With over an hour’s drive ahead to catch a ferry, it was a 7am departure and so a 6am wake up. For the last time, I showered under the glass roof, with the canopy of palm trees just above me.
We packed up, said our goodbyes to our lifestyles of the rich and famous style crib that had been home these last few days and jumped into the car. Our destination was Paquera, 52km and an hour and a quarter away. So with an average speed of 26 mph estimated, it gives you a feel for the type and condition of the road.
Being negative, it was rough, uneven, slow and painful to be a passenger but I’m not a negative sort of guy. Whichever window you looked out of you had stunning views of the mountains, the sea, the traffic and the life around you. We were very lucky to be there and I appreciated every bouncy minute on that road….it also saved a 5 hour trip around the peninsula too, so every minute saved 4!
We arrived at the ferry terminal in good time and in good spirits. Now, just for a moment, I want you to imagine what you think a Latin American ferry terminal would be like. It was exactly like that. Inside all of the chaos and noise was a weird structure and it all managed to work despite the hustle and bustle.
The ferry, Tambor II (dont ask what happened to Tambor I), was a weird mixture of tourists, locals and people who seemed to be so old they looked like they were taking their final journey to the next life. Maybe Puntarenas, our destination, was in fact heaven?
I split my time between sitting on the wooden benches on the deck of the ferry, watching birds swooping for fish in the dirty looking water, and the general madness below, and sitting in the cooler shade inside picking our pastry based snacks and coffee from the café.
The café had its roots firmly in communist eastern European times, with an overcomplicated ordering system that meant that three people were employed to make a coffee, work a microwave, take the money and issue any change.
One of my only regrets of the entire holiday happened on that boat. A group of four lads with backpacks on were clearly on an exciting journey, and they were sporting very English cricket hats and jumpers. I wish I had taken the time to chat to them and find out what their adventure was.
It took just over an hour to make the journey over the gulf of Nicoya and, as the ferry made its way into the port, we made our way down the car deck. We passed a very strange looking vehicle that blew my mind. The MogHome is a Mercedes chassis but built by a company called Ziegler.
It looked like a box vehicle that a child would draw but it looked like it would take a tank to stop it and could survive a fall off the side of a mountain and with a quick brush down, it would be ready to go again. The entire roof was covered in solar panels and I got the impression that the inside would be a little box of luxury on the road.
JP explained that it was most likely a couple doing the north to south tour of the Americas along the Pan American Highway. A journey of 19,000 miles which people often take months to complete….the reason why many call it the ultimate road trip.
Given the state of the roads in this part of Costa Rica, it may well just have been a couple nipping out to the supermarket mind, you never can tell.
Having said that, when we pulled off that ferry and on to dry land, it was if we were driving into a different world. Puntarenas is major city and there were tarmac roads, quite the treat having been shaken about in the back of a car for a few days! The truck that we were in was incredibly comfortable and luxurious. I felt sorry for those in older and less stable vehicles, especially the ones without air con!
We made our way back to our home for the rest of the trip. The roads were getting better and better as we made our way to San Jose, and then a little bit worse as you passed through it and up into the mountains of Cartago.
When we got back to the house, we walked the dog around the gated community gardens and play park while dinner was being prepared. On our return, we settled down to a lovely barbeque. I swear to god, there are very few combinations better than Costa Rican steak and chimichurri.
Another great day and another night where we went to sleep filled with laughter, love, good food and memories.
Itchy Feet and Titchy Feet 