Commuting - Commuting, Costa Rica Style

Started the new commute from the house to the office. It is 6 kilometers which would be a breeze except for the fact that the road is rock with a little gravel so pretty rough (thankfull small rock) and the rise is pretty steep.

Yesterday was my first day - It took about 17 minutes to the office, and about 32 to return (quess which direction is up hill!)

Going up hill, I had to dismount about halfway up on a couple of hills - but I suspect after a couple of months - I won't.

Weight is dropping like a stone because we are so active, so that will help. This morning, a lot of rain - felt like being in a shower!

I haven't ran over a chicken yet - but I suspect it is only a matter of time. :rolleyes: Traffic is almost none existant - which is great.

The locals are amazed I can ride down the hill - most people kill themselves doing it - but with a good hardtail and clipless pedals - it really isn't that hard - but I am nearly sitting on the tire at times.

All in all, I am very happy with the commute. The temperature is perfect when I am going back and forth too - I leave around 7:30 am, and return around 4:30 pm - both times are pretty nice. A little warm, but not that bad.

What is your job?

grrr I still envy you. Maybe even more now!

I haven't ran over a chicken yet - but I suspect it is only a matter of time. :rolleyes:
:roflmao:

Welcome to the HHCMF (Happy Healthy Commuting MotherF*ckers) club. We're a merry band of riders who like to pass angry cagers as they wait in line for very expensive gas while we eat donuts and drink lattes and don't gain an ounce. Welcome to the club and if you need a roadkill chicken recipe, please feel free to ask.

What is my job? Well, for about 3 days, for 8 hours a day, I write software - and for the other times, I am President (which includes before and after those hours) of a reforestation project called Finca Leola S.A. ( www.fincaleola.com ) which is like 2+ jobs! We have more than 12 employees now - and growing rapidly. The software job is to make sure we always have enough money.

Road kill chicken recipe - hmmm, might be pretty good! We eat free-range chickens - so it isn't much different.

Yep, definitely happy - I have to eat now - my wife, who weighs 112 lbs was commenting that she has to keep eating all the time know - before we had to watch what we ate. Life is very good. :D

I started the a fake commute about a month ago, and already I am down a belt notch - I suspect in 2 months, I will be a mere fraction of my former self. :rolleyes:

THat sounds like a lot of fun I was wonderign what brought you to costa rica

What originally brought me to Costa Rica is my wife - she wanted to become fluent in Spanish after studying it for 8 years in school. It was her lifelong dream. Well, to be fluent, you really have to leave in a country where they speak Spanish - so, since she had supported me in my dreams for more than 20 years, I decided it was time for hers.

But, I am not just going to sit around and work on a tan, so I started a business here and I wanted to do something for the environment at the sametime. I wasn't really and environmentalist - but I love the outdoors - so I decided it was time to give something back.

Yes - it is a lot of fun, and a lot of work.

So jealous! Felicitaciones!

I may see you next May as my sister is taking a bunch of us to stay at a friends house in Costa Rica. My brother is a retired stream restoration expert and habitat restoration is one of my hobbies. After cycling and hot springs.

You would be most welcome to drop in - and you can rent bikes here as well.

Well, a bit of conscience is getting to me - as my legs improve and as I am used to riding where there is no oxigen (can you imagine the supercharging you get in a rainforest!) I smoke through towns. Since I have white hair, it is very disturbing to be seriously dropped by an old geezer.

The Ticos are in shock - I pass them going about 18+ MPH on the flat (yep, got a cyclometer) and they are putting along at no better than 8 to 10 MPH.

Nope, not going to slow down for anyone. The friends and workers yell out as me as I am zipping by "May God go with you!" I think they think I am nuts... ;)

Hmmm I am still jealous. I am planning on trying to make it down there next year maybe I will have to look you up.

Nice sight and pics -- I was planning to go in May but ended up going to the Yucatan instead (beautiful as well).

Perhaps this fall, would love to see Arenal and the countryside. Actually looks like you have a lot of potential visitors :) Perhaps a group ride starting in Tuscon and heading south? I know a few folks in Mazatlan...

Would love to sample the coffee and continue working on my spanish!

All the best- keep the stories coming! james...

oh another really good site by Gringos is www.yucatanliving.com I've been reading it since I returned from Merida.

Thanks,

Why does the chicken cross the road? To avoid the crazy gringo bike rider... :D Almost ran over one too stupid to get out of the path - acted just like a squirrel. (dodged back and forth - could make up it's mind.. what little they have)

Solid rain pretty much all the way here today - I came in soaked - but I have a towel - and office clothes, and sandals - so, no problem.

Last week was only partially on the bike - we had so many errands in town and so forth (and carrying boxes, etc.) that it just didn't work very well. This week is doing better.

I am already doing better on the hills - a bit further each day - a little faster as well.

Our shower has a heating element on it that the foreigners call "suicide shower", Imagine a electricity wired straight into your shower head... Anyway, the more pressure, the colder it is. After a ride, I tend to jump in the shower and start and the normal temp - and then just keep increase the pressure until it is nearly lukewarm or a little cold. If I haven't been biking - I wouldn't be able to stand it - but after a ride, it just feels good.

Bit by bit the routine is coming together.

It's fun to read your posts because it allows me to dream a little bit. Perhaps someday I'll turn my envy into action and try something like you're doing myself.

Warren Buffet said that you are rich when every day you get up and do what you want - that pretty much describes how I like to live. I suspect Buffet needs more money to achieve that than I do... ;)

We finally have a big yellow thing in the sky again - we were starting to wonder. Solid rain and clouds for a couple of weeks. We drove out to La Fortuna yesterday and saw three mudslides, a couple were big enough to block the road. Someone had already shoveled them out.

Last week I received digital copies of topographical maps for around here so I am starting to plan alternate routes - same elevation - but less steep. We shall see if it is really any better.

Nearly got a chicken this morning. I wonder if I can bunny hop over a chicken...?

I have to head back early today - a neighbor is slaughtering a pig and we are invited for chicarrones... YUM!

There was a guy at the Rochester Twilight Criterium a couple of weeks ago who did tricks on a special Trek mountain bike -- which included getting a volunteer from the audience (a kid about 8 years old), having him lay down on the street, and bunny hopping over him, one wheel then the other, back and forth, even once with just the rear wheel (front wheel in the air the whole time). He also jumped the bike from a platform, down right next to the boy, and over (again, rear wheel only). I was freaked out just watching it; I think if I were the kid I would have just resigned myself to death. But he never touched the kid with the bike. Truly amazing skill.

So I'm sure you can bunny hop over a chicken...with a little practice.

It is amazing what you can bunny hop when sufficiently motivated! I figured I will clear a fer-de-lance by a couple of feet - if I don't aim for the head...

Changed my commute today - having found topographical maps of the area, I discovered a road that goes around the back side - it is longer (8.5 kilometers compared to 6.0) but the rise is much more gradual AND THE ROCKS IN THE ROAD ARE MUCH SMALLER! Mainly just hardpacked clay with a little gravel for traction where it gets a little muddy. There are three bridges that I crossed yesterday with our Montero - and I can tell you I won't do THAT again in a while! But, they are fun on a bike. Instead of about less than 20 minutes to work, it just under 30 minutes - but well worth it. Besides, as I learn where the good stretches are, it will be faster.

In the back of our property we have the Rio Cote (if you are curious - take a map of Costa Rica - look for Lake Arenal - at the Northern end is a lake called Lago Cote or something like that - follow the river to San Rafael de Guatuso - that is the River.). I now parallel this river for a while, it is a beautiful, deep jungle river - lots and lots of fish. If I get too hot, I am going to jump in!

Nice people along the way - of course I got a bit of a strange look - but I am used to that. But, we exchanged creatings - I am sure today they just thought I was lost... but pretty soon I will be the crazy Gringo who passes by at 7:30 am. :)

I can say without reservation that I never really thought I would read about someone pondering bunny hopping a chicken. I think that's just what the doctor ordered for the week. Thanks, and for the record, there is no shame in striving to be the "crazy gringo".

Thanks for the encouragement - not that I particularly need it to be a bit daft at times.

We have been at the new place just shy of 3 weeks and I have already dropped more than 4 lbs - the return trip usually has me gasping before I am done and needing to take a breather - but I have high hopes of eventually completely the whole thing on the pedals.

But, don't expect it to be finished without stopping - the Rio Cote is far too inviting. Yesterday in the afternoon I counted at least 3 groups fishing it for Sabalo. You probably know this fish by another name - tarpon. We get tarpon in the Rio Frio up to 200 lbs - no, that is not a mistake. The spawn upstream which would include the Rio Cote. Some Guapote too (Peacock bass) - I am thinking my ultralight reel and packrod gets added for tomorrow... I am hoping I don't hit a monster with my ultralight... but I have seen sabalo in the river that are about a meter long. I don't think there are any 100lb plus Sabalo Real in the river... (same fish, but called Royal Tarpon because of their size)

The ride back was wonderful - but long - about 45 minutes. This is great, I am getting to ride my bike about 1 hour and 15 minutes a day now. The ride to the office is downhill which is nice, and I get to kill myself off on the return. But, the ride to work is enough to get the endorphins flowing.

All is good.

You wouldn't need a guy with a masters in biology in a few years would you? Hey, and you'll also get a riding partner out of it too. Have fun on those crazy roads. Pura Vida!

In your dreams! When you get old and grey, perhaps you can live here this way too... ;)

I figured out something that was wrong with my bike yesterday - the disc brakes were too tight or something - but if I hit a rock, the wheel would shift (I have lots of rocks!) and then start rubbing - since I wasn't just rolling on pavement, it was a bit hard to tell - I just figured I was getting old.

Anyway, this morning I did the commute downhill and nearly wiped out I went so fast - more brakes was necessary. Much, much faster than before.

We will see how well I do on the return trip.

Interesting ride in today - I was dodging cows and horses at times. Maybe this is the Monday morning traffic jam here? I don't mind the cows or horses as long as they are looking at me - but pointing the other end at me causes some concern. There is the possiblity of spooking one and having it kick me or the bike and worse yet, for them to decided that now would be a good time for a potty break - if you know what I mean.

If you think mud is slick... well, there are things that are worse.

By the way - on a similar note - there is a bike shop (really small) just down the street from me. I have arranged a Monday morning makeover (clean and lube) for every week for 1,000 colones - if you want to know, that is less than 2 dollars.

At least once a week - I will ride a clean bike - for at least half the ride...

Just got the bike back - it hasn't looked this good EVER! even when it was brand new. Amazing - all the things that should gleam - gleam, everything is totally clean - and everything is oiled that should be. They even removed all the attachments and put them back on.

My wife things it is a new bike - except for the scars of course.

You and your wife make me sick! I just had to say that, I'm very jealous.

When you are old and grey (heck, I have white hair!) you might just be able to swing something like this - but it isn't all roses either - you should see the bugs! Some of the bugs are as big as your hand!

When I am feeling particularly evil, I will post more pictures... ;)

Last week I was unable to ride - one, everyone was coming down with a nasty bug (I avoided it) so I was afraid that if I did too much, I might be in trouble - the other was that I had to take stuff to the office - which doesnt work real well on a bike.

Today was excellent - I am thinner - the day was wonderful, and I was here 3 minutes earlier. I also figured out to change my back fender a little and I have a lot less mud on my back. I also dropped of my bike for its Monday Morning Makeover.

We have had solid rain for 3 weeks or more - but today is sunny. It will be interesting to see how fast I will be on the roads when they are dry.

Hey CR dude I saw this place on a travel board I frequent http://www.BananaAzul.com/

I know you're the opposite direction (north right?) from San Jose, but I'm definetely planning on CR soon, maybe this winter! The more I read your posts the more I want to head that way.

Do you think if I did a shorter trip, like 4-5 days (over a long weekend) too short to spend considering travel time is needed between San Jose and Puerto Viejo, or SJ to Arenalas? Just curious how much transportation time is eaten up. Sorry to bug you with travel questions :)

I have six months de espanol under my belt too, so be good to practice it more too...

All the best - I enjoy reading your posts!

Nearly got a chicken this morning. I wonder if I can bunny hop over a chicken...?

I have to head back early today - a neighbor is slaughtering a pig and we are invited for chicarrones... YUM!
Chicken hop? mmmm...chicharrones...chicken chicharrones are good too.

This thread is like reading a good travelog.

There are two ways to visit Costa Rica - one is the death march - try to visit the entire country in just a few days. When you get back, replace your kidneys because you were beaten to death by the roads. The other is to find an area - and then settle down there and explorer. This is much cheaper, and much more interesting to me.

There are places to stay as cheap as 5 dollars a night or up to 250 dollars a night as well. Just depends what you are wanting to do. The beach areas are very expensive - if you go to the famous areas - but there are other areas that are very very nice, and not near as crowded, or expensive.

I think 4 to 5 days would be pretty short to go that far - perhaps not for Puntarenas - but Puerto Viejo is farther. It really depends when you flight arrives and whether you can combine a flight day with a travel day.

I agree. I wouldn't try to trek the whole country, just find one town with some nice restaurants and recreation for a few days and base myself there -- I prefer traveling that way, you may not see everything but you get to know a neighborhood, people and place.

I'm low maintenance, and under $40 a night would be a great.

I would love to trek inland, my travel partner is a beach person - so we'll see :) Thanks for the info!

There are lots of very good places for that amount - here is a suggestion - Termales de Bosque http://www.termalesdelbosque.com/english/index.htm

If you have heard of Monte Verde - this is not it, but in my opinion better. Very easy to get to, only about 2 hours (or less) from the airport - and it is next to Juan Castro Blanco Parque de Agua which is about 70,000 acres of rainforest / cloudforest. Almost no one goes up there - and it is worth going.

The last time I checked, if you mentioned us - the hotel was only 30 dollars a night - and they have a natural hot spring with pools and everything.

Just down the road is a great zoo - I am not normally fond of zoos - but this one is an animal rescue with more than 400 animals. They are also the top Tapir breeders in the world (I think) very clean, very nice and very interesting.

Just down the road in the other direction is a farm breeding Macaws - scarlet and green. 50 of them the last that I knew. Truely amazing in the mornings there - flocks of them come in from the mountain - which is an ancient volcano. (Platanar)

So - does that sound like a travelog? :D

that's great - thanks - copying in pasting this for future. Hopefully this winter, need keep adding to the travel piggybank :) but it's a good excuse to continue practicing my spanish - I had to look the name of to find it meant "Thermal of the Forest"

All the best!

So - does that sound like a travelog? :D
No, it sounds like where I might go on my next vacation! I'll have to bookmark this thread.

How's the riding at this place?

The riding here is wonderful. The rain is warm - so I would honestly go during the rainy season - keeps you cooled off and it is like cycling in a warm shower.

La Fortuna has a few good bike rental places - and there are MTB tours as well around the volcano. Some are aggressive, some are not - all should be finished in a hotspring watching the volcano if it decides to make a showing (as in the clouds clear out)

you can cycle around Lake Arenal with MTBs - I hear that is a really nice ride - long, but very nice.

The fruit smoothies (we call them frescos) are to die for - my favorite is blackberries crushed, strained, with ice and milk - blended. Making me hungry just thinking about it.

Of course, mango is really good - and pineapple is unreal - especially mixed with coconut, all fresh ingredients of course.

Again I got my bike cleaned and lubed for 1,000 colones - this is like 2 dollars for you all. I guess the guy want to show me how good he could do it - so he pulled out the stops.

Last time was the cleanest the bike has ever been - this time he went a little overboard... I had to tell him to cut back a bit.

First of all - you really don't have to remove the seat post to clean it - I never change it anyway (he changed the seat height) I suspect he does that so he can actually test drive the bike. I know I would if I was him...

But, the thing that really got me was that he dressed up the tires with something like Armor All. They sure looked nice and I appreciated it - until I left the pavement and hit the wet stone! It was like riding on marbles there for a bit!

Oh well, after a bit of a sandy stretch, it was just fine.

The fruit smoothies (we call them frescos) are to die for - my favorite is blackberries crushed, strained, with ice and milk - blended. Making me hungry just thinking about it.

Of course, mango is really good - and pineapple is unreal - especially mixed with coconut, all fresh ingredients of course.
Oh man, those are so gooood! Guanabana's good if you like it tart, mango's always good and really, you can't go wrong w/ any of them.

I have had a real treat for the last couple of days - it has dried out and the roads are fast! Instead of my normal 30 minutes to work, it is down to 25. The return was much easier as well.

Amazing how much the water (puddles, small streams, wet sand, and some puddles that look like fishing ponds!) can slow you down.

I do love riding in the rain - but sometimes, it is nice to really be able to rip and not worry about slipping on a mud patch.

Of course, one downside is the "leavings" of the cattle are more permanent... Ah well, just some more things to dodge.

What is amazing to me is how fast things dry out and become firm. Areas two days ago I walked the bike across because I couldn't pedal through it were dry today.

We are building stuff on our property now - and finally it is dry enough to bring stone onto the road - we have been trying to do this for about 5 weeks - It only took two completely sunny days to get us there.

This doesn't mean that it rains all the time - but it has been rainier than normal. However, the sun is so strong here, it isn't gloomy even when rainy.

So the weather decided to get even for a couple of sunny days - a really big storm came up. I had just come in after walking a pretty good size finca (about 100 acres) and found out I need to grab a shovel and start making canals for the water so it would wash away the road we just built.

There was a bucket out in the lawn, and after the storm, it had about 6 inches of water. I have been in showers with less force. It was fairly warm too - but not as warm as usual.

I went into the weekend weighing 207.5, this morning it was 204.5 - and I can believe it. On top of the above excercise, the storm broke the water main above us - but we weren't sure it was local, so we walked almost to town (3 kilometers). A really beautiful walk, but that added about 5 kilometers of walking to our weekend.

Then of course quest came over and we were running around collecting fruit, etc - and I spent a little time helping them fix their truck (needed brake fluid)

I guess I can now understand why I dropped 3 lbs over the weekend!

Well, it had to happen eventually. I got cut off today. Except for the last kilometer, there are almost no vehicles at all - so it was a little surprising. On top of that, people are very careful around cyclists. So, I will admit, I have been reading about your problems with cagers up there being very glad I didn't have those problems.

He was looking right at me too with a bit of a crazed look in his eye - made me wonder so I thankfully had my hands on the brake - and the next thing I know, he was making a dash straight in front of me to the other side. What was worse, others followed him, I guess they were assuming since he went, it was okay for them too - or perhaps they were a group.

I know many of you would have had rude things to say (and perhaps a little sign language too) but honestly, it wouldn't have helped a bit.

After all - it was a bull... ;)

He and his heifers had broken down a fence and were feeding on the side of the road - I guess he had never seen a white haired gringo riding a MTB down his feeding zone before - he was more than a little spooked! :D

Now that story is just full of BULL! :)

Reminds me of a trip I took as a kid to a freind of my parents in Negril, Jamaica. Little mountain "road" that led up from the main road on the coast had many cows loitering in the middle of the night when I would make my way down to the convience shack halfway down the mountain. Now, I'm from Texas, and have seen, raised, ridden my fair shair of cows. But when you bump into one in the pitch dark .. it's unnerving.
I can only imagine getting cutoff intentionally by some bull-headed "un-cager".

Trust me, I was watching where he was going - that was an awful lot of beef on the hoof moving in front of me.

I bet there are a lot things in common with the uncager and cagers.

1. 4 hoofs - 4 wheels
2. Fairly brainless - think because they are big they have the right of way.
3. Can be looking right at you - but still cut you off.
4. Smell very bad - especially the exhaust
5. Have a bad attitude at times.
6. Just a fact of life.

Hi, thanks for your thread! I just started commuting and riding everywhere in nyc on a fixie - it'll be one month in 3 days. My legs feel really strong now...I think they've adapted to the gear ratio. The commute is only 2.5 miles, but with watching out for all the cars, taxis, trucks, buses, peds, cops, my heart is pounding really hard by the time I get to work or back home. I wonder if that counts toward the cardio workout. Anyway, I'll be going to Costa Rica in a wk or so. Surf camp in Jaco for a week, then Arenal for 4 days. I wonder if there's anyone in Arenal that can show me how to bunny hop or at least curb jump a chicken.

Bulls always have the right of way. Cagers don't.

Hi Whiney - give me a call when you are at Arenal - depending on my insane schedule - I might be able to show you. (check the contact page on www.fincaleola.com )

Bulls only THINK they have the right of way - if they act like it, they have a new name - hamburger. :) That is the difference between cagers and uncagers - one you can eat without suffer social stigma. ;)

The rocks were really well packed on the road for a while - not terribly smooth and more than a few holes, but it made for an interesting ride - and then, enter the grader.

I guess they felt the road was getting toward terminal - anytime it is starting to resemble a single track too much - send in the grader. Make the road so much better for cars.

But for me, for a few days, it isn't a lot of fun - it loosens all the rocks. On a positive note however, after a few days of being pounded by cars / trucks - it gets pretty smooth.

The also fixed the huge hole in the bridge which is nice.

Another thing about those chickens. If you hit one first hide it. Then find the nearest farmer. Bargin for a chicken. After you pay him say I'll pick it up later. Then ride off and pick up the deceased around the corner. If the farmer knows the chicken is dead before the deal is done then you have killed the greastest prize winning breeder stock in all the country and you must PAY. :D

P.S. the family will be down there in May'07. I'll mention your tree farm. My sister is a developer and is proud of her Green reputation.

Nah - Costa Rican law says that if the chicken damages my bike - they have to pay... The road does not belong to the chickens.

Everyone takes their chances on the roads of Costa Rica - a slow chicken is a flattened one.