So I waited 3 days for the rain to stop so that I could make my way south to the Osa Peninsula, but it did not. I listened to the news and called the 800 number for the Department of Transportation several times a day waiting for the pass to be open in the morning. I figured out that the Cerro de la Muerte (the mountain pass I take to go south, AKA Inter-American Highway, Route 2) was open every day
late in the afternoon, but too late for me to leave my house and make it over the mountain before dark by the time I heard the updated the status... So I decided to head out in the morning and just wait it out. If I had to wait in traffic for hours, that'd be OK, just as long as i could get over the pass before dark.
I packed up all my stuff and made sure to bring along some food (popcorn and sun flower seeds) and a good book. It was a rainy morning, and I mean pouring!!!! I managed to get all my stuff in the car during a brief pause in the rain and off I went.
Much to my surprise (though it should not have been) the traffic getting out of Heredia was horrible. Accident here, accident there. After 3 U-turns, i finally punched my way thru and got out of town. Two hours later (it should have been one hour) I got onto the highway going to Cartago. At the toll booth, it said the Cerro was closed, but the 800 number said it was open, so i continued.
Anyway, to make a long story short, the Cerro was open, though i had to wait about 4 times for 10-20 minutes each time for tractors and dump trucks to clear the fallen mud from the roadway. I arrived at my destination, Sierpe de Osa, seven hours later, it normally takes 5.
I was very pleasantly surprised at the cleanliness and comfort of the beds of the little hotel I stayed at in Sierpe, Margarita's. Comfortable mattresses with nice sheets (high thread count) and that actually stay on the mattresses, clean rooms and hot water. What more can you ask for when paying $20 per night.
It's now a partially sunny morning in Sierpe, though the clouds remind me more rain is to come. Cheers to living in the tropics. Pura Vida!
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