www.CostaRicaTicas.com

I plan to take a short trip in mid-december.
I will be driving from Cartago to San Isidro el General. I have to pass the mountain aka the Mountain of Death.

Is it not adviseable. I'll take my leisurely time; trailing behind some bus or tractor with GPS.

It's one damn beautiful ride though bro. And the women in San Isidro are pretty tasty as well. Take your time and enjoy all the scenery. Several places to stop along the way for a cold drink or food.

dapanz1

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Paradise= Sitting outside the Bodega in Panama City about 1 am. Drinking cool Balboas with cool friends and blazin' hot Colombianas. I want to be there..RIGHT NOW!

I don't know what the condition of this road is but I drove the scariest road ever coming back from Poas Volcano to Heredia a few months ago. I was driving a big 4x4 and at times the road was soft mud on the side of a mountain. I think a lot of the road had collapsed during the earth quake.


My friend in a Nissan Murano had to turn back a week earlier.


I would advise traveling in the early part of the day so you don't get trapped in rain or construction delays.

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* These are the "Good Ole Days". Enjoy Them.

* RENT but, "Don't Buy a Home in Costa Rica" until you have lived here for THREE years.

Bad as these roads might be, try looking at pictures of some Andean roads in Bolivia. It'll make the back-hair stand up. And then there's some Afghani or Chinese roads...
Here's an article with pix: http://autos.aol.com/article/most-dangerous-roads
Not trying to "one-up" anybody or diminish how dangerous CR roads can be but just providing perspective...

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"A man accustomed to hear only the echo of his own sentiments, soon bars all the common avenues of delight, and has no part in the general gratification of mankind"--Dr. Johnson
"Amen, brother"-ED

It should take you about 2 1/2 - 3 hours to get to San Isidro from Cartago. As others have said, take your time and enjoy the scenery. Although you will be on the Interamerican Hwy when you cross Cerro del Muerte, the road is two-lane, narrow and winding. There are not many spots to safely pass a slow-moving vehicle and watch out for the fog and clouds that shroud the road late in the morning and early afternoon.

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Blue Devil

Pura Vida...enjoying life to the fullest...

Yeah, I forgot to mention this. Usually it is raining at that elevation.

dapanz1

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Paradise= Sitting outside the Bodega in Panama City about 1 am. Drinking cool Balboas with cool friends and blazin' hot Colombianas. I want to be there..RIGHT NOW!

I try to go at first light to avoid this fog. I have been through it more times than I cared to. So thick some vehicles come to a complete stop.

_________________
* These are the "Good Ole Days". Enjoy Them.

* RENT but, "Don't Buy a Home in Costa Rica" until you have lived here for THREE years.

I did this trip a couple weeks ago and the road was in good shape and luckily we didn't run into any thick fog going in either direction. The scariest ride I ever had here was coming back from Limon to San Jose on highway that takes you through the tunnel northeast of San Jose. We made the top of the mountain around 6pm or so with fog so thicks could barely see the pavement from my driver's seat, my passenger was calling out go left or right from his spottting of road reflectors along the right side of the highway. Later a local told me that once in a while people drive off the highway in such conditions never to be seen again.

I have been on the Bolivian roads which must be the worst in the world.

Our guide's car broke down and we were stranded. Then I saw a sign in Spanish which said that Here on 6 June Jorge Villar and his 5 passengers met their death. Ugh.

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PacoLoco: "You pay for it one way or another."
Ace: "Rent everything, do not buy in Costa Rica"

Thats the road I was talking about with the fog . I drove it BEFORE those reflectors.

_________________
* These are the "Good Ole Days". Enjoy Them.

* RENT but, "Don't Buy a Home in Costa Rica" until you have lived here for THREE years.

Y'all are some brave dudes. No joke.

_________________
"A man accustomed to hear only the echo of his own sentiments, soon bars all the common avenues of delight, and has no part in the general gratification of mankind"--Dr. Johnson
"Amen, brother"-ED