Seis semanas en Pérez-Zeledón en una 125cc

[pdedse]

Originally Posted by junglemototours

Feb 9-10

Ok...I'm intrigued...those are some good looking...stickers? What's going on 9-10 Feb?

[pdedse]

Getting close...5 days till departure. On a trip down the Mexican pacific a while back, had a black, 4 season First Gear jacket with good ventilation; still, the humidity was incredible at times and you just sweat a downpour. Was tempted to just forget an mc jacket because I've been in this area of CR before and have used shorts / t-shirt / sandals the entire trip--the long sleeve shirt and pant didn't even get out of the suitcase. But, I figured I'd give a mesh jacket a try. This arrived this morning and fits like a glove.



Will have to go for a test ride in it even if it's not designed for the 37 degrees we have this morning.

I'm taking tent, camping supplies, light sleeping bag. I've only really camped once in CR. In 1989 along the Caribbean side, south of Cahuita at a spot called Punta Vargas. Got there by riding a bicycle from Limón. A full week along the beach, under palms...even survived a group of howler-monkeys' feces bombardment--foulest smell I've ever encountered, spent half an hour washing myself and tent fly off in the ocean. But I was alone and felt uneasy leaving the tent alone for long periods of time. It will work though for an over-night beach trip. What I really want to do though is camp at a "lote" that my wife and I purchased several years ago, 7 acres in the forest, half way between "Platanillo" and "Barú" north of the red hiway line. Longer term plan is to build on it, but short term I want to camp there a few nights to see what's like at night.



All this is dependent of the bike's ability to get me back in there...or rather on mine!

[junglemototours]

Originally Posted by pdedse

Ok...I'm intrigued...those are some good looking...stickers? What's going on 9-10 Feb?

My buddy Bryan Sylvester http://www.bsylvesterart.com/ helped design those, 2 day music festival south of Uvita;
http://thebestfestival.com/lineup/

Vecino, your lote is close to mine! See Punta Mira on that map......good gravel roads for access in that area.
Hope to have a beer with you down there and talk moto Just 10 more sleeps for me.

[pdedse]

Originally Posted by junglemototours

My buddy Bryan Sylvester http://www.bsylvesterart.com/ helped design those, 2 day music festival south of Uvita;
http://thebestfestival.com/lineup/

Vecino, your lote is close to mine! See Punta Mira on that map......good gravel roads for access in that area.
Hope to have a beer with you down there and talk moto Just 10 more sleeps for me.

Wow, that's quite a coincidence about the lotes! And your friend has quite the talent--looking at some of his work, I'd guess that he's been influenced by having traveled in Costa Rica. Also very cool to know about the concert. I'm going to see the students this morning and I'll give them the link to the concert and tell them about it. Wouldn't surprise me if some of them want to go. Is it a big enough event where you have to buy tickets in advance, have lodging / camp site reserved prior? I've got my tent packed....hmmmmm. Y la cervecita...suena muy bien.

[pdedse]

¡Ya llegamos! Made it to CR with the 12 students. Bus got us all to hotel with tons of luggage and we found a "soda" - a family run restaurante - that was still open, barely. We walked about a block and a half and the students were amazed at the huge holes in the "sidewalk", the lack of street lamps, the cars whizzing by on the narrow street. Watch where you walk and stay out of the way of the cars--good first lesson for them.

It was fun watching the students deal with native speakers of Spanish as they ordered. The lady taking their order didn't speak but a few words of English so it was a good first outing.

Tomorrow we take another bus to Pérez-Zeledón and I get to finally meet the HONDA CGL 125 I purchased. Only thing is, there's some question as to when I'll be able to legally ride it as the plates aren't ready for it for another 5 days...or more. I'm looking into getting a provisional one. Other wise I'll have to change the title of this from six to five weeks.

[pdedse]

Well, what to do? This was supposed to be a ride report but I'm having trouble getting it off the ground. My new Honda CGL125 is here, but the license plate and marchamo are not. Seems the Registro (MVD equivalent) had an extra week of vacation over Christmas break and all the burocratic machinations that normally get done got backed up. One can ask for a provisional licence plate, but the place I bought the bike from ran out of those too. Long story short, the licence was supposed to be here when I arrived the 26th of Jan, wasn't, then last Thursday, wasn't, then it's supposed to be here this Friday...will it be? I have friends of family that work in Registro, and they promise it's coming soon, that they can't do anything at this point. So I've put 15 kilometers on the bike riding it around the block every few days. So my "Seis semanas en PZ" report will have to change to 4 weeks...or 3....or.....?

Meanwhile, I'll start with things and the licence plate arrives, great, if not...might just have to pull the plug....speaking of which...

If you've traveled in latin america, you've seen them...maybe even reluctant to take a shower. I've always been curious about what they looked like on the inside, and when my sis in law asked me to help her last night, I couldn't resist. Plus it gave me the chance to use the tools that I brought along for the bike.

This is the shower head with the bottom cover already removed.



This is what goes bad from time to time and must be replaced. It's called "la resistencia" here in CR and costs 1000 Colones, or about $2. It's a plug and play (or shower) type of thing. Pull off old resistencia and insert new. Of course don't forget to shut off breaker, which my cuñada didn't forget to to, gracias a Dios.



Here's a shot of the old one, wrapped around the some pegs that hold it in place and attached to the metal conducting pins. Just pull it off and insert the new one.



Then you have to run a heating cable through the body of the shower head and it heats up the water as it fills; when enough water fills it builds up pressure and out comes hot water!

Flip the breaker switch on, listen for the "shooosh" sound that indicates water is being heated, check the head for any water pouring out the side (shower head base not screwed on right) and, voila...agua caliente.

Old resistencia after removal:


I lived in CR for two years between 88-90 as a student. We had a switch on the wall that controlled the off/on for the hot water. Shocked me at least once a week, but was a "kind-hearted" sort of shock. It was cool to finally get to see how they work.

Pics of the new bike at home coming. RR begins this weekend?

[pdedse]

So here's what Perlita looks like the day I arrived at my sis in law's house. Plastic was still on lots of parts.





Dealership had promised to put on more "earth-friendly" tires"


About as low of kilometraje as you can get:


Dedos cruzados...fingers crossed for the end of this week when it looks like plates and tags will be available!

[GRinCR]

Originally Posted by pdedse

Well, what to do? This was supposed to be a ride report but I'm having trouble getting it off the ground. My new Honda CGL125 is here, but the license plate and marchamo are not.

No hay problema. Nothing diez rojitos can't take care of with the Transitos.

[pdedse]

Originally Posted by GRinCR

No hay problema. Nothing diez rojitos can't take care of with the Transitos.

Let's see...10 rojitos that's, what, 10,000 colones, some $20? I thought about going doing that path, but then I walked by a huge lot of confiscated motorcycles. Didn't have my camera, but there must have been at least 50 of them. All is takes is one official to say no, and bike ends up there, or so I'm told. But plates are supposed to arrive this afternoon, so it seems best to wait.

My sis in law is the owner of paint store "Pinturas Alpha" in Pérez. I go there in the afternoons to talk, have lunch...here she's preparing her son's textbooks by laminating them home-made style.


Paint costs about the same prices as in the U.S, $15-30 a gallon. Interesting to see the customers come in and start discussing pricing. "¿y me da un descuento?" (will you give me a discount?) seems to come up in most of the conversations.

[pdedse]

Pinturas Alfa:


"Gris Perla" is the color of the bike I bought, so it seemed appropriate to name her "perlita"...sis in law actually gave her that name:


Houses in the tropics always seem to be battling the humid conditions. My sis in law's house with new lining and redone wall. About a 20 year old house and she's having to do some repairs.


"Henry" the guy who does all the work for her gets between 2,000-3,000 colones per hour, $4-6.


The new roof laminates replaced the old, mossy, no light could even get through old ones.


I brought a truck for the bike:


Has both kick and electric start:


Muffler attached by bracket.


From the owner's manual...if you want to learn some Spanish:

[pdedse]

Our students study at a language school called SEPA. It has a branch school between PZ and Dominical. We might do a 5 week / 1 week combination for next year, 5 in PZ and 1 here at a more country setting:



Toucans sing a lovely song:


You could study here and have this as your view:

[pdedse]

Campesino...




Lots of fincas and smaller lotes for sale in this area. The have a very agreeable climate, and outrageous views of the sunset...the pacific is off in the distance, only 20-25 minutes away

Papaya


Agua de mazana:


I love farms

[pdedse]

San Cristobol is about half way between PZ and Domical, on the coast. I see the name Tinamares as well. School boys posing:












I need to buy me a machete...it would complete the bike.

[riderddonald]

Lots of fincas and smaller lotes for sale in this area.


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Hope your havin a great time, you're killin me. I haven't stopped thinkin about CR since I got home in December. Told the misses while we were there I could easily move there and then you had to mention places for sale and of course I had to do some researching and found a few nice places. One real close to where you are. Not guite ready yet tho. When my wife wins the $5, 000 a week from Publishers Clearing House it's first on my agenda. Just a small place up in the hills but my wife has to have a stream on the property.

[pdedse]

Originally Posted by riderddonald

Lots of fincas and smaller lotes for sale in this area.


[/COLOR]

Hope your havin a great time, you're killin me. I haven't stopped thinkin about CR since I got home in December. Told the misses while we were there I could easily move there and then you had to mention places for sale and of course I had to do some researching and found a few nice places. One real close to where you are. Not guite ready yet tho. When my wife wins the $5, 000 a week from Publishers Clearing House it's first on my agenda. Just a small place up in the hills but my wife has to have a stream on the property.[/QUOTE]

I'm sure you could find the place with the stream . You have to start with a dream. My wife and I started a number of years ago, bought the lote about 4 years ago, and we're starting the build next January. Could be done by July of '14. The lote is about 7 kilometers from the beach, up in the hills. It should be nice, I'll post photos of that later when I get the chance to go there, I hope to camp and spend my first night there soon. But the area I'm about to write about would be my second choice, and not a distant second choice.