Our crossing into Costa Rica was uneventful, just time consuming. Buying insurance is a requirement unlike other countries. $20 for a three month period. The next problem that we incur is the fact that our debit cards, by virtue of their chip are not accepted in Costa Rica, anywhere regardless of bank. Luckily we took out enough U.S. money in Nicaragua to see us thru to the next border. we stayed in Liberia for the night, giving us a chance to catch up on e-mails and laundry. The guest house ,Hospedaje Casa Viejo, was nice, with a communal kitchen and big space in the backyard to relax. They had secure parking a half block away for the bikes.
Because of our debit card and time crunch problems we decided to blast thru Costa Rica and give it more time on the way back. The Pan-american highway is smooth and fast thru to San Jose including a new toll highway.We decided to stop in San Jose for a bite to eat and I noticed that my temperature light came on. I checked to make sure my fan was coming on and that i had coolant. Both checks were positive and have not had an issue since. After San Jose we started to climb higher and higher into the mountains. Breathtaking views abound here and the roads allows us to see things without having to be totally focused on the road. Early in Nov. Costa Rica had 5-6 days of steady rain causing landslides and the undermining of several roads.We noticed driving thru Costa Rica that the only thing holding back all that fertile soil is the vegetation. Every so often the remnents of a prior slide are present on the side of the road including massive rocks. An hour out of San Jose we were stopped by a clean-up crew on a landslide and had to wait for over an hour and a half before proceeding.
As we get higher into the mts. the mist and rain gets heavier. We are now soaked to the skin with the next major town 50kms away(1 1/2hrs.) the mist gets so heavy that seeing what is in front is almost impossible. We followed behind several transport trucks making passing on the winding roads a big risk. Carol and I stopped on the side of the road and strategized options. We decide to proceed with me in the lead, Carol following closely behind because shoulder and center lines are no longer visible due to the mist. We made it as far as San Isidro and found a motel to dry out.
We know a section ahead has been washed out on the Pan-American, so we found an alternative route by way of the coast. At one intersection on the highway, a fruit vendor had a troop of raccoon like animals begging for bananas. Carol bought a bunch of bananas and started doling them out to the laughter of all the people that gathered at the stand. There were also small monkeys that wanted bananas but didn't want to leave the trees. They were pretty amazing to see as they hung from leaves while trying to grab the offered fruit. More detours around sunken roadways followed as we made our way to the border. It's hard to rationalize why anyone would build a house on nothing but topsoil knowing it could slide at any point.
Todays border crossing was organized but lengthy, needing to buy Panamanian insurance as well as fumigation. The silver lining in the length of stay was the fact that we avoided an 1 1/2hr torrential downpour, the likes of which I have never seen before.( Insert foreshadowing here).Our waterproof duffel bags failed the test. Fumigation was $1/bike and insurance for a month was $15/bike. We made it as far as David, third largest city in Panama and home to many e-pats from all over the world.