One of the many JOYS of living in Costa Rica is the undeniable task of diving from point A to point B.

As a USA driver of over 40 years, I came to Costa Rica 5 years ago, and said “NOPE” can’t do it. Merging traffic with no particular lane, pedestrians in the dark of night, bicycles, and motorcycles weaving hither and yon. To say the roads are a free for all is simply too kind. Fearful of maiming an innocent person, I handed over the keys to Caryn, who has a keen eye and a third sense of whats is behind her and on each side at all times. Aside from the usual rants about drivers not having a clue, she does a remarkable job of getting us where we need to be.

Yesterday was interesting. We had to deliver three worker bees back to their home town of Siquirres, 13 kms away. One of the practical necessities here, is picking up worker bees and delivering them back home. If you want the work done, this is what you do. We really are too fragile to be on the roof and cleaning it.

The trip back to Siquirres would have been a half hour each way. Easy Peasie. A few kilometers out on  Route 32, traffic stopped. No particular reason that we could see, but stopped as far as the eye could tell. Now, you have to understand, that when there is a problem on the road, think fender bender, one may NOT move the vehicles until the Traffic Police do their job. After about one hour of nothingness, we called the TRAFFIC phone number to see if we could get an explanation as to the issue ahead. We were told, big accident. Two hours later, after several motorcycles and bicycles speed past on the wrong side of the road, we started to move, inch by inch by inch. A few kilometers down the road, we saw, what were the remains of a huge rotted tree, that gave its bulk right across the highway. A HA!!  that was the issue….a fallen tree and downed electric lines. OK, understandable. Now, traffic on both sides of the only EAST WEST highway is snailing along. We will soon get our worker bees back home, 3 hours late.

The strange thing that occurred for no understandable reason was this: upon arriving near the town, a hundred or so tractor trailers were lined up on the opposite side of the road, lights and motors OFF. Just sitting there!!!!!  OMG, NO!!  “THAT is our escape route to return home”. What???  WHY???? No one really knows. It is just the way it is.

Caryn, being the TICA driver that she has become, knew of an alternate escape down a one way street,wrong way ofcourse, and through a back road in the dark of night, that brought us out at a dead end with a raging river below, and we were able to make the turn back onto the highway passed the sleeping giants on 18 wheels. She really is one smart cookie.