Costa Rica

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We went for an evening walk around the old colonial centre of Granada. For a small fee we could climb one of the bell towers of the cathedral. The views from the top in the evening light were stupendous. There were terracotta tiled roofs, colonades and courtyards in every direction.

The roads were lovely and quiet as we left town the next day. Our day began with a gradual climb but it was tree lined and the brisk headwind made it bearable. There was even a dedicated cycle lane at one point.

Things got busier when we joined the Pan-American highway however it did mean there were more eating options. We stopped here for a desayuno (breakfast). It was perfect for cyclists: eggs, chips, beans and rice. Two lots of carbs and two lots of protein.

We noticed a real change in the landscape during the day as these photos show. From dry and arid to lush and green.

Our destination for the day was Rivas, just about the last town before the border. We stayed with someone we had found via iOverlander. A German who runs a small permaculture smallholding. He grows plantains which are interspersed with lots of different fruit trees. He has this basic cabin on his land and it was perfect for us. A place to sleep in a lovely tranquil setting.

You can probably see on Rachel's face how much we had enjoyed our stay as we rolled down the shady track the next morning to rejoin the main road.

We were taken by surprise as we found ourselves right by the shore of Lago Cocibolca. We simply could not resist a swim. In the background of the photo, looking very distant is one of the volcanoes on the island of Ometepe (the largest island in a freshwater lake in the world).

Google maps makes it look the island is just a little way off shore. Seeing how distant it looked in real life brought home just how vast the lake is.

The border crossing was straightforward. Not too much queuing. After a selection of our bags had been X-rayed leaving Nicaragua and then X-rayed again as we entered Costa Rica we were in county number nine. Once again we rolled away from the border with a sense of nervous excitement and thankful that crossing borders by bike is just about the easiest means of transport by which to do it. 

The roads so far have been really good quality and very quiet. The amount of roadside vegetation seems to have increased and we found ourselves enjoying the variety of a twisty, hilly road 

We are staying in La Cruz as the next town is a bit far for us after a border crossing. An advantage of the post border climb is that we have awesome views down to the Pacific from our hotel balcony. Not too shabby.

Google photos https://photos.app.goo.gl/p8J9ERd7iN2bGiZy9

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