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Driving in the country
Friday I had an appointment to
have my motorcycle inspected. All motor vehicles are
required to be inspected once per year for safety and
emissions. This is done only at the Federally chartered
locations called Riteve. There are locations around the
country, but none here in Acosta. The good news is; I
believe I am seeing less total Junkers blowing bad fumes
than I was seeing six months ago when the program
started.
My nearest Riteve location is in
Cartago. The shortest route is a relatively good two
lanes, paved road over the mountains to the East. It is
45 Kilometers and takes just under one hour running
as fast as I feel is safe. Since 45 Km is about 30
miles, I am averaging 30 Miles per hour. Almost all of
the main roads in the rural areas are like this one.
They wind up and down the mountains, through neat small
towns, and over beautiful little creeks. The traffic is
very light. I met or passed a total of no more than 10
cars and trucks each way. The scenery is awesome. There
are large and small farms of coffee, vegetables,
decorator plants, and citrus. There are places where the
side of the road drops straight down for 100s of feet
and there are views over the mountain ranges in every
direction. I pass over 6,600 feet altitude where it is
nice and cool in the Pine forests.
Of course getting the inspection
is an exercise in patience. First you get in the line in
front of the parking area where you must prove you have
an appointment. Once you get past this hurdle, you get
in line to check in at the office. If all your papers
are in order, you get in line to pay the fee. It costs
5,795 Colones ($14.93 at todays rate) for my 600 cc
Motorcycle for the inspection, which is good for one
year. Once you have the paid receipt, you go out and get
in one of the inspection lines with your vehicle. The
whole process took about one hour. One advantage of this
system is you can meet interesting people in any of the
above lines. Nearly all Ticos and Expats are very open
and friendly here in Costa Rica.
This is one of three stickers you
must have on a vehicle. There is another for the
insurance, and one for the license.
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