Las Lajas-Santiago: Steep mountains & hot sun

Up in the mountains

Saturday January 21, 2012, 120 km (75 miles) – Total so far: 806 km (501 miles)

A long stretch without any accomodation possibility, so we already started in the dark at 6am. The early mornings provide you with fresh air and it`s hard to believe how hot it gets during the day. As soon as we reached the main road (still the Panamericana) the road began to climb up into the mountains.

„Las Lajas-Santiago: Steep mountains & hot sun“ weiterlesen

Gualaca-Las Lajas: Panamericana here we come

Panamericana

Friday January 20, 2012, 98 km (61 miles) – Total so far: 686 km (426 miles)

We`ve been on the road at 7am. There wasn`t too much traffic and not too much climbs,( they call them „lomos“ here ) this morning, so we took it easy looking for a possibility to have breakfast. As it was early, everything was still closed and we ate some cookies to have someting in our stomach.

„Gualaca-Las Lajas: Panamericana here we come“ weiterlesen

Punta Peña-Gualaca: Crossing the Cordillera

Starting in the rain

Thursday January 19, 2012, 71 km (44 miles) – Total so far: 588 km (365 miles)

We started early in the morning at 5:40am in the dark. Though the lights of my bike are really good, for my wife Anette found it kind of weird to cycle into the jungle in the dark and she said she considerd it quite scary.
But at 6:30am daylight began and she was happy. Almost at the same time it began to rain and it developped into constant, heavy rain that wouldn`t stop for houers. Our rain jackets are of good quality but after hours of heavy rain they gave up their resistence and left us all wet inside…. We had a breakfast break beside the road, pulled off our shirts and wrapped our cambodian Khmer scarfs around us putting the shirt on again.

„Punta Peña-Gualaca: Crossing the Cordillera“ weiterlesen

Almirante-Punta Peña: Still climbing

Road to Punta Pena

Wednesday January 18, 2012, 75 km (47 miles) – Total so far: 517 km (321 miles)

It wasn`t really hard to say good-bye to Almirante, and so we got back on the road very early heading for Punta Peña. The road continued like it ended yesterday, with constantly and often steep climbs. In between, we met two german girls also biking and they were going just the other direction towards Boca de Toros.

„Almirante-Punta Peña: Still climbing“ weiterlesen

Puerto Viejo to Almirante: Crossing the border to Panama

Way to the border

Tuesday January 17, 2012, 90 km (56 miles) – Total so far: 442 km (275 miles)

The way to the border was dominated by huge banana plantationes. Incredible how much man power is still involved in the harvest of the fruits. We passed many factories which mainly give a good impression of how hard that work is.Moving the fruits after picking them, packing and loading them – everything handmade.

„Puerto Viejo to Almirante: Crossing the border to Panama“ weiterlesen

Moin-Puerto Viejo: Caribean feelings

Getting out of Moin,you can see all the containers ship providing the world with bananas

Sunday January 15, 2012, 70 km (43 miles) – Total so far: 352 km (219 miles)

A nice trip, always along the coast with the sea nearby. We could see and hear the big waves rolling against the shore. The weather was not quite good, infact, we started in the poaring rain. The only good thing about it here is the temperature- it’s still so warm,that even if you get wet, you won’t get a cold.

„Moin-Puerto Viejo: Caribean feelings“ weiterlesen

Turrialba-Moin: Up and down and a highway to hell

On the way to Moin

Friday January 13, 2012, 105 km (65 miles) – Total so far: 282 km (175 miles)

It began all so nice: Leaving Turrialba early in the morning the road was going down for at least 5 km we hardly had to pedal at all! But the end of the downhill turned out to be a tough climb of almost 50km until the junction of the main road leading to Puerto Limon. Again altogether 1000m upwards in the end.
„Turrialba-Moin: Up and down and a highway to hell“ weiterlesen