I really enjoyed Panama Beach. Over breakfast, I could feel the tropical beach vibe sinking in into my body. I was watching a pair of Red-Lored Parrots squawking in nearby tree and my mind just wandered off for a bit. When it decided to come back from its vacation, I said goodbye to the campground host and headed for La Fortuna. It was only 150 miles but it took me most of the day. The rural roads in Costa Rica were narrow, winding, no shoulder and many single lane bridges. There wasn't a lot of traffic but the occasional large truck could back up 15-20 cars. Tiggrr has plenty of power to execute quick, surgical overtakes but the roads were so tight, it was difficult to get enough sightline. I wasn't in a hurry so I just settled in. I pulled off to take a break at a long suspension bridge. I noticed right away the warning signs about crocodiles. That will make you think twice about wandering into the bushes to have a pee. I saw a woman with a vendor's cart in the parking lot. There wasn't anyone here and she looked really bored so I thought maybe I should give her some business. I was thirsty and I was hoping she might have a bottle of cold water. "Que estás vendiendo?" (What are you selling?) I asked. She smiled and opened the lid on her cart to show me a large block of ice. She showed me a metal scrapping tool and made a back-and-forth motion with her arm. "Puedes elegir un sabor" (you can choose a flavor) she said and started listing off the brightly colored syrups. "Quisiera uno de limon, por favor" (I would like a lemon one please). She went to work shaving the ice by hand and packed a paper cup. She squeezed in the lemon syrup and also added coconut condensed milk and a brightly colored marshmallow. All for about twenty cents. I went off to look for crocodiles while I enjoyed my sugar bomb. I was sure to go back to tell her how much I enjoyed it. She was delighted. Later in the day I had to stop for fuel. I ran into the mini-mart to get that cold bottle of water I was looking for earlier. As I was walking back, I saw a man in his mid 30s walking around my bike. "Hola" I said. He said in English. "How big is this moto?" We all know how this interaction goes. He introduced himself as Jose and soon I was looking at photos of his bike. He told me that he's a cattle farmer and that he and his brother had ridden their motorcycles all around Costa Rica. One day they would like to visit another country. He could not get over that I was traveling solo. I could not get over how well he spoke English. I seriously envy these multilingual people. I can see why people rave about Costa Rica. It's a tourist dream. It's exotic but very accessible. Lot's of people speak English and there are lots of touristy hotels, restauants and activities. My brain, which has been working overtime trying to read traffic signs in Spanish, had a hard time with the mix of Spanish and English signage. It couldn't figure out which mode it was supposed to be in. When I pulled into town, I stopped at a coffee shop and before I could say anything the young man behind the counter said "What can I get you?". I said, "Aww. You're taking all the fun out of it". He switched to Spanish with a grin. I'm staying in a cute bungalow (what they call a cabina) overlooking Volcán Arénal. As I'm writing this I can hear the rain coming down hard. I'm hoping to go do some hiking tomorrow but I guess I'll have to see what the day brings.