Puntarenas - Costa Rica 09/05

Home | Costa Rica Adventures

p9300418e.jpg (122621 bytes)  09/29/05 - Thursday - San Vito to Dominical
Funny, but we actually planned on going to Panama today through a frontier border crossing. As it turned out, I was the only one who saw anything there. Being the US Passport holder (AKA "Gringo") I was escorted (on foot) to a bank nearly a half a mile down the hill and around the corner. I paid $10 for some stamps and huffed my way back up the hill. Thankfully I had my hydration pack on! When I got back (yes after paying the tax in US dollars) the immigration officer wouldn't let us go in because one of our certified documents was not "fresh" enough. A new faxed copy from the lawyers in San Jose wouldn't work either -- it would have to be original. I am just thankful they got my money before turning us back. I would hate to see them go under budget this quarter.

We looped back down to catch the road to Neily, continuing on our survey of the area (can you believe we were actually down there for work? ...well at least Andy was, and Gordo was the guide, and I was carrying the spare  bike parts). We stopped for Arroz con Pollo (simple chicken and rice dish) at Palmor Norte, where the rain really broke loose on us for the first time. Not too much further down a pretty large but agile iguana successfully ran across the road beneath Gordo's speeding bike. That kind of stuff reminds you that you definitely are not in Kansas anymore as the saying goes! We found a nice resort  to stay at and settled in for evening just past Dominical (it's off-season so everything is cheap and quiet).

230+ Km for the day.
Next: Domincal to San Jose (Valle de Parrita)

LaUnion.jpg (121885 bytes)
The frontier border crossing
into Panama at La Union		 img_3203.jpg (97016 bytes)
Walking back from my "visit"
to the bank in Panama
(photo Andy)
p9290368.jpg (155483 bytes)
Jungle style switchbacks		 NorthofNeily.jpg (125207 bytes)
A map view of the same twisties
p9290371p.jpg (160544 bytes)
View to Neily
p9290382.jpg (100839 bytes)
Gordo leads us back 
down a detour of a side
road to view the 
spectacular coast		 p9290384.jpg (155761 bytes)
An IKEA baby seat cover to 
help keep my tush from sticking
to a stinky wet seat. The jury is
still out on this idea.
p9290386.jpg (122558 bytes)
The typical surface of the
coastal dirt road north of
Dominical. Not for night driving.		 p9290388.jpg (55578 bytes)
The cabin's heated shower head
is where the night-time danger
should be limited to
p9290393.jpg (130666 bytes)
My flip-flop gets sucked off my 
foot on a dark walk through
the muddy rain forest to get
to the beach		 p9290402.jpg (68995 bytes)
The flip-flop incident was well 
worth it to view another 
custom Costa Rican Sunset!
p9290403.jpg (60062 bytes)
You measure it. Those are
twelve inch tiles!

Next: Domincal to San Jose (Valle de Parrita)

See more than you want at: http://profiles.yahoo.com/sandiegoland


ThumbWave!!