After our bus tour of Doka and Poas, we reluctantly decided that we were going to have to drive. By this time we had a pretty good idea of what to expect, so we knew that we needed something with 4 wheel drive and good ground clearance. We rented a mini-SUV. If you’re planning on driving in Costa Rica, then based on our experiences, here are some things you can expect to encounter:
It’s so dry, even the bamboo is dying. I saw clouds overhead the other day, and wondered why nobody was seeding them to get rain. Then I remembered Rick Perry’s praying for rain. Then I thought: Why not combine the two? Take Rick Perry up in a plane and throw him out, and have him pray on the way down.
It occurred to me that I haven’t written about the epic home improvement odyssey we’ve been on for the last few months. The story really started in the fall of 2005, a few months after we bought the house. When it rains in Austin, it really rains. You can hear what a typical storm sounds like by downloading a recording I made. (It’s binaural, so listen with headphones for full effect.
It’s raining. It has been raining all afternoon. I’m not complaining that it’s raining, we need it. I only started driving about 2½ years ago. As a result, I still find it genuinely pleasurable to be in a car when it’s raining, even if I’m sitting in traffic. Slow moving traffic? Luxury. Try not moving, spending 45 minutes standing in the wind and rain waiting for a bus that’s supposed to run every 20 minutes.