the road to Jiminez was remote
on these roads, one vehicle = traffic jam
the plant life was beautiful
A view from Cabo Matapalo
Looking over to Pavones
Cabo Matapalo
a remote cove at Matapalo
the far side of the Cape
where's the swell?
Welcome to the jungle
The purpose of the trip was to surf at a swell on the cape that was supposed to be a surfer's dream. The cape was at the point of the Gulfo Dulce. Just across the point lay Pavones, a world-famous, remote surf spot that houses the "world's longest rideable left break." It is so long in fact that it's recommended that you walk back up the beach at the ride's conclusion rather than "attempt" to paddle back to where the wave is breaking.
I wasn't too keen on taking the trip to Matapalo (by day three I had seen enough of travel.) However, I now count it as one of the most rewarding and memorable portions of the trip. To get to Matapalo, we began by heading south from Dominical through some of the most beautiful coastal regions I had ever seen. The roads south of Dominical are nicely paved and so close to the cliffs that one could easily end up on the sea if doing a little too much sightseeing on the way. Some of the views of the ocean from the hilltop driveways were just too beautiful to describe. Unfortunately, I didn't get too many photos of the region.
After about an hour of driving, the road turns off the main highway at Piedras Biancas and onto the "road to Jimenez" or as I affectionately call it, "the road to death - Part II." There were potholes on that road that would have eaten my car back home and we were lucky not to have any accidents. The road whined endlessly through mountain ranges and up and down lush, tropical hillsides. The views were wonderful and the plant life was tremendous. The gorgeous, bright greens were complimented by a light blue sky, and the open-air jeep provided plenty of relief from the mid-morning sun.
We arrived in Jimenez at noon and stopped for a brief lunch. I'm not sure what I ordered, but I'm sure that I didn't get what I intended. I think that "dos taquitos" probably would render different results at Taco Bell.
Jimenez is the most populated town in the region, and the first organized town we had encountered in many miles. There isn't much to the two, just a couple of dirt roads and a small line of general stores. The main inhabitants of Jimenez are local miners, most of who are panning illegally, and groups of backpackers and eco-tourists who base here to explore the Corcovado. It is rumored that the streets at night get rather rowdy, especially when the miners come into town and cash in a large find.
From Jiminez, we traveled another hour to the Cape through some of the most adventurous roads and small streams that I had ever seen. It was amazing. There were long stretches of lowland prairies, with large groups of roaming cows and extraordinary canopy trees. It is reported that osas, giant sloths, crocodiles, and jaguars inhabit the land as well. When we began to get closer to the coast, the rainforest intensified and we got a true taste of what rainforest can be like. At times, the viney brush was so concentrated that it would cover the road like a cave, blocking out sunlight and making breezes cooler. I was very concerned at certain times that the rugged roads and streams that we had to pass to get to Matapalo would pose major problems when we encountered them later in the evening returning to Dominical. Many of the roads through the dense jungles were no wider than one car length and "passing" a car coming in the other direction would have been impossible. Luckily, we went mile after mile without encountering any.
We "arrived" at the vast metropolis of Matapalo and were greeted by. . . well. . . nothing (actually, that's not entirely true, we were greeted by some Iguanas.) . I mean, there was nothing out there except a collection of beautiful coves, some waves, and a group of surfers in a small camper bus. After talking with the people in the bus, they said that there was no swell today and in effect, our trip was for nothing. Dan didn't like that too much and neither did I. Since they spoke such good English, I asked them how they had gotten down to Matapalo. They told me to my horror that they had driven down from Oregon. Now that's a hike!
We made the most of the trip, driving around the area and relaxing in the cool coves at the point.
Dan has gone for a walk to check out some of the other breaks, so I have set down here on an abandoned beach near Matapalo with a woodlog pillow, and am about to take a brief cat nap. The scene here is so sereel. Here I was sitting on an abandoned beach literally in the MIDDLE of NOWHERE, thousands of miles from home, and hundreds of miles away from the nearest "civilized" city. It just seems weird. What am I doing here? I don't know, but I am getting a chance to see things that 99.9% of the world will never see and I'm trying to appreciate it all. I can't help thinking, "what would happen if we got stuck here?" I mean, whom could we call? There are no phones, no stores, no houses . . . what would we do?
Yet, it's the raw nature of this place that's so appealing. It's unspoiled and unpopulated and the overall sense I get from being here is one of an explorer. I kind of feel like a Magellan or Cortez or something. I feel like I am someplace that has never been discovered before. I wonder, in fact, if anyone has ever sat here, and seen this, and thought what I'm thinking. It's an odd feeling, one I can honestly say I have never felt before.
I wish I could describe this place better. The beach is a beautiful, sandy gold and much more lush than in Dominical. As I gaze across the channel toward Pavones, Punta Banco, and Panama, I am distracted by a couple of scarlet macaws that freely fly past my post, above the Coconut and Palm trees that abound throughout. The blue waters closer to shore have turned a muddy brown at low tide, and groups of Pelicans are "diving" out of the sky for their lunch in the sea.
I believe the portion of the trip that appealed to me the most was the remoteness of it all. It wasn't something that I would have been able to see normally. It wasn't the "guided tour." And it really educated me as to parts of the world that aren't connected to civilization. I had read about such places, and my uncle (a missionary to the remote village of Toma Toma in Venezuela) had told me about similar areas, but I had never experienced it for myself.
Here is an example: On the way to Jimenez, we could have visited Drake Bay, a newly popular beach area. Until 1997, there was not a road that led into town from the "main road," just horse-pathways through the jungle. There was also not an airstrip in the town. The town was truly inaccessible. Even today the airstrip is only accessible at low tide.
It's unbelievable to me that such places even exist. It was good for me to visit Jimenez and Matapalo. It benefited me to know that there are some places on earth that don't beat to the same drum as the rest of civilization, places that would be unaffected by a two-point drop in the Dow or Nasdaq.
I was reluctant to leave Matapalo, although I was eager to get back to Dominical. The trip back was non-eventful, apart from a glorious sunset that slowly descended below the horizon. It provided wonderful silhouettes of canopy trees and giant palms that eventually faded into the night's blackness.
The Village of Dominical
Cabo Matapalo
Playa Uvita
Playa Hermosa/Dominicalito
Roca Verde
Playa Matapalo/Quepos/Manuel Antonio
Animal Life
Sunsets
What I learned on this trip
