26-30.12.2017. Tres Rios. 127,3km /// 1084,58km

After hiking on Cerro Chirripo I was so hungry, that in supermarket in San Isidro I put tones of food into my trolley. And 15 eggs on super promotion, which will have own special role. That’s why my trolley lost all agility, and gain additional kilograms so looks like middle age battering ram 😀 When I rolled out of city I looked like knight which is going to besiege castle, or like homeless guy 😀

I didn’t knew where I want to hike with my trolley. Because summit of mountain with romantic name Hill of Death, have 3491m above sea level. And road on which I wanted to roll my gipsy’s camp is leading almost through top. That’s why next two days of PERMANENT roll in my trolley on hill I will remember for long time. That’s interesting experience to walk two days all time up. When I passed villages with people hanged on fences, they felt into dissonance and dangerous vibrations. Because from one side they see white guy, so like skinny bag fulfilled with money. But from other side that white guy is pushing baby car covered by black foil, which is looks like all home of homeless man. That two things they can’t connect, so when I passed they felt into numbness. And I imagine, that when I disappear after curve they gonna wake up from trans, and they think that I was ghost or mirage 😀

On my way I reached obligatory stops because of Tour de Costa Rica, which in same time rolled around Cerro de la Muerte. I saw in eyes of my imagination how peleton is going out of curve and crashing on my trolley like waves on rocks. That’s why preemptively I waited when that crazy guys on two wheels passed by, and I rolled my tree wheels further.

They told me, that gonna wait for me 3km before Arctic Pole 😀

And further waited for me small villages where I camped during nights. In one of them, Division, people welcomed me like a king. They gave me eat, cookies, coffee, place to sleep (owner of metal carport even cleaned me it for me 😀 ), bags of blackberry, and even with force they put into my pocket some cash! Incredible hospitable people! That was really difficult to move on but that was time to reach summit!

Night in front of church

First 1000km!!!!

Heiner, Jorge, Marco Antonio and me. They gave me in village Division so much heart! 

And place to stay for night! 😀

Just one sip of views before sleep…

When finally I reached it with dregs of energy, windswept, lashed by rain and depressive thoughts – I was happy like a kid! I shouted as crazy! And like for end, on summit… I toss out last 11 eggs! I cared about them, and finally what happened! I ran among cars and collected eggs which left and in few seconds made scrambled eggs. That was how I reached summit 😀

Somewhere near summit. And it doesn’t matter that there was so much pain and tears. Now it’s time for happiness!!!!!

But I went down like a king. Straight and with smile I wave to drivers. Like pure happiness. But I came down another two days so it also was blow by strong, cold wind, clouds and fog. Was extremely cold and quite dangerous! On every curve I thought when someone will have idea to help me and push with bumper. But with every step I was lower and closer to heater named earth core, and safe, wide road side.

Proof that when You walk, You can see much more. Not so many people know that monument because everybody are just passing by in cars. It;s memory monument to remember plain crash which had place here in 1974. Died here soldiers from Honduras who went to Panama “in special mission”. What mission?

Village in one picture. Shop, bar and church 🙂

Wow that mean hole in road! It is here since 2 months, and local people said that governmant gonna fix it during next 3 months 😮

It’s Marcos from shop with second hand clothes. I wanted to buy there pants and found some for 3000 Colones. “But it’s quite a lot. Could give me some discount? For example 2500?”. “All right, You can pay 1000 Colones! Or You know what? You have it for free! And if You want I gonna give You packet of strawberries” 😀

Literally on fumes of energy I came to Cartago. Esteban, my host from Couchsurfing, already waited for me there. So we just moved to his home where I spend another few days.

30.12.2017-03.01.2018. Tres Rios.

Esteban and his mother Teresita are extremely open people. Warm, caring and easy going persons. Something beautiful! Together with Esteban we made ride to capital, San Jose, which unfortunately was not so amazing. A little bit looked for me like Asuncion, capital of Paraguay. Sure, my impression was affected because of date when we’ve been there. In first day of January all country woke up from alcohol fumes. Streets were empty and closed shops compounded impression of abandon. Like in every post apocaliptic climate, here also survived some strange mutated creatures. Homeless, bums and drug dealers which without any embarrassment shouted on corners theirs offers of psychoactive things which they sell. True is that there is a lot of green fields, but without greens and with a lot of sett. Architecture is also not so interesting. City don’t have characteristic old town, and few interesting buildings are disarranged around ahole city. Styles and colors are mixing. It’s possible to feel that there is something interesting in city, but I didn’t had time or will to explore it. But I had will to go to local cinema to watch some Finnish movie 😀

Together with Esteban and Teresita we farewell old year and welcomed new one. In Costa Rica there is no tradition of massive parties on main squares and concerts during New Year. Mostly people are making parties in homes, and they are move ton streets to watch fireworks, drink few bottles and they come back under roof. For me also New Year lost a little bit of magic. Year, in my personal calendar, is ending and starting at 14 of July, when I started my travel 🙂

4-5.01.2018. El Cacao. 51,7km /// 1136,28km

Under Esteban’s roof I spend 6 days. And that was really important time! I rest after 3 mountains which I reached in extremally fast time and once again realized that time in normally, home time is passing very fast. But road addict much stronger than four walls in home, that why I said “goodbye” and I hit road.

San Jose is only part of giant complex stick with many small cities which is making organism of capital of Costa Rica. I looked on map and I knew that it gonna be problem. From home of my host on other side of capital (as I thouhht so) I had something like 50km. That why on road Esteban organized for me checkpoint in home of his friend. But first I should walked there what wasn’t so easy.

True is that after street jungles in Paraguay, Bolivia and partly in Peru nothing can’t be difficult on my road. Normally I walked in that he’ll like frog from 8 bites video game. But than I had only backpack and now I have my gipsy car. That’s scary to walk on streets and something what we can name side road is full of wholes, construction sides, pipes and many other strange things. Huge crossroads without lights. Only I know how much kilometers I made to find new way (and few bored guys in front of workshops who watched how I tried to suited).

I walked two days and I didn’t left city! All time along road i found only some buildings. It started to tiring me. And became problem of place to sleep. During first night I could stay in home of Esteban’s friend, but in second I didn’t had anything. Sun came down and on side road unlimited wall of homes. There are strange guys and nowhere I could find church or police station to ask for place to sleep. Finally in one moment place has changed and I found some small piece of field. Salvation! I became like a “Catcher in the rye”, went into field and found some place to stay during that windy night.

6-7.01.2018 Sarchi Norte 21km /// 1157,28km

I stopped to walk on highway but on small roads along villages and small cities. I found a lot of hills and rivers but it’s quite easy to walk. Maybe because all the time I have something to observe. Surprise me level of living in villages. Good houses, modern cars. Maybe people are little bit more closed like in South, but still don’t know how to say when they see me :DAnd in cities still without changes – most interesting point is main square. All rest is organised buildings, cared streets and a lot of small shops. It can be really good place to live!

 

Outside highway definitely is much more difficult to walk but much more interesting, because every city is like surprise. I thought that huge churches in small villages can’t be surprise for me. That’s why when I walked on main square of city called Greg is, and I saw high church which with towers try to make holes in sky, wasn’t something special. “Nice” I thought but… something was strange. I walked much closer and I couldn’t stopped to knock walls. Steel! Whole church made with Steel! From outside and inside 😀 Inside people can feel like canned tuna. Church for metal likers 🙂

Outside…

… and inside. Full metal!

I’m village Sarchi I found much largest oax in the world. Colorfull and maybe beautiful but… why? Nobody know that. And nobody ask about that 😀

In same village I was in front of church when some family came and proposed me coffee and sandwich. “We saw You in that steel church and now other time. We should give You something”. I was so surprised that I didn’t knew what to say. I forget words and even to take picture 🙂 After hour I met Steven, Josue and Alfredo, three friend from that village. We talk, drink, other of theirs true d came and in some moment there was around 30 persons. And night I spend in home of Steven 🙂 I met his extremally open and beautiful family, we hiked together on summit of some mountain and at evening we warmed with fireplace and with new friend in memory I walked to meet another persons.

8-9.01.2018 Ciudad Quesada 52,7km /// 1209,98km

Another time no ending villages with huge churches. I go on shortest way to road 35 marked on maps.me with orange color. Always it means good, main road like highways. I had plan to pass there like in wormhall all hills and rivers. If I could only know what I will find on that “beautiful orange road” I would with smile cross every single river…

A w jednej ze wsi… deklaracja miłości! 

 

Cmentarze w Kostaryce można pomylic ze skelpami z płytkami

Even before 35. asphalt ended and I started till gravel. It wasn’t so easy but always could be worst. I go with tighten teeth searching through fog my orange road. Silence, calmness, in my had is only wind. It don’t look good. But finally… there! I found it! Through trees I see asphalt river. With smile on face I walk to place where is beginning of road, but there I could only hang my smile on closed gate. “Construction site”. F***! So close and so far. To find another way I need to till many kilometers of stony road! I was not worrying about me, but more about my trolley 🙁

End of the road?

Then from car ent guard. I told him my story and asked if it’s possible to walk here. Without anything he opened gate, invited me and said, that it will be great walk for me because there is no traffic yet and road is leading through beautiful places. He’s name was Jesus, but I didn’t knew that in fact his like undercover devil. Still I had possibility to come back but… that asphalt hypnotized me!

First 10km was like from dream. Like from book for engineers. Silence and calmness. Fog made post apocalyptic climate. But to have post apocalyptic climate should be there also apocalyptic. And finally I found it. Someone stole asphalt and compacted ground. Cut like with knife ready part has ended and started real marsh. Mud and water was high to my knees. Trolley on very hilly parts start to slide down on mud to not protected abyss. It startuj to rain. It getting dark and I don’t have place to stay for night. Next to me, in forest I hear gorilla! I was scared as hell… Also in one moment my tire brake and I had flat tire! And crem de la crem. I found river… without bridge! That was too n for me. On my side of river I found some parts of metal construction so I set there my tent, and went inside dirty, wet and angry to shape my dreams in cop.

Next morning I checked my side of river and in really hilly and muddy road went down. That was only part of quest because in same ridiculous road I needed to hike up. It top I see… asphalt! Yupi! End of my disaster! I walked full of happiness when after 400m was… end of asphalt 🙁 400m or black river and another 5km of dust, mud, stones and tears. And many times more. Crew which should prepare straight parts and curves made job on time, but guys from bridges needs much more time. Whole part from beginning to Ciudad Quesado have around 60km but with asphalt only 20km. “It gonna be great walk for You” I heard words of Jesus. Yeah maybe it’s road through purgatory.

When I saw asphalt of Ciudad Quesado I was happy as hell!!!! 😀