After leaving Cahuita -- and the puppies and colt, :( -- it was off into the rain. It had to happen eventually, and if you're not going to ride in the rain you may as well not get on a motorcycle. I rode to La Fortuna, at the base of the Arenal Volcano, hoping to get a glimpse of the mountain. Alas, it was not to be that day. The mountain was (as the other times I have been through here, covered in clouds. So instead, I found a great massage for 1 1/2 hours and relaxed. You will find this a recurring theme of my trips... sitting on a bike for hours takes a toll on the back and backside. Need to rub out them kinks !
I stayed at a mediocre hotel (Las Palmas) which would have been fine except for the Fricken Chicken that decided that I had had enough sleep by 5 am and proceeded to show me just what his vocal chords were capable of. After contemplating the many ways to make chicken soup, I was on the road before 7.
April 20
The weather cooperated this time . It was a beautiful day and I got a great view of the volcano.
I also had a fantastic ride through the countryside from La Fortuna to the Nicaragua border.
Random Thoughts (This will be a new occasional section just to share some of my thinking, as opposed to activities, on the trip).
This trip is starting out very different from my South American adventure, at least in terms of my thinking. South America was a totally new adventure. While I had been there before for business, riding a bike around the continent was going to be a venture into the unknown. This trip is starting out different: I've ridding through Central America twice before and many of the roads that I'll be taking and places I will visit are familiar. There's something that I enjoy about this familiarity (such as having some favorite places to re-visit) but there's not the same feeling of the unknown. I'm sure there will be adventures and new experiences, but it's not quite the same.
I'm really looking forward to Mexico because while I've been there many times for business and a few times to tourist resort areas I haven't really explored the country. After that, of course, I'll be in the US and Canada. I really don't know how I'll deal with having to speak English all the time!
The border crossing into Nicaragua at Peñas Blancas was a snap. Only one hour for both Costa Rica and Nicaraguan customs. Then it was on to Granada, a beautiful colonial town (and major tourist destination). This is my fourth time here, so there we go with the familiarity issue. I stayed at the Oasis Hostal, a very nice place (as hostals go) with a swimming pool. I enjoy staying in hostals, as long as I can get a private room, because it's so much easier to meet people than it is in "regular" hotels.
Since the last time I was in Granada they've developed a whole area that's a pedestrian street filled with restaurants and bars. My first discovery was the Mombacho cigar factory. I had a Cuban cigar with me, which seemed to give me some credibility with the manager as a serious cigar aficionado. He invited me in to meet one of the owners and we had a nice conversation and smoke.
Then I was walking along the street and I was literally kidnapped by a couple of mimes! They picked me up, put me on a stool, and carried me over to a table filled with a couple of other gringos. We ended up having a few beers and watching the mime show in a local cabaret. The group was started to give street kids some skills, and trains them in mime, acting, juggling, etc.
So, it turned out my "familiar" stop in Granada still had some adventures in store for me.
The next day I rode to Laguna de Apoyo, and spent a relaxing day sitting around the lake.
Life is tough!
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