Entries by allan

Goodbye Costa Rica – Hello Panama

Before leaving Golfito and Costa Rica behind for new experiences in Panama I took a ride downtown to check email and post a few stories. By the time I pulled up in front of the Hotel Golfito which on its ground floor is a nice air-conditioned internet cafe complete with wireless and a station to […]

Rainforests. Cloudforests. This is Costa Rica.

Despite my issues with Costa Rica over the last couple days, today I had the most glorious ride of perhaps all of Central America. That’s a big statement that perhaps I’ll withdraw someday, but the sheer magnitude of riding from see level to over 10,000 feet from Cartago to San Isidro and onward toward Golfito […]

Why Costa Rica Roads Have The Most Potholes.

An early start out of San Ramon has me wandering the streets of San Jose in no time. Another pothole ridden adventure I finally figured out what must be going on with Costa Rica potholes. I don’t think they have any intention of repairing them. You should see the cryptic moves cars and trucks make […]

Burned Out On Costa Rica!

I didn’t really know where I wanted to go today. With no plan but just to cruise daringly close to the Monteverde Rainforest, Vulcan Arenal and several other national parks I figure I’d be inspired by something when I saw it. But enduring more than a couple hours of pothole avoiding and loaded bike agility […]

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Happy Birthday to my mom Audrey who flew to California to help me pack up my house and get me ready for my trip. I know she was nervous and would rather me home safe and sound, but what a legend, both she and her husband Howard for helping me fulfill my dream!

Keeping Up.

Keeping up with my journals and photographs is sometimes overwhelming. I sit here in shabby motel room. A cheap fan whirs back and forth and the sound of diesel trucks grinding gears sneaks through the slotted windows. My motorcycle boots caked in mud lie on the floor next to my dry bag. Various clothes are […]

Another Border Crossing. Welcome To Costa Rica.

Have Your Papers In Order! Everything I’d heard and read about the Costa Rica border crossing at Peñas Blancas had been negative. Perhaps only overshadowed in notoriety by the Guatemalan/ El Salvador crossing which I unfortunately missed. Weekend border crossings are always a bit sketchy. Stories of long lunches, closed offices and under staffing fill […]

Lake Nicaragua and Ometepe

The recommendations for staying on the island of Ometape (Isla de Ometepe) were overwhelming. I originally planned to spend more time in Costa Rica, but with stories of pot-holed ridden roads, higher costs and lots of rain I was easily convinced to take in the majestic beauty of this island sitting gracefully under two volcanoes. […]

What’s It Mean?

It’s amazing who you just might meet when rolling into a new town. Leaving León was tough. Last night a group of boys in their early twenties approached me in Parque Central. One of them had been hitting the cerveza pretty hard and kept repeating himself. But sans motorcycle they were interested in learning where […]