Day 6

We are awakened from our slumber at the foot of the volcano by some strange animal noise. Some creature is bellowing followed shortly by a very faint and distant reply. We never discover the culprit but the noise seems reminiscent of Chewbacca pleasuring himself. We had been debating whether we should spend some time in the area or head off to Tamarindo right away. The forecast decides for us. There is a low cloud ceiling and we can’t see any of the volcano. Luckily our room is graced with some art.

At breakfast we sit with the crowd we had been avoiding the night before. They all pile on to the huge buses that we will pass later in the day as they lumber up hill in first gear spewing out the soot that coats our visors. Just as finish packing it starts raining. We decide to just get moving and not worry about getting wet. The down pour makes the twisty roads a little more daunting so we throttle back and enjoy not being hot. The rain lets up and we start to ride some the best roads to date. At one point Charlie spots a sign for a scenic look out and we hang a u-turn to check it out. The road to the summit starts off innocently enough but gets progressively steeper and looser with fist sized rocks over a hard base. As I’m parked on the plateau at the summit I can see Charles tractoring up one of the switchbacks. When he doesn’t reappear I suspect he has had trouble. I come across his bike laying on it’s side with Charles standing unhurt nearby. With his bad back he can’t hoist the bike alone so we right it together and start the descent. I don’t take any picture but only because I’m shooting video…. On the way down I come to a spot where it is so steep and there is so little traction that the engine braking is enough to cause the tire to skid. If I pull in the clutch and ease off the rear brake the bike straightens out but gains even more speed. The bikes we’ve rented are enduro bikes but they have street tires which doesn’t help our cause any. I seem to remember it being better up ahead and take the speed penalty and am just able to scrub it off in a section ahead before another downhill. I get to the main road but after a few minutes there is still no Charles. I start heading back up and get to the tricky section and see Charlie’s bike on it’s side once again. Just to get by him and turn around requires spinning the tire while Charles pushes. I get turned around on a flat spot and now have to do the tricky section again. I skid and slip by the fallen bike and walk back up where we hoist the KTM upright again. Having done the section a few times I herd the second bike down the hill and we continue our little detour having added an hour to the days travel time. We stop at the first Soda along the road and regroup. The whole morning we have been riding along the shore of a huge lake and now we make a bee line for the coast. This town is much more touristy. Lots of bikinis and young shirtless guys with abs. We blend in perfectly.

Charles starts calling it Tamagringo. The beach is wide and surfers are riding the modest waves.

We even stumble across some beach art.

We hit the hotel’s outdoor bar and shortly thereafter are in a conversation with a gay couple from Colorado and another fellow who describes himself as a tea bagger, politically that is. The couple have been in town for a week and tip us off to a good supper spot. We make our way to a five or six story office tower where the roof is a Spanish Lebanese restaurant. Not a fusion of the two but a menu divided. The owner seats us and sells us on the merits of Nicaraguan beef. We both order the surf and turf and the meat is excellent. Charles gets in a serious conversation with our host but as soon as I hear the term “gross margins” I lose interest. We wander the streets and eventually find out that the happening night spot is the Number 1 club on the roof of yet another office tower. We hit one last spot before turning in just before 3.