Wednesday, my objective was to bike from Nicoya to Playa Hermosa where some friends offered to host me for a while. I was so tired the night before that I fell asleep before 8pm, so I woke up shortly after 5am. I packed, checked emails, but wasn’t feeling like eating at that early hour so I was on the road a bit before 6am. It is nice to get such an early start in the cool morning air. I was almost chilly the first hour, and I tend to look around a lot more when I’m not trying to keep my face out of the intense sun.
It was interesting to be out so early. There was some traffic on the road, but if I had any ideas of stopping for breakfast in an hour or two I was out of luck because nothing was open. The cool air was really nice though. I had also been warned to get an early start because it was expected to be windy in the afternoon. I could already feel the wind picking up by 7am. This is unusual because this is not the season for wind.
The time went by, the miles went by, the sun became higher, and the wind got stronger and stronger. Thankfully there was only a few spots where I was facing it head on. Most of the time it was partly or fully from the side and at least the terrain was quite flat. I listened to Seven Years in Tibet on my MP3, and his account of escaping from a prison camp in India by trekking through deadly cold conditions in the Himalayas, often with minimal food, that made my heat and saddle soreness seem quite insignificant.
Today was a 50 mile day which went very well, but the last few miles were the most challenging. As I got close to my destination the road began to climb, and climb, and climb while I was hot and tired. Another cyclist gave me a big cheer of encouragement, not knowing that I just walked the last section. But, eventually I reached the top but then faced a really intense downhill. I took it a bit slowly and checked my bike part way down, and my rims were too hot to touch. I waited a while until they were cooler and the discovered, thankfully, that I was very close to my destination. The directions to my friends’ house were excellent and I didn’t have any trouble finding them.
There was a great reward at the end of the day – good friends, a very comfortable house, and even a pool!
I can’t believe I have made it to the other side of Costa Rica! The plan now is to rest for a day at my friends’ house. Then I will bus to the border rather than risk a need to spend the night in a rather remote area. Once at the border I bike into Nicaragua to Rivas and catch a ferry to Ometepe Island, my destination! I am really excited.
The Panama Adventure 
Reblogged this on FindingMySelfinPanama and commented:
On the 4th of July Kris will be in Ometepe, Nicaragua and I will be in Boquete with friends cheering her accomplishments! I’m very proud of her as you may well imagine.
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Gracias, mi amor š
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i’ve been unable to comment b/c of slow connections, but this one came thru great. you’ve been peddling thru the area that i know well, and i am so proud of you!!!
you surely know to wear your repellent and be real careful b/c of dengue and chikungunya.. if you’re ometepe bound, that means you’ll be seeing our debbie and ron! enjoy your break, you deserve it! hoo-rah, i only wish i were there to cheer you on your way. z
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Thank you! Yes, I will be staying with Debbie and Ron (and they have warned me about the importance of bug repellant). You are cheering me on, and I really appreciate it!
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when i saw that you were crossing on the ferry, i was so happy that the post opened, photos and all. once when i reached puntarenas, the ferry was just abotu to leave, and they let me on… i went upstairs, just like you did, and i admired the islands just like you did, and then we veered west …. oh no, i was on the wrong ferry! the drive to where i lived was about an hour longer than the other, but i enjoyed seeing the new scenery!
you’re in a lovely area – have fun and enjoy it before heading to the frontera!
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Oh my goodness, congratulations! You’re almost there! Please give our best to Debbie. We have never met her but feel like we know her in the “blog” sense.
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I know, I can’t believe it. I am going to bE so excited to pedal across the border and into Nicaragua! Debbie is every bit as cool in person as she is in the blog sense, and one of these days you will have to visit her and the magical place she lives.
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Wow! So close you can taste it! I can’t wait to hear the incredible stories that you were’t able to post. Big cheers and much love from David!
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I know! I am excited! I think I have been posting most of the news but who knows what little things I may have overlooked.
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Fantastic, you are doing great and are so close to your final destination! How cool is that the oxen working next to heavy equipment are not even spooked? Take care and rest up!
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Thank you. I am excited!
I haven’t seen many oxen at work so that was interesting. That’s one of those reasons for taking the bike because I would have missed it on a bus.
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Reblogged this on Chapter 3: Loving Retirement in Panama and commented:
My friend, Kris, lives in David and is biking to Nicaragua. Great job Kris
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Thanks!
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Yea!!! I’ll be watching for you when you are on the ferry. Ron’s cleaning the casita and I’m making lasagna. Can’t wait to see you! Hugs.
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You make the best lasagna! And the casita is such a nice place to stay. Thank you both:)
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You’re doing great, Kris! You deserve a nice rest once you reach your destination, which isn’t all that far away now. And wow, there will be homemade lasagna waiting!
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I made it, and the lasagna was awesome!
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Fantastic! And good job!
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Thanks š
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