Having previously done a motorcycle trip through Ecuador a few years ago, we convinced our friends Lauren and Naomi to do a similar trip in Costa Rica.
On the 4th of July we did the least patriotic thing possible and flew out of the USA. After 16+ hours of traveling (with a layover in LA that allowed us to visit In-N-Out) Johanna, Naomi, and I arrived in San Jose from Seattle. It was early morning and the hotel wouldn't let us check in yet, but we stored our bags and explored the city a little.
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Mmm... In-N-Out! |
The next morning we arrived at Wild
Rider right as they opened and Lauren began the paperwork process. The
staff let me know something had happened, and the bike I expected to be
on was no longer available. But they upgraded me to a Honda NX4 Falcon
while the girls had Honda XR250 Tornados. They let me know there were no
GPS units available for the bikes, which I had expected anyway. We were
armed with a waterproof map, what could go wrong? We got our reflective
sashes and were soon on our way. During our walk around the city the
previous day, I became apprehensive about Costa Rican traffic. Based on
my observations I had done worse, but was less sure about the others,
and my ability to keep us all together as a group.
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Ready to ROCK! |
Luckily
getting out of San Jose was not as difficult as it appeared, and we
soon passed through the small town of Alajuela. From there we headed
North up some steep winding hills to the top of th Poas Volcano. When
we arrived at the entry gate, the attendant told me not to bother with
the $15 per person fee, as the clouds had moved in and there would be no
visibility anyway. I thanked him for the advice and turned us around to
head back down. Naomi's bike had been struggling up the hill and we all
stopped for a moment so I could test ride it. It was definitely
sputtering and struggling, especially in the lower gears. I assumed it
was just the elevation and the carbs needed rejetting. I gambled that we
wouldn't be at such a high elevation again, and we decided to continue
on.
We descended quickly, and got lost several times trying to find the correct road. With a lot of gesturing and all 3 words of Spanish that I know, we managed to find the correct road. After riding for a while we came across a hotel that would let you pay a fee to see the La Paz Waterfall Gardens. Not wanting to waste money, we just rode a little further down the curvy road and found a pull-off that was free. Once we had our fill of photos here, we continued on only to get stuck behind a Turismo bus that made sure nobody could pass him. It was slow going for a long way before we finally had the opportunity to pass him in a small town and then it was high speeds to try and make it to the hostel we were hoping for before sunset.
We descended quickly, and got lost several times trying to find the correct road. With a lot of gesturing and all 3 words of Spanish that I know, we managed to find the correct road. After riding for a while we came across a hotel that would let you pay a fee to see the La Paz Waterfall Gardens. Not wanting to waste money, we just rode a little further down the curvy road and found a pull-off that was free. Once we had our fill of photos here, we continued on only to get stuck behind a Turismo bus that made sure nobody could pass him. It was slow going for a long way before we finally had the opportunity to pass him in a small town and then it was high speeds to try and make it to the hostel we were hoping for before sunset.
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Johanna really likes taking photos of people taking photos. |
A
little west of the tourist trap town of La Fortuna there is a turn off
to a dirt road that leads to the Parque Nacional Volcan Arenal. We
passed the park entrance as the sun was quickly setting, riding towards
the "town" of El Castillo. At a fork in the road there is a sign naming
our hostel and leading us over a small bridge. I'm glad it's not
raining, as the bridge looks like it could get really slick. We continue
on and climb up and up until we arrive at Essence Arenal with minutes
of daylight left. I go in to ask about a room and they have 2 left.
Lucky us. We move our gear into the room and quickly jump in the hot tub
with some beers to celebrate the first successful day.
Day 2
I
awoke early the next morning to the sound of howler monkeys in the
distance. Then something scurried across the tin roof, banging back and
forth loudly. Maybe the monkeys are closer than I realized. The howling
and banging continues for a while and I consider getting up to see if
they're messing with our bikes, but the comfortable bed keeps me down.
Finally the rest of the group starts moving and we quickly get up and
pack before grabbing a quick breakfast. The weather is not in our favor, with heavy clouds dominating the landscape. I make the
declaration that it's not raining all that hard, and don't think I'll
need my rain gear. I am mistaken.
As we set
off down the steep hill, we take our time with the wet muddy roads. This
is Naomi's first time ever riding off road, and it's been several years since Ecuador
for Lauren. Everyone does fine, and even the slick bridge I worried
about the day before is no problem. Once we hit the paved road again we
continue West around lake Arenal to the town of Tilaran. The rain
continues to come down harder and harder, thoroughly soaking through all
our gear. But there are no real shoulders here to pull over, so we
continue on. The views would be amazing here if not for all rain on my
glasses. At the edge of Tilaran we stop for gas and throw rain gear on
with shivering hands. As soon as we set off the rain stops.
We
grab a quick lunch at a soda (small Costa Rican restaurant) and then
head down a dirt road towards the small town of Santa Elena (we've heard
it's cheaper than neighboring Monteverde). By my estimation we're
making good time, and should find lodging with plenty of sunlight left
this time. The road starts out as packed dirt, but after a few
kilometers starts getting softer and wetter. Eventually we crest a hill
and the downside of it is deep, slick mud. I advise caution and roll
through it slowly. It grabs my tires several times, trying to pull them
in opposite directions. My height is an advantage here and I use my legs
to keep the bike upright. I make it to the bottom of the hill and
through the worst of the mud only to look up as Johanna informs me over
the headset that she's going down.
It was a low
speed fall, and Johanna managed to jump out of the way of the bike
before it could pin her leg underneath. But even on a flat surface she
sometimes struggles to lift her bike, especially when weighed down with her bag
while on a slick muddy hill. I rush up the hill to help her, slipping
and nearly falling a few times. I'm out of breath when I get to her, but
together we get the bike back up. Except now it won't start. Lauren and
Naomi make it past us without incident and I manage to use the hill to
bump start the bike. At this point I remove my rain gear as the rain has
mostly stopped and I'm already soaked in sweat anyway.
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Despite being fine in the fall, Johanna still got a nasty bruise |
We
continue on, hoping the worst of the mud is behind us. And for a while
it is. Until we come around a corner and find a giant tourist bus
spinning its wheels in the mud. He has apparently given up on going any
further and has tried a 20- point turn in the middle of this mud filled
road. At this point my subconscious is wondering if it was
stupid to bring a group of inexperienced off-road riders to this,
and if I will need to take each bike through until I die of
exhaustion.
I find an opening and squeeze past
the bus and get through the worst of the mud. During this time Johanna
and Lauren have slipped in the mud and I run back to help. Lauren
manages to pick her bike up on her own while Johanna and I get hers
through the worst part. Meanwhile Naomi, the first time off-road rider,
makes it through without getting any mud on her like a pro. I invite her
to lead our group for a while, as I'd rather be at the back in case of
any further incidents.
The rest of the ride
winds up and around the lush green hillsides but is uneventful as
dirt has replaced the mud. After a little while we make it to the
triangular center of Santa Elena and pull into a hostel that has
parking. The room rates are reasonable, and they encourage us to bring
our bikes into the back yard so they'll be right by our room. Lauren
settles in to study for a test she will have to take online in the
morning while we walk around the tiny town and find local candy and beer
to sample.
Day 3
The
next morning Lauren is up early for her test, while the rest of us drag
our feet. I do some quick maintenance on the bikes while the hostel dog
tries to get me to play. We have a quick breakfast then take a shuttle
up to the Monteverde Cloud Forest. We hike through the forest and cross 8
suspension bridges scattered throughout the dense, green forest. This
feels like one of the most western activities we've done here, as the
trail is well maintained and clearly marked. More so than most of their
roads in fact. We see a number of strange plants and insects in the
forest before the hike is over.
When we get
back to the hostel it's a bit of a mad dash to get all our gear on so we
can get on the road. We've used up the first half of the day already,
and still need to get to the beach town of Jaco by nightfall. It doesn't help
that we go about 10km on the wrong road before realizing our mistake
and backtracking. This will become the theme of the day, as I proceed to
get us lost several times. Heading South from Santa Elena, we drop a
considerable amount of elevation before seeing pavement again. Once we
do, I find my happy place. The road we've found is freshly paved and one
of the curviest I've ever ridden. I frequently shoot ahead of the
group, pushing my limits and scraping the pegs on some of the sharper
turns.
At one point I see something coming at
the road from the corner of my eye. I slow down and see what I assume is
the strangest raccoon I've ever laid eyes on. After a little research
we discover it was a Coatimundi. Unfortunately I didn't have any cameras
on for this moment though. We continue on at a safer pace, wary now of
animals wandering into the road, and find a fancy soda to have lunch at.
After lunch we turn onto what looks like a major road and start making
good time. But after a few kilometers traffic comes to a complete stop.
We wait there for a while, our view obscured by a large truck. Vehicles
are passing us in random groups on the other side, but nobody on our
side is moving.
Eventually we decide we don't want
to grow old on this road, and as a group we move into the left lane and
begin passing the huge convoy of immobile vehicles. This action was
demonstrated numerous times by locals, so I figured "when in rome". We make it a
long way before seeing vehicles coming towards us. I see an opening and
squeeze back into traffic. Minutes later we're moving again and finally
get past the accident that has blocked traffic in both directions for
miles. After several more instances of wrong turns and backtracking, we
make it to the Rio Tarcoles. We cross the bridge and park immediately
after so that we can walk back to the center. This bridge is famous for
the crocodiles that hang out below it. As expected, there are a large
number of them laying along the river bank. They don't move much, if at
all, and since they are coated with mud it can take your eyes a minute
to realize how many are there.
After
getting some shots we jumped back on the bikes and moved with the
increasing traffic to the beach town of Jaco. We arrived right as the
sun set, and asked around at several places looking for a room.
Unfortunately, a lot of them were not as great of a deal as we expected,
but we managed to find something reasonable that had secure parking. We then
decided to explore the town, which was the most tourist oriented place we had
been to yet, and then had a fancy dinner before retiring early.
The
next morning we managed to sleep in a bit, as we expected a shorter
ride for the day. We hit the beach and slowly packed up, with the
oppressive heat already nearing 100 and the humidity level at maximum.
We were nice and sweaty when we finally started the bikes up and hit the
road towards Manuel Antonio. The ride was fairly uneventful, but when
we arrived in town we discovered it was a Costa Rican holiday and
lodging would be difficult to find. I rode around to various hostels
checking on availability while Johanna and the girls relaxed in the
shade. I was not having any luck and returned to them ashamed. Johanna
informed me she had found a room online that was across the street
from the restaurant they were waiting at. I was happy to have that
headache out of the way and we moved into our room and quickly changed
out of our riding clothes.
We
walked a short distance down the narrow road towards the beach to have
dinner at a restaurant we had read about before we took this trip, El
Avion. Built around a C-123 Fairchild cargo plane, this
multi-story restaurant had great views of the ocean. The food was good,
and priced about the same as places in the US. So, actually about the
same as the rest of Costa Rica. After our meal we picked up the public
bus in front of the restaurant and rode down to the beach where the
ladies swam as the sun set. After dark we had a quiet evening by the pool
before passing out by 9 pm.
Day 5
The
next morning we were up early. We had to ride back to San Jose,
and were taking a dirt route the guys at Wild Rider had recommended. We
backtracked North-West for about 30 miles before turning off onto a
small, barely marked dirt road named RT-239. This was everyone's
favorite route of the trip. It was dirt and gravel, had tons of
switchbacks with little to no traffic and was a great time on the bikes.
We also got some amazing views along the way. Before we knew it we
rolled into San Jose and our hostel. We dropped off the bikes at Wild
Rider, which was a really simple process, and spent a relaxing night in
the city.
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The cover of our 90's album |
Day 6-10
The
next morning we were up early once again and took an Uber(!) to a bus
station a few miles from our hostel. From there we boarded a large
passenger bus and rode for about 3 hours North-East to the small town of
Cariari. From there we took a much smaller bus that required standing
for another 1.5-2 hours. There was no air conditioning on this bus, and
conveniently no suspension on the dirt and pothole covered road, which reminded how much I dislike traveling without a bike. We used to
spend full days on buses like this in Asia, but after discovering
motorcycle travel it is hard to go back. We finally arrived at La
Pavona, which is not really a town so much as the end of the road. There
we boarded a small boat and navigated the overflowing river for another
hour until we reached the tiny town of Tortuguero. We had
uncharacteristically booked a hostel in advance, which was good because
we were too tired to walk around asking for room rates. We settled in
and finally had the chance to get some laundry done for the first time
on the trip.
We
spent the afternoon walking around the town and visiting the beach.
Unfortunately the current is very strong and swimming isn't allowed due
to people getting dragged out by the undertow. The mindset in Tortuguero
is to take it as easy and lazy as possible. And after multiple days of riding it was
a pretty great change of pace. Each day we would wake up whenever we
wanted and have no plans, which made this part actually feel like a
vacation. One night we hired a guide to take us out on the beach and
show us a sea turtle laying its eggs. There are strict rules about going
to see the turtles, especially since they're endangered, so
unfortunately there are no photos. After several days relaxing in
Tortuguero we finally had to head back to San Jose and fly home. We had a
great time in Costa Rica, and can't wait to ride more of Central
America. Special thanks to Lauren Bruce Lund for the use of her excellent photos.
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Hostel cat |
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Turtle tracks |
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A really creepy spider hanging out with our laundry. It's about as big as it looks. |
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This puppy was surprisingly aggressive for his size |