[Above: Two different angles of vehicle D1, which got stuck on a precarious bridge in Costa Rica.]

Journal by Adam Burgess

Manuel Antonio has been a well-received time-out from driving and filming. Neil and I have surfed everyday and at night we were guided by Neil-io into meeting some interesting characters. Late nights have turned the week into a more draining dose of entertainment than massages and suntanning (which were just what the doctor ordered).

The place is not an attractive town, and is rather cultureless in comparison to any of the other Central American towns and cities. There's a heavy dose of the ol' gringo here. Expatriates from the US, England and Australia seem to linger around, having never left since their exodus in the '60s and '70s. Week-long trips turned into decades, they set up shop on land that cost hundreds of dollars an acre and built homes for $15K with teak and almond-lined floors and ceilings. This has become a current bewilderment of mine and has lead to an obsession with the affordability of exotic hardwoods in the country. A few summers ago I was restoring my sailboat. Spending summer days and student loan leftovers, I quickly discovered the extortionate cost of teak, an oven-dried hardwood known for its resistance to the elements. After pondering the cost of $35 per foot of 1 inch by 8 inches, I decided to buy mahogany, a slightly cheaper option at $25 per foot. So, when I stared up at the thatched hut/roadside cafe and asked the owner how much one of the twenty, 30 foot long beams of teak cost he replied, $12,000 Colones -- $30. I never got over it.

The last day in Manuel Antonio we actually shot some video. Todd discovered a 15 year old who had started up a "save the rainforest" campaign when she was 9 and has been running it since. From a few dollars here and there it's grown into a very involved little campaign. She now has a small shop that sells souvenirs whose proceeds go towards rehabilitating injured or castaway monkeys and other tropical animals. She pulled out a box of two baby sloths that resembled "Animal" from Sesame Street. They spent most of their time hugging and smooching each other. We shot a quick interview with her and headed out to her parents' property for a little nature walk. She later revealed that the BBC and National Geographic had shot her before.

Later, Neil and I went surfing for almost 4 hours, and that evening we went back to the Mimo's hotel and discovered an excited Todd and Nick. Apparently they were off driving around the local hills in one of the Land Rovers, playing explorer. They had come across one of those little roads that Nick loves to venture onto and got into a little trouble. While traveling over the bridge, part of it collapsed under the weight of the vehicle. However, with three wheels firmly in place, recovery was as simple as gently backing up. I guess the lesson is to always be careful on the narrow country roads.

Adam
adam@drivearoundtheworld.com

Logbook for December 9th
Start: Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica
Finish: Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica
Mileage: Rest Day

Help support our cause: Drive Around the World aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by taking four certified pre-owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-mile via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking here. Everyone making a pledge of $10 or more to raise money for the Parkinson’s Institute will be put in a raffle to win an expedition-style Land Rover.