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| We crossed back into Costa Rica at Sixaola. A narrow bridge above a large river was the only way across. The one lane bridge was shared with railroad tracks. Several times I had to stop and move planks around on the bridge to avoid high centering on the tracks. We filed the necessary papers and we were back in Costa Rica. We stopped for lunch at a "Soda", a roadside restaurant run by a friendly family. The owner was tending most of a pig on a grill over a fire. My anti-inflammatory pills no longer eased the pain from my ear infection. We went to the hospital in Puerto Limon. I was quickly shuffled to a doctor who prescribed me a strong course of antibiotics. Socialized medicine here is fast and free, but I was wondering if I was getting the proper treatment for my condition. We found a nearby hotel for the night. The next day we decided to drive inland to find a cool place in the mountains rest and recover a bit. We landed in the coffee and flower growing town of Orosi where we found a clean and peaceful hotel run by a German couple. I improved modestly on the antibiotics, but still didn't sleep well, had hot flashes, and a lot of pain. We toured around the countryside and saw the ruins of Ujarras, the first Catholic Church in Costa Rica, built in the late 16th century. Then on to the wood carving shop of "Casa Del Sonador" (House of the Dreamer). The building was adorned with rough carvings of religious significance. The largest one was a half-life-size depiction of the last supper. The artists take dead coffee bushes from coffee plantations to make their carvings. Some trunk and root sections were made into the head of Jesus, the roots becoming a ragged beard. Others were made into horned devils with fiery hair. Coffee and banana plantation workers were depicted with walking sticks, smoking pipes. There were carvings of a svelte Virgin Mary, praying or holding her baby Jesus. We talked with one of the carvers. His father started the shop, and now he and his brother carry on the business. He told me why he was proud to be a Costa Rican. They are a peaceful people with no military. There are high taxes on luxury items to raise money for social services (the import tariff for new cars is almost 100%). Schools are good and healthcare is free. The next day we drove up Volcan Irazu, the highest volcano in Costa Rica at over 12,000 feet. Potato fields covered its fertile lower slopes. On the cool summit we looked down on a large green sulfurous lake that filled one crater. We met an exchange student from my home town of Fort Collins. The day before in Orosi we met a couple moving to Aspen! Loading up the car the next day I stepped on the windshield and it gave way. Cracks had been growing for several years and it was ready to go. We headed towards the capital and stopped and asked about a glass shop at a mechanic shop. The boss knew someone who could help us out and called him up. A young man who had just arrived on a motorcycle offered to show us where to go. We followed him to the shop at the edge of town. Leah and I sat in the citrus orchard behind the shop as they did the work. They offered us some tangerines. When the work was done we drove carefully into town as the glue on the new windshield wouldn't be dry for a few hours. We had a sketchy lunch at "China Intelegente” and walked through gardens around old stone churches partially toppled by earthquakes. Back on the road. Needed to find a Subaru parts dealer to get a new air filter for Mo. Without even trying we drove right past one. Pulled in and the guy gave us a 20% discount. He could tell we'd come a long way! On up the Volcan Poas to find a cool, quiet place to pass the night. We wound up roads into misty forests past fruit stands that sold strawberries, peaches, and plums. We found a lodge at the end of a windy dirt road where they served us garlic fried trout for dinner. They had a cabin up the hill for cheap. We lit the place with candles and hot water came from water pipes in the fireplace. The lights of the central valley flickered several thousand feet below. The next morning we headed up to the top of the volcano to have a look around. We waited as a large tour group entered the park ahead of us. The rangers advised us to come back on a clearer day as it wasn't worth the fee to come in and look at a bunch of clouds. Down the volcano we went. On to Puntarenas where we passed the night in an air conditioned shoebox. Caught the ferry over to the Nicoya Peninsula early the next morning. People threw cheesy poofs to the sea birds from the top deck. We landed on the peninsula after a half an hour at sea, and then drove a few steamy hours to the town of Nicoya. Got a glass of fresh squeezed OJ out of a large self-serve igloo cooler at an herb shop. Down to the beach at Nosara. We went to a hotel where we hoped to meet Heather and Tom, a couple of friends from Colorado. They weren't there, but we settled in to the place just fine. The waves looked great but my ear infection was rebounding and I did not feel like going in the water. Went for a long walk on the beach instead, looking in tide pools and collecting shells. Did some yoga. A huge thunderstorm rolled in. The marvelous cooling rain began lightly and slowly progressed to a full downpour. We finally fled the beach for fear of being struck by lightning. Nice to run around in the rain again! The rain sent the orange and purple land crabs into a flurry of activity. They scuttled into the corners of every room and many fell in the swimming pool. We checked out the small town the next day. A few shops, restaurants, hotels, churches, and groceries lined the dirt main street. In the center of town were a soccer field and the end of the landing strip. It is much easier to get places by plane around here. It's a half hour flight or a 7 hour drive to San Jose! We got in touch with Heather and Tom and agreed to meet at Mal Pais on the Southern tip of the peninsula. The next day we took a fabulous drive on a jeep road down the undeveloped coast. We saw a mother riding horseback with her kitchen apron still on. Made a few stream crossings. Caught glimpses of the rugged cliffed and coved coast line. We caught up with Heather and Tom in time for a short walk on the beach and dinner at an Italian restaurant. The meal was fabulous. They squeezed fresh lime for Tom's margarita and Leah's lasagna was made on the spot, not cut from a pan. My head was feeling worse and worse, and my antibiotics ran out in the morning. I decided to catch the next flight out to get home and get my ear taken care of. I wasn't scheduled to leave for another week, but it just wasn't fun anymore. My kayak was too fat to fit on the 12 seat plane, so I left it with Tom and Heather who agreed to drive it to San Jose on their rental car and take it home for me. After the half hour flight to San Jose, I caught a taxi to an affordable hotel in Alejuela. The Costa Rica National Championship soccer game was in Alejuela that night. As I walked to dinner, I passed a bar full of policemen leaning over chairs watching the game. When Alejuela won, fireworks blasted for a solid hour. All night I heard cars drive by honking, full of drunken fans singing and yelling. I got on the plane home the next morning. |
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