We picked up the car the day before. It was a surprise as we thought we got a Toyota Rav4 and instead received a Bego.... however, the Bego is the same size as the old Rav4 and that's why we got it.
Waking up at 6:30am.... we got ready and then drove into town with Steve who bought us breakfast to get us on our way. We left the house around 8:15am. We started out in Quepos and our ultimate destination would be Samara, a small beach town on the Nicoya Peninsula. We started out, chipper and excited... finally, we got to take the trip we'd been thinking of since we moved to Costa Rica. The first leg of our trip was easy. Paved roads. High speed limits. Unfortunately, those high speed limits almost got me in trouble. I was driving since my name was on the car rental. The speed limit was 80 kilometers per hour, however, unknowingly we starting driving through a national park area. That means the speed limit is now 60 kilometers per hour. So, yeah, we got pulled over. The cops here stand on the side of the road with little radar guns and flag you down when they need you. When they stopped us, we didn't know why because we still thought it was 80 kph. When we found out we were going 84 in a 60 kph zone, Eric did a fabulous job of explaining to the cop that we had just seen the 80 kph sign and that we didn't know it was a national park. The cop hesitated, and finally told us we needed to drive slower and let us go! Yay! Unfortunately, this would not be our last scare. Maybe an hour later, we got pulled over again. This time, we had been paying attention to the speed limit diligently. We were very relieved to hear that they just pulled us over to check our documents and find out where we were going. The policeman was very nice and sent us on our way, practicing his thank you in English.
As we traveled, we started to notice the change in climate. Our surroundings changed from the lush green of Quepos to the dry brown of the north.
The first couple hours were quick. Nice paved roads. However, we ran into construction, which slowed us down a lot. Many of the highways have been paved, but the original pavement has many potholes and calls for reconstruction. In all, it took us 5 hours to get there, and if there had been no construction it probably would've been 3.5.
The first couple hours were quick. Nice paved roads. However, we ran into construction, which slowed us down a lot. Many of the highways have been paved, but the original pavement has many potholes and calls for reconstruction. In all, it took us 5 hours to get there, and if there had been no construction it probably would've been 3.5.
Finally, we got to the bridge north of Puntarenas. This was a sign we were close to our destination. On the other side of the bridge was the peninsula, which contained all the towns and villages we wanted to visit.
After we crossed the bridge, our first town to pass through was Nosara. It was a good sized town with many shops and restaurants. It is a long drive from the beach however and not really a tourist destination. By that time we had been driving about 5 hours, so we decided to stop at a soda (small restaurant) and grab some food and a beer. Once being refreshed, we were on our way.
After we crossed the bridge, our first town to pass through was Nosara. It was a good sized town with many shops and restaurants. It is a long drive from the beach however and not really a tourist destination. By that time we had been driving about 5 hours, so we decided to stop at a soda (small restaurant) and grab some food and a beer. Once being refreshed, we were on our way.
Here is where I finally got to put the car into 4-wheel drive! The paved road turned to gravel and there were lots of holes and ruts to navigate. We got to Samara and liked it immediately. A cute little beach town with a small grid of streets. Everything was easy to walk to and there was a carefree feel about the place.
We drove around looking for lodging. We found a place where the sign said $20 per person. There was only 1 room left and they offered it to us for $36. We said we'd take a look. After hesitating, she offered it to us for $30 and we took it. There was cable t.v. and hot water, but no a/c.
Afterward we put our bathing suits on and walked down to the beach. We found a small bar where we rested with a few beers. Eric decided to catch a few waves.
After awhile, he came back in and he decided to stay while I went to the internet cafe. I met back up with him around sunset and we walked back to our place to take showers. Time to hit the town now! It was full of life with street vendors and many people walking around. We saw a cool artsy building where I think they had programs for kids.
We drove around looking for lodging. We found a place where the sign said $20 per person. There was only 1 room left and they offered it to us for $36. We said we'd take a look. After hesitating, she offered it to us for $30 and we took it. There was cable t.v. and hot water, but no a/c.
Afterward we put our bathing suits on and walked down to the beach. We found a small bar where we rested with a few beers. Eric decided to catch a few waves.
After awhile, he came back in and he decided to stay while I went to the internet cafe. I met back up with him around sunset and we walked back to our place to take showers. Time to hit the town now! It was full of life with street vendors and many people walking around. We saw a cool artsy building where I think they had programs for kids.
We found a pizza place to have dinner and some drinks and then we went out, in search of... beer! We found a small store that sold liquor and beer and decided a bottle of vodka and some juice was a better investment because it would last longer throughout the trip. So, sitting in the lifeguard stand out on the beach, we drank our semi-screwdrivers and chattered away for awhile.
We took a walk on the beach and saw some interesting things, including a random fire and some old boats. I had fun dancing by the fire.
Eventually though, we had to go to bed. Our first night of fun! The trip was starting off well.
We took a walk on the beach and saw some interesting things, including a random fire and some old boats. I had fun dancing by the fire.
Eventually though, we had to go to bed. Our first night of fun! The trip was starting off well.
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