A Honda CGL125 in Costa Rica

Profe,

I am pretty sure, looking at the contents of your package, the plate you got is good. All the new plates have the fancy CR flag and reflective sticker on them. Also the new plate and registration sticker have cooresponding numbers.

Your best source of info would be the dealership for a sure answer.

If not the case you got new tags: $16 and pay at the local registry. Make it to the SJO registry and they say anywhere from 30 minutes (oser) to two hours . Paid at a local registry it will be a few days.

Best info I found in engrish: http://www.ticotimes.net/Current-Ed...all-old-license-plates_Friday-January-20-2012

Carry on! I need more time to explore your area.

I´m sure mi cuñada can help me with this when the time comes, the bike is in my wife´s name, but a couple sis in laws have the power of attourney. But they´ve done so much for me to get this bike legal already, que me da pena ask them for more help right now. But I´m pretty sure I´m good for this trip. I´ll worry about it in July when I visit again. Thanks for the tip.

OK, cool, my plate has the flag and some other sticker on it, and it came with another sticker that matches the plate. So I may be good, but thanks for the info and links.

Had to get my title for mc >emplasticado< so that the rain and moisture don´t eat it up over time, and that´s easily done at a photocopy shop. Go to counter, take number, wait, when it´s your turn tell them what you want, when ready take receipt showing the cost to the >cancelar< window, where you pay. Get your receipt stamped showing you paid, go back to photocopy counter and show receipt showing you paid, pick up photocopies...you´re done!

Look at this photo...you can see the pay for your merchandise window. Don´t ask me about the little manquin dolls...don´t know what they´re doing. That think that looks like a slippery slide? It is...there is a second floor and they send some documents down the slipper slide right into the muchacha´s hands. A dumb waiter - playground system that seemed to work very well!

My sis in law Olga with ash smeared on her forehead to celebrate Ash Wednesday.


What every briefcase should be equipped with...un cuchillo...in other dialects maybe machete. I hope to visit soon the lote my wife and I bought, camp there, actually spend the first night on there...but I might have to clear out some overgrowth. Besides, it adds about 10 hp to my bike.

Students and I went to FUDEBIOL, a protected watershed area that supplies S.Isidro with its water supply. Good to get out of the city and into some hiking. When students saw me on the bike they said it looked ridiculously small. Oh well, it does have its plate.





Happy Valentine´s breakfast...

Just got back yesterday, Monday, from a three day trip to La Cusinga Lodge, a beautiful area just south of Uvita along the Pacific, about a half hour south of Dominical.

A lot of afternoons I spend at my sis in law's paint store. All sorts of interesting characters walk in to visit with her, pick up painting supplies. This is don Paco...a throwback to rural Costa Rica. He keeps inviting me to visit his finca, says we'll kill a chicken, maybe butcher a cow together...I told him a beer would be just fine...we'll see.


On the way to the beach...


That's the Pacific in the distance.


Visiting the "lote"...future site of stopover for all ADV riders.


After spending the afternoon at the beach, a sunset is more than welcome.




Next morning, Sunday, I got up early to do some exploring in the cool of the day.

Saw a sign for "Playa Tortuga" and found a nice beach road that led to the beach, but it wasn't the most scenic although the road in/out was fun.





Sometimes it's the best way to get a good close up shot of the wildlife.


Just south of Cusinga Lodge.


Bike is running well, seems happy at the beach.


From the lodge, you have to walk 15-20 minutes along a wonderful trail with all the tropical trappings:


Ajo tree...not sure if it's this one, but people at the hotel said there were trees over a 1000 years old.






Is this a tree root?:eek1


With that live tree making its way through the fallen trunk, makes me wonder how longer ago the latter fell.


A branch-dance.


I don't get tired of the green and "the rest of the colors"...


There were maybe 10-15 people at the beach, but you had to look hard for them.


A fisherman left his bags of bait and the zopilote took advantage...I did my good deed for the day and picked up the plastic bags.


Beach scenes...




Two of our students "getting to know each other" better.

Jon Marañon wrote "Gringo's Hawk" which explains the history of Cusinga Lodge and the surrounding area. Very good read that makes the visit more meaningful.











Somebody will correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe these are almonds:

So I don't have to worry about my camera, I take it to the beach just once, snap away, then put it away...sorry for all the beach shots together...




I've never seen a sea horse dead or alive except in aquariums, so it was quite a surprise to find this guy washed up along the beach.


After the beach, there was still light enough to explore some of the rock / dirt roads leading up into the mountains. This is the whale's tail, part of Parque Nacional Marino Bellena


Another shot of the tail:


Dig the now required "chaleco reflectivo" that's required for all motorcyclists in CR.

This is on the way to San Josecito...beautiful mountainous area just off the coast.




Some of the climbs and descents tested the limits of Perlita...and my own...but we both made it.


Back in time for more boring sunsets...same couple from before, practicing grammar...really!




The sunrises early, around 5:30, and the view is just about as nice as the night before...


This guy got wrapped up in one of our bathroom towels:


Speaking of bathrooms, some toilets are not able to handle everything you might want to dispose of:

One last shot at Cusinga Lodge...the locusts, cicadas, or "chicharas" as they are called in CR are amazing in numbers and noise. If you're a spider and you can't capture one of the 17 billion chicharas that sing away the hot afternoons, then you're not much in the way of web designing.


It was time to return to S.Isidro, the students on the bus, and I on Perlita. It was getting warm as we headed north for Dominical, but I stopped off first by Playa Dominicalito, about 3-4 kilometers south of Dominical. My son loves to surf here. Today was a day just to snap a few photos.













It was a great break for the students. They've put in three weeks, have three more to go before we head home. Nobody got "lost at sea" because of the riptides, although one of our gals did have to get rescued by a life guard at Dominical. It's good for surfing, but you've got to watch the currents. She was shaken, but OK...and now has an interesting story to tell...I'm grateful for that.

Keep up the good work mae!
I think I saw Paco in town, I remember the hat.
My lot is on that ridge you have a view of, far right acerca del picho.
Loving the pics, missing it big time.

and I knew I had a similar pic;

That's cool that I was in your neighborhood! Your bikes look a little more capable than what I'm riding, but so far the little 125 is getting it done.

After leaving the beach area, it was time to spend a little time at the "lote" that my wife and I purchased about 4 years ago. On the way, came across this little guy. It looks more orange in the pic, but I think it's name is appropriately "red-winged black bird". Shame it came to its end by way of playing tag with a car, but in flight, at rest, these are magnificent birds.



Lote:



The first of three levels where the house will be built:


One of the main trees at the entrance has these little guys all over it, they fall of course, so I was careful not to ride the bike near it.


The culprit:


I picked up a bunch of the thorns...will drill a hole through the base of each, run a fine chain or leather strip through making a necklace...wonder if my daughter would wear it?

The first of three levels where the house will be built:




Cool pictures of the lote. Three level house? Sounds pretty palacial. Basement...? inground pool? I can't wait to see the construction. Can you see the pacific from where your house will be? Will you build a razor wire fence around the property, or will the small fence around the subdivision be enough? How many lots already have houses and structures built?

This Guanacaste tree branch hangs right over where the house is supposed to go, so the branch will have to be cut back.


This is a window view of the ocean...a couple of these trees will need a haircut to let the sunset in:


Looking south, back towards the hiway:



A year and a half ago I planted a mango, an orange and an avacado tree. The mango and orange are doing well, but the avacado, I learned later, isn't suited too well to this climate...but it's still alive. Now I want to plant a papaya and others.

I've only seen about 10% of the property...the rest looks like this, but I do hope to camp there soon and the guard who does the upkeep told me there are trails and he'd take me back in there.


The second level looking up towards the first.


There are already three mature lemon trees...they look like oranges, but nope.


I filled my trunk with lemons to give to my sis in law and others at SEPA school. There are hundreds that will go to waste, but soon we'll take advantage of them.




The trees are wonderful and provide lots of welcome shade:




For those of you who ride in shorts, you might suspect that this is a mufler burn on the calf, but those experienced with tattoos know that this is quality work:


Yesterday went exploring the area after Rivas, just east of S.Isidro. Found a neat bull ring / rodeo arena. Would love to visit when there's something going on:


The church above:


I've got a three day weekend coming up. Considering visiting Puerto Jimenez in the Osa Penisula. From S.Isidro would head back to the beach and take the costanera hiway (red line) to where it meets the Interamericana (white line), then over to Jimenez.


I've never been in this area of CR before, so it could be fun. I have friends with fincas so maybe even some camping.

Hola amigo, three level house...no. Maybe I didn't explain that quite right. The lot has three levels on which one could build. The house will be built on the first and second level. The third level, the lowest, will be reserved for fruit trees and a guest house, but that's way off in the future.

Yesterday I went for a two hour ride on the interamericana hiway south of S.Isidro and rode through some beautiful sure cane / pineapple fields. The sugar cane trucks were loaded to the brim and some cane would fly off...just praying one wouldn't smack me in the head. Forgot to bring camera so I didn't get any photos.

On my way to work this morning, the bike started sputtering and seemed to have no accelerating power. Stopped, started again, fine for a moment, then same thing, sputtering, little power...then...it seemed to go away. Felt like something with the carb, maybe a little piece of something got in one of the jets. Might have to ride it a bit this afternoon before I take off to see if I can make it happen again. If it does, will have to spend this afternoon taking care of it and then begin 3 day trip tomorrow.

Sis in law served a veggie soup last night which had some strange looking things I'd never seen before: tacoco

She showed me how you have to peel the cáscara, the shell, or hard part, then eat the fleshy part inside, except the seed. Pretty tasty, kind of boiled potato like. Pre-cooked:


Another shot of the tacoco partially peeled and the remains of some already eaten:

- Never been.