Back to Reality

We’re in luck – no problems with power lines this year!

The Nicaragua / Costa Rica border is as always chaotic, exciting and all different. They seem to move the offices round the border compound at random to make sure that you won’t know where anything is and will need help. Our crossing is eased by our regular fixer who knows how to speed the process through. While working our way through the Costa Rica process Pete gets out his camp stove and cooks up some lunch. By the time the last of the riders are away it is mid afternoon, but we only have a short ride up into the mountains of Rincon De La Vieja. Our stop for the night is well off the beaten track. In fact about 15 miles along a track that has not been beaten in a long time. The hotel is a welcome sight clinging to the side of the mountains. Thunder rolls around the hills for several hours in the evening with distant flashes of lightening providing an atmospheric back drop to our evening.

We are in Costa Rica for a few nights and visit Volcan Arenal which is obligingly clear of cloud and smoking gently in the background. From here we head to the Caribbean Coast via Limon. Ironically Limon is the major fruit export port of Costa Rica and the road to the town is lined with tower blocks of Sea Containers with the names of fruit companies on the side. Trucks, customs and police are everywhere and a few guys get stopped but mainly for a chat about the bikes and where they are from.

We spend the afternoon riding along the Caribbean Coast to our stop for the night which is a little taste of Switzerland in Costa Rica. A lovely restful late afternoon is spent in the hotel pool, eating locally cured ham sandwiches, and soaking in the sun. The following day is our border crossing to Panama across the infamous Banana Bridge. Only one remains now and when we arrive we can see the new steel pylons rising from the water for another new bridge, and so we will probably be the last GlobeBusters group to cross on the old bridge. The bridge was really for trains but the line is now defunct. It is now shared with pedestrians, trucks, busses, cars and for today a host of BMW bikes. The base is three planks loosely attached either side of the railway lines. However there are tyre sized gaps between the planks and in places several of them are missing. The side of the bridge is chicken wire that will not hold up a falling bike and rider and so the stakes are high. However, every bike is ridden across and we have not one faller. I think this is a first, and something that the whole group are suitably proud of.

Once in Panama we have a beautiful twisty mountain ride through low cloud and light drizzle to our first night stop over. From here we are down to Panama City to arrange the freight of the bikes to Bogota and the start of the Northern Andes section of the ride. It is a straightforward ride and we arrive in the stunningly different Panama City. It is a skyline dominated by sky scrapers and tower blocks. This is the first time we have seen anything over five storey’s since we left the USA. It feels like we are back to reality. The city is busy with taxi’s, multi coloured buses and cars everywhere. Our first day in the city is spent at the airport arranging the export of the bikes. The second day is spent exploring the city and visiting the Miraflores lock and the Panama Canal.

And that brings to an end the Central America section of our ride. Jeremy and Wendy are leaving us here, but we are being joined by Brando, Mike and Margaret in Bogota. Central America has been full on. Full of colour and excitement; full of borders and changing countries; full of changing landscapes; full of Police and Military. All the riders seem to be very much taken with the whole of Central America, and now the next section has to live up to their expectations. I am confident it will.