Samara
(DAY072 : Tamarindo - Samara : 65 miles)
(DAY073 : Samara)
I left Tamarindo after the surf lesson, at around noon. I had decided to give up on the Pacific and head east to Arenal. Five miles later, I was making a south bound turn for the coastal route to Samara. I really don't know who's guiding this expedition, it sure's not me. I only try to rationalize these unexpected turns. Samara is so close, and it would be great to see the coast along the way. What's another day?
Within two miles into the turn, the road gets terrible again. It's not off-road terrain. It even looks like a road. Except it feels like riding a pneumatic paving breaker, and you're constantly covered in thick white dust. Someone tells me it'll get better 4 miles ahead. It does. Only to get worse a few miles later.
Long story short, I discovered that the route along the coast is an unmarked labyrinth, and a study on types of terrible road surface. Crossing muddy creeks is always a gamble as you have no idea what's on the path of your wheels. Just add expensive electronics to your cargo to up the ante. And the only smooth section was the hardest to get through: impossibly deep gravel. The punch line? The coastal route barely provides any glimpse of the coast!
The fourth creek had a motorcycle bridge. (Didn't feel like they had Katirga in mind)
Transformers caught terrorizing innocent locals.
As I had hoped, Samara was a much better fit for me. A long beach, and a small town without complexes. This place too is full of tourists, and many of the hotels were quoting me $70 a night, but it's laid back and serves a different crowd. My $20 room a few steps from the beach was on par with the one in Tamarindo, and the beach bar next door was a good place to hang out at.
There are a few bars and restaurants on the main street, and I never saw them busy. At Karamba I was served real (not from a bag) nachos for the first time since leaving Mexico. They also have one of those giant sub-zero beer refrigerators, so it was a good place to visit as well.
(DAY073 : Samara)
I left Tamarindo after the surf lesson, at around noon. I had decided to give up on the Pacific and head east to Arenal. Five miles later, I was making a south bound turn for the coastal route to Samara. I really don't know who's guiding this expedition, it sure's not me. I only try to rationalize these unexpected turns. Samara is so close, and it would be great to see the coast along the way. What's another day?
Within two miles into the turn, the road gets terrible again. It's not off-road terrain. It even looks like a road. Except it feels like riding a pneumatic paving breaker, and you're constantly covered in thick white dust. Someone tells me it'll get better 4 miles ahead. It does. Only to get worse a few miles later.
Long story short, I discovered that the route along the coast is an unmarked labyrinth, and a study on types of terrible road surface. Crossing muddy creeks is always a gamble as you have no idea what's on the path of your wheels. Just add expensive electronics to your cargo to up the ante. And the only smooth section was the hardest to get through: impossibly deep gravel. The punch line? The coastal route barely provides any glimpse of the coast!
The fourth creek had a motorcycle bridge. (Didn't feel like they had Katirga in mind)
Transformers caught terrorizing innocent locals.
As I had hoped, Samara was a much better fit for me. A long beach, and a small town without complexes. This place too is full of tourists, and many of the hotels were quoting me $70 a night, but it's laid back and serves a different crowd. My $20 room a few steps from the beach was on par with the one in Tamarindo, and the beach bar next door was a good place to hang out at.
There are a few bars and restaurants on the main street, and I never saw them busy. At Karamba I was served real (not from a bag) nachos for the first time since leaving Mexico. They also have one of those giant sub-zero beer refrigerators, so it was a good place to visit as well.
posted by Serdar at
6:36 PM
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