat to watch the sun rise out of the ocean, a hard concept to grasp as we´re supposed to be on the west coast. Panama runs east - west so our sense of direction is all turned around.
We took a ride up into the mountains to El Valle, a market town in a high valley. The temperature was cool though the sun is still very hot. The plants up high are very different - lots of flowers & vegetables, clear mountain streams, a nice break from the heat of the coast.
The panamerican highway is quite different here tha Costa Rica, it actually looks like a highway! The surface is either brand new or horrible, often side by side in 2 lanes. They also run radar to enforce speed limits, much to Craig´s chagrin. He knew he´d picked up some bad driving habits, but though in would be the states before he had to revise the way he drives. Now after tickets in CR, Nic & Panama - we´re model citizens on the road.
We crossed the canal and drove north to the caribbean just to cross the country from sea to sea in a day. Much different up there as it rains a lot, very humid, and a more poverty striken area. So back to Playa Santa Clara to gear up for the run to Costa Rica.
Panama is a very comfortable place for us. Feels very safe, prices are cheap and we´ve met several interesting travelers, mostly from Europe, doing the same kind of trip. While internet is available, we can´t find wifi, so photos will have to wait.

cheers to all, posted Rio Hato, Panama

Returning to Granada for the third time was just as nice as the first. It’s a remarkable town with a colonial segment, perched on the shore of Lake Nicaragua, the largest in the country.From the town plaza one is looking at the lake in one direction and the volcano in another. It is entirely possible to tour the volcano and the coffee plantations on the way to the top in the morning and then boat around the tiny islands in the lake in the aftenoon.  Did I mention the volcano crater lake just outside of town? Swimming while being goosed by lava rocks of varying sizes is quite an experience.

We were fortunate to find friends from home in residence at the condos that they built last year. These beautiful units are within walking distance of the plaza and we enjoyed every moment of the conveniences and the great company.

Around the 18th we crossed into Costa Rica and several surprises.  There is only one crossing from Nicaragua and so we were prepared for a lenghty ordeal but not a nightmare. Exiting Nicaragua was not so bad but immigration and customs on the C.R. side was horrendous. There must have must have been a half mile of trucks waiting although this in itself does not necessarily affect us but the line of tourist buses did. Everyone needs to go through individually and there was only a couple of agents working. Consequently, several busloads of folks were standing in full sun in a sharp gravel lot in a snake line that was barely moving. After 1 hr. we had only moved several yards and this procedure did not even take into account the vehicle part. At any rate, 1 hr. later, mucho dineros lighter due to “assistance” we were on our way feeling somewhat resentful and duped. It’s been a few years since we were last here and things change, of course but still it is quite a contrast to see how expensive everything is and how relatively affluent it appears. We managed to find a some new spots out on the Nicoya Penninsula as well as visit some favorites. Sticker shock still reigns and the added insult of a trumpted up traffic ticket that sights the van as either being too strong or having too much outside cargo or passing on a curve- take your pick.

And so Costa Rica is not high on our list of favorites and so we will probably head on towards Panama tomorrow, making a few stops along the way. Still so much to see.

Well, it finally happened. After innumerable stops for security checks in every country so far, the real mckoy "mordita" occurred this morning. We'd become somewhat casual about producing copies of requested documents, knowing that police refusal to give back papers ... [Continue reading this entry]