Costa Rica to Ecuador; 14th November - 15th December.
The last month can be split into two parts: Good and
bad, half and half. The first half, just over two weeks, I spent in Costa Rica, the guest
of Diana and Milton Lieberman at their Ecolodge looking over the valley of St. Luis,
Monteverde in the province of Puntarenas. Both Diana and Milton are biologists who have
set up St. Luis as a research centre that is also open to paying guest who can come and
get involved in the research or just enjoy a rest. Helping out, is an extremely friendly
team of graduates qualified in some scientific field or other.Up the valley from St. Luis
is the small town of Santa Elena, nestled in the cloud forest of the Monteverde Reserve.
25% of Costa Rica is made up of protected areas, land and marine. This is a staggering
amount considering that somewhere like Canada has only 3% set aside in reserves and
National Parks.
Costa Rica is one of the more extraordinary countries
that I have visited. It is certainly special when looked at in the context of its Central
American sisters. Abandoned by Spain as a colony for its lack of riches, the settlers had
to fend for themselves, barely scraping enough to feed their families from the small plots
of land that they had settled. The introduction of coffee changed all that. Regions formed
cooperatives, each settlement growing coffee which was then sold to a central producer who
processed the crop and exported it. The country advanced along the same lines of
solidarity, creating an atmosphere of equality, without class division; the country's
leaders coming from the larger coffee producers. As a result, the country today boasts a
free health service for anyone on Costa Rican soil, 93% literacy, no army for 50 years and
the longest democratic history in Central and South America. It is also a world leader in
conservation and ecotourism.
Monteverde is one of the more beautiful National Parks. I spent my days exploring the
surrounding forests. Every day there was something new and exciting to do:A walk on
suspended walkways 30-60 metres up into the forest canopy from 
where
I spotted over 20 species of birds and a family of howler monkeys; Sky Trek, in Monteverde
is a series of cables set up in the canopy, some up to 200 metres long and 60 metres high,
from which I hung and sped at thrilling speeds through the ceiling of this magnificent
forest. I examined endless exquisite butterflies and Humming Birds.
A grand part of West Costa Rica is volcanic. Although the area around St. Luis is
non-active, there is still plenty of thermic activity underground. One night we enjoyed a
drink or two while bathing in one of the many hotsprings in the area. We would usually end
the day with a game of volleyball and maybe a night-walk to see what nocturnal creatures
we could see. I thoroughly enjoyed my stay at St. Luis, resting, learning and working on
the bike. Diana and Milton are North American and kindly invited me to join their
Thanksgiving celebrations. I had never celebrated this particular holiday, and was greatly
surprised to be fed turkey with cranberry sauce followed by pumpkin pie. It made a nice
change from the rice and beans that usually made up our daily feed. I was reluctant to
leave the next day, but I couldn't abuse the Lieberman's hospitality forever.
Then came the second half. I had been told that it would take 9 hours to get down to
Panama City, Panama. I had the bike booked on a flight down to Ecuador the following
morning, so I had to get there. It took 17 hours, through rain, fog and mud, the worst
ride of the trip. The rain and mud hid the potholes, so the going was very slow. On the
border with Panama I met a strange character, Dennis from the States. He was making his
way from Southern Mexico to Colombia. On foot, and without a passport. He had got into
Panama, but was brought back to the border after a police check discovered him without
papers. I thought that he had done pretty well to get this far. How had he done it, I
asked. It seems that every time he was denied entry to a country he would go on a hunger
strike until they let him in. He now planned to do just that to get into Panama. He lived
on charity and by playing his flute. He refused the chocolate bar I offered him. It would
prove too much temptation for his forthcoming strike.
The seven hours to Panama city were peppered with police checks; more than I had ever
encountered anywhere. One lone cop stopped me and accused me of ignoring a police check
some miles back. It was blatantly untrue. I could pay a $40 fine in Panama City, a $20
fine to him right now, no questions asked or alternatively he could arrest me and I could
plead my case to a judge in the morning.Needless to say I went on my way $20 lighter. I
arrived in Panama city at 6am and handed my bike over to Cielos de Peru, a cargo company
at 9am. I had decided to fly it to Ecuador and miss out Colombia for safety and time
considerations.
I spent the rest of the day checking out the Miraflores locks of the Panama Canal. I was
lucky enough to see a huge passenger liner and a massive oil tanker drop the 50 feet from
the canal into the sea through a set of three locks. There are six in all, two sets of
three, one set on the Atlantic and the other on the Pacific, connecting 50 miles of canal.
The US are to finally hand over its operation to Panama on the 31st December of this year.
I flew down to Guayaquil, South Ecuador to meet the bike. Due to the Volcanic ash that had
closed Quito
airport, we had been diverted there. The bike didn't leave as
planned though. Guayaquil is an unattractive, crime-ridden city and, as the bike refused
to arrive, I decided to explore the coast. Equally unattractive, so I returned to
Guayaquil. I got back to the news that the bike would be arriving in Quito after all. I
flew up to Quito to find that customs were on strike and there was no possibility of
getting the bike out. In fact, they didn't even know if it had arrived. To take my mind of
this situation I took myself off for a three-day white water rafting trip on the Toachi
and Blanco Rivers. I had a fantastic time, and, at last, saw a part of Ecuador that didn't
remind me of a boring day on the moon.
Ecuador is in a rather desperate situation. It is rich in resources, but is managed by one
of the most corrupt governments in South America. All I read about in the local papers is
the quite open criticism of this totally rotten system. The rot has sadly, and, I suppose,
understandably, spread to all levels of life. Everyone is intent on ripping off their
neighbour, especially if that neighbour happens to be a tourist. Nobody can seem to give
me a straight answer on my bike, even though customs is said to be working as normal. I
don't know when, or even if, I will get the bike, or when I will be able to push on. My
New Year plans in Tierra del Fuego look less and less likely. The money is dwindling and
so are my spirits. But, at least the Sun is shining. Hasta luego, Nat.
