Nosara to Cerro de la Muerte

We decided to start the long march south today to Puerto Jimenez and the Osa Peninsula. We had delusions that we might make it all the way there (or at least a substantial part) in one day, but it was not to be.

We have been frustrated by Costa Rica’s roads. The country’s main road – the InterAmericana – is a single lane byway. You get stuck behind a slow moving lorry and you’ve had it.

Not to long after we started in Nicoya we were sent on a diversion. Annoying at the best of times, but in the UK at least they try and sign the whole of your diverted route until you rejoin the original road you were travelling on. Here they seem to delight in giving you a couple of signs to get you really lost down some back streets and then they leave you devoid of further instructions.

In San Jose they build up your hopes with a few road signs, strategically placed to make you optimistic think that you are going in the right direction and then they leave major junctions completely unsigned. You may as well flip a coin to decide which way to go! Do they sell accurate maps of the country or put up street signs so that you can find your way. No!

According to the maps of Cartago the InterAmerican is the main road and skirts the western side of the town. In actual fact you need to make an unsigned turning off to the right unless you want to end up down town; which we did until we turned round and retraced our steps.

As night fall approached we found ourselves on road named Cerro de la Muerte the mountain of death. We’ve had to take refuge for the night in the Hotel Tapanti. Our cabina is ok, but nothing special and the only thing on the menu was trout, a fish on which I am not keen.

Rant over. Breath in, breath out. I’m beginning to sound a bit like Blue Eyes!