Cycling with Sally

(We know the video is really bad quality and boring to look at but it's to give you a little insight into our day to day life on the road!)

Although the Costa Rica border seemed rather chaotic, we breezed through with no problems. On the other side of the border there was another 6km line of trucks. However, many of the drivers were prepared by setting up camp under the shade of the truck with their trusty old hammock. Once again, immediately after we crossed into a new country we noted obvious changes. There was less rubbish on the road side, more groomed properties with mowed lawns and colourful flowers, the cost of things were similar to US prices and in general the standard of living could be easily compared to life in New Zealand or Canada. Going into the supermarket, I felt like a kid in a candy store. There were so much more variety and products I hadn't seen since the US and parts of Mexico. It was killer because it was very expensive so all I could do was drool and stick to what I went in for.... porridge, pasta and peanut butter!

Our first night in Costa Rica was with the GATO tribe (couchsurfing). It was a real treat to have a thai meal (in Costa Rica of all places) and marvel at their home they'd built together from scratch. They had some really neat ideas. We just might tuck a few away for safe keeping!

Next we made a beeline to Monteverde where our friend Ellen (who we stayed with in Mexico while learning Spanish) was staying. This town was set in a cloud forest high in the mountains with the only access a precarious dirt road. We opted for leaving our bike on the Panam and busing up. Also, we simply didn't have time to ride up as Ellen was leaving for Mexico the next day. It was so great to see her again. Especially since on this trip we are always moving and meeting new people; it was a treat to meet up with someone we already knew. She said maybe she could meet us at the finishing line in Ushuaia and we thought that would be pretty cool. Anyone else who is interested in doing that please let us know! It was a whirlwind visit to Monteverde. Although there is much to do up there: canopy zip lining, hiking in bioreserves, cheese factory etc. It was all pretty pricey so we jumped back on the bus the next morning and said our farewells to Ellen. I.e. To bus to and from Monteverde cost us in total $8US whereas to simply enter a bioreserve cost $17 each and to do a zip line whosamathingee cost $60 each. Anyway, it was far more entertaining watching the local soccer team trying to play with almost zero visibility, due to the clouds. The cost: PRICELESS! Oooo, just like the Mastercard ad!

The word on the street was that cycling the Panamerican Highway in Costa Rica is at your own peril. Although a more developed nation than previous countries we've been through, more money is spent on social and health needs rather than on improving road conditions. As cyclists, the main problem was there was no shoulder and vehicles were impatient to pass even with oncoming traffic. So the decision to get off the Panamerican seemed sensible. Our first mission was to get to Tilarán, 22Kms from the highway. This should have been a simple one hour cycle allowing us to have a carefree afternoon. Yet, true to our style we found ourselves doing it the hard way. Thinking our plan was fool proof after asking two different people if we were on the right road to Tilarán, we set off on our merry way. Ok, so the road has turned to dirt. That's ok, the guy said it was only for four kilometers before we hit pavement again. Turns out we need to start rewording our questions. Yes indeed this road went to Tilarán but it's not the main highway. You need some kind of serious truck to navigate this trail. It was steep, muddy and slippery and uneven. So we walked, pushed pulled and dragged the bike for the next 20kms. One step forward, two steps back. We even had to cross a river as it had been raining so much. In all honesty, it was a really beautiful route and very quiet. The only vehicle we saw in four hours was a beasty four wheel drive going in the opposite direction. It was at this point when we were told we were on the wrong road and there is a lovely paved road all the way to Tilarán. Next time I guess! It was also pointed out to us that this road was not suitable for our kind of bike. Really!

Once arriving in Tilarán we contacted our host Daniella from couchsurfing. She was good enough to meet me and Big Bird at a corner store while Roland walked for total of 90 minutes looking for our flag pole as it was missing, which we didn't notice until we arrived into Tilarán. Fortunately he found it after much perseverance... “it will be round the next corner, no, the next corner”.

We had a chilled out evening with Daniella and Pucca (her wee dog), spending far too long in the shower washing off layers of dirt and then falling asleep in front of a movie (it wasn't a bad movie, just a tough day). Nighty night! Daniella has a close knit family. It was actually her parent's house where we left our bike to visit Ellen. They not only kept an eye on Big Bird but fed us a typical soda meal* and gave us a ride to the bus station. You couldn't meet nicer people..... the story of our entire trip. We are so blessed!

We decided to go a longer way around towards San Jose (the Capital) which was very scenic, had views of lake and volcano Arsenal, and was much more quiet. There were many ideal and appealing places to have breaks so we did! We even had an espresso coffee. So gourmet and quite the step up from the endless cups of Nescafè we are so accustomed to drinking now. Also, passing through other recent countries our options were generally limited to bus stops surrounded by rubbish which wasn't always conducive to relaxing.

As a rule, along with secondary roads comes steeper hills. We had our work cut out for us the next two days and we also had our fair share of rain. First time we've pulled out our raincoats for cycling in a while. As you have just seen (well heard) from our video, our first night back in the tent since Belize was rather soggy. We found a perfect camping spot in the jungle and a nice flat surface. However once the rain started (and didn't stop) it was the perfect spot for all the water to collect. So we didn't get wet from above but from below. As Roland said, it was literally like a waterbed...... maybe one could say we were camping in style! We still slept reasonably well but I think it would have been quite a different story if it had been cold as well. Wet and cold: not a good combination. This is also the night Roland's trusty MSR stove bit the bullet. After 15 years of faithful service, the stove sprung a leak and the whole stove caught alight. Roland acted quickly and smothered the fire and (due to all the rain) the ground was very damp not allowing the fire to spread. The next country we can buy a MSR stove is Colombia. We thought we could go a couple of weeks without a stove and just improvise our menu. However, we have been kindly donated our host's stove that we are staying with now. Such a generous gift and ever so helpful for us, particularly as it will save us money being able to continue cooking our meals.

We are having a cozy break in the Ramirez household in Alajuela. We found Manuel through SERVAS but have befriended the whole family (Mercedes, Juan, Cecilia, Efrain, and Jafet). They have been very generous with delicious meals, use of the guest suite and computer, and helping us out with fiddly things we need to get sorted. It's been the perfect opportunity to tidy up some loose ends and complete chores that have been nagging at us for ages. For example, rust proofing BOB and the welded bit on our frame and attending to a back log of emails. Sounds boring doesn't it? We have also made the decision to fly from Panama to Colombia rather than go by boat. It's gonna be a bit of work disassembling the bike to ensure it meets the airline's requirements but doable. Now it's just a matter of deciding which city in Colombia to fly into: Cartagena, Medellin or Bogotá. The boat option did sound appealing but we are not sure if we are in the right head space to totally appreciate the ride, also it's raining a lot these days and it's more expensive than flying. We also remembered that back in 2000 we did a sailing trip around some Greek Islands for 5 days with the bus tour we were on so let's stick to the cycling for now.

San Jose and the surrounding area (including Alajuela) are set in the central valley highlands, so we are about 1000 meters up from sea level and it's amazing what a difference it makes. We are thoroughly enjoying not breaking out in sweat and wearing pants for a change. We spent a day in the big city with Manuel and simply did lots of walking, checking out used book and clothing stores, people watching, sampling various snacks* that are special to Costa Rica, having a bit of fun dressing up in matching hats and finishing off the day watching Robin Hood at the movies.

Finally, this is where we had some parts for our bike sent from Co Motion (our bike company in the US) after our “out of this world” experience in Honduras (see past blog). We have been so impressed with the guys at Co Motion and can't say enough nice things about them. We would also like to thank 'Suspensiones' for receiving the goods for us and to 'Kiwi' Bike Shop for giving Big Bird a makeover. Yes, that is the actual name of the bike shop here in Costa Rica. Obviously, this shop is exclusively for New Zealanders!

Next we are off to the Pacific coast again and then into Panama. We will next update our blog from Panama City – the end of the road for us in Central America. Just a bit of a milepost!

Interesting points:

• 'Pastelillos' are snack sized baked pastry pies with savoury fillings. Manuel took us to his favourite pastelillo joint where all they sell is these taste explosions. You have two choices: chicken or potato. After that it's just a matter of deciding what you want to drink; which is an assortment of natural fruit drinks. We opted for 'Cas' which is a fruit similar to guava but only found in Central and South America. Oooo, how exotic! These places seem to be the equivalent to taco stands in Mexico. Quick, cheap and tasty.
  
  
• 'Sodas' are not something you drink here in Costa Rica but restaurants that serve typical Costa Rican cuisine. For example for breakfast they would serve: gallo pinto (a mix of rice and beans), natilla (a semi-sweet sour cream), fried plantain (unsweet large banana), tortillas and eggs.
  
  
• Costa Rica hasn't had a military army in 60 years.
  
  

The 12 days we spent in Nicaragua activated all our senses and emotions.  This country is the poorest in Central America and yet we meet nothing but encouraging, friendly, and content people where ever we went.  Often this is seen as a strange concept by 1st world nations and always commented on after visiting a 3rd world or developing country as so much of a 1st world person's perceived happiness is wrapped up in money.  Interesting!  A benefit for us cycling through this country was not only the beautiful landscapes and good road conditions but the cost of food.  You can buy so much for so little, especially if you eat what is locally produced.  For example, for 20 Cordobas (approximately $1US) we bought four eggs, four mangoes, seven sweet buns and a loaf of bread.  And this was even on an island where they could have charged anything they wanted!  Again though, it may seem ridiculously cheap for a traveller however it's all relative.  When one may earn only $50 a month, one needs to seriously consider how their earnings will be spent.

Upon arriving into Nicaragua we enjoyed the very green and lush landscapes due to the start of the rainy season and fresh mountain air.  Our first few nights were spent in Esteli, a pleasant and very friendly working town which is renowned for cigar and coffee production.  We stayed with Isabel (couchsurfing) who is working for an NGO from Luxembourg.  She has the command of five languages!  We enjoyed a day off here of 'doing nothing inparticular' apart from soaking up some home cooking, daily life in Esteli, and not worrying how much time is passing over coffee and conversation.  Thank you Isabel for making us feel right at home!  There was a ton of second hand stores here and we thought this would be the perfect place to get some new sneakers.  We ended up finding some for the equivalent of $10, however after my (Belinda) first day cycling in them they didn’t cut the mustard.  So after a few handy repairs with dental floss from my lovely husband, I’m back in my old trusty sneakers once more.  We donated the new/old shoes to the dump for someone else to make good use of them.Managua (the capital) is sticky hot and sprawls from one suburb to the next.  Devastated by past earthquakes, many central areas were destroyed and due to no funds and the inevitability of more quakes are now left abandoned.  The Parque de Revolucion was a perfect example.  Right in a prime location near the waterfront with lovely large parks, museum, government buildings and cathedral was like a ghost town.  We were waiting to see tumbleweeds roll past any minute.  Instead, we had to settle for watching numerous student drivers taking advantage of the quiet streets.

We stayed with Lillian (couchsurfing) who is originally from the US but has been living in Nicaragua for 26 years.  We really felt at home with Lillian and loved hearing her thoughts and ideas about poverty, volunteering and the such like.  She is one heck of a woman and is really intertwined with the local community.  She coordinates delegations from around the world wanting to experience Nicaragua.  It is based at the Quaker House in which the funds of this venture goes towards ProNica; which helps support local initiatives i.e. La Chureca (see previous blog entry).  While we were there we got to meet an Inuit group from Canada (http://www.nsinnicaragua.blogspot.com/).  It was a group of young people at the end of a year of learning about their ancestry, traditions and government legislation relating to their territory.  We got to see and listen to throat singing which is like nothing we’ve ever heard before.  This is traditionally done between two woman to pass time and create a little bit of friendly competition.  It really did sound cool and appears to be very hard to master.

Next stop is Masaya only 40kms down the road.  It is known for its artisan market so we took advantage and bought our first serious souvenirs of the whole trip.  There was hammock workshops a dime a dozen and we really liked some of the typical paintings of the area.  Fingers crossed they make it in the post back to Canada and New Zealand.  We got lots of attention in the market and had many gifts given to us made out of palm leaves that we hung off our bike.

We spent one night with Jorge Luis who was new to couchsurfing.  We hope we gave him a good impression of couchsurfers!  He lives on a beautiful Finca (lifestyle/farm section) with great views of the surrounding countryside and some good looking dogs too.  He is the Director of the Canadian Christian Children’s Fund and it was interesting to learn about their involvement in Nicaragua.   Jorge Luis also made it easy for us picking us up and dropping us back to the city center as the road to his place would have been tough to negotiate on tandem all loaded up.  Also he is a scrabble fan, a world traveller and has a great sense of curtain style and home decor.   Therefore there was no question we had a lovely time with him!  Masaya is surrounded by volcanoes, parks and crater lakes.  It made sense to stay another couple of nights and so we were kindly hosted by Michael (SERVAS).  Originally from Germany, he now calls Nicaragua home.  He is very experienced and knowledgeable about waste management and has a keen interest in environmental issues.  He openly shares this knowledge with organisations in Nicaragua in the hope of improving standards.  His current focus is a bike race raising awareness about the concerns of global warming which happens in the next couple of weeks.  Michael was very generous and nourished our bodies with delicious home cooking and gave us access to a laptop where we could make some calls home.  He was an excellent tour guide and took us on a driving tour around Masaya.  Our final night we shared a meal together at his family-owned Mexican restaurant where we enjoyed some cuisine we hadn't eaten in a month or so.  Mexican food is ever so good!

In the end we missed out seeing Granada which is apparently a gorgeous, colonial city set on the waterfront of Lake Nicaragua (the 7th or 10th largest lake in the world - can't exactly remember!).  We were happy with our decision though as we got to spend two nights on Isla de Ometepe;an island in Lake Nicaragua which has two volcanoes that can be seen from the mainland.  After cycling and pushing our bike over sand and dirt roads we were happy to rest our tired legs and feed our grumbling tummies at Karin's (SERVAS) place in the small village of Balgue.  Karin is originally from Germany but has officially become a Nicaraguan citizen.  She is very well respected in this community and does a lot of work in schools promoting sustainable and environmentally-friendly living.  We spent our time with Karin making costumes for an upcoming play that the theatre group she runs will perform.  Roland's job was making a horse's mane out of a mop and I was sewing roses to decorate the mane.  Again, this was a very insightful time for us talking with Karin.  Something that really stuck with me was does one have "poverty of resources or poverty of the soul".  For example, maybe even with a hand-up and all the help in the world, someone with 'poverty of the soul' may find themselves back in the very same situation not far down the track.  Karin is always needing volunteers to work with her so if you are interested please let us know.

Our final destination in this fascinating country (that is still clawing its way back from the devastating 'Contra War') was San Juan del Sur.  It was a great way to spend our last evening in Nicaragua as it was restful with calming views of the Pacific ocean.  We cycled into town early so enjoyed some time sitting on the beach and planned our route to Panama City (which since has been changed about five times!).  While waiting to meet our host (Jason from couchsurfing) we were shouted free drinks by the owners of the Irish Pub we agreed to meet at.  What was cool about this Irish Bar is that there was a 'real' Irish couple running the joint.  Jason welcomed us in to his home and left us to it; which was exactly what we needed.  It was wonderful to have a chill evening to ourselves.  Thank you Jason for having us and being so generous with the use of your home.  We think you've made a great choice moving to San Juan del Sur, it's a neat spot!  

The next day we cycled towards the Costa Rica border.  Nearing the border we started to pass a queue of trucks so thought we were almost there.  Wrong.  It was a queue that was six kilometers long!  Apparently, they can be there for days or even weeks.  So glad we are on a bike.  It felt pretty good flying by!

Please note:

• The picture with the bread, peanut butter, and bananas also has 'Nutty' in it too.  Nutty is the little guy on the spoon.  He is now a vital member of our family and has the important job of daily scooping out peanut butter from the jar and being spread on the bread.  He really is quite good at it and didn't need much direction.  Now our Swiss army knife can stay clean and pretty looking for more 'not food' related jobs.
  
• Belinda is refusing to post crib scores until something seriously changes i.e. the scoreboard reflects her skill and talent which at present is not being showcased or in other words.... absolutely whipping my husband's cute little bottom!
• Roland is my super hero and I love him very much.
• Check out ourSalvation Army Journal Page for recent blog entry.
  

Belinda is still waiting for:

• a grand epiphany on what to do for work after this trip (except for having lots of babies).
• rock hard, six pack abs.
• the day when she can get up a really hard hill without shedding a tear or two.

What's on top for Roland?

• How accountable are mega corporations to environmental issues.  For example, on Isla de Ometepe (an island in a lake) receives 9 million bottles each year without an exit strategy.  So where do the empties go?  In the lake.  Out of sight, out of mind.  And this is just a micro example!
  

This section of our travels has been emotionally charged to the max, something that you can only experience to appreciate.  Thanks to our Managua host, Lillian we were able to spend a couple of afternoons visiting the city dump. This is the home to 1000 people and the workplace to 1000 more.  These people make a living through sorting out the rubbish.  Infact, the rubbish that arrives at the dump has already been sifted through many times prior, so pickings can be slim.  Several organizations have initiatives for this area.  We visited a safe haven inside the dump that provides meals, assistance with school work and somewhere pleasant to be.  Lillian suggested we visit this place and just simply give the kids some fun time.  So we went up and literally just hung out and played.  It wasn´t long before we were having wheel barrow races, kicking around a ball, drawing and discovering a 1001 things you can do with dominoes.  We were unsure whether or not to take photos, however Belinda was very grateful to be quickly relieved of this conumdrum.  Only minutes after meeting everyone, Joseline (approximately 5 years old) confidently took the camera off her and began capturing dozens of photos of whatever took her fancy.   Many of the photos are really good as you can see for yourself………….

This is not an easy place to visit.  Driving through the entrance you see cows grazing on plastic, smoke and dust that swirls around and coats your body with a layer of grime, and amongst the machinery are adults and children digging for treasures they can cash in for money.  On leaving, you instantly feel relieved to be nearing a shower, clean clothes, a tranquil and safe home; which is then followed by a pang of guilt, realizing these people are deprived of these simple necessities.

We only had a brief experience there but you can learn more about various organizations trying to encourage sustainable and realistic lifestyle changes.  There´s feeding, schooling, clothing, medical and vocational training programs currently up and running.  The following two charities are groups we directly had contact with and learnt about their roles in the community.

Los Quinchos  www.losquinchos.it

Pro Nica http://www.pronica.org/
http://www.lensofvisionexpression.org/

Nica Hope    http://www.nicahope.org/main/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mfo4uen5MY&feature=related

Honduras wasn’t very nice to Bid Bird.  We ducked into this country twice, before and after El Salvador and both times he got hurt.  As you’ll learn from watching the video, we cycled right into a pothole on a downhill (that seemed to resemble something more of a crater on Mars).  After continuing cycling for some time we realized Big Bird wasn’t in good shape and discovered both rims were cracked.  Really, both rims!  It then became apparent we weren’t able to get our bike tended to in Honduras and so after five rides, one flat tire and 100kms later we found ourselves in El Salvador a day early.  Fortunately, we have been carrying a spare rim since San Franciso and that was put to use on the back.  We bought a second hand wheel to go on the front while we wait for a new rim to arrive in Costa Rica.  All was well with the world again.

One thing you have to accept, particularly in these parts (Central America), is that you just have to roll with the punches and realise that things may or may not go according to plan. We have found ourselves constantly making decisions and then changing them numerous times to adjust to whatever the current situation reflects. This place teaches you the art of patience, acceptance, flexibility and to just let go of things that are out of your control – it's not an easy thing to do but we are definately getting way better at it.

Although, Big Bird doesn’t have fond memories of Honduras, we thought otherwise (but we won’t tell Big Bird that!).  It had beautiful countryside, pleasant towns, our favourite Mayan ruins to date and friendly locals.  The Copan Ruins are famous for their sculptures and artistic detail.  We also thought the entrance walkway filled with parrots, squirrels and an animal (that even the locals we’ve asked don’t know the name of) scuttling around was really cool. 

Christopher (Warm Showers) was our host in Copan Ruinas and together we were also fortunate to take in a tramp to a rugged waterfall, an evening dip at a natural hot spring and try the national iconic food (called a baleada, which is a giant flour tortilla stuffed with any filling you’d like).  Actually, Roland went with Chris while I tried to get over my second lot of food poisoning.  Chris is from the US, working in a school, has a bunch of knowledge about the area and makes a mean pasta to satisfy even the hungriest cyclists!

The ride between Copan Ruinas and Santa Rosa de Copan was highlighted by a quick visit to a coffee harvesting plant embedded in thick lush jungle. Here we also caught a glimpse of an unusual looking feline.  It was a young tigrillo cub, who could only be enticed to come out from his cool resting place with the bowl full of chicken. Roland even snuck in a quick pat, even though this was probably not a clever thing to do!

In Santa Rosa de Copan we had to opportunity to spend two nights with a Honduran-American family.  They own and run ‘Weekend Pizza’, a restaurant making delicious organic pizzas from scratch.  Claudia (Couchsurfing) had just had her boyfriend from Germany arrive and it took us back to when Roland first moved to New Zealand to be together.  We actually ran into Claudia’s mother as we approached the city and immediately knew we were going to be in good company.  Claudia’s grandmother was a sweetheart and ensured we were fed, washed and well rested before heading on our way. 

Although El Salvador is a small country, it’s packed with people and volcanoes.  Our memories of El Salvador will definitely be the people we stayed with as we didn’t do anything particularly touristy here. 

In San Andres, we stayed with Mauricio and Gloria from Couchsurfing for three nights to get our bike fixed in San Salvador and help out on their property.  They live in an eco village in the jungle and have a very simple and healthy lifestyle.  We had initially planned to volunteer with the Salvation Army, however the contact information and address we had was out of date (the hair salon to which the address directed us to, also assured us they didn’t need any help either ). Still we thoroughly enjoyed the many new experiences of working the land and making bread with some of the local kids, learning how to prepare/grind corn and eating wholesome meals. 

We also saw our first real live scorpion here.  Eeeekkk.

From San Andreas the plan was to go around San Salvador, but we missed a crucial turnoff and proceeded to get digested into the belly of this congested city. And of course, who should we bump into but the El Salvador Salvation Army Headquarters. So we joined in on the service with major Wilson and his wife and got some updated contact information.  

In San Vincente we joined Brad and his host family for a special El Salvadorian dinner of Pupusas, which are like Gorditas in Mexico. We thoroughly enjoyed chatting with Brad and learning some unique El Salvadorian customs/rituals.  For example did you know that people in El Salvador cover all mirrors in the house when there is a thunder storm, and to avoid getting arthritis, people do NOT have showers after working or exercising.

The route from San Vincente to Amando Lopez, (don’t bother looking on a map, you will not find this tiny village) was surprisingly still blocked off to motorists due to a flood 4 months ago. We still managed to negotiate the damaged road and turn a few heads in the process. Getting off the Pan-American Highway (Hwy1) and on to the coastal Highway (Hwy2) brought many overhanging trees and beautiful views onto the country side. In Amando Lopez, we met up with Nedal, a German Couchsurfing host, who volunteers in the community. Here we had a swim in a nearby river, played and taught soccer to a group of women and had a chilled out evening. Again, guess what we saw.. .. another two scorpions, in fact one managed to make his way on a girl’s leg, very scary!

We had planned to exit El Salvador by the north, but while having a break under a tree we met Jose who had cycled his recumbent bike from Montreal, Canada to his current home of Chirilagua,  El Salvador. It was interesting to learn of all the other cyclists we knew who had also made a slight detour and stayed with this very friendly and generous man.  This being said, we now opted for a coastal route out of El Salvador, which meant a few more miles but less hills, not a bad trade off.