COSTA RICA (DELAYED REPORT OCTOBER 31ST – NOVEMBER 14TH)
SORRY FOR THE BLURRED PHOTOS. THIS IS DUE TO RAIN DAMAGE TO MY CAMERA.
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Once again I swam over another border, this time into Costa Rica such was the rain. It was a bit of a culture shock crossing from Nicaragua, just like going from Mexico to the USA.
WELCOME TO COSTA RICA!
Gone are the shacks, much of the squalor, battered cars, pickups with whole construction crews or even whole families with grandma squashed in the back.
Also gone are the ancient, overcrowded, decommissioned American school buses which served the transport industry so much in Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua.
The feeling I get is that Costa Rica along with Panama see themselves to be the ultimate in sophistication and above their poorer neighbours in Central America.
It is also damn expensive here. I have been told that to provide modern services ( I use my modern description with some hesitation as the country still has a way to go) here they are taxing the people out of existence, and just keep raising taxes.
Also gone was the nice hard shoulder I got spoilt by in Nicaragua.
I ran by some really nice brick houses, nice pullman buses, decent cars that have to pass inspection tests and very little rubbish on the road.
COSTA RICA GAVE ME A GREAT FIRST IMPRESSION BUT I MISSED MY LOVELY HARD SHOULDERS FROM NICARAGUA!
Much of Central America doesn’t have a trash collection service and understandably the frustrated people have not much option but to burn their rubbish, there is only so much they can bury. I have seen this and not only in the rural areas but even in small towns people are outside their houses burning their household waste emitting all kinds of toxins into the air.
Here I’m told they have trash collections twice a week, even in most rural areas. I am also told that despite the high taxes that not many people want to leave Costa Rica, the envy of much of Central America, what with it’s fantastic free health care service and decent standard of living.
It seems Costa Rica has a problem protecting it’s borders as many people want to move here, and not entirely legally.
That first day I ran just over 44km (which just happens to be my average daily distance for the run) to Santa Rosa Junction.
I met some more motor bikers and stopped for a coffee. An English couple and an Australian couple. Guess where they were going, same as every other rider here from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego,in Patagonia.
The Aussie man told me when he was on the China/ Laos border (where I will be crossing in a couple of years time and one of my visa worries) that they were refused entry and had to get a flight. Interestingly he also told me that the Chinese let backpackers and cyclists through, so that is very hopeful news for me I guess.
They also told me that the border I crossed from Honduras to Nicaragua a couple of weeks ago was closed a couple of days after I left due to flooding. They had to wait around for four days for the border to reopen.
A couple of good days, a 48 and a 50km took me almost as far as Limonel.On the way I stopped in a shop in Irigaray.Magakly, the very friendly shop assistant heated up my half litre carton of milk in her microwave, cleared a table and chair for me and gave me bananas.
This is my new system, whenever there is a convenience store I will heat up my own milk and add a couple of spoons of coffee to make good, cheap, healthy coffee!
I am tired of getting half cups, often cold, pre-prepared with added sugar which I usually send back.
Back on the road Chris slows down in heavy traffic to give me two bottles of an energy drink.
All this along with a woman who also stopped and gave me a bottle of water has taken me by surprise.
I STARTED RUNNING ACROSS COSTA RICA ON HALLOWEEN
Many people also live in a constant state of fear due to crime. Many houses throughout Central America are heavily fortified, just like prisons. Many shops are also barred off. You go to a railing at the counter and tell the attendant what you want. After paying your purchase is handed out through the railings. If you order something big like a 2 litre bottle of soda, they open a hatch and hand it out.
So, you see the difficult position I am in writting such comments and talking about a ‘ me mentality ‘ when I am running around the world and in many cases, especially last winter was at the mercy of many people in Canada and the USA to give me shelter from the storm.
Many times I have thought to myself that I would hate to have a problem in Central America, say to be robbed, penniless, without a passport, to be in an accident with people just looking on afraid to put you in their vehicle for fear of blood stains in their precious banger, at the mercy of others.
As always, there will always be exceptions.
I look so much forward to meeting the wonderful people of South America. I spent a year there many years ago and hardly had a bad experience.
I have noticed many travel writers taking the politically correct option when addressing these issues or just ignoring them. I aim to tell it as I see it.
The great Costa Rican hospitality continued next day when I ran by a garage. It was a hot day as there was no wind. The owner called Martin asked me what I was doing and when I told him he invited me inside to refill my water bottles then sat me down with a nice cold soda drink.
THANK YOU MARTIN!
I had left my bags in Limonel police station and returned there to sleep. 45km today. Last night I slept behind a church.
Costa Rica is making a hole in my budget as just about every single transaction leaves me shaking my head in disbelief so I need to rough it a couple of nights to get back on track.
Then another hot and windless day reduced me to only 30km. It was a very hard day. Very hard to run as there was no shoulder on the road.
Costa Rica being a fairly clean country, and littered with beautiful beaches is a very popular destination for Americans and Canadians. This is probably one of the reasons that I don’t get called a gringo anymore.
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Another 46km pounding down route 34 took me to Jaco.
On the way I noticed a lot of people looking over a long bridge and into the river. It would be the kind of place I would consider to camp under!
I took a look and saw about 8 crocodiles each side of the river.
BEWARE OF THE CROCIDILES!
They were just resting in shallow water. Everyone was calling the alligators but a week later in David, Panama, my friend Norman told me that he used to live here and knew the ranger that tended them. Norman told me they are a local tourist attraction.
So I reckon Normans crocodile description is more accurate. Is there an easy way to tell other than becoming up close and personal!
SOMETIMES I FEEL LIKE A CROSS BETWEEN INDIANA JONES AND CROCIDILE DUNDEE, I TOOK TO THE ROAD TODAY!
Once in Jaco, Roberto the owner of the Beatles Hotel let me stay in a beautiful $50 night room for $20. Still a budget whacker but I felt I deserved the luxury.
He is a Beatles fanatic and has the hotel decorated in Beatles memorabilia.
I decided I need a rest day so I stayed another day. I packed off some unnecessary baggage to Stephen my contact in Panama City. I will bring this package back to Ireland when I take my surprise time out for my sisters 50th birthday back in Dublin in 3 weeks time.
My commute to today’s start in Parrita, due to a poor bus service was dire, almost three hours.
Once I started I running I was flying along with my lightened pack. Then I saw a likely place to stop for the night. Restaurant Club Roncador.
The restaurant is in a quiet area at the side of the road ,this type of place is a ‘ favourite target. ‘
I FIND IT EASY TO MAKE FRIENDS WITH THE OWNERS IN THE RANCHOS.
I usually just go in have a meal. The conversation always turns to my run. I make an impression. I am usually asked where I plan to sleep that night. I usually say I will look for somewhere in a field out back. Often I am told I can stay there as many of these rancho type restaurant/bars have some kind of a covered area I can lie a sleeping bag down in a quiet corner. If I don’ t get an invitation I usually just ask and am rarely refused.
I CAN USUALLY LIE MY SLEEPING BAG DOWN IN A QUIET CORNER FOR THE NIGHT. TONIGHT THE OWNER GAVE ME A MATRESS AND PILLOW.
They are often open door establishments, with just a straw roof, no doors or windows. Inside they have shutters to close off the bar area, there are usually a couple of dogs around and the family often have a house out back.
Last night after my run which I wore shorts on. The mosquitoes were so bad that I just pulled my one and only pair of running tights over the shorts to protect my legs from bites. So I slept in these and forgot to take them off when I started running the next day. Then another downpour so that meant I had nothing dry to change into that evening due to my carelessness. This is just one small but a good example of how total concentration is required. Then how to get clothes dry when its so humid and damp out that nothing dries. This morning after hanging socks and a tee shirt up to dry as best as possible the night before, which was very little, I had to run during dry spells with these on the back of my pack! Every night I have to get newspapers to roll up and put inside my only pair of shoes to dry out.
I did the same finishing in Domical after 37km and heavy rain the last hour. It seems the rainy season has come back after about a 10 day break.
I can’t get into my stride these days just 34km before I stopped early once again due to another liquid battering.
The Irish soccer team was playing Estonia today in a vital European Championship playoff game. I had been wondering all afternoon how the game had gone. I stopped off early at a place called Adelante Hotel and Restaurant.
The lady that owned the place greeted me at the door with a cup of hot tea and after flashing my Magic Letter I got a $5 discount. I negotiated free tea for the rest of the night and then asked her where she was from.
” My name is Dana and this is my daughter Andra, we are from Estonia! ”
ANDRA FROM ESTONIA... THANKS FOR THE TEA AND 4 NIL RESULT!
” Never mind that! Who won the match! ”
” Ireland won 4 nil! ”
” Great! I mean sorry about that… Does the offer of free tea still stand? ”
” Sugar and milk? ”
Amazing how I was wondering how the game finished and then I meet Estonians for the first time in my living memory!
Andra allowed me to use her computer to send off important emails to see if I can get the Spot tracker sorted. I am told one will be available for me in Panama City about two weeks away. I ordered a chop suey for dinner and an hour later I was starving again.
I happened to mention this to a Polish man who came over to my table for a chat. His name is Ben and is living in the area about a year now. He makes a living out of selling his artwork. He is also a runner. Immediately Ben offers to get me another dinner. Too bad the restaurant was closed.
Next morning Dana asks me if I want an omelette or oatmeal. I remember how skimpy the dinner was so I say both!
A small omelette was served, along with a leaf of salad and a slice of tomato. The meals are starting to get a pattern here the further south I go, skimpier and skimpier! Thank God for the oatmeal… I need my carbos.
Just then Ben arrives in his running gear. He pays for my breakfast.
I am delighted when he says he wants to run about 15km with me!
His wife can bring my pack along when she picks him up later.
It was a lovely morning and on the way he told me about how he escaped from Poland about 10 years before the former Iron Bloc country gained independence.
At that time he was single man with a very young daughter. He wanted a better and freer life for his daughter, so he booked a holiday to Spain, leaving his daughter with relatives. His plan was to stay in Spain and apply for political asylum.
I HAD A NICE RUN WITH BEN WHO ESCAPED FROM POLAND.
I asked Ben about his daughter and he told me that international law states that she would have to be released to her father within a year but it dragged out to nine long years for him before she was released. Then they moved to Canada. She lives in Australia now.
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I ran on and on and about 7km east of Palmar North it started raining heavy again. I sheltered under a bus shelter. There was no sign of the rain easing off so I just rolled out my sleeping bag and slept there spraying myself with mosquito repellent.
A good day the next day 53km I stopped in a restaurant for something to eat before checking into a hotel where I got another decent discount. Costa Rica is turning out to be a great experience.
In the hotel I realized my camera was missing. I remembered putting it in a satchel and pulling it on over my pack. I don’t know why I did that. Perhaps it was after taking a picture near the end of the day and I just got lazy about sticking it back in my bag. I figured that when I took the pack off in the restaurant that the satchel must have fallen on the floor and I somehow missed it. Sure enough when I retraced my steps the two blocks the waitress handed it to me, so I gave her a nice tip, much to her surprise.
