April 20th 2024 – San Marcos, Costa Rica

The parts to fix Katrine’s bike arrived today – 19 days after we first set foot in San Marcos. Being forced to stay put here for an extended period has been one of the absolute highlights of the trip so far.

There are 2 things in particular that have made our stay such a great experience.

First of all it’s the people. Alejandro has been the key to a tight knit group of friends and family who have welcomed us with open arms. It’s some of the nicest people imaginable and we truly enjoy their company. We have been invited to their homes, out for dinner, beer and even bowling – and the invitations keep rowling in.

The second thing is the area we are staying in.
San Marcos is located in the heart of Zona de los Santos – a mountainous region in the south-central part of Costa Rica. Altitudes between 1.500 and 3.000 meters ensure a pleasant climate. The mountains are typically  steep, covered in dense vegetation and cut through by river canyons. You can hike and MTB to your heart’s desire. White Water Rafting is also big here. In short: The area is a playground for active people.
The scenery is stunningly beautiful and very dramatic. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything that surpasses it. 

Alejandro has taken us on several rides through the mountains in his truck. Mainly on dirt roads. The area is dirt/gravel road heaven. You could ride here for weeks without running out of new roads and trails to explore.

One day we followed “El Pito”, a spectacular dirt road, all the way to the Pacific coast. It was a 1 ½ hour drive that saw us drop from 2.000 meters to sea level. We went to the coast to visit Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio. The park was beautiful with a lot of wildlife. It was a relief to escape the heat and humidity when we returned to the mountains by the end of the day.

Hunting has been completely prohibited in Costa Rica for decades. As a result there is a rich and varied wildlife. Jaguars, tapirs, sloths, crocodiles, several species of small bears and monkeys and a multitude of birds is only a small part of what you can encounter.
At the plantation we are protected by a quartet of vicious beasts. They only allow birds and squirrels on the property – and only because they can’t catch them.

The down time has allowed us to get several things done that are difficult to do while on the move.

We have received a backpack for Katrine from Kriega in England. There had been an unexpected wear issue with her R22. Kriega stepped up and offered to send her a replacement as soon as we supplied them with an address.

I have finally got around to launch a new page on my website that has been on the drawing board for ages. It’s about experiences gained during the journey. I have more topics I want to write about when I get the time.

The rubber protector for the underside foam on our Reckless center harness that I created with help from my friend Jim in Dayton, OH last year needed to be replaced. Alejandro helped me find some suitable material and I have made new protectors for both bikes. The rubber extends the life of the foam significantly.

Only major thing on the list now is to receive a shipment of prescription medication for Katrine. It arrived in Costa Rica 2 weeks ago but we have been struggling with costumes to have it released ever since. If we are lucky, that will fall into place about the same time Katrine’s bike is ready.

My bike spent a couple of days at “Donde los Patos” last week.
Chuta installed a new cam chain, spark plug and tires. He also checked the valves (all still in spec at 47.000 km) and cleaned/oiled the air filter. He discovered that the bolt holding the mid section of my exhaust almost had worked its way out. That explains the rattling noise I had noticed but unable to locate during the last couple of weeks…

On Katrine’s bike, they had noticed that the weld attaching the same bracket to the midsection of her exhaust had snapped off completely. It’s a thing we need to keep an eye on in the future. The shop will weld the bracket back on when they start working on the bike.

I had asked Chuta to leave the oil change to me. I like to do it right after a ride so that any contamination/debris is suspended in the oil when I drain it. I took the bike for a spin and did an oil change when I picked it up. Before leaving the shop I received the bill and some eggs (the family also has a farm). I was lost for words when I saw that they had only charged me 38.000 Colones/US$75 in labor for all the work they had done.

One of the following days Alejandro and I went for a ride to make sure everything worked as it should. Chuta had done a great job. It was like riding a new bike. It bodes well for the work on Kat’s bike that will commence on Monday.

We’ve also had a few guests on the plantation.
One of them was Tom, a retired police officer from Scotland, currently living in Panama. Before that he lived in Spain for a couple of years – mainly to learn Spanish. He doesn’t like Panama but dislikes Scotland more. His plan is to spend the next couple of years exploring The Americas and maybe find a place to settle down that agrees with him.

Nick and Beth dropped by one morning. It was good to see them again and to see that they were doing well.
This leg of their journey is coming to an end. In little over a week, they’ll ship their bikes from Panama to Colombia and get on a plane back to England where they are going to spend the summer with friends and family while working their asses off to replenish the coffers. Maybe we’ll bump into each other again at some point?

Between everything else we have done some exploring locally on foot, by bicycles and car.
There has also been time to play tourists further afield with Alejandro as an outstanding guide.

It looks like our time here in San Marco is soon coming to an end. We’ll be sad to leave but are looking forward to continuing our journey. I have a feeling that some of the people around us will be equally sad to see us go. I’m glad that we haven’t overstayed our welcome yet.