At 7:00 a.m. I’m on the road, heading for Costa Rica. The road is bad in places, with rain in the afternoon, but travel is better than expected. I spend only an hour at the border, where my bike is tagged with a metal collar.
There is only one main highway from Panama to Mexico, so dodging the afternoon showers can be a bit tricky. They’re very wet and heavy, so it’s a bit like avoiding vehicles while crossing a busy motorway. From the top of one hill, I have a good view of the valley, and I can see that the road has a tropical shower just touching it. I could wait ages for it to pass, but I decide to give it a go, thinking I can easily get through and be back in the sun on the other side in about a minute. So off I go. It does only take a minute or so, but it’s like a thousand fire hoses full spray all the way. Upon exit of the shower, I’m saturated, and have to drain my boot. It’s the quickest wetting I have ever had on a motorbike. I decide that tropical showers should be avoided if possible.
I arrive in San José at 5:00 p.m. after 230 miles. I get offered a bed on a stretcher at a local ambulance station; they’re all friendly and chatty, so how can I refuse?