We have been sitting around enjoying the sights and attractions of Jaco for a few days and decided it was time for the next adventure. Last year we did a trip to the Nicoya peninsula by rental car and thought
The trip can be made on roads via bridge at Puente Amistad or by ferry from Puntarenas. There are two ferry's out of Puntarenas, one transits to Naranjo and one crosses to Paquera. There is one that goes to Montezuma but is passenger only and wont carry vehicles.An 8 O'clock start got us to Puntarenas in time to make any choices we wanted. We opted for the 10 O'clock to Naranjo,it would put us on a counter clockwise loop around the peninsula ending up at Paquera as our departure point.
The ferry ride over was to early for the services to be open, we usually found snacks water and beer sold on the ferry this time we wanted for water.When we got off it was a short distance to many choices for food and drinks. The road to the city of Nicoya has a stretch of gravel that can get dusty if it has a lot of traffic we stopped for a burger just before the gravel and watered up.
We had been up north to Tamarindo in the rental car and decided that this trip was going to be more outback oriented so headed west at Nicoya for Samara, good paved roads with incredible vistas and restaurant stops along the way.
At Samara we got lodging at a hotel and did a walk about after a dip in the pool. We arrived about 4 O'clock and had plenty of time to catch the sunset. We have been here long enough that the declination of the sun has changed so much that we cant get a sunset over the water unless we go up north. A very cool geography lesson.
When we checked out the desk clerk tried a bait and switch with the bill. All transactions are aimed at a scam! He offered a cash discount of 35 dollars if we paid in cash, which he would have pocketed, or the more expensive if we paid by credit card. After a heated conversation he decided that he could extend the cheaper price on the credit card, which was what we negotiated the evening before with the staff at the desk.
I cant imagine what a hassle it must be for business owners to collect there fees with employees that pocket anything they can steal.A few conversations with employers indicate that a common practice is to fire everyone on a regular basis, then renegotiate the rehire, or weed out the ones that can be expected to steal the least.
This day was to be a trip over gravel roads with notorious wet river crossings. The maps that are available get out dated quickly because the rainy season changes the roads and the crossings, Local knowledge is valuable and asking before committing to the wet is a good idea. Its also smart to walk a river before you wet your wheels. The tracks you see going into a river and coming out might be before the change in the river bottom topography.
We had an incident at our first crossing that covered all that advice. While we were reversing our course to backtrack and investigate any alternatives a 4 wheel drive with locals in it came up and talked to us. While we were discussing some options an old man came up and said we could cross his land for a couple of dollars(1000 colonies) the bike could go for free. We let him know that if this didn't pan out we knew where he lived and would be back. He got his bribe opened the gate and we were on our way, a kilometer down the trail we came to the river crossing. We let the 4 wheeler get wet first, it was a triple wet threat with two islands, the last splash being about a hundred feet across. On the last crossing we had water above the foot pegs and the bottom got soft,two up on skinny tires and knee deep in water was a challenge for the bike and me. On the exit side the goat trail went steep and the 4 wheeler was having trouble with traction, spinning wheels bucking and spitting rocks. I thought I had given him enough lead time but found myself in the position of loosing momentum with no way of passing him in this narrow chute. If I had to stop we would have to retrace our way to the river and start again, that was when the torque of the KLR really payed off, it pulled from a grunt like a mule leaning into a plow. I was inches from his bumper as he clawed up that chute and passed him as the pinch point widened. In my youth I had occasion to be involved in a couple of ISDT qualifiers, this was that kind of terrain.We later found out that this was last years route and all the smart ones don't go through the old mans property.
At the next crossing we opted to go upstream and search for a shallow forde, which worked well for us. We had about 10 crossings that day most were uneventful. One that looked easy pitched us into a ditch that would have put my dick in the dirt if T had not launched her weight to the high side. It would have been a 2 MPH dump and she was looking to get on top of the bike if it went to dirt,her move gave me back the advantage on the center of gravity and we could back out of the ditch and proceed.
This was a great motorcycle experience, enduro type terrain, single track, 4 wheeler roads, river crossings, steep and deep, not passable in the rainy season. We did it two up, at the end of the day T said it was the only ride she had ever been on that she was relieved when it was over. It was performing without a safety net. Like I said before I would rather be lucky than good.
At Mal Pais (translate bad land) we found lodging and kicked back. Sunset was beautiful and beers were cold. Mal Pais is one of the great surfer destinations in the world. I don't surf but this town and break really makes you want to learn.
The rest of the trip was to the ferry at Paquera and back to Puntarenas. This time the ferry ride was more party atmosphere. the snack stand was open and we had a good time and conversations with other travelers.
Home again home again jiggidy jig, back to base and plan the next step.
