dilly, dally, dolly......back on the bike and into the mountains, after a fun ferry crossing. Fun, because it was Sunday and not only foreign tourists but lots of local tourists were in a happy, singing mood. Besides the actual tunes (back to mexican polka and that is about the only bad mexico experience I can report.) the people were so much fun to be around and everybody had smiles on their faces crossing the Gulf of Nicoya from Paquera to Puntarenas dancing.
The ride along the coast south on the main land confirmed our decision to have spent the past three days on the peninsula: not pretty...strange, because it's the coast of Costa Rica, how can it not be stunningly beautiful? Well, don't know what to tell you, but it ain't!!
Heading into the mountains was something we have been used to, the temperature was right, the surrounding countryside beautiful, the road nice and wide, though busy, but the shoulder gave us plenty of room to ride comfortable while the trucks past us. Of course it was a toll pike - no cyclists allowed and even as we rode - very confident- past the sign with the cyclist crossed out, we had little to worry about. We pushed our bikes past the toll both waving and smiling: all good, no trouble!
We spent the night camped out at the police station in Orotina.
Next day it was up, up, up into San Jose, some 1200 m climb, the air got cooler and dryer and colder.
I didn't have high expectations, but this -wanna- be -big -cosmopolitan town disappointed me never the less. There really is nothing here to speak of.
The truth is, we are spoiled rotten by Mexico and through the physical and the time distance it becomes more and more apparent. My guess is, that Costa Rica shines through it's tourist destinations, the resorts and the beaches I haven't seen and probably won't. I am writing this while still in San Jose and the road will take us to the Caribbean Coast to Limon as soon as our awaited packages have arrived, so, there is still hope to find the beauty everybody is talking about when talking about Costa Rica. The beauty of the country too, but the mexican people are one of a kind and we miss the generosity, curiosity, happy, fun loving, easy connecting and going people we have met there. There was a sense of togetherness as humans a certain equality..... (I know it's hard to believe, but I am telling you!!) Besides the western prices everywhere here in C.R. I also get a sense of "watch out" the friendliness doesn't go very deep here, they'll rip you off for a buck in a relative rich country here in Central America. Maybe the "good and the bad" in Mexico leave a big cap in between them - I, for myself, never experienced the bad.....it seemed like they were looking out for us. Sure don't get that feeling here! I get homesick for Mexico. My view is generalized I do admit, we have been staying with the most generous, warmhearted people here in San Jose you can find on this planet. I do better not comparing, so, I will stop right here.
We still got some miles to go ....we barely have half the trip bagged.
I am ready and my bike feels SO GOOD!
