Lago Arenal
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Our view from the terrace at La Cruz down to the Pacific was amazing. We were treated to an incredible light show as the sun went down followed by super colours from the after glow.
We are absolutely loving the food here. The standard breakfast is rice and beans with fried egg, fried plantain, cheese and some salad. We look forward to second breakfast almost as soon as we start riding each day.
Our ride from La Cruz meant we were on the Pan American highway for part of our ride. We found this an interesting experience. Mainly it had a nice wide shoulder to ride on (with the usual detritus on it that meant we got a puncture at one point), however at times we were randomly greeted by 'no cycling' signs but not given any option of an alternative route (zoom into the sign on the picture below). These crop up whenever the speed limit is higher than 80kph. I like the sentiment of trying to keep cyclists safe but I'd rather a different route were provided instead of simply saying don't ride here. We simply ignored the signs and rode on without problems.
Equally random were the sections of highway that had a dedicated cycle lane beside them. These seemingly began and ended without logic. The combination of sections we were not meant to ride on and sections where there was dedicated provision was bewildering.
One of the benefits of being on a highway is that the gradients are gentle. We were also being treated to a tailwind. Both of which meant we were covering ground quickly. We clocked up one of our longer rides at one of our fastest averages and reached our destination at Cañas by mid afternoon.
We stayed at Cabinas Corobicí, meaning toucan. Quite appropriate as I saw a toucan from the terrace before leaving in the morning (and because bici means bike!)
The church in town was really unique. It was covered from top to bottom in mosaic. I think this photo just about captures the intricate detail.
Our ride out of Cañas began uphill. We were glad to be doing it in the relative cool of the morning. In the background you can see a red and white tower that is massive and part of a hydroelectric system.
Another thing we have begun seeing in Nicaragua and Costa Rica is wind farms. We have experienced consistently strong winds so it seems to make sense - providing they can survive hurricane season. NB Nicaragua gets 10% of its energy from wind.
What an awesome road!
Part way up the climb we were caught by Marco. He stopped for a chat and rode with to the top. Despite the fact that he rides 700km a week for fun, he still thought we were crazy to have ridden from Canada. We have seen very few recreational cyclists prior to Costa Rica, but here we have spotted quite a few riding some really nice bikes.
Finally, after cresting the climb we were treated to our first view of the lake. Not big by Nicaraguan standards but the biggest in Costa Rica. It is very lush around the edge. Apparently the bird life is awesome so we hope to make use of the binoculars we bought in San Salvador. Also, the forest is home to sloths, it would be a total highlight of the trip to see one.
Finally for this post, a mirror shot. They can take a few attempts to get right but they are a good way to get a photo of both of us on the bike as it is otherwise hard to do.
Google photos https://photos.app.goo.gl/p8J9ERd7iN2bGiZy9
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