Dancing Saddle

Today would be my last day in Nicaragua and it was with a heavy heart that I departed for Costa Rica. It was only 35 kilometers to the border, mostly flat and paralleled the renowned Lago Cocibolca and Ometepe. The roads continued to be well suited for riding and I made swift progress to the border. About ten kilometers from the border, I came across the tail of the queue of trucks waiting to cross the border. I observed a few drivers getting up to a few shenanigans with regards to their petrol tanks.

Lago Cocibolco

Luckily, I could skip past all the motorized vehicles and I rapidly arrived at the Nicaraguan side of the border. Immigration went pretty smoothly, regrettably the same could not be said for customs. The two ladies manning the station mostly ignored me except for insisting I remove all my bags and send it through the X-ray machine. I tried protesting but they promptly ignored me. It was a hassle getting nearly all the bags off and sending them through. I was very distracted with my bike and bags so I didn’t notice my laptop slip through the gap between X-ray machine and the out-feed table. While retrieving my laptop form the ground, I gave them a dirty look. During the repack I observed how they barely glanced at the screen for anyone’s luggage.

Trucks waiting in the kilometers long line to cross the border. My most annoying border crossing, having to unpack all my panniers and covered in mud.

I took my time repacking my bike as it had started to rain and I took time to mentally reset. My Nicaraguan sim card still work so it was a pretty good place to wait out the weather. Eventually the rain became a light drizzle and I made my way to the Costa Rican side of the border. I left my bike just outside where I could see it. I got stamped in and half mumbled about my bike. The immigration agent’ answer was a bit ambiguous, so I decided to skip customs and save myself any issues.

Waiting for the rain to dry between borders. Ducle de leche toffees? Yes please.

I had booked a place to stay that night in Playa Copal, but I soon realized I wouldn’t get anywhere close. I pretty much put my head down and cycled as the rain started to come down all around me. I had to stop for a while as the terrain was hilly and the rain became more intense. The approaching dark forced me to continue and I raced to the nearest town of La Cruz.  Soaking wet and drenched in rain, it was near impossible to use my phone and I had to shelter at a gas station until I could use my phone.

Tandem touring bike with a cart from the German couple that arrived the night before after I did. The breathtaking view from the hotel restuarant when it is not cloudy and rainy.

There were a few hotels just around the corner and I chose the friendliest looking one. It took a moment to find someone to help me but once I did, I appreciated their hospitality. It was a very comfortable place and ate dinner there before exhaustion overwhelmed me. I crawled out of bed that morning to be greeted by a tandem touring bike in reception. I found the owners of the bike at breakfast. There are a German couple that have been cycling all over the world. It is amazing what they have done and I had so much respect for them and avidly listened to their stories.

The German couple that are tandem bikepacking around the world. Once I saw this sign, I was on the constant look out.

They departed before me and I lingered longer than I should have before doing the same. It was cool and overcast and the flat roads surrounded by jungle meant I had a wonderful time until the rain set in. When the downpour begun, my only option was an informal bus shelter. Thor also decided to make an appearance, so this would be my shelter for the foreseeable future. I opened up my camp chair and read my kindle while having droplets continue to fall on me. At the same time, I was horrified to observe how many drivers were driving while looking at their phones in the pouring rain.

My little reading knook while waiting for the rain to clear. When it wasn’t raining I thoroughly enjoyed the journey.

The rain cleared just enough for me to keep going. I got as far as El Cocobolo which is a restaurant and rest house. I was soaking wet and needed some good food and a break. They had set up for a wedding that evening but were still serving lunch. I gobbled up the most divine beef consommé. Two French ladies arrived and they were going to stay the night. Five minutes later I heard a shriek. They had found a snake in the room. It turned out to be a harmless rat snake but I had a great time helping remove the snake. Even though I only had about 20 kilometers to Liberia, I was exhausted and tired of being of being constantly wet. The rain went from almost nothing to downpour in mere minutes.

If you cold and rain soaked this beef broth is the cure. My room mate for the night.

At the point I decided to take it easy and stay the night. I had the dual benefit of getting the room that had the snake and got to watch a Costa Rican wedding. And yes, I checked the rest of the room to make sure there were no more creepy critters. The relief of an early finished and being clean and dry was absolutely worth it. At dinner I could watch the wedding. The dress style reminded me of a ninety’s prom night.

A Costa Rican wedding. The flood ravaged Costa Rican landscape.

I quickly made it to Liberia with some slip streaming from some local riders. Again, the rain came and by this point I had had enough of being constantly wet. A couple of days break before resuming to ride was probably the best idea. The decision turned out to be for the best as the next day the rain poured again. It was hard to describe how soul destroying the constant rain was but taking the day off helped rejuvenate me.

For 20 minutes of riding I could coast behind these two guys. This dulce de leche cookie absolutely hit the sweet tooth.

The next stop was the town of Canas. And to the surprise of no one there was a lot more rain. It turned out to be one of the worst rainy seasons that Costa Rica has experienced in a while. There were flood and mudslides warning throughout the country. I ended up taking another day in Canas to wait out the rain. My original plan was to cycle inland through the mountains so San Jose but considering all the warnings about mud slides I decided it was safer to stick to the coastal road.

A mural made out of broken tiles on the church in Canas. These pies were cheap and delicious.

To no ones surprise the ride to Punta Arenas was another one with constant rain. To my surprise though was the lack of shoulder and I took on the day with trepidation. The constant bombardment of close by vehicles was unnerving. To make matters worse to find accommodation was also a challenge and I ended up on the outskirts of Punta Arenas after dark with no way to use my phone because I couldn’t dry my fingers.

Another long wet and rainy day on the roads of Costa Rica. Thankfully there were many street side restaurants.

Eventually I found a place to stay but it was over ten kilometers and it was fully dark by now. A small win is that the road was mostly well lit and the rain had finally abated. Pulling up to the hotel gate the old man at reception let me in. For a moment he just stared at me before helping me. And then took a while to decide which room to give me. There I was standing in front of him water dripping water coating the floor and all I desperately wanted was a shower and dry towel. Once I did get it, I felt much better and spent some time hanging out with the old guy and some of his friends.

I got to see all the damage as i cycled to the bus terminal.

The next morning, I got woken up by the pouring rain. I opened the door to see water covering the parking lot in front of me. At that point I knew I was done. I had had enough. I needed a long break. Not sure how long but just to be dry and multi days of just being in a place even if its just time spending time in a café and reading. I spoke to the manager at reception and I was able to figure out how to catch the bus to San Jose. In a moment of beautiful irony there was not a drop of rain riding towards the bus station but the damage was evident everywhere.

More flooding and the river about to over flow its banks.