Cycled Granada Nicaragua to Panama with Exodus, 14 days begining Jan 14 2012. Exodus website for more details(click). Its a fairly long distance so there's a fair bit of vanning, van portions are shown in black.
Google lattitude, if you're into that kind of thing, a gps function, seems to be tracking me (my Gio, an adroid), ... not sure that's a good thing, ... kind of creepy.
Preliminary rating after 73 cycle trips:
An "8" (Corsica was 9.5, Sicily 6.5). A lot has to do with expectations, Best thing: Bocas del Toro, Worst thing: Costa Rica generally was mildly disappointing, nothing bad I suppose, but I somehow expected more. Strange: Found out the Brits pay 1,500 sterling, Cdns pay $2900 CAD, .... something fishy there, at a FEX of say 1.57.
beside Panama Canal
click photo to enlarge
Fri Jan 27 2012
Panama City, (after 2 weeks in the "backwoods") is a typical 1million + NorthAmerican city, skyscrapers and congestion etc ... so different than the rest of trip.
We visited the Miraflores locks and had a 8 mile ride. We started from our hotel by van, close to the Pacific end of the Panama Canal. Saw the process of raising and lowering the traffic, then biked through Soberana National Park which spans nearly the entire width of the country along the East side of the Canal. We headed back to our hotel in the afternoon with time to relax, then a few of us went into the old town by taxi to Casco Viajes (old square) I with Sharon Bill, .... then our last meal in a modern restaurant, Las Papas, situated in the vibrant Calle Uruguay district...... then home, 28th, through Miami, arrival 11:59 PM... all went as planned, scant snow on arrival.
Thurs Jan 26 2012
Today is our last distance ride, and it was great, perhaps a "top ten" in my experience (nothing dramatic, rolling, but overall very nice,... I felt strong, not the slightest concern of heart flutter), only about 50 km. We started just out of Santiago, and finishing with a 2-3 hr van ride into Panama city....brochures say the most impressive of all Central American capitals, ... and it is! The intended hotel was older and rather nice and after partially settling in (I had a shower) hotel ended up not having enough rooms (3 short) we all!! left for an alternate, a rather deluxe US-styled suite complex, ... grand (probably expensive, very US styled). Because the Allgood Inn didn't want to loose future Exodus business, and after we'd made our menu choices, Allgood revealed they would pay for dinner, except desserts...pretty decent... I'd already chosen the most expensive thing ... honest. After 15 days in 3rd world places, Panama City is strikingly urban, traffic jams etc... is that a good thing?
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Wed Jan 25 2t012
Today started with a bang!, ... and it's only 8:15 AM... Debbie, surgeon, got fish/bone stuck in esophagus and is flying home from Bocas /Panama to Toronto, ... she's wary about local hospitals. At arrival of island pier, found out there's a local strike on the mainland (blocking roads, some ecological protest) so we're waiting on Bocas island (pleasant hotel), ...sort of stuck in paradise... till the van gets to the mainland pier (a nothing-to-do place). Rob, our guide, said it took three days once, slept in the van..... so, could be interesting.... our return flight is Sat 28th at 4:05 PM....mmm?. 11PM update: Debbie got a 8:55 PM flight out of Miami to YYZ, the roadblock cleared about 3 hours later, and we ended-up vanning a bit extra, descended a 12 mile descent (rather steep at top) and another 15 miles, fairly flat. arrived at Hacienda in Santiago, Mexican themed, but we were about 2+ hours late(due to strike).
Tues Jan 24 2012
Today was a free day .... on the beautiful Bocas del Toro Islands /Panama, which is kind of like Key West, and overall I like, rather "hippy-ish" and many backpackers. Our bikes stayed on the mainland. 12 of our 17, incl me, took a 9:30 to 4:30 boat tour, watching dolphins (very limited), snorkeling, lunch on pier, then 2 hours on a private "Red Frog" beach. The beach was a"10" but the other stuff was pretty ordinary. 1 or 2 of our group were in a pickle with the rip tide, ... but it all ended "OK". Dinner at the Lemon Grass had very bad service, >1hour waiting. The trip is going by in a flash.
Jan 23 2012
as shown in Google Latitude (tracking me)
Up for 7:00AM breakfast, 8:00 departure on bikes, 33 miles before lunch, ... crossed into Panama fairly painlessly. Pulse about 140 bpm when working hard, so ease off at 145, but recovers nicely, 67 at the moment. Crossed 30 min in a speed boat, to Bocas Del Toros, kind of Hemmingway-esque/Florida Keys type place, ....very nice, use USD, now back on Eastern time. Yesterday I was the first one in ... usually worry about being last, with a group that 10, maybe 20 years younger than me...one Chinese storekeeper asked me how old I was, ...mmmm? ...what did she mean by that remark?
Sun Jan 22 2012
Great day, ... a bit too much vanning...we headed east into the rolling terrain of the San Carlos plains, riding though rich agricultural zones, sugar cane and pineapple plantations and rural villages....the heat became more noticeable. I tried but didn't see toucans as we make water crossings. We transferred to Siquirres for lunch (approx. 2 hours). We continue by bus onto Limon (1 hour) where we started a beautiful 20-mile cycle ride along the Caribbean coast road. Our destination was Cahuita, a typical Caribbean town, complete with a lively reggae music culture and spicy cuisine.Total cycling distance today is 27 miles along paved roads, or 47 miles if we are able to ride along the coast
Great day, ... a bit too much vanning...we headed east into the rolling terrain of the San Carlos plains, riding though rich agricultural zones, sugar cane and pineapple plantations and rural villages....the heat became more noticeable. I tried but didn't see toucans as we make water crossings. We transferred to Siquirres for lunch (approx. 2 hours). We continue by bus onto Limon (1 hour) where we started a beautiful 20-mile cycle ride along the Caribbean coast road. Our destination was Cahuita, a typical Caribbean town, complete with a lively reggae music culture and spicy cuisine.Total cycling distance today is 27 miles along paved roads, or 47 miles if we are able to ride along the coast
Sat Jan 21 2012
Yipee: ...2 nights in the same hotel in La Fortuna, so took laundry in. Today's ride followed a circular route through the region surrounding La Fortuna which takes in a great variety of terrain and ecosystems. Starting with a fast descent to the town of El Tanque, we pass through agricultural land devoted to bananas and sugar cane. I overheated and got on the bus for the last 12 miles through rugged hilly zone leading back towards rain forest near the small town of La Tigre. Toucans are especially common here, but I didn't see any. At 5:30 we visit the Eco-Termales hot springs to soothe any aching muscles.
Total cycling distance today was 30 miles ... but bloody hot, especially in the hills.
Fri Jan 20 2012
After breakfast we set off on our bikes towards La Fortuna. 38!!! miles before lunch,... lots of rolling hills, a couple I walked.... They say this is one of our most spectacular cycling stages, starting in lush agricultural land which gradually gives way to thick rain forest as we approach the dam which forms Lake Arenal. We were supposed to see monkeys, toucans and the amazingly colourful neon-blue Morpho butterflies as we cycle... all I really saw was some raccoon-like animal, 20 or more came right up to us. We spend the night (2 nights) in a hotel in the centre of La Fortuna which has observation decks for night time volcano watching (when the mountain is at its most impressive), as well as pools and pretty gardens.) At a mundane level ... took 12 stinky items to the laundry.
Thurs Jan 19 2012
This morning we had 2 hour float down the
Tenorio River, a haven for birds and wildlife....took lots of pics We cycled back to Canas for lunch and hour walk through a wild animal refuge, then drove to the hilly
region surrounding Lake Arenal for the afternoon biking stage. This is quite a challenging section and although the distance was quite short there are several climbs and it can also be rather windy. The rewards were the spectacular views of the lake and the surrounding hills.
Total cycling distance today is 24 miles.
Wed Jan 18 2012
After an early breakfast we rode from San Juan del Sur to the LaVirgen junction with the Pan Am Highway. We climbed over the ridge which separates the Pacific coast from Lake Nicaragua in the relative coolness of the early morning. A gentle descent took us to the highway at La Virgen and from here we are transferred by bus to the border with Costa Rica. After clearing immigration .... the blockbuster news was that it took 7 hours to clear ...7!!! hours, .... our guide Rob was very apologetic, but was not his fault..... Rob handled it the best he could. Some suspect it's Oretega trying to irritate the US, ... but whatever, it's very inefficient, and I doubt serves any body's interests.. In the end, Rob put us on a commercial bus, ..leaving our driver to look after the import export of our 20 bikes (the problem, I guess).Total cycling today was 12 not the planned 36 miles, one climb especially towards the top of the ridge from San Juan del Sur. The road was fully paved. Dinner was great... tenderloin, seems like beef country ... a surprise to me.
Tues Jan 17 2012
Today we departed the hotel around 10am, ... gave us some free time beforehand and I fiddled with wifi. We cycled to Moyogalpa still on the island, lunch then back on ferry to the mainland. Then cycled 25miles along La Chocolata Road, hard-packed dirt road to San Juan del Sur, a Pacific beach town.
San Juan.... mmmm... maybe lobster for dinner(it was good 5 little langoustes).. This is a popular beach for Nicaraguan families on holiday, ...people, though poor, seem pretty happy usually smiling and the kids horsing around, ..... fairly often you see people using horses as a means of transport.
Total cycling distance today was 30 miles, along mostly level roads with some mild climbs. The road is 90% well-groomed dirt and 10% paved.
Total cycling distance today was 30 miles, along mostly level roads with some mild climbs. The road is 90% well-groomed dirt and 10% paved.
After breakfast and a 30 minute drive we cycled ... kind of overcast, ...through the rolling countryside which surrounds the famous 'Pueblos Blancos' (White Towns).... the birthplace of Nicaraguan culture, as well as of General Sandino, the hero of the modern revolution....I really don't know diddly squat about Nicaragua.
From San Jorge it was 1:15 hour ferry boat trip to Ometepe Island (in a big!!! lake, half the size of Lake Erie I'd guess) - the views of its twin volcanoes (Concepcion and Maderas) were spectacular.
Cycled 8 miles to the hotel, .... spending the night close to
the wildlife-filled Charco Verde Lagoon....a kind of primitive place, but had wifi. This was the first day of riding, but really just 25 miles. The roads are all paved except for the final half mile to Charco Verde. Posted 5 more pics to Picasa.
Sun Jan 15 2012
link(click) to/my Picasa web album (16 pics)
I'm kind of rusty at sharing photos, .... they are not that great, ... but I'm trying to get them to show on my blog? ...how's it working?, ... I'll try to get a better class of pics.
Interesting detail, today(Jan 15):
While waiting in a market (for others to buy trinkets) I was approached by two university students, as to why Nicaragua has an impression of being dangerous. I answered honestly, and admitted that my impressions were more based more on news reports from Mexico, and transfer (my idea transfer) to Nicaragua, ... whereas in fact things seem fine and our guide (after 18 trips) agrees.
Sat Jan 14 2012
A rest day, walked around town ... waiting for Brit group to arrive, 32C, sunny. We (with Bill and Sharon) came a day early because of possible weather flight complications out of |Toronto. Met the guide, Rob, originally from Rochester, NY, now Costa Rica, and two assistants who don't speak English, ... a chance to practice my Spanish
Fri Jan 13 2012
Arrived pretty much on time, 2:30pm with no fuss no muss through YYZ using the express kiosk(multiple boarding passes) ... very efficient, arrived in Miami on schedule even though the de-icing at Pearson seemed to take 30+ min. Met 4 more Canadians on the plane from Miami, another two from Red Deer at the hotel, so the Brit contingent will not be that big, since the overall max is 17. Since the 4 we met on the flight had a pre-arranged transfer to Granada, an hours drive, we piled-in with them and split the cost. Hotel is basic by our standards, but fine. In a way disappointed there are so many Canadians, 6 so far, since its an opportunity to meet Brits/whatever.
Granada is old colonial town, lots of Gringos, and most Nicaraguans cant afford (earn $2/day) to live here.
Weather is 32C, maybe even warmer, .... and skies mainly sunny but are a bit threatening (could rain).
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.....click for day by day agenda