I flew into San José, Costa Rica with no bike and zero touring experience — just meeting my cousin who was already deep into his own solo trip. We stayed with a local host who takes in cyclists, and by the next morning I somehow decided, “Yeah, I guess I’ll bike two countries too.”
Walked into Ciclo Boutique, bought a Fuji Nevada 29 1.9 for ~$500, strapped a rack on it, and started pedaling toward the Pacific coast.
We rolled out to Jacó, surfed, sweat, and kept heading south through Quepos and Uvita. Eventually made it all the way to Pavones, where I got to surf one of the longest lefts in the Pacific — absolutely unreal.
After crossing into Panama, the ride honestly got way smoother. The highways there are incredibly well-kept with wide shoulders, a huge difference from Costa Rica’s tight roads. We cruised through:
• David
• Tolé
• Santiago
• Chitré
• and finally Panama City
Not bad for someone who started the trip with a new bike, a backpack, and basically no idea what they were doing.
If anyone wants details on the route, how the Fuji handled loaded touring, surf spots along the way, border crossing info, or just general rookie mistakes — happy to share.
Pura vida 🤙
by New_Ad7061