Page 39: - No Return Ticket - Just a Ride Report /w Pics - From the beginning
Costa Rica:
Unreal, my older sister Cassie e-mailed me and wants to fly down to Costa Rica for spring break. Super, I jump on the bike and ride off to Liberia to pick her up at the airport. This should be fun.
I got on the road early so I would have time to stop for a few photos along the way and have time to attempt a repair on that missing foot peg problem I have. I stop at a small ferretería (hardware store). The owner of the store gets involved as soon as I explained my problem. Another guy at the store also helps. I look at the foot peg, I look at he duct tape and say “necesito poco madera” (I need a small piece of wood)
The owner of the shop is on it. He tells me to wait then comes back with a piece of rubber tubing. I proceed to assist him in doing the repair. It worked perfect. The tape should help hold it in place. This is fun....
He tests it out. We are both happy.
I arrive at the airport in Liberia. My sister is electric. She is telling everyone that her brother is picking her up in Costa Rica with his Harley. The crowd cheers.
We instantly reminisce about when I was 14 and flew out to visit her at school in AZ. I’ll never forget that time. While hitchhiking to California Cassie taught me that you don’t give bikers a traditional wave, instead you give them a type of finger solute ;) Later that year when school was over she gave me her Suzuki motorcycle, my first bike. That for sure started my ‘thirst’ for two-wheeled adventure. What a sister.
We are off. We ride through the jungle toward the Pacific coast, Samara beach.
Cassie, Heidi and I had a blast. Basically we did what Heidi and I normally do, exercise, enjoy the beach scene and have a good time. I am one lucky dude…..
Semana Santa (Easter week) is the best week to be in Latin America. Locals fill the beach and there’s a lot of activity happening everywhere.
Music, sun, sand, surf and pina coladas, what’s not to like?
We have been hearing monkeys all week but they haven’t been in the neighborhood. Early on Easter Sunday a family moved into the mango trees at the hotel and began to feast. What a treat.
The monkey’s ate and ate throwing mangos everywhere. Then they all just picked a branch and slept with their arms and legs hanging down.
Cassie fly’s out of San Jose. We try to take a bus ride there the day before her flight, but the bus running from Samara to San Jose was full. This is the Monday after Easter and one of the busiest travel days for Ticos. Plan B, we take a Taxi to Nicoya and try to buy a ticket to San Jose, all full. We take another taxi to a highway that leads directly to San Jose. There we hope to jump on any bus going to San Jose. After at least 4 full buses pass us one finally stops and lets us on. Standing room only but at least we are on our way to San Jose.
We get a room at the Plaza hotel then proceed to enjoy the city. We zigzag around on foot for hours then end at an open air restaurant right on the plaza. What a good time. Downtown San Jose, Costa Rica. Don’t miss it.
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We will miss Barracuda and the village of Samara. Tomorrow Heidi and I are on the road heading toward Panama. On the way we will again attempt to ride to Monteverde cloud forest then tour around the lake Arenal area. We hope to do some jungle hiking and hopefully see volcano Arenal spew some lava at night.
The Ride Continues……..
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Continued: ---> Update 40 <----->