Recalculating! Heading down the Coast of Nicoya Peninsula.

            Montezuma

 Ferry from Paquera to Puntarenas

Having a rental car gives you ultimate freedom.   Having a GPS device in your rental car gives you peace of mind.  With the both I was locked in on seeing as much of Costa Rica  as possible, in the little time I was going to be in the country.   

  I started most days  punching a location into the GPS, then deciding on route to change directions and head another way.   My GPS was busy announcing that it was "recalculating."   "Travel 200 yards and then make a U turn."

For a small country, Costa Rica is surprisingly easy to get disoriented in, even with a GPS.     The roads meander about.  When you come to an intersection, non of the roads are labeled.  A few signs here and there, let you know you are heading in the right direction, but for the most part you have to rely on your own navigation and driving skills.

Peninsula Nicoya is located on the northwestern section of Costa Rica.    It's dry and flat, and has amazing beaches that stretch it's entire length.    If you want to get away from resorts and tours, head along the Pacific coast to  Montezuma  and you are guaranteed a fun adventure.  

I hit the Pacific Ocean at Playa Grande near Santa Rosa.   Walking out on the beach there were more turtle tracks than people.  The entire west coast is nesting grounds for the hard shelled sea animals.  

To give females privacy to lay their eggs, it was posted not to walk along the beaches at night.   Harassing them will cause them to abandon laying their eggs.    Though I'm not sure how much these rules are enforced.   The locals dig up the eggs and make a soup with them. they believe it makes them better in bed. 

 If you are a surfer,  the road south along the coast is lined with surf breaks.   The roads are mostly dirt, there are few towns,  you need 4WD to cross rivers, so it's the place to be if you love road trips and camping on the beach.   It doesn't feel like Costa Rica at all. 

When you do come across a beach that is stunning you just pull off the road, drive your car up to the waters edge,  get out and dive into the surf.  This kind of travel is more enjoyable then for me than, racing around in big cities. 

For the  majority of my life, I was traveling in a preset destination.  Just like riding chicken buses, through most of Central America.   I had no choice in which direction I could go, just packed in with everyone else and all heading like farm animals to a set destination.

 Sea turtle tracks

Driving my own car through Costa Rica is how I'd rather live life.   I get to choose my path and choose how long I want to take to get here.   If  I had a GPS with me at all times, it would constantly be saying, "recalculating."