We did cross the border into Costa Rica on Friday the 13th. It was another hot, slow and corrupt border crossing. We paid $100US in bribes and fees (mostly bribes). On our way to the border, we were on a road which was extremely pot holed, so Tommy was playing "dodge the pothole". All of a sudden we were stopped by the Nicaraguan police, who wanted to fine us for zig zaging on the road! Due to my limited Spanish, this took a while to understand. While this was sinking in, the police stopped a Nicaraguan car and told them they were going to be fined; the Nicaraguan started arguing fiercely. Accordingly, we too gained some courage and start complaining about the "carretara muy mal". The police had enough of our act, and waved us onward. Hey, a minor victory is still a victory!
About 60 miles (or was it kilometers? can't remember) from the border we arrived in Liberia, a modest-sized town, where we stopped to go to a bank and grocery store. I found myself wimpering with joy, as I entered the air conditioned, modern grocery store with everything I could ever want! Boy, I guess it has been a while! Lovely! We stayed that night in a "decommissioned RV park" (whatever that means), and the next day drove down to the beach.
It was really too hot for us at the beach. After a few refreshments, we headed up into the highlands. As we drove into the Laguna del Arenal area, we were flabbergasted at the beauty and tranquility. We only stopped for a drink, and ended up spending the weekend there. This also happened to be the weekend of the local festival, much of it right in front of our hotel. That was great fun! One of the main parts of the festival was a "tope", a horse parade up and down the main street. The fancier riders got their horses to prance and dance. After several hours of this (mind you, refreshments were plentiful), the horses and festival goers went down the hill to the bull ring plaza, where there were lots of food stands, a merry-go-round, etc. etc., as well as the bull fight (for which we didn't stay). Lots of local color!
The town of Arenal felt good to us, with the right mix of gringos and ticos (as the Costa Ricans are called, and this nickname isn't derrogatory). The lake is incredibly beautiful, and there are lots of artists around. So on Sunday, we looked at land and houses for sale. Nothing was quite right. To jump ahead: we returned this weekend to look some more, and this time we did see two different parcels, either of which could work for us. We aren't going to put in an offer because we first want to see what Panama has to offer. But gosh, it is beautiful here!
In between the two weekends, we stayed in the San Antonio de Belen RV trailer park; this is right outside of San Jose, the capital. The park is run by a transplanted Californian, and its guests were either German or Californians (not just us). One of the Californians wants to return to Yuba City, which should be an indicator of how much time we have spent with him. One of the German couples had had their camper van shipped to North America and they had been travelling for almost a year. They were ready to finish their trip and go back home, had paid their passage (including the car), and had confirmed reservations on a freighter (this costs about 5,000 euros, one-way). The day of boarding, they were told that there was no room on the ship for them because the freighter was full of mangoes; perhaps there would be room on the next ship in two weeks. And they have no recourse! Life in the second world!
During our time in Belen, we got TwoBaby's papers sorted out. He first had to see a vet, get another shot, and then the vet had his papers verified and stamped by the Minister of Agriculture. We took those papers to the Minister of the Exterior, where they were stamped and signed. Then we went to the Panamaian Embassy, where the papers were stamped, signed and verified or some such bullshit. To do our part, we had to go into San Jose, which we found quite unfriendly and a bit too rough for our tastes, so once our business was finished, we took a local bus back to Belen.
This last week, the electricity has been cut three times for several hours each time. Apparently these were planned cuts, but no one around us seemed to know that. We have been told that the electricity company is doing this due to shortages, or, alternatively, in preparation for a rate hike.
We have been lucky so far with regard to the roads: they have been pretty good. And, contrary to Nicaragua, there is very little roadside trash (Nicaragua was terrible in this regard). As you drive around, periodically you see the following painted on the road surface: a square, and in the square is a heart with a halo. We were told this was a reminder to wear your seat belts, which you surely need here. The number one cause of death in Costa Rica is road accidents!
Our plan is to return to Belen tomorrow, and then on Tuesday, go to Pete and Mary Jo's house near Dominical, after which we will make our way to the border. Tommy's goal has been to get to Panama by the end of April so we should meet that goal (fingers crossed!).
Talk to you soon!
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