[billoj]

Our experience with the police in Costa Rica a couple of years ago was interesting. In our rental car, we went for a circle tour around the Escazu Hills (Los Cerros de Escazu), starting from Escazu, through Santa Ana and Ciudad Colon, to Guayabo, Tabarcia and Palmichal to San Ignacio de Acosta (former home of George Lundquist) for lunch. We then completed the circle back through Tarbaca, Aserri and San Jose to Escazu.

The pavement ran out around Palmichal, as the gravel road climbed steeply on the way up and over the mountain to San Ignacio. At one point, the road forked, and we were unsure which fork to take, but there was a little building there, with a motorcycle parked outside. With some trepidation, being in unfamiliar territory, I approached the building and hailed the occupant.

It turned out that he was a policemen, and as I questioned him, in my halting and fragmentary Spanish, he explained that we should take the right hand fork, and furthermore, as he was about to patrol the road to San Ignacio on his motorcycle, we could follow him.

So it turned out that we had a motorcycle escort from Palmichal to San Ignacio, as we traversed a very twisting, interesting and challenging mountain road, with a lot of ups and a corresponding amount of downs.

What a country ! Pura Vida !

[Author]

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