Costa Rica (or as we like to call it Cara Rica)

There are two countries in Central America that people talk about as expensive, these are Belize and Costa Rica.  We thought we would be ready for the sticker shock but found ourselves frustrated at times by what felt like the constant "Pay to Play" mentality of the country.  If we wanted to go for a hike, we had to pay, if we wanted to see a free thing, well the parking was eye-wateringly expensive.  The country is nice and we would recommend it as a great vacation spot but for us it seemed to be more of a highlight reel of many other Central American touristy spots at higher costs.  Due to our shipping date we could only spend a week in Costa Rica, which originally we were saddened about, but in the end felt that we probably would have left pretty quickly anyway.  If you are wondering why we called it Cara Rica, in spanish cara means expensive and rica means rich.
During our time in Cara Rica we explored the beaches on each coast in between line ups in the capital city completing paperwork required to import Rupert into Panama.  We drove into cloud forests in the mountains and saw Costa Rican wildlife, namely Sloths!

May 3^rd – WHERE IS TECHNICA!?!!!

We woke up early as we had read that leaving Nicaragua can take hours. The moment we got to the border we were confused.  The border was massive a spread out over multiple locations.  As usual, there we many “fixers” also known as “helpers” who for a cost will help you cross the border.  The issue, they can be a bit scamming and purposely deceptive to confuse you if you are not paying for their “service”.  After reading and rereading instructions that past travelers and written in iOverlander we made our way to the gates of the border area where we were handed a declaration paper for customs where we declared the dog and the vehicle.  After parking a customs agent explained our process (for customs).  He will inspect our vehicle, a police officer will inspect our vehicle, we will go to ISPA for our dog then we will go to Technica.  We had almost memorized the instructions from iOverlander and we had never heard of Technica, we felt like were in the dark.

After a quasi thorough inspection Paul left to find a police officer to sign off on our inspection.  They were no where to be found.  Paul walked back and forth through immigration (without completing the immigration process) looking, even hoping to attract the attention of a police officer by walking in directions where signs said not to walk. 

After 30 minutes Paul gave up as we could complete the exportation process of Rupert by going to IPSA.  After 10 minutes of walking we found IPSA and after a painful process where the IPSA officer seemed to do everything Cetrex had done the day before we were back on the hunt for a police officer, but this time there was one with the customs officer who had previously inspected our vehicle.  Happily, Paul ran up to him, but was then informed that the process that we were literally just told about was wrong, he had to go to Technica before the police would sign off on the vehicle.  Paul asked everyone “Where is Technica” and was given directions like “over there” “in that building [the biggest building at the border]” or general pointing (once in the wrong direction).

We gave up on the search for Technica and decided to do immigration, after waiting in line and paying an exit tax we were officially not legal to be in Nicaragua.  By this time Paul had attracted the attention of a woman taking fees for the municipal government who took pity on him and tried to get to the bottom of the location of Technica.  After a few more minutes we finally found a little window beside Customs on the Entrance to Nicaragua side of the immigration building.  He looked at the declaration form and stamped it.  THAT WAS IT!?!  I was told it was because I had declared the dog and his job was to check that I had the stamp from ISPA (as if the stamp from IPSA wasn’t proof enough!?!).

After that point, the process flew by, the police inspected our vehicle, and we were waved across the border to Costa Rica.

Immigration into Costa Rica was easy and modern.  After a few quick questions we had new stamps in our passport.  Next was the dog, which thanks to the proper export of Rupert from Nicaragua only required a stamp and the equivalent of $20 CAD which could be paid at a bank at the border (meaning we could also take out local currency for future purchases!)  The van was also easy to import as we got to fill in our own form meaning we could quickly answer all the questions on the form without the back and forth that we had become used to with Custom agents. While Paul filled in the form Kendra got some photocopies done of our proof of cancelling our TIP all on her own (which is a hug accomplishment for her). Our only issue was due to the amount of time it took us to leave Nicaragua the vehicle insurance office was on lunch meaning we had to wait for almost an hour until they were open again before we could legally drive in Costa Rica. WE had read they go on lunch from 12-1, but today lunch was from 10:45-11:30, give or take 20 minutes.

After such a stressful day we were finally driving south again.  Our first stop was Walmart for some food and it was just like any Walmart we had seen in Mexico, the US or Canada.  It was surreal to be in a store so westernized after driving through the developing nations of Central America.   Our next stop was for our own lunch, even though it was almost dinner by this point. Lastly we stopped and picked up some local wine known as Vino de Coyol (which reminded us a lot of Makgeolli [Korean rice wine])

We would have liked to find a nice place to camp after grabbing some food but our priority for Costa Rica had to be Rupert and getting that process done quickly which can only be done in San Jose, hundreds of kilometers from the border.  We ended up driving for hours skipping a few highly recommended locations in Costa Rica to end up on a beach in an ocean bay.  It was a long day, but at least we had a great camping spot close-ish to San Jose to start the export process for Rupert to get to Panama.

 

May 4^th – The Dog Days of Costa Rica (Part 1)

Panama requires dogs to have a Certificate of Exportation, signed off by both a registered vet and a governmental body responsible for vets or animal welfare.  This alone would be a painful process, but this certificate must then be apostilled by the Embassy of Panama or their designate.  We had read that some vets will complete this whole process for us but the cost would be around $300 usd and will take around a week if we were in San Jose or longer if we were not in San Jose, hence why we planned to be in San Jose today.

Thanks to iOverlander we had read that there is a very good vet in the community of Atenas, a bedroom community of San Jose who speaks English and has some friends in SENASA (the governmental body responsible for animal welfare).  From our understanding he would be able to help us get 2/3 of the requirements for our export document.

Once again we had an early morning so that we could get to Atenas as early as possible.  Our research paid off and the vet was just as helpful as everyone had told us he would be, the only issue is it would take a few hours to prepare the documents, so we had some time to kill.

Atenas is small but cute with lots of restaurants and cafes, so we spent a couple hours spending a small fortune on coffee and sandwiches and a local coffee beer.  This is probably the first time it truly hit us how expensive Costa Rica was, for a couple coffees and sandwiches it was over $40 CAD.  Regardless, we were happy to pay it as it was one of the first time in a long time we were less concerned about getting the dog into Costa Rica; for the first time in a long time, we felt like we had a plan and it was possible to complete our plan within our “crazy” one week timeline.

The final task we completed while waiting for the dog’s paperwork was a car wash for the van.  Our van was filthy from all the dirt roads we had driven on in the past 10 months (we had the outside hand washed by some street vendors in exchange for parking but they are not super thorough), but we forgot one key thing about Central American car washes, they don’t just wash the outside of your vehicle, they clean the inside too.  Because we didn’t think of this our clothes, specifically dirty underwear was in the doorways of the van.  Our garbage from the last few days and nights was in a bag tucked under the bed.  The inside of the van looked very “lived in” and definitely not in a good way.  We could only look in slight horror and embarrassment as these poor employees cleaned our very dirty vehicle inside and out.  We didn’t even mind when they charged us appropriately ($35) for our filth.

At 6:30pm we got the call that our paperwork for Rupert was complete and we were told that the best way to ensure the paperwork is completed by Friday was to drive to San Jose tonight and go to SENASA tomorrow morning when it opened (7:30am) then go to Casa Amarilla (the Yellow House) to get the document apostilled.  We felt very fortunate that the vet confirmed which SENASA office we needed to go to, since previously people have been able to go to the airport but now you need to go into the city to the head office. Thank goodness he has friends who knew what we needed to do and he could share this knowledge with us. The vet felt that, with a little luck, it may be possible to get the document complete for a successful, and legal export of Rupert, within a few days.

Sunset had started when we left Atenas meaning it was pitch black when we arrived in San Jose, meaning we were breaking the cardinal rule of overlanding; do not drive at night.  We convinced ourselves this was fine as this was for a special reason and Paul had decided to book a hotel relatively close to SENASA.  Unfortunately, when we arrived to San Jose and the hotel Paul had booked we learned that in his haste to book something affordable he had selected the wrong days and the hotel was completely full. 

Thanks to iOverlander we found a quiet safe spot to camp in an industrial area of San Jose and for the first time in months we stealth camped in a major city.

 

May 5^th – The Conclusion of the Dog Days

We woke up early to arrive at SENASA before they opened.  The security guard hadn’t even gotten to his post yet so after we parked we were asked to move to the actual visitor parking lot.  He was very apologetic and even offered us a bathroom and water!  Exactly what people who literally slept on the street (in a van) need in the morning!

The process to get SENASA to sign off on Rupert’s exportation to Panama went pretty fast, other then a little bit of confusion.  Paul thought they told him to find Colleague 6-12 to pay for the export so ended up wandering around the SENASA building aimlessly for a few minutes until someone helped him.  What they had actually told was to return to their Colleague he had already met and quote C-12, the code that their colleague will put into the computer so Paul can be charged and pay correctly for the export.

Our next step was the Yellow House, also known as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (and Worship), but we encountered an issue.  To get a document apostilled we had to have an appointment and there were not appointments available for over a week.  Paul tried to reason with the Security guard at the door to make an exception or if there was another way but in the end Paul was turned away.

There was some small hope, Paul was given a phone number of someone who may be able to help the situation, but we didn’t have any phones with minutes so we needed to purchase another SIM card.  We also thought we could skip this whole process and get approval right from the Embassy of Panama.  We had read that is the process that most people follow if they are going to Panama from Canada or the United States and right before leaving the SENASA office, the SENASA officers told him that the next step was to go to the Embassy of Panama.  We raced to the Embassy of Panama (partly because we hadn’t paid for parking and had parked in a zone requiring payment much to the anger of a parking enforcement person) but were told that the only way to get to document finalized in Costa Rica was to get it apostilled at the Yellow House.   We still had the phone number to try to call and book an appointment so we went to a Claro store (one of the main phone companies in Central America) and purchased a Costa Rica SIM card with some minutes and called the number.  By some unbelievable luck the man on the other end of the phone took pity on us and our situation and told us to return at 2:50pm for an emergency appointment.  We were ecstatic! 

We had a few errands to do between the time we called the Yellow House and 3pm which we filled with an oil change and getting our vehicle looked at.  Since the thorough washing of our van the tailgate sensor started to stop working or work excessively- however it was working; it wasn’t working right.  Even when the tailgate was latched, the van would tell us it was not, giving us an annoying DING and keeping the dome light on.   We also had a recurring issue with our airbag sensor (something we first noticed July 6^th!!)  If we have a power inverter plugged into the cigarette lighter (which we learned is officially called the Auxiliary Power Outlet) it would periodically (and rarely) cause the airbag sensor light to come on- if you Google what to do when your airbag sensor is on Google (and our mechanically inclined family) say not to drive and have it looked at immediately.  We had seen that there was a Dodge dealership in San Jose so hoped that the manufacturer could help us, but unfortunately they did not. We were told that they would have to seek permission from Dodge Central America to look at our Dodge Canada/North American model vehicle; a process that could take 4 days or so.  We decided to start the process to get permission for them hoping that by Monday (today being Friday) they would be able to look at the van.

We arrived back to the Yellow House at 2:30 and anxiously waited until our appointment time.  Ten minutes before Paul made his way to the lobby where a new security guard told him that his name was not on the list and he was not told about any emergency 3:00pm appointment.  Once again Paul pleaded, explained the situation and how we were supposedly given an emergency appointment.  The Security Guard left to see what he could find out and after what seemed like an eternity returned allowing Paul inside the lobby.  Within 10 minutes Paul walked out with a massive smile on his face.  We had done the impossible! We had properly prepared the export paperwork for Rupert a process that takes many people 10 days and costs triple what it costed us in just over 24 stressful hours.

We decided to return to the beach side camping spot we had stayed at our first night in Costa Rica to maximize our potential options for the next day meaning we had a 2.5 hour drive.  This drive was exhausting and made worse that the stress and worry about getting the dog into Panama was all but gone.  When we did arrive it took us barely anytime to fall asleep.

May 6^th – The Beach or the Mountains

We had to make a decision and both options seemed pretty good.  Option 1, head north into the mountains of Monteverde known for its lush green forest, mountain towns and it’s cloud forest.  Option 2, head south to the Nicoya Peninsula and explore beaches where we would likely have the entire beach to ourselves.  Both seemed like great options but in the end we choose option 1 due to the heat.  At 9am it was already 32 degrees.

The road up to the mountains was fine, it wasn’t in great or bad condition and wasn’t as extreme or memorable as the Guatemalan mountain roads.  Within a couple hours we were in the community of Monteverde and parked in the parking lot to visit the official Monteverde Reserve to walk amongst the clouds in the forest.  We were a bit shocked at the price, $25 usd to go on a hike, but realized our fear of missing out was greater than our frugality.  The place boasted it’s “extensive” 13 kilometres of trails, so after looking at the map we plotted our journey and began our ascent up into the clouds/forest. 

The first path ended at viewpoint where clouds slowly blow into the forest with a few spots where it felt we were walking through a cloud forest.  We decided to return through a couple other pathways but none had views or the experiences we had hoped for.  We even decided to take the most difficult trail that would take us to the highest point on the trail system in hopes of an amazing view, but surprisingly their was no viewpoint and very few clouds. We did get to see a lot of trees and hear the birds.  What was there were giant flies with stingers for a mouth that refused to leave us alone.  At some points it felt like we were running as if we stopped we got stung.  There was a waterfall in the reserve as well but it was nothing compared to other waterfalls on our trip; even when compared to the wateralls with little to no water.  In the end we did 10 kilometers of its 13 kilometers and felt disappointed we had spent $50 usd on this experience.

Monteverde was not what we had expected, it was a modern community where everything was pay to play.  If we wanted to do anything we had to pay for it, so we decided to go to a brewery and pay for some beers while we researched and prioritize our next activities.  After a lot of discussion, we decided to we would leave the area and prioritize our time elsewhere.  We left the brewery and made our way to a potential camping spot, unfortunately iOverlander was a bit out of date and everywhere on the app was no longer available or inaccessible to a 2 wheel drive vehicle.  We had to make a new plan.

We started to drive towards quieter less touristy mountain towns in hopes of finding something, and we did find something, another brewery.  We decided to once again stop and do a better job of looking at camping options in the area and in the end found one almost an hour away which had amazing views of the valley and mountains.  The reviews were correct, and after watching some locals do a motorcycle photoshoot we were happy to set up the van in the cool mountain temperatures hoping for a great night sleep.

 

May 7^th – What a view!!

The reviews of our campsite mentioned that the spot can be a bit windy.  Well there is windy and then there is wind that rocks the entire van effortlessly which woke us up periodically.  We still believe the views and the temperatures were worth a bit of wind.

We made our way to the less touristy community of Tilaran, which although cute did not provide us a lot to do.  What we did experience is poverty, something we didn’t think we would see very much of in Costa Rica. In the short time we have been here we have been asked for money multiple times a day, most of it being the same story that they need medication and can’t afford it, and when we say or show them we don’t have money they continue to ask and we unfortunately have to walk away. Most of the time this happens we are away from the van and taking Rupert for a walk, so we literally have no money  on us to give.   After grabbing a few groceries, we continued forward to Lake Arenal.   We had hoped to find a café to enjoy a coffee at while admiring the views but could only find the “Tourist Café” of Café Macadamia.  We weren’t too sure what to expect with tourist buses outside and English speakers everywhere but they did have delicious coffees and a good cinnamon bun.  The prices were a little eye watering but we did get to enjoy a great view of the lake.

Kendra had found a campground at a hot springs with what many described as one of the best views in Costa Rica.  They were not kidding, we set up our van in the shadow of Volcan Arenal and enjoyed the views while playing a few board games.  As the day got cooler we switched into our bathing suits and spent the rest of the night moving from pool to pool warming up and cooling off. 

After such an enjoyable evening we made sure to have a shower as the hot springs closed quite late and most people were drinking beer and not leaving the pools (yuck).  Although we were relaxed we did feel rather unclean.  Our regret was that we didn’t shower with our bathing suits as they had a unique odour to them that only got worse as we travelled.

 

May 8^th – Being true rebels

Our campground had wifi meaning we could see everything we could do in the La Fortuna area and were once again surprised at the cost of things.  If we wanted to see a waterfall it would be $25 usd, if we wanted to hike up the volcano it would be another $30 usd.  If we want to look at tress that may have sloths in them, well that is $50 usd.  We could go on, but in general everything seemed to cost money and we were unsure what would be worth it.   Slightly out of frustration we decided to hike to a waterfall recommended on iOverlander.  Theoretically if you get to it, it is free, but we would have to pass through private property to get to it.  We made a number of excuses to ourselves as to why we were going to trespass and made our way to the trailhead.

As we had guessed there was a massive gate at the trailhead clearly stating private property; however, beside the gate was a massive hole that could allow a small crowd to walk through.  Once again we justified our decision as it appeared many people walk through this property to get to this waterfall.

The hike itself was beautiful and well defined.  The only tricky part was a river crossing near the end of the trail which required us to carry Rupert over and resulted in our shorts getting soaked. *Paul’s shorts got soaked as he tried to take the most direct route across the river while Kendra hiked her shorts up and encouraged Paul to find a less deep area to cross at.

The waterfall was quite beautiful, the waterfall ended in a pool surrounded by a natural amphitheatre.  We decided to continue our rebellious way and go for a swim sin ropa.  It did feel quite freeing and refreshing.

We got back to the van with no issues, even passing another person on the trail. 

By saving a bit of money we decided to pay to see one of the most famous Volcano’s of Costa Rica, Volcan Poas.  Paul was conflicted about going as it was a 2 hour detour and there was no guarantee we would see anything due to potential cloud cover; however, Kendra vetoed Paul’s decision to skip it.

We arrived at the volcano and were immediately turned away, although nothing online said so, Dogs were not welcome anywhere in the area of the Volcano.  Not even in the parking lot (although a few years ago they were, now they are not- maybe due to the poisonous gases and the fact that this volcano was active in 2017 and closed to the public for a few years).  Thankfully the woman at the entrance gate allowed us to park on the road in front of the No Parking Sign meaning we continued our rebellious ways and didn’t have to pay for parking.  We did our quick hike up to the top of the Volcano and we were happy to see clear skies.  We truly lucked out especially after reading so many reviews of people paying money to see no more than 6 feet in front of their face.

It was time to find a spot to camp for the night and once again we struggled.  After stopping for some mountain strawberries and cream (aka sweetened condensed milk) and a tipico platter for dinner we hit the road again. We found a few potential locations, but with rain in the forecast and signage stating that the areas were prone to flooding we thought it best to seek a spot on higher ground, which we thankfully found right before sunset.

 

May 9^th – SLOTHS!!

Our time in Costa Rica was quickly coming to an end meaning we had a big day of driving.  We left the community of La Virgen destined for the coast, and after almost 4 hours we saw the turquoise waters of the Caribbean.

Our first stop was a sloth sanctuary as we decided that seeing sloths at a not for profit organization trying to help them was better than all the for profit places we had passed.  We even lucked out with our timing as tours were every hour on the hour and it was almost noon. We parked outside of the sanctuary because online it states that dogs are not allowed, and dogs are not allowed in vehicles in their parking lot. Most of the sloths we saw were permanent residents, disfigured or blind due to negative human or dog interactions (maybe the reason why dogs are not allowed in the vicinity).  However, they still seemed to be living their best lives.  We learned that there are two types of sloths, a two finger sloth and a three finger sloth.  The three fingered sloths were the sloths we were used to who appear to wear a mask on their face, while the two fingered look closer to small bears. All sloths have 3 toes.

We did learn some interesting facts about sloths, the two variants can not (and do not) breed with each.  When sloths breed they are 100% effective.  Sloths can actually move quite fast (as fast a monkeys) when in danger.  And finally, they only use the facilities (or facili-trees) once a week, where they defecate a kilogram of poo and release a litre of pee.

Our final stop in Costa Rica was Puerto Viejo which felt so different than any other community in Costa Rica we had been to.  It had a very Rasta feel with beautiful black sand beaches and an island feel.   We wandered the streets watching people come and go and looked in a few shops for potential souvenirs. We realized that how we wanted to spend our final night in Costa Rica was on the black sand beach so after a quick stop at a local brewery we found a spot, set up our table and chairs and watched sunset and talked late into the night.

 

May 10^th – Our final border in North America

We had hoped to get to the Panama border first thing in the morning but the laundry we had dropped off yesterday was not ready and we had had a bit of a late night.  We spent our final morning doing what we had gotten used to doing in Costa Rica, sitting in a restaurant and enjoying a drink (coffee this time) and enjoying the views and ambience.    We had originally hoped to cross the border and get on the noon ferry to the Island of Boca del Toro but before we knew it that became an impossibility.

Around noon our laundry was done (it would have taken longer but thankfully Paul started to help the owner of the Laundromat fold our clothes) so we drove the short 40 minutes to the border prepared with our paperwork and more importantly the dogs paperwork.

Leaving Costa Rica was relatively easy, pay a departure tax, get a passport exit stamp and check the vehicle out of the country.  Within 30 minutes we were driving across a river into Panama where a border guard gave us a laundry list of tasks to complete.  First of which was to get fumigated and get our passport stamped. 

Most borders have “fixers” or “helpers” but usually they leave you alone as soon as you say you don’t want their help.  Panama helpers were relentless and the most aggressive we have encountered.  They really put us on edge and tried to confuse us.  I think the thought is that if we are confused that we are more likely to pay them for their services.  Without their help we were able to find immigration which was far easier than we thought it would be.  Some people told us that they had to prove they had at least $500 USD and proof of onward travel, but we were relatively quickly stamped in. Usually Paul does all the talking and goes first, but Kendra went first and Paul didn’t have to say anything to the border guard.

Next was paying for insurance for the vehicle and getting the temporary import permit.  This process took the bulk of our time at the border as the Customs agent had never seen British Columbian car registration and didn’t believe me that a 8.5 x 11 inch piece of paper could be the registration.  It took a lot of discussion and some research on their side to finally believe us.

Lastly was the point in the process we were most concerned about but most prepared for, the importation of Rupert into Panama.  There are horror stories about this process, mostly originating from the largest border between Costa Rica and Panama and a price for importation close to $140 USD, but ours went incredibly smoothly.  For reasons we don’t really understand the animal inspector only changed us $25 USD, the least anyone we know has been charged.  Frustratingly, the animal inspector didn’t care about our Apostilled Document meaning we probably could have got through the border without all our running around in San Jose.    However, I know we both slept far better knowing that we had done the process properly.

The government of Canada states that Panama is the safest country (outside of Canada and the USA) on the Pan-American Highway, so we had a vision of what Panama was going to look like.  Well our first few hours were nothing like we had envisioned, it was sketchy.  It’s hard to describe why exactly it was sketchy but everything seemed to be in a state of disrepair with lots of poverty.  This feeling was made worse when, as setting up to camp for the night, we were approached by some locals recommending us to camp at a different location.  We were told that one of two things will happen if we stay where we are, either we will be robbed or the police will move us so we don’t get robbed.  They didn’t have to tell us twice, we left the area. 

The local had recommended the nearby mountains as a great spot to camp, but the bridge was closed for some reason meaning that we couldn’t access that area.  We hopelessly looked and asked for somewhere to camp but found nothing and before we knew it we had arrived in Zegla, a community the local refer to as The Ghetto.  We were running out of options; hotels were not really an option with reviews of rats and bedbugs leaving the best option to camp in the line up for the 7am ferry tomorrow morning.  We had read overlanders doing this as there is a security guard that ensure no one breaks into the vehicles.

Right before getting into line a few locals came up to us stating that if we wanted we could camp in their friends yard where they said we would be safe as they yard is fully fenced.  We decided to trust them and, just before it got dark pulled into what appeared to be a very safe parking lot behind a house.  It was a rough start to Panama but we had hope that tomorrow would be better.