Our New Office

Anyone who has traveled to Costa Rica most likely has a few navigation stories or opinions on the roads. We’ve talked a bit about the roads too, which you may remember from my post about the Costa Rica earthquake a couple months ago.

We were told by a tour guide that the government decided to invest in schools and health care, not the roads. We’ve also heard that the local governments don’t pay for roads because they’re waiting for the property owners to fork over the cash to build or maintain the roads themselves.

Whatever the reason for the single lane, washed out, pot-hole laden roads in Costa Rica, bumpy roads are part of the deal. In other words, you haven’t really experienced Costa Rica if you haven’t had a flat tire.

However, there are a few navigation strategies you can employ that might make driving around here a bit easier. Take this section of road we came across on our way to the Arenal observatory.

On this day Jason slowed to a stop just to take a photo, but the day before he decided to take the road at full speed. At some point you get tired of going five miles an hour and just want to get there. It’s bumpy no matter how you navigate so I guess he felt like full speed ahead was the best navigation strategy.

This picture is also from our recent road trip to Arenal. Looks like a little rain may have caused a mudslide. No problem, just drive around.

Costa Rica drivers aren’t much better than the roads.  The speed limit is 40 kph on the country’s two-lane highways, but the average speed is somewhere between 80 and 120 kph. Actually, it doesn’t really matter what the speed limit is. Locals will tail you and pass you despite your speed or the oncoming mack truck.

Costa Rica navigation strategy? Let them pass; even put on the breaks to make it easier for them. It’s not worth the accident.

In addition to the roads and crazy drivers, there are also periodic police checkpoints. We were stopped once and were only asked to show our drivers licenses, but we’ve heard stories of police saying they’ll write a ridiculously expensive ticket or you can just pay the fine now and be done with it. Of course the fine is for $60, but they’ll take whatever you offer.

How’s that for law enforcement?

Because the police can spot the rental cars from far away, I have a feeling its the tourists who get pulled over more often.

This is the car we get to drive from time to time. No radio, no air conditioning controls, no cruise control, and the windows barely roll up, but it passes mountains and clears potholes. Can you really ask for anything more?

This headline probably isn’t true, but for what it’s worth I have not ever seen any of these things until visiting China.

Jason holding a flag so that the rest of our tour group knew which person to follow. He looks happy doesn’t he?

Exercise equipment on the side of the road for anyone to use. This particular set of equipment was wedged between a wall, a very crowded and under-construction road, and an electrical box of some kind.

Listening devices in cabs. Look to the right directly above the vent on the dash.

A warning sign using the word clamber, which by definition means “to climb using both hands and feet; to climb with effort or difficulty.”

A pizza place promoting its product as “palatable.“

I think I might have a career as a sign writer/proofreader.