I was sad to leave Boca Chica this morning because the place is so beautiful and I would have loved to have spent an additional night however, Jacqui arrives to meet me in Tulum in Mexico on the 13th so I have to get through all of Central America by then and therefore I have limited time.
Central America is quite a small area although occupied by 7 countries excluding Mexico. Each country as a result is therefore only a few hundred kilometres long and wide and therefore blasting through them in a day is achievable although not what I would like to do as it defeats the purpose of a trip like this!
My 400km Days Ride..
The ride to the border took a little over an hour and then I had to deal with more of the Panamanian bureaucratic bullshit of immigration and customs. The idiot at immigration EXIT asks if I have a yellow fever card?! I explain I am LEAVING panama so I’m not sure what the relevance is at this late stage but I have one to show him if he insists? He does! Moron! Whilst Panama itself is quite pretty and Casco Viejo is being beautifully uplifted I wont be hurrying back there! Its amazing how a country is often perceived by the quality of ones visit. All of this said, my entry into Costa Rica was like a breath of fresh air scented with Lilies! I was in and out of immigration and customs within 15 minutes (including a little desk that sold the compulsory insurance right at customs!!) and was warmly greeted and sent on my way.
Lunch break!!
Costa Rica is SUPER beautiful and like I stepped onto another planet relative to Panama notwithstanding that they are neighbours. I made a lunch stop at a remote little place along the coast and looked up and saw a tree full of red, yellow and blue Macaws making a racket! I am definitely in the rain forest!! The entire ride north was through lush jungle along the coast. Road conditions were primarily good and I am spending the night at a hotel called Villa Caletas in Central Costa Rica which is set high up on a mountain top overlooking the pacific and is a hidden gem! This is a place I would definitely love to spend an extra night at however for the reasons mentioned above I have to get back on the road tomorrow and I am heading to Granada on lake Nicaragua in Nicaragua so have another border post to do. I will however be spending Friday and Saturday night there to get some rest and some laundry done!
All 3 images above are at Hotel Villa Caletas..
Herman (Rokie on WD Forum)
May 7, 2013 at 6:14 am
My wife and I share the same birthday (6 June) and we shared it at Villa Caletas in 2005. We didn’t stay over – just went there for sundowners – we lived near Jaco at the time.
What a special place. What great memories!!