Driving our JL To Costa Rica

[twisty]

I plan on doing something big in my retirement. Alaska trip for sure is a SAFE shakedown trip prior to maybe going to Chile and back. After that who knows. This thread and many others are very helpful.

I do kind of chuckle at some of the responses to the naysayers. Heck even the OP has made the same nervous comments, had to convince the wife, done a LOT of research, stayed in "safe" areas for bedtime, on and on. And he SHOULD. This isnt the USA or Canada or any western country.

I have Mexican friends that wont go down there, EVER! One of my sons best friends in mexican and he was invited down there. My son is fluent in Spanish and he was super excited. The trip got canceled because of a huge murder rate in that same area. His mexican parents did the canceling!

I think Poo Pooing the concerns of many does a disservice to all who are considering going down there and could be down right dangerous. Especially when those doing the poo pooing are pretty much saying the same thing.

Not saying dont go, but I am saying do your homework like the OP did and I will be following suit. Lots of crappy situations down there but eliminating possibilities and overcoming others gets you to some magical spots with some very magical locals.

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[flipboltz]

I plan on doing something big in my retirement. Alaska trip for sure is a SAFE shakedown trip prior to maybe going to Chile and back. After that who knows. This thread and many others are very helpful.

I do kind of chuckle at some of the responses to the naysayers. Heck even the OP has made the same nervous comments, had to convince the wife, done a LOT of research, stayed in "safe" areas for bedtime, on and on. And he SHOULD. This isnt the USA or Canada or any western country.

I have Mexican friends that wont go down there, EVER! One of my sons best friends in mexican and he was invited down there. My son is fluent in Spanish and he was super excited. The trip got canceled because of a huge murder rate in that same area. His mexican parents did the canceling!

I think Poo Pooing the concerns of many does a disservice to all who are considering going down there and could be down right dangerous. Especially when those doing the poo pooing are pretty much saying the same thing.

Not saying dont go, but I am saying do your homework like the OP did and I will be following suit. Lots of crappy situations down there but eliminating possibilities and overcoming others gets you to some magical spots with some very magical locals.

I think we attribute our successful trip to several things.

We did extensive planning and talked to many people that have made the trip before. Everyday there are families, couples, and single folks driving the Pan American highway. We joined many Pan American discussion boards and talked to many groups that have made our exact trip numerous times.

We had a GoPro mounted on the dash while driving at all times. This is a huge help. No corrupt cop wants to be on camera requesting a bribe.

I am not a small individual. 6'1 and 255. I can only hope seeing me behind the wheel made someone rethink any plan they may have had.

We were in a 2 door Jeep. Not much can be carried in that Jeep. It didn't look like we were moving a lot and there wasn't much of value to take.

We only drove during daylight and planned all of our stops ahead of time and stayed at AirBnBs and hotels with secure parking. Like I said, lots of planning went into this.

We wish we would have had more time to make our drive and actually spend some more time in Mexico. I only had 2 weeks off of work at the time so we made haste.

We are continually updating our blog at www.eatbeachrepeatlife.com and will be adding more Jeep trips in the near future as well.

 

[OnBordAdventures]

Such a cool adventure. Glad you didn't listen to all the Americans saying Mexico is scary.

My wife and I travel to Mexico for probably 3 months out of the year. If you are ever in the area of Oaxaca more specifically Huatulco, MX and Bahia de Santa Cruz Huatulco you should definitely plan a few days there. You can rent an AirBnB or stay in town at a few different hotels. I highly recommend Mission De Los Arcos if you decide to stay in town. We own property in Huatulco and consider it one of if not the most beautiful place in Mexico.

 

[Chocolate Thunder]

Such a cool adventure. Glad you didn't listen to all the Americans saying Mexico is scary.

My wife and I travel to Mexico for probably 3 months out of the year. If you are ever in the area of Oaxaca more specifically Huatulco, MX and Bahia de Santa Cruz Huatulco you should definitely plan a few days there. You can rent an AirBnB or stay in town at a few different hotels. I highly recommend Mission De Los Arcos if you decide to stay in town. We own property in Huatulco and consider it one of if not the most beautiful place in Mexico.

About 11 or 12 years ago I had a business associate from Mexico who invited me down to a resort he owns in Huatulco. I had never heard of the place. It was fantastic. Glad I didn’t buy into the xenophobic hype. Of course the anti Mexico sentiment wasn’t as bad then as it is now. But it was one of the most beautiful and relaxing vacations I’ve had.

 

[OnBordAdventures]

About 11 or 12 years ago I had a business associate from Mexico who invited me down to a resort he owns in Huatulco. I had never heard of the place. It was fantastic. Glad I didn’t buy into the xenophobic hype. Of course the anti Mexico sentiment wasn’t as bad then as it is now. But it was one of the most beautiful and relaxing vacations I’ve had.

It wasn't Las Palmas resort by chance was it?

I agree that the anti Mexico sentiment is way out of hand now. We ride mopeds around the whole time we are there and never once have I felt unsafe or worried about crime. You should go back and see how little it has changed in the last 11 or 12 years. It is wild how it stays the same with little to no touristy feel.

 

[Chocolate Thunder]

It wasn't Las Palmas resort by chance was it?

I agree that the anti Mexico sentiment is way out of hand now. We ride mopeds around the whole time we are there and never once have I felt unsafe or worried about crime. You should go back and see how little it has changed in the last 11 or 12 years. It is wild how it stays the same with little to no touristy feel.

Villas Fa Sol.

The next Costa Rica trip will probably be to Tamarindo or somewhere in that region.

 

[flipboltz]

Villas Fa Sol.

The next Costa Rica trip will probably be to Tamarindo or somewhere in that region.

Thunder,

Make sure you let me know when are coming to the area. I would love to get together and we can take the Jeep out for some fun.

 

[Chocolate Thunder]

Thunder,

Make sure you let me know when are coming to the area. I would love to get together and we can take the Jeep out for some fun.

Sweet! I’ll take you up on it. I’ve rented 4x4s when I visit, but never a Wrangler.

 

[flipboltz]

Life in Costa Rica

Sundays are family days. Sundays are beach days. Close to where we live is Playa Prieta where you can drive down close to the beach. Most beaches in Costa Rica you cannot drive on or get very close to in a car. There are some that you need a capable 4x4 to get to and those you can get close to the beach. Prieta is Bonita. So damn nice and a 10 minute drive from our casa. We try and get to a beach at least every Sunday. We are at the end of rainy season and I am itching to get the top and doors off so bad. Maybe in a couple weeks.

And then there is road work in Costa Rica. This is a fun one. There are many 1 lane bridges around here and the one in the pic is the one we have to drive into Surfside. It is pretty much the only way into town from the South. This bridge had a pretty big hole in it and a crew was sent out to fix it. These brave guys are welding a metal plate to the bridge as they are letting cars go by. It was pretty crazy. The big yellow truck in the background had about 8 cows in it. Thank god they waited to go...

As always, check out our blog at www.eatbeachrepeatlife.com I am working on some videos I took of some fun drives and I will be putting them up here.

 

[flipboltz]

Update and some Jeep Pics! Things are moving along pretty awesomely here in Costa Rica. Dry season is here so that means the doors and top are off the Jeep 24/7. The only negative about that is the dust. Living on rocky dirt roads and high dry season winds means the interior of Chivo always has a nice coat of dirt/dust in it.

Honestly, it isn't too bad and a little dust never hurt anyone right? My Company had their Holiday Party in Colorado yesterday so the wife and I were able to sneak away for a mid day beach day yesterday. It couldn't have been a nicer day for it.

As always, check out our blog at www.eatbeachrepeatlife.com PuraVida!

 

[PAUL HARRIS]

We are in Baja. The rainy season is starting. For the dust in dry climate like the coast it’s best to get a brush. If there’s no auto boy type stores it’s easy to find a soft bristled brush that may be for other purposes but a quick brisk and no water will make a big difference inside and out side

 

[blessidsoul12]

How are things down there? Anything new? How has the pandemic affecting things in CR?

 

[4father]

My wife and I and our dog Bosco about to start our journey to Costa Rica in our 2018 Wrangler JL.

I just binged your old blog... what an amazing experience!

 

[flipboltz]

I just binged your old blog... what an amazing experience!

Thanks Man! I really appreciate it. It was such a blast driving down there. Unfortunately we are back in the states for a couple years. We left the Jeep down there and will be back but this whole Covid thing really messed stuff up. We weren't able to drive back as all borders were closed when we came back.

Our next plans are a JLUR and doing an overland build with a Ursa Minor J30 and the works. I am really looking forward to the new Extreme Recon package that is coming out soon.

 

[Tejas392]

Any updates?

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